Maple Leafs' stock slowly rising
Hockey Betting Lines
09/03/2010 -
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There is guarded optimism surrounding the
Toronto Maple Leafs heading into the 2010-11 NHL season, much of that due to
the astute moves made this offseason by general manager Brian Burke.
Through trades and free agency, Burke has assembled an interesting mix of
forwards that should compete at a higher level than last season, one that saw
the Leafs finish 25th in goals scored per game with only 2.56.
One of the more celebrated moves was the acquisition of hard-nosed forward
Kris Versteeg. The 24-year-old, who was acquired via trade from the Stanley
Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks, brings an impressive resume that includes 42
goals and 97 points spread out over the past two seasons in Chicago. He will
get every opportunity to build on those solid numbers with the Leafs, as the
organization has him penciled in among the top six forwards heading into
training camp.
Where Versteeg will help light the lamp, fellow newcomer Colby Armstrong will
be asked to bring a physical brand of hockey that has been lacking in Toronto.
The gritty 27-year-old forward signed a three-year, $3 million contract with
the Leafs after putting up decent numbers last year with the Atlanta Thrashers, scoring 15 goals and 29 points in 79 games.
His toughness will most likely be utilized on the third line, but through the
course of a season his versatility could make him serviceable as a second line
winger. Think of Armstrong as this team's version of Darcy Tucker. Burke also
signed free agent forward Clarke MacArthur to a one-year, $1.1 million deal to
help solidify the top two lines, a relative bargain if he can produce to the
level Burke thinks he's capable of.
MacArthur had a career-high 35 points, including 16 goals, last season in
splitting time between Buffalo and Atlanta, and sees himself as a premier
scorer that hasn't been given the chance to succeed. On the Leafs however, he
will be given every chance in the world to prove his worth. Other than these
additions, the team will be similar to last year's squad, while young pivots
like Tyler Bozak and Nazim Kadri have hopefully matured enough to assume
larger roles with the club. Serious questions remain as to whether these young
guns have progressed enough to center a group of solid wingers, but only time
will tell.
At this point, the closest thing the Leafs have to a proven center is Mikhail
Grabovski, who is coming of a disastrous 2009-10 season in which he scored
only 10 goals. With a contract posing an annual cap hit of $2.9 million,
"Grabo" will need to be much better. Where this Leafs team really has a chance
to shine is on the defensive end.
Although the Leafs defense didn't show it last year, on paper they have one of
the stronger back ends in the league. With prized acquisition Dion Phaneuf
leading a group of proven defenders and Tomas Kaberle back with the club,
moving the puck with ease while playing a bruising physical style will define
this years' defense corps.
Mike Komisarek, who played only 34 games last year before undergoing season
ending shoulder surgery, is healthy and should come closer to resembling the
type of player his $4.5 million annual salary suggests.
With no sure bets on the offensive end, the defense will be leaned upon
heavily to protect the goaltenders this season.
The improved tandem of J.S. Giguere and Jonas Gustavsson gives the Leafs a
solid pair of netminders, something they haven't been able to claim much of
the last three campaigns. Giguere, 33, joined the Leafs near the end of last
season via trade from the Anaheim Ducks and the former Conn Smythe Trophy
winner and Stanley Cup champion was stellar in his 15 starts. In those games,
he posted a 2.49 goals-against average with a .916 save percentage to go along
with two shutouts, reclaiming some of the form that he showed during his years
with the Ducks.
The Leafs are hoping the 6-foot-1, 202-pound Giguere can find that form again,
something that would only add to the confidence of this relatively young squad
as the season progresses. Giguere will also be expected to mentor the
franchise's potential goaltender of the future in Jonas Gustavsson. The 25-
year old Swede, who rose to prominence by backstopping his former team
Farjestad to a Swedish Elite League title in 2009, had an effective rookie
campaign last year with the Leafs. The one they call "The Monster" showed
great fortitude during his first NHL season battling a heart condition and two
minor heat procedures, while still managing to start 39 games and earn 16
wins.
