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07/10/2010 - Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleo Lemon threw for 162 yards and ran for a touchdown as he helped lead the Toronto Argonauts to a thrilling 36-34 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Canad Inns Stadium.
Also putting together a strong effort for the Argos (1-1) as they snapped a nine-game slide, was running back Cory Boyd who carried the ball 19 times for 109 yards and a score.
Winnipeg (1-1) quarterback Buck Pierce converted 25-of-35 for 366 yards and three touchdowns, adding a hefty 103 yards and a score on seven rushing attempts as well. Terence Jeffers-Harris reeled in seven of those completions, leading to a game-high 152 yards and two TDs in the setback as well.
Toronto controlled the action in the first quarter, forcing a pair of turnovers by the Blue Bombers and keeping the hosts off the scoreboard while kicker Grant Shaw booted through a trio of field goals.
Shaw, who knocked through a 28-yard attempt in his first game in the league last week versus Calgary, made good on a 29-yard effort to start things off just over three minutes into the opening period. Shaw followed that with a lengthy 52-yard effort, with a 35-yard conversion shortly afterwards to provide the squad with a 9-0 advantage.
Early in the second frame the Argonauts found themselves buried deep in their own end following a 49-yard punt by Mike Renaud that was returned six yards to the eight-yard line by Chad Owens. Despite having to drive almost the length of the field, Toronto took care of business as it pushed the ball all 102 yards on 12 plays, eating up close to six and a half minutes of the clock as Boyd lunged into the end zone on a one-yard run at the 7:52 mark of the period.
Boyd, who made the score 16-0, rebounded from a weak start to the season last week when he ran the ball just eight times for a total of 32 yards.
A swing in momentum came on the ensuing Winnipeg possession when Pierce gave his team a jolt with a 20-yard scramble, followed by a 10-yard run by Fred Reid and a major facemask penalty that advanced the ball even deeper into Toronto territory.
Pierce then capped the five-play, 70-yard drive with a 21-yard scoring strike to Terrence Edwards, marking the receiver's third TD grab of the young season.
On their next possession, the home team again turned to Pierce to provide the spark, which he did with a 43-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 16-14. The scoring run was the longest of Pierce's career and helped him reach a career-best 93 yards on the ground in the first half alone.
Following a two-and-out by Toronto, Alexis Serna gave the Blue Bombers a 17-16 advantage when he converted a 26-yard field goal with six seconds remaining in the first half.
In the final moments of the half, Serna's kickoff was punted back into the end zone by Ejiro Kuale and, once Serna recovered the ball, the Argonauts were awarded a single after Winnipeg lost its challenge.
Toronto attempted to cool off the Blue Bombers as it took the second-half opening kick 62 yards on nine plays, with Lemon absorbing a hard shot by defensive back Brady Browne at the goal line to again put his team ahead at 24-17.
Serna then stepped up for the Blue Bombers and made good on a 43-yard field goal to make the score 24-20.
Lemon did not come out on the next possession for the Argonauts, as Dalton Bell instead made an appearance for the club. Bell, getting his first regular- season action in the CFL, completed one of his three pass attempts in the series for 28 yards before the ball was returned to Winnipeg.
With the ball back in the hands of the Blue Bombers, Pierce went to work as he ran out to his right and then threw a short pass over the middle to Jeffers- Harris who then shook off a tackler and raced 60 yards to the corner of the end zone, pushing Winnipeg back in front at 27-24.
Lemon did return to action later in the third quarter, but a quick pair of incomplete passes sent him right back to the sidelines and the ball back over to the hosts.
Serna aimed to provide the Bombers with a six-point edge early in the fourth quarter, but not only did he miss on his 45-yard field goal attempt, the ball was collected by Chad Owens who proceeded to race 117 yards untouched for the score to put Toronto back on top, 31-27.
"Today was a long day at the office," said Winnipeg defensive end Phillip Hunt who was on the field during the Owens run back. "We've got to put this game behind us and get ready for the next game."
