Sallie to forego remaining eligibility

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

05/19/2010 - Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Memphis junior guard Roburt Sallie announced he will forego his remaining eligibility and will explore playing opportunities elsewhere.

Sallie is due to graduate this summer. Even though he has a year of playing eligibility left, Sallie intends to play closer to his home in Sacramento or will try to latch on with a team overseas.

"This was a very difficult decision for me because of my love for Memphis - the city and university," said Sallie. "But, I am moving into a different stage of my life with graduation in August, and I feel it's time to move forward."

Sallie played in 70 games and made 21 starts, at Memphis. He had career averages of 8.2 points and 2.8 rebounds. During 2009 NCAA Tournament first- round game against Cal State Northridge, Sallie came off the bench and hit a school-record 10 three-pointers.

Wwwjackpotpalace NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Mine That Bird to be trained by Hall of Fame member
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas has been named the new conditioner for 2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird. Owners Leonard Blach and Mark Allen announced the decision on Wednesday. The move

<< Habs D Markov has knee surgery
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montreal Canadiens defenseman Andrei Markov underwent surgery Wednesday to repair a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee. Markov, who suffered his injury during the first period of the o

<< Rays P Howell has season-ending surgery
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay Rays reliever J.P. Howell will miss the entire season after having surgery on his left shoulder, the team announced on Wednesday. The operation was performed Wednesday by Dr. James Andrews in Birmi

<< Indians' Sizemore put on DL; Cabrera has surgery
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians have placed center fielder Grady Sizemore on the 15-day disabled list with a deep bone bruise on his left knee. The team also announced that infielder Asdrubal Cabrera underwent s

<< Red Sox put Beckett on DL
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Josh Beckett has been put on the 15-day disabled list due to a lower back strain. DETAILS TO FOLLOW...

Piszczek seals Dortmund switch >>
Dortmund, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Poland international Lukas Piszczek has moved from relegated Hertha Berlin to Borussia Dortmund. The 24-year-old has signed a contract that will keep him in Dortmund for three seasons. Head coach Ju

Gekas joins Eintracht on two-year deal >>
Frankfurt, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Greece international Theofanis Gekas has completed his transfer from Bayer Leverkusen to Eintracht Frankfurt. The 29-year-old striker has penned a two-year contract with Eintracht who finished 10th

Diamondbacks recall OF Parra, option Gillespie >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks recalled outfielder Gerardo Parra from Triple-A Reno and sent outfielder Cole Gillespie to the same club on Wednesday. The 23-year-old Parra appeared in 26 games and hit .247

Oilers getting out of free agent market >>
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -Kevin Lowe has a new master plan for taking the Edmonton Oilers back to the proud days of the franchise's past.It starts with the No. 1 pick in next month's draft, earned by having the NHL's worst record this season, and also inc

Tigers' Ordonez a late scratch against Oakland >>
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -Detroit outfielder Magglio Ordonez has been scratched from the Tigers' lineup for Wednesday night's game at Oakland because of a sore right heel.Ordonez was listed third in Detroit's batting order in right field before being re

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.