Eagles release WR Curtis, DE Howard

Football Betting Lines

03/18/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Eagles released a pair of veterans on Thursday in wide receiver Kevin Curtis and defensive end Darren Howard.

Curtis was limited to 12 games the past two seasons due to a sports hernia and knee injuries following a 77-catch, 1,110-yard campaign in 2007, his first year with the Eagles.

"Kevin is one of the classiest players I have ever been around," said Eagles head coach Andy Reid. "He's the type of player and person we like to build our team with. We just feel good about the young corps of receivers we have on our team at this point."

Over his seven-year career, which began with the Rams, the Utah State product has logged 252 receptions for 3,291 yards and 20 touchdowns in 79 games.

Howard, 33, had been with Philadelphia for four seasons after a six-year stint in New Orleans, which made him its second-round pick in 2000. Howard never missed a game for the Eagles in his time there and had 5 1/2 of his 67 career sacks in 2009.

"Darren Howard has been one of our most productive and versatile members of our defense in the last couple of years," said Reid. "He is nothing but a solid player, leader and person on and off the field."

Wwwalpscasino Football Betting News

<< Bayern interested in Italian defender Bonucci
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich is reported to be one of the clubs showing an interest in Italy international defender Leonardo Bonucci. The 22-year-old, who is joint-owned by Genoa and Inter Milan, has impre

<< Spurs set to add Brazilian midfielder Sandro
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tottenham is close to completing a deal to sign Brazilian midfielder Sandro from Internacional. The 21-year-old has been on Spurs' radar for some time and Internacional President Vitorio Piffero is u

<< Jankovic moves into Indian Wells final four
Indian Wells, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic was a straight-set quarterfinal victor Thursday at the $4.5 million BNP Paribas Open. The sixth-seeded Jankovic moved into the semifinals at this top-flight hardcourt e

<< Last-second basket helps Murray State shock Vandy
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Danero Thomas sank a pull-up jumper with time expiring to lift 13th-seeded Murray State to a 66-65 win over fourth-seeded Vanderbilt in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. After an inbound with 4.2 s

<< 49ers cut ties with GM McCloughan
Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco 49ers have reportedly relieved general manager Scot McCloughan of his duties due to "personal matters" on Thursday. The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting the story via AOL Fa

Arsenal's Fabregas to return against West Ham >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas is set to return from injury against West Ham United on Saturday. The Spain midfielder has been sidelined since a 3-1 victory over Burnley at the beginning of the month

Kansas State pummels North Texas >>
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denis Clemente had 17 points and six assists as Kansas State dominated North Texas, 82-62, in the first round of the West Region of the NCAA Tournament Curtis Kelly and Jacob Pullen each had 15 p

Giants sign Australian punter Bond >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Giants have signed Australian punter Jy Bond. Bond, a former Australian rules football player at the semi-professional level, was with the Miami Dolphins last year before b

Baylor gets by Sam Houston State >>
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ekpe Udoh put up 20 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, and Baylor used a late run to pull away from Sam Houston State for a 68-59 victory in first-round action of the South Region. LaceDarius Dun

St. Mary's ends tourney drought with win over Richmond >>
Providence, RI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Omar Samhan led all scorers with 29 points and added 12 rebounds, as St. Mary's earned an 80-71 win over Richmond in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Mickey McConnell hit five three-pointers and

SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.

Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"

A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."

Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.

In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.

"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."

Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.

But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"

Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.

This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.

Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.

In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.

No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.

And that's all any bettor can ask for.

To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.