Detroit takes Winter Classic at Chicago's Wrigley Field
Hockey Betting Lines
01/01/2009 -
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jiri Hudler scored twice and added an assist,
as the Detroit Red Wings tallied five consecutive goals en route to a 6-4 win
over the Blackhawks in the 2009 Winter Classic at Chicago's Wrigley Field.
The clubs put on an offensive show unlike the 2008 version, in which the
Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Sabres in a shootout, 2-1, at a snowy Ralph
Wilson Stadium in Buffalo.
Brian Rafalski had a goal and two assists, while Marian Hossa and Henrik
Zetterberg each had three helpers for Detroit, which swept the home-and-home
between the clubs. The Red Wings notched a 4-0 victory over the Blackhawks on
Tuesday.
Detroit netminder Ty Conklin made 33 saves to pick up the win for the second
year in a row in the Winter Classic, having guided Pittsburgh over the Sabres
in Buffalo on the first day of 2008. He has now played all three outdoor games
the NHL has staged, as he was with the Oilers when they played Montreal in
Edmonton in the 2003 Heritage Classic.
"The memories really get better when you win these games," Conklin said. "It's
neat and I've had a great time playing in them."
Martin Havlat had a goal and two assists, and Kris Versteeg ended with a goal
and one assist for Chicago, which has dropped two in a row since reeling off a
franchise-best nine consecutive wins.
Cristobal Huet started in net for the Blackhawks, but was pulled in the third
period after allowing six goals on 30 shots. Nikolai Khabibulin came in and
stopped all 13 shots he faced.
Whereas Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the NFL's Buffalo Bills, had a capacity
of nearly 74,000 for the 2008 version, Wrigley Field offered a more intimate
venue for this year's Winter Classic. The Friendly Confines hold a little more
than 41,000 fans, normally rooting for the Chicago Cubs. But on Thursday,
hockey fans packed the seats to see the rink, which stretched across the
infield, between first and third base, with the players walking down the
covered basepaths to their benches.
The clubs donned throwback sweaters, with Detroit wearing those from the
franchise's first season in 1926-27, when they were known as the Cougars.
Chicago had sweaters from the 1936-37 campaign.
On a mostly overcast day with whipping winds and a temperature around 32
degrees Fahrenheit, the Red Wings fell behind 3-1 after the first period, but
completely dominated the second frame to grab the lead.
Hudler tallied just 1:14 into the second, and added his second goal a little
more than 11 minutes later to even the game. With a loose puck bouncing around
the crease, Hudler batted at it twice, never making full contact. But he hit
it enough for it to cross the goal line with 7:17 left to make it a 3-3 game.
Pavel Datsyuk then gave Detroit the lead on a breakaway, as he split two
defenders, fighting one off with his left arm while skating toward the net. He
approached the goal from the left side, but veered right and slid a backhander
between Huet's pads with 2:43 remaining in the middle frame for a 4-3 Red
Wings edge.
The Detroit surge continued in the third period with two goals just 17 seconds
apart. Rafalski had a power-play marker at the 3:07 mark, when his backhander
trickled through a small opening between Huet's pads. Then, at 3:24, Brett
Lebda's blast from the top of the slot hit off Huet's arm and caromed into the
upper section of the net.
Initially it was not called a goal, but after a review the score counted,
giving Detroit a 6-3 lead.
The rest of the third period went by, with the sun coming out briefly, without
a goal until Duncan Keith scored on a power-play for Chicago with 9.2 ticks
left. But Detroit had too large a lead and held on to complete the sweep of
the unusual home-and-home set.
The Blackhawks initially pleased the home crowd by dominating the first
period, as Versteeg got Chicago on the scoreboard just 3:24 into the game with
a power-play tally. Havlat blasted a shot, and Conklin didn't control the
rebound, leaving the puck sitting in the slot. Chicago's Dustin Byfuglien
skated by the disc but couldn't get a stick on it, though Versteeg came
barreling through and banged home the rebound for a 1-0 lead.
At the 9:50 mark, Mikael Samuelsson evened the game with a power-play goal for
Detroit off a nice pass from Zetterberg behind the net. But the Blackhawks
countered with two goals in a row, the first one again on the man-advantage.
Versteeg made a backhanded pass to the slot for a one-timer from Havlat, who
buried the puck in net with 7:23 remaining in the first.
Then, with less than a minute remaining, Ben Eager made a quick move behind
the net and tucked the puck past Conklin to give Chicago a 3-1 lead going into
the first intermission.
Game Notes
Hall-of-Famer Bobby Hull, the all-time goal scoring leader in Blackhawks
history with 604, and who finished with 1,153 points in 1,036 games for
Chicago, dropped the puck in a ceremony prior to the game. Also standing on
the red carpet were fellow Hall-of-Famers and Blackhawks greats Stan Mikita,
Tony Esposito, and Denis Savard, who was Chicago's coach for two-plus seasons
before being fired in October...Also at the puck drop were Cubs greats and
baseball Hall of Famers Ferguson Jenkins and Ryne Sandberg.
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The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
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SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.
Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"
A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."
Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.
In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.
"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."
Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.
But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"
Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.
This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.
Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.
In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.
No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.
And that's all any bettor can ask for.
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Bonds nearly hits HR 751, SF wins
4 and drove in
a pair of runs, and Barry Bonds nearly hit homer No. 751 as San Francisco beat
1, in the middle contest of three at AT&T Park.
6) allowed five hits and one run over 6 2/3 innings, fanning
eight and walking three.
game slide.
Bonds, who came within five homers of Hank Aaron's record on Friday, went
1 with three walks, an RBI double and scored twice. The double ...
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