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08/22/2007 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics reinstated pitcher Esteban Loaiza from the 15-day disabled list Wednesday in time for his start against the Blue Jays.
This will be the first start of the season for Loaiza, who began the year on the DL with back spasms and was later transferred to the 60-day DL with a bulging disc in his neck and torn meniscus in his right knee. Surgery was eventually performed on his knee May 31.
In four rehab starts for Triple-A Sacramento, Loaiza went 2-0 with a 2.93 ERA. To make room for him on the 40-man roster, the A's transferred pitcher Rich Harden to the 60-day disabled list.
Despite Loaiza's return, the injury bug continued to hit Oakland. Also on Wednesday, the A's placed infielder Donnie Murphy on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right rib cage muscle.
Murphy was hitting .221 with four home runs and 14 RBI in 30 games this season. The A's tied an Oakland record by using the disabled list 22 times this season, equaling the mark set in 1992.
<< Nationals attempt to continue pleasant stay in Houston
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals will try to
stay on the winning track tonight, when they continue a four-game series
against the Houston Astros from Minute Maid Park.
The Nats ended a four-game losing str
<< Rangers, Orioles play doubleheader in Baltimore
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lefty Kason Gabbard makes his fifth start with the Texas
Rangers this afternoon, when they play a doubleheader against the Baltimore
Orioles at Camden Yards.
The three-game series was scheduled to begin Monday,
<< Red-hot Cards try to deal Marlins another loss
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The defending World Series champion
St. Louis Cardinals still have their eyes on the postseason despite being
three games off the National League Central lead. Tonight they will resume a
three-game home s
<< Guanghu out as China coach
Beijing, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zhu Guanghu was fired as head coach of
China's national team on Wednesday after a poor showing at the Asian Cup last
month.
Zhu's contract ran through last month's Asian Cup, but after the team fail
This Week in Auto Racing August 22 - August 26 >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR's traditional late summer Saturday
night shootout at the Bristol Motor Speedway highlights a busy week at the
race track.
NASCAR
Nextel Cup
Sharpie 500 - Bristol Motor Speedway - Bristol,
NCAA Football Preview - Fresno State Bulldogs >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
2006 SEASON IN REVIEW: Taking on anyone and everyone who would even dare put
them on their schedule, the Fresno State Bulldogs bit off more than they could
chew in 2006, ending up with a mere four wins and
Report: Peca, Blue Jackets agree on deal >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets have reportedly
agreed on a deal with free agent forward Michael Peca.
According to the Columbus Dispatch, Peca has agreed to the terms of a one-year
contract with the team belie
NCAA Football Preview - Hawaii Warriors >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
2006 SEASON IN REVIEW: Hawaii has been known as a passing team ever since head
coach June Jones took over the Warriors almost a decade ago, and yet there
were still more surprises in store for Jones
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(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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