NFL pre-season betting concludes this weekend with a full slate of games on the betting card. After playing back-to-back road contests in the middle of their 2008 pre-season schedule, the Houston Texans (2-1) will return home to Reliant Stadium on Thursday night, where they’ll battle the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) in their fourth and final NFL pre-season betting affair. These two teams have hooked up in Week 4 of every pre-season since the Texans came into existence back in 2002. The Bucs hold a 5-1 SU and ATS series lead going into their football betting clash this week.

The 2-0 SU & ATS Buccaneers returned home to Raymond James Stadium for their final home game before the regular season to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. Their defense played well limiting the Jags to 201 total yards, but that was no consolation to NFL bettors that backed Tampa and the ‘under’ that night. The three-points the oddsmakers gave the Bucs wasn’t enough, as the 23-17 defeat handed Tampa Bay their first pre-season loss both SU and ATS. The game also went over the closing ‘total’ of 34.5. Tampa Bay couldn’t muster anything on the ground against the Jags stout ‘D’. The running back trio of Warrick Dunn, Michael Bennett, and Earnest Graham averaged a paltry 2.9 yards per carry on their 15 combined rushes. Four turnovers by the offense won’t allow HC Jon Gruden to be the jolly coach he was the last two weeks, especially when considering the Bucs pride themselves on taking care of the football and playing stellar defense.

The Texans also came out of the blocks in the pre-season on fire, notching successive victories and going 1-0-1 ATS. Though a failed two-point conversion with less than 2:00 to go left the Texans on the short end of their 23-22 defeat against the Dallas Cowboys, the six-points allowed Texans bettors to cash their spread tickets. Oddsmakers had installed the Cowboys as five-point favorites. The final TD also narrowly pushed the game over the closing ‘total’ of 43.5. Rookie RB Steve Slaton, formerly of West Virginia, continued to make a case for playing time amongst the crowded Texans backfield rushing for 44 yards on ten carries. If Houston’s to be successful in ’08, the first-team defense will have to step up after allowing opponents to hang 20 points on it in the first half the last two weeks.

Offshore Sportsbooks have tagged the Texans three-point favorites in this intra-conference match-up, with a ‘total’ of 36.5. In their previous six match-ups, the Bucs have outscored the Texans by an average of 11.8 PPG, so consider putting Tampa Bay on your NFL betting card this week. Betting trends would also suggest a higher scoring affair, as the average game between these teams in the pre-season has 38.2 points per game.

Whether you prefer betting spreads, ‘totals’, or moneylines, Bookmaker.com is your home for all of your NFL betting action. Be sure to login to your account and get your action down on this game and all of Week 4’s NFL pre-season propositions!!!

by Bookmaker Racebook

Week 1 NCAA Football betting kicks off this weekend, and Bookmaker.com is your home to get in on all the action. The Clemson Tigers (9-4 in 2007) will begin their hunt for a national championship Saturday night when they take on the Alabama Crimson Tide (7-6 in 2007) in the neutral site of the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Kickoff is set for 8:00 PM, and sportsbettors can see the game nationally on ABC. The Tigers are the pre-season favorites to win the ACC and were tabbed the #9 team in the country in the AP’s first poll of the season, while the Crimson Tide were garnered the #24 team in the nation by the AP.

College football bettors backing the Crimson Tide last season were left bitterly disappointed by their 3-9 ATS effort for the season. They were road underdogs just once last year, and the betting line in their game at Auburn saw the Tide tagged as six-point pups; Alabama went on to lose that game 17-10. They went just 1-4 ATS away from Tuscaloosa, and 1-3 as underdogs in 2007. Thirteen starters will return from the 2007 edition of the Crimson Tide, none more important than QB John Parker Wilson. Alabama’s hopes to spring the upset in this match-up will rest on the arm of Wilson, who threw for 2,590 yards and 15 touchdowns against 10 interceptions last year.

Auburn bettors didn’t have much luck in 2007 either. They went 6-6 ATS for the year, which included a 3-3 mark against the spread in the friendly confines of Memorial Stadium. They were favored in 11 of their 12 lined games, but covered the spread in just five of them. They took on two SEC opponents last season. They beat South Carolina 23-21 in the regular season finale, but lost to Auburn 23-20 in the Chik-Fil-A Bowl. They failed to cover the spread against both opponents and haven’t beaten the football betting line against an SEC foe since beating the Gamecocks 13-9 in 2005. Sixteen starters return to the Clemson lineup from 2007, making this one of the more experienced teams in the ACC. All of the key components on the offense return for HC Tommy Bowden and his Tigers. QB Cullen Harper and RBs James Davis and CJ Spiller must all have massive seasons if Clemson is to compete for a spot in the BCS in ’08.

Betting trends don’t really suggest that either team has much of an advantage. Alabama is just 1-4 ATS in their L/5 non-conference games and are 2-9 ATS overall since the opening game of the ’07 season. Clemson doesn’t look much better, going 0-4 ATS against SEC teams since ’05, and 1-5 ATS in their L/6 non-conference games overall. If the CFB betting trends do point anywhere, it’s towards the ‘under’. The Crimson Tide have played 13 of their L/19 games under the ‘total’ outside of SEC play. The Tigers own the same trend, going 6-1 to the under in their L/7 against the SEC, and its cashed in 12 of their L/17 non-conference battles.

Offshore Oddsmakers installed the Tigers as five-point favorites in this ACC/SEC showdown with the ‘total’ sitting pretty at 48. Bookmaker.com can handle all of your football betting needs, including spread, ‘total’, and moneyline wagering. Be sure to login to your account and get down your football bets on this game and all of the Week 1 NCAA Football betting action before kickoff!

by Bookmaker Racebook

Every so often there’s talk of resurrecting Hialeah Park, the crown jewel of South Florida racing for decades. But each time the dialogue fades to a whisper, and then disappears like the racetrack did seven years ago.

The latest initiative warrants this warning first penned in 1785 by poet Robert Burns in his To a Mouse:

The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men
Gang aft agley,
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
For promis’d joy!

Translation: The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray; broken promises leave us with grief and pain.

I was heartbroken when once beautiful Hialeah died because I enjoyed many afternoons there since the ’50s.

In ’21, cattleman James H. Bright and aviation pioneer Glenn H. Curtiss donated property for community use and helped acquire land and money for buildings, including a racetrack. A year later, the Miami Kennel Club opened America’s first greyhound pari-mutuel track.

In ’24, the Miami Jockey Club constructed a racetrack and grandstand adjacent to the greyhound facility. On Jan. 15, 1925, Hialeah Park opened.

After buying the racetrack in ’30 and transforming it into the most visited South Florida tourist attraction, Joseph E. Widener imported a flock of Cuban flamingos for the infield and gardens. Some have been relocated, but many still reside in their sanctuary on the infield.

Hialeah has always been noted for its turf course, the first in this country built in ’33.

But its demise came as no surprise for several reasons.

As the center of the Miami-Dade County population moved northward and Florida horse racing was deregulated, Hialeah was caught between a rock (Gulfstream Park) and a hard place (Calder Race Course).

I wrote this shortly after the track was no more:

“Hialeah has survived hurricanes, losing the lucrative middle racing dates and declining attendance. Simulcasting the last several years still made Hialeah profitable. Without live racing, however, simulcasting is lost.”

Let’s return to yesteryear, just months after Hialeah went dark, when I received this astute e-mail:

“Hialeah owner John Brunetti and New York Racing Association chairman Barry Schwartz have had preliminary talks about NYRA running the 2003 Hialeah meeting. Brunetti and Schwartz confirmed they discussed the possibility. Brunetti said he contacted Schwartz twice recently about NYRA supporting a race meeting this winter.

“If Hialeah Race Course doesn’t run a meeting in 2003, after failing to open this year (’02), it would be in jeopardy of losing its pari-mutuel license. If the 2003 Hialeah race meeting takes place, it will run from Jan. 3 to April 13, dates very similar to Gulfstream Park’s. The last time two tracks went head-to-head in South Florida was in 1989,
when Hialeah and Calder raced opposite one another for 27 days before Hialeah gave in.”

Then I wrote: “There is a chance Hialeah Park, once considered one of the world’s most beautiful tracks, will hold a meeting in 2003, but don’t bet your last $2 on it. It’s unlikely because the odds are stacked against such a rebirth.”

The track remained dormant. Then the Save Hialeah Park movement fanned the fires of hope several years ago, but interest waned until this year.

Internet entrepreneur Halsey Minor, multimillionaire founder of CNET Networks, and Hialeah landlord John Brunetti met in August and discussions were called good.

Minor, a Virginia thoroughbred owner and breeder, is eager to fork over big bucks to restore Hialeah. It won’t be cheap.

After their first meeting in August, Brunetti and Minor each said they expected it would cost upward of $40 million to refurbish the track. If Minor wants to buy the track that would cost upward to $40 million — Brunetti agrees to sell.

When deregulation kicked in six years ago, Brunetti declined to race because the only uncontested day sandwiched between Gulfstream’s winter meeting and the start of Calder’s spring meeting was an afternoon in April.

The odds remain high that the track will host racing again. At least I have pleasant memories that includes quite a few winning days,

I’ll always remember May 22, 2001, when I was among the 3,280 that attended Hialeah’s swan song.

You might make a buck or two in trivia wagers if you know Cheeky Miss captured the 10th race when it joined the parade of tracks passing into the sunset.

Alas, poor Hialeah, I knew ye well.

by Bookmaker Racebook

Week 3 pre-season NFL betting continues on Friday night when the Houston Texans (2-0) wrap up their two-game road trip when they invade “Big D” to take on the Dallas Cowboys (0-2). This week will mark the first time the Cowboys have played at Texas Stadium in 2008 after back-to-back road games to open up the pre-season. The opening kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 PM, and the game can be seen nationally on CBS. The games a rematch of their pre-season clash last year in Houston in a game the Texans defeated the Cowboys by a 28-16 final count. The all-time pre-season series between these two in-state rivals is even at two games apiece both SU and ATS.

After covering the spread in its Week 1 clash with the Broncos, Houston continued its good fortune in New Orleans last week. QB Matt Schaub led the Houston offense on two touchdown drives in the first half, sparking a 31-point effort overall. WR Kevin Walter led the way with 100 receiving yards and a touchdown in limited action. If HC Gary Kubiak had a complaint, it was with his first-string defense that allowed the Saints to score 20 first half points. However, Texans bettors were overjoyed when the defense held off a late Saints charge to upset the hosts 31-27 as three-point underdogs. The two teams combined to make a mockery of the 37-point ‘total’ set by the oddsmakers.

Dallas opened up their pre-season with a disappointing 31-17 loss in San Diego, and found no better luck in their Week 2 trip to Denver. The NFL betting odds were stacked against the Cowboys once again, this time as three-point underdogs. The ‘total’ was set at 37. Dallas’ first-stringers disappointed, giving up 178 passing yards to Jay Cutler and the Broncos offense, while failing to score with Tony Romo under center. The team responded better with Brad Johnson navigating the attack, as he went 9-of-12 for 114 yards for the team’s only touchdown. The Cowboys had a chance to salvage a push for Dallas bettors, but the offense never got much traction in the second half. Denver knocked off the defending NFC East champs 23-13. The 36 combined points narrowly fell short of the ‘total’. Expect to see a much better effort from the Cowboys starters this week, as they’re expected to see a full half of action against their in-state rivals.

Offshore oddsmakers installed the Cowboys as five-point home favorites in this match-up, with the game ‘total’ now sitting at 41. The NFL Betting trends overwhelmingly suggest a Texans victory against the spread. Houston has now won and covered four of their L/5 pre-season matches, and have averaged 27 PPG during that stretch. The Cowboys have now lost four consecutive exhibitions, being outscored by an average of 11.3 PPG. Take a look at the over in this one as well, as Houston’s averaged 47.3 PPG in its pre-season games since 2007.

Bookmaker.com offers all the NFL betting lines your heart desires, so be sure to login to your account and get all of your football wagers down before the opening kickoff!

by Bookmaker Racebook

Week 3 betting action is upon us, and Bookmaker.com is your home for all your football wagering needs. As a part of a large Saturday night card, the (1-1) Jacksonville Jaguars will invade Raymond James Stadium to take on the undefeated (2-0) Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs are 2-0 ATS halfway through the pre-season, while the Jaguars are 0-1-1 ATS in two home contests. Last season, the Jags played host to the Bucs, and defeated Tampa Bay 31-19 at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.

Following a lackluster 20-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in their opening weekend of the pre-season, the Jags played host to the Miami Dolphins in their Week 2 encounter. Though the final score suggested a close game, Jacksonville’s 19-14 defeat was never much of a contest. The Jags first-team offense looked lethargic, as QB David Garrard only completed 50% of his passes, while the running tandem of Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor only managed to rush for 19 total yards. The Fins bolted to a 19-0 lead and looked poised to pitch a shutout, but QB Todd Bouman led the Jags offense to consecutive touchdowns late in the 4th quarter to make the final score respectable. Jaguars bettors never had a chance though, as they were never ahead in the game despite the fact that oddsmakers installed them as three-point favorites. Though the 33 combined points only fell short of the ‘total’ by the hook, the game never felt as though it would cash for over bettors.

The Bucs have been on fire in the NFL pre-season from the get-go, as they notched a 17-6 victory in Miami in their opening game. Their debut in Tampa Bay was equally impressive, as they dominated the defending AFC champion New England Patriots en route to the 27-10 home win and cover. Tampa’s defense was stifling, holding the Patriots to a paltry 174 total yards of offense. The Bucs didn’t do anything flashy on offense, but for the second straight week, all four of their quarterbacks were efficient. With starting QB Jeff Garcia on the shelf nursing an injury, Luke McCown, Brian Griese, Chris Simms, and Josh Johnson combined to complete 19-of-25 passes for 153 yards and one touchdown. That was more than enough for Tampa Bay bettors to celebrate an easy victory, as the NFL betting line had the Bucs favored by three-points. A late New England touchdown made the score look a little nicer, but most importantly, the score allowed over bettors to celebrate as the ‘total’ on the betting line closed at 33.5.

Despite their lack of exhibition ATS success so far this season, the Jags have been tabbed three-point road favorites by the betting public after oddsmakers opened Tampa Bay as two-point chalks. The ‘total’ has been set at 34. Betting trends offer mixed signals in this match-up. The Bucs have won and covered four straight pre-season outings.

Even though the Jags haven’t had much luck so far in 2008, they have had a lot of success in their recent exhibitions with their in-state rivals. In their L/4 pre-season meetings, the Jags have outscored the Bucs 94-60, winning both the game and covering the spread in all four outings.
You can find these lines and all of the NFL pre-season betting lines at Bookmaker Sportsbook, so be sure to login and get your wagers down before kickoff!

by Bookmaker Racebook

Week 3 of the 2008 NFL pre-season kicks back up on Thursday night when the (1-1) San Francisco 49ers invade the “Windy City” to take on the (0-2) Chicago Bears in an NFL online betting clash; kick-off is scheduled for 8:00 ET. This game will mark San Francisco’s first road game of the season, while the Bears get to play their second and final pre-season home game at Soldier Field.

San Francisco bounced back from a poor Week 1 road effort at Oakland with a dominating performance last week at home against the Green Bay Packers. The NFL betting odds closed with the 49ers a one-point home favorite with the ‘total’ set at 34.5. The 49ers blew the NFL betting line away covering the one-point spread with ease in the 34-6 victory, and the combined 40-points sent over bettors home happy. QB J.T. O’Sullivan looked to have separated himself in the Niners QB derby by throwing for 154 yards on 8-of-17 passing with a TD:INT ratio of 1:1. The defense also helped the team win the turnover battle by recovering three Green Bay fumbles. The Niners are now 1-1 both SU and ATS in the pre-season.

