Majorleaguebasevall Hockey Betting News

<< Flames welcome Coyotes to town
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Flames will continue their push for the postseason tonight, when they welcome the Phoenix Coyotes to the Pengrowth Saddledome. The Flames have 73 points and are currently clinging to the eighth and final posts

<< Bulls welcome slumping Magic
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic are slipping out of the playoff picture, and will aim to snap a back-breaking four-game losing streak this evening when they open a tough four-game road swing against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center.

<< Habs, Leafs clash in Montreal
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One of the best rivalries in sports resumes this evening, as the Montreal Canadiens open the doors of the Bell Centre for a battle with the Toronto Maple Leafs. This series between two of the Original Six franchises is alw

<< New-look Thrashers head to Boston
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Thrashers hope the recent additions to their lineup will translate to improved play and they'll test that theory tonight, when they visit the Boston Bruins at TD Banknorth Garden. The Thrashers are just 2-7-2 i

Kobe, Lakers visit Northwest Division-leading Utah >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two of the top teams in the Western Conference meet when the Utah Jazz welcome the Los Angeles Lakers tonight to EnergySolutions Arena. This is the third and final meeting of the regular season between the clubs. The teams

Red-hot Mavericks try to extend winning streak against Hawks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NBA-best Dallas Mavericks go for their 12th straight victory when they welcome the Atlanta Hawks tonight to American Airlines Center. All-Star Dirk Nowitzki scored 31 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and dished out eig

Celtics wrap up road trip in Houston >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics nightmarish season continues tonight, as they visit the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center. Boston plays the finale of a five-game road trip and has dropped all four contests on the swing. Derek Fisher

Bobcats begin long swing vs. Clippers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Charlotte Bobcats begin a season-long six-game road trip when they visit the Los Angeles Clippers tonight at the Staples Center. This is the first of two meetings between the squads this season. The Bobcats are schedul

Football Betting

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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