08/27/2008 - Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Sakic has decided to play at least one more season and on Wednesday re-signed with the Colorado Avalanche.
Sakic had been deliberating about whether to return for a 20th NHL season. He has inked a one-year deal, financial terms of which weren't disclosed.
"Ultimately it came down to the fact that I still enjoy playing and competing," said Sakic in a release by the club. "I'm comfortable with my conditioning and my overall health. I'm ready for the start of camp and am looking forward to the upcoming season."
Sakic played in just 44 games last season because of groin problems and subsequent hernia surgery. He posted career lows with 13 goals and 40 points.
The 39-year-old native of British Columbia has spent his entire career with the Colorado franchise. He was selected with the 15th overall pick of the 1987 draft by the Quebec Nordiques and made his NHL debut in 1988.
The Nordiques moved to Denver for the start of the 1995-96 season and, as the Avalanche, the franchise won the first of its two Stanley Cup titles. The other came in the spring of 2001.
In 1,363 NHL regular-season games, Sakic has compiled 623 goals and 1,006 assists for 1,629 points. He ranks eighth all-time on the NHL list in points, 11th in assists and 14th in goals.
"Our entire organization is very excited to have Joe back for another season," said Avalanche general manager Francois Giguere. "As the only captain of the Avalanche, his record of achievement speaks for itself. Having him return is great for our franchise and community, but also for the game of hockey."
In 172 playoff games, Sakic has 84 goals and 104 assists for 188 points. He was the Conn Smythe winner as playoff MVP in 1996.
Sakic also won the Hart Trophy as regular season MVP in 2001, earned First- Team All-Star status three times and was selected to 11 NHL All-Star Games.
<< Around FCS: New Name, New Teams For Missouri Valley
Philadelphia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There is no truth to the rumor that the name
of the Gateway Conference was changed to protect the innocent.
Patty Viverito is still the commissioner of the newly named Missouri Valley
Football Conference, not
<< Jankovic, Kuznetsova, Dementieva reach third round in Flushing
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic,
former champion and last year's runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova, and Olympic
gold medalist Elena Dementieva were a trio of second-round winners Wednesday
at the U.S. O
<< Bucs trade DE Douglas to Ravens
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded defensive end
Marques Douglas to the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday in exchange for
undisclosed draft picks.
Tampa signed Douglas as a free agent on March 18.
A ni
<< Sharks sign D Vlasic to four-year extension
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks signed defenseman Marc-
Edouard Vlasic to a four-year contract extension, the team announced on
Wednesday. Per club policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Vlasic,
Dodgers recall DeWitt, designate Ozuna for assignment >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers recalled third
baseman Blake DeWitt from Triple-A Las Vegas Wednesday and designated
utilityman Pablo Ozuna for assignment.
DeWitt, an unlikely starter at the hot corne
Djokovic, Davydenko cruise in Big Apple >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Last year's runner-up Novak
Djokovic of Serbia and Russian star Nikolay Davydenko were easy first-round
winners Wednesday at the U.S. Open.
A third-seeded Djokovic won his seventh match in his last
Padres send Banks, Corey to minors >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres optioned pitcher
Josh Banks to Triple-A Portland and activated pitcher Bryan Corey from the 15-
day disabled list and sent him to Portland Wednesday.
Banks, 26, was 3-6 with a 4.
Cards purchase Phelps' contract, send Garcia down >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals purchased the
contract of first baseman Josh Phelps from Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday, and
optioned pitcher Jaime Garcia to Memphis.
Phelps, 30, has not made a major leag
The most popular sports to bet on are NFL and college football along with NBA and NCAA basketball. There are multiple betting opportunities within those sports, beginning with the basic wager on a game’s outcome (also called betting the side). College Football Point spreads are used in both football and basketball in an attempt to even the attractiveness of each team in a match-up. ( See our article detailing how and why point spreads are made)
But you could also simply bet on the money line, or straight-up winner of the game. Oddsmakers use the money line so that more money must be risked on the favorite or expected winner and less money on the underdog to balance the action on both sides. While money line gambling is an attractive option for football and basketball bettors who only care about picking a winner, it is the primary option for those bettors who enjoy wagering on MLB baseball and individual sports like boxing, tennis, golf and racing events such as NASCAR. ( More details on playing the Money Line)
Another bet across all major team sports including football, basketball, baseball, and hockey involves wagering on the amount of scoring in a game, called an Over/Under total. For example, the Over/Under total on Super Bowl XXXIX was 48, which means a bettor could wager whether there would be more or less than 48 points scored by both teams combined in the game.
The final score of Super Bowl XXXIX was 24-21; the scoring of both teams added up to 45, which means the game went Under . So Under bettors won, and Over bettors lost.
Sports gambling doesn’t end there. Betting sides and totals are the most common wagers available everywhere, but many sportsbooks also offer future bets on big upcoming events like who will win next year’s Super Bowl and what movie will win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
The main advantage of futures is that you can get appealing odds by betting far in advance. For example, with NFL futures you often can get much higher odds on a team by betting before the season even starts. A NFL future bet on a team to win the Super Bowl odds might be 20/1 in the preseason; but by midseason, their odds might decrease to 10/1 if they turn out to be legitimate championship contenders.
Involves one individual wager, whether it be on your team to cover the point spread, to win the game straight-up on the money line, or to go over/under the total.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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