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07/13/2010 - Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Crew return home when they host the Kansas City Wizards in Major League Soccer action at Crew Stadium on Wednesday.
The Eastern Conference leading Crew (8-2-4) are coming off a scoreless draw at Houston on Saturday that extended their road winless streak to three games, but defender Danny O'Rourke was happy with the result.
"Anytime you can go on the road against an established team like Houston in the heat out here, a tie is a good point," he told mlssoccer.com. "They're a really compact team. It's a small field. A point on the road, we'll definitely take it."
Wednesday's fixture will be the second between the two Eastern clubs this season, with an Emilio Renteria goal being the difference in the Crew's victory on May 23 at CommunityAmerica Ballpark to extend their unbeaten streak vs. Kansas City to eight games in league and cup play, dating back to 2007.
The Wizards (3-8-3) are in desperate need of a result on Wednesday, having lost three in a row while being shut out in three consecutive games for the second time this season. Their current scoreless streak is 325 minutes.
On top of that, the club is winless on the road this season, going 0-5-1 away from CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
The Wizards most recent game was a 2-0 loss at home to Chivas USA, but the team thinks it can take some positives out of that game.
"We did everything that you need to do to win the game," Wizards captain Davy Arnaud told mlssoccer.com. "But unfortunately we come out on the wrong end of things again. This might not sound right, but the way we played [vs. Chivas USA] is a positive sign."
A couple defensive lapses by Wizards defender Jimmy Conrad followed the trend the team has been following this season.
"I'm responsible for both goals," Conrad told mlssoccer.com. "Obviously, we've been giving up soft goals all year, and it was just my turn I guess to catch the disease. It's unfortunate. I feel bad that I put my team in that position. We have a lot of people, both on the field and off, who do a lot of work to make sure we win, and we're just not getting it done."
<< Kohlschreiber exits Stuttgart
Stuttgart, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sixth-seeded German favorite Philipp
Kohlschreiber was an opening-round upset victim Tuesday at the Mercedes Cup
tennis event.
German Florian Mayer upended his compatriot Kohlschreiber 6-4, 6-2 on
<< Leverkusen signs striker Jorgensen
Leverkusen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayer Leverkusen has completed the
signing of striker Nicolai Jorgensen from Danish side AB.
The 19-year-old has earned himself a five-year deal with the Bundesliga club
after impressing on a
<< Palermo makes offer for Liverpool's Lucas
Palermo, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva could be on
his way to Italy after Palermo made an offer for the Brazilian.
The Serie A side are reported to have tabled a bid in the region of six
million euros for t
<< Clippers sign Willie Warren
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers have signed guard
Willie Warren, the team's second-round pick in the 2010 draft.
Warren, the 54th overall selection, played two seasons at Oklahoma before
entering the draft
Trucks join Nationwide at Gateway >>
Madison, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Camping World Truck. Date:
Friday, July 16. Race: CampingWorld.com 200. Site: Gateway International
Raceway. Track: 1.25-mile oval. Start time: 9:00 p.m. (et). Laps: 162. Miles:
200. 2009 winner: Mi
IndyCar tackles the streets of Toronto >>
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: IZOD IndyCar. Date: Sunday, July
18. Race: Honda Indy Toronto. Site: Streets of Toronto. Track: 1.721-mile, 11-
turn temporary street course. Start Time: 12:30 p.m. (et). Laps: 85. Miles:
146.285. 2009
Safarova, Dulgheru advance in Prague >>
Prague, Czech Republic (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Czech favorite Lucie
Safarova and No. 2 seed Alexandra Dulgheru were among Tuesday's first-round
winners at the $220,000 Prague Open tennis event.
Safarova handled Latvia's Anast
Jacksonville State renaming stadium >>
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jacksonville State University will rename
its football field Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium at its Sept. 11 home
opener against Chattanooga.
The university's Board of Trustees approved the name change f
(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.
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