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Line of Scrimmage: Rating the DivisionsFootball Betting Lines11/17/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The word "arguably" has been kicked around quite a lot by NFL pundits in recent weeks. The Giants/Titans are arguably the best team in the league. Kurt Warner/Adrian Peterson/Clinton Portis has arguably been the league MVP through the first two-and-a-half months of the season. NFL officials arguably don't know their rear ends from a hole in the Texas Stadium roof when it comes to making an accurate roughing the passer call. Actually, not many people would argue that last one. The "A" word is also getting used a great deal when it comes to naming the best and worst divisions in the NFL this season, usually in conjunction with a soliloquy on the strength of the NFC East and NFC South, or weakness of the AFC West or NFC West. Well, I've been accused of being a pundit, so it's time to make my argument on this topic. A look at the best and worst divisions in the NFL in 2008, in highly dramatic, Casey Kasem-style descending order: 8. NFC West The Cardinals (7-3) are going to win this division for the first time, and in fact, are going to be able to claim a division title for the first time since they won the NFL's Eastern Division, as the Chicago Cardinals, in 1947. The team's historic title is going to be pretty anti-climactic, though. Arizona could actually clinch the West as early as next Sunday, since the 49ers (3-7), Seahawks (2-8), and Rams (2-8) all appear headed to the Draft's lottery zone. But how good is Arizona, really? We might not know for sure until the playoffs. The four teams in the NFC West are a combined 6-18 when playing outside the division this year. 7. AFC West This was already a two-horse race before the end of September, as the Raiders (2-8) and Chiefs (1-9) never looked like they were going to trouble the win column very often, and have lived up to that reputation. The Broncos (6-4) and Chargers (4-6) are better, but neither resides anywhere in the neighborhood of the NFL elite. Denver's defense is among the worst in the league, while San Diego's intensity level has never matched its talent. The winner of this division might be 9-7, and that means a tough first-round playoff assignment against the top Wild Card entry. 6. NFC North Strange that a division without a winning team wouldn't fare worse on this list, especially considering it also harbors the only remaining winless club in the NFL, the hapless Lions (0-10). But the Bears (5-5), Packers (5-5), and Vikings (5-5) are all dangerous in their own way, and whoever emerges with the title will have the pleasure of hosting a playoff game in an environment that will not be much fun for the visitor. What's more, the three teams in the hunt all have a long, contentious history with one another, which will make the race for the division crown a heck of a lot of fun over the final six weeks. 5. AFC North Back in the preseason we thought this had the potential to be a terrific four- team race, since the Steelers looked to be treading water, the Browns were supposed to be a serious playoff contender, and the Bengals looked like an "X" factor. But Cleveland (3-6) and Cincinnati (1-8-1) have both been major disappointments, and the only team threatening hit-or-miss Pittsburgh (7-3) is mildly surprising Baltimore (6-4). The Steelers look to have too many problems to be considered a legitimate Super Bowl contender, and the upstart Ravens may have shown their true colors with Sunday's blowout loss at the Giants. Overall, not a very scary group, though the top two teams do play some defense. 4. AFC South This has been the most disappointing division in football. Remember that all four teams in the South had records of .500 or better last year, with the Colts, Jaguars, and Titans all making the playoffs, and it looked like the young Texans were on the verge of threatening that trinity this season. But other than the Titans (10-0), who have indeed been the AFC's most consistent, if not most complete, team, the other three clubs have underachieved. The Colts appear to be the only legitimate playoff contender apart from Tennessee, and this Indianapolis (6-4) team is not as powerful as those of years past. Jacksonville (4-6) has crumbled under the weight of injuries and internal bickering, while Houston (3-7) has proven it's not ready for prime time. 3. AFC East On the flip side of the AFC South scenario is that of the AFC East, which looked to all the world like it would be the Patriots and the three dwarfs as the season kicked off. The Tom Brady injury changed that, though we now know that even if Brady had remained healthy, the division would have been light years better than it was a year ago. The Jets (7-3) have ridden Brett Favre and a revamped defense to the top of the division, Bill Belichick may be doing the best coaching job of his career with the still-relevant Patriots (6-4), the Dolphins (6-4) have undertaken one of the great one-year turnarounds in recent NFL memory, and the Bills (5-4) have struggled of late but would be good enough to win at least two divisions on this list. Like the NFC North, this division should be a blast to watch as the weather begins to turn colder. 