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03/08/2010 - Hampton, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Prior to the start of the 2010 season, NASCAR essentially told Sprint Cup Series drivers, "Boys, have at it and have a good time." Perhaps NASCAR should redefine its new rules on allowing more on-track freedom for drivers, following Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski's frightful incident in the closing laps of Sunday's race at Atlanta.
Keselowski got his bell rung when Edwards intentionally bumped him from behind and sent his No.12 Penske Dodge flying upside down into the wall along the frontstretch at the fast 1.54-mile track.
Edwards was more than 150 laps behind at the time of the crash, due to a previous encounter with Keselowski earlier in the race. Keselowski clipped Edwards and shot him up to the track before he made contact with Joey Logano and then slammed into the wall.
Obviously, it was payback time for Edwards, after he spent most of the race in the garage for repairs on his Roush Fenway Racing Ford.
Keselowski was not injured during his spectacular crash, but appeared to be a bit dazed and confused when he exited his battered car under his own power.
"It's one thing to race somebody hard and to get into an accident," Keselowski said. "When you're going for position, it's another to intentionally wreck somebody doing 195 m.p.h. at a track like this."
NASCAR immediately took action when they parked Edwards for the remainder of the event and ordered him to the hauler for a not-so-pleasant discussion with race officials.
"I think we probably won't have as many run-ins now as we had in the past, and that's a good thing," Edwards said. "Both of us probably will be better off."
Right now, NASCAR faces a dilemma on how to handle the latest in the on-going feud between Edwards and Keselowski. The sanctioning body currently is reviewing the episode between the two drivers, and could hand down hefty penalties if warranted.
"I would say that there seems to be a history between the two drivers, and I'm not going any further on it right now," NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said after the race.
The feud between the two began last April when Keselowski hit Edwards from behind on the final lap at Talladega. While Keselowski drove on to his first Sprint Cup victory, Edwards' car spun and then sailed into the safety fence along the frontstretch. Eight race fans sustained minor injuries after being struck by debris from his car.
Later in the season, both drivers tangled in a Nationwide Series race at Memphis, with Keselowski turning Edwards around in the closing laps.
Keselowski has a reputation among fellow competitors as being an overly aggressive driver. Denny Hamlin certainly would agree with that assertion, after the two engaged in a heated rivalry during the final Nationwide races last season. Keselowski spun Hamlin at Phoenix, and Hamlin retaliated with a bump from behind the following week in the season-finale at Homestead.
While the Hamlin-Keselowski rivalry has simmered for the time being, the feud between Edwards and Keselowski has reached a boiling point. Edwards counter- attack at Atlanta could have produced devastating consequences.
So, should NASCAR suspend Edwards at least one race for his premeditated action against Keselowski? Probably so. Will they? Probably not. If Edwards is suspended, it would be a huge blow towards his chances of making the championship Chase in the fall.
Suspensions are not common in NASCAR's top circuit. Only two Cup drivers have been suspended for a race in the past decade. Kevin Harvick sat out the spring race at Martinsville one day after he was parked for rough driving in the truck race there. NASCAR grounded Robby Gordon for the August 2007 race at Pocono following his on-track altercation with Marcos Ambrose in the inaugural Nationwide event at Montreal.
Even though NASCAR adopted a more hands-off policy this year, Edwards crossed the line at Atlanta, and he should be punished.
It's time for NASCAR to take the appropriate action.
<< Wigan knocks off Liverpool
Wigan, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hugo Rodallega's 35th-minute goal allowed
Wigan to claim a surprising 1-0 win over Liverpool at the DW Stadium on
Monday, putting a dent in the Champions League hopes of the Reds.
Rodallega scored
<< Hawaii fires men's basketball coach Nash
Honolulu, HI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Hawaii announced Monday it
has fired head men's basketball coach Bob Nash.
Hawaii went 10-20 and did not qualify for the Western Athletic Conference
Tournament this season, Nash's thi
<< Roethlisberger investigation continues
Milledgeville, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Milledgeville police chief Woodrow Blue
said Monday at a brief press conference that arrangements are being made to
interview Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who was recently accused
of sex
<< Texans retain WR Walter, P Turk
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Texans made it official on Monday
by re-signing wide receiver Kevin Walter and punter Matt Turk after both
become unrestricted free agents on Friday.
Terms of the contracts were not disclos
Chiefs bring back WR Chambers >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Chiefs re-signed wide
receiver Chris Chambers on Monday. Details of the contract were not
announced.
The 11-year veteran started the last nine games in 2009 and had 36 catch
Bills sign OL Green >>
Orchard Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Bills have signed offensive
lineman Cornell Green to a multi-year contract.
Green, who will turn 34 years old this August, spent the last three seasons
with the Oakland Raiders and made 3
Panthers release FB Hoover >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Panthers have released veteran
fullback Brad Hoover, the team announced Monday.
Hoover has spent all 10 of his NFL seasons with the Panthers, and last season
played in 11 games, serving as
Redskins bring back Rabach >>
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Redskins have re-signed center
Casey Rabach, the team announced Monday.
Rabach has spent the last five seasons with the Redskins and has been
extremely durable, making 79 starts in tha
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.
After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.
Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.
Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.
So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.
In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.
For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.
The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.
The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.
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