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10/21/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
HAMILTON TIGER-CATS (6-9) AT TORONTO ARGONAUTS (3-12)
DATE & TIME: Friday, October 23, 7:00 p.m. (et).
GAME NOTES: The Hamilton Tiger-Cats try to snap a six-game road losing streak on Friday night as they gear up for a meeting against the Toronto Argonauts at the Rogers Centre in Ontario.
The Ti-Cats have just a single win away from home this season, a narrow 31-28 victory over British Columbia back on July 10, so getting over the hump has been a long and arduous process. Last week, the team nearly made it happen in Montreal as they knocked out starting quarterback Anthony Calvillo, only to see his backup toss a pair of touchdown passes himself in what became a 41-38 defeat for Hamilton.
The Tiger-Cats have now lost four straight and five of their last six outings, yet that is still better than Toronto which is suffering through a five-game slide and having just a single victory since the beginning of August, a span of 11 games.
Even though his team came up short last week, quarterback Kevin Glenn still had a stellar outing as he completed 29-of-44 passes for a huge 506 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. The yardage total for Glenn represented the first 500-yard passing effort in the league since 2004 when Jason Maas recorded 540 yards for the Edmonton Eskimos. Needless to say, the performance was worthy of CFL Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Over on the other side, Toronto continued to flounder and just miss out on a victory in Week 16 action as the team bowed to Edmonton by a score of 22-19 at home. Quarterback Kerry Joseph converted 25-of-42 passes for 331 yards and a touchdown, but was also picked off twice. P.K. Sam had a strong effort as well as he caught a game-high eight passes for 135 yards, yet never managed to get into the end zone.
Toronto's offense has been lackluster at best this season, ranking last in the league in scoring with just 18.9 ppg. The team is last in the league in total offense with just 4,377 yards, averaging just 91.8 ypg on the ground. Nevertheless Jamal Robertson, who gained just 45 yards on 12 attempts in the three-point loss last week, is still fifth in the league in rushing with his 990 yards, leading to an average of more than five yards per carry and eight touchdowns.
The Toronto passing attack has seen a number of players at the helm, and with all of those changes it should come as little surprise that the group is second-to-last in the league with just 3,438 yards and has more INTs (18) than touchdowns (11). In fact, the Argos have the fewest passing scores of any program in the pass-happy league.
Over on the other side, Hamilton signal-callers have been some of the more accurate in the business this season, completing 61.4 percent of their attempts for 22 touchdowns. With his huge performance last week, Glenn is now up to 2,202 yards on the season and has a very strong touchdown-to- interception ratio at 15-to-5, while completing close to 60 percent of his chances.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Cats have had a number of strong performances, but the one that stands out is Markeith Knowlton who not only has a league-best four fumble recoveries, but he is also the only player in the league with a pair of blocked punts.
The Tiger-Cats maintain a commanding 116-86-2 record in the regular season versus the Argos, although it has been the latter who have taken three of the last four encounters, including a 25-22 double-overtime affair last month in Toronto.
During that Week 11 meeting, Toronto kicker Justin Medlock was credited with three successful field goals, including the game-winner from 28 yards out. Cody Pickett passed for 254 yards and Jamal Robertson took care of the rushing attack with his 117 yards and two touchdowns on 18 attempts.
Hamilton was paced by Arland Bruce who reeled in 10 balls for 45 yards and a score, thanks to Kevin Glenn who completed 29-of-44 passes for 233 yards.
Even though Toronto is at home this week, the good feelings won't be enough to turn the tide and get the Argonauts back into the win column. Expect Glenn to feed off his strong performance last week and guide Hamilton to a much-needed win.
Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Hamilton 31, Toronto 20
EDMONTON ESKIMOS (7-8) AT CALGARY STAMPEDERS (8-6-1)
DATE & TIME: Friday, October 23, 10:00 p.m. (et).
GAME NOTES: The Calgary Stampeders try to bounce back from a disappointing tie last week as they size up the Edmonton Eskimos in Week 17 action on Friday night at McMahon Stadium.
Last week, the Stamps had a chance to get into the win column for the third time in the last four games, but the squad ended up recording a 44-44 overtime tie versus Saskatchewan instead. So, rather than have a lead in the West Division with a 9-6 mark, Calgary is now tied with the Roughriders for first place at 8-6-1. Also with 16 points is British Columbia right now, so the race is that much tighter as the clubs streak toward the end of the regular season.
Quarterback Henry Burris converted 23-of-34 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns, along with a single interception for the Stamps. Nik Lewis had a team-best eight catches for 112 yards, while Rob Cote and Brett Ralph both caught a single ball, yet each went for touchdowns.
Jeremaine Copeland finished with six grabs for 71 yards, his first catch of the game putting him over 1,000 yards on the season. Copeland has posted five campaigns in which he has at least 1,000 yards receiving.
On the ground, Joffrey Reynolds registered 137 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries, giving him his seventh 100-yard effort of 2009 and the 26th of his career. Reynolds is now tied for the second-most 100-yard games in team history, trailing only Earl Lunsford who had done it 28 times. The running back is now also eighth on the club's all-time touchdowns list with 48.
As for the Eskimos, they took on the weakest team in the CFL last week and barely made it out of Toronto with a 22-19 victory over the Argonauts. For Edmonton, which trails in the West Division by a mere two points, the win snapped what had been a three-game slide and was just the second victory for the program in the last seven outings.
Ricky Ray completed 17-of-24 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown, while Arkee Whitlock handled the action on the ground for the team with his 145 yards and two scores on 17 attempts. Fred Stamps, who caught the lone touchdown pass from Ray, recorded two receptions for a team-best 60 yards.
Stamps continues to lead the CFL in receiving with his 66 grabs for 1,093 yards and eight touchdowns, while Whitlock ranks among the league leaders as well with his 943 yards rushing, resulting in nine scores for the Esks.
Among the league's quarterbacks, only one has performed better and more consistently than Ray. At this point in the season the signal-caller, who trails only Montreal's Anthony Calvillo in most categories, has completed a stunning 67.5 percent of his attempts for 4,097 yards and 20 touchdowns. With just 11 interceptions on 496 attempts, Ray has fashioned an efficiency rating of 97.0 to this point in the campaign.
Right behind Ray on the list of top QBs is Burris who has close to 4,000 yards through the air himself, resulting in 20 touchdowns as well. In addition to having slightly less success than Ray completing passes at 58.9 percent, Burris has also been touched for 15 INTs thus far.
But like Ray, Burris does not have to rely solely on his own arm to get him and the Stampeders through from week to week. Thankfully there's also Reynolds coming out of the backfield carrying the ball, resulting in a league-high 1,223 yards and nine touchdowns, an average of almost six-and-a-half yards per attempt.
Calgary ranks third in the league in scoring with 29.5 ppg even though it is second-to-last in time of possession with less than 28 minutes per outing.
In terms of the all-time series between these two programs, Edmonton holds a 121-71-3 edge in regular-season matchup, yet it has been the Stampeders who have come out on top in the last two meetings and three of the last four overall.
Back on September 11, Calgary squeezed out a narrow 35-34 victory by scoring 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, the most crucial of those scores being an 18-yard touchdown pass from Burris to Copeland down the stretch, with the PAT by Sandro DeAngelis proving to be the difference in the final score.
Burris had an up-and-down game that day as he passed for almost 400 yards and three touchdowns, but he was also picked off three times as well.
Both of these teams need to finish the season strong and pick up wins where they can. Last week's tie really held Calgary from distinguishing itself in the division, but this week the Stampeders should be able to get it right.
Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Calgary 38, Edmonton 24
MONTREAL ALOUETTES (13-2) AT WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (6-9)
DATE & TIME: Saturday, October 24, 2:30 p.m. (et).
GAME NOTES: With the East Division title already sewn up, the Montreal Alouettes shoot for their seventh consecutive win this weekend as they size up the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Canad Inns Stadium in Manitoba.
