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
03/07/2009 - Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sean Bergenheim posted his first career hat trick as the New York Islanders recorded a surprise 7-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils at Nassau Coliseum
Jeff Tambellini, Kyle Okposo, Radek Martinek and Blake Comeau also lit the lamp for the Islanders, who have won three of their last four and set a season-high in goals scored.
Joey MacDonald stopped 35 shots for the win.
Brian Gionta, Jamie Langenbrunner and Patrik Elias scored for the Devils, who saw their four-game win streak halted and fell to eight points behind conference-leading Boston after the Bruins won earlier Saturday.
Martin Brodeur took the loss, allowing six goals on 26 shots through the first two periods, and remains three wins away from tying Patrick Roy for the all- time win mark.
Kevin Weekes finished the contest by stopping the only shot he faced in the final 20 minutes.
New York blitzed the visitors with a three-goal first period and never relinquished control.
Martinek got things going just 1:42 into the contest, followed by Okposo's tip of a Josh Bailey shot at 10:59 for a power-play score.
The burst was capped when Tambellini slipped up the middle with a long lead pass by Mark Streit and beat Brodeur through the pads with a backhand at 14:05.
Gionta managed to tip a Colin White offering home 29 seconds into the second period, but Bergenheim restored the three-goal edge at 1:40.
Langenbrunner beat McDonald from a sharp angle for a 4-2 game at 4:01, but Comeau answered on the power play at the 13-minute mark. Bergenheim struck again on a screened wrister with 2:40 left in the period and the Isles took a 6-2 lead to intermission.
Elias notched a power-play score when he tipped a Paul Martin point shot home from the slot 6:48 into the third, but New Jersey failed on two consecutive power-play chances with Weekes pulled late in the game.
Bergenheim finished off his trifecta on an empty-netter from the right wing near the boards with less than a second remaining.
Game Notes
Despite the loss, the Devils won the season series, 4-2-0...New York last tallied seven times on December 3, 2006 in a 7-4 win over the Rangers...New Jersey hadn't allowed seven goals in a game decided in regulation since a 7-1 setback at Pittsburgh on March 22, 2008...During the contest, the Islanders announced that forward Trent Hunter will miss the remainder of the season due to a broken ankle.
<< Bryans give U.S. 2-1 lead against Switzerland
Birmingham, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The formidable American doubles team of
Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan gave the United States a 2-1 lead over Switzerland in
their best-of-five first-round Davis Cup tie Saturday in Birmingham.
The twin Bry
<< Inter doubles up on Genoa
Genoa, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Inter Milan maintained its seven-point lead
atop Serie A on Saturday with a 2-0 win over Genoa at Comunale Luigi Ferraris
with goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Mario Balotelli.
Ibrahimovic scored less th
<< Heerenveen slips past nine-man Groningen
Heerenveen, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Viktor Elm scored in stoppage time
to hand Heerenveen a 2-1 win over nine-man Groningen at Abe Lenstra Stadion on
Saturday.
Groningen's Martijn Meerdink was sent off in the 25th minute, but it w
<< Recchi tallies twice, Bruins upend Blackhawks
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Recchi scored two goals to lead the Boston
Bruins to a 5-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks at TD Banknorth Garden.
David Krejci and Phil Kessel also scored for the Bruins, who ended their six-
game h
Pendergraph leads No. 21 Arizona State past Cal >>
Tempe, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Senior forward Jeff Pendergraph posted game-highs
of 27 points and 10 rebounds as 21st-ranked Arizona State used a strong first
half to down California, 83-66, at Wells Fargo Arena.
James Harden contributed 20 p
Ligue 1 title race heats up with Lyon loss >>
Lyon, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second half goals by Robert Vittek and Michel
Bastos earned Lille a 2-0 win over defending French Ligue 1 champions Lyon on
Saturday.
With the loss the league title chase heats up. Lyon now has just a 1
No. 20 UCLA subdues Oregon >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Shipp had a game-high 28 points and
added six rebounds as 20th-ranked UCLA kept its Pac-10 Conference regular
season title hopes alive with a 94-68 thrashing of Oregon.
The Bruins (24-7, 13-5
Busch rebounds for another truck win at Atlanta >>
Hampton, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Not even late-race transmission problems could
stop Kyle Busch from winning his fourth Camping World Truck Series race at
Atlanta Motor Speedway as he bounced back in the final laps to take Saturday's
America
Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.
The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.
Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.
NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.
"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.
The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.
But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.
The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.
Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.
The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.
The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.
The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.
Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.
Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."
Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.
"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."
Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.
It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.
"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."
Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.
"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."
At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.
According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.
Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.
Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.
When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.
He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.
Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.
Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.
Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.
While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.
"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.
Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.
Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your VISA Sportsbook needs.
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.
MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.
To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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