WILMINGTON, Del. -- There are plenty of reasons why Sunday afternoon, on the second weekend of the NFL season and with no thoroughbred racing scheduled, license plates from at least seven states and the District of Columbia were spotted in the parking lot of Delaware Park. Simulcasting was still going on, and the slots floor was still busy -- and, besides, people might just be slow in updating their car registrations.
But that wouldn't explain, for example, why one cream-colored Cadillac with Florida plates sported four Miami Dolphins flags. Or why many of the cars were expelling, or re-admitting, customers wearing NFL jerseys, caps, T-shirts and other paraphernalia, and carrying long white, beige or yellow strips of paper. Or, most transparently, why the infield videoboard was showing one of the network pre-game shows.
Football may not have taken over the biggest of the three tracks in the state now taking NFL bets, but it has staked its claim and apparently won't let go any time soon, at least without the interruption of the courts.
Sure, one can watch a team through the first few weeks of the season and compare them to arbitrary expectations or against their rankings -- assuming they were ranked to begin with. But another measure is to look at their record "against the spread". Now is particularly a good time so early in the season when the book hasn't been written about each time and the betters and oddsmakers are still catching up to performance.
For example, Vanderbilt is now 4-0 against the spread. In a very isolated sense, they continue to outperform expectations this year. So too does No. 5 Texas, who is now 4-0 against the spread. How about No. 2 Alabama? Well, they're 4-1-0 so far in beating the spread. In-state rival Auburn with their anemic offense is just 1-4-0. Another disappointing team is Clemson who is now 0-3 against the spread.
Congratulations go out to Turner Gill, coach at Buffalo whose Bulls have beaten the odds to a 4-1-0 mark so far. Similarly, coach David Cutcliffe is now 3-0 against the spread at Duke. Both are tough places to coach at and succeed, and success is sometimes more a game of beating expectation than raw victory totals.
Fresh off a BCS Championship, LSU has started the year 1-2 against the spread. Chalk this up a bit to their being a known quantity with perhaps too much respect from the oddsmakers and betters. Ohio State has failed to cover in any game and is now 0-4 ATS. Same with disappointing Pittsburgh, also at 0-4.
And finally there's No. 1 Oklahoma, who despite high standards has put on an all-out offensive blitz early in the season to cruise to a 3-0 mark against the spread.
Under a plea agreement he struck with prosecutors on Aug. 3, 2006, he could have been sentenced to up to seven years in prison for conspiracy, promoting gambling and official misconduct. He got a break because he cooperated with authorities. Under state rules, he could be eligible for parole in about a year.
Deputy Attorney General Mark Eliades said his help was good, but not extraordinary.
Harney's defense lawyer, Craig Mitnick, told Judge Thomas S. Smith that his client deserved prison time for his conduct -- but that it should be less because he helped authorities. Mitnick said Harney gave authorities details of the case they otherwise would not have known about and said that without that evidence, Tocchet and a third man, James Ulmer, might not have pleaded guilty in the case.
The judge gave Harney, 41, the minimum for a second-degree crime. The AP reports that both Tocchet and Ulmer are due to be sentenced this month, but could dodge prison because of their plea deals.
Traditionally, this would be the point in which I make a joke about Janet Gretzky being upset because she had the under at four years for Harney, but hasn't the poor girl been through enough?
I keep going back and forth as to whether point shaving schemes at smaller schools make more or less sense. On the one hand, the programs and the players draw a lot less scrutiny as to the actions. Making it easier for things to come in under the radar.
The counter-argument is that these smaller programs hardly see the heavier gambling action. So if there is any significant betting one way or the other, it can catch everyone's attention when there is sudden swing.
As the 2005 GMAC Bowl drew closer, a Michigan gambler assured other bettors that University of Toledo football player Harvey "Scooter" McDougle offered bribes to teammates so the point spread would be covered, according to a federal criminal complaint.
Mr. McDougle, 22, who was charged Thursday in U.S. District Court in Detroit with conspiring with others in a points-shaving scheme, sat out the game because of injuries.
So far no other players have been named.
McDougle was charged in Federal Court with "conspiring to bribe to affect the outcome of a sporting event." This carries a maximum sentence of 5 years and a $250,000 fine.
The guy arranging everything so far has only been identified as "Gary." He would place the wagers in casinos in Canada. At least one other player was offered around $10,000 to sit out a game. McDougle received cars, cash and other gifts from "Gary."
The filings indicate that the basketball team may have been involved in point shaving as well. "Gary" apparently bet on both sports and McDougle may have helped him in contacting basketball players.
This will be a huge blow to Toledo Football Coach Tom Amstutz. He's considered one of the better coaches in the MAC and often mentioned as a potential target for the bigger name schools. Few coaches, though, survive point shaving scandals.
Jazz guard Dee Brown made a friendly wager with Salt Lake Tribune writer Steve Luhm, though he refused to make it interesting with any money. From Luhm's blog Jazz Notes in the Salt Lake Tribune:
Two weeks ago after a game, I was talking to Brown. The brief discussion turned to Illinois and the upcoming NCAA Tournament. When I suggested the Illini would be lucky to be a No. 10 seed, he was horrified.
Seeing a chance to fleece a gullible young man who was blinded by loyalty to his alma mater, I suggested a friendly wager.
I suggested betting one dollar that Illinois would be seeded higher than No. 10, if it even got an at-large bid to the 65-team tournament. Perhaps because he doesn't make superstar money, Brown wanted to bet something other than one George Washington.
His idea: If Illinois made the tournament as something better than a 10-seed, I would have to bow down to him and his wisdom. On the other hand, if Illinois made the tournament as a 10-seed or higher, he would have to bow down to me.
Because the Jazz immediately embarked on a four-game road trip, I didn't see Brown until this week. Yes, he paid up. He walked out of the locker room prior to Monday's practice, bowed down, shook my hand and laughed. Typical Brown, although I would have preferred the $1.
Considering the league's crackdown on Gilbert Arenas over a ten-spot, it was probably a good idea for Brown to avoiding putting even a single buck on the line. And, on a side note, here's to hoping he put that dollar saved into a jar so he can save up for another totally awesome sport coat like the one pictured above.
And they have been for years! Somebody alert Bud Selig! From The Biz of Baseball:
The Massachusetts Lottery and Boston Red Sox today announced a new $10 Instant Ticket game.
State Treasurer Tim Cahill today joined Red Sox President and CEO Larry Lucchino at Fenway Park to announce the new $10 game which will go on sale beginning Tuesday, March 20th at the Lottery's 7,500 licensed retailers throughout the state.
The Red Sox and the Massachusetts Lottery have been in partnership since 2004. ...
Included in the game are non-cash prizes such as tickets at Fenway Park – seats in the Pavilion area; on the Monster and roof deck; in the grandstand and suites, as well as an entire decade of tickets to watch one of the longest and most storied rivalries in professional baseball, the Red Sox vs.Yankees
Okay, I'm guessing most people regard instant lotto tickets as gambling in the same way they consider NCAA tournament pools and senior hall bingo as gambling, but the fact remains it's a game of chance. And even if the Red Sox aren't gambling on baseball, they're certainly profiting from their trademark made famous by baseball.
Of course, I don't actually think there's anything wrong with this, but just like ballparks accept in-stadium advertising money from local casinos, it raises the question of whether Major League Baseball can really play the role of the puritan judge when considering Pete Rose's infractions.
"I bet on my team every night. I didn't bet on my team four nights a week. I was wrong," Rose said.
Rose said that he believed in his team so much that he bet on them to win every night.
"I bet on my team to win every night because I love my team, I believe in my team," Rose said. "I did everything in my power every night to win that game."
Rose finally admitted in his autobiography released in 2004 that he bet on baseball, but this is the first time he's explicitly revealed that the Dowd Report was correct and that he did in fact place wagers on the Reds while he was managing the team.
Does Rose think finally coming clean will get him into the Hall of Fame? Maybe it will sway some voters, but unlike a lot of sports, he's not supposed to be judged solely for what happened on the field. Rule #5 of the Rules for Election to the Hall of Fame states:
Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.
That's a tough standard to live up to, especially for a guy who's spent the better part of the last two decades lying about his actions. It seems every couple of years he reveals a little bit more about what he did wrong -- who's to say that it won't someday come out that he placed wagers while he was still playing?
Rose added that he's no longer concerned about making the Hall of Fame, but that he just wants to be reinstated so that he can manage again. Maybe it could happen in Cincinnati, but I can't think of a tougher sell management would have to make to a team's fans elsewhere around the majors. Do you think Bud Selig should reinstate Rose? Make your case in the comments.
The preseason is a time for more than just coaches to evaluate talent. The referees get to break in their new uniforms. The armchair commissioners get to rev up the fantasy football leagues. And Las Vegas gets to prepare for another year of heavy NFL gambling action.
Considering it's almost impossible to determine how one team's practice squad fodder will match up against another team's practice squad fodder when it comes down to the wire, it's amazing Vegas even puts up lines on preseason games. Then again, because of the relatively low point spreads, it's no wonder why there are probably still thousands of gamblers risking their electric bill money to make a few extra bucks.
And for the record, going into week three of the preseason, the Redskins are 3 ½-point road dogs against the New England Patriots. And looking at the two previous games, some are questioning why only 3½-points? The Redskins have scored a league-low 17 points so far and have given up 46.
If you ask me, the reason is because, well, it's only preseason.
WILMINGTON, Del. -- There are plenty of reasons why Sunday afternoon, on the second weekend of the NFL season and with no thoroughbred racing scheduled, license plates from at least seven states and the District of Columbia were spotted in the parking lot of Delaware Park. Simulcasting was still going on, and the slots floor was still busy -- and, besides, people might just be slow in updating their car registrations.
Sure, one can watch a team through the first few weeks of the season and compare them to arbitrary expectations or against their rankings -- assuming they were ranked to begin with. But 
James Harney, a former New Jersey state trooper who admitted to running a sports gambling ring with Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach Rick Tocchet, was 
I keep going back and forth as to whether point shaving schemes at smaller schools make more or less sense. On the one hand, the programs and the players draw a lot less scrutiny as to the actions. Making it easier for things to come in under the radar. 
We've talked at length about 
And they have been for years! Somebody alert Bud Selig! From 
The preseason is a time for more than just coaches to evaluate talent. The referees get to break in their new uniforms. The armchair commissioners get to rev up the fantasy football leagues. And Las Vegas gets to prepare for another year of heavy NFL gambling action.
