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Lions host Alouettes in week three actionFootball Betting Lines07/13/2010 - Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In an effort to finally put to rest their weakest defensive effort of the 2009 season, the British Columbia Lions entertain the Montreal Alouettes on Friday night at Empire Field in Vancouver. British Columbia had a number of lopsided outcomes a season ago, but none was more distressing than the club's dismal 56-18 loss to the Als in the playoffs. The setback was the second in three attempts for the Lions against Montreal that year, the lone victory being a 19-12 final the first week of September. Fast forward to this year and both of these teams have gotten off to a 1-1 start. In the case of the Lions, they went from dumping Edmonton in the opener (25-10), to being thumped by Saskatchewan last weekend (37-18). Adding insult to injury, the Roughriders also knocked starting quarterback Casey Printers out of the game with a thigh bruise, forcing the home team to turn to Travis Lulay for guidance. Lulay finished the outing 9-of-15 passing for 197 yards and a score, while Printers hit on 10-of-14 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown. Printers commented after the game that he could have returned to action but didn't want to risk making the injury worse. Receiver Geroy Simon had a huge outing with six catches for 169 yards and both TDs, one of which registered a whopping 92 yards late in the meeting. However, as well as Simon played, he and the Lions could not change the fact that they were penalized 16 times for a loss of 116 yards. As for the Alouettes, the defending Grey Cup Champions needed a bit of a wake- up call in their meeting with Edmonton on Sunday after they scored a mere four points in the first quarter. Quarterback Anthony Calvillo was held in check by the Eskimos for most of the game before tossing touchdown passes to Brian Bratton late in the third quarter and Kerry Watkins midway through the fourth to bring his team back for the victory. Calvillo finished 19-of-30 passing for 237 yards and an interception, not to mention having to pull himself up off the turf after three sacks. Even though recently-signed Ricky Santos managed to make his way into the end zone on a two-yard run in the second frame, the Montreal rushing game was far from dominant with a mere 72 yards on 17 attempts. Avon Cobourne tallied 55 yards on 13 carries to lead the way. Last season, Cobourne was a dynamo for Montreal coming out of the backfield, placing sixth in the league in rushing with 1,214 yards and coming up with a league-high 13 TDs, but thus far he's gotten off to a slow start with just 94 yards and one touchdown on 23 attempts. Cobourne has also been a huge piece of the passing attack the last couple of years for the Als as well, capturing 120 passes for more than 1,000 yards, but after two games this year he has but six grabs for 66 yards. Calvillo has been on pace with last year's numbers for the most part, except for the fact that the reigning two-time CFL Offensive Player of the Year already has two interceptions after throwing a total of just six all of last season. Tied with both Toronto and Winnipeg for first place in the Eastern Division in the early going, the Als have had their defensive stats skewed due to the ugly 54-51 overtime loss to Saskatchewan in the opener. Last year, Montreal ranked first in the league in points allowed with a mere 18.0 ppg, almost a full six ppg less than the next best squad. As for the Lions, a team that ranked second-to-last in points allowed in 2009 with an average of just under 28 per game, in giving up only 10 points in the opener to Edmonton they sported their best defensive performance since September of 2008. With just 47 points allowed in the first two games of 2010, BC is second in the category in the Western Division behind Calgary. However, the Lions have also scored the second-fewest points in the division with just 43. British Columbia is in the middle of the pack when it comes to rushing (141.5) and passing (267.5) yards per game thus far. What the Lions do have is two of the top performers in both individual rushing and receiving in Jamal Robertson and Simon, respectively. Robertson, thanks to a long run of 61 yards, has a total of 222 yards on 20 carries thus far, while Simon's 10 receptions have been turned into 228 yards and a pair of scores. The 98-yard reception for Simon last week is the longest of the season for any receiver thus far. Not taking into account Montreal's convincing triumph in the most recent meeting between these two clubs, BC actually maintains a 31-28-1 advantage in regular-season meetings. Of all the teams that Calvillo faced during the regular season last year, the Lions seemed to be field the toughest defense, holding him to just a single touchdown on 47 completions. However, when the pressure was on Calvillo was more than ready, as evidenced by his five-TD performance in the playoffs against BC. Assuming Calvillo is on top of his game and the BC defense is again vulnerable, expect to see the visitors come out on top in this meeting.
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SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook BettingNFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal. A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon." It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed. The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha. So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games." Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs. El Duque expected to throw Tuesday PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday. Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine. El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year. MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds. Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle. New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele. Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.'' Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards. |
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