Downie suspended 20 games for striking official

Hockey Betting Lines

03/05/2009 - Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The American Hockey League has suspended Norfolk Admirals forward Steve Downie 20 games for deliberately striking an official with his stick.

Late in the third period of the Admirals' game against the Hershey Bears on February 28, Downie whacked linesman Mike Hamilton before a face-off. Downie was given a game misconduct at the time, then suspended indefinitely for the infraction, and the AHL announced Thursday he was being suspended for 20 games.

He has already served three games of the current suspension, and should be eligible to return on April 11.

In 29 NHL games with the Flyers and the Lightning this season, Downie has three goals and three assists.

Onlinesportsbookgambling Hockey Betting News

<< SEC extends Slive's contract through 2012
Birmingham, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Southeastern Conference extended commissioner Mike Slive's contract through July 31, 2012 during a Thursday announcement. "Commissioner Slive has been an absolutely great addition to our con

<< Spurs sign G/F Gooden
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs on Thursday signed swingman Drew Gooden for the remainder of the season. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. Gooden had been waived by Sacramento on Sunday,

<< Torn hip labrum, but no surgery for A-Rod
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has a torn hip labrum and a cyst, but the team is opting against surgery for the moment. The course of action is going to be rest and rehab and the hope is that

<< Ovechkin out of lineup for Washington
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Capitals star and the NHL's leading goal scorer Alexander Ovechkin sat out the Capitals game against the Toronto Maple Leafs Thursday with a heel injury. Ovechkin left the team's practice on Wednesday

<< Patriots retain trio of players
Foxboro, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Patriots re-signed three players on Thursday: linebacker Eric Alexander, punter Chris Hanson and safety James Sanders. Additionally, the club released linebacker Darrell Robertson.

Bills RB Lynch enters guilty plea, gets three years probation >>
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of carrying a gun in his vehicle and was sentenced to three years probation. The charges were in connection to a Februar

Saints sign Evans; will release Karney >>
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Saints announced Thursday that they have agreed to terms on a two-year contract with fullback Heath Evans. The club will also reportedly release fullback Mike Karney, a move that won

Richmond extends contracts of Mooney, Shafer >>
Richmond, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Richmond reached contract extensions with head men's basketball coach Chris Mooney and women's basketball Michael Shafer on Thursday. "Today we are announcing contract extensio

Pats bring in Springs >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Patriots appeared to have won the services of free agent cornerback Shawn Springs. NFL.com reports that the Patriots reached an agreement with the veteran defender on Thursday. S

Gerber returns, helps Leafs clip Caps >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin Gerber made 37 saves in his Maple Leafs debut as Toronto defeated the Alexander Ovechkin-less Washington Capitals, 2-1, at the Verizon Center. Lee Stempniak and Pavel Kubina each scored fo

Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard

Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.