Chicago lost its home opener against Kansas City costing football bettors laying the points a winning ticket. The offense didn’t look much better last week in Seattle, but the defense and special teams were phenomenal accounting for 19 of their 26 overall points. The NFL betting line closed with Chicago a three-point road favorite with the ‘total’ set at 35. Only 14 combined points were scored after the first 30 minutes of play, but the scoring took off in the second half due to a number of big plays. This allowed the over to cash for the second week in a row when Seattle won by a 29-26 final count in overtime. The Bears now stand a winless 0-2 both SU and ATS in NFLX action.

San Francisco head coach Mike Nolan stated Monday that QB JT O’Sullivan will start for the third straight exhibition game against the Bears on Thursday night. Followed by Alex Smith who should see action in the third quarter with Shaun Hill to close it out. Chicago announced that Kyle Orton will be their #1 QB to start the regular season, so expect him to get a bulk of the snaps this evening followed by Rex Grossman and rookie Caleb Hanie. The starters are expected to play into the third quarter.

The NFL betting trends all point to a Chicago pointspread victory in this spot. A very lucrative betting trend takes place in this game that states: teams in Week 3 of the pre-season coming off two consecutive SU and ATS losses are 13-5 ATS (72%) dating back to 1997. Making the Bears that much sweeter under that scenario is the fact that San Francisco is 1-6 ATS away vs. an opponent off back-to-back SU losses.

Offshore Oddsmakers opened Chicago up as five-point home favorites with the ‘total’ set at 35.5. Since then, the NFL wagering public has bought into San Francisco lowering the Bears to three-point favorites, and bet the ‘total’ up to its current placement of 37. Bookmaker Sportsbook offers all NFL Week 3 pre-season betting lines be it spread, total, or $$$-line, so be sure to login to your account and get your NFL wagers down for the nationally televised broadcast.

by Bookmaker Racebook

After getting their first look at the NFL in 2008 last week, NFL bettors will get their second chance to bolster their bankroll in Week 2’s NFL Preseason betting action. Friday night will showcase the Oakland Raiders (1-0) traveling cross-country to take on the Tennessee Titans (1-0).

The ground attack was the theme in the Raiders 18-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1 NFL preseason betting. Rookie RB Darren McFadden had a strong game, carrying the ball 12-times for 48 yards, but he didn’t have the most impressive debut the silver and black. University of Washington product Louis Rankin ran for a game-high 91 yards, with most of it coming on a 72-yard gallop in the 4th quarter. In total, Oakland outgained San Francisco 248-70 on the ground. Second year QB JaMarcus Russell only completed two of his five passes in limited action. Johnnie Lee Higgins was impressive in the return game, galloping for a 53-yard punt return for a touchdown to open up the game’s scoring. The 12-point victory was more than enough to cover the three-point spread, but the ‘total’ was never seriously challenged.

Even though the young Raiders were quite impressive in their pre-season opener, there is no doubt that the most dominant team of Week 1 was the Tennessee Titans. Though offense is usually at a premium in the preseason, the Titans had no problem running up and down the field, racking up 495 yards and four touchdowns en route to the 34-13 win over the hapless St. Louis Rams; both the three-point spread and ‘total’ of 33.5 were obliterated. Former Utah RB Quinton Ganther was arguably the most impressive player in the first week of action. He ran the ball eight times for 115 yards and two scores. Tennessee’s first round draft pick, Chris Johnson out of East Carolina showed his blazing speed on his 66-yard touchdown run in the 2nd quarter. Expect to see more work out of Johnson as the preseason continues. The Titans defense held Marc Bulger to 3-of-9 passing, and LB Keith Bulluck returned an interception for a touchdown in the victory.

The NFL Betting trends point towards a Titans victory in this clash between AFC rivals. Tennessee has covered four straight preseason games, and have scored at least 27 points in all four outings. The Raiders haven’t won an exhibition game on the road since their opening game of the 2006 preseason; being outscored by an average of 11 points per game.

Offshore Sportsbooks installed the hosts as four-point home favorites in this preseason showdown with the ‘total’ currently sitting at 34.5. Consider taking a flyer on the over in this one, as four straight Titans preseason clashes have flown over the ‘total.’ During that stretch, the combined score averaged 46.8 PPG. Three of the four Titans preseason games have gone over the ‘total’ each year since 2005.

