Drnverbroncos Baseball Betting News

<< A-Rod in Yankees' lineup
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is in Sunday's lineup, batting fourth against the Toronto Blue Jays. Rodriguez, who last played on August 20 against Seattle, suffered a strained left calf that for

<< In the FCS Huddle: Major upsets don't make the other games minor
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There are no ifs, ands or buts about it, when a Football Championship Subdivision team upsets a major-conference team, it deserves to be in the spotlight as much as any other team across the nation. Think

<< Wattel becomes second amateur winner in 2010 on Challenge Tour
La Wantzenau, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Amateur Romain Wattel closed with a five-under 67 Sunday to collect a three-stroke win at the Allianz Europen Strasbourg-Golf de la Wantzenau. Wattel finished the event at 17-under-par 271.

<< Davies wins for third time in Austria
Wiener Neustadt, Austria (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Laura Davies carded a two-under 70 Sunday to earn a one-stroke win at the Uniqa Ladies Golf Open. Davies, who won this title for the third time, finished at 11-under-par 205. The victory was Davi

Slovenia routs Australia to reach quarterfinals >>
Istanbul, Turkey (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jaka Lakovic scored 19 points in Slovenia's 87-58 rout of Australia to reach the quarterfinals of the 2010 FIBA World Championships. Primoz Brezec added 12 points for Slovenia, which will play

TV ratings for Notre Dame opener up 77 percent >>
NEW YORK (AP) -The start of the Brian Kelly era attracted a large television audience for Notre Dame.Saturday's preliminary rating was up 77 percent from last year's opener. NBC said Sunday that the Fighting Irish's 23-12 win over Purdue drew a 2.3

Smyth wins Senior Masters by three >>
Woburn, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ireland's Des Smyth posted a three-under 69 Sunday to win the Travis Perkins Senior Masters by three strokes. Smyth finished the event at 10-under-par 206. The victory was Smyth's third on the European Seni

Bomar, Pascoe among 7 on Giants practice squad >>
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - Quarterback Rhett Bomar is back with the New York Giants.Bomar, who threw more passes than any other Giant this preseason, was among seven players signed to the team's practice squad on Sunday.The Giants say they also si

Betting Football

Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.