Red Bull announces 2009 driver, crew chief lineup

Autoracing Betting Lines

12/01/2008 - Mooresville, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Red Bull Racing set its 2009 Sprint Cup Series roster Monday with Ryan Pemberton serving as Brian Vickers' new crew chief and Jimmy Elledge guiding Scott Speed as he runs for rookie of the year honors.

Pemberton joins Vickers' No.83 team after serving as crew chief for David Reutimann at Michael Waltrip Racing in 2008. Reutimann ended the season by winning his first career Sprint Cup pole at Homestead.

Speed, a former Formula One competitor, will drive the No.82 Toyota for Red Bull and start next season locked inside the top-35 in car owner points. He will be guaranteed a starting position in the first five races, including the season-opening Daytona 500.

"We're entering our third Sprint Cup season with driver and crew chief pairings that have what it takes to consistently compete at a high level," team manager Jay Frye said in a statement. "Brian and Ryan are each at a point in their respective careers where they can bring home wins and make a run for the championship. Scott earned his Sprint Cup ride by exceeding our expectations in ARCA and trucks. He has a great asset in Jimmy, who has experience working with both rookies and open-wheel drivers."

Speed will also run a partial schedule in the Nationwide Series next year, driving the No.99 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing.

Hangsme Autoracing Betting News

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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche will try to halt a five-game losing streak in Minnesota, where they play the Wild tonight at Xcel Energy Center. The Avalanche haven't won in Minnesota since a 2-1 shootout victory on January 6, 2007

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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A matchup between the last two Stanley Cup champions is on tap tonight in the Motor City, as the Detroit Red Wings welcome the Anaheim Ducks to Joe Louis Arena. The Ducks won it all in 2007 and defeated Detroit in the West

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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks will try to avoid a third straight loss when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets for tonight's battle at Nationwide Arena. The Canucks had won four in a row before being swept in a home-and-home seri

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Kiffin introduced as coach of Vols >>
Knoxville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Tennessee made it official Monday and formally introduced Lane Kiffin as the 21st head football coach in school history. "I met with all of our players last night and they are definitely

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Frankfort, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The acquisition of the remaining 20-percent interest in 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin by his majority owner has been rejected by a Kentucky judge. The decision by Judge Roger Crittenden was made Monday.

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Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.








Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.