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09/07/2010 - Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Team owner Rick Hendrick arguably had his best season in NASCAR's premier series in 2009, with Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon finishing 1-2-3, respectively, in points. That same scenario won't be unfolding for Hendrick this year.
Gordon qualified for the championship Chase last month at Bristol, and Johnson, who is seeking his record-extending fifth consecutive Sprint Cup Series title, locked down his playoff spot last Sunday at Atlanta. But Gordon and Johnson likely will be the only Hendrick drivers in this year's Chase field.
Barring a miracle in Saturday's regular season-ending race at Richmond, Martin will miss the Chase, as he currently trails 12th-place Clint Bowyer by 147 points. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s 219-point deficit has him missing the playoffs for the second straight year.
With two drivers in and two out, would this be considered a down year for the mighty Hendrick organization? Not necessarily.
"We're not happy with where we are as an organization, but we're working on it," Hendrick said. "Nobody is blaming anybody, and nobody is giving up."
Ten drivers have now qualified for the Chase, which begins September 19 at New Hampshire.
Greg Biffle and Clint Bowyer will presumably secure the final two spots in the Chase. Regardless of any other driver's performance, Biffle will clinch with a 42nd-place finish or higher, and Bowyer will qualify with a 28th-place run or better.
Heading into the Chase, not only will a fifth Cup championship for either Gordon or Johnson be a priority for Hendrick, but building momentum for all four teams will be among the top objectives as well.
"My philosophy is when you've got some areas to work on, you work hard and you work together," he said. "I would rather miss the Chase and have momentum in the last 10 [races] than be in the Chase and grind to a nothing toward the end of the year.
"Our plan is to build momentum and get better every week. Hopefully by the end of the year, we'll have all four teams going forward and not backing up."
Hendrick had three of his drivers in the Chase each year from 2006-09. Johnson has made the Chase each season since the playoff format began in 2004.
Johnson is currently seventh in points, but due to his five victories so far this year, he could start the Chase in the first seed. Denny Hamlin also has five wins for the season. Johnson's third-place run at Atlanta marked his first top-10 finish since August 1 at Pocono.
"There's a lot of teams coming together right now, and I think the 12 drivers in the Chase, and the organizations represented in the Chase, are all pretty strong," Johnson said. "I still think we are trying to catch up a little bit. Some guys might be a little further ahead. We all have our complaints here and there. But I think you're going to have a really good Chase."
Gordon presently holds the second spot in points, but Gordon has yet to win this season.
Martin recently has been plagued with distractions, particularly his driving status with Hendrick for next year. The 51-year-old Martin will drive the No.5 Chevrolet for Hendrick in 2011 before Kasey Kahne takes over his seat the following year.
"We'd certainly like to be in," Martin said. "We will make our very best effort, just as we have starting at Daytona in February. For me, and I think for our whole team, Staying focused on upping our game, improving our performance and working toward trying to get back in the form that we were in last year is our number one priority."
Martin notched five wins in his first season with Hendrick in '09, but has yet to drive into victory lane this year.
After finishing the '09 season a disappointing 25th in points, it looked like Earnhardt Jr. was on the rebound earlier this year. Earnhardt Jr. held a top-12 spot in points after Darlington in May, but NASCAR's most popular driver slowly has faded from there.
Hendrick confirmed this past weekend that Lance McGrew will remain as Earnhardt Jr.'s crew chief heading into next year.
"I'm pretty happy with the chemistry there now," Hendrick noted. "We had some good momentum going, and then we kind of fumbled the ball a little bit here right before the Chase."
When Gordon failed to make the Chase field in 2005, Hendrick made a crew chief change on Gordon's team at the start of the 10-race playoffs, with Steve Letarte replacing Robbie Loomis.
Gordon and Letarte will be in the Chase for the fifth straight year.
Hendrick will attempt to set a record for most all-time owner championships in the series with 10, but chasing history won't be the only thing on Hendrick's mind during this year's Chase, as he looks to revamp his once-dominant organization.
<< A's bring up Hermida
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics on Tuesday selected the
contract of outfielder Jeremy Hermida from Triple-A Sacramento.
The A's signed Hermida last week after he was released by the Boston Red Sox,
and was promptly
<< Cubs' Silva activated from DL to make Tuesday start
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs activated right-hander
Carlos Silva from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday, in time to make his
first start in over a month.
The Cubs announced on Saturday that Silva, who hadn't
<< Wild F Sheppard out indefinitely
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Wild center James Sheppard will be
out indefinitely after suffering a fractured left patella.
