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11/24/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Even though Dale Earnhardt, Jr. made the field for the 2008 "Chase for the Sprint Cup" championship, his first year with Hendrick Motorsports did not live up to expectations.
After spending his first eight full years of NASCAR Cup competition at Dale Earnhardt Inc., Earnhardt, Jr. left the team his father started in 1996 to join the mighty organization of Hendrick as driver of the No.88 Chevrolet at the start of this season.
With a new team, car number and sponsors, the "Junior Nation" was revitalized.
Earnhardt, Jr.'s new ride also sparked a lot of hype in the pre-season.
In January, three-time Cup champion and Fox Sports analyst Darrell Waltrip predicted Earnhardt, Jr. would win six races, including the Daytona 500. Earnhardt, Jr.'s crew chief, Tony Eury, Jr., said he would be disappointed if his team didn't win at least four races this year.
Earnhardt, Jr. began the year by winning the Budweiser Shootout (pre-season, non-points race) at Daytona International Speedway and then a victory in the first Gatorade Duel at Daytona, giving him the third starting spot in the Daytona 500. He finished ninth in that race.
In June, Earnhardt, Jr. snapped a 71-race winless streak at Michigan, but it turned out to be his only points-paying victory of the year.
Two months later, he started the Chase in the fourth seed after recording 13 top-10 finishes during the 26-race "regular season."
While a consistent number of solid finishes put Earnhardt, Jr. into this year's Chase, a string of bad luck in the final 10 races led to a 12th-place finish in points.
"I'm disappointed," team owner Rick Hendrick said last week at a media luncheon at Lowe's Motor Speedway. "I felt we were so good early on, and we just had tremendous little gremlins bite us from tire problems to things you just can't control."
"I think when we look back on the year and we look back at what he's accomplished, how he's fit into our organization and how happy he and Tony (Eury Jr.) are, we're going to make it better for next year."
Earnhardt, Jr., voted NASCAR's "Most Popular Driver" the past five years, will not attend next week's awards banquet in New York City as only the top-10 finishers in the Chase are honored.
"I was super excited about the way the season was going to start," Earnhardt, Jr. said. "I couldn't wait to get to work earlier this year. It was a long year, and we worked really hard. It went good at sometimes, and it went poorly other times. For the most part, I was real proud of just getting the season in the bank and getting done and looking forward to next year. I am really happy to be with Rick (Hendrick) and working with the guys I am working with."
Earnhardt, Jr. enjoyed his best Cup season with DEI in 2004 when he won six races, including the Daytona 500, and finished fifth in points.
While Earnhardt, Jr.'s teammate, Jimmie Johnson, aims for a record fourth- straight series championship, Mark Martin joins the Hendrick stables, replacing Casey Mears in the No.5 car.
With the addition of Martin, Hendrick has created a mega team with any one of his four drivers a strong possibility to win next year's title. But Hendrick thinks Martin's presence will help improve his organization. How that will effect Earnhardt, Jr. remains to be seen.
Though expectations might have been in his first year with Hendrick, Earnhardt, Jr. hopes next year he can return to his winning ways and finally capture his first Cup championship, joining his legendary father who won a record-tying seven titles.
<< Jaguars waive Kennedy, Brown
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Jacksonville Jaguars waived guard
Milford Brown and defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy on Monday.
Brown, in his seventh season out of Florida State, started four games this
season after injuries
<< Milwaukee forward Pihlstrom recalled by Nashville
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nashville Predators recalled forward
Antti Pihlstrom from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Milwaukee
Admirals, it was announced on Monday.
The 24-year-old Pihlstrom leads Milwaukee
<< RSL re-signs defender Olave through 2012
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Salt Lake agreed to a contract with
Jamison Olave that will keep the Colombian defender a member of the Utah side
through the 2012 Major League Soccer season, it was announced on Monday.
"We are ex
<< Kings F Zeiler suspended three games
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Hockey League handed down a
three-game suspension to Los Angeles Kings forward John Zeiler on Monday for
his actions during Saturday's 4-3 shootout loss to Colorado.
Zeiler, 26, was asses
Earnhardt Jr.'s 1st year with Hendrick ends on disappointing note >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Even though Dale Earnhardt, Jr. made the
field for the 2008 "Chase for the Sprint Cup" championship, his first year
with Hendrick Motorsports did not live up to expectations.
After spending his fir
No. 6 Texas makes short work of St. Joe's >>
Maui, HI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A.J. Abrams led all players with 17 points as
sixth-ranked Texas rolled past Saint Joseph's, 68-50, at the Maui Invitational
from the Lahaina Civic Center.
Gary Johnson notched 14 points and 10 rebounds fo
Canucks G Luongo week-to-week with groin injury >>
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo
has been termed week-to-week due to an adductor strain in his groin.
With 15:06 left in the first period in Saturday's victory over the Pittsburgh
Penguins, Luo
Around FCS: Putting the foot into football >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With its historical roots in rugby, there
has always been a strong element of kicking at the center of American
football.
But the early pioneers of the game couldn't have imagined the impact
Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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