08/25/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards sparked NASCAR's next great rivalry Saturday night at the Bristol Motor Speedway, and while the two are currently first and second in the Sprint Cup Series point standings, the feud could escalate heading into the championship "Chase."
After leading 415 laps, Busch appeared to be on the way to his ninth Sprint Cup victory of the year, but Edwards nudged him aside with 31 laps to go as he won the Sharpie 500 at Bristol for the second year in a row.
A frustrated Busch retaliated at the conclusion of the race by intentionally bumping Edwards. But Edwards responded by driving into the right side of Busch's car, spinning him around. While Edwards celebrated his sixth Cup win of the season, Busch was summoned to the NASCAR hauler for a discussion with officials.
A feud between Busch and Edwards has been developing throughout the season and apparently reached its boiling point at Bristol. And this tug of war could continue on.
"We'll race him that way in the Chase if that's the way he wants to race," Busch said.
But Edwards wasn't apologetic for what he did at Bristol.
"I feel like I was extremely justified to do what I did," Edwards said. "I needed to do it, and that's the way it went. Let's make it real clear. I'm not apologizing for it, and that's it. The score's even, and it just cost him more than it cost me at the time, and that's the way it is."
Edwards recalled an incident he had with Busch in May at Richmond.
"Earlier in the year we had a Nationwide race and Kyle was a lot faster than me and he went ahead," Edwards said. "He got to my back bumper and just smoked the back bumper of my car and sent me up the racetrack, and after that said, 'Sorry, man, my car was just faster.'"
Busch, in his first year driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, is enjoying his best season. However, it's not without his own share of controversy, particularly in the Cup race at Richmond where he spun out fan favorite Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in final stages of the event.
NASCAR has seen its great share of feuds in its 60-year history, particularly Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison in the 1979 Daytona 500, Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt in 1986 at Richmond and Greg Biffle and Kevin Harvick in the 2002 Nationwide race at Bristol.
But Busch vs. Edwards comes with just two races to go before the "Chase for the Sprint Cup" championship begins September 14th at New Hampshire. Busch has secured the top seed in the "Chase" by virtue of his eight victories. Edwards, who has won three of the last four races, clinched the second seed.
With the two-mile Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA the next stop on the schedule later this week, how long this feud remains is yet to be determined, but one thing is for sure, it will create a lot of hype for the upcoming "Chase."
<< Dallas Cowboys 2008 Season Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Cowboys enter the 2008 season hoping that their
expected rise back to the top of the National Football Conference heap was
only one year too late.
Dallas appeared primed to seize its first NFC crown since 1995 a
<< Broncos release WR Parker
Englewood, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos released wide receiver
Samie Parker on Monday.
Parker joined the club as an unrestricted free agent on April 15 after spending
the first four seasons of his career playing for division
<< Giants place Umenyiora on IR
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Giants defensive end Osi was
placed on injured reserve Monday and will miss the entire 2008 season after
injuring his left knee in Saturday's 10-7 preseason loss to the New York
Jets.
<< Fletcher leads United to win over Portsmouth
Portsmouth, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Darren Fletcher's 32nd-minute goal was
enough to give Manchester United its first win of the season as the Red Devils
downed Portsmouth 1-0 at Fratton Park on Monday.
Fletcher scored his second goal
New York Giants 2008 Season Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 2007 New York Giants relished the opportunity to prove
doubters wrong.
Told prior to the season there would be little chance the team would be able
to match the prolific production of retired running back Tiki Barber,
Mets place P Maine on DL, activate 2B Castillo >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Mets placed pitcher John
Maine on the 15-day disabled list with a bone spur in his right shoulder.
Maine hopes rest will lessen the pain. The right-hander will refrain from
exercisin
Philadelphia Eagles 2008 Season Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After coming painfully close to earning a return trip to
the playoffs in 2007, the Philadelphia Eagles wasted no time in attempting to
close the gap between themselves and the NFC's elite once the 2008 season
officially opene
Chargers sign Tucker and Gregory to extensions >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Chargers have signed linebacker
Jyles Tucker and safety Keith Gregory to contract extensions.
Tucker inked a five-year deal that will take him through the 2012 season,
while Gregory's four-
NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.
No. 1 always seems to fit USC.
Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.
Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.
Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.
"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."
Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.
"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."
The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.
"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."
Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.
"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"
USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.
"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."
While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.
As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.
But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.
Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.
The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.
The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.
The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.
No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.
Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.
Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.
Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.
The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.
South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.
The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.
Get free Sports Betting lines RSS feeds from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value
If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture. Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).
For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot. The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.
TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.
"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,' it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."
"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.
Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash. Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting