Burris leads Stampeders over Winnipeg

Football Betting Lines

08/01/2010 - Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Henry Burris threw for 340 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and the Calgary Stampeders held on to defeat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 23-20, at McMahon Stadium

Burris converted 28-of-38 pass attempts and added 55 rushing yards for Calgary (4-1), which won its second game in a row to remain in a tie with Saskatchewan for the top spot in the Western Conference. Nik Lewis hauled in 10 balls for 160 yards, while Ken-Yon Rambo made six catches for 86 yards and a score in his first game back since suffering a torn knee ligament against the B.C. Lions last July.

Steven Jyles, starting his second consecutive game in place of the injured Buck Pierce, threw for 227 yards and a score on 17-of-30 tosses, as Winnipeg (2-3) suffered its third loss in the past four games. Terrence Edwards grabbed six passes for 162 yards and a score in the defeat, while Fred Reid rushed for 75 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.

It didn't take long for Rambo to make his impact felt, as he hauled in a 20- yard touchdown pass from Burris to give Calgary the lead after one quarter of play. The catch, which came after a holding penalty that made it second-and- goal from the 20-yard line, capped a five-play, 74-yard drive.

Calgary added to its lead early in the second quarter when Rob Maver connected on a 45-yard field goal.

A response from Winnipeg came midway through the second quarter, with Reid breaking off a 46-yard touchdown run. A 66-yard punt by Winnipeg's Alexis Serna then resulted in a single to make it a 10-8 game.

The Stamps answered on the ensuing drive, as Burris connected with Deon Murphy from four yards out for a touchdown with 32 seconds left in the half. The drive took less then two minutes and spanned 75 yards on eight plays.

After Winnipeg forced and recovered a Burris fumble to stall a promising Calgary drive midway through the third quarter, the Bombers moved into scoring position courtesy of a 45-yard pass interference call. The Bombers would settle for a 33-yard field goal by Serna, and they now trailed just 17-11 heading into the fourth quarter.

Calgary wasted little time extending its lead early in the final frame, as Maver snuck in a 37-yard field goal just minutes into the period.

The Bombers though, responded less then two minutes later when Jyles hit a wide open Terrence Edwards on a 61-yard touchdown pass.

With 3:22 remaining, Maver knocked through a 45-yard field goal to give Calgary a little cushion at 23-18.

Following a quick two-and-out, Winnipeg's defense came up with a big stand and forced Calgary into a punt.

The Bombers, who had the ball at their own 24-yard line with 1:40 remaining, moved right down to the Calgary 30-yard line courtesy of a 43-yard pass from Jyles to Edwards.

Winnipeg, however, was unable to convert on any of the next three downs, twice going for it all with passes to the end zone. Brock Ralph had a shot at the first toss to the end zone, but the pass went off his shoulder, and Jyles overthrew Edwards on the third down.

Calgary then took a safety while running out the final seven seconds of the game.

Game Notes Rambo's touchdown was his first since October 18th, 2008..Burris has thrown for over 300 yards in four of the last five meetings against Winnipeg...The Stamps are now unbeaten in their last nine contests at home, going 8-0-1 in that span...Calgary has now won three of the last four meetings in the series...The Bombers remain winless in Calgary since 2002...These teams are set to finish off the 2010 regular season against each other in Winnipeg, their only other scheduled meeting of the campaign.

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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.