10/01/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In case you haven't heard, it has been 100 years since the Chicago Cubs last won a World Series title. Their quest to end the longest drought in baseball history begins with the best-of-five National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Wrigley Field on Wednesday.
Chicago was the NL's best team from start-to-finish this season and captured its second straight NL Central crown with a 97-64 mark. Hopefully, the Cubs postseason experience lasts a little longer than their trip last year when they were swept in three games by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Finishing with the best record in the NL is not always a recipe for success, as the team with the best record has won the World Series only once in the last 22 years (the 1995 Braves). Of course, the Cubs are still searching for their first World Series title since 1908.
Ryan Dempster was one of the biggest surprises in baseball this season and will get the call for the Cubs in Game One. After serving as the Cubs' closer the last three years, Dempster was inserted into the rotation and thrived, going 17-6 with a 2.96 ERA in 33 starts.
Dempster dominated at Wrigley, going 14-3 with a 2.86 ERA in 20 home starts.
He faced the Dodgers twice this season, going 1-0 against them, giving up four runs in 12 1/3 frames.
Joe Torre's first year in Los Angeles has to be considered a success, as the Dodgers are back in the playoffs following a one-year absence by virtue of winning their first NL West title since 2004 with an 84-78 mark.
Things didn't look good for Torre's crew midway through the season, but the team went out and acquired slugger Manny Ramirez at the trade deadline and never looked back.
At the time of the deal Los Angeles was two games back of the Diamondbacks and finished the year two games up.
Like the Cubs, Los Angeles' last postseason appearance ended in a sweep, as the New York Mets took three straight from them in the 2006 NLDS. In fact the Dodgers have just one postseason win since winning the World Series in 1988, going 1-12 in their four playoff series since.
Torre has named Derek Lowe his starter for Game One. Lowe had one of the better seasons of his career this year, going 14-11 and pitching to a career- best 3.24 earned run average as a starter.
Lowe was especially strong down the stretch for Torre, winning his final four and six of his last seven decisions. Lowe last lost August 26 and in his previous 10 starts, he pitched a 1.23 ERA.
These two storied franchises have never met in the postseason, but Chicago won five of the seven matchups between the clubs this season.
<< Ferrer, Roddick reach third round in Tokyo
Tokyo, Japan (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top seeds David Ferrer and Andy Roddick
were among Wednesday's second-round winners at the $869,000 Japan Open Tennis
Championships.
The reigning Tokyo champion Ferrer got past American Jesse Levine
<< Report: Steelers bring back Davenport to thinned running back corps
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Steelers have reportedly
brought running back Najeh Davenport back into the fold after seeing starter
Willie Parker and first-round draft pick Rashard Mendenhall go down in
consecu
<< Danks, Thome carry White Sox into postseason
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Danks dominated for eight innings, and
Jim Thome's solo homer in the seventh was all the offense Chicago needed, as
the White Sox edged the Minnesota Twins 1-0 on Tuesday in a one-game playoff
to deci
<< Mets P Maine has shoulder surgery
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Mets announced Tuesday that
pitcher John Maine underwent successful surgery on his ailing right shoulder.
The 27-year-old had a lesion removed from the back of his shoulder socket.
Maine
Steelers bring back Davenport to strengthen running back corps >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Steelers have brought running
back Najeh Davenport back into the fold after seeing starter Willie Parker and
first-round draft pick Rashard Mendenhall go down in consecutive weeks.
The Steele
Medina Garrigues moves on; Peer falls in Tokyo >>
Tokyo, Japan (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-seeded Spaniard Anabel Medina
Garrigues posted a first-round win, while sixth-seeded Israeli Shahar Peer was
a second-round loser Wednesday at the $175,000 Japan Open Tennis
Champio
Lisicki, Rybarikova reach Tashkent QFs >>
Tashkent, Uzbekistan (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fourth-seeded German Sabine
Lisicki and fifth-seeded Slovak Magdalena Rybarikova were a pair of second-
round winners Wednesday at the $145,000 Tashkent Open.
Lisicki handled Russian qua
Now the real season starts >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Well, after 162 games, I mean 163, we are finally ready to
get the MLB playoffs started.
The big theme of this year's postseason will undoubtedly be the Chicago Cubs'
pursuit of their first World Series title since 1908. T
MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
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