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<< Indians recall Todd, option Huff
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians recalled pitcher Jess Todd from Triple-A Columbus and optioned pitcher David Huff to the same club on Wednesday. Todd has appeared in five games for the Indians this season ou

<< Former Pirate announcer/player King passes away
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nelson King, a former pitcher and announcer for the Pittsburgh Pirates, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 82. He had been battling several health problems for the past couple of years, including co

<< Ariza, Collison involved in four-team trade
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Hornets, Indiana Pacers, Houston Rockets and New Jersey Nets have reportedly agreed on a trade that will change the homes of five players, including Trevor Ariza and Darren Colliso

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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - "Now the world don't move to the beat of just one drum. What might be right for you, may not be right for some." The introductory verse of the theme song to "Diff'rent Strokes" describes Brett Favre's ongoing behavior thor

Boston disables Cash, promotes Saltalamacchia >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox have placed catcher Kevin Cash on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to August 9, with a strained left hamstring. Cash is batting .176 with two home runs and four runs bat

Twins' Perkins recalled for season debut >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins recalled Glen Perkins from Triple-A Rochester to make Wednesday's start against the Chicago White Sox. Perkins, filling in for the injured Kevin Slowey (elbow tendinitis), has not made a

Djokovic wins second-rounder in Toronto >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World No. 2 Novak Djokovic was a second-round winner Wednesday at the $2.43 million Roger Cup, an ATP Masters event. Djokovic, who struggled mightily with the hot conditions here on Day 3, snuck past game Fren

Cardinals do talking with sweep, jump Reds for divison lead >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colby Rasmus belted a grand slam in support of Adam Wainwright's seven scoreless innings as St. Louis downed Cincinnati, 6-1, to complete a three-game sweep and move into sole possession of first place i

Football Betting

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .