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06/09/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks are just 20 minutes away from claiming their first title in 49 years, as they hold a 3-2 lead over the Philadelphia Flyers after two periods of play in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals from Wachovia Center.
The home team assumed a 2-1 edge at the eight-minute mark of the second, thanks to a miscue in the neutral zone. Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith fell while trying to gather the puck, freeing up Ville Leino to swoop in, charge through the middle and dish on the right side to Danny Briere, who waited a second to lift the puck high over a fallen Antti Niemi.
The visitors then struck for two goals in the latter portion of the period.
On the first, in a 4-on-4 situation, Patrick Sharp was alone in front to tip home a Dave Bolland centering feed through Michael Leighton's pads at 9:58.
Andrew Ladd was able to put the Blackhawks ahead with a deflection of a long shot at the 17:43 mark, when Niklas Hjalmarsson unleashed a slapshot from below the left circle that beat Leighton thanks to a tip on the short side.
Chicago, which held a 17-7 edge in shots after one period, moved ahead by a 27-13 count heading into the third.
The Blackhawks got on the board during their second power-play opportunity of the period, with Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger off for high-sticking.
After a scrum to the right of the Philadelphia net, Dustin Byfuglien was alone at the top of the crease to shovel home a centering feed by Jonathan Toews at 16:49.
Blackhawks backliner Brent Seabrook was given an elbowing penalty seconds after the score but Philadelphia came up empty. Chicago blueliner Brent Sopel followed with an interference infraction with 53 seconds to play in the first and the home team finally capitalized.
Danny Briere shot from the bottom of the right circle, and the rebound came out to Scott Hartnell, who backhanded the puck through Antti Niemi's legs while facing away from the cage at 19:33.
<< NASCAR hands severe penalties to Front Row Motorsports
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR doled out huge penalties Wednesday
to Front Row Motorsports in the wake of illegal valve stem caps that were used
on Travis Kvapil's car last weekend during the Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500.
NASCAR
<< Byfuglien, Hartnell tally in first period of Game 6
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago
Blackhawks are tied at 1-1 after one period of play in Game 6 of the
Stanley Cup Finals from Wachovia Center.
The Blackhawks got on the board during th
<< Report: USC gets NCAA report, details coming later this week
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Southern California has
reportedly received a report from the NCAA regarding its investigation into
allegations of violations within the athletics program stemming from ex-
Trojans
<< Johnson agrees to become Nets head coach
Bristol, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Avery Johnson has confirmed that he has come
to a verbal agreement to become the next head coach of the New Jersey Nets.
Johnson will return to the sidelines after a two-year absence and inherit a
team t
Panthers LB Davis tears ACL again >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis
suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on Tuesday, the
same injury that ended his 2009 season.
Davis is expected to undergo surgery in
Reds double up Giants >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Orlando Cabrera went 4-for-5 with three
doubles and three runs scored, while Jonny Gomes drove in three, as Cincinnati
downed San Francisco, 6-3, in the third of a four-game set.
Scott Rolen went 3-for-
Price picks up ninth win as Rays handle Jays >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sean Rodriguez went 3-for-4 with three
runs batted in and a run scored, as the Tampa Bay Rays dominated the Toronto
Blue Jays, 10-1, in the middle installment of a three-game series at Tropicana
Field.
Zimmerman and Nats down Pirates >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Zimmerman drove in the go-ahead run in
the seventh inning, and Adam Dunn hit a two-run homer for the Nationals in a
7-5 victory over the Pirates.
Roger Bernadina added three hits and an RBI for Wash
(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.
(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.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting