09/08/2008 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie Matt Forte rushed for 123 yards on 23 carries and found the end zone, while also catching three balls for 18 yards, as the Chicago Bears christened Indianapolis' brand new Lucas Oil Stadium with a 29-13 victory over the Colts in a rematch of Super Bowl 41.
Kyle Orton threw for 150 yards on 13-of-21 passing for the Bears (1-0). Jason McKie had two rushes for five yards and scored a touchdown for Chicago, which finished last season at 7-9. Brian Urlacher had eight tackles in the win, while Lance Briggs recovered a fumble for a TD.
Peyton Manning, seeing his first action of the season after undergoing surgery in mid-July to remove an inflamed bursa sac in his left knee, hit on 30 of his 49 passes for 257 yards and a TD for the Colts (0-1). Joseph Addai gained 44 yards on 12 carries before leaving with a head injury in the fourth quarter. Reggie Wayne caught 10 passes for 86 yards and a TD for Indy, which finished last season 13-3, but lost 28-24 to the Chargers in the Divisional playoffs. Marvin Harrison had eight grabs for 76 yards, moving him into fourth place on the all-time yards list (14,020).
After the Colts held the Bears to a three-and-out on their first possession of the third quarter, Indy got the ball back at its own 48. Manning hit Wayne on four of seven plays on the drive, totaling 36 yards, including a six- yard touchdown. The score pulled the Colts within 15-13 with 9:22 left in the third.
After a Bears punt, the Colts got the ball back on their own 16. Manning tossed an incomplete pass on first down, but then found Harrison on 2nd- and-10. Charles Tillman hit the receiver about five yards from the line of scrimmage and jarred the ball loose before Briggs scooped it up and ran it into the end zone for a 22-13 Chicago lead with 1:52 showing on the clock. Colts head coach Tony Dungy challenged the ruling on the field, but the call stood.
Down by nine points and facing a 4th-and-1 at midfield with 13:47 remaining in regulation, the Colts decided to go for it. Dominic Rhodes got the handoff and attempted to go up the middle, though Adewale Ogunleye and Briggs plugged the hole stopping Rhodes in the backfield for a turnover on downs.
Chicago took over at the Indy 48 and ran five plays before a 26-yard pass to Desmond Clark landed the team on the goalline. Two plays later, McKie ran up the middle to pay dirt for a 29-13 lead with 9:01 left to play.
The Colts got the ball back at their own 14 and proceeded to drive all the way to the Bears' 33-yard line in about 4 1/2 minutes. There, the club was faced with a 4th-and-7, which the team decided to go for. Manning's pass fell incomplete, which gave the ball, and essentially the game, to the Bears.
"That's the way you want to start off a football season," Chicago head coach Lovie Smith said. "Going into the game we wanted to establish a run game."
After neither team could muster any points on their respective opening drives, Adam Vinatieri broke the scoreless tie with a 39-yard field goal just past the six-minute mark of the first quarter.
Chicago answered right back on its ensuing possession less than a minute later. With the ball on the Bears' 46-yard line, Forte opened the drive by rushing for four yards, Orton then tossed an incomplete pass before Forte broke a 50-yard run for a touchdown. The play gave the Bears a 7-3 lead they would take into the second stanza.
"When they had their chance to make plays, they made them and got touchdowns," Dungy said. "That was the difference."
Manning drove his Colts from Indy's 18-yard line all the way to the Chicago 16, a series that was highlighted by a 20-yard pass to Anthony Gonzalez. The nine-play drive was capped by a Vinatieri 34-yard kick barely inside of the right goal post to make it 7-6.
Robbie Gould countered with a 41-yarder on Chicago's next possession, and as Indianapolis got the ball back, Manning was sacked at the two-yard line. On 2nd-and-20, Ogunleye tackled Addai in the end zone for a safety. Dungy challenged the play, but the call stood making it 12-6 with 4:05 left in the first half.
"It was close, I don't think they could have overturned either one of them," Dungy said.
Gould added a 25-yarder as time expired to give the Bears a 15-6 lead heading into the intermission.
Game Notes
The Colts' Dallas Clark left the game in the first quarter with a right knee injury...The Bears have 50 Kickoff Weekend victories, which is the most by any team...The Colts had won four straight Kickoff Weekends prior to Sunday's setback...Wayne has caught a TD pass in his last three games vs. Chicago.
<< Serena wins U.S. Open
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Serena Williams outlasted Jelena
Jankovic to capture the U.S. Open title for the first time in six years.
Williams, the fourth seed, easily won the first set, but had to come from
behind to
<< Mets take second test of twin-bill behind Delgado
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Delgado stroked a pair of solo home
runs and finished with four RBI as the New York Mets took a 6-3 victory over
the Philadelphia Phillies to split a doubleheader at Shea Stadium.
Ryan Church and
<< Todd claims first Nationwide title in six-shot romp
Sandy, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brendon Todd capped off four sparkling rounds of
golf with a four-under 67 on Sunday to claim his first Nationwide Tour win at
the Utah Championship.
The 23-year-old rookie may have been surprised to see t
<< Coaching legend Don Haskins dies
El Paso, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hall of Fame basketball coach Don Haskins, who
helped break racial barriers in the collegiate game, died Sunday at the age of
78.
The El Paso Times reports Haskins died of congestive heart failure.
In 1966
Schiavone, Peng win Bali openers >>
Bali, Indonesia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fifth-seeded Italian Francesca Schiavone
and ninth-seeded Chinese Shuai Peng were among Monday's first-round winners at
the $225,000 Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic.
Schiavone drilled Indonesian quali
First-place Rays begin key AL East set with Red Sox >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays head to Boston's Fenway Park tonight for
the opener of the biggest series in the franchise's history, a three-game set
with the defending world champion Red Sox that could go along way in deciding
this seas
Blue Jays go for ninth straight win, take on White Sox >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays remain a longshot to earn a playoff
spot, but the club is having a say as to how the postseason shapes up in the
American League with its late-season play.
The red-hot Blue Jays take aim at a ninth co
Angels aim to reduce magic number in test with Yankees >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim attempt to reduce their
magic number in the American League West tonight against a team they've
handled well in recent years, the New York Yankees.
The Angels need any combination of three
American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies
It's that time of year folks. Betting on American Idol Season 9. And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below. With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.
No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.
Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.
Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.
Odds to Win
There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.
All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.
A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.
Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.
Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol.
Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.
If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.
Elimination Props
Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.
Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.
Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups
The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.
Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.
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Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value
If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture. Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).
For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot. The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.
TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.
"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,' it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."
"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.
Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash. Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win.
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