Ray carries Eskimos over Bombers; Lumsden hurts shoulder
Football Betting Lines
07/03/2009 -
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ricky Ray went 29-for-41 passing for 318 yards
and a touchdown, as the Edmonton Eskimos edged the Winnipeg Blue Bombers,
19-17, in the teams' season-opener.
Edmonton took the win after Winnipeg kicker Alexis Serna missed a potential
game-tying field goal of 56 yards in the final seconds, giving new Esks head
coach Richie Hall his first victory.
Andrew Nowacki caught seven passes for 79 yards and a score for Edmonton
(1-0), which finished last season with a 10-8 record and defeated Winnipeg in
the division semifinals before falling to Montreal in the division final.
Calvin McCarty ran for 27 yards on 12 carries in the win, but the Esks'
running back corps took a hit when Jesse Lumsden left with an apparent
shoulder separation. Maurice Mann had five catches for 87 yards for Edmonton.
Fred Reid rushed 13 times for 92 yards and a score for the Bombers (0-1), who
played their first game under new head coach Mike Kelly.
Stefan LeFors threw for 174 yards on 14-of-31 passing in the loss, while
Adarius Bowman caught five passes for 56 yards for Winnipeg, which
went 8-10 and finished second in the East Division last season.
The Eskimos went ahead, 19-9, on Noel Prefontaine's 19-yard field goal with a
little under eight minutes to play in the game. Mann helped Edmonton get into
scoring territory after catching a 44-yard bomb from Ray while falling down.
But the Bombers came back, and scored just past the midway point of the
quarter. Reid took a handoff and dashed around the right end, shedding a
tackler before going into the end zone for the 16-yard TD. Serna's extra point
brought Winnipeg within 19-16.
The teams traded punts, and Edmonton got the ball back with 2:40 to go just
into Winnipeg territory. But an unsuccessful series led to a punt, as the
Bombers took over with two minutes left on their own 20.
LeFors led Winnipeg downfield, and completed a 13-yard pass to Bowman with
under half a minute to play, getting the Bombers to the Edmonton 42. Another
short pass to Bowman got the Bombers to the 35 before a penalty moved them
back five yards.
An Edmonton timeout set up the final kick, but Serna's boot sailed wide left
and went for a single, leaving Winnipeg short at the clock ran out.
After neither team scored in the first quarter, each got a safety in the
second. The Esks went up 9-2 at intermission after Ray's 19-yard TD pass to
Nowacki in the final minute of the half.
The Bombers, though, pulled even after Tristan Jackson fumbled on a punt
return. Shawn Gallant picked up the loose ball and ran it back for the score a
little more than halfway through the third quarter.
But the Esks re-took the lead after Ray's one-yard TD run later in the
quarter, making it a 16-9 game.
Game Notes
Kai Ellis had two sacks for Edmonton, while Don Oramasionwu had one for
Winnipeg...Ray had one interception for the Esks...The Bombers had 162 rushing
yards, compared to only 33 for the Eskimos.
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pioneers, former champions and driver-turned-team owners of the sport.
A 21-member committe
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Yankees, Blue Jays open key series with weekday matinee >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees will try to start a new winning streak
this afternoon, when they play the first of four straight games versus the
American League East-rival Toronto Blue Jays in the Bronx.
New York had a seven-game wi
Ramirez, Marlins host Pirates in Miami >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hanley Ramirez will try to stretch his franchise-record RBI
streak to 11 games this evening when the Florida Marlins begin a three-game
series with the Pittsburgh Pirates at Land Shark Stadium.
Florida, meanwhile, has
Braves try to stay hot in opener vs. Nats >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves try to push their season-high winning
streak to five games this evening when they open a three-game series with the
lowly Washington Nationals at Nationals Park.
Although it still sits in fourth pl
Cubs' Zambrano takes mound against Milwaukee >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Zambrano takes aim at his first win in five starts
this afternoon when the Chicago Cubs continue their four-game series with the
Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field.
Zambrano was roughed up by the Chicago White S
Serena and Venus reach fourth Wimbledon doubles final >>
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The incomparable Williams sisters,
Serena and Venus, will appear in their fourth Wimbledon doubles final on
Saturday.
The fourth-seeded sisters drilled a top-seeded tandem of Zimbabwe's Cara
“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
New York Giants betting lines
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Dallas Cowboys betting lines
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
Oakland Raiders betting lines
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value
If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture. Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).
For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot. The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.
TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.
"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,' it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."
"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.
Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash. Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win.
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