Finchem receives four-year contract extension

Golf Betting Lines

01/11/2012 - Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem has been given a four-year contract extension through June 2016.

Finchem became the tour's third commissioner in June 1994 and has overseen a period of tremendous growth. Earnings for PGA Tour members have increased substantially and he has been instrumental in developing a number of key events, including the Presidents Cup, PGA Tour playoffs and the World Golf Championships.

"We have accomplished a lot, but there remains a great opportunity to continue to grow over the next four years," said Finchem in a statement. "It is an honor to work in such a wonderful sport with the world's best athletes and a terrific management team. I look forward to continuing to work closely with them in the future."

Joe Dey and Deane Beman were the first two commissioners of the PGA Tour.

Wwwstarluck Golf Betting News

<< Shiels returns to Killie
Kilmarnock, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kilmarnock announced on Wednesday that midfielder Dean Shiels has returned to the club until the end of the season after terminating his contract with Doncaster. Shiels, who is the son of Killie man

<< Djokovic and Clijsters hope to defend honor in Oz
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 2012 tennis season will be in full stride when the Australian Open gets underway next week in Melbourne, where Novak Djokovic and Kim Clijsters will be on hand as your defending champions. The 24-year-

<< Newcastle's Ameobi injured in reserve match
Newcastle, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Newcastle is fearful that striker Sammy Ameobi could be facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after he suffered an undisclosed injury in a reserve-team match against Wigan. The 19-year-old was for

<< Colts tab Grigson as new GM
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indianapolis Colts have named Ryan Grigson as their new general manager. Grigson spent the past nine years with the Philadelphia Eagles. He joined the franchise in 2003 as a regional scout, becam

<< Whittaker set for six-week absence
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rangers defender Steven Whittaker is facing six weeks out of the lineup after undergoing a hernia operation, the club has revealed. Whittaker's last appearance for Ally McCoist's team came o

Back injury to sideline Lazio's Cana >>
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lazio will be without midfielder Lorik Cana for the next two months because of a back injury. Cana was forced to leave Saturday's 4-0 defeat at Siena at halftime with the injury, and tests have confirmed tha

Fire signs Uruguayan striker Puppo >>
Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Fire announced on Wednesday that the club has signed striker Federico Puppo from Danubio FC in Uruguay. The 25-year-old will occupy an international roster spot upon the receipt of his Interna

In the FCS Huddle: Turnaround fueled Ambrose to Robinson Award >>
Towson, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When Rob Ambrose took over at Towson, even the thought of winning games at his alma mater was a challenge. Playing in the Football Championship Subdivision's toughest conference - CAA Football - the Tigers were

Sparano lands with the Jets >>
Florham Park, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Miami Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano has been named the new offensive coordinator for the New York Jets, replacing Brian Schottenheimer. The Jets and Schottenheimer amicably parted way

Plata signs new deal with TFC >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Toronto FC has come to terms with forward Joao Plata on a multi-year contract, it was announced on Wednesday. Plata was the 49th overall pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft and went on to appear in 26 games f

MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.


College Football Betting Tips From a Pro

While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.

Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.

The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.

What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.

These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.

College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.

Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.

Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.

Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.

I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.

Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.

It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.

As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.

Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.

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