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06/03/2010 - Stanton, DE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Champion colt Summer Bird has been retired from racing and will enter stud service. Trainer Tim Ritchey made the announcement Thursday at Delaware Park.
Ritchey said that the four-year-old has been retired because of an injury he suffered last year before a scheduled race in Japan. Summer Bird had a hairline fracture of his right front cannon bone which required surgery.
Owned and bred by K.K. and Vilasini Jayaraman, Summer Bird will begin stud service for the 2011 breeding season.
Summer Bird, winner of last year's Belmont Stakes, had been recuperating from surgery first at Oaklawn Park and most recently at Delaware Park. Early this year the colt was transferred from trainer Tim Ice to Ritchey.
Along with the Belmont in 2009 Summer Bird captured the Travers Stakes and Jockey Club Gold Cup. The colt finished sixth in the Kentucky Derby and fourth behind Zenyatta in the Breeders' Cup Classic.
His accomplishments led to him being voted the Eclipse Award as top three- year-old male of 2009. Last year he won four of nine starts for $2,323,040.
<< Rangers aim for rare road sweep of White Sox
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers take aim at their first three-game sweep
in Chicago in 24 years this evening when they wrap up their set against the
White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.
Texas moved to the brink of a sweep on Wednesday
<< Mariners go for series win over Twins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One day after the best player in the history of their
franchise called it a career, the Seattle Mariners will try for a series win
when they close out a four-game set against the Minnesota Twins tonight at
Safeco
<< Sizzling Braves head out west to battle Dodgers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National League East-leading Atlanta Braves bring their
rags to riches story to the west coast and will begin an 11-game road trip
tonight with the first of four straight meetings with the Los Angeles Dodgers
at Chavez Ra
<< Astros try for series win over Nationals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros hope to post their second winning series
in more than a month when they close out a four-game set Thursday afternoon
versus the Washington Nationals at Minute Maid Park.
After losing the opener of this s
Ravens sign PK Graham >>
Owings Mills, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Ravens made it official
Thursday and signed kicker Shayne Graham to a one-year contract.
The 32-year-old had been with Cincinnati since the 2003 season and was a 2005
Pro Bowl selection
Former Hofstra coach Joe Gardi dies >>
Hempstead, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Hofstra University football coach Joe
Gardi died Wednesday following a stroke suffered last week. He was 71 years
old.
Gardi compiled a 119-62-2 record in 16 seasons at Hofstra from 1990 to 2005.
Both
Men's semis set for Friday in Paris >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The men's French Open semifinals will be
staged on Friday, as second-seeded Spanish star Rafael Nadal will take on
22nd-seeded Austrian Jurgen Melzer and fifth-seeded Swede Robin Soderling will
face 15th-seed
Raptors unraveling as stars plan departure >>
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A dreadful off-season continues to get
worse for the Toronto Raptors, their fans and general manager Bryan Colangelo.
Just a few weeks after being scorned by Chris Bosh and his Twitter scandal,
another hum
Michael Vick is back, Brett Favre isn't and the NFC East remains the best division in the NFC, maybe in all of football.
As players start to gather for the start of another season, some things change and some stay the same in the world of the NFL.
The NFC East has been the dominant division in the National Conference for a while, despite limited playoff success, save for the New York Giants surprise Super Bowl win two seasons ago.
Hell, there's a generation of kids in Texas who have never seen the Cowboys win a playoff game (last win was in 1996).
But collectively, the Giants, Eagles, Cowboys and Redskins (well, maybe not so much the Redskins) are as good as a division gets in an NFC conference that has struggled to stay competitive with the AFC side.
Sports bettors have both acknowledged the NFC East's dominance, as one glance at the NFL future odds menu will show.
Looking over the NFL betting odds at online sports book MySportsbook.com we see the top three teams listed to win the NFC Championship are all from the NFC East:
Dallas Cowboys - 7 - 1
Philadelphia Eagles - 13 - 2
New York Giants - 9 - 2
Slotting in behind these three are two teams from the NFC North: the Minnesota Vikings (15-2) and the Chicago Bears (10-1).
Again, despite the lack of recent playoff success, the Dallas Cowboys are popular with the sports betting community, as they hold 14% of all the money wagered on who will win the NFC Championship.
So far, the New York Giants are the bettors' favorite to represent their conference in the Super Bowl, as they have 24% of the overall NFC Championship betting volume.
And what about the Philadelphia Eagles? For the most part, the Eagles had a very productive offseason, the kind that could bring them back to the top.
