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11/05/2011 - Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -Afleet Again, ridden by Cornelio Velasquez, came from the back of the field to capture Saturday's $500,000 Breeders' Cup Marathon to begin the second day of the World Championships at Churchill Downs. The son of Afleet Alex covered the 1 3/4-miles on a fast track in 3:00.39.
Afleet Again went off as the longest shot in the 11-horse field at 41-1. Breaking from post eight the gray four-year-old trailed for most of the race, running in ninth about a dozen lengths from the lead.
At the top of the stretch a gaggle of horses were on the lead as Afleet Again began to move on the outside. Trained by Butch Reid, the colt opened up down the stretch and posted a two-length victory over Birdrun.
Finishing third was Giant Oak and Pleasant Prince was fourth.
Afleet Again is owned by Robert and Susan Krangel, and picks up $270,000 with the win. The colt notched his first win of the year and his fourth in 24 career starts. He has lifetime earnings of $686,470.
Afleet Again returned $85.20, $35.80 and $13.80. Birdrun paid $7.20 and $5.80, and Giant Oak paid $6.80 to show.
Attendance for Breeders' Cup Championship Friday decreased by two percent from last year's first day at Churchill Downs. Friday's attendance was 40,677 compared to 41,614 last year. The on-track handle was $7,765,183, a four percent decrease over the $8,109,443 bet on-track in 2010.
The common-pool handle for the 10 races was $50,053,505, a 5.6 percent decrease from the $53,010,625 wagered on last year's Friday card. For the six Breeders' Cup races handle this year was $42,490,444 vs. $45,393,976 for a 6.4 percent decrease. Breeders' Cup officials noted that $2,195,465 was refunded because of two late scratches.
<< MLB stars win fourth in a row in Taiwan
Kaohsiung, Taiwan (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Morse singled in two runs during
the sixth inning to lift the Major League Baseball All-Stars to a 3-2 victory
over the Chinese Taipei national team in the fourth of a five-game exhibition
series.
<< Jets place D Enstrom on injured reserve
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Winnipeg Jets placed defenseman Tobias
Enstrom on injured reserve Saturday.
The move is retroactive to October 31.
Enstrom suffered an apparent upper-body injury on that day in a game against
the
<< Former PSU coach charged with sex crimes; AD charged with perjury
Harrisburg, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Penn State football coach Jerry
Sandusky was charged with numerous felony and misdemeanor offenses as the
result of a grand jury investigation into sexual abuse of children, while the
school'
<< Jets pay a visit to New Jersey
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Both the Winnipeg Jets and New Jersey Devils could be
without some key players this evening as they battle for the first time this
season at the Garden State's Prudential Center.
The Devils return home after clai
Djokovic beaten by Nishikori at Swiss Indoors >>
Basel, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Japan's Kei Nishikori upended world No.
1 Novak Djokovic in Saturday's semifinals at the Swiss Indoors Basel tennis
event, and will face Roger Federer in the final.
Nishikori dropped the first set
Thome returns to Philadelphia >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies officially
brought back on of the franchise's most popular players on Saturday, agreeing
to a one-year contract with first baseman Jim Thome.
"We're very happy to be able
Wrote wins Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf >>
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - European invader Wrote broke free down the
stretch to capture Saturday's $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at
Churchill Downs. The two-year-old colt went 1:37.41 for the mile on a firm
turf co
Browns RB Hillis out vs. Texans >>
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis has
been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Houston Texans.
Hillis was limited in practice on Thursday but was expected to start before
re-injuring his hamst
The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
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