Live Lines

Choose Your Sport

Teams	Spread	Money	Over& Under

Picks

UFC 122 Preview and Prediction: Nate Marquardt vs. Yushin Okami

In the wake of positive tests, schedules re-arranged, and new challengers tapped, the middleweight division finally seems to be calming down.

Following Chael Sonnen's positive test announced last month in the wake of his near victory over champion Anderson Silva, Vitor Belfort has been tapped to step up as Silva's next challenger, tentatively scheduled for UFC 125.

To determine the rest of the field, top contenders Yushin Okami and Nate Marquardt will square off at UFC 122 from the Konig Pilsener Arena, in Oberhausen, Germany. The bout, set to go down on November 13, will determine the next man to step up to challenge the middleweight kingpin.

Betting fans know that Marquardt-Okami is a tough fight to call, but Okami's recent change in training might make the difference. Following his loss to Sonnen, Okami spent some time living in Oregon and training with top middleweight Chael Sonnen and Team Quest, hoping to shore up deficiencies in his wrestling game. Okami may have added the skills and confidence needed to get this win.

Meanwhile, Marquardt will have to use solid defensive wrestling, and turn this into a striking battle if he hopes to find success. If he can keep distance between himself and Okami, avoid the clinch game and use his striking, he has a much better chance of winning this. Still, Okami's wrestling will be too much for the Team Jackson product, and he is a smart bet to out work Nate Marquardt enroute to a decision. Yushin Okami will prove to be the next man worthy to step up and challenge for Anderson Silva's middleweight crown.

Orioles Fire Manager Friday

In a move many anticipated would come before the end of this upcoming weekend, the Baltimore Orioles have fired manager Dave Tremblay. The Orioles, which have the worst record in Major League Baseball through the opening two months of the season, are the first club of at least a handful considering making changes in their clubhouse in an attempt to help turnaround tough starts to the online sports betting season. The Orioles are 15-39 through the first 54 games of the season after losing nine straight, and are in the bottom of the league in nearly every meaningful statistical category. Baltimore has been outscored by a combined 91 runs entering tonight's game against the Boston Red Sox. By comparison, all four of the other teams in the American League East are plus-24 or better.

The manager role will be filled by third-base coach Juan Samuel, who was appointed interim manager by president of baseball operations Andy McPhail. The writing has been on the mlb betting wall for the move since Baltimore opening the season with just two wins through their first 18 games, and although Tremblay may just be the scapegoat for a team void of much talent competing in perhaps the toughest division in baseball, with attendance dipping and a lack of compete, a move had to be made, and the release of Tremblay may have been the most sensible. Early season injuries to Brian Roberts, Felix Pie, and Mike Gonzalez have been a big reason for the struggles as well.

Crayton Requests Release

There has been a lot of hullabaloo among the Dallas Cowboys wide receivers this offseason and as a matter of fact, there is always plenty of chatter about the Dallas Cowboys from an NFL football betting perspective. Their typically a fan-favorite in Legends sportsbooksand other shops that take big action on Sundays, but this story is more regarding on-field action than the betting side of things off of it.

The Cowboys made some big news when they drafted wideout Dez Bryant in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Bryant was a difference-maker in NCAA football betting and NCAA point spreads and the Cowboys simply had to take him when he was on the board. At the same time, they didn't realize that they actually might be creating a logjam at the position.

Realistically, the Cowboys don't have said logjam but one player believes they do: Crayton.

The veteran wideout, who has been a vital piece of the Cowboys in previous years when Terrell Owens didn't have a No. 2 to distract attention or when Roy Willliams never stepped up, but now he wants out. With the emergence of Miles Austin, who is now the Cowboys No. 1 and the selection of Bryant, Crayton's playing time and reps will decrease significantly. On top of that, the Cowboys decided to keep Williams around despite the lousy production, and that pushes Crayton to fourth on the depth chart.

In truth, Crayton probably deserves a little better than that but if we're being bluntly honest, he just isn't much more than a No. 3 receiver. The better choice may have been to cut Williams and keep Crayton, but the addition of Bryant to the team has fired up Williams to the point where he might actually play like the No. 1 playmaker they thought he could be next year. While Crayton is more consistent, Williams has far greater upside and the Cowboys don't want to give that up.

Crayton has requested a trade but the Cowboys aren't obligated to do anything. He's under contract and they'd be wise to keep him around as an insurance policy.

Kobe and the Lakers Overwhelm Nash and Suns

Last night, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns kicked off the NBA's Western Conference finals in game 1 in Los Angeles. The end result was a 128 to 107 win for the Lakers. Star guard Kobe Bryant dominated the Suns defense, contributing 40 of the 128 pts the Lakers scored. Suns star guard Steve Nash on the contrary only chimed in 13 points and 13 assists. When participating in NBA betting, fans would have expected a high scoring affair from two of the league's top offenses, but at the same time would also be expecting a close matchup. Instead, viewers placing a bet online for the game saw one of the most dominant performances in NBA history, as the Lakers led from start to finish.

Aside from the second quarter in which the Suns were able to win the quarter 29 to 27, the Lakers were fierce as they reeled off an average of 33 points a quarter. Amar'e Stoudemire and Jason Richardson chimed in with 23 and 15 points respectively for the Suns in the losing effort while Paul Gasol and Lamar Odom each contributed with 21 and 19 points in the winning effort. If the Suns have any chance of winning in this series, they will need to get off to a much better start, as although they have come back the most times out of any team in the NBA this season, if last night is any indication it appears the comeback streak may be drying up. Further if the Suns expect to have any chance, they need the bench to step it up as they only contributed a lowly 35 points for the entire game.

Bulls Fire Head Coach Vinny Del Negro

The Chicago Bulls have made the move many anticipated would go through a long time ago, announcing that they would hold a press conference to announce the firing of head coach Vinny Del Negro on Tuesday. Sources out of Chicago have reported that General Manager Gar Forman will address the Bulls' coaching situation, in which he is sure to face several questions about his feelings with Del Negro, as it has been rumored for months that a deteriorating relationship between the two would eventually lead to Del Negro's demise. The former coach still has one year left on the guaranteed contract he signed with Chicago, which is worth approximately $2 million.

The Bulls finished 41-41 in the regular season, before being eliminated by the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games in the opening round of the playoffs. ESPN originally reported back in December that after this season, Chicago was expected to make a change in bench bosses. The move was finally made six betting days after they were eliminated.

It was revealed when the basketball betting series started that Del Negro had also clashed with Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson over the playing time of center Joakim Noah in March. At the time, Noah was recovering from a foot injury, and the dispute was over how many minutes the 25-year old would play. The argument reached its climax when Paxson shoved Del Negro, after the latter got too close during the heated debate.

Newsletter