Gronkowski misses another practice

Football Betting Lines

02/01/2012 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski missed another practice Wednesday because of the left ankle injury he suffered in the AFC Championship Game.

Gronkowski has yet to practice in preparation for Sunday's Super Bowl against the New York Giants, although he said during Tuesday's media day that he was no longer wearing a walking boot.

He previously said he wasn't sure whether he would play Sunday if he was not able to participate in practice.

Gronkowski had a record-breaking season for the Patriots, setting an NFL mark for tight ends with 17 touchdown receptions. He also scored once on the ground and finished with 90 catches -- second on the team behind only Wes Welker's 122 -- for 1,327 yards.

He was the only player listed as a non-participant on New England's injury report Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw (foot) was limited in practice but is not expected to miss the game.

Xportsbook Football Betting News

<< Inter and Palermo share points in eight-goal thriller
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Diego Milito scored four times for Inter Milan while Palermo got three goals from Fabrizio Miccoli in a 4-4 draw at the San Siro on Wednesday. Andrea Mantovani started the scoring barrage in the 16th minu

<< Charlie Spoonhour passes away
Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Missouri State, Saint Louis and UNLV head coach Charlie Spoonhour has died after his battle with lung disease. He was 72. Spoonhour began his coaching career at Missouri State in 1983 -- then kn

<< Arsenal held by Bolton at the Reebok
Bolton, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arsenal extended its winless run after it was held to a 0-0 draw at Bolton in Premier League play Wednesday. The Gunners had lost three straight league games heading into their clash against the Tro

<< Chiefs offensive coordinator Muir retires
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Bill Muir has retired, the team announced Wednesday. Muir was named the Chiefs offensive coordinator prior to last season after spending the previous two year

<< 2012 debut for Animal Kingdom decided
Oldsmar, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eclipse Award winner Animal Kingdom will begin his four-year-old campaign later this month at Tampa Bay Downs. Team Valor's . Barry Irwin and trainer Graham Motion announced the decision in a press release

Ticats release RB Cobourne, two others >>
Hamilton, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Hamilton Tiger-Cats cut running back Avon Cobourne loose on Wednesday, along with two other players. Cobourne helped the Montreal Alouettes to a pair of Grey Cup titles in 2009-10, and earn

Carlin named Coastal Carolina's defensive coordinator >>
Conway, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Coastal Carolina head football coach Joe Moglia announced Wednesday that Clayton Carlin has been named the Chanticleers' defensive coordinator. Carlin has spent the last two seasons as defensive coordinator

Alabama earns raves for recruiting class >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alabama has the top recruiting class in the country, according to Rivals.com, after getting written commitments from 18 football players on National Signing Day. The players who signed national letters of intent

No. 1 seed Monaco moves on in Chile >>
Vina del Mar, Chile (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Juan Monaco of Argentina eased into the quarterfinals of the $398,250 VTR Open with a straight-set win Wednesday over Igor Andreev. Monaco needed just 75 minutes to beat the Russian 6

Burke helps Michigan hold off Indiana >>
Ann Arbor, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trey Burke scored 18 points as No. 23 Michigan held off a late push by No. 20 Indiana to take a 68-56 victory on Wednesday. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Zack Novak added 13 points apiece for the Wolv

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.

It's less than a month until the NHL hockey betting season opens at MySportsbook.com and preparations are underway for another battle in the race to hoist Lord Stanley's mug in 2007.

As cup crazy fans prepare to place their bets, one online sportsbook ,MySportsbook.com, is offering hockey betting lines on the 2007/2007 Stanley Cup , who will bring it home this upcoming season.

Despite a poor showing in last season's playoffs and the loss of Steve Yzerman to retirement, the Detroit Red Wings are early favourites at this online sportsbook with wagering odds of 6-1. The Wings will look to offensive powerhouse Pavel Datsyuk and newly appointed captain Nicklas Lidstrom to lead one of the league's most prominent franchises.

Always a threat are the Ottawa Senators, with newly acquired goaltender Martin Gerber from the Stanley Cup champion ,Carolina Hurricanes. The Sens are second best in the rankings at a 7-1 bet, and odds makers at this sportsbook are optimistic that the Ottawa squad will fare better than last season's Eastern Conference semi-final upset to the Buffalo Sabres.

Also worth noting are the defending Stanley Cup champs Carolina Hurricanes, a 10-1 bet to repeat. Behind the Canes are the New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and Anaheim Mighty Ducks all sit at 12-1. In the basement are the Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and St. Louis Blues who all have 100-1 odds to win.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your hockey betting needs.