Holy Cross tabs Kearney to replace Willard

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

07/02/2009 - Worcester, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Holy Cross named Sean Kearney its new head men's basketball coach on Thursday.

Kearney, who becomes the 15th head coach in the history of the program, replaces Ralph Willard who resigned last month. Willard, who compiled a 192-117 record at Holy Cross over the previous 10 years, left to join Rick Pitino's staff at Louisville.

That opened a spot for Kearney, who gained his first collegiate head coaching position. Kearney comes to Holy Cross from Notre Dame, where he served as associate head coach for the last nine years under Mike Brey.

"I have been extremely fortunate to have worked with some great head coaches in my career and none more important than Mike Brey in these last 14 seasons," said Kearney. "I am especially proud of both my work at Notre Dame and the relationships that I have built there. It is a special place and my family and I have invested quite a bit in that community. I look forward to taking over the reins of the Crusader program from coach Ralph Willard and am well aware of his team's successes over his tenure."

Wwwjackpotpalace NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Astros swarm Padres; bees delay game
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wandy Rodriguez threw seven strong innings to help the Houston Astros take a 7-2 win over the San Diego Padres in an unusual finale of a four-game set. Rodriguez (7-6) gave up just one run on seven hits w

<< CFL's Bruce fined for Michael Jackson celebration
Mississauga, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Toronto Argonauts All-Star wide receiver Arland Bruce III was fined an undisclosed amount for a celebration tribute to Michael Jackson in the team's victory over Hamilton on Wednesday. After scoring a

<< Pressel among Jamie Farr leaders
Sylvania, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Morgan Pressel, Laura Diaz and Song-Hee Kim each fired rounds of seven-under 64 on Thursday to share the opening-round lead of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic. Suzann Pettersen and Michelle Wie ar

<< Hurricanes retain LaRose for two years
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes agreed to terms with forward Chad LaRose on a two-year contract worth $3.4 million on Thursday. LaRose is set to earn $1.5 million next season and $1.9 million in 2010-11. The 27-y

<< Bees delay Astros/Padres game
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In the top of the ninth inning of a game between the Houston Astros and San Diego Padres, a swarm of bees took over part of left field and caused the game to go into a delay. With Miguel Tejada at the plate w

Angels come to terms with first-round pick >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim came to terms on a minor league contract with outfielder Michael Trout, the 25th overall pick in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft. Trout, who played his high school ball

Report: Artest joining Lakers >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Free agent forward Ron Artest is reportedly leaving the Houston Rockets to join the Los Angeles Lakers and will provide the team with more offensive firepower next season, as he'll join Kobe Bryant

Cubs reliever Cotts has Tommy John surgery >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Neal Cotts underwent Tommy John surgery on Thursday and will be sidelined indefinitely. Cotts was 0-2 this season with a 7.36 earned run average before being demoted to Tri

Wellemeyer pitches Cardinals over Giants >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Todd Wellemeyer threw 7 1/3 innings to help the St. Louis Cardinals take a 5-2 win over the San Francisco Giants and split a four-game series. Wellemeyer (7-7) scattered seven hits and two runs with a

Diaz helps Braves slip past slumping Phils >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Diaz belted a go-ahead RBI double in a three-run eighth, as the Atlanta Braves recorded their first home sweep of the Phillies since 2005 with a 5-2 victory at Turner Field. Garret Anderson added a t

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.