Fielder, Wolf help Brewers down Phils

Baseball Betting Lines

09/05/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Prince Fielder's three-run homer in the first inning proved to be all Milwaukee needed, as the Brewers held off the Phillies, 6-2, to avoid a three-game sweep at Citizens Bank Park.

Rickie Weeks had three hits, scored a run, and drove in a run for the Brewers, who went just 1-5 against Philadelphia this season. Corey Hart also had an RBI and a run scored.

Randy Wolf (11-10), who pitched the first eight years of his career in Philadelphia, gave up two runs on seven hits over 6 2/3 innings to improve to 4-1 over his last six starts. The left-hander also struck out five and walked two.

Carlos Ruiz hit a two-run double in the second inning for the Phillies, who saw a five-game win streak come to an end. Philadelphia, though, remained one game back of the Braves in the NL East after Atlanta lost in extra frames to the Marlins.

Kyle Kendrick (9-8) lasted just four innings, giving up five runs on seven hits. The right-hander has allowed a total of 18 runs over his four starts.

Wwwlassiters Baseball Betting News

<< Holliday, Cards take series finale over NL Central-leading Reds
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Holliday belted the game-changing three- run home run in the sixth inning to lead St. Louis to a much-needed 4-2 win over Cincinnati in the last of a three-game series. Holliday finished 2-for-4 whi

<< Southern wins MEAC/SWAC Challenge
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stump Mitchell won his coaching debut at Southern University as the Jaguars rallied past Delaware State, 37-27, Sunday afternoon in the sixth annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge at the Citrus Bowl. Corey Cushing

<< Turkey and Slovenia win to reach quarterfinals
Istanbul, Turkey (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hedo Turkoglu scored 20 points and Sinan Guler added 18 as Turkey subdued France, 95-77, to advance the quarterfinals of the 2010 FIBA World Championships. Turkoglu connected on 6-of-10

<< Dolphins add four, cut three
Davie, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Dolphins were awarded four players on waiver claims Sunday and also cut three players. Awarded to the team were defensive ends Clifton Geathers and Robert Rose and offensive linemen Jeremy Parnell a

<< Kisner gets 1st win at Mylan Classic
Canonsburg, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Kisner shot a four-under 67 to capture his first Nationwide Tour win Sunday at the Mylan Classic. A former All-American at the University of Georgia, Kisner finished four rounds on the Southpointe cour

Zimmerman, Nats beat up Pirates >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Zimmerman went 2-for-5 and drove in four runs, as the Washington Nationals handled the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-1, in the rubber match of a three-game set at PNC Park. Adam Dunn added a solo homer and

Gordon's homer lifts Royals past Tigers >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Gordon hit a go-ahead home run leading off the sixth inning, and the Kansas City Royals posted a 2-1 victory over Detroit to salvage the finale of a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium. The blas

O's hold on to edge Rays >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Corey Patterson homered and drove in three runs and Nick Markakis went 2-for-5 with a pair of runs batted in to lead Baltimore to an 8-7 win over Tampa Bay in a back and forth affair to close a three-g

Blue Jays bomb their way past Yankees >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vernon Wells and Aaron Hill both knocked in three runs to help the Toronto Blue Jays beat New York, 7-3, and salvage the finale of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium. Wells hit a two-run homer in th

Bills sign TE Martin >>
Orchard Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Bills signed tight end David Martin on Sunday. Martin, an eight-year veteran, has appeared in 101 games with Miami and Green Bay. He has totaled 152 catches for 1,519 yards and 14 touchdowns

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING

NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines .
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sports betting

Sportsbooks to bet on football

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.