Gustavsson, who plays a similar style to Giguere's, should progress even
further under the tutelage of his older and wiser goaltending partner and
renowned goaltending coach Francois Allaire. Even with optimism abound heading
into the fall, Leafs fans should still approach this season with tempered
expectations.
Improving upon their 30-38-14 record is likely, while challenging for a spot
in the postseason may not be. The Eastern Conference is full of offensively
superior teams that will have to be leapfrogged in order to gain a chance to
compete for the Cup. With that being said, if some of the youngsters up front
can break out while helping the team find an offensive groove, the Leafs have
the defense and goaltending to take them to the next level.
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The fifth-seeded Stosur thumped Italy's Sara Errani, 6-2, 6-3, while the 12th-
seeded Dement
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2-0 win at the Los Angeles Galaxy was "probably our best 90-minute performance
of the whole season," but the surging Wizards still have work to do to qualify
for the
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Foxborough, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Sounders FC travel to New England to
take on the Revolution, hoping to extend their current unbeaten run in Major
League Soccer play to nine games.
Seattle (9-8-5) have rebounded nicely from an
<< Nationwide to end tour sponsorship in 2012
Dublin, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nationwide Insurance has closed one door and
opened another.
The company said Friday it will no longer sponsor the PGA Tour's developmental
circuit when its contract runs out after the 2012 season. B
<< Penguins sign Mike Comrie
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward
Mike Comrie to a one-year contract worth $500,000.
Comrie spent last season with Edmonton and registered 13 goals with eight
assists for 21 points in 43
Morgan gets eight games, Volstad six after Nats/Marlins brawl >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Nationals outfielder Nyjer Morgan
was suspended for eight games and Florida Marlins pitcher Chris Volstad was
given a six-game penalty for their roles in Wednesday's benches-clearing
inciden
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Crans Montana, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Five days after locking down his
Ryder Cup spot, Miguel Angel Jimenez came close to locking down a piece of
golf history.
Jimenez flirted with a 59 Friday during the second round of the European
Report: Broncos' LenDale White out for season >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denver Broncos running back LenDale White is
reportedly out for the season with a torn Achilles tendon.
The Denver Post cited an NFL source in its report on Friday.
White was hurt during the second quarter
Fire forward McBride to retire after season >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Fire forward Brian McBride will retire
at the end of the 2010 season, the Major League Soccer team announced on
Friday.
"Brian's retirement is a bittersweet moment for the Fire, Major League Soc
Clijsters rolls into U.S. Open fourth round >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending champion Kim Clijsters was a
third-round winner Friday at the U.S. Open.
The second-seeded Belgian dropped the first three games of her match against
27th-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova, but
Barry Bonds Watch: Giants Slugger Says He'll Be Back
With only 21 home runs standing between him and Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds is indeed planning on coming back for more in 2007. At least, that's what his agent told the Los Angeles Times.
"Barry's going to play in 2007," Jeff Borris of Beverly Hills Sports Council told the Times on Tuesday. "I've had many discussions with Barry and he's going to play. My intentions are to see to it he's in a big-league uniform next season. Those are my marching orders."
Contract negotiations could get started as early as next week. Let's see which team has the deeper pockets. Will MLB baseball betting lines despite allegations of steroid use? Bet On It at www.MySportsbook.com .
Get all your baseball betting lines, MLB lines and MLB team props at the My Sportbook.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your baseball sportsbook needs.
(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.
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Bonds nearly hits HR 751, SF wins
4 and drove in
a pair of runs, and Barry Bonds nearly hit homer No. 751 as San Francisco beat
1, in the middle contest of three at AT&T Park.
6) allowed five hits and one run over 6 2/3 innings, fanning
eight and walking three.
game slide.
Bonds, who came within five homers of Hank Aaron's record on Friday, went
1 with three walks, an RBI double and scored twice. The double ...
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