Ottawa inks Foligno for two years

Hockey Betting Lines

07/21/2010 - Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators signed forward Nick Foligno to a two-year contract on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old Buffalo native slumped in his second full NHL campaign, recording just nine goals and 26 points in 61 games. His season was shortened by six weeks after suffering a broken right leg in late January.

He was then held to one assist in a six-game first-round playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Over parts of three seasons with Ottawa, the son of former NHL winger Mike Foligno and first-round choice of the Sens in 2006 has compiled 32 goals and 67 points in 187 games.

Wwwllasvegas Hockey Betting News

<< Report: Alabama DE Dareus declared ineligible
Tuscaloosa, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alabama defensive end Marcell Dareus has reportedly been declared ineligible in the wake of alleged improper dealings with sports agents. According to the Tuscaloosa News, it is standard for a player

<< Twins to reinstate Casilla from DL
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins will reinstate infielder Alexi Casilla from the 15-day disabled list prior to Thursday's game against Baltimore. Casilla has been on the DL since June 1 with bone chips in his r

<< Melzer advances at Hamburg as more seeded players fall
Hamburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Third-seeded Austrian Jurgen Melzer was among the second-round winners Wednesday at the German Open Tennis Championships, while more seeded players fell out of the tournament. Melzer advanc

<< Greinke and Pena lead Royals past Jays
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zack Greinke allowed two runs and struck out nine in eight strong innings, leading the Kansas City Royals to a 5-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in the rubber match of a three-game series. Greinke (6-

<< Yankees outslug Angels to earn series split
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Teixeira went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and three runs batted in, as the New York Yankees outlasted the Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim, 10-6, in the finale of a brief two-game set. Rookie Col

Dodgers' Kershaw, Torre, Schaefer suspended for Tuesday's incident >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Baseball has suspended Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw along with manager Joe Torre and bench coach Bob Schaefer as a result of incidents that occurred in Tuesday's game against the San Fra

Chivas USA acquires Zizzo through lottery >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sal Zizzo, a 23-year-old U.S. youth international, is now a member of Chivas USA following a weighted lottery which took place on Wednesday. The Goats had the third best chance (16.28 percent)

Michaels lifts Astros over Cubs in 12 innings >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Michaels delivered a tie-breaking, two- run, pinch-hit double and scored in the 12th inning to lift Houston over the Chicago Cubs, 4-3, in the rubber match of a three-game set. Brandon Lyon (6-4)

Astros add Figueroa among host of moves >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros have claimed pitcher Nelson Figueroa off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies. The team also claimed infielder Anderson Hernandez off waivers from the Cleveland Indians. To make r

Thunder sign G Ivey >>
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed free agent guard Royal Ivey. As per team policy, no details of the deal were announced. The 28-year-old Ivey split last season between Philadelphia and Milw

Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

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