Montreal has had very little trouble navigating through the regular season thus far, suffering just a pair of setbacks to British Columbia and Edmonton and haven't been sent to the loss column since that 19-12 loss to the Lions during the first week of September.
Most recently the team won for the eighth time in as many chances at home last Sunday with a 41-38 victory versus Hamilton. More than just the narrow three- point difference in the final score, the contest did have some other intrigue as Montreal starting quarterback Anthony Calvillo was forced to exit the meeting in the third quarter with an injury to his left calf.
Certainly the Als can afford to keep Calvillo on the sideline this weekend, and for the rest of the regular season for that matter, but as of Tuesday a decision had yet to be made on whether or not the league's top passer would be making an appearance versus Winnipeg.
Perhaps seeing Adrian McPherson play so well in his place last weekend could give the Als reason enough to sit Calvillo after McPherson converted all but one of his 11 pass attempts for 110 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Calvillo himself was 14-of-18 for 232 yards and two scores. Running back Avon Cobourne had a bit of a rough time with just 34 yards on 13 attempts, but he still made it into the end zone once.
Receiver Kerry Watkins continued to add to his impressive stats with four receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown for Montreal in the close call.
As for the Blue Bombers last week, they too played in a game that was decided by just three points on Sunday, but in their case they fell to British Columbia at home in a 24-21 final. Winnipeg scored the first 14 points of the game but then suffered far too many miscues to overcome.
Michael Bishop, who tossed a 10-yard TD pass to Brock Ralph to open the days festivities in the first quarter, finished up a mere 13-of-32 for 226 yards and three interceptions. Fred Reid, one of the league's top ground gainers, was credited with 72 yards on 15 attempts, while Adarius Bowman collected five passes for 92 yards in the setback.
Bowman stands as the top receiver for the Blue Bombers this season, ranking 11th in the league with his 52 catches for 871 yards and six touchdowns, while Reid is second in the CFL with his 203 carries for 1,207 yards and seven scores on the ground in an effort to balance out the field for a team that had a three-game win streak snapped with the setback to BC.
Bishop is now fifth in the league in passing yards with 2,357 and has 11 touchdowns to show for his efforts, unfortunately he has five more interceptions after last week's display, and that means the Blue Bombers as a whole have tossed a league-high 24 picks thus far. The squad is a league-worst 49.3 percent accurate through the air and is second-to-last in scoring with just 21.0 ppg.
While the Bombers have found points hard to come by in 2009, the same cannot be said for Montreal which is the only team in the league to average better than 30 ppg (32.4). Obviously the majority of the credit has to go to Calvillo who has converted an outstanding 72.1 percent of his passes for a league-best 4,334 yards and 24 touchdowns. Even more remarkable for the Als' offense is that Calvillo has been picked off just six times in 369 attempts, a credit to both his receivers and offensive line for giving him the time to make the right reads and hit the open man down field.
Just as important is the play of Cobourne who has posted a league-best 12 rushing touchdowns and has another score by way of the pass. The running back out of West Virginia University, is fourth in the league in rushing with 1,115 yards and second overall in yards from scrimmage with 1,505.
In terms of the all-time regular-season series between these two clubs, Montreal is ahead by a count of 38-31-2 having won two straight and four of the last five encounters. Last month, the Als posted a 33-14 win at home over Winnipeg as Calvillo threw for 338 yards and one touchdown and Cobourne posted a game-high 80 yards rushing and reached the end zone once on his 15 attempts.
The teams will meet once more during the regular season a week from Sunday at Montreal.
Even if Calvillo and the Montreal coaching staff decide that he's not ready to go this weekend, the Als still have an overpowering offense that has been held down just a few times in 2009 and should still be able to dominate Winnipeg, even on the road.
Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Montreal 31, Winnipeg 17
BRITISH COLUMBIA LIONS (8-7) AT SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (8-6-1)
DATE & TIME: Saturday, October 24, 5:30 p.m. (et).
GAME NOTES: The battle for the playoffs in the West Division of the CFL heats up this weekend, as the Saskatchewan Roughriders entertain the British Columbia Lions in Week 17 action from Mosaic Stadium in Regina.
