Eleby will not return to Bonnies

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

06/01/2010 - Olean, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Malcolm Eleby, who was slated to be a senior with Saint Bonaventure next season, will not return to the team, the school announced on Tuesday.

The Philadelphia native averaged 5.8 points per game and dished out a team- best 100 assists in his junior season.

"We respect Malcolm's decision to leave the program and explore other options to continue with his basketball career," said Bonnies head coach Mark Schmidt. "He's been a valuable asset to the program over his three years and we wish him the best of luck in the future.

Eleby was one of four players who were charged in connection with an on-campus stabbing incident back in March. He is the second player of the group to leave the school after guard Lewis Leonard departed last month.

Wwpogo NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Former Astros P Robertson passes away
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Houston Astros pitcher Jeriome Robertson passed away on Saturday after a motorcycle accident in Exeter, California. He was 33. Robertson finished seventh in the 2003 National League Rookie of the Y

<< Rangers place P Holland on DL
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers placed pitcher Derek Holland on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with left rotator cuff inflammation. The move is retroactive to May 31. In his last start on Sunday versus the Twins, he

<< Cards bring back Miles
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals purchased the contract of infielder Aaron Miles from Double-A Springfield on Tuesday, bringing back a member of their 2006 World Series club. Miles had yet to catch on

<< Reds P Lincoln heads to DL, among other moves
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cincinnati Reds reliever Mike Lincoln was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday with a strained right latissimus dorsi. Lincoln, who is 1-0 with a 7.32 earned-run average in 19 games this seaso

<< Blues name Mellanby assistant coach
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Blues hired former NHLer Scott Mellanby as an assistant coach on Tuesday. Mellanby, 43, had been working as a pro scout with Vancouver and will remain at that position until July 15. "In

Blue Jays activate P Tallet >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays activated pitcher Brian Tallet from the 15-day disabled list. Tallet, who was on the DL since April 18 with a left forearm injury, will make the start, his fourth of the season, Tuesday

Let's cut to the chase >>
Pocono, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Thirteen races down and thirteen to go before the 2010 Sprint Cup Series championship chase begins September 19 in New Hampshire. After last Sunday's 600-mile race at Charlotte, the battle for the 12-driver chase f

Diamondbacks acquire Dontrelle Willis in trade with Tigers >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday acquired left-handed pitcher Dontrelle Willis and cash considerations from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for right-hander Billy Buckner. The 28-year-old Wil

Brewers reinstate Edmonds from DL >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Brewers reinstated outfielder Jim Edmonds from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday amid a host of roster moves. Edmonds hit the DL with a strained left oblique muscle back on May 18. The lefty-hitting

Red Bull swaps crew chiefs for Mears, Speed >>
Mooresville, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Red Bull Racing has switched crew chiefs and supporting personnel for its two Sprint Cup Series teams, beginning with this weekend's 500-mile race at Pocono, team officials announced on Tuesday. Driver

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.