Football Betting

Datsyuk picked first in All-Star draft

Hockey Betting Lines

01/26/2012 - Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk was the first overall pick Thursday in the NHL All-Star Fantasy Draft.

A flipped puck was used to determine who got the first pick and Team Chara won the toss.

Captain Zdeno Chara of Boston -- assisted by Joffrey Lupul of Toronto -- took the three-time Selke Winner Datsyuk.

"I'm very appreciative to be taken first," said Datsyuk. "It was kind of a surprise, actually."

Team Alfredsson, headed by Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson along with goaltender Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers, chose Ottawa defenseman Erik Karlsson with their first selection.

"I'm really happy that I could join my fellow Swedes on this team," said Karlsson.

The second round saw Team Chara take Boston goaltender Tim Thomas, the reigning Conn Smythe and Vezina winner, while Team Alfredsson took Ottawa forward Jason Spezza.

Forward Evgeni Malkin of Pittsburgh, the current points leader, was taken by Chara in the third round while Alfredsson countered with Los Angeles goaltender Jonathan Quick, who leads the NHL with six shutouts.

Forward Marian Hossa of Chicago and defenseman Kimmo Timmonen of Philadelphia rounded out the top five picks by Chara and forward Claude Giroux from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang were the fourth and fifth picks for Alfredsson's team.

Team Chara's next five picks were forward Corey Perry of Anaheim, goaltender Carey Price from Montreal, Toronto forward Phil Kessel, defenseman Ryan Suter from Nashville and goaltender Jimmy Howard from Detroit.

The next five picks for Team Alfredsson were forward Steven Stamkos of Tampa Bay, St. Louis goaltender Brian Elliott, defenseman Shea Weber from Nashville, Vancouver forward Daniel Sedin and New York Rangers forward Dan Girardi.

For the Nos. 11-15 picks, Chara took Florida defenseman Brian Campbell, Chicago forward Patrick Kane, Toronto defender Dion Phaneuf, Calgary forward Jarome Iginla, who scored his 500th goal earlier in the month, and defenseman Dennis Wideman from Washington.

Alfredsson took Phoenix defenseman Keith Yandle, Ottawa forward Milan Michalek, Vancouver forward Henrik Sedin, Pittsburgh forward James Neal and Vancouver defenseman Alexander Edler for his 11-15 picks.

Forwards Marian Gaborik of the Rangers, Jordan Eberle from Edmonton and Tyler Seguin from Boston went to Chara with the next three picks while forwards John Tavares of the Islanders, Scott Hartnell from Philly and Jason Pominville from Buffalo went to Alfredsson.

The last two selections saw Dallas forward Jamie Benn -- who had an appendectomy on January 15 but will appear in his first All-Star game -- go to Team Chara while forward Logan Couture from San Jose was picked by Alfredsson with the last pick of the draft.

"Being the young guy and with these great players, I knew it was a possibility," said Couture.

Also named on Thursday were the rookie teams.

The representatives for Team Chara's freshman class are forwards Gabriel Landeskog of Colorado, Ryan Johansen of Columbus, Cody Hodgson of Vancouver, Colin Greening of Ottawa and Luke Adam from Buffalo, defenseman Raphael Diaz of Montreal.

Team Alfredsson's rookies are forwards Sean Couturier and Matt Read of Philadelphia, Carl Hagelin of the Rangers, Nick Johnson of Minnesota and Craig Smith of Nashville and defenseman Justin Faulk from Carolina.


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Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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FOOTBALL BETTING

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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