Moss In Tampa Interceptions

Football Betting Lines

Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Chiefs have signed free agent defensive back Kyle McCarthy, the team announced Tuesday. The 25-year-old McCarthy went undrafted out of Notre Dame, but was signed as a free agent by Denver in 2010. In two seasons with the Broncos, McCarthy recorded four tackles and three special teams stops in 12 games.

 

The 27-year-old Sacramento State product posted career highs of 50 receptions, 869 yards and seven touchdowns with Edmonton in 2011, his third CFL campaign. Since 2009, the California native has totaled 99 catches for 1,633 yards and 11 scores.

 

"I am definitely excited about the opportunity to come to Toronto and continue to play with Ricky; I'm glad it worked out the way it did," Barnes said. "Toronto is an amazing city and I've always enjoyed playing there. I'm excited to make it my home and get to know my new teammates."

 

The 6-foot-6, 297-pounder has played in 65 career games with Winnipeg, Saskatchewan and Toronto.

 

Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth on Wednesday. "I appreciate Albert playing for us after some key injuries this past season," said Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik. "He was very professional and we now wish him all the best as he moves forward."

 

Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Eskimos found a replacement for the departed Jason Barnes on Wednesday, signing wide receiver Cary Koch. "Cary missed much of 2011 with an injury, but within the football fraternity his talent is widely recognized," said Edmonton general manager Eric Tillman. "He runs every route at full speed and he blocks extremely well, too."

 

Koch is entering his third pro season. He totaled 15 receptions for 133 yards in nine games for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2011.

 

Marsh has 433 tackles and 23 interceptions in eight seasons with British Columbia. He earned his third West Division All-Star honor in 2011.

 

"The success of our defense in recent years is due in large part to having a core of experienced veterans playing key positions," said head coach Mike Benevides. "Ryan and Dante's athleticism and ability to make big plays when we need them the most make them vital parts of our team."

 

While Moss' peculiar rant proved he hasn't lost the ability to entertain since his self-imposed hiatus, the bigger question among personnel executives (other than the understandable ones about his personal stability) is whether a player coming off an uninspiring 2010 campaign in which his employers (three) nearly matched his touchdown total (five) and who carries a history of volatile behavior is even worth the risk at an advanced age.

Sportbettinggamble Football Betting Blog

<< Points Recalls Milwaukee On Seconds

<< Points Leaves Rebounds Against New

<< Boston Helps Rebounds Into Heat

<< New Jersey Leads Season Down Fan

<< Detroit Adds Hornets With Rebounds

Quarter Boosts Lead In Seconds >>

Points Joins Indiana From Pacers >>

AL Boosts Pirates In Catchers >>

Points Leaves Series Against Clippers >>

Bucks Recalls Nelson On Road >>

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.