Jets inch closer to playoffs by edging Dolphins
Football Betting Lines
12/26/2006 - Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Leon Washington's 64-yard jaunt on a screen pass set up Mike Nugent's winning field goal with 10 seconds remaining, as the New York Jets moved closer to the playoffs with a 13-10 win over the Miami Dolphins.
It's been a remarkable turnaround for the Jets (9-6), as they've won seven of their last 10 games. New York can earn a wild card berth with a victory at home over the 2-13 Oakland Raiders Sunday.
Washington finished with four receptions for 108 yards, but none was bigger than the slashing catch-and-run late in the fourth quarter. Chad Pennington threw the ball over the middle to the rookie from Florida State, and Washington eluded a couple of tacklers before picking up a block and surging down the right sideline before being tackled by Renaldo Hill at the 16 with 1:54 left.
After three runs by Kevan Barlow, Nugent split the uprights from 30 yards away.
The Dolphins couldn't manufacture a miracle return on the ensuing kickoff, ending the game, which was played in a steady rain.
Pennington completed 14-of-29 passes for 237 yards with a TD to Jerricho Cotchery in the fourth quarter.
Cleo Lemon replaced an ineffective Joey Harrington at halftime for Miami and connected on 11-of-16 passes for 104 yards with a score to tight end Randy McMichael, also in the fourth. Ronnie Brown returned to the Dolphins lineup after missing three games with a broken left hand and rushed for 110 yards on 18 carries.
The Dolphins (6-9), who end their season at Indianapolis on Sunday, lost their second straight.
Irving, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Garcia completed 15-of-23 passes for 238 yards and Brian Westbrook led a clock-controlling ground game with 122 rushing yards, as the Philadelphia Eagles clinched a playoff berth and gained the NFC East l
<< Big Unit going back to Diamondbacks?
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Randy Johnson's days with the New York Yankees
could be numbered.
According to a report in the Newark Star-Ledger, the Yankees are in
discussions with the Diamondbacks to trade Johnson, a five-time
<< Wade thrives, Heat shut down Kobe
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwyane Wade had a spectacular Christmas
afternoon, scoring 40 points, dishing out 11 assists and tying a career-high
with four blocked shots, as the Heat rolled to a 101-85 over the Los Angeles
Lakers.
<< NFL Inactives (Monday, December 25, 2006)
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The following is a list of the players
placed on the inactive squad for this week's NFL games.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT DALLAS COWBOYS, 5:00 P.M. (ET)
Eagles - RB Ryan Moats, G Max Jean-Gilles, T Pat McCoy
<< UCLA remains on top of poll; Clemson and Tennessee join Top 25
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the fifth consecutive week, UCLA
remained atop the Associated Press college basketball poll.
The Bruins (11-0) crushed Michigan, 92-55, and also dismantled Sam Houston
State this past week
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NFL has moved this coming Sunday night's game between Green Bay and the Chicago Bears to 8:15 p.m. (et) as part of the flexible scheduling system. There were other games moved back to later in the afte
Rockets stop off in Indiana >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets hit the road this evening to take on
the Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Houston will visit Indiana and New Jersey on its brief trip and is 8-8 as the
visitor this season. The Rockets have lost t
Grizzlies, Wizards meet at Verizon Center >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Memphis Grizzlies try and stop a three-game losing
streak tonight when they pay a visit to the Washington Wizards at the Verizon
Center.
Memphis, the NBA's worst team, suffered a 100-97 loss to the Utah Jazz on
Satur
Pistons welcome Nets to The Palace >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Central Division-leading Detroit Pistons aim for
their fifth straight win when they host the New Jersey Nets tonight at The
Palace of Auburn Hills.
Detroit, which owns a two-game lead over Chicago in the division, ha
Bulls try to continue strong play at Minnesota >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls are on a roll and will visit the
Minnesota Timberwolves this evening at the Target Center.
Chicago is just two games behind Detroit for the lead in the Central Division
and has won 13 of its last 15 game
What Is the Point Spread?
What are Sports Betting Point Spreads?
In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.
Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).
If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).
Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.
How to Read Point Spreads
New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)
In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:
- Philly wins the actual game by any amount of points
OR
- Philly loses the game by less than 7 points.
-
There was also the possibility that the final score could land exactly on the spread number (for example, the Pats winning 28-21 when -7), which is called a “push” or “no action” and a refund is then issued to bettors of both teams.
The same game with the same point spread can be considered from the weaker team’s perspective: The Underdog (Philly in the case of our example) is not expected to win the game and online football betting thus receives or “gets” points given by the stronger team. When a game is stated from the underdog’s perspective the team is listed with a plus sign and the number of points they are underdogs by:
Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs. New England Patriots
Keep in mind that Philadelphia +7 and New England -7 is the same point spread on the same game, simply stated differently. The first is from the underdog’s perspective; the later is from the favorite’s.
For Those Who Like to Consider Things Mathematically
Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:
- Subtracting the point spread from the favorite’s score (thus the minus sign before the number) and then compare to the underdog’s score
OR
- Adding the point spread to the underdog’s score (thus the plus sign before the number) and then compare to the favorite’s score
Who Really “Won” the Super Bowl odds ?
Let’s look at the actual result of Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24 Philadelphia 21
The favorite, New England, won the game but not by more than the point spread they were favored by (7), so the ATS result was a LOSS for Pats bettors.
Looking at it from the underdog’s perspective, Philly did not win the game, but they lost by less than the point spread (7), so the ATS result was a WIN for Eagle bettors.
Mathematically considered, 24 for the favorite Pats minus 7 equals 17, which is less than the 20 the Eagles scored, so the underdog Eagles win the ATS result (or you could figure 20 plus 7 equals 27 for the Eagles, which is more than 24 for the Pats).
Emily’s boyfriend understood the point spread and wagered $100 on the Eagles at +7. The Eagles may not have gotten a Super Bowl ring, but since they won the ATS result Emily’s boyfriend cashed his bet – giving him money to take her out to a nice dinner.
And now hopefully you understand how to read point spreads, putting you one step closer to joining the fun of sports betting.
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting and World Series odds.
MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.
Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.
According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).
Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.
''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.
Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.
''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''
Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.
”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.
For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.