Cowboys' Bryant will catch passes, not carry pads

Football Betting Lines

07/25/2010 -

SAN ANTONIO (AP) -Cowboys rookie receiver Dez Bryant says he is in training camp to catch passes, not carry somebody else's shoulder pads.

The Cowboys were in pads for the first time in camp Sunday. Veteran players traditionally hand their pads to a rookie at the end of practice, but when receiver Roy Williams handed his to Bryant after the first of two sessions, the rookie didn't carry them.

Bryant says he was drafted to play football and that he'd feel the same way if he was an undrafted rookie and not the team's first-round pick.

Williams says every rookie has to go through such rituals. He says he carried pads and paid for meals when he was a rookie for Detroit in 2004.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Cbaaports Football Betting News

<< Dixon prevails in controversial Edmonton finish
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Dixon won the Honda Indy Edmonton IZOD IndyCar Series race in a bizarre and controversial finish. Helio Castroneves crossed the finish line first, but was penalized for blocking his Penske Racing teammat

<< Ishikawa's hit sends Giants to sweep of Arizona
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Travis Ishikawa knocked in the winning run in the 10th inning to lift San Francisco over Arizona, 3-2, to complete a four-game sweep. Sergio Romo (3-3) hurled a scoreless ninth for the win and Bria

<< Shin holds off Joh for first Duramed Futures win
Concord, NH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jenny Shin birdied the final hole Sunday to beat Tiffany Joh by a single stroke at The International at Concord. Shin, who won for the first time on the Duramed Futures Tour, closed with a three-under 6

<< Mariners rally past Red Sox
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Saunders' two-run single, part of six straight hits by the Mariners to start the eighth inning, lifted Seattle to a 4-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox to conclude a four-game series. Casey Kot

<< Chakvetadze titles in Slovenia
Portoroz, Slovenia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Russian Anna Chakvetadze needed just over an hour to beat Sweden's Johanna Larsson, 6-1, 6-2, to capture the title at the Slovenia Open. Chakvetadze, who won her first championship of the year

Raburn gets key hit to cap Tigers' comeback over Jays >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Raburn hit a go-ahead three-run double in the eighth inning to give the Tigers a 6-5 comeback victory over the Blue Jays to wrap up a day-night doubleheader and a four-game series. As a result of Friday

Marta, Milbrett help FC Gold Pride topple Freedom >>
Boyds, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two goals apiece from Marta and Tiffeny Milbrett allowed FC Gold Pride to claim a comfortable 4-1 win over the Washington Freedom at Maryland Soccerplex. Milbrett opened the scoring 18 minutes into the

Guti announces Real Madrid departure >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Guti officially announced his departure from Real Madrid on Sunday after 15 years at the Santiago Bernabeu. The 33-year-old midfielder debuted with Real in 1995 after joining the club as a nine-year-old, a

Ferdinand still six weeks away from return >>
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand is still six weeks away from returning to action. Ferdinand looks set to miss the start of the new season despite previous suggestions of a full

Texas takes series from Angels to extend division lead >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Hamilton went 3-for-4 with a triple and three RBI and Tommy Hunter stayed undefeated on the year, as Texas pulled out a 6-4 victory over the American League West rival Angels. The Angels made big new

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.