CHL, IHL merge to form 'AA' level super league

Hockey Betting Lines

06/01/2010 - Tempe, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Central Hockey League (CHL) and the International Hockey League (IHL) have entered into a letter of intent to form a "AA" level super league beginning in the 2010-11 season, the leagues announced in a joint statement.

The newly formed minor hockey league will play under the CHL name, with the identity of the IHL being maintained through various aspects, according to the release, which also stated that further details would be ironed out this week.

"The arrangement between the CHL and the IHL should create an innovative and exciting "AA" level professional hockey league which is scheduled to start play in the 2010-2011 season," IHL Commissioner Dennis Hextall said. "The two leagues each have longstanding histories and share the common goal of solidifying minor professional hockey for our players, our passionate fans and their communities. I believe this arrangement will enable our teams to recruit the best young talent to join our league, with the potential of improving their game and moving up to the higher leagues."

"This is an exciting day for our teams and markets," CHL Commissioner Duane Lewis said. "Both leagues have worked hard to establish tremendous entertainment at a great value for their fans, and by combining our resources we believe we can strengthen those efforts providing greater fan interest as well as a stronger brand."

Operating guidelines will be discussed at the league meetings in June.

Casinoonlinewagering Hockey Betting News

<< Rangers F Anisimov has surgery
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Rangers forward Artem Anisimov underwent successful surgery to remove a bone chip in his right wrist on Tuesday. Anisimov suffered the injury during the just-completed World Champions

<< Astros RP Sampson hits disabled list
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros placed pitcher Chris Sampson on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday with tendinitis in his right rotator cuff. In 22 relief appearances for Houston this season, the right-handed Sampson ha

<< RSL's Saborio named MLS Player of the Month for May
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Salt Lake forward Alvaro Saborio was voted Major League Soccer's Player of the Month for May, it was announced on Tuesday. Saborio scored four goals and three assists in five games, helping Real

<< Quality Road cuts into Zenyatta's lead
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Quality Road, fresh off a victory in the Met Mile, has closed the gap with Zenyatta in the latest NTRA Thoroughbred Poll. Holding on in third is Preakness Stakes winner Lookin At Lucky, who also remains

<< Kyle Busch shuts down Malsam's truck team
Mooresville, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Busch Motorsports will cease operations of its No.56 Camping World Truck Series team, while driver Tayler Malsam will head to the Nationwide Series and accept a ride with Braun Racing'

Perfect game allows Halladay to claim NL weekly award >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off throwing the 20th perfect game in major-league history, Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay was named the National League Player of the Week for the period ending May 30. Last Saturday, Ha

Uruguay cuts final three players >>
Montevideo , Uruguay (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez cut Alvaro Gonzalez, Jorge Martinz and Jorge Rodriguez on Tuesday to finalize his 23-man World Cup roster. Uruguay opens the World Cup against France on June 11, and also

Yanks' Cano nabs AL weekly honor >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees has been selected as the American League Player of the Week for the period ending May 30. The 27-year-old second baseman hit safely in all six games last week and

White Sox place Teahen on DL >>
Chicago ,IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Teahen's fractured finger forced the Chicago White Sox to place the third baseman on the 15-disabled list Tuesday. Teahen, whose stint is retroactive to May 31, was hitting .255 with 14 RBI in 45 ga

Portugal includes Pepe on final roster >>
Lisbon, Portugal (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Queiroz included Pepe on Portugal's World Cup roster Tuesday, and cut Ze Castro to trim the squad from 24 to 23. Pepe has not played since suffering a knee injury in December playing for Real Madrid

FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.

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.