11/20/2008 - St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks recalled defenseman Nolan Baumgartner on Thursday, prior to the team's game with Minnesota.
The journeyman backliner did not play in the NHL last season, but appeared in 13 games with Philadelphia and Dallas in 2006-07, collecting three assists. The Canucks signed Baumgartner this summer, bringing the 32-year-old back for this third stint with the club.
Baumgartner had his best campaign in 2005-06 with the Canucks, posting five goals and 34 assists with a plus-11 rating in 70 games. Over 131 contests stretching back to the 1995-96 season with Washington, Chicago, Vancouver, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Dallas, he has picked up six goals and 45 points.
The Calgary native briefly spent the 2002-03 season playing for the Canucks, then after a short stint with the Penguins in 2003-04, came back to Vancouver before the Flyers acquired him prior to the 2006-07 season.
<< St. Mirren's Barron suffers setback in recovery
Paisley, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Mirren right back David Barron has
suffered a setback as he continues his recovery from a knee ligament problem.
The 21-year-old suffered medial ligament damage in his left knee during a
fri
<< England's young stars impress captain Terry
Berlin, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England captain John Terry was relieved to
head in the winning goal in the 2-1 friendly success against Germany after his
earlier blunder had allowed Joachim Low's side to grab an equalizer.
Dithering by
<< New Boss: Hal Steinbrenner officially takes control of Yankees
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Baseball owners approved a shift
of control of the New York Yankees from George Steinbrenner to his son Hal on
Thursday.
Steinbrenner's sons, Hank and Hal, had been named co-chairpersons of the
<< Juventus targeting Bayern Munich's Schweinsteiger
Turin, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reports from Turin suggest Bayern Munich's
Germany international Bastian Schweinsteiger is a target for Juventus.
The Serie A giants are keen to sign a replacement for Pavel Nedved in January
and, accor
Cowboys' Felix Jones done for season >>
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dallas Cowboys rookie running back Felix Jones
has a torn ligament in the big toe on his left foot, an injury which will
require surgery that will sideline him for the remainder of the season.
The Cowboys anno
UCA's Hart, ASU's LeGree named to Buchanan Watch List >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Central Arkansas defensive end Larry Hart
and Appalachian State free safety Mark LeGree have been named to the final
Buck Buchanan Award watch list.
The pair will join 14 other players on the ballot f
Everton's Moyes wants more respect from the FA >>
Merseyside, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Everton manager David Moyes has called
for more respect from the Football Association following his fine for improper
conduct.
Moyes was hit with a $7,400 fine relating to the charge which follo
Morse clings to slim lead at Champions Q-School >>
Coral Springs, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Morse struggled to a two-over 74
Thursday as his lead dropped to one stroke after three rounds of the Champions
Tour National Qualifying Tournament.
Morse, who led by three shots after two ro
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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