The 7-foot Mbenga, who suffered the injury in the team's 113-97 win over
Memphis on February 7, will be out the rest of the season. He averaged 0.8
points over 21 games.
<< Browns' Wright signs one-year extension
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Browns signed running back Jason
Wright to a one-year contract extension Tuesday.
He is now signed through the 2008 season.
Last year he carried the ball 62 times for a total of 189 yards and
<< Cowboys make Garrett offensive coordinator
Irving, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Garrett, who was added to the coaching
staff of the Dallas Cowboys last month, was named the team's offensive
coordinator on Tuesday.
Garrett, who had spent the previous two seasons as the qu
<< Tampa Devil Rays
Agreed to terms with pitchers Tim Corcoran, Edwin Jackson, Jeff Ridgway, Chris Seddon, Brian Stokes, Jon Switzer and Mitch Talboton, outfielder Elijah Dukes, and catcher Dioner Navarro on one-year contracts.
<< Phillips signs long-term deal with Chargers
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Chargers signed linebacker
Shaun Phillips to a six-year contract on Tuesday.
Phillips, in his third year with the Chargers and first as a full-time
starter, recorded a career-high
<< Zambrano, Cubs agree to one-year deal
Mesa, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs and starting pitcher Carlos
Zambrano avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract worth a
reported $12.4 million on Tuesday.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the deal w
Haas, Fish cruise in first round at Memphis >>
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-seeded German Tommy Has and fourth-
seeded American Mardy Fish had no trouble in their first round matches at the
$665,000 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships.
Haas, who defeated Swede Robin Soderl
Horna upsets Nalbandian in Buenos Aires >>
Buenos Aires, Argentina (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Peru's Luis Horna, who came into
this week ranked 50th in the world, picked off top seed David Nalbandian in
his home country at the $445,000 Copa Telmex tennis event.
Horna scored a 6-4, 6-3
Oh, what a Neitzel: MSU upsets No. 1 Wisconsin >>
East Lansing, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Drew Neitzel scored 11 of his 28 points
during a game-clinching run in the final minutes, as Michigan State downed
top-ranked Wisconsin, 64-55, at the Breslin Center.
Neitzel, who hit 10-of-17 shot
Providence knocks off No. 22 West Virginia >>
Providence, RI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Alexander missed a wide open three for a
tie with 14.5 seconds left then Herbert Hill iced the tournament resume-
building victory with a breakaway slam, as Providence downed No. 22 West
Virgini
Thrashers storm past Hurricanes >>
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Johan Hedberg made 33 saves to lead the Atlanta
Thrashers to a 3-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in a big Southeast
Division battle at RBC Center.
Marian Hossa had a goal and an assist and Ilya
(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.