BetEd - The Line 8/17

[BangTheBook]

You can tell we’re approaching the busiest time on the sports calendar, as this week five events in four different sports are highlighted. In MLB action, the top teams are battling it out for division pennants, as the Detroit Tigers face the New York Yankees on Friday, and the LA Angels battle the Boston Red Sox on Saturday. In Auto Racing, it’s the NASCAR 3M Performance 400 at the Michigan International Speedway on Sunday. In NFL preseason action, it’s a rematch of last year’s Super Bowl as the Chicago Bears take on the Indianapolis Colts on Monday. And in Hot Props, we have early lines for the 2007 U.S. Open Tennis Championships.

TRIVIA:

Which NFL quarterback made the most pass attempts in his rookie season? 1. Drew Bledsoe 2. Rick Mirer 3. Peyton Manning 4. Dan Marino * ANSWER AT BOTTOM

MLB:

FRIDAY DETROIT TIGERS @ NEW YORK YANKEES 7:05 pm ET The Detroit Tigers will be in the Big Apple to battle the New York Yankees in a game featuring two of the top teams in the AL. The Tigers are 66-54 SU and 65-48-7 OU. Detroit is the second-highest scoring team in the league at 5.7 runs per game. The Tigers will start LHP Nate Robertson (ERA: 5.09, W/L: 7-9). The Yankees are 67-53 SU and 53-55-12 OU. New York is the highest scoring team in the league at 5.9 runs per game. Lefthander Andy Pettitte (ERA: 3.98, W/L: 9-7) gets the start for the Yankees. betED Line: Tiger +1.5(-125) Total: 11 SATURDAY LOS ANGELES ANGELS @ BOSTON RED SOX 7:05 pm ET The Los Angeles Angels will be in Boston to tackle the Red Sox on Saturday night. The Angels are 69-49 SU and 53-59-6 OU. LA will start RHP Jered Weaver (ERA: 3.85, W/L: 8-5). Weaver was solid in the series finale against Minnesota on Sunday, tossing 7 1/3 innings while allowing five hits and two earned runs. He used only 93 pitches and employed an effective breaking ball that kept the Twins off balance for much of the contest. The Red Sox are 72-48 SU and 54-62-4 OU. On the mound for Boston will be RHP Curt Schilling (ERA: 4.06, W/L: 6-5). In his last start against Baltimore, Schilling wasn't able to record a strikeout for just the fourth time in his career. But he put together an outstanding outing nonetheless, allowing just five hits and one run, which was unearned. betED Line: Angels +1.5(-120) Total: 9.5

AUTO RACING:

SUNDAY NASCAR – 3M PERFORMANCE 400 at Michigan International Speedway The NASCAR Nextel Cup Series makes a stop at the Michigan International Speedway this weekend for the 3M Performance 400. Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile, tri-oval. Jeff Gordon leads all drivers in the Nextel Cup Series standings with 3384 points and winnings of almost $4.8 million. The top favorites at betED are: 1. Tony Stewart (+500) 2. Jimmie Johnson (+550) 3. Jeff Gordon (+600) 4. Matt Kenseth (+700) 5. Kevin Harvick (+800)

NFL:

NFL PRESEASON – CHICAGO BEARS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 8 pm ET, ESPN The Chicago Bears face the Indianapolis Colts on Monday night at the RCA Dome in a rematch of last year’s Super Bowl. It will be the Colts' first home game since beating the Bears 29-17 to win Super Bowl XLI last February in Miami. The Colts were dumped 23-10 by the Dallas Cowboys in their first preseason outing Aug. 9. The Bears, meanwhile, beat the Houston Texans 20-19 last Saturday. betED Line: Colts (-1)(-110) Total: 35.5

Hot Props:

Tennis bettors can get a head start on the last Grand Slam event of the year as betED.com has released odds for the 2007 U.S. Open Tennis Championships later this month. The 125th U.S. Open runs from Aug. 27 to Sept. 9 at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. Who will win the Women’s Singles? 1. Justine Henin +150 2. Serena Williams +225 3. Maria Sharapova +500 Bet the Men's US Open Who will win the Men’s Singles? 1. Roger Federer -225 2. Rafael Nadal +400 3. Novak Djokovic +700

TRIVIA ANSWER:

4. Peyton Manning Manning attempted 575 passes in his 1998 rookie season.