Gainey goes in front at Chiquita Classic

Golf Betting Lines

07/16/2010 - Maineville, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tommy Gainey posted a six-under 66 on Friday to move atop the leaderboard after the second round of the inaugural Chiquita Classic.

Gainey finished 36 holes at 14-under 130 at TPC River's Bend and is one stroke clear.

Chris Kirk, the leading money winner on the Nationwide Tour this year, fired an eight-under 64 on Friday to vault into a tie for second place with Justin Smith and Peter Gustafsson, both of whom had 66s in round two. The trio is knotted at 13-under 131.

Joe Affrunti (65), Colt Knost (66), Chris Nallen (66) and Brendan Steele (65) share fifth place at minus-12.

Gainey, who opened with an eight-under 64 on Thursday, flew out of the gate on Friday with three birdies in his first four holes. He recorded birdies at the next two par fives, Nos. 8 and 10 and added a birdied at the 11th.

"I had it going through 11," acknowledged Gainey. "Seven-under after 11 is pretty good. I wasn't thinking about 59 or 62 or anything like that. I just wanted to keep hitting good shots and keep making some birdies."

He accomplished half of his goal.

Gainey hit a good shot to 12 feet at the par-three 12th, but missed the birdie try. One hole later, Gainey knocked his approach to 10 feet, but once again, his birdie effort stayed above ground.

At the par-four 14th, Gainey played yet another strong iron shot, this time leaving himself 20 feet for birdie. He not only missed the birdie putt, but three-putted for a bogey to fall to 14-under par.

Gainey's group got behind thanks to the group in front looking for a ball and calling in a rules' official. He finished with four straight pars, but wasn't elated about the midway lead.

"The way I played the last five holes, I'm really not happy," admitted Gainey. "I just need to get away from it and relax. I had the momentum going after 11 and then we started waiting 15 to 20 minutes on every hole, that damaged my momentum. It's my fault. I'm the one who let it bother me."

Gainey won this year's Melwood Prince George's County Open for his only Nationwide Tour victory. He is fifth on the Nationwide Tour money list.

Stephen Poole (66) and David Mathis (64) are tied for ninth at 11-under 133.

NOTES: First-round leader Peter Tomasulo, who fired a 61 on Sunday to win last week's Wayne Gretzky Classic, followed his 10-under 62 on Thursday with an even-par 72 on Friday. He fell into a tie for 11th at 10-under par...The 36- hole cut fell at six-under 138 with Kevin Chappell, No. 2 on the money list, missing the weekend.

Jsckpot Golf Betting News

<< Mets bump Pelfrey to Monday
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Mets starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey will have his scheduled Saturday start pushed back to Monday due to a stiff neck. The Mets will insert lefty Hisanori Takahashi to take the place of Pelf

<< Heat re-sign Anthony; formalize Miller signing
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat continued filling out their roster on Friday by re-signing center Joel Anthony and inking second-round draft pick Dexter Pittman. The team also formalized the signing of free agent guard Mike

<< Red Sox issue medical updates on Pedroia, Varitek
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona issued medical updates on second baseman Dustin Pedroia and catcher Jason Varitek prior to Friday's game against the Texas Rangers. Pedroia broke a bone in his left

<< Yankees honor Steinbrenner, Sheppard
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees held a tribute prior to Friday night's game against Tampa Bay to honor late team owner George Steinbrenner and former public address announcer Bob Sheppard. Fans and the entire

<< Habs appoint Carriere assistant GM
Montreal, Quebec (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday the appointment of Larry Carriere to assistant general manager and director of player personnel. Carriere, a Montreal native, had been a pro scout fo

Manny Ramirez replaced in first inning >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez left Friday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals due to right calf tightness. He's considered day-to-day. Ramirez was replaced in left field by Xavier Paul in the b

NFL suspends Seahawks LB Hill one game >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NFL has suspended Seattle Seahawks linebacker Leroy Hill one game for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Hill was also fined an additional game check. The Seattle Times reported

Harvick grabs first truck pole at Gateway >>
Madison, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Harvick will start on the pole for Friday's CampingWorld.com 200 Camping World Truck Series race after posting the quickest lap in qualifying at Gateway International Raceway just outside of St.

Covello moves in front at The Players Cup >>
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vince Covello posted his second consecutive five-under 66 on Friday and moved in front after two rounds of The Players Cup. Covello finished 36 holes at 10-under 132 and is three strokes ahead at Pine

Keppinger, Myers lead Astros past Pirates >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Keppinger homered and drove in three runs to support 7 2/3 sturdy innings from Brett Myers in Houston's 5-2 win over the Pirates in the opener of a three-game set. Hunter Pence singled twice, s

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.

Online Sportsbook Football Betting

LaDainian Tomlinson Favorite to be 2007 NFL MVP

With the first NFL preseason game less than two weeks away, it is time to start thinking about football once again at MySportsbook.com. Reigning NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson is currently the 5-1 co-favorite to win the award again alongside Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning.

This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone after his all out assault on the record books last season. For those suffering from amnesia or were under a rock last football season, all L.T. did last season was set the NFL record for rushing touchdowns (28), total touchdowns (31) and total points scored (186) to go along with his 1815 rushing yards and 508 receiving yards. At 6-1, Tom Brady is next in line which isn’t surprising considering all of the firepower the Pats added over the off-season. With the addition of Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth and Wes Welker; it would be quite difficult for Brady’s numbers not to improve from last years 3529 yards and 24 touchdowns. There appears to be some decent value in Drew Bees at 10-1 considering he probably would have won the award last year if it wasn’t for L.T.’s record breaking season.

There is no reason to think the Saints will come back to earth this season and playing in a weak NFC, they should have as good a shot as any to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. At 15-1, Donovan McNabb could also be worth a look. Remember, many felt he was the MVP of the first half of the season before going down with a season ending injury. Reportedly, he is in great shape and well ahead of schedule to return to form. Also, he could have some added motivation to put up big numbers this season with the Eagles using their first pick in the draft on McNabb’s future successor Kevin Kolb.

Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to check out the complete odds for NFL MVP as well as all of the new football related futures. With the popularity of NFL futures, these betting lines will be sure to change as the money comes in; get the early sports lines now.

MySportsbook is considered one of the finest football sportsbooks according to several surveys performed by independent industry analysts considering such factors as payout accuracy and timeliness, overall quality of website, and bettor satisfaction.

MySportsbook is a large company with strong financial backing. Considered the best sportsbook for betting football online You will find their customer service is second to none and their web site is extremely user friendly and easy-to-use. All major professional sports games are available. Once you signup with MySportsbook, you may never use another online sportsbook again.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football gambling needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.