05/11/2008 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Randy Johnson was scratched from his scheduled start against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday due to wet weather conditions.
Edgar Gonzalez was tabbed to start in Johnson's place if the weather allows.
Johnson, who owns a career record of 286-151, is 2-1 with a 5.06 earned run average in five starts for Arizona this season. Gonzalez is 1-2 with a 7.20 ERA in six games -- five starts -- this season.
<< Fever knocks Recapturetheglory out of Preakness
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Recapturetheglory, fifth in the Kentucky
Derby, has been declared out of the Preakness Stakes after showing a fever
Friday night.
"We took his temperature last night (Friday)," assistant trainer
<< Second day qualifying for Indy a washout
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An all-day rain ended the second day of
Indianapolis 500 qualifying even before it began. No drivers were able to take
to the track.
Qualifying for positions 12-33 will restart next Saturday, the thir
<< United captures title with win over Wigan
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs scored
goals to help Manchester United retain the Premiership title with a 2-0 win
over Wigan at The JJB Stadium on Sunday.
United entered the day level on 84 point
<< Otto holds off Wilson to win Italian Open
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hennie Otto fended off a stiff charge from
Oliver Wilson on Sunday to win the Italian Open, shooting a three-under 69 in
the final round to claim his first European Tour victory.
Otto, who shot a 63 in
Yankees-Tigers postponed due to heavy rain >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunday's scheduled series finale between the
New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers was postponed due to rain.
No make-up date for the game was announced.
Ljubicic wins war in Hamburg opener >>
Hamburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia was among a trio
of winners during the opening day of play at the Hamburg Masters Series open
on Sunday.
Ljubicic survived a three hour war to edge Steve Darcis of Belgium, 6-7
Millwood sent to 15-day DL >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers placed starting
pitcher Kevin Millwood on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday with a strained
right groin.
Millwood left Saturday's 6-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics af
Braves/Bucs game rained out >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunday's game between the Atlanta Braves
and Pittsburgh Pirates was postponed due to rain.
The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Monday, with the first
pitch scheduled for 12:35 p.m. (e
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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