Coastal Carolina's Norman playing in Senior Bowl

NCAA Football Betting Lines

01/28/2012 - Mobile, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coastal Carolina cornerback Josh Norman will play in Saturday's Senior Bowl - the fifth FCS player named to the college football all-star game.

Coming off a recent appearance in the East-West Shrine Game, Norman was added to the North roster earlier this week, joining Appalachian State wide receiver Brian Quick, Cal Poly cornerback Asa Jackson and Massachusetts tight end Emil Iqwenagu.

The South roster includes Furman cornerback Ryan Steed.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Norman was a 2011 Buck Buchanan Award (sponsored by Fathead.com) nominee and made The Sportsbook Betting Lines/Fathead.com FCS All-America Second Team. He had 62 tackles, including two for loss, two interceptions and 12 pass breakups, forced two fumbles and blocked a kick this season.

The Senior Bowl will kick off at Ladd-Peebles Stadium at 4 p.m. ET on NFL Network.

Last year, all 107 Senior Bowl participants signed with NFL teams, and 83 were selected in the NFL Draft, including 12 first-round picks.

Wwwgamecenter NCAA Football Betting News

<< Azarenka wins Australian Open women's title
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Victoria Azarenka became a first-time Grand Slam titlist Saturday with a convincing straight-set victory over Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open women's final. The third-seeded Azarenka downed Shar

<< Durant powers Thunder over Warriors
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Durant's double-double of a season-high 37 points and 14 rebounds powered the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 120-109 victory over the Golden State Warriors Friday night. Russell Westbrook had a terr

<< Aldridge shines as Trail Blazers dominate Suns
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LaMarcus Aldridge scored 23 points, and Portland dominated the middle two quarters in a 109-71 rout of the Phoenix Suns. Gerald Wallace tallied 17 points, Wesley Matthews 16 and Nicolas Batum 14 fo

<< Fernandez leads Nuggets over Raptors
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rudy Fernandez poured in 23 points to lead four teammates in double-figures as the Denver Nuggets topped the Toronto Raptors, 96-81 at Pepsi Center. Danilo Gallinari dropped in 21 points and pulled down sev

<< No. 5 Duke routs Clemson
Clemson, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tricia Liston had 16 points. leading No. 5 Duke to a dominant 81-37 win over Clemson at Littlejohn Coliseum. Elizabeth Williams added 14 points, five rebounds, and five blocks and Richa Jackson scored 13 poin

UC Davis set for first Big Sky season >>
Davis, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - UC Davis football is set to enter a new era in 2012 with eight Big Sky Conference games as well as a visit to San Jose State as part of an 11-game schedule. The Aggies are joining the Big Sky from the Great West

Historical games part of Maine's 2012 schedule >>
Orono, ME (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Maine football's 2012 schedule includes the 100th game against rival New Hampshire and a trip to Boston College for the 1,000th official game in program history. Coach Jack Cosgrove's Black Bears are coming off a

Bryans dethroned in Aussie doubles final >>
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek ended the three-year Australian Open reign of Bob and Mike Bryan on Saturday, beating the top-ranked twin brothers in the men's doubles final. Paes and Stepanek

Hornets trying to trade Kaman >>
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Hornets are trying to trade away center Chris Kaman, and will not play him as they go through that process. Kaman is not injured, but hasn't played in New Orleans' last two games. He

Tiger, Rock share lead in Abu Dhabi >>
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tiger Woods and Robert Rock posted matching rounds of six-under 66 Saturday to move atop the leaderboard after three rounds of the Abu Dhabi Championship. The duo ended 54 holes at 11-und

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.

MySportsbook.com offers Blackjack contest and $10,000.00 in Free Prize money!

Every month MySportsbook.com's casino host, Jack Black, gives away $10,000.00 in free casino prize money. To Enter - All you have to do is play at least 10 hands (total) of Blackjack on one of the specified dates of the blackjack contest. The online casino host randomly hands out free bonuses ranging from $50 - $500, and one lucky player who will receive a free $2,500.00 bonus.

"We have been running this monthly free blackjack contest to our active mebers for 5 years now, and the players just love it," says Jack Black, online casino host at MySportsbook.com. "And why wouldn't they love a free chance to win some extra online blackjack cash."

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Mastercard needs.