07/23/2008 - Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denver Broncos wide receiver Rod Smith has scheduled a Thursday afternoon press conference to announce his retirement, according to the Rocky Mountain News.
Smith joined Denver as an undrafted free agent out of Missouri Southern University prior to the 1994 season, and went on to amass 849 career receptions, 11,389 receiving yards and 68 touchdowns in 183 games with the Broncos.
Smith was placed on the reserve/retired list since February, effectively ending the career of perhaps the most accomplished pass catcher in franchise history after 13 seasons.
Smith underwent the second of two hip surgeries in January. The 37-year old missed the entire 2007 campaign while rehabilitating from the initial procedure last offseason, and was placed on injured reserve in early November.
A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Smith ranks seventh in career games played with the Broncos and holds the NFL career record for receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches by an undrafted player.
The 6-foot, 190-pounder currently ranks 12th on the NFL's career receptions list, and his nine-year streak of catching at least 70 passes each season from 1997 through 2005 ties for the second longest in league history.
Smith spent his rookie season on the Broncos practice squad but quickly ascended the team's depth chart, becoming an integral member of two Super Bowl champions and seven Denver playoff squads. He set team records with 49 total postseason receptions, 860 receiving yards and six playoff touchdowns. In Denver's Super Bowl XXXIII win over Atlanta, Smith had 152 receiving yards -- tied for fifth-best in Super Bowl history.
Among his many achievements with Denver, the Texarkana (AR) High School product is the Broncos' career record holder in combined yards (12,488), yards from scrimmage (11,737) and overall touchdowns (71).
<< Rays send down Zobrist in anticipation of Bartlett's return
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays optioned shortstop
Ben Zobrist to Triple-A Durham Wednesday.
Zobrist, who went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in a 4-3 win over the
Oakland Athletics Wednesday, was option
<< Lowell to the rescue as Sox edge M's in extras
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Lowell drove in the go-ahead runs in the
top of the 12th inning and the Boston Red Sox held off a late charge from the
Seattle Mariners to win, 6-3, and complete a three-game sweep at Safeco Field.
Bost
<< Saints extend WR Colston through 2011
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Saints and wide receiver
Marques Colston agreed to a three-year contract extension through the 2011
season Wednesday.
The seventh round pick in the 2006 draft has grossly outperfor
<< Braves' Jones leaves with hamstring injury
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones
left Wednesdays game against the Florida Marlins in the fourth inning with an
apparent left hamstring injury.
The All-Star grounded to third base and grabbed the
Reyes homers, Wagner closes as Mets tie Phils for NL East lead >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Reyes hit the go-ahead three-run home
run in the sixth inning and John Maine was solid on the hill, as the New York
Mets edged the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-3, as the clubs moved into a tie atop
the NL
Braves top Marlins; Jones injured >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Hudson hurled six shutout innings, and
Gregor Blanco and Yunel Escobar each drove in three runs apiece as
Atlanta bested Florida, 9-4, in the rubber match of a three-game set.
Things weren
O's, Blue Jays game suspended in sixth inning >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wednesday's contest between Toronto and the
Baltimore Orioles was suspended due to heavy rain in the top of the sixth
inning with the Blue Jays ahead by the score of 2-1.
The teams will resume play o
Pedro's father loses battle with cancer >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pedro Martinez's father, Pablo, died during
the New York Mets 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday night.
After hearing the news, Martinez immediately left Shea Stadium in the seventh
inning.
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.
MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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