The Wild announced Tuesday that the 22-year-old sustained the injury during
non-hockey related activ
<< Scola leads Argentina past Brazil to gain FIBA quarters
Istanbul, Turkey (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luis Scola continued a blistering scoring
clip with 37 points on 14-of-20 shooting as Argentina edged Brazil, 93-89, to
gain a quarterfinal berth in a thrilling South American showdown at the 2010
FIBA Wo
Rockies recall Escalona among numerous roster moves >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies on Tuesday recalled right-
handed pitcher Edgmer Escalona from Triple-A Colorado Springs.
The 23-year-old Escalona will look to make his debut in the majors. The
Venezuelan native
Nats recall Maya for highly-anticipated debut >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals recalled pitcher
Yunesky Maya from Triple-A Syracuse among a quartet of moves on Tuesday prior
to their game with the New York Mets.
Maya, a right-hander, is slated to make
Alouettes QB Calvillo expected to sit vs. Ticats >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montreal Alouettes quarterback Anthony
Calvillo will likely not play in his club's next game with the Hamilton Tiger-
Cats on Saturday.
TSN of Canada and CFL.ca both reported on Tuesday that while
Chicago's Boquete wins WPS Player of the Week >>
Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Red Stars attacker Veronica Boquete
was named Women's Professional Soccer Player of the Week for Week 21 on
Tuesday.
Boquete led the Red Stars to wins in their final two games of the 2010 sea
Oddsmakers have released the odds for the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and Seattle Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry has been made the opening favorite.
Seattle took Curry with the fourth overall pick in April's NFL draft and plan on inserting him into its starting lineup right away. The Hawks traded linebacker Julian Peterson in the offseason, so Curry is expected to have a significant role in Seattle's defense next year and that's one of the primary reasons he is the favorite to win the NFL ROY Award.
Oddsmakers from online sportsbook MySportsbook.com have made Curry a 5/1 favorite to win this year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Given that he was the best defensive prospect in this year's draft and how he'll have plenty of opportunities to make plays in '09, Curry offers a ton of value at 5/1.
Another thing working for Curry is the position he plays. A linebacker has won the defensive ROY award six straight times and eight of the last nine years. Jerod Mayo, Patrick Willis, DeMeco Ryans, Shawne Merriman, Jonathan Vilma, Terrell Suggs, Kendrell Bell and Brian Urlacher were the most recent linebackers to take home the award.
Following Curry at 5/1 are Tyson Jackson (Chiefs) at 7/1, James Laurinaitas (Rams) at 8/1, Brian Orakpo (Redskins) at 10/1, Rey Maualuga (Bengals) at 10/1 and Jerry Peria (Falcons) at 10/1.
All the players mentioned above are expected to start for their respective teams, but Jackson and Peria are going to have a tough time being recognized on a national level given they're both defensive linemen. D-linemen rarely put up the numbers that it takes to win an individual award like the ROY.
A couple of players with some value are Clay Matthews (Packers) at 12/1 and Larry English (Chargers) at 15/1. Matthews is expected to start at outside linebacker in Green Bay's new 3-4 defense and could rack up a ton of tackles. English, who was an impressive player at Northern Illinois, is expected to be a situational pass rusher for the Chargers and could rack up a ton of sacks.
For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, see below. And for complete odds for the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, click the link provided.
2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award
Robert Ayers (DEN) 12/1
Ron Brace (NE) 25/1
Everette Brown (CAR) 16/1
Darius Butler (NE) 40/1
Patrick Chung (NE) 30/1
Aaron Curry (SEA) 5/1
Brian Cushing (HOU) 12/1
Vontae Davis (MIA) 30/1
Louis Delmas (DET) 30/1
Larry English (SD) 15/1
Evander Hood (PIT) 25/1
Tyson Jackson (KC) 7/1
Malcolm Jenkins (NO) 25/1
Paul Kruger (BAL) 50/1
James Laurinaitas (STL) 8/1
Sen'Derrick Marks (TEN) 20/1
Clay Matthews (GB) 12/1
Aaron Maybin (BUF) 15/1
Rey Maualuga (CIN) 10/1
Roy Miller (TB) 20/1
Michael Mitchell (OAK) 45/1
Fili Moala (IND) 30/1
Brian Orakpo (WAS) 10/1
Jerry Peria (ATL) 10/1
B J Raji (GB) 7/1
Clint Sintim (NYG) 35/1
Alphonso Smith (DEN) 40/1
David Verkune (CLE) 20/1
Jason Williams (DAL) 30/1
Field (Any Other Player) 6/1
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
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, online football betting 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.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
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