0-fer and out: Winless Lions reportedly fire Marinelli

Football Betting Lines

12/29/2008 - Allen Park, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Lions head coach Rod Marinelli weathered his way through a season that produced the first winless campaign since 1976, and his anticipated fate was realized when the club reportedly fired him on Monday.

The NFL Network reported the 0-16 mark was the final judgment on Marinelli's three-year tenure, which produced just a 10-38 record.

The 10-year defensive assistant in Tampa Bay was the fourth head coach in former general manager Matt Millen's eight-year tenure as the lead voice in Detroit's front office.

Marinelli will now reportedly join Millen on the unemployment line.

The Lions (0-16) became the first team since the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who went 0-14 in their expansion season, and the first team since the league went to a 16-game format to finish a full campaign without a win.

The Lions now join the 1962 New York Mets (40-112), the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers (9-73) and the 1974-75 Washington Capitals (8-67-5) as having the worst season in their respective sports. However, the Mets and Capitals were both expansion teams when they set the mark.

Wwnytimes Football Betting News

<< Report: Red Sox close to signing Penny, Bard
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Red Sox are close to signing starting pitcher Brad Penny and catcher Josh Bard, according to a report from the Boston Globe late Sunday night. Though the signing of Penny would pale in co

<< Canucks' Pyatt out indefinitely
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vancouver Canucks forward Taylor Pyatt will be sidelined indefinitely after breaking a bone in his right foot during a loss to Edmonton on Friday. Pyatt suffered the injury after blocking a second per

<< Canucks keep Ottawa sputtering on the road
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Curtis Sanford stopped 18 shots for his fifth career shutout as Vancouver beat Ottawa 3-0, sending the Senators to their 12th consecutive road defeat. Alexander Edler, Henrik Sedin and Pavol Demitra eac

<< LA Tech edges NIU to win Independence Bowl
Shreveport, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daniel Porter logged 78 yards on the ground with a touchdown and Phillip Livas returned a kickoff for a score, as the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs edged the Northern Illinois Huskies, 17-10, in the 33rd an

<< Kobe carries Lakers past Warriors
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant connected on 9-of-15 from the floor and 10-of-10 from the free throw line for a game-high 31 points as the Lakers pounded the Warriors, 130-113. Both teams were coming off victories over B

Jets press conference minus Mangini; coach reportedly out >>
Hempstead, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Jets will hold a 10 a.m. (et) press conference on Monday morning without an integral figure -- head coach Eric Mangini. 1050 ESPN Radio in New York reports that the absence equals termina

Hawks finish lengthy homestand vs. Nuggets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks will wrap up a lengthy eight-game homestand Monday night when the Denver Nuggets pay a visit to Philips Arena. The Hawks have won four in a row and improved to 6-1 on the residency with a 129-117 victory

Rockets host Wizards at Toyota Center >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets will resume a three-game homestand Monday when the Washington Wizards pay a visit to the Toyota Center. The Rockets won the opener of the residency on Saturday when Ron Artest scored 10 of his ga

T-Wolves welcome Grizzlies to Target Center >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Timberwolves will try to stop a nine-game home losing streak when they welcome the Memphis Grizzlies to Target Center. Minnesota opened a short two-game homestand with a 118-94 loss versus the Orlando Magic o

Raptors close out trip in Oakland >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors conclude a tough six-game road swing Monday when they travel to Oakland to take on the Golden State Warriors. The Raptors fell to 2-3 on the trek Saturday in Portland when Brandon Roy erupted f

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.

MySportsbook.com is operated by Sportingbet, a UK gambling company which is publicly traded on the AIM on the London Stock Exchange.

Sportingbet easily forms the world's largest Internet gaming company, with a truly global outreach. This also provides added transparency and accountability to this online Sportsbook and thus provides more safety and security for our customers. MySportsbook offers betting lines on all major sporting events. Our staff of almost 400 people includes clerks ready 365 days a year, 24 hours a day to care for your needs.

MySportsbook's competent, experienced managerial staff and personnel are backed by a state-of-the art sports wagering software.

We offer a 15% sign-up bonus to new customers who use Neteller for deposit and 10% bonus for all other deposit methods. Casino clients can take advantage of a 5% cash back monthly. Clients are also eligible for a 5% re-up bonus on subsequent deposits and 10% cash back on NFL losses.* Our instant-play flash casino is no-download, just click and go to a wide range of games including online Blackjack, 3-Card Poker, Craps, Baccarat, Roulette and Pai-Gow Poker, as well as a variety of slots and video poker games for the complete online casino Las Vegas experience.

My Sports book accepts all credit cards, online checks, Neteller, Firepay and bank wires. MySportsbook guarantees prompt, hassle-free payouts, as well as unparalleled individual attention from its acclaimed customer service department.

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