07/05/2009 - Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Cunningham scored a pair of first-half goals to lead FC Dallas to a 2-1 victory against the New York Red Bulls at Pizza Hut Park on Saturday.
Cunningham scored his second goal of the season in the 15th minute to open the scoring, and then added another two minutes later before Juan Pablo Angel scored for New York right before halftime.
The result drops New York's (2-13-4) road record to 0-10-1 on the season, while their winless streak has now reached 10 games.
Dallas (4-7-5) is headed in the opposite direction as they have lost just once in eight games and taken seven points from their last three matches.
The Red Bulls handed Dallas the opening goal in the 15th minute when Luke Sassano's pass was intercepted by Cunningham near the penalty area. He then dribbled into the box and maneuvered past defender Andrew Boyens before firing the ball into the lower left corner.
It took only two minutes for Cunningham to add to his scoring total as he shook free from Jeremy Hall and got on the other end of a right-wing cross from Dave van den Bergh, knocking the ball past goalkeeper Danny Cepero.
New York was able to pull a goal back before the break when Jorge Rojas played a ball wide to Danleigh Borman and he picked out Angel in front of goal for an easy tap in, making it 2-1 at halftime.
Dallas threatened to extend its lead in the 68th minute when Eric Avila had a shot parried by Cepero, while one minute later, David Ferreira sent a shot skipping past the right post from 25 yards.
Cunningham thought he had completed his hat trick in the 80th minute when he fired home a rebound, but the flag went up, erasing the goal.
The call kept the visitors within a goal, and they nearly equalized in the 83rd minute when substitute John Wolyniec got into the area and fired a shot on goal, but Ray Burse preserved the win by parrying the shot.
<< Chicago moves to top of Eastern table with win at Colorado
Commerce City, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Fire moved into a tie with
D.C. United at the top of Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference table with
a 2-1 win at the Colorado Rapids on Saturday night.
First-half goals by Marco Pappa
<< Stewart wins in a firework finish at Daytona
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tony Stewart won Saturday's Coke Zero 400
in a dramatic finish at Daytona International Speedway.
Stewart moved to the outside of leader Kyle Busch coming out of the final turn
of the last lap. Busch atte
<< USA cruises past Grenada in Gold Cup opener
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robbie Rogers scored one goal and set up two
more as the United States opened its Gold Cup campaign with a comfortable 4-0
win over Grenada at Qwest Field.
Freddie Adu opened the scoring in the eighth minut
<< Price isn't right for Rays; Rangers score 12 in rout
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andruw Jones' three-run homer in the first
inning set the tone, as Texas went on to dismantle the Rays, 12-4, in the
middle installment of a three-game series.
Jones doubled in another run and Michael
Angels pour it on late against Baltimore >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vladimir Guerrero capped a six-run eighth
inning with a monster three-run homer, as Los Angeles overcame an early
deficit to wallop Baltimore, 11-4, in the third matchup of a four-game set at
Angel S
Eskandarian enjoys dream debut as L.A. downs New England >>
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alecko Eskandarian scored the lone goal of the
match on Saturday in his Los Angeles Galaxy debut as the club downed the New
England Revolution, 1-0 at The Home Depot Center.
Eskandarian was acquired on Wed
Yanks hope to stay hot against Toronto >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The red-hot New York Yankees will try to continue their
strong play when they take on the Toronto Blue Jays in the third installment
of a four-game set at Yankee Stadium.
Brett Cecil will toe the rubber for the Blue Jays t
Cellar dwellers put the finishing touches on set in Cleveland >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians will try to complete the three-game
sweep over the Oakland Athletics this afternoon when the two teams close their
series at Progressive Field.
Gio Gonzalez will head to the mound for the A's in searc
(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."
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Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value
If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture. Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).
For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot. The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.
TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.
"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,' it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."
"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.
Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash. Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win.
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