Dickey, Mets take series with Astros
Baseball Betting Lines
08/29/2010 - Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - R.A. Dickey worked seven-plus solid innings and helped his own cause with a two-run single, as the New York Mets earned a 5-1 decision over the Houston Astros in the rubber match of a three-game series at Citi Field.
Josh Thole went 2-for-3 with a solo homer and scored twice for the Mets, who have split their last six games overall.
Dickey (9-5) allowed one run on six hits to earn his third win in four decisions. The knuckleballer, who has now pitched at least seven innings in four straight starts, walked two and struck out a pair. He finished 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Michael Bourn had an RBI infield single for Houston, which had won six of seven entering the series finale.
Bud Norris (6-8), a winner of four straight decisions coming in, yielded eight hits, five runs and three walks while fanning five over 5 2/3 innings to take the loss.
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Jets linebacker Calvin Pace has a broken foot which will cause him to miss the team's September 13 season opener against Baltimore. According to the Jets official Twitter page, Pace wi
<< Florida SS Ramirez exits game vs. Braves
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez was
pulled from Sunday's game against the Atlanta Braves with apparent light-
headedness.
Ramirez slid into second on a play in the third inning, and the t
<< Edoardo Molinari wins again; picked for Ryder Cup
Perthshire, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hoping to join his brother Francesco
on the European Ryder Cup team, Edoardo Molinari put together a stunning
finish to win the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
Edoardo fell two stro
<< Indians pitching legend Feller battling leukemia
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame pitcher Bob
Feller is battling leukemia at the age of 91.
Feller was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia less than two weeks ago and
spent two days at the Cleveland
<< Monty tabs Harrington, two others for Ryder Cup
Perthshire, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - European Ryder Cup captain Colin
Montgomerie selected Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald and Edoardo Molinari to
round out his team on Sunday.
They joined the nine players who automatically qu
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rick Porcello spun seven solid innings and Ryan Raburn belted two home runs, finishing with four RBI, as the Detroit Tigers pounded Toronto, 10-4, to salvage a split of a four-game series at Rogers Centre.
Maier, Royals clip Tribe >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mitch Maier homered and drove in two runs,
helping the Kansas City Royals salvage a three-game series with a 6-2 win over
the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field.
Alex Gordon added two hits, while Ki
Reds make the most of error, take rubber game from Cubs >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Heisey scored the go-ahead run on a
throwing error in the bottom of the eighth inning as Cincinnati coughed up a
late lead and then came back to beat Chicago, 7-5, in the rubber match of a
three-g
Cardinals fall to Nats, lose ground in NL Central >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Lannan spun 7 2/3 solid innings and
Mike Morse belted a two-run home run as Washington continued to put a crimp in
St. Louis' playoff push with a 4-2 win Sunday to close a four-game series.
Lannan
Kirk gets 2nd Nationwide Tour win of season >>
Farragut, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Kirk fired a five-under 67 on Sunday to
win the Knoxville Sentinel Open by two shots and capture his second Nationwide
Tour victory of the season.
Kirk, who also won the Fort Smith Classic, finished
How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?
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.
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