Canada loses to France at Worlds

Basketball Betting Lines

08/31/2010 - Izmir, Turkey (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nicolas Batum scored 24 points to power France to a 68-63 win over Canada at the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

Batum, who plays for the Portland Trail Blazers, made 8-of-14 shots and grabbed seven rebounds. He was the only French player to reach double figures, helping his team improve to 3-0 in Group D.

Canada fell to 0-3 in preliminary play. Levon Kendall scored 15 points for the Canadians, while Kelly Olynyk added 13.

The game was tied at 28 at halftime and Canada opened a slim 48-46 edge after three periods. The Canadians led by as many as six early in the fourth, but France quickly tied it at 52-52 on a Batum bucket with just over seven minutes remaining.

It remained close from there and two free throws from Jermaine Anderson pulled Canada within 64-63 with 19 seconds left. Mickael Gelabale followed with a pair from the stripe at the other end and Canada's Denham Brown had a shot blocked before Batum secured the rebound and drilled two from the line in the closing seconds for the final margin.

Earlier on Wednesday, Russia beat the Ivory Coast, 72-66, and Puerto Rico topped China, 84-76, in Group C. The earlier Group D game saw New Zealand rout Lebanon, 108-76.

Wiwin Basketball Betting News

<< Stoke re-signs Diao to two-year deal
Stoke-on-Trent, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stoke City re-signed midfielder Salif Diao on Tuesday, two months after the Senegal international's previous contract expired. Diao, 33, rejected Stoke's initial offer earlier this summer, bu

<< PGA Tour suspends rule that led to Furyk DQ
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The PGA Tour has suspended the rule that led to Jim Furyk's disqualification from The Barclays last week. Furyk was kept from the first playoffs event in New Jersey because he overslept Wed

<< Bent joins Wolverhampton on loan
Wolverhampton, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wolverhampton signed striker Marcus Bent from Birmingham on Tuesday on a four-month loan deal. Bent, 32, spent parts of last season on loan at Middlesbrough and Queens Park Rangers. Wolverhampton a

<< What's eating the slumping Cardinals?
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tony La Russa hasn't managed many poor teams during his tenure with the St. Louis Cardinals. In fact, the Cardinals have missed the playoffs only six times since La Russa took over the ballclub back in 1996, a pretty solid

<< Birmingham signs Beausejour, Hleb, Jiranek
Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Birmingham signed three players on the final day of the transfer window on Tuesday, adding Jean Beausejour, Alexander Hleb and Martin Jiranek. Chile international Beausejour was acquired from Club Amer

Bucs part ways with Derrick Ward >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have released running back Derrick Ward, who spent just one unsuccessful season with the club after signing as a free agent in the spring of 2009. Ward had a breakout 2008 campaign w

Sunderland shells out record fee for Gyan >>
Sunderland, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunderland signed Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan for a club-record transfer fee of nearly $20 million on Tuesday and gave him a four-year contract. Sunderland acquired the 24-year-old Gyan from French clu

Jankovic advances in New York >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic was among Tuesday's opening-round winners at the 2010 U.S. Open. The fourth-seeded Jankovic went the distance to sneak past Romanian Simona Halep 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 at

Calgary's Rambo highlights CFL weekly awards >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Calgary Stampeders wide receiver Ken-Yon Rambo, Saskatchewan Roughriders safety James Patrick, Edmonton Eskimos kicker Noel Prefontaine and Calgary running back Jon Cornish were selected as the CFL's top per

AC Milan acquires Robinho from City >>
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan acquired Brazilian striker Robinho on Tuesday from Manchester City for an undisclosed fee, just two years after City signed him for a British record transfer fee of $50 million from Real Madrid. Robin

Horse Betting

(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.

El Duque expected to throw Tuesday

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.

Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.

El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.

MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds. 

Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.

New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.

Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''

Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.