11/17/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After capturing his third-consecutive Sprint Cup Series championship Sunday at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, Jimmie Johnson and his No.48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet crew have not only established themselves as one of the greatest teams in NASCAR, but as the latest in a string of professional sports dynasties.
Johnson finished 15th in the season-ending Ford 400, and clinched his third title in a row, finishing the season 69 points ahead of Carl Edwards, who won at Homestead for his series-leading ninth victory of the year. Johnson became just the second driver in NASCAR's 60-year history to win three straight titles, matching Cale Yarborough's 30-year-old record.
"Right now we've been fortunate to win three," Johnson said. "So over the off season I'm going to be drooling about a fourth. It's not really where I fall into the books. It's more about what I want to be as a champion."
Johnson ended the year with seven victories and 22 top-10 finishes, but his season started off sluggish as he held the ninth position in points after finishing a season-worst 39th in the May 25th Coca-Cola 600 at the Lowe's Motor Speedway. His turnaround began in July when he survived the "tire debacle" at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to win the Allstate 400. He won the final two races of the regular season, California and Richmond, to start the "Chase for the Sprint Cup" as the third seed.
Kyle Busch entered the Chase atop the standings and was one of the favorites to win the title after scoring eight victories for the season. But Busch quickly fell out of contention when he finished 34th at New Hampshire and then 43rd at Dover.
Johnson won at Kansas, the third race in the Chase, grabbing the points lead for the first time this season. After Edwards wrecked at Talladega and suffered mechanical problems at Charlotte, resulting in poor finishes at both tracks, Johnson was well ahead in the standings.
Edwards won three of the last four races, but came up short of spoiling Johnson's record-tying feat.
Johnson's championships have come under the guidance and hard work of pit boss extraordinaire Chad Knaus, who became the first crew chief in NASCAR's premier series to win three straight titles.
"I've been fortunate to work with really great race car drivers," Knaus said. "I worked with Jeff Gordon in the 24 car. I've seen what Jeff can do with a race car, and I've got a lot of respect for what Jeff can do."
Knaus has been Johnson's crew chief since 2002, but also served as a tire changer for Gordon and the original "Rainbow Warriors" pit crew when Gordon won his championships in 1995, '97 and '98.
"To be able to work with Jimmie, he's definitely brought it to a new level," he said. "But I'm also a lot more entwined than I was back then, with what's going on. In my eyes he's the best that there's been...People are going to say Richard Petty is, Dale Earnhardt and all those guys. But with the competition level the way it is today with what you've got to do working, racing day in and day out, no time to take time off, in my mind, (Jimmie) is the best."
Johnson's team joins the likes of other championship-winning greats in the U.S. this past decade such as the Los Angeles Lakers, winning three straight NBA Finals from 2000-02, and the New York Yankees, taking the World Series consecutively from 1998-2000.
Also, the championship achievements of Formula One legends Michael Schumacher and Juan Manuel Fangio as well as National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) great John Force have been engraved in motorsports history.
Schumacher, the seven-time F1 World Champion from Germany, is arguably the world's best race car driver ever. He won five straight titles from 2000-04, and holds the F1 record for most career victories with 91.
Affectionately known as "bandy legs" by his many fans, Fangio captured four- consecutive World Championships from 1954-57.
Force won an unprecedented 14 NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series championships from 1990-2006, including 10 straight titles (1993-2002). He holds the series record for most wins (126) and final rounds (202).
Now, Johnson will try to join those men in the four-plus titles category.
As Johnson and his team celebrated their third championship at the conclusion of Sunday's race at Homestead, one thing was already on their mind, winning a fourth title.
"I think from a driver's standpoint, I could go race again next week and start the season and go for four," Johnson said.
Perhaps no one on the team is more optimistic about making history in 2009 than Knaus.
"Yeah, we want four," Knaus said. "To get four championships in a row you have to get three. And we're fortunate to get three. If we buckle down and do what we need to do, we'll be in contention for our fourth championship next year. If that means I have to get up at eight o'clock tomorrow morning and go to work to do it, I'll do it."
If Johnson can win his fourth straight championship next year, it will certainly make for a strong argument that he is the best NASCAR driver of all time.
<< Penguins G Fleury listed as day-to-day
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre
Fleury has been ruled out for Tuesday's home game against the Minnesota Wild
with an undisclosed injury.
Pittsburgh head coach Michel Therrien confirmed Mo
<< Bears/Vikings remains on Sunday night for Week 12
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NFL announced its final schedule for Week
13 and decided to keep the matchup between the Chicago Bears and
Minnesota Vikings as the Sunday night contest.
There was one change for that wee
<< Hansbrough ruled out for Kentucky game
Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - North Carolina senior forward Tyler
Hansbrough will miss a second straight game when the No. 1 Tar Heels take on
Kentucky Tuesday due to a stress reaction condition in his right shin.
UNC head coa
<< James, Billups earn NBA weekly honors
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James
and Denver Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups were named the Eastern and Western
Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for the period ending November
16.
Around FCS: Defogging the playoff picture >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It was like taking an air brush to a foggy
portrait on Saturday, as teams around FCS cleared away many of the clouds
hanging over the playoff picture for the NCAA Division I Football
Champio
Boston F Garnett suspended one game >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett has
been suspended for one game without pay for throwing a punch at Milwaukee
Bucks center Andrew Bogut.
In the Celtics' 102-97 overtime victory over Milwauke
NFL Inactives (Monday, November 17, 2008) >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The following is a list of inactive players
for tonight's NFL game.
CLEVELAND BROWNS AT BUFFALO BILLS, 8:30 P.M. (ET)
Browns - 3rd QB Ken Dorsey, TE Martin Rucker, CB Gerard Lawson, S Hamza
Abdullah, FB
College basketball hall of fame member Newell dies at 93 >>
Berkeley, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - College basketball hall of fame member Pete
Newell, the head coach of an NIT champion, NCAA champion and Olympic champion,
passed away Monday at the age of 93.
The University of California, the program New
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The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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