07/09/2008 - Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart will leave Joe Gibbs Racing, the Charlotte Observer reported Tuesday night.
Stewart, whose contract as the driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet was set to run through the 2009 season, has been with JGR since 1997 and for his entire NASCAR career. The racing team is expected to announce Wednesday that it is releasing Stewart from his contract obligations past this season, the paper is reporting.
Stewart joins Dale Earnhardt, Jr. as the second high-profile driver to switch racing teams this year. Earnhardt, Jr. announced last year that he would be leaving Dale Earnhardt Inc. this year for Hendrick Motorsports.
Stewart has five top-five finishes in this year's Sprint Cup series, but no poles or victories, as he sits in 12th place in the standings, 541 points behind leader Kyle Busch.
The paper also reports that Stewart is most likely to join Haas CNC Racing in place of JGR.
In 1999, Stewart made his Cup debut and won Rookie of the Year honors in the Busch Series while racking up three wins and two poles.
<< Harrison shines in big league debut; Rangers nip Angels
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Harrison won in his major league debut
and Josh Hamilton drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning, as the
Rangers edged the Angels, 3-2, in the second installment of a four-game
series.
<< Islanders extend D Witt
Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Islanders signed hard-nosed
defenseman Brendan Witt to a two-year contract extension worth $6 million
through the 2010-11 season, the team announced Tuesday.
The Washington Capitals f
<< Sabathia wins in NL debut as Brewers top Rockies
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - CC Sabathia threw six effective innings to
earn the victory in his Brewers debut, and Ryan Braun helped him with a three-
run homer to lead Milwaukee over the Colorado Rockies, 7-3, at Miller Park.
"He pitch
<< Dempster moves to 10-0 at home as Cubs beat Reds
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Dempster pitched seven strong innings to
remain unbeaten at home and Mike Fontenot belted a two-run homer, as the Cubs
beat the Cincinnati Reds, 7-3, capping a Tuesday in which Chicago made a push
to bols
Top hoops recruit Jennings snubs Wildcats >>
Tucson, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The nation's top high school basketball point
guard and fourth-ranked overall prospect, Brandon Jennings, will play in
Europe in 2008-2009 instead of attending the University of Arizona, where he
origina
Headley leads Padres offensive outburst to beat Marlins >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chase Headley had a career night, going 3-
for-5 with four runs batted in, while Randy Wolf hurled seven solid innings as
the San Diego Padres took care of the Florida Marlins, 10-1, in the second
meeting
White Sox hang on to beat Royals in 13 innings >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Orlando Cabrera went 2-for-6 and drove in
the go-ahead run in the top of the 13th inning, as the Chicago White Sox
outlasted the Kansas City Royals, 8-7, in the opener of a three-game set.
The ChiS
McLouth leads Pirates in rain-soaked win over Astros >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nate McLouth homered, and his two-run single
capped a three-run eighth inning, sending the Pirates to a 4-3 win over
Houston in a game that was delayed by rain for over three hours.
Adam LaRoche, wh
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
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