Last week, the Roughriders could have taken over sole possession of first place in the division, but the squad had to settle instead for a 44-44 tie with Calgary on the road, a decision that left Saskatchewan with 16 points, which is also the same total posted by both the Stampeders and Lions at the moment.
After scoring just a single point in the first quarter, the Roughriders began to open things up with 17 points in the second period, then closed out with a total of 26 in the fourth frame and overtime. Darian Durant completed 35-of-45 passes for 427 yards and two touchdowns and also led the group on the ground with his five carries for 40 yards. Andy Fantuz had a huge game as a receiver, catching a game-high 10 balls for 149 yards and a score.
As for the Lions, they too took part in a close battle, but in their case they managed to come away with a 24-21 road win against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. A 30-yard touchdown pass from Travis Lulay to A.J. Harris in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference for BC. Lulay, who came in for Buck Pierce who injured his throwing shoulder in the second possession of the game for the Lions, completed 13-of-24 passes for 177 yards and the score, but nearly let the win slip away as he tossed a couple of costly interceptions as well.
Making up for those miscues however, Lulay recorded a game-high 92 yards on seven rushing attempts. Harris proved to be his favorite target in the contest, capturing five passes for 92 yards. The effort by Harris was rather huge given how much he has played this season. Fourth on the depth chart early in the season, Lulay figures to get the start for the Lions this week.
Also expected to be back in action this week is running back Martell Mallett who missed last week's game with a foot problem. Mallett enters the week ranked third among running backs with his 1,127 yards, resulting in five touchdowns.
Hopefully, taking some of the pressure off both Mallett and Lulay will be receiver Geroy Simon, who ranks fifth in the CFL with his 974 yards receiving, leading to six touchdowns and an average of 15.5 yards per grab.
Like the Lions, Saskatchewan has had its share of crucial injuries of late, more specifically that to Weston Dressler. One of the top receivers in the game in 2009, Dressler suffered a fractured fibula and a badly sprained ankle against Toronto and is likely out for the rest of the season. The 2008 CFL Rookie of the Year, Dressler had hoped to make it back for the playoffs, but coach Ken Miller made it known that his return was still far off.
With Dressler watching from the sidelines, that means the top receiver available for the Roughriders is Fantuz who has 47 catches for 676 yards and four touchdowns. Right behind him is Rob Bagg who, after reeling in eight balls for 52 yards last week, now has 48 catches on the season for 636 yards and three TDs.
Still, as much as Dressler added to the Saskatchewan attack, it all still hinges on the play of Durant who is currently fourth in the league with his 3,670 yards and 20 touchdowns through the air. The Roughriders are the second- highest scoring club in the league with 29.7 ppg, but giving up 27.7 ppg hasn't helped the team much.
With respect to the all-time series between these two teams, Saskatchewan maintains an 87-76-4 advantage in the regular season, even with BC winning two in a row and four of the last five overall.
The most recent of those tests came a mere three weeks ago as the Lions slipped by with a 19-16 triumph at home. The difference in that meeting was a 33-yard field goal by Sean Whyte in the fourth quarter. Whyte finished the game with four field goals in all, somewhat surprising given that British Columbia's offense appeared to be running rather smoothly with 140 yards on the ground and another 381 yards through the air.
Buck Pierce completed 29-of-43 passes for 343 yards for the home team and Durant turned in 240 yards and a touchdown for the Roughriders, but he was also picked off twice in the outing.
With Lulay in the lineup the Lions might be a little more exciting to watch, but assume that the Saskatchewan defense will come after him as much as possible, so much so that it could decide the outcome of the game.
Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Saskatchewan 33, British Columbia 27
Overall Season Record: 29-30-1; Last Week's Record: 2-1-1.
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Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.
The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.
Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.
NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.
"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.
The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.
But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.
The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.
Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.
The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.
The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.
The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.
Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.
Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."
Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.
"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."
Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.
It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.
"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."
Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.
"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."
At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.
According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.
Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.
Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.
When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.
He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.
Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.
Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.
Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.
While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.
"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.
Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.
Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your VISA Sportsbook needs.
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.
MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.
To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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