San Francisco cruises past turnover-prone Indianapolis
Football Betting Lines
08/15/2010 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie Anthony Dixon carried the ball 21 times for 100 yards and a score, as the San Francisco 49ers dominated the Indianapolis Colts, 37-17, in the preseason opener for each club.
Alex Smith completed 3-of-9 passes for 37 yards and an interception for the 49ers, who are coming off an 8-8 season. Veteran offseason acquisition David Carr connected on 9-of-11 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown.
Michael Robinson rushed for a TD and Tony Curtis caught a touchdown pass for San Francisco, which recorded four interceptions on defense. Reggie Smith returned a pick 91 yards for a touchdown.
Peyton Manning connected on 8-of-10 passes for 91 yards for the Colts, who were in action for the first time since their 31-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV.
Curtis Painter showed why Manning needs to stay healthy in order for Indianapolis to succeed. The Purdue product threw three interceptions while completing 9-of-19 passes for 64 yards. Fellow second-year pro Tom Brandstater connected on 8-of-12 passes for 34 yards, a touchdown, and interception.
Joseph Addai carried the ball five times for 11 yards and a score. Jacob Tamme caught three passes for 26 yards and a TD.
The Colts jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter on Adam Vinatieri's 21-yard field goal and Addai's seven-yard TD run.
Smith got the 49ers rolling when he picked off Painter's pass and returned it for a touchdown early in the second quarter. Robinson's three-yard TD run on the ensuing San Francisco possession gave the visitors a 14-10 lead.
Shane Andrus added a pair of field goals before the half to give the 49ers a 10-point cushion and the visitors cruised to victory in the second half.
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeremy Hellickson won for the third time in as many tries in his short time in the majors, tossing six innings of one-run ball to give Tampa Bay a series win over the rising Orioles via a 3-2 decisio
<< Bullington records first MLB victory as Royals blank Yankees
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bryan Bullington picked up his first
major league win and Billy Butler knocked in the game's only run, as the
Royals earned a split of a four-game series with the Yankees behind a 1-0
victory
<< Woods finishes PGA at 2-under
Kohler, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It will be a majorless 2010 for Tiger Woods.
The world No. 1 posted a one-over 73 on Sunday and finished the tournament at
two-under 286. There are several players in the clubhouse ahead of him,
includin
<< Nats edge D'Backs to win series
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ian Desmond drove in the go-ahead run with
a single in the seventh inning, as Washington edged Arizona, 5-3, in the
rubber match of a three-game series at Nationals Park.
Josh Willingham doubled and
<< Harvick clinches spot in Chase with Michigan win
Brooklyn, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Harvick became the first driver to lock
down a position in the championship Chase after winning Sunday's CARFAX 400 at
Michigan International Speedway.
Harvick passed Denny Hamlin with 10 laps remaining
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hunter Pence recorded his second straight three-hit game, scored three runs and knocked in another, helping Houston get past Pittsburgh, 8-2, to complete a three-game sweep and a perfect home record against
Slowey pulled with no-hitter after seven; Twins sweep A's >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Slowey threw seven innings of
hitless ball as the Minnesota Twins completed a three-game sweep of the
Oakland Athletics with a 4-2 win.
Slowey (11-5) gave up just three walks and struck
Gonzalez helps Braves rout Dodgers >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Gonzalez went 2-for-3 and drove in four
runs as Atlanta blitzed Los Angeles, 13-1, in the third installment of a four-
game set from Turner Field.
Troy Glaus hit a three-run homer and also knocked in fo
Hunter Haas cruises to 6-shot win at Price Cutter >>
Springfield, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hunter Haas fired a seven-under 65 Sunday
to pick up a six-stroke win at the Price Cutter Charity Championship.
Haas finished the event at 26-under-par 262, one stroke off the tournament
scoring recor
Caen stuns Lyon to continue strong start >>
Caen, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ismaila N'Diaye scored the match-winner in the
77th minute and promoted Caen stunned Lyon, 3-2, on Sunday at the Stade Michel
d'Ornano for its second straight shocking victory to open the Ligue 1 season.
Caen
SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting
NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.
That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.
A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."
It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.
The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.
So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."
Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.
Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.
Seriously.
The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.
The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.
Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."
The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.
Big 12 Conference betting odds
Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State
Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.
Work left to do:
Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.
Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.
Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.