11/14/2008 - Homestead, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In an effort to cut costs for teams, NASCAR announced it is banning testing at its sanctioned tracks for the 2009 season.
NASCAR informed teams Friday morning at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, where the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Craftsman Truck Series will wrap up their seasons.
The ban includes pre-season testing for the Daytona 500, and it means teams will not be permitted to test at any track where NASCAR's national touring series compete.
"We're going to need to react to that quickly because the budgets are being set for each team," NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France said Tuesday during a conference call. "It will be comprehensive if we go as aggressive as some have suggested, including ourselves. To be as aggressive as we can take cost out of the system."
Teams can spend up to $100,000 each day testing a car during a session.
The ban does not prevent teams from testing at non-sanctioned tracks.
<< It's Celtics-Lakers in a two-horse race
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When I wake up in the morning, I'm like a
lot of men who like sports -- I grab the newspaper (yes people my age still
read newspapers) and immediately navigate to the sports section.
But, at the risk of so
<< United's Fred joins Australian side on loan
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United midfielder Fred will join
Australian side Wellington FC Phoenix as a guest player on a short-term loan
the Major League Soccer side announced on Friday.
"Fred really wants to continue p
<< Eintracht midfielder Korkmaz breaks foot again
Frankfurt, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eintracht's injury problems have worsened
with the news that midfielder Umit Korkmaz has broken his foot for the second
time.
The Austria international missed the first month of the Bundesliga season a
<< Oilers place Smid on IR
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Oilers have placed defenseman
Ladislav Smid on injured reserve because of a concussion.
Smid was hurt during a November 5 game against Columbus and has missed the
last four games. He has t
Zubov joins Ottawa >>
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators recalled forward Ilya Zubov
from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Binghamton Senators, it was
announced on Friday.
Zubov, 21, leads the B-Sens in scoring with eight goals and
Oilers recall Reddox from Springfield >>
Springfield, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Oilers have recalled left
winger Liam Reddox from the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League,
it was announced on Friday.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound forward replaces Ladislav Sm
Bordeaux's Gourcuff doubts he'll return to Milan >>
Bordeaux, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - France midfielder Yoann Gourcuff dropped a
major hint that he will stay with French club Bordeaux beyond the end of his
season-long loan.
The 22-year-old had struggled to make his mark during two seas
Pro Bowl safety John Lynch to retire >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pro Bowl safety John Lynch will announce his
retirement at a news conference Monday afternoon in Tampa.
Lynch was selected to nine Pro Bowls at the safety position during his 15-year
career with Tampa Bay an
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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