Winnipeg head coach Paul LaPolice echoed the sentiment saying, "Momentum swung in their direction when we missed the 45-yarder. We can't do that and be able to beat teams in this league."
Buried deep in their own territory with less than five minutes remaining in regulation, the Blue Bombers opted to take a safety in the end zone rather than chance a punt, pushing the Toronto lead to 33-27 with 3:44 left in the period.
Toronto took advantage of a major penalty at the conclusion of the ensuing kickoff, putting the team in field goal range with the game hanging in the balance. After a couple of hard runs by Boyd moved the ball into the shadow of the goalpost the Argos had to settle for yet another field goal, pushing the lead to 36-27.
Refusing to go away quietly, Pierce again pushed the Blue Bombers 75 yards down the field, culminating with a 38-yard TD strike to Jeffers-Harris making the score 36-34 with Serna's converted PAT with 16 seconds remaining.
The teams lined up for an on-sides kick which was nearly claimed by Winnipeg, but after review the officials awarded the ball to the Argos who subsequently ran out the clock for their first victory since defeating Hamilton in double- overtime (25-22) back on September 11, 2009.
Game Notes
In the season-opening win over Hamilton, Pierce ran for 89 yards, the most for a Winnipeg quarterback since 1993...Winnipeg, which now owns a 48-47-2 advantage in the all-time series, entered the meeting having won two straight and four of the last five versus the Argos...Against the Stampeders in the season opener, Owens recorded a 90-yard punt return for a score...The missed field goal returned for a touchdown by Owens was the third of the season already, after the entire league recorded just two such plays all of 2009...Toronto finished the 2009 campaign with eight consecutive defeats and won just two games on the road all season, one of those coming against Winnipeg (19-5) in late July.
<< Braun delivers in extras to end Brewers skid
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Braun lined an opposite-field single
over Ryan Church's head in right field to score Rickie Weeks with the game-
winning run in the 10th inning, as the Brewers earned a 5-4 comeback win over
the Pir
<< Bosh arrives in Miami via sign-and-trade
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Bosh officially joined the Miami Heat
Friday night via sign-and-trade with the Toronto Raptors.
The Raptors acquired two first-round draft picks and a trade exception from
the Heat to facilitate th
<< Report: Knicks agree with PG Felton
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks have reportedly come to
terms on a multi-year contract with point guard Raymond Felton.
According to the New York Daily News, the three-year deal could be worth $25
million for the fiv
<< Stockton takes lead at Dakota Dunes
Saskatoon, SK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brady Stockton shot an eight-under 64 to take
the midway lead Friday at the Canadian Tour's Dakota Dunes Casino Open.
Stockton, a 30-year-old from Arizona, completed two rounds on the Dakota Dunes
course wit
Marlins edge Diamondbacks behind Nolasco, Uggla >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ricky Nolasco pitched seven strong innings to
win his fourth straight start, and Florida edged Arizona, 3-2, in the second
portion of a four-game series.
Nolasco (9-6) allowed six hits and two runs, w
Stewart's slam completes another winning rally for Rockies >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ian Stewart knocked in a career-high six runs
and his grand slam was the big blow in a five-run seventh inning as Colorado
rallied to down San Diego, 10-8, in the opener of a three-game set at Coors
Field.
Yanks don't get their ace, but still record seventh straight win >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Yankees failed to acquire Cliff Lee from
the Mariners on Friday, but New York still topped Seattle, 6-1, behind Phil
Hughes' seven effective innings on the mound.
The reigning World Series champions
Aybar's 10th-inning homer gets Halos past A's >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Erick Aybar's leadoff homer in the 10th proved
to be the difference, and the Angels defeated the A's, 6-5, despite
squandering three different leads in the opener of a three-game set.
Torii Hunter
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.
MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.
