Creighton brings in McDermott as men's hoops coach

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

04/26/2010 - Omaha, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Creighton University hired Greg McDermott as its new men's head basketball coach on Monday.

McDermott, who will be officially introduced at a Tuesday morning press conference, takes over for Dana Altman, who was named men's hoops coach at Oregon earlier Monday.

The 45-year-old spent four seasons as head coach of the Cyclones, going 15-17 a year ago with a 4-12 record in the Big 12, and was 59-68 overall since arriving in Ames in 2006.

McDermott will be returning to the Missouri Valley Conference, as he had been at the helm of Northern Iowa's program from 2001 until 2006. While there, he piloted the Panthers to a 90-63 record which included a 49-41 mark in the MVC along with three NCAA Tournament berths.

Since breaking into the coaching ranks in 1994-95, McDermott has compiled a 280-195 record at Wayne State (1994-00), North Dakota State (2000-01), Northern Iowa and Iowa State.

Nikkanspots NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Cardinals place INF Lopez on DL
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals have placed infielder Felipe Lopez on the 15-day disabled list with a right elbow strain. Lopez is batting .273 (12-for-44) with a home run and four RBI in 15 games this season.

<< No one injured in Hawks' bus accident
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks' team bus was involved in an accident Monday, but no one was injured. According to a story on the team's website, the bus was hit by a white Cadillac while leaving the Bradley C

<< Oregon makes Creighton's Altman next basketball coach
Eugene, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Oregon has made Creighton's Dana Altman its next head basketball coach. The 51-year-old Altman has compiled a 327-176 record in 16 seasons for the Bluejays. They went 18-16 last seas

<< Berdych, Ljubicic advance; Ferrero exits Rome
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tenth-seeded Tomas Berdych and 11th-seeded Ivan Ljubicic were a pair of first-round winners, while former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero came up a loser Monday at the $2.97 million Italian Masters

<< De La Rosa has MRI done on left middle finger
DENVER (AP) -Colorado Rockies starter Jorge De La Rosa had an MRI done on his left middle finger Monday, a day after suffering a bone bruise on his pitching hand.Manager Jim Tracy said the team wanted to determine if the injury was more serious than

Matsuzaka throws simulated game >>
TORONTO (AP) -Daisuke Matsuzaka threw a 69-pitch simulated game before the Red Sox played the Blue Jays, the injured right-hander's final hurdle before returning to Boston's starting rotation.Manager Terry Francona said Monday, ``The ball came out o

Rangers' McCarthy on minor league DL >>
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -Oft-injured Texas Rangers pitcher Brandon McCarthy is hurting again.McCarthy, at Triple-A Oklahoma City after not making the Rangers' rotation out of spring training, has been put on the seven-day disabled list in the minor le

Bryant rests up, predicts better effort by Lakers >>
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) -Two days of pure rest agreed with Kobe Bryant, who watched intently while the Los Angeles Lakers finished up practice in the midst of a playoff series that's a whole lot less relaxing than the defending champions hoped.It's

Bucks say former player Restani dies at 58 >>
MILWAUKEE (AP) -Former Bucks power forward Kevin Restani died in San Francisco after returning from Milwaukee where he had attended Game 3 between the Bucks and Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night. He was 58.The Bucks didn't say how Restani died on Sund

Cavs' Jamison relishing title shot >>
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) -While breaking down game tape during a serious film session, the Cleveland Cavaliers sometimes will break into laughter.Seeing Antawn Jamison toss in one of his unorthodox shots can be pretty funny.``I hear the giggles,'' Ja

Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook

Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds.  The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.

Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.

Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).

Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.

World Series odds

Adam Dunn 15-1

Albert Pujols 5-1

Alex Rodriguez 12-1

Alfonso Soriano 15-1

Andruw Jones 25-1

Barry Bonds 50-1

Carlos Delgado 40-1

David Ortiz 8-1

Jermaine Dye 40-1

Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1

Lance Berkman 40-1

Manny Ramirez 20-1

Richie Sexson 40-1

Ryan Howard 6-1

Travis Hafner 20-1

Vladimir Guerrero 40-1

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

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.