They had a good draft adding the likes of WR Jeremy Maclin and RB LeSean McCoy.
Unfortunately, the team received a blow when long-time defensive coordinator Jim Johnson passed away on Tuesday.
But this team will make a real run at the division title this year. Going into the regular season, Philly is listed at +240 to win the division.
Last season the Eagles were 9-6-1 SU and 10-6 ATS.
Teams from the NFC East will play teams from the AFC West in the regular season and the Eagles haven't really been a good bet in the last 20 games against the likes of San Diego, Oakland, K.C. and Denver, only going 8-12 ATS.
Two seasons removed from that Super Bowl title, the New York Giants see themselves listed as the odds-on favorite in NFC East championship futures at +162.
Plaxico Burress is gone and with him all the bad publicity surrounding the gun in the sweatpants incident, but can they replace him in the offense?
Last season the Giants were a very reliable bet going 12-4 ATS.
In the Giants' last 20 games against fellow teams from the NFC East; they are 13-7 ATS.
Dallas is listed at +240 to win the division.
Dallas went 9-7 SU and 7-9 ATS last season and with the amount of talent the Cowboys have, a similar performance won't do.
The Cowboys have been atrocious against divisional rivals, going 6-14 ATS in their last 20.
The Washington Redskins are longshots to win the division at +550.
Visit MySportsbook.com for free sportsbook odds RSS feeds go to MySportsbook.com for all your betting football needs.
Chicago, IL - New Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and star linebacker Brian Urlacher shot down reports of a rift, saying they're simply not true.
"There's nothing between us," Cutler said Thursday, when he reported to training camp. "I just want to put that to rest. There never has been anything between us."
Urlacher added: "I never said what I was quoted as saying and that's it. I have a lot of respect for Jay. I think Jay knows that."
Former Bears receiver Bobby Wade caused a stir when he told Minneapolis radio station KFAN-AM that Urlacher used a profanity while questioning Cutler's manhood during a conversation in Las Vegas last weekend. Wade, who now plays for the Vikings, said Urlacher used a profane version of the word "wimp" during the interview that had to be edited out.
go radio station WSCR-AM also reported that Urlacher had to be restrained from confronting Cutler during organized team activities.
"I wouldn't go face-to-face with Brian, anyway," Cutler said. "No, that's never happened. I've hung out with Brian away from the facility numerous times and we've always gotten along."
Urlacher, noting he was limited by a groin injury, denied the reports in an interview with the Chicago Tribune and did it again when he reported to camp.
"I didn't practice this summer, so I don't know how I would fight the guy if I didn't practice," Urlacher said. "We have no problems. I'm excited about football starting. I'm excited to have him as our quarterback."
Why would Wade say that?
"I don't know," Urlacher said. "Maybe he's jealous because we have a good quarterback now."
Cutler said the first he heard of any friction was when he got a call from Urlacher to clear the air. Urlacher, however, said he had already taken several calls from teammates wondering if the reports were true when Cutler phoned.
"He called me and I said, What's up (expletive), what are you doing?'" a grinning Urlacher said, uttering the same word he allegedly used with Wade. "It's so dumb to me that this even got to this point, but it did and then here we are."
better place after going 9-7 and missing the playoffs for the second straight year. They have a franchise quarterback for the first time in decades after acquiring Cutler in an offseason trade with Denver. But there are questions about his attitude following a fallout with Broncos management and new coach Josh McDaniels.
His critics include former Bears coach Mike Ditka and former Indianapolis and Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy, one of Smith's mentors. Smith, however, said Cutler has been a model teammate so far while denying any animosity with Urlacher.
"There's no issue with Jay and Brian, except Brian and Jay are both excited about being teammates for our club this year," coach Lovie Smith said. "No more than that. We can't spend a whole lot of time on something that isn't true. I have talked to the players. Whenever something comes out, you have to address it, but it's a non-issue."
In some ways, Cutler is getting a second chance in Chicago, an opportunity to repair his reputation.
Smith said another quarterback - Michael Vick - deserves one, although he doesn't see it happening with the Bears, who lack an experienced backup. The former Atlanta Falcons star, who served a 23-month sentence for running a dogfighting ring, said Thursday he is getting close to signing with a pro football team.
"A second chance, like everyone in society who has paid their debt to society," Smith said. "He deserves a second chance. As far as we're concerned, we like this team that we have right now."
Particularly the new quarterback.
"Me and Brian have been on a good relationship since I've been here, and I expect it to continue that way," Cutler said.
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