Oilers ship Staios to Flames

Hockey Betting Lines

03/03/2010 - Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Oilers acquired defenseman Aaron Johnson and a third-round draft pick from the Calgary Flames in exchange for veteran rearguard Steve Staios.

Johnson appeared in 22 games this season for the Flames, collecting a goal and two assists.

Staios, meanwhile, recorded seven assists in 40 games with the Oilers. He has 52 goals and 199 points in 879 career games with Boston, Vancouver, Atlanta and Edmonton.

Wwwteleport Hockey Betting News

<< Thrashers acquire F MacArthur from Sabres
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Thrashers acquired forward Clarke MacArthur from the Buffalo Sabres for third and fourth-round picks in the 2010 draft on Wednesday. MacArthur, a third-round selection by Buffalo in th

<< Caps re-acquire D Jurcina
Arlington, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Capitals made another depth move on Wednesday, re-acquiring defenseman Milan Jurcina from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a 2010 conditional draft pick. Jurcina, who was ship

<< Oilers, Ducks swap defensemen
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Oilers acquired defenseman Ryan Whitney from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky on Wednesday. In his first full season with the Ducks, Whitney posted four goals

<< Ducks receive G MacDonald from Leafs
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Anaheim Ducks acquired goaltender Joey MacDonald from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a 2011 seventh-round draft pick. MacDonald has spent most of the 2009-10 campaign with the Toronto Mar

<< Gotham Stakes attracts 10 three-year-olds
Ozone Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A field of 10 Kentucky Derby hopefuls has been entered for Saturday's $250,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct. The 1 1/16- mile Gotham is the final local prep before the $750,000 Wood Memorial on April 3

Bears tender contracts to eight players >>
Lake Forest, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bears tendered contract offers to eight free agents on Wednesday. One-year deals were tendered to restricted free agent linebackers Nick Roach and Jamar Williams, defensive end Mark

Blue Jackets send Modin to Kings >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets traded veteran forward Fredrik Modin to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a 2010 seventh- round draft pick. It has been an injury-plagued campaign for the Swede, who has

St Trinians tries boys in Saturday's Big 'Cap >>
Arcadia, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 73rd running of the $750,000 Santa Anita Handicap (Big 'Cap) at Santa Anita Park has attracted 13 males and one female. The 14 thoroughbreds will be asked to run 1 1/4-miles Saturday on Santa Anita's

Boyd lands in Nashville >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nashville Predators acquired forward Dustin Boyd from the Calgary Flames in exchange for a 2010 fourth-round draft pick. The 23-year-old Boyd has compiled eight goals and 11 assists in 60 games fo

Braves bring final 11 under contract >>
Lake Buena Vista, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves agreed to terms with the final 11 players on their 40-man roster Wednesday. One-year contracts have been granted to right-handers Jair Jurrjens, Kris Medlen and Luis Valdez

MySportsbook.com refunds all bets on Oakland, Green Bay and Tampa Bay from NFL week one.

(September 14) – Week one of NFL action saw three teams go scoreless for the first time since 1977.  Another four were unable to get a touchdown and almost half of the underdogs covered the spread. Those three teams saved bettors at MySportsbook.com from losing out completely, thanks to the company’s unique NFL Shutout Rule -- which ensures that if the team you backed goes scoreless, your wager is refunded.

Sportsbook refunded tens of thousands of dollars to customers who bet on Oakland, Green Bay and Tampa Bay, the three teams that stunk up the field so badly that their fans and backers never had a chance to get up from their couches and cheer.  In the spirit of the low scoring start to the season, odds makers at the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino have set odds on how many total shutouts there will be this season. 

MySportsbook.com has posted updated sports betting lines for week two of the season.  Ben Roethlisberger’s health status is still questionable, so Willie Parker will try to lead Pittsburgh again as they travel to Jacksonville as a one point favorite.  After beating up on his little brother last week, Peyton Manning will look to lead the Colts to victory against Houston. Indianapolis is a whopping 13.5 favorite in the match-up.

Seattle, last year’s highest scoring team, showed the power of their defense with their gritty 9-6 win in Motown over the ravenous Lions.  They take their act back home to the comforts of Qwest Field where they will face the resurgent Arizona Cardinals.  The Seahawks are favored by a touchdown. 

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.

Horse Betting

(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.