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09/07/2010 -
MIAMI (AP) - Miami is the home of the Dolphin Expressway, the Dolphin Mall, the Dolphin Bar & Lounge, Dolphin Termite Services, Dolphin Used Auto Parts and Dolphin Bail Bonds.
That's the way it has been in Miami for decades: Dolphins, Dolphins, Dolphins.
No more. Now it's LeBron, LeBron, LeBron.
Turns out a 6-foot-8 NBA superstar can cast a pretty long shadow.
With the Miami Heat's signing of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the NFL team that has long dominated the affection of South Florida sports fans suddenly finds itself fighting for attention.
The Dolphins' opener looms Sunday at Buffalo, and they'll dominate local sports news in September while the Heat enjoy their last few weeks of the offseason.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< McNabb: Ankle not 100 percent, will start Sunday
WASHINGTON (AP) - Donovan McNabb says his sprained ankle won't keep him from starting for the Washington Redskins on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.McNabb told ESPN980 that his left ankle still isn't 100 percent after hurting it 2 1/2 weeks ago i
<< Boise State gains ground in AP Top 25
Boise State has gained seven first-place votes to close in on No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Ohio State as the top three in the first regular season Associated Press football poll.The Broncos remained third after a thrilling 33-30 victory against Virginia
<< White undergoes surgery on torn right Achilles
DENVER (AP) - Broncos tailback LenDale White has undergone surgery to repair a ruptured right Achilles' tendon that will sideline him for the season.His uncle, Herman White, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the operation ``went as expected'
<< Toronto FC postseason hopes rest with defense
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's a story that Toronto FC fans have grown
accustomed to. A strong start to the season that looks to be leading to the
eventual reward of making the MLS playoffs for the first time, only for the
team to have
Veteran Vikings defense ready for Saints offense >>
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) - Even with only three healthy cornerbacks to throw at the Saints' wide-open, pass-first offense, the Minnesota Vikings defense says it's more than ready for the highly anticipated rematch Thursday night.Perhaps the proud ve
Bonus program announced for Black-Eyed Susan Stakes >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Following on the heels of the establishment
of 'Preakness 5.5', MI Developments (MID) announced Tuesday the creation of a
similar program for the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. The 1
1/8 mi
Jays still have a lot to play for >>
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pride, spoiler status, and individual
accolades. That's about all the Toronto Blue Jays have left to play for in the
2010 season. With the Jays now equipped with a 40-man roster at their disposal,
youngsters c
Roughriders trade OL Bates to Edmonton >>
Regina, SK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Saskatchewan Roughriders on Tuesday sent
offensive lineman Kelly Bates to the Edmonton Eskimos for an undisclosed 2014
draft pick.
Bates came to the Roughriders as a free agent in February, but was pl
In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.
Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).
If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).
Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.
New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)
In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:
There was also the possibility that the final score could land exactly on the spread number (for example, the Pats winning 28-21 when -7), which is called a “push” or “no action” and a refund is then issued to bettors of both teams.
The same game with the same point spread can be considered from the weaker team’s perspective: The Underdog (Philly in the case of our example) is not expected to win the game and online football betting thus receives or “gets” points given by the stronger team. When a game is stated from the underdog’s perspective the team is listed with a plus sign and the number of points they are underdogs by:
Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs. New England Patriots
Keep in mind that Philadelphia +7 and New England -7 is the same point spread on the same game, simply stated differently. The first is from the underdog’s perspective; the later is from the favorite’s.
Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:
Let’s look at the actual result of Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24 Philadelphia 21
The favorite, New England, won the game but not by more than the point spread they were favored by (7), so the ATS result was a LOSS for Pats bettors.
Looking at it from the underdog’s perspective, Philly did not win the game, but they lost by less than the point spread (7), so the ATS result was a WIN for Eagle bettors.
Mathematically considered, 24 for the favorite Pats minus 7 equals 17, which is less than the 20 the Eagles scored, so the underdog Eagles win the ATS result (or you could figure 20 plus 7 equals 27 for the Eagles, which is more than 24 for the Pats).
Emily’s boyfriend understood the point spread and wagered $100 on the Eagles at +7. The Eagles may not have gotten a Super Bowl ring, but since they won the ATS result Emily’s boyfriend cashed his bet – giving him money to take her out to a nice dinner.
And now hopefully you understand how to read point spreads, putting you one step closer to joining the fun of sports betting.
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting and World Series odds.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting