A pair of Media Eclipse Awards announced

Horseracing Betting Lines

12/28/2011 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Claire Novak of ESPN.com and Jennie Rees of the Louisville Courier-Journal have each been honored with a Media Eclipse Award for Writing. Novak received her award in the Feature/Commentary category and Rees picked up her third Eclipse for News/Enterprise writing.

Novak, a first time honoree, was recognized for her piece about longtime track announcer Tom Durkin.

"It's a great honor to win an Eclipse Award and something I wished for as a kid growing up," said Novak. "Tom Durkin is one of the most recognized and respected fixtures of our industry. Everybody knows his name, but did people really know what he was going through calling these major network races? I wanted to convey this emotional part of his career and his reaction to the changes he was experiencing."

The profile on Durkin, titled "Pressure off Durkin at Belmont," appeared on ESPN.com on June 10. In it, the veteran race caller described his reasons for stepping away from calling the Triple Crown races on NBC Sports.

Novak began her thoroughbred writing career following high school graduation. She founded Hopeful Farm Foundation for Children with special needs in Lexington, KY.

Rees' article, "Breeders' Cup 2011: Jockeys Rein in Their Emotions," concerned the post-race fight at the 2010 Breeders' Cup between Calvin Borel and Javier Castellano after the running of the Marathon. It dealt with the reasons for the encounter and its aftermath. It appeared in the Louisville Courier-Journal on October 30.

"We're always looking for stories that will be of interest to a general audience during the showcase weeks of racing coverage, such as the Breeders' Cup," Rees said whose previously was honored in 1988 and 1993. "Having covered Borel for years and also Castellano, the explosion of emotions from these two gentlemen after the Breeders' Cup was jolting. It got me thinking about the unique dynamics of the jocks' room. Unlike anything else in professional sports, not only do these highly motivated athletes have to go back in the locker room and be with their competitors, there's the safety factor where their welfare on the track in large measure rests in each other's hands.

"We felt it was a topic that had not been fully explored. I really want to thank my newspaper and sports editor Harry Bryan for committing the time and space to tell this story. But what made the story was all the jockeys who spoke so candidly about involvement in such sometimes unpleasant situations."

The Eclipse Awards are voted upon by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers And Broadcasters. The 41st annual Eclipse Awards will be presented on Monday, January 16 in Beverly Hills, CA.

Jszzsports Horseracing Betting News

<< Brees, Pierre-Paul, Akers named NFC weekly winners
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and San Francisco 49ers kicker David Akers have been selected as the NFC's top players for Week 16 of the NFL season.

<< Patriots' Brady among AFC players of the week
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Indianapolis Colts defensive end Robert Mathis and Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Richard Seymour have been named AFC players of the week for Week 16 of the NFL

<< Redskins release RB Torain
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Redskins released running back Ryan Torain on Wednesday. Torain, who led the team in rushing last season with 742 yards and four touchdowns, was slowed by a fractured hand he suffer

<< Yankees sign Okajima to minor league deal
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees have signed left-handed reliever Hideki Okajima to a minor league contract, according to a story on the team's website. The 36-year-old Okajima compiled a 17-8 mark with a 3.11 ear

<< Hoffenheim lands Wieser
Sinsheim, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hoffenheim announced Wednesday that the club has completed the signing of Sandro Wieser from Swiss club FC Basel on a deal that will keep him at the Sinsheim club until June 2016. Wieser, 18, emerged

Dolphins' Long placed on IR >>
Davie, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miami Dolphins left tackle Jake Long was placed on injured reserve with a torn right biceps muscle. Long suffered the injury during Saturday's 27-24 loss against the Patriots. The 26-year-old was name

Honduras international Bernardez joins Earthquakes >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Earthquakes announced on Wednesday that the club has signed Honduras international defender Victor Bernardez. The 29-year-old moves to San Jose after spending the past three season

Rams CB Harris says he's retiring >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Al Harris, who played with four teams in a 14-year NFL career, says he is retiring. Harris, 37, wants to make a quick transition to coaching, according to the St. Louis Rams' Twitter account. The Rams

Weber State finalizes 2012 schedule under Smith >>
Ogden, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Weber State football coach John L. Smith will open the 2012 season with the Wildcats by visiting two Football Bowl Subdivision opponents, Fresno State and Brigham Young. Weber State, which hired Smith on Dec.

Vikings QB Ponder practices, will start >>
Eden Prairie, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder practiced Wednesday and is on pace to start Sunday's season-finale against the Bears despite suffering a concussion over the weekend. "Christian made

Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.

Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.

Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.

Memphis vs. Ohio State

Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.

UCLA vs. Kansas

In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards