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07/01/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Welcome to Five-a-Side - five questions, five answers. This is a Q&A feature with an influential person in the FCS, and runs at the beginning of each month.
Grambling State coaches are used to being in the shadow of the school's legendary Hall-of-Fame coach, Eddie Robinson. This season, the Tigers football team will try to emerge from a different shadow, the one cast by reigning Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Prairie View A&M.
Grambling State is more accustomed to the favorite's role. Third-year head coach Rod Broadway's job is to spring an upset with a Tigers squad that went 7-4 last season - subpar given the program's high standards.
Broadway led Grambling State to an 11-2 record and the SWAC championship in his first season in 2008. This season, a lot depends on the status of quarterback Greg Dillon, who is seeking a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA. The university is expecting word from the NCAA this month.
Broadway believes his team can bounce back in a big way this fall, but it would be much easier with Dillon as the quarterback.
Let's kick off:
TSN: What questions were you able to answer during the spring?
RB: We had a good spring and I think some guys made some tremendous improvement in a lot of areas. Of course, we've got a lot of improvement to continue to make in a lot of different areas. Overall, I thought it was a good spring and we've got to get a lot better during the course of fall practice.
TSN: Obviously, your league often is closely bunched and Prairie View had a great season last year. This season, you'll be a little more of the hunter instead of the hunted. Can you talk about that dynamic?
RB: We're just trying to go and get better and try to win some football games. Hopefully, when the smoke clears we can be in this thing at the end. I don't know about hunted or being hunted or all that other stuff. When you win, like Grambling's won, you always have a bull's-eye on you and everybody takes a pretty good shot at you, so you've got to be ready to play every week. That can be a difficult situation sometimes.
TSN: You have one of the best defensive players in the FCS in defensive end Christian Anthony. He's done so much. What can he do to get even better?
RB: A lot, actually. There's always room for improvement. Even the guys that have been All-Pro for 20 years, there's still a lot of room for improvement. Definitely, there's a lot of growth that Christian needs to make. Mentally, he needs to understand the position a little bit better. He needs to be more disclipined and fit more into the overall package of what we do. But he has a chance to be a really outstanding player.
TSN: What is the difference between having Greg Dillon back at quarterback and having to break in somebody else?
RB: We'll just have to adjust what we do because Greg gives us an opportunity to do a lot more things. If we go with somebody who is a less experienced quarterback, of course, we'll have to simplify it and rely on our running game. Get our running game going a little bit more and then open it up for the quarterbacks and not put them in positions that we put Greg in.
TSN: How good can this season be for your program?
RB: Like everybody, we're very optimistic at this time of year, and we think we have a chance of having a good football team. At this game, especially at this level, if you get one or two (key) injuries, it changes the whole outlook of your football team. I do know this: whoever wins this conference will be lucky and good. Because you've got to be lucky to stay healthy.
<< Rangers sign G Biron
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Rangers have filled their need
for a capable backup goaltender, signing veteran Martin Biron to an
undisclosed contract.
Biron, who turns 33 in August, appeared in 29 games wi
<< Report: Chargers' Jackson suspended by NFL
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Union-Tribune is reporting
that Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson has been suspended by the NFL for
three games for violating the league's personal-conduct policy.
The 27-year-old J
<< Marta stars in WPS All-Star Game
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brazilian star Marta scored twice to lead her
Marta XI to a 5-2 win over Abby XI at the 2010 WPS All-Star Game on Wednesday
night.
Amy Rodriguez added a goal and an assist for the Marta XI. Heather O'Reil
<< D.C. United releases midfielder Castillo
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United released midfielder Christian
Castillo on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old made 10 appearances in MLS play in the 2010 season, starting
eight of those matches. The Salvadoran winger registered
Senators land Gonchar >>
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators made a big splash on the
first day of free agency, signing defenseman Sergei Gonchar to a three-year
contract on Thursday.
According to reports, Gonchar inked a deal worth $16.5 mil
'Underdog' Netherlands set for showdown with Brazil >>
Port Elizabeth, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Both the Netherlands and
Brazil are known for playing some of the most attractive soccer the world has
ever seen.
The Dutch teams of the 1970s that reached back-to-back World Cup final
Roll of the dice pays off for Rangers >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One player rose from the depths of drug
addiction that threatened to end a career before it got started. The other
player was out to prove a Hall of Fame-worthy career wasn't over just yet.
One drives the
Lightning keep St. Louis with four-year extension >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning struck quickly to
retain one of their veteran leaders, signing forward Martin St. Louis to a
four-year contract extension Thursday.
"Today is a great day for the Lightning
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.
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:
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.
Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:
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.
American Idol Betting Odds: Season 6
The online gambling websites are in the process of deciphering each American Idol contestant and his or her chances of winning Season 6 to come up with the early American Idol betting lines.
Tim Dalton of MySportsbook.com has been locked away in a soundproof room coming up with all the latest tallies, we are told. "American Idol has become one of the most significant betting events of the year," claims Jack Black of MySportsbook.com. "Last year, millions were bet during the season across the globe, not just in America.It's tough early on since we really do not have a glimpse as to how well each of these individuals will perform solo on a week-to-week basis. It's like Week 1 of the NFL. Pre-season means nada!
We do know the 24 finalists however.
Sanjaya Malakar is the young man whose sister failed to make it into the Top 24. He's very low key but - unless he totally flubs - will probably win over the young girlie vote for a few weeks anyway. He's too young to go all the way, according to Payton O'Brien.
Brandon Rogers - Who?
Phil Stacy is the military guy who missed his daughter's birth because of the Memphis audition. He should go a good distance.
Chris Sligh - He's got the humor and in many ways he's the Anti-American Idol much like last year's winner Taylor Hicks was. And this is why he'll probably get pretty far in this competition. He's chubby, white with a big curly afro....but more importantly, a great voice! People love "real", not "real cute" to go all the way.
"Blake Lewis should go far because of his uniqueness and looks. He's the boy next store with a twist - he beat boxes. But on top of this, he's a great singer, and I adore him," Payton O'Brien relayed.
A talented beat-boxer Blake Lewis was a hit during the group sing in Hollywood but Simon explained that this is a singing contest just before he told him he was “in.”
Paul Kim has caught our own roving reporter, Jenny Woo's eyes.
"I love the fact that there is a Korean American on the show and he is bound to get more Asians tuning into the show," Woo said from her Miami Beach estate. "There has never been a major presence of Asian-Americans on American Idol in the past. He's a hottie with a nice voice so that should help to take him far. Expect heavy betting action from the Asian community."
Sundance Head - He's not perfect, but he's got the personality that will take him through a few weeks, plus he's got the lineage (son of Roy Head - whose 1965 single, "Treat Her Right," hit No. 5 in the charts)
And the others:
Rudy Cardinas
AJ Tabaldo - the 5th time is the charm
Nicolas Pedro
Chris Richardson
Jared Cotter
The girls
"Melinda Doolittle has one of the best voices," says MySportsbook.com Reporter and an acclaimed dancer in her own right, Destiney Lewis. "It is great to see a back up singer step out like she has. The girl needs to gain more confidence but that can also be a positive. I think she will go far."
Alena Alexander - Those tears (she never seems to stop bawling) should get her far.
"Single mom Lakisha Jones I suspect will be a pretty big favorite entering Week 1 of the competition," says Destiny Williams. Jones is an excellent singer and down to earth. "She'll have a wide appeal," echoed O'Brien.
Nicole Trellis - Seems to exert confidence.
Amy Krebs - a powerful singer.
Antonella Barba
Gina Glocksen
Hailey Scanardo
Jordan Sparks
Stephanie Edwards
Leslie Hunt
Sabrina Sloan
MySportsbook.com is offering a 20% signup bonus with an initial deposit (i.e. open your American Idol betting account with $300, receive another $60 in which to bet with).
Last two contestants will be?
1 Male/1 Female +100 (a $10 bet pays $10 plus your initial $10)
2 Males +170 (a $10 bet pays $17 plus your initial $17)
2 Females +130 (a $10 bet pays $13 plus your initial $10)
MySportsbook.com is an online sportsbook accepts Visa Credit Cards and online sportsbook accepts Mastercard Credit Cards for easy American Idol betting lines.
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