You can find these lines and the rest of the NFL Preseason Week 2 betting lines at Bookmaker.com, so be sure to login and get your wagers down before kickoff!

by Bookmaker Racebook

The Brett Favre era’s about to officially begin in New York, and sportsbettors will get their chance to make an NFL wager on his first game in a Jets uniform Saturday night when the Washington Redskins (2-0) invade the Meadowlands to take on the New York Jets (1-0) in Week 2 NFL preseason betting action.

Under new HC Jim Zorn, the Redskins have looked solid on both sides of the ball in their two preseason victories. Redskins bettors have had mixed results in their opening two games, covering the spread with ease in their 30-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts in the Hall of Fame Game, but failing to cover in their 17-14 triumph last week over the Buffalo Bills. They are also 1-1 against the ‘total’. Zorn, the QB specialist, has to be happy with the production of all three of his signal-callers. Between Jason Campbell, Todd Collins, and rookie Colt Brennan, the three have combined to complete 38 of 50 passes for 401 yards and four touchdowns against just one interception so far in the preseason. Second year RB Marcus Mason has been impressive, averaging 5.2 YPC in his two preseason games. Defensively, the Skins have held their opponents to just 90.0 rushing yards per game, and have only conceded two touchdowns, one in each of their exhibitions.

Jets backers breathed a sigh of relief when New York held off a late scoring threat by the Cleveland Browns to hang on to the 24-20 victory last week. Former Virginia Tech WR David Clowney recorded touchdowns of 70 and 71 yards as a part of his four catch, 163 yard performance against the Browns. Brett Ratliff played three full quarters at QB, going 14/20 for 252 yards and two TDs. All eyes will be on a different Brett this week though, as the legendary Brett Favre will be making his debut in green and white. Don’t expect too much out of Favre, who is still learning the offense, and has already complained of his arm being “fatigued” this week. Three different Jets recorded interceptions of Browns quarterbacks in their preseason opener, and if Favre can get support like that all year, New York may become a serious contender in the AFC.

The NFL Betting trends suggest a position on the Jets in this intra-conference exhibition. New York is 6-1-1 ATS in their L/8 preseason games, while the Skins are just 1-6 ATS in their L/7 road exhibitions. During that stretch, Washington’s only scored an average of 8.7 PPG, while the Jets have outscored their opponents by an average of 6.5 PPG in their victories dating back to 2006. Washington hasn’t won more than two preseason games in a season since 2004. The last time these two teams met in the preseason was back in 2006 when New York went into DC and knocked the Skins off by a 27-14 final count.

Oddsmakers tagged New York as 3-point favorites (+105) in this preseason showdown with the game ‘total’ in the 35-36 point range.

You can find these lines and all of the NFL Preseason betting lines at Bookmaker.com, so be sure to login and get your wagers down before kickoff!

by Bookmaker Racebook

The Unites States men’s basketball team continues its quest for gold when they take the court against Greece in Beijing for their third online betting affair of the 2008 Olympic Games. After a dreadful display in Athens four years ago, this poignantly penned “Redeem Team” is hell bent on reclaiming the top prize and letting it be known that the best basketball in the world is played in the United States; so far so good. The first two games played didn’t offer up much competition, but the schedule is certain to get tougher from here on out with games against Greece and Spain slated to tip over the next couple days.
With their victory over Angola, the Americans now move on to face Greece, the team that stunned them two-years ago in the semifinals of the world championship. Two days later comes a match-up with Spain, the team that won that tournament and is also 2-0 in the ’08 Olympics after rallying to beat China in overtime behind 29 points from LA Laker Pau Gasol.

The United States had no problems with the Chinese team led by Houston Rockets center Yao Ming. They rolled the host of the Olympics up by 31-points, 101-70, in a match-up that was more a spectacle than an actual game. Basketball bettors barely cashed their tickets on Team USA who closed as 30-point favorites, and the combined score of 171 fell comfortably under the closing ‘total’ of 182.5. The Americans were just too fast for the Chinese to defend on the break, and it also didn’t help China’s cause that the Americans made 21 of their first 25 shots inside the 3-point arc, though they had another inept night behind it. Still, with James, Wade and Bryant repeatedly getting out on the break, the poor 3-point shooting wasn’t a problem on this night.