To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
March Madness odds and printable March Madness brackets
With the field of 64/65 set, MySportsbook.com has the Florida Gators as the 4-1 favorite to successfully defend their National Championship. Men’s Division-1 College Basketball has not seen a team repeat as National Champions since Duke won back to back championships in ’91 & ‘92. After losing three out of four late in the season, the Gators are full of momentum as they won their last four games by an average of 18 points. Not surprisingly, right behind the Gators are the other three top seeds: Kansas 5-1, UNC 6-1, and Ohio State 7-1. Many consider Kansas to be the hottest team in the country, having won 11 straight. With Kansas, it is hard to ignore all of the early exits from the “dance” in recent years. With an impressive ACC Tournament, UNC ensured themselves the other top seed. UNC has about as much talent as any other team in the tournament but with a team that’s best players are primarily freshman and sophomores, could youth be a concern. Behind freshman sensation, Greg Oden, OSU will look to do what their football team failed to do just a few months earlier. OSU seems to have peeked at the right time, as they currently have a 17 game winning streak. Since the tournament field was expanded in 1985, there has never been an instance where all four #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. It is obvious that each of the top seeds have the talent to make it through to Atlanta. But as everyone knows, when makes the NCAA Tournament so special are all of the spoilers and “Cinderella” stories that knock off the favorites on a daily basis.
Be sure to logon to MySportsbook.com to see check out all of the early lines and “March Madness” props. Also be sure to enter the “$10,000,000 Perfect Bracket Contest”. If someone has the skills to predict every winner, they will be set for life and walk away with $10,000,000. Even if no one can cash in on the Grand Prize, with a $35,000 guaranteed prize pool and a Mazda RX-8 to the first prize winner, Sportsbook.com’s bracket is a must for all “March Madness” fans.
MySportsbook.com’s odds to win the Championship and Regions:
| EAST | National Championship | Region |
| Arkansas | 300-1 | 50-1 |
| Belmont | 1000-1 | |
| Boston College | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Eastern KY | 1000-1 | |
| George Washington | 75-1 | |
| Georgetown | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| Marquette | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Michigan State | 100-1 | 25-1 |
| New Mexico St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| UNC | 6-1 | 6-5 |
| Oral Roberts | 500-1 | |
| Texas | 15-1 | 5-1 |
| Texas Tech | 200-1 | 5-1 |
| USC | 75-1 | 20-1 |
| Vanderbilt | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Washington State | 40-1 | 15-1 |
| WEST | ||
| Duke | 50-1 | 10-1 |
| Florida A&M | 1000-1 | |
| Gonzaga | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Holy Cross | 300-1 | |
| Illinois | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Indiana | 75-1 | 40-1 |
| Kansas | 5-1 | 13-10 |
| Kentucky | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Niagara | 1000-1 | |
| Pittsburgh | 40-1 | 8-1 |
| Southern Ill. | 50-1 | 12-1 |
| UCLA | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| VCU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Villanova | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| VA Tech | 50-1 | 15-1 |
| Weber St | 1000-1 | |
| Wright St | 1000-1 | 300-1 |
| MIDWEST | ||
| Arizona | 50-1 | 30-1 |
| Butler | 40-1 | 30-1 |
| Davidson | 300-1 | |
| Florida | 4-1 | 4-5 |
| Georgia Tech | 75-1 | 25-1 |
| Jackson State | 1000-1 | |
| Maryland | 30-1 | 6-1 |
| Miami-OH | 300-1 | |
| Notre Dame | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| ODU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Oregon | 40-1 | 6-1 |
| Purdue | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Texas A&M CC | 1000-1 | |
| UNLV | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Winthrop | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Wisconsin | 15-1 | 7-2 |
| SOUTH | ||
| Albany | 200-1 | |
| BYU | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Central CT St. | 1000-1 | |
| Creighton | 100-1 | 35-1 |
| Long Beach St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| Louisville | 40-1 | 10-1 |
| Memphis | 30-1 | 4-1 |
| Nevada | 75-1 | 35-1 |
| North Texas | 500-1 | |
| Ohio State | 7-1 | 6-5 |
| Penn | 500-1 | |
| Stanford | 200-1 | 50-1 |
| Tennessee | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| Texas A&M | 12-1 | 11-5 |
| Virginia | 75-1 | 18-1 |
| Xavier | 100-1 | 40-1 |
About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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