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08/17/2010 - Sonoma, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: IZOD IndyCar. Date: Sunday, August 22. Race: Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma. Site: Infineon Raceway. Track: 2.303-mile, 12-turn road course. Start Time: 5:45 p.m. (et). Laps: 75. Miles: 172.7. 2009 winner: Dario Franchitti. Television: VERSUS. Radio: IMS Radio Network/SIRIUS XM Satellite.
The IZOD IndyCar Series will run its ninth and final road/street course race of the season this weekend at Infineon Raceway.
Last week at Mid-Ohio, Will Power's second-place finish allowed him to claim the Mario Andretti Trophy for clinching the series' first-ever road/street course championship. Power has won four course events so far this season -- Sao Paulo, Brazil; St. Petersburg, FL; Watkins, NY and Toronto.
The Team Penske driver currently holds a 41-point lead over defending series champion Dario Franchitti and an 82-point advantage over Franchitti's Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon.
One year ago, Power's season came to an abrupt end at Sonoma, where he sustained multiple injuries during a practice crash. Power suffered two broken vertebrae and a concussion when his car hit the stalled car of Nelson Philippe, who spun exiting the blind, downhill corner. Philippe also suffered a concussion, along with an open fracture to his left foot.
Indy Racing League and track officials recently have made several safety improvements to help prevent serious crashes, like the one of Power and Philippe's, at the 2.303-mile, 12-turn course in Northern California.
Thirteen IndyCar drivers, including Power, participated in a test session at Sonoma last week. Power topped the overall speed charts with a lap of one minute, 17.46 seconds.
"It's nice to be back, actually," Power said. "I was a little nervous heading up over that hill (at Turn 3A) a couple of times, for sure. But the track has done a fantastic job of making sure that everyone is aware if someone does spin. If there is a car sitting up and over the top, there's a lot of lights and plenty of warning before you get there now.
"I enjoy this track. It's very technical and one of the better road courses we come to, so I'd like to come back here and I'd love to win."
There have been five different winners in as many races at Sonoma. Franchitti is the defending race winner. Helio Castroneves (2008), Dixon (2007), Marco Andretti (2006) and Tony Kanaan (2005) also have won here.
After Sonoma, the series will run its final four races on ovals.
The October 2 season-finale at Homestead will determine the oval titleholder and the overall IndyCar champion.
<< Trucks kick off NASCAR's week at Bristol
Bristol, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Camping World Truck. Date:
Wednesday, August 18. Race: O'Reilly 200. Site: Bristol Motor Speedway. Track:
.533-mile oval. Start time: 8:00 p.m. (et). Laps: 200. Miles: 106.6. 2009
winner: Kyle Busch
<< Keselowski looking for bigger points lead at Bristol
Bristol, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Nationwide. Date: Friday, August
20. Race: Food City 250. Site: Bristol Motor Speedway. Track: .533-mile oval.
Start time: 8:00 p.m. (et). Laps: 250. Miles: 133.25. 2009 winner: David
Ragan. Televis
<< Ole Miss basketball coach Kennedy settles lawsuit
Jackson, MS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ole Miss men's basketball head coach Andy
Kennedy has agreed to settle a lawsuit stemming from a December 2008 run-in
with a cab driver in Cincinnati.
The Clarion-Ledger on Tuesday reported that Ken
<< Chase battle moves on to Bristol
Bristol, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup. Date: Saturday,
August 21. Race: IRWIN Tools Night Race. Site: Bristol Motor Speedway. Track:
.533-mile oval. Start time: 7:30 p.m. (et). Laps: 500. Miles: 266.5. 2009
winner: Kyle Busch
Rockies recall Chacin, place Buchholz on DL >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies on Tuesday placed
right-handed pitcher Taylor Buchholz on the 15-day disabled list and recalled
righty Jhoulys Chacin from Triple-A Colorado Springs.
Buchholz had previously been
Oklahoma's Hand out five months >>
Norman, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oklahoma guard Whitney Hand will miss five
months after undergoing microfracture surgery Tuesday to repair cartilage
damage in her right knee.
Hand, the 2009 Big 12 Freshman of the Year, missed the ma
Mets withhold K-Rod's salary, put him on DQ list >>
HOUSTON (AP) -The New York Mets are withholding injured closer Francisco Rodriguez's salary while he's sidelined, and the team wants to convert his contract to a non-guaranteed deal.The moves could be a prelude to the Mets releasing the star closer
Lakers owner still enjoying Hall of Fame induction >>
BELL GARDENS, Calif. (AP) -Relishing the afterglow of being inducted into the Hall of Fame last week, Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss was candid, funny and reflective when sharing his thoughts on his life, his team and the Miami Heat.Buss, a pok
El Duque expected to throw Tuesday
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.
Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.
El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.
MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds.
Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.
New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.
Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''
Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
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