08/14/2008 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins broke ground on their new arena Thursday.
The new multi-purpose facility, which is located beside Mellon Arena, is slated to open in time for the 2010-11 season.
Among the dignitaries attending the event were Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell, Pittsburgh mayor Luke Ravenstahl, Allegheny County executive Dan Onorato and Penguins franchise icon/owner Mario Lemieux -- all of whom were instrumental in crafting the lease terms on the arena which allowed the Pittsburgh franchise to remain in the city.
"I am delighted to be part of this event," said Rendell. "Construction of this new multi-purpose arena will provide immediate economic stimulus by creating construction jobs, but more importantly, this arena will benefit residents for decades to come."
The Penguins have called Mellon, also dubbed "The Igloo", home since their 1967 inception, but without a newer facility, the club was in danger of relocating after the 2006-07 season. However, the lease agreement on the new facility ensures that the Pens remain in the Steel City for at least the next 25 years.
Seating capacity is expected to be 18,087 for hockey -- more than a thousand units over what currently exists at Mellon.
"This is an exciting day for the Penguins and our region, and we will be proud to be the anchor tenant of this new multi-purpose facility," said Lemieux. "We look forward to opening the NHL season here in October, 2010."
<< Glavine returns from DL in finale with Cubs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves are expected to have Tom Glavine back on
the mound tonight, when they close out a three-game series versus the Chicago
Cubs at Turner Field.
Glavine has been on the disabled list since June 11 with a sor
<< Phils, Myers close series at Chavez Ravine
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The last time Brett Myers took the hill he had a fantastic
outing spoiled by his behavior. Tonight, Myers will try to keep his cool and
put the Philadelphia Phillies back in the win column in the finale of a four-
game series
<< Mets wrap up series with Nationals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The race for National League East supremacy seems much like
a see-saw, with teams either sharing the lead or trading the top spot on
several occasions.
The New York Mets are back at the top of the heap tied with the Philad
<< Jackson makes Tribe debut versus O's
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Recently acquired southpaw Zach Jackson makes his first
appearance in an Indians uniform tonight when Cleveland closes out a four-game
series with the visiting Baltimore Orioles at Progressive Field.
Jackson began the se
Saints DT Thomas out two months >>
Metairie, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Hollis
Thomas suffered a right triceps injury in practice on Wednesday that will
sideline him about two months.
A starter for much of his two seasons with New Orlea
Roy has successful surgery >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy
underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on Thursday to repair a meniscus
tear in his left knee.
The All-Star from the University of Washington learned of th
Flyers extend head coach Stevens once more >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers reached an
agreement with head coach John Stevens on a two-year contract extension on
Thursday.
Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"I am very exc
Three share early lead in Sweden >>
Stockholm, Sweden (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nick Dougherty opened with a four-under-
par 66 Thursday to grab a share of the lead after the opening round of the SAS
Masters.
Dougherty was joined in the lead by Peter Hanson and Pedro Linhart.
Rob
Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year
Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.
Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.
With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.
Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.
Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.
Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to bet on the NBA. With the regular season about to hit the homestretch, it is important to point out that MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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 sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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