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08/24/2010 - Montreal, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Nationwide. Date: Sunday, August 29. Race: NAPA Auto Parts 200. Site: Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Track: 2.710-mile, 14-turn road course. Start time: 2:30 p.m. (et). Laps: 74. Miles: 200.466. 2009 winner: Carl Edwards. Television: ESPN 2. Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio.
The Nationwide Series travels to Montreal for the third and final road course race on the 2010 schedule. Carl Edwards won the inaugural event at the Road America road course in Elkhart Lake, WI in June. Marcos Ambrose won at Watkins Glen International for the third year in a row earlier this month.
Rain has been a huge factor in the last two Nationwide races at the 2.710- mile, 14-turn Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The weather forecast for the Montreal area this weekend calls for mostly sunny skies with no chance of precipitation.
Last year, Ambrose led the field when a shower moved over the area with 16 laps remaining. NASCAR instructed teams to pit, giving them five minutes to change to rain tires and install a windshield wiper if needed. NASCAR's decision to continue the race on a wet track surface led to numerous spins that forced several late-race cautions, including one for a two-lap overtime finish. Ambrose pulled away on the final restart, but Edwards chased him down before the Aussie slid on the final turn of the last lap. Edwards made the pass and then claimed his third Nationwide victory of the season and his first on a road course.
"Montreal is a full-on go all the way through the gears, come all the way to a stop, turn right or left, then you go all through the gears, come to a stop and turn left or right -- it's a real stop-and-go racetrack," Edwards said. "I would say on a scale, Sonoma is really swoopy, smooth and finesse. Watkins Glen is in the middle, and Montreal is really aggressive."
Ambrose has led the most laps in the first three races at Montreal, but victory has eluded him here. He lost the 2008 race after being penalized for speeding on pit road late in the race. Canadian Ron Fellows went on to win the rain-shortened race. Fellows battled wet track conditions and capitalized on an early-race pit strategy to score his fourth career Nationwide victory. All four of his wins have come on road courses.
Kevin Harvick won the inaugural event in 2007, one in which Robby Gordon thought he had won after he and Ambrose took turns spinning each other on the final lap.
NASCAR determined that Gordon should be in the 14th spot for the final restart, but Gordon refused to move from behind Ambrose. The race resumed with Gordon right behind the leader. Gordon took out his frustration on Ambrose, spinning him in the second corner. Harvick then inherited the lead, and after holding off Patrick Carpentier, was declared the winner.
Harvick is not competing in Sunday's race at Montreal. Road course ace Max Papis will drive Harvick's No.33 Chevrolet.
Robby Gordon returns to Montreal since the inaugural race here in '07.
Brad Keselowski, who currently holds a 313-point lead over Edwards, has yet to win a Nationwide road course race in eight attempts. However, Keselowski has finished no worse than fifth in the last three road course events.
"The more you run the road courses, the better you get at it," Keselowski said. "The best part about Montreal is the people, so I enjoy the city and the atmosphere."
Several Canadian drivers are entered in this event. Jacques Villeneuve, the former Formula One world champion and Indianapolis 500 winner, returns to the track that bears his father's name
"I've been racing there over the years since 1993," Villeneuve said. "I've been on the track a lot of times, and to be able to go back in a NASCAR race is great. Last year, we had a good race, and we were competitive. We're going back this year with the same car from Elkhart Lake [Road America], which was very good. We've saved it for this race, because it is good in the tight corners, which should be a good positive for Montreal."
Patrick Carpentier, Andrew Ranger, who finished third in this race last year, J.R. Fitzpatrick, Pierre Bourque and Fellows are the other Canadians scheduled to compete at Montreal.
Forty-seven teams are on the preliminary entry list for Sunday's NAPA Auto Parts 200.
Kyle Busch is not entered for Montreal, since he is competing in Friday's Camping World Truck Series race at Chicagoland Speedway. Brad Coleman will drive the No.18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Last Friday, Busch claimed his Nationwide record-tying 10th victory of the season.
<< Tigers' Ordonez to have ankle surgery
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Tigers slugger Magglio Ordonez will
undergo a procedure on Wednesday to stabilize his broken right ankle.
Ordonez was examined by foot/ankle specialist Dr. Phillip Kwong of the Kerlan-
Jobe Clinic
<< This Week in Auto Racing August 27 - 29
Montreal, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series takes its
final off-week of the season, but there's still plenty of racing action this
weekend. While the Nationwide Series heads north of the border to Montreal,
the Ca
<< Kinsler resumes activity after positive MRI
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler was
cleared to further resume baseball activities after an MRI revealed
improvement in his injured groin.
Kinsler had the exam early on Tuesday, and ac
<< Pirates RHP Ohlendorf likely out for season
PITTSBURGH (AP) -Pirates right-hander Ross Ohlendorf has a damaged muscle in the back of his right shoulder that could sideline him for the rest of the season.An MRI exam on Tuesday revealed a strain that will need recovery time and rehabilitation b
Chicagoland begins IndyCar's final four on ovals >>
Joliet, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: IZOD IndyCar. Date: Sunday, August 29.
Race: PEAK Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300. Site: Chicagoland Speedway.
Track: 1.5-mile tri-oval. Start Time: 8:00 p.m. (et). Laps: 200. Miles: 300.
2009 winner: Rya
Reds put Edmonds on DL >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Reds have placed
outfielder Jim Edmonds on the 15-day disabled list with a right oblique
strain.
Edmonds, who the Reds acquired from Milwaukee earlier this month, has bat
Mariners-Red Sox game rained out; day-night DH set for Wednesday >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tuesday's scheduled game between the Seattle
Mariners and Boston Red Sox has been postponed because of rain.
The contest will instead be played Wednesday as part of a day-night
doubleheader. The f
Cards place pitcher Reyes on DL >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis placed southpaw relief pitcher
Dennys Reyes on the 15-day disabled list with a left elbow strain Tuesday.
The move, retroactive to August 16, leaves a gap on the roster that will be
filled
Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"
A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."
Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.
In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.
"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."
Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.
But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"
Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.
This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.
Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.
In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.
No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.
And that's all any bettor can ask for.
To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook
Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds. The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.
Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.
Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).
Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.
World Series odds
Adam Dunn 15-1
Albert Pujols 5-1
Alex Rodriguez 12-1
Alfonso Soriano 15-1
Andruw Jones 25-1
Barry Bonds 50-1
Carlos Delgado 40-1
David Ortiz 8-1
Jermaine Dye 40-1
Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1
Lance Berkman 40-1
Manny Ramirez 20-1
Richie Sexson 40-1
Ryan Howard 6-1
Travis Hafner 20-1
Vladimir Guerrero 40-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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