Defense bails out defending champion Colts

Football Betting Lines

09/18/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Even though Peyton Manning played up to his usual standards on Sunday, it was the Indianapolis Colts' defense that saved the day in a 22-20 win over the AFC South-rival Tennessee Titans at LP Field.

Colts defensive coordinator Ron Meeks had his thinking cap on snug in the latter stages of the game, as Titans elusive quarterback Vince Young was flustered on the final play thanks to a furious push from the line. As defensive tackle Darrell Reid and left end Josh Thomas crashed the pocket, middle linebacker Gary Brackett was able to break through and grab Young by his legs.

Young then flipped the ball to offensive lineman Jacob Bell, who had trouble tucking the ball away before watching it fall to the ground and into the hands of Reid with four seconds remaining on the clock.

"As a defensive unit, that's what you want," said Colts safety Bob Sanders, who recorded 2 1/2 sacks and a team-best 11 total tackles on Sunday. "You don't want to be put in those situations, but when they do come up, you want to be able to stop them. You want to have your offensive team lean on you and say, 'All right, go out and get the job done.'"

For so long that hasn't been the case for the Indianapolis defense. Since Manning has been on the team, most of the talk is about the offense and which of the team's two star wide receivers will break out. Sunday was a different story, one the Colts needed to become familiar with because they can't rely on Manning every week.

A Manning interception led to a Tennessee touchdown and ended his streak of consecutive passes without a pick at 190 in the third quarter, when Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan grabbed a pass intended for Reggie Wayne.

Afterward, Manning questioned whether or not Finnegan made illegal contact with Wayne during the play.

"I've got to bite my tongue until I see, but I've got to see that interception again," said Manning, who threw for 312 yards and a touchdown on 28-of-42 passing. "Something wasn't right about (it). Reggie's running the route on a post and you feel pretty good when you throw a pass and think it's going to hit him in stride. All of a sudden I think one of their players might have had a little contact with one of our players."

Manning's favorite target was tight end Dallas Clark, who contributed a team- high 69 yards and a score on seven receptions. Clark was the leading receiver, since the Titans were able to contain and keep Marvin Harrison and Wayne out of the end zone and off the highlight reel.

The trio will be on display this weekend in Houston for a showdown with the unbeaten Texans at Reliant Stadium.

A RUNNING BACK TO ADDAI FOR

There's a long list of great Colts running backs, including Lenny Moore, Lydell Mitchell, Eric Dickerson, Marshall Faulk and Edgerrin James.

So where does Joseph Addai fit?

Yes, I know, it's too early to assume such great status for the former LSU star, but it's going to be talked about soon. Addai emerged on the scene during his rookie campaign last year while splitting time with Dominic Rhodes. Now that Rhodes is suspended and playing in Oakland, Addai is now left alone to carry the load and the ball.

So far, so good for head coach Tony Dungy and his ground attack. Addai had 118 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries in a Week 1 win over New Orleans before compiling 81 yards and another score on 20 touches this past Sunday.

Not to be a dark cloud on Addai's parade, but the Houston Texans are next on the schedule and have played superb run defense in two games this season. The Texans shut down Chiefs running back Larry Johnson in Week 1 before denying both DeAngelo Williams and DeShaun Foster of greatness last Sunday in Carolina.

Addai will make sure a third time is no charm in Houston.

KICK 'EM TO THE CURB

Colts veteran placekicker Adam Vinatieri had an outing he would like to put in the back of his head for some time.

The often-reliable Vinatieri had a PAT blocked and was wide left on a 36-yard field goal try in Sunday's 22-20 win over Tennessee. Vinatieri, who has made 44-of-49 field-goal attempts since joining the Colts last season, admitted he was bothered by the errant try.

"I pride myself on not letting things get into my head," Vinatieri said, "But on that missed field goal, I think that's what happened."

Vinatieri will put this performance behind him. That's what the best players do. Why else does he sport four Super Bowl rings?

UP NEXT: COLTS GALLOP TO HOUSTON

The top spot in the AFC South is up for grabs on Sunday at Reliant Stadium, where the 2-0 Houston Texans will host unbeaten Indianapolis.

