Pats sign rookie LB Spikes

Football Betting Lines

07/27/2010 - Foxboro, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Patriots agreed to terms with rookie linebacker Brandon Spikes on a contract on Tuesday.

Details were not disclosed, but the Boston Herald is reporting that the deal is for four years and worth $3.215 million.

Spikes was selected in the second round -- 62nd overall -- by New England in the 2010 draft out of Florida.

The 6-foot-2, 250-pounder was a stalwart over his career with the Gators, starting 39 of 47 games and setting a UF record with four interceptions returned for touchdowns over his stay.

Spikes ended his Gators career with 6 1/2 sacks, six interceptions, 307 tackles and 14 passes defensed.

Pokerfanatik Football Betting News

<< Heat bring back Shavlik Randolph
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat have re-signed free agent forward Shavlik Randolph to an undisclosed contract. Randolph had two separate stints with the Heat last season. He appeared in two games after being signed as a free a

<< Hannover names U.S. defender Cherundolo captain
Hannover, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - United States defender Steve Cherundolo was named captain of German Bundesliga club Hannover on Tuesday. Cherundolo, 31, has been with Hannover for more than a decade. He joined the club in 1999 and h

<< Jays face a major decision on Bautista
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's safe to say Toronto Blue Jays General Manager Alex Anthopoulos had no idea heading into this year that he would have to make an important mid-season decision involving Jose Bautista. With the July 31st n

<< Celtic signs striker Hooper
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Celtic made its sixth signing of the offseason Tuesday, adding 22-year-old striker Gary Hooper on a four-year deal from Scunthorpe United. Hooper had 43 goals in 80 matches for Scunthorpe United, a

<< CFL West: Burris powers through errors in win over Riders
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While a home win by the Calgary Stampeders against the Saskatchewan Roughriders isn't completely surprising, that the win came by 20 points is not something many would have expected. Calgary put on a great sec

Youzhny, Almagro win openers in Gstaad >>
Gstaad, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top seeds Mikhail Youzhny of Russia and Nicolas Almagro of Spain were a pair of first-round winners Tuesday at the Swiss Open. Youzhny rolled past French lucky-loser Marc Gicquel 6-2, 6-2 in 72 m

Ortiz, Greisen and Moye-Moore earn weekly AFL honors >>
Tulsa, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay linebacker ERIC ORTIZ, Milwaukee quarterback CHRIS GREISEN and Orlando linebacker MARLON MOYE-MOORE have been named the JLS Ironman, Russell Athletic Offensive Players and Riddell Defensive Player of the

Schiavone wins Istanbul opener >>
Istanbul, Turkey (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It took two days, but French Open champion Francesca Schiavone finally posted a first-round victory at the $220,000 Istanbul Cup hardcourt tennis event. The top-seeded Schiavone was leadin

Former Dolphin Galbreath dead at 45 >>
Davie, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Harry Galbreath died Tuesday of an apparent heart ailment. He was just 45 years old. The Dolphins organization issued a release Tuesday saying Galbreath had been work

Kings bring in LW Ponikarovsky >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Kings have agreed to terms with left wing Alexei Ponikarovsky on a contract for the next season. Ponikarovsky had spent his entire NHL career with the Maple Leafs before being dealt to Pit

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.