Their second round match-up with Angola found the Americans 43.5-point favorites in a game that Offshore Sportsbooks predicted to be just as bad as when they met way back in 1992. The final score of that one was: USA 116 Angola 48, and was best remembered by an elbow thrown by Charles Barkley that landed upon an unsuspecting Angolan dropping him to the floor. The final score here was much more respectable as the US went on to win by 21 (97-76), and the combined 173-points never threatened the closing ‘total’ of 187 making the under a perfect 2-0 ATS in the Americans first two matches.

Greece comes into their third round match-up with the United State 1-1 SU and ATS. They lost their opening match-up with Spain by an 81-66 final count. The 15-point defeat saw them fail to cover the 6.5-point spread, and the combined 149-points barely went over the closing ‘total’ of 147. They bounced back in a big way in round two against Dirk Nowitzki and the German team to secure their first pointspread victory of the Olympics (-7).

Offshore Sportsbooks opened the United State 25-point favorites for this basketball betting affair, but the betting public bought up as much Greece as possible at the open to lower the line to its current position of 20. The ‘total’ has held steady at 173. Bookmaker.com offers all Olympic betting odds for all events, so be sure to login to your account and get your wagers down before the opening tip.

by Bookmaker Racebook

The Cleveland Indians managed to halt Tampa Bay Rays’ five-game winning streak in last night’s MLB online betting affair by upending the AL East leaders by a 5-2 final count. Cliff Lee put forth another stellar effort for the struggling Tribe to pick up his AL-best 15th victory of the year limiting the scrappy Rays offense to just eight hits and two runs through seven innings. Rafael Perez nailed down his second save of the season with two perfect frames in just 15 pitches to shut the door on the hosts. The Cleveland offense knocked around the normally dependable Matt Garza, tagging him for seven hits and four runs in five innings. The victory improved its record to 49-62 overall to decrease its deficit for MLB bettors to a tad over $2500 on the year. The Rays came into this series feeling the effects of a grueling sweep against the Tigers over the weekend. At 66-45, the Rays are still one of the best moneymaking teams in all of baseball bringing in $1513 for the MLB wagering public, and sportsbettors have banked with them all season long at “The Trop” where they own the best record in the AL at 43-17. Cleveland’s owned Tampa Bay this season winning all five of the contests between the teams. To make matters worse for the AL East leaders, Cleveland is 19-2 in their L/21 meetings, which includes a 7-2 mark at Tropicana Field.

Getting the starting nod for the Tribe for the 13th time this season will be RHP Fausto Carmona. His 5-3 mark in 2008 is a far cry from his 19-win season a year ago, and his WHIP is up 0.42 from ‘07. He notched a victory his last time out at home against the Tigers, pitching 6 1/3rd innings of five-hit ball while only giving up a pair of earned runs. The flame-throwing righty only has four starts on the road all year, and the team is only 1-3 in those outings. He dominated in his lone start against the Rays last year fanning eight batters and giving up only one earned run through six strong innings of work.

Opposing the righty will be Edwin Jackson, who comes into his 22nd start of the season 7-7 with a 4.20 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in 124.1 total innings of work. This years been by far the best of the youngster’s career, but the Rays hope he can improve his K/BB ratio (1.34) and cut down on his HR’s allowed (15 in 21 starts). He had a solid start his last time out going the minimum of five innings giving up two runs and seven hits in the Rays 3-2 win at Toronto. He is just 3-5 at home in ’08, sporting a 4.64 ERA in 11 starts. He had very little luck against the Tribe in 2007, going 0-1 in three starts despite only giving up six runs in 18 combined innings of work; the Rays lost all three games.

Tampa Bay currently sits a –130 home favorite in tonight’s baseball betting affair, with the ‘total’ set at 8.5 over -120. Bookmaker Sportsbook offers all MLB betting odds be it side, total, or run-line, so be sure to login to your account and get your MLB wagers down before tonight’s first pitch.

by Bookmaker Racebook