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06/25/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Eagles released a statement Friday regarding a reported shooting incident that occurred outside a Virginia Beach restaurant celebrating Michael Vick's 30th birthday.
The Virginian-Pilot reported Quanis Phillips, a co-defendant of Vick's in the infamous 2007 dogfighting case, was taken to a hospital early Friday morning following a shooting outside Guadalajara, the establishment hosting Vick and his guests.
"We are aware of the incident that occurred in Virginia early this morning and are in the process of gathering all of the facts. Until then, we will not have any comment on this matter," the Eagles' statement read.
While the Eagles and the NFL investigate, Vick's lawyer told The Virginian- Pilot his client was not involved and had left the party before the shooting took place.
No arrests have been made, and security footage shows Vick leaving the event before the incident, according to the paper.
Vick and Phillips were both released from prison in 2009 after serving time relating to a dogfighting conspiracy. Vick is still on probation and is not permitted to associate with a convicted felon unless granted permission by his probation officer.
<< Montoya wins second straight New Hampshire pole
Loudon, NH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juan Pablo Montoya edged Kasey Kahne in Friday's
qualifying for the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 to claim his second consecutive
pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Montoya, who won the pole last September a
<< Columbus signs Carroll to four-year extension
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Crew signed midfielder Brian
Carroll to a four-year contract extension on Friday.
Carroll has been a stalwart in the Crew's midfield since joining the club,
starting and appearing in 73
<< Chivas USA signs midfielder Nagamura
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chivas USA signed midfielder Paulo Nagamura, who
had eight goals and seven assists in 73 matches with the team from 2007-2009,
on Friday.
Nagamura spent the last six months playing with Mexican First Divisio
<< Tubert versus McCloskey at U.S. Women's Publinx
South Bend, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Emily Tubert and Lisa McCloskey both won
their semifinal matches on Friday to set up the 36-hole final of the U.S.
Women's Amateur Public Links Championship.
The first 18 of the championship match
Baylor, Rojoas named managers for Futures Game >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Don Baylor and Cookie Rojas have been
named managers for the Futures Game, which will be a part of the All-Star Game
festivities in Anaheim.
The contest will take place on Sunday, July 11 at An
White Sox down Cubs, win 10th straight game >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Quentin's three-run homer in the first
inning sent Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano into a frenzy, while Jake Peavy and
the White Sox continued to roll with a 6-0 decision to reach 10 straight wins
for the
Rose cruising at Travelers >>
Cromwell, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Justin Rose fired an eight-under 62 on Friday
to take a commanding lead after the second round of the Travelers
Championship.
The Englishman established a new 36-hole record with his 14-under 1
LeBron's manager: No tour >>
LeBron James is not going on a free-agent tour.The NBA superstar's business manager told ESPN.com on Friday that James has no plans to go on a recruiting trip when free agency opens on July 1. There had been speculation that the two-time MVP would h
Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"
A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."
Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.
In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.
"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."
Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.
But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"
Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.
This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.
Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.
In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.
No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.
And that's all any bettor can ask for.
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