Marlins' Olsen arrested

Baseball Betting Lines

07/21/2007 - Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Florida Marlins pitcher Scott Olsen was reportedly arrested Saturday morning after he did not pull over his car during a traffic stop.

According to the Miami Herald, Olsen was charged with driving under the influence, resisting arrest with violence and fleeing and eluding a police officer.

The incident occurred after the 23-year-old Olsen returned to Florida's rotation after serving a two-game suspension by the team for insubordination. Olsen lost two days of pay for conduct detrimental to the team.

The newspaper also reported that Olsen was clocked for speeding and would not pull over his car. After he finally did stop the car at his home in Aventura, the Herald reported that he fought with officers and would not take a breathalyzer test.

The Marlins' website reported that the team was not available for comment as of Saturday afternoon.

Sltos Baseball Betting News

<< British Open Third Round News & Notes
Carnoustie, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Any golf fan who went to Carnoustie would dream of an opportunity to meet the two-time defending champion and world No. 1, Tiger Woods. A 60-year-old woman had that chance on Saturday at the si

<< Garcia stays on top at Carnoustie
Carnoustie, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sergio Garcia's quest for his first major championship is very much on track. He shot a three-under 68 on Saturday to remain on top of the leaderboard after three rounds of the British Open Champi

<< Phils' 2006 first-round pick to undergo Tommy John surgery
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies announced that pitcher Kyle Drabek, the team's 2006 first-round draft pick, will undergo season- ending Tommy John surgery on Wednesday. The surgery will be performed in Ne

<< Report: Colts' Glenn to retire
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Indianapolis Colts offensive tackle Tarik Glenn is reportedly set to retire from the National Football League. According to a report in the Indianapolis Star, several sources close to Glenn have to

<< Nadal moves into Stuttgart final
Stuttgart, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Rafael Nadal advanced to the final at the Mercedes Cup after posting a victory in the semifinals on Saturday. Nadal, who won this title in 2005, defeated fellow Spaniard Feliciano L

Tampa's Crawford exits with ankle injury >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay Devil Rays outfielder Carl Crawford left Saturday's game against the New York Yankees in the fifth inning with a sprained left ankle. Crawford legged out an infield single in the third and began

Towers, Blue Jays blank Mariners >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Towers pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings as the Toronto Blue Jays edged the Seattle Mariners, 1-0, in the second contest of a three-game set. Towers (5-6) gave up just three hits while striking out four

Eschauer, Darcis to meet in Dutch Open final >>
Amersfoort, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Werner Eschauer of Austria and Belgian Steve Darcis posted semifinal victories on Saturday at the Dutch Open. Eschauer, who upset third seed Carlos Moya in the quarterfinals, whipped Dutc

Muller, Szavay to meet in Palermo final >>
Palermo, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martina Muller and Agnes Szavay will meet in the final of the Palermo Open after both were victorious in their semifinal matches on Saturday. Muller, the second-seed from Germany, needed three

Drew, Diamondbacks edge Cubs >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stephen Drew hit a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning and the Arizona Diamondbacks held on to beat the Chicago Cubs, 3-2, in the middle contest of a three-game set at Wrigley Field. Orlando Hudson we

FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.

How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?

The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.

While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.

For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.

1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.

2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.

How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.

Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.

Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.

How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).

Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.

Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.