Dolphins' Soliai added to AFC Pro Bowl roster

Football Betting Lines

01/24/2012 - Davie, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Paul Soliai has replaced Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata on the AFC Pro Bowl roster.

Soliai had 27 tackles in 16 games (12 starts) this season. He will be playing in his first Pro Bowl.

"It's an honor to be named to the Pro Bowl," said Soliai. "I am looking forward to going to Hawaii and representing the Dolphins as well as the AFC, I know I like to thank everyone who helped me get here."

The Pro Bowl will take place on Sunday at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Gamblegambling Football Betting News

<< Rays bring back Pena
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays signed first baseman Carlos Pena to a one-year, $7.25 million contract on Tuesday. Pena, 33, played for the Rays from 2007-10 before joining the Chicago Cubs last season. He bat

<< Bobcats' Augustin to miss 4 games
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Charlotte Bobcats guard D.J. Augustin will miss four games due to an inflammatory condition of the sesmoid bones that lie in the flexor tendons on his right big toe. Augustin was seen by Charlotte orthoped

<< La Russa to manage 2012 NL All-Star team
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The retired Tony La Russa will serve as the manager of the National League All-Star team for the 2012 Midsummer Classic at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City on July 10th. The longtime manager of the St. Lo

<< Cincinnati extends Jones for three years
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Head football coach Butch Jones received a three-year contract extension from Cincinnati on Tuesday. The extension runs through the 2017 season. "I have tremendous faith in Coach Jones and his ability

<< Giants, Lincecum reach 2-year deal
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Giants and two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum have reached a verbal agreement on a two-year contract, avoiding arbitration. The San Francisco Chronicle reported the deal on Tuesday

Former NFL player and Fresno State coach Boone dies >>
Fresno, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former NFL player and Fresno State head coach JR Boone passed away in his sleep on Sunday at his home in Selma. He was 86. In six seasons as a running back and safety with the Bears, Packers and 49ers, Boone

Motherwell goes third with win over Dunfermline >>
Motherwell, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Despite playing for much of the match with only 10 men, Motherwell earned an impressive 3-1 defeat of last-place Dunfermline at Fir Park on Tuesday to take sole possession of third place in the Sco

Canadian Tour announces part of 2012 schedule >>
Oakville, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Canadian Tour announced eight dates for the 2012 season on Tuesday. The Canadian part of the schedule will kick off with the 30th playing of the Times Colonist Island Savings Open. That will be follow

Lemieux statue to be unveiled in March >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh Penguins owner Mario Lemieux is set to have a statue in his honor unveiled by the club in early March. The presentation will take place at noon on March 7, prior to the Pens' home contest agai

McSurdy, 17 other FCS players selected to all-star game >>
Little Rock, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - All-America linebacker Caleb McSurdy is one of three University of Montana football players selected to participated in the Players All-Star Classic on Feb. 4. Eighteen FCS players have been invited to the

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.