07/23/2008 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Claude Wroten has been suspended by the NFL without pay for the entire 2008 season due to another violation of its Substance Abuse Policy.
Wroten, out of Louisiana State University, was given a four-game ban last season but recovered to post 13 tackles, a forced fumble and half a sack in 11 games.
The 24-year-old Louisiana native was infamous for failing a drug test during the NFL combine prior to his rookie year in 2006.
He will not eligible to return to the team's active roster until May 30, 2009 at the earliest.
<< Holliday leads Rockies past Dodgers
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Holliday drove in a pair of runs to lead
the Colorado Rockies in a 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the finale
of their three-game series.
Holliday finished 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, w
<< Posey signs with Hornets
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Hornets signed free agent
guard/forward James Posey on Wednesday. Per club policy, terms of the deal
were not released.
The 31-year-old Posey played last season for the Boston Celtic
<< Rapids win lottery for SMU star
Commerce City, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rapids announced on
Wednesday that the club has added former Southern Methodist University
midfielder Bruno Guarda after winning a league lottery for the right
yesterd
<< Mientkiewicz, Pirates edge Astros
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Doug Mientkiewicz went 4-for-4 with a pair of
runs batted in, and the Pittsburgh Pirates won a wild, 8-7, decision over the
Houston Astros in the finale of a three-game series at Minute Maid Park.
Jason Bay
Chargers release WR Parker >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Chargers released veteran
wideout Eric Parker on Wednesday.
Parker spent each of his six NFL seasons with San Diego, racking up 187
catches for 2,586 yards and 11 touchdowns in 62
Jazz acquire G Knight from Clippers >>
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Utah Jazz acquired veteran point
guard Brevin Knight from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for guard Jason
Hart, the club announced Wednesday.
Knight appeared in 74 games for the Clippers
Cubs activate Soriano, Eyre; option Hoffpauir, Hart >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs activated outfielder Alfonso
Soriano and left-handed pitcher Scott Eyre from the 15-day disabled list on
Wednesday.
The All-Star outfielder returns to action exactly six weeks to the day
Medalist McCloskey advances at Girls' Junior >>
West Hartford, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Medalist Lisa McCloskey easily dispatched
Christine Song on Wednesday to move into Thursday's second round of match play
at the U.S. Girls' Junior Championship.
There were three weather delays on Wednesda
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
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