10/06/2008 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Indians pitcher Scott Lewis and Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto were named AL and NL Rookie of the Month, respectively, for the month of September.
Lewis, 25, went 4-0 with a 2.63 earned run average in four starts during September, collecting 15 strikeouts in 24 innings pitched. The lefty was acquired by the Indians in the deal that sent CC Sabathia to the Brewers. In his major league debut on September 10, Lewis tossed eight scoreless innings in a 7-1 victory over the Orioles.
Votto batted .309 (29-for-94) with nine homers and 20 RBI in 25 games during the month. He hit safely in 10 of his final 11 games, including eight multi- hit games. He finished the year with a .297 batting average, 24 homers and 84 RBI.
Other rookies considered were Boston's Jacoby Ellsbury and Texas' Taylor Teagarden in the AL, and Los Angeles Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw and San Francisco's Pablo Sandoval in the NL.
<< NFL Inactives (Monday, October 6, 2008)
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The following is a list of inactive players
for tonight's NFL game.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS, 8:30 P.M. (ET)
Vikings - 3rd QB John David Booty, WR Sidney Rice, S Madieu Williams, CB Benny
<< Red Sox 3B Lowell out, OF Drew in for Game 4
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell's
torn labrum in his right hip will keep him out of the starting lineup for Game
4 against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Lowell, who is hitless in eight at-b
<< Ching's brace earns him MLS Player of Week
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Dynamo forward Brian Ching was voted
Major League Soccer's Player of the Week for Week 28, it was announced on
Monday.
Ching scored two goals and an assist on Saturday, leading the Dynamo to a
<< Arizona State QB Carpenter questionable for USC game
Tempe, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona State quarterback Rudy Carpenter is
questionable for Saturday's game at No. 8 USC.
"We need to get the OK from the doctor, and then see how he moves out there
(in practice)," said Arizona State
Padres' Bard, Estes elect for free agency >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - San Diego Padres catcher Josh Bard and
pitcher Shawn Estes both cleared waivers and elected for free agency, the team
announced Monday.
Bard, 30, hit just .202 with 16 RBI in 57 games of an injury
Lowrie sends Angels packing, Boston back to ALCS >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston introduced a new late-game hero, as
Jed Lowrie's seeing-eye single to right scored Jason Bay with the winning run
in the ninth frame, as the Red Sox advanced to the American League
Champio
Vikings win wild one over Saints on Longwell's field goal >>
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Longwell made all three of his field
goal attempts, including the game-winning 30-yard boot with 13 seconds left as
the Minnesota Vikings came away with a 30-27 decision against the New Orleans
Saints
The Top Five NHL Team "Point Total" Plays >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Every season brings surprises and
disappointments. Who would have expected the Montreal Canadiens to improve off
their 90-point campaign in 2006-07 and finish with the most points in the
East
While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.
Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.
The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.
What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.
These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.
College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.
Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.
Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.
Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.
I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.
Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.
It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.
As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.
Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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