10/09/2008 - Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stewart-Haas Racing announced Thursday that the U.S. Army will serve as primary sponsor of Ryan Newman's No.39 Chevrolet team in 22 points-paying NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races during the 2009 season, along with the Sprint All-Star Race next May at the Lowe's Motor Speedway. The U.S. Army will also serve as an associate sponsor of Newman's team for the remaining 14 races of the season.
"I am extremely honored for the opportunity to drive the No.39 U.S. Army Chevrolet and proud to represent the men and women who serve and protect our country," Newman said. "The dedication, teamwork and passion of the soldiers who defend our country is inspiring, and it will drive myself and everyone at Stewart-Haas Racing to become one of the elite teams in the garage."
Newman has won 13 career Sprint Cup races, including this year's Daytona 500. He is leaving Penske Racing at the end of the season to team up with Tony Stewart, who will drive the No.14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet next year. Stewart will also co-own the No.14 and No.39 teams.
"There is no group of people more dedicated to service and committed to excellence than the men and women of our armed forces," Stewart said. "We take great pride that the U.S. Army has chosen Stewart-Haas Racing as the team to lead its NASCAR effort."
The U.S. Army currently sponsors the No.8 Chevrolet with drivers Mark Martin and Aric Almirola, but is ending its contract agreement with Dale Earnhardt Inc. at the end of this year.
Announcements of additional sponsorship as well as a crew chief named for Newman's new team next season are expected with the next few weeks.
<< Blue Jackets put Malhotra on IR
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets placed center
Manny Malhotra on injured reserve on Thursday.
The Blue Jackets didn't disclose the injury, but the Columbus Dispatch
reported that a lower-body injury si
<< Sharks release Friesen from tryout deal
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks have released forward Jeff
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Friesen began his career with the Sharks after the club selected him with the
11th overall pick of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. He
<< Trio on top in Madrid
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Broadhurst, Magnus A. Carlsson and
Marcus Fraser each posted rounds of four-under 67 on Thursday to share the
opening-round lead of the inaugural Madrid Masters.
Pablo Larrazabal, Steven Jepp
<< Monfils reaches quarters; del Potro pulls out in Vienna
Vienna, Austria (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - French Open semifinalist Gael Monfils
was among Thursday's second-round winners, while rapidly-rising Argentine Juan
Martin del Potro pulled out of the $930,000 Bank Austria Tennis Trophy.
The eighth
Penguins acquire Zigomanis from Coyotes >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired forward
Mike Zigomanis from the Phoenix Coyotes on Thursday in exchange for future
considerations.
The 27-year-old played just 33 games for Phoenix a year ago, re
Nalbandian, Ancic move into Stockholm QFs >>
Stockholm, Sweden (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Argentine David Nalbandian
and second-seeded Croat Mario Ancic were among Thursday's second-round victors
at the $980,000 Stockholm Open.
Nalbandian whipped Swedish wild card Joachim J
Panthers activate three from IR >>
Sunrise, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Panthers activated forwards
David Booth, Radek Dvorak and Stephen Weiss from injured reserve on Thursday.
Booth recorded 22 goals and 40 points in 73 games last season, his second full
NHL c
Hatcher, Parent placed on IR by Flyers >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers placed
defensemen Derian Hatcher and Ryan Parent on the injured reserve list
Thursday.
Hatcher is out indefinitely with a right knee injury that could possibl
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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