The Colts are 9-1 in the all-time series with Houston, which is the last team to send Dungy and Indianapolis into the loss column. The Texans recorded a 27-24 win at home in Week 16 of the 2006 season, as Ron Dayne rushed for a career-high 153 yards with two touchdowns and Kris Brown nailed a 48-yard field goal as time expired.

Manning, Harrison and Wayne will make sure a scenario like the last matchup doesn't occur this time around. The trio must not take the Texans lightly or they will be another victim of Houston head coach Gary Kubiak, who will try to ride the wave of his early success.

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SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.

Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"

A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."

Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.

In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.

"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."

Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.

But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"

Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.

This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.

Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.

In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.

No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.

And that's all any bettor can ask for.

To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.

2007 Academy Award Betting : Oscars odds

The 79th Annual Academy Awards odds , which will air February 25th, is sparking an interest throughout the nation with the announcement of its nominees. As the public chooses their favorites, sportsbooks are creating odds for one of the biggest entertainment betting nights of the year.

Whether its at a “Oscar Party” or in an on line sportsbook, entertainment gambling on award shows represent a huge increase in betting. As the public speculation mounts, MySportsbook.com, the largest and most respected sportsbook on the web, posted odds on who is going home with a “Golden Best Friend.”

“ We see a majority of our entertainment wagers come from the Academy Awards,” said MySportsbook.com spokesperson, Tim Dalton. “This is a competition that applies to everyone. These are the people that entertain us on a daily basis and you want to see them win.”

MySportsbook.com posted the following odds for Academy Awards:

Odds to win the Achievement in Directing:

Alejandro González Iñárritu "Babel": 8/1

Martin Scorsese "The Departed": 2/17

Clint Eastwood "Letters From Iwo Jima: 4/1

Stephen Frears "The Queen": 12/1

Paul Greengrass "United 93": 15/1

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:

Leonardo DiCaprio in "Blood Diamond": 11/1

Ryan Gosling in "Half Nelson": 20/1

Peter O’Toole in "Venus": 16/5

Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness": 16/1

Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland": 1/11

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:

Penélope Cruz in "Volver": 18/1

Judi Dench in "Notes on a Scandal": 15/1

Helen Mirren in "The Queen": 1/50

Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada": 10/1

Kate Winslet in "Little Children": 20/1

Best Animated Feature Film:

"Cars": 1/3

"Happy Feet": 2/1

"Monster House": 20/1

Best Foreign-Language Film of the Year:

"Water" – Canada: 22/1

"The Lives of Others" – Germany: 7/2

"After the Wedding" - Denmark: 24/1

"Days of Glory (Indigenes)" – Algeria: 23/1

"Pan's Labyrinth" - Mexico: 1/10

Odds to win the Best Live-Action Short Film:

"Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)": 6/5

"Eramos Pocos (One Too Many)": 7/2

"Helmer & Son": 5/2

"The Saviour": 6/1

"West Bank Story": 7/2

Odds to win the Best Original Screenplay:

"Babel": 7/4

"Letters From Iwo Jima": 3/1

"Little Miss Sunshine": 21/20

"Pan's Labyrinth": 11/4

"The Queen": 5/4

Best Motion Picture of the Year:

"Babel": 11/4

"The Departed": 1/2

"Letters from Iwo Jima": 15/2

"Little Miss Sunshine": 17/10

"The Queen": 20/1

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:

Alan Arkin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 11/10

Jackie Earle Haley in "Little Children": 10/1

Djimon Hounsou in "Blood Diamond": 9/1

Eddie Murphy in "Dreamgirls": 2/5

Mark Wahlberg in "The Departed": 5/1

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:

Adriana Barraza in "Babel": 14/1

Cate Blanchett in "Notes on a Scandal": 11/1

Abigail Breslin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 2/1

Jennifer Hudson in "Dreamgirls": 1/8

Rinko Kikuchi in "Babel": 11/1

Film To Win Most Oscars:

Dreamgirls: 2/3

Pans Labyrinth: 6/5

The Departed: 6/1

The Queen: 11/1

Babel: 15/1

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: 11/1

Little Miss Sunshine: 15/1


Additional sports and entertainment odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

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