Longtime Pistons PR director Dobek passes away
Basketball Betting Lines
08/21/2010 -
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Dobek, who served in the Detroit Pistons
organization for 29 years up until this past May, passed away at the age of
51.
The Detroit Free Press reported Dobek's death, but cited no reason for his
passing. Dobek was fired in May as the team's vice president of public
relations after being part of three Pistons championships in 1989, 1990 and
2004. He also served as the communications director for the Dream Team in the
1992 OLympic Games in Barcelona.
Dobek, a 1981 graduate of Central Michigan, was inducted into the school's
journalism Hall of Fame last year.
<< Daniel leads Saints over Texans
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chase Daniel completed 15-of-21 passes for
182 yards and three touchdowns, leading the New Orleans Saints to a 38-20
preseason victory over the Houston Texans.
Daniel also threw an interception in r
<< Enright and Upton carry DBacks past Rockies
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barry Enright pitched into the seventh inning
and Justin Upton finally got the best of Ubaldo Jimenez by hitting the go-
ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning, as Arizona topped Colorado, 3-1, at
Chase F
<< Lowrie homer leads Red Sox past Jays in 11
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jed Lowrie led off the bottom of the 11th inning
with the game-winning homer, as Boston outlasted Toronto, 5-4, in the middle
test of a three-game set from Fenway Park.
Lowrie crushed a Casey Janssen (4-2) off
<< Diop, Kamara help Wizards rout Revs
Kansas City, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Birahim Diop scored two goals and assisted
on another as the Kansas City Wizards cruised to a 4-1 win over the New
England Revolution at CommunityAmerica Ballpark on Saturday.
Diop scored twice in
<< Bucs rally to down Chiefs; Freeman hurts thumb
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rudy Carpenter completed 8-of-11 passes for 79
yards and the game-winning touchdown to lead Tampa Bay to a 20-15 come-from-
behind win over Kansas City at Raymond James Stadium.
Buccaneers starting quarterback Jo
Folk, Jets edge Panthers >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nick Folk booted three field goals to lead
New York to a 9-3 win over Carolina at Bank of America Stadium.
Mark Sanchez completed 5-of-10 passes for 12 yards and Joe McKnight carried 11
times for 28 yards
Rams edge Browns on late FG >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Brown kicked four field goals,
including the game-winning 28-yard boot late in the fourth quarter, as St.
Louis grabbed a 19-17 preseason win over Cleveland.
A.J. Feeley led the Rams on a
Brewers edge Padres; Stairs sets HR mark >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Dickerson had two hits and two runs
batted in and Mike McClendon worked three scoreless innings to earn his first
major-league win as Milwaukee downed San Diego, 6-5, in the middle meeting of
a three
Campbell, Raiders top Bears >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Campbell threw for 170 yards on 10-of-20
passing and ran for a touchdown, as the Oakland Raiders took a 32-17 preseason
victory over the Chicago Bears.
Campbell, who also had one interception, played
New York Jets 2010 Season Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - To be a fan of the New York Jets is to be encoded with the
skepticism chip.
When you've hitched your wagon to an organization that has, for more than four
decades, taken two colossal steps back for every stride forward, de
Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting
So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.
Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?
If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)
Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).
In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.
Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.
As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.
(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)
If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.
Atlantic Coast Conference
Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech
The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.
Work left to do:
Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.
Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).
Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.
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NFL Football Betting Online
In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
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 odds .
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