Report: Franchitti in Stremme out at Ganassi

Autoracing Betting Lines

09/08/2007 - Richmond, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - According to reports, IndyCar Series points leader Dario Franchitti could driver for Target Chip Ganassi Dodge beginning next season.

Earlier this week officials at Ganassi informed David Stremme that they didn't have a sponsor for him in 2008 and he was free to find a deal elsewhere if he could.

"In my conversation with David, I explained to him two or three different deals I'm working on for him," Chip Ganassi said. "I want him to stick around, but I just don't have anything for him right now and I don't want to hold him up in finding something new."

Stremme has made 63 starts with two top-10s and a best finish of eighth at Talladega earlier this season.

Franchitti is currently leading the IndyCar Series as it heads to the Chicagoland Speedway for its finale on Sunday.

Another open-wheel driver, Patrick Carpentier, appears to be close to a deal putting him in NASCAR as well. George Gillett, co-owner of Gillett Evernham Motorsports, said that Carpentier will drive a Cup car for them during the "Chase" this season and "probably will race full time in Cup for GEM next year."

Wwwcbot Autoracing Betting News

<< Glavine flirts with perfection as Mets down Astros
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tom Glavine took a perfect game into the sixth inning, but settled for the 303rd victory of his career as the New York Mets downed the Houston Astros, 3-1, in the second contest of a three-game series at Shea

<< Wells, Buckeyes down Zips with big second half
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Wells, an Akron native, starred against his hometown school with 143 yards rushing, and 12th-ranked Ohio State shook off a sluggish first half to down Akron, 20-2, at the Horseshoe. Wells hit the 100

<< NCAA champion leads suspended LPGA event
Rogers, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stacy Lewis, the reigning NCAA national champion, finished off a seven-under 65 on Saturday morning and held the lead at the LPGA NW Arkansas Championship when play was suspended yet again. Persistent bad weathe

<< Djokovic advances to U.S. Open final
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Novak Djokovic of Serbia advanced to his first Grand Slam final with a straight-set victory over Spain's David Ferrer on Saturday at the U.S. Open. The third-seeded Djokovic battled through the

<< No. 3 West Virginia pulls away late to beat Marshall
Huntington, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pat White threw for a pair of touchdowns and ran for a score, as third-ranked West Virginia visited state rival Marshall for the first time in 92 years and left with a tougher-than-expected 48-23 victory

Oklahoma blows away Hurricanes in renewal of rivalry >>
Norman, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sam Bradford threw for 205 yards with five touchdowns, leading fifth-ranked Oklahoma to a 51-13 rout of Miami-Florida in the renewal of an old rivalry at Memorial Stadium. Bradford, coming off last week'

Bowman's interception helps Nebraska slip past Wake Forest >>
Winston-Salem, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zackary Bowman came up with a huge fourth-quarter interception of Brett Hodges, and 16th-ranked Nebraska survived to beat Wake Forest, 20-17. Cornhuskers quarterback Sam Keller had a shaky outi

Devil Rays extend Maddon's contract through 2009 >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Devil Rays announced Saturday that they have picked up the two-year option on manager Joe Maddon's contract, and extended it through the 2009 season. Maddon, 53, is conclud

Harper sets school record as Tigers rout Warhawks >>
Clemson, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cullen Harper threw a school-record five touchdown passes to lead 25th-ranked Clemson to a 49-26 victory over Louisiana-Monroe at Memorial Stadium. Harper completed 20-of-26 passes for 270

Choice, Georgia Tech stomp Samford >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tashard Choice rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns, part of a Yellow Jacket rushing attack that gained 389 yards on the ground, as No. 21 Georgia Tech had no trouble in a 69-14 victory over Samford

Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.