05/13/2007 - Darlington, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NASCAR Nextel Cup race scheduled to be run on Saturday night at the Darlington Raceway was postponed due to a heavy rainstorm which started early in the day. The rain continued throughout the evening and the jet dryers never got on the track. NASCAR officials called an end to the evening at around 9 p.m. (et).
The Dodge Avenger 500 has been rescheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m.
Clint Bowyer will be on the pole when the green flag finally drops to start the 367-lap race.
Through 10 races and the season belongs to one team and in particular two of it's drivers - Nextel Cup Series points leader Jeff Gordon and 2006 Nextel Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson.
Gordon has put together a spectacular first 10 races and owns a 211-point lead over Johnson. Gordon's start, two wins and nine top-10s is one of the best starts since NASCAR went to the current points system in 1975. His 1691 points would put him just behind Cale Yarborough's 1977 season when the Hall-of-Fame driver posted five wins and nine top-10s. Yarborough's season would equate to 1775 points by today's scoring standards (he earned 1725 points in 1977).
All that being said, if the "Chase for the Nextel Cup" were to begin today, Gordon would not be the series leader. Johnson's four wins would move the No.48 Lowe's Chevrolet driver to the head of the class. He would begin the "Chase" with 20 more points than Gordon. His four wins and seven top-10s puts him in second place at the moment.
Together Gordon and Johnson have six wins and 16 top-10s for owner Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports.
<< Federer splits with coach
Basel, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World No. 1 Roger Federer and Tony Roche
have mutually decided to end their 2 1/2 year long part-time coaching
arrangement.
During the time Roche was coaching Federer, the Swiss rolled throug
<< Royals activate Elarton from DL
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Royals activated pitcher Scott
Elarton from the 15-day disabled list in time to pitch Saturday against the
Chicago White Sox, his first start since July 16.
Kansas City's opening day start
<< Kidd, Nets down Cavaliers in Game 3
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Kidd recorded his 11th career
playoff triple-double, and the New Jersey Nets avoided a huge three-game hole
in their Eastern Conference semifinal series with a 96-85 victory over the
Clevela
<< White Sox place Cintron on bereavement list
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox placed infielder Alex
Cintron on the Major League Bereavement List prior to Saturday's game against
the Kansas City Royals.
Also, the club recalled infielder Andy Gonzalez from Triple
Braves rout Bucs >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chuck James allowed just one run in seven
innings and Scott Thorman homered twice as the Atlanta Braves beat the
Pittsburgh Pirates, 9-2, in the second of a three-game set at PNC Park.
James held
Chivas, Columbus battle to draw >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - CD Chivas USA and the Columbus Crew battled to
a 1-1 draw at Crew Stadium on Saturday night, and aside from the first 18
minutes, the game was pretty uneventful.
Chivas USA forward Ante Razov got his team
The Reserve at Gearhart Takes Shape - A Premiere Oregon Coast Home Site Development Underway between Astoria and Cannon Beach >>
The Reserve at Gearhart is nearly finished. This premiere home site, located two blocks from Oregon's historic coastline has its roads paved, utilities in, and the community mail cottage is in the final stages of completion.
The Reserve at Gear
LPGA Chooses Official Navistar Classic Hotel: Marriott Montgomery Prattville Hotel >>
The Navistar LPGA Classic golf tournament will be held September 24-30, 2007 on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Course in Prattville, Alabama.
The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
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