2. NFC South It doesn't have the national profile of the AFC East or NFC East, but what the NFC South does possess is four high-quality, well-coached teams that could all provide a difficult matchup come playoff time. The Panthers (8-2) haven't played inspired football against the Raiders or Lions the last two weeks, but have been solid for most of this season and look a real Super Bowl sleeper. The Buccaneers (7-3) are a veteran group that already has a blowout win of Carolina (27-3) on its resume. The Falcons (6-4) have been a pleasant surprise in the first year of the Mike Smith/Matt Ryan era, and it would be unwise to count out a Saints (5-5) team with the most prolific offense in the NFL. Maybe, unlike last year, this division will be deemed worthy of some Pro Bowl citations. 1. NFC East OK, so it isn't the unstoppable collective force that it appeared to be through the season's first month, though at this moment, there are at least three teams here that will call their seasons a disappointment if they don't reach the Super Bowl. If the Giants (9-1) aren't the consensus top team in the NFL at this moment, then they're no worse than "1-a" behind the Titans. The Cowboys (6-4) haven't allowed their recent injury woes and on-field missteps to alter their goal of being a Super Bowl team, and the talent is there for them to make a similar run to that of the Giants last year. The Redskins (6-4) have some fade potential, but also look capable of beating anyone in the league from week-to-week. The odd team out in the division looks like it will be the Eagles (5-4-1), who looked awful in Cincinnati on Sunday and are already 0-3 in the division. Still, if you want confirmation that is the best division from top-to-bottom in the NFL, watch what happens when the worst team in the NFC East plays the best team in the NFC West on Thanksgiving night.
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SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?" A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."
Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook. In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small. "Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets." But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?" Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year. This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here. Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions. In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries. No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning. And that's all any bettor can ask for. To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. American Idol odds : Blake Lewis the Early Standout An important American Idol betting lines recap from February 20 Guys episode. The 12 men came out flat overall with Blake Lewis appearing to have the early edge after the first hour and a half. Rudy - was quite good singing "Free Ride" to start off. Randy was not impressed though. Paula thought he started off fantastic. "Never had anyone stop off so lively" said Paula but Simon (who does not like Rudy) does not feel he has a distinct voice and was not impressed either. Brandon was a little pitchy according to Randy and Paula agreed. Simon said he was a good singer but the song was "too safe" and he needs to make an impact. He was listed at +1200 odds or $1200 paid out on a $100 bet should he win the competition. Big favorite Sundance came in with a flat version of "Knights in White Satin" and the judges let him have it, including Paula. Randy claimed the song was out of pitch throughout. Korean American - and a Jenny Woo favorite - Paul Kim was up next. Another pitchy flat one but Randy said he still liked his potential. Kim at +3000 odds was said to have sung a "third rate version of that (George Michael) song" according to Simon Cowell. He sang "Careless Whisper". 22 year old Chris Richardson was up next. He was listed with +1100 odds coming in. He got the best response from the judges though Simon did not believe the vocal was that great. Nick was boring and pitchy. Simon didn't think he was that bad though and predicted he would be back next week. Nick Pedro was a big +3000 dog coming into this competition. Beat boxer Blake Lewis was listed with early +1000 odds or $1000 payout on a $100 bet if he were to become the next American Idol winner odds . These of course were the early odds. He was considered original for picking an "odd song". He did not beat box and the judges felt it was the best vocal of the night. Sanjaya came in as the second biggest favorite after Chris Sligh but his performance Tuesday night was not very good. Chris Sleigh was the early favorite at +450 odds. Great voice and a great sense of humor. He's a real standout. Randy felt it was on point but maybe ahead of the chorus a little bit. Simon Cowell said he felt like he was in some "sort of weird student gig". Jared Cotter followed. He was listed with +2000 odds early on to win the competition. The judges felt he needs to take more risks but looked good. Phil - this season's military favorite - came into this competition with +1200 odds to win the competition. He was the last to perform. He was certainly strong enough to get through this stage of the competition and perhaps the best one after a shaky start. Tomorrow night, the ladies perform and I sure hope they do a better job than the boys. Check out all the American Idol betting odds here. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards. |
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