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08/21/2010 - Bristol, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR driver Brian Vickers said he expects to return to racing next season, but revealed he underwent open heart surgery on July 12 to repair a hole in his heart, as part of his treatment for blood clots.
Vickers spoke with the media on Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway on the status of medical condition. The Sprint Cup Series is running a 500-lap race here tonight.
In May, Vickers was diagnosed and treated for blood clots in his left leg and both lungs at a Washington, D.C. hospital. Doctors later discovered he had a blood clot in one of the fingers on his left hand. The 26-year-old announced later that month he would miss the remainder of the 2010 season, while he underwent treatment until the end of the year.
Vickers also said he was diagnosed with May-Thurner Syndrome (MTS), which causes compression of blood vessels in the legs and increases the risk of deep vein thrombosis in the lower extremities. Vickers continues to be treated with the anticoagulant (blood thinner) medication Coumadin and stroke-prevention drug Plavix.
One day after his open heart surgery, Vickers underwent another operation to have a stent placed in a vein in his left leg.
"I had heart surgery, and I never thought I would never have that at 26," Vickers said. "I've had a stent put in, and I never thought I would have one of those. But they both went extremely well. I am on Coumadin and Plavix still, and I will be for the rest of the year, so I'm still out of the car.
"They gave me full clearance for next year. I will be back next season, and I will be racing in January. I'm really excited about that."
Vickers has spent recent time getting himself in better physical condition. He said a few weeks after the surgery, he went biking in the mountains of Colorado.
"This has given me an opportunity to step back and really take a look inwards, and look at what's going around me, but a look inside and figure out what I really want," he said. "Sometimes you don't know how much you really love something until you don't have it, and I can tell you, I really love driving race cars, now that I don't have it.
"I think that my edge is going to be increased, and my drive and determination is only going to increase when I come back next year."
Vickers said he expects to be back in the No.83 Toyota for Red Bull Racing in 2011. However, Kasey Kahne will join RBR next season before he heads to Hendrick Motorsports in 2012. RBR team manager Jay Frye said Kahne will drive of the team's two cars next year. The team might add a third car to its stable. Scott Speed drives the No.82 Toyota.
"As far as Kasey, I'm excited to work with him," Vickers said. "As far as how that all goes down, honestly, I read about it online. I didn't even know about it. Jay told me something was going to happen, but he didn't tell me what."
<< Cubs hold on to edge Braves
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tom Gorzelanny turned in seven strong innings
and Aramis Ramirez finished 3-for-4 with two RBI, as Chicago escaped with a
5-4 victory over Atlanta in the middle contest of a three-game set from
Wrigley
<< Virginia Tech extends Beamer's contract
Blacksburg, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Virginia Tech has extended the contract of
head football coach Frank Beamer through the end of 2016.
Beamer, whose current contract ends at the end of 2012, is entering his 24th
season as the Hokies' hea
<< Debussy upsets Gio Ponti for Arlington Million crown
Arlington Heights, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - European invader Debussy upset
defending winner Gio Ponti to capture Saturday's 28th running of the Arlington
Million at Arlington Park. The four-year-old colt's win of the 1 1/4-mile
grass r
<< Bell, Orioles tee off on Lee
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Bell hit the first two home runs of his
career in a four-homer barrage, as Baltimore staved off a late rally to down
Texas, 8-6, in the third installment of a four-game series.
Bell finished 3-for-4
Diamondbacks sign veteran P Hampton >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to
terms with pitcher Mike Hampton on a minor league contract.
The 37-year-old southpaw will report to Triple-A Reno to begin his comeback
attempt to the big leag
Federer, Fish to meet in Cincy final >>
Mason, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Swiss superstar Roger Federer will meet wild card
American Mardy Fish in the final of the $3 million Western & Southern
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Federe
Bucs QB Freeman exits Saturday's game >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman left
Saturday's pre-season game against Kansas City with an injured thumb.
Freeman led the Buccaneers on a seven-play, 28-yard drive on their opening
possession th
Nats P Strasburg leaves with arm injury >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Nationals rookie phenom Stephen
Strasburg left Saturday's game against Philadelphia with an apparent injury to
his throwing arm/elbow.
In the fifth inning, Strasburg's third pitch to Philadelphi
Two playoff teams from 2007 take center stage on the NFL Network Sunday night in a Week 2 NFL betting match-up when the (0-1) New England Patriots betting head south to Florida for a contest with the (1-0) Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
New England HC Bill Belichick couldn’t care less about the way his team plays in the preseason. With a chance to tie last week’s game with the Baltimore Ravens betting, He elected to go for the two-point conversion and outright victory. The conversion failed, and the Pats ended up falling to the Ravens by a 16-15 final count.
New England rolled off twelve unanswered points to give it a chance at securing the victory, but it never threatened to cover the 3.5-point spread. NFL bettors saw this one coming, as they bet the Ravens down from +6 to +3.5 as the week progressed. QB Tom Brady didn’t take part in the Patriots first preseason clash, but could see action this weekend.
His three replacements all put up embarrassing numbers. They went a combined 17 for 33, and threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. The New England defense was encouraging, as they held the Ravens to 2/12 third down conversions and surrendered just ten first downs. That ‘D’ should be bolstered with the addition of former Bucs and Denver Broncos betting safety John Lynch, who could make his Patriots debut on Sunday against his former mates.
HC Jon Gruden had to be impressed with the way his Bucs played on both sides of the ball in their dominating 17-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1’s NFL pre-season betting action. Bucs bettors were quite happy with the effort, as they made a mockery of the fact that they were underdogs in the game.
The logjam at the quarterback position didn’t get any easier to separate for Gruden, as all four of his QBs had positive experiences in the first exhibition of 2008. The four combined to complete 28 of their 40 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, and that was without starting QB Jeff Garcia in the lineup.
RB Michael Bennett had 19 carries and four receptions, totaling 90 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see more of Bennett, Kenneth Darby, and Earnest Graham, as they all compete for playing time with Warrick Dunn in the backfield this season. Defensively, the Bucs recorded four sacks and held the Fins offense in check all day.
First round draft pick Aqib Talib was impressive in the secondary, recording a tackle and two pass defenses in his debut. Don’t be surprised to see Talib in the starting lineup opposite Ronde Barber for the Bucs in ’08.
The betting trends suggest that NFL bettors should be backing the Bucs in this intra-conference exhibition.
These two teams hooked up last year in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs winning that game 13-10. The Buccaneers have only lost one preseason game at home dating back to the beginning of the ’05 preseason. The Patriots have had a mixed bag of results in their recent exhibitions. They have gone 2-2 ATS and SU each of the last three years.
New England currently sits as modest 1-point favorites in this preseason showdown with the ‘total’ now sitting at 34.5.
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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.
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