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06/26/2010 -
LOS ANGELES (AP) -Although the Edmonton Oilers agonized over their decision until a few hours before the NHL draft, they eventually decided Taylor Hall was just a bit more irresistible than Tyler Seguin.
Both 18-year-old prospects realize this debate could go on for two more decades.
The Oilers selected Hall with the No. 1 pick Friday night, going with the Windsor Spitfires star's toughness and potential over the smooth skating and skill of Seguin, his fellow Ontario Hockey League forward.
The league-worst Oilers had the toughest call at the top of a draft in several years, but general manager Steve Tambellini couldn't resist Hall's potential. He believes Hall has the physical gifts and work ethic to be a mainstay in the middle for a club that has lacked an elite front-line talent.
``He's such an imposing young man,'' Tambellini said. ``I don't think I've ever met a more focused, competitive athlete. He was the best player on a good team for a long time.''
The first round was completed at Staples Center on Friday, with the final six rounds set for Saturday. The assembled executives pulled off relatively few trades, with defensemen Keith Ballard and Dan Hamhuis the only significant names changing places.
Many NHL scouts and executives couldn't choose a favorite between Hall, a physical left wing who scored 106 points in 57 games for Windsor, and Seguin, the league MVP for the Plymouth Whalers. Hall's Spitfires knocked Seguin out of the playoffs on the way to their second straight Memorial Cup title.
Hall wasn't worried about the Oilers' recent struggles, instead focusing on their heritage in the City of Champions.
``They're such a great franchise with so much history behind them,'' Hall said after pulling on his blue-and-orange jersey. ``With the five (Stanley) Cups they won, it will mean a lot to me to join their organization and hopefully bring another one up there.''
The Boston Bruins eagerly grabbed Seguin moments later with the No. 2 pick. Hall and Seguin both intend to be on NHL rosters this fall, and they realize their careers are likely to run on parallel tracks for many years.
``I don't think it matters who goes first overall,'' Seguin said. ``I'm just excited to be here and to be going to Boston. I'm sure the rivalry will continue if we're both in the NHL next year, but we both respect each other. We're good buddies, and that isn't going to change.''
Hall and Seguin spent much of the past three days hanging out together at various tours and events - everything from batting practice at Angel Stadium to a red-carpet Hollywood movie premiere - in the NHL draft's first trip to Los Angeles.
Hall is the fourth straight OHL player chosen No. 1, following Patrick Kane, Steven Stamkos and John Tavares. Those three picks are working out quite well - and Hall believes he can join the Oilers' young core to return some respectability to the team.
``I feel honored with all the players that have gone No. 1,'' Hall said. ``When I came into this year, that was one of my goals, was to go No. 1. In saying that, there's still a lot of work to do out here.''
While the Los Angeles Kings hosted the draft, the Anaheim Ducks made bigger splashes. Anaheim picked defenseman Cam Fowler with the 12th pick, grabbing a top prospect expected to go much higher, and then drew a huge cheer from the crowd when they picked Long Beach native Emerson Etem with the 29th pick.
Earlier, Florida selected Kingston defenseman Erik Gudbranson with the third pick.
``I did my research on their team,'' said Gudbranson, a physical defenseman with a big shot. ``(With) Dmitry Kulikov there, I feel like I could be a good complement to him on the back end. The real attraction was having (new Panthers general manager) Dale Tallon there, seeing what he did with the Chicago Blackhawks and winning the Stanley Cup and building that team from scratch.''
Columbus grabbed WHL center Ryan Johansen with the fourth pick. Forward Nino Niederreiter, Johansen's teammate in Portland, became the highest-drafted Swiss player in NHL history when he went to the Islanders with the fifth pick. The Islanders already have defenseman Mark Streit, the only NHL All-Star from Switzerland.
``I'm trying to be a scorer one day,'' said Niederreiter, who believes he can make the Islanders roster this fall. ``At the moment, I think I'm a two-way player with some skills and also defensively. At the end, I just want to be a goal-scorer.''
Forward Brett Connolly went sixth to Tampa Bay, which wasn't worried by his recent injury problems. Carolina pulled a mild surprise at No. 7, grabbing Kitchener center Jeff Skinner, a former figure skater.
Atlanta took Russian forward Alex Burmistrov with the eighth pick, and Minnesota grabbed Finland's Mikael Granlund at No. 9. The New York Rangers used the 10th pick on tough Moose Jaw defenseman Dylan McIlrath, who was rated much lower than still-available defensemen Fowler and Brandon Gormley by most scouting services.
Dallas chose the draft's first goalie with the 11th pick, selecting Jack Campbell from the U.S. national development team.
Fowler was projected as a top-five talent by most observers, yet he fell all the way to No. 12, where the Ducks eagerly added him to a roster badly in need of talented defensemen. Fowler accepted his new jersey from Scott Niedermayer, the recently retired defensive star and Fowler's model for his game.
``It's hard when you're projected as a top pick and you slide, but it's something to use as motivation,'' Fowler said. ``Who knows why it happened? I'm just glad I landed where I did.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Uribe and Giants slip past Red Sox
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juan Uribe blasted a solo home run and
Buster Posey added three hits with an RBI to help San Francisco beat Boston,
5-4, in the opener of a three-game interleague series at AT&T Park.
San Franci
<< Pennington, A's hammer Pirates
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cliff Pennington went 3-for-4 with three RBI
and a run scored as the Oakland Athletics pounded the Pittsburgh Pirates,
14-4, in the opener of a three-game interleague set.
Ryan Sweeney went 3-for-5 wi
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Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rodriguez hit the eventual game-
winning homer in the sixth inning to back CC Sabathia's solid pitching
performance, as the New York Yankees snuck past the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2-1,
in the
<< Coyotes draft defenseman, goalie in 1st round
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -The Phoenix Coyotes picked 18-year-old defenseman Brandon Gormley and 17-year-old goaltender Mark Visentin in the first round of Friday's NHL draft.Phoenix took Gormley with the 13th overall selection and Visentin at No. 27 aft
Timberwolves introduce Wesley Johnson >>
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -In one of the longest and most difficult seasons in franchise history, one thing became painfully obvious to David Kahn and Kurt Rambis above all others - the Minnesota Timberwolves needed a star.Both acknowledge it is much easier
Pacers' George, Granger are similar >>
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Ron Artest was one of the best players in the NBA when the Pacers drafted Danny Granger for him to mentor.Artest saw something in Granger, prompting him to proclaim that the versatile forward would become a star. Granger made good
Herrera lifts Rockies over Angels in extras >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jonathan Herrera had three hits and drove in
the game-winning run in the 11th inning, as the Colorado Rockies rallied to
beat the LA Angels, 4-3, in the first of three games at Angel Stadium.
Chris Ianne
Twins set to face Santana for first time since trade to Mets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For eight seasons with Minnesota, Johan Santana was one of
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first time since trading the left-hander to the Mets before the 2008 season,
the former
While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.
Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.
The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.
What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.
These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.
College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.
Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.
Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.
Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.
I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.
Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.
It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.
As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.
Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).
The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.
"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."
Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.
"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."
When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:
CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.
DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.
PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.
You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.
"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."
Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.
(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)
Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."
But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."
Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."
Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."
All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.
In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.
"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."
To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.
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