Lightning sign blueliner Jones

Hockey Betting Lines

08/25/2010 - Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed veteran defenseman Randy Jones to a one-year contract.

Jones tallied five goals and 16 assists in 48 games for Los Angeles last season, his first and only with the club.

He was originally signed as a free agent by Philadelphia in 2003 after his collegiate career at Clarkson University.

The 29-year-old broke into the NHL with the Flyers during the 2003-04 campaign and spent the first five seasons of his career with them.

Jones has compiled 18 goals and 72 assists in 265 regular season games and added three helpers in 26 postseason games.

"Randy is a skilled defenseman, capable of playing in all situations on both the right and left side," said general manager Steve Yzerman. "His addition gives us some needed depth on the blue line."

Onlinesportsbookgambling Hockey Betting News

<< Average value for NFL teams falls in tough economy
NEW YORK (AP) - The average value for NFL teams has fallen for the first time since Forbes began keeping track in 1998.The magazine released its annual rankings Wednesday, which show the average decreased 2 percent from last year to $1.022 billion.

<< Jordan La Secla named QB for San Jose State
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -Senior Jordan La Secla will open the season as the starting quarterback for San Jose State.Coach Mike MacIntyre announced Wednesday that La Secla will start the season opener at No. 1 Alabama on Sept. 4. La Secla started eight

<< Royals down Tigers in 12th to avoid sweep
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Willie Bloomquist hit a solo homer off Alfredo Figaro in the top of the 12th inning, as the Kansas City Royals rallied past the Detroit Tigers, 4-3, to avoid a three-game sweep at Comerica Park. Kila Ka'aih

<< Dodgers place Manny Ramirez on waivers
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers have placed outfielder Manny Ramirez on waivers, according to the Los Angeles Times, which cited a baseball source. Should a team claim Ramirez, the Dodgers can arrange

<< Dementieva lands in New Haven quarters
New Haven, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former U.S. Open runner-up Elena Dementieva was a hard-fought second-round winner Wednesday at the $600,000 Pilot Pen Tennis event, a final hardcourt U.S. Open tune-up. The fourth-seeded 2008 Olympic

Goodell: "Overwhelming support" for 18-game season >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An 18-game NFL regular season appears imminent following Wednesday's special league meeting, according to league commissioner Roger Goodell. Goodell indicated that owners have not voted on the "enhanced se

Red Sox shuffle rotation after scratching Matsuzaka >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Wakefield will start the second game of Wednesday's day-night doubleheader against Seattle as the result of the Red Sox shuffling their rotation. Boston scratched Daisuke Matsuzaka from his schedule

Dibble takes time off, had criticized Strasburg >>
WASHINGTON (AP) -Washington Nationals announcer Rob Dibble will take some time off two days after making comments critical of rookie pitcher Stephen Strasburg.MASN spokesman Todd Webster said Dibble would not work Wednesday night's game against the

Marlins SS Ramirez dyes hair, drops to No. 3 spot >>
NEW YORK (AP) -Hanley Ramirez has a new hairstyle - and a familiar spot in the batting order.Florida's star shortstop tried to dye his dark hair blonde before Wednesday night's game against the New York Mets, but it didn't quite turn out that way. R

Bulls to honor Pippen with statue >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seven-time All-Star, six-time World Champion and 2010 NBA Hall of Fame inductee Scottie Pippen will be honored by the Chicago Bulls with a statue outside the United Center next season, the team announc

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.

Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com

For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.