ESPN and HRTV recognized with Media Eclipse Awards

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12/29/2011 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Media Eclipse Award in the Television - Live Racing Programming category has been given to ESPN for its live coverage of the 2011 Breeders' Cup Classic. This is the third straight year that the network has been honored in the Live Television category.

"To win this award three years in a row is a great testament to our overall production," said Mike McQuade, who is Vice President of Event Production for ESPN and coordinating producer for the Breeders' Cup Classic telecast. "We treat the Breeders' Cup as a big event and we produce it as a big event. This year's Classic had a number of captivating storylines and our group did an excellent job telling these stories and bringing the audience right to the action."

November's $5 million Classic featured leading thoroughbred Havre de Grace, a four-year-old filly taking on male runners. The 1 1/4-mile race was won by 14-1 longshot Drosselmeyer whose jockey, Mike Smith, had won the event two years earlier aboard the mare Zenyatta.

ESPN won the award last year for its Breeders' Cup Classic telecast and in 2009 for the telecast of the Belmont Stakes, shown on ABC.

The Media Eclipse Award for Television-Features goes to HRTV for the documentary "Inside Information: Randy Romero." The program was broadcast on December 26 of last year.

"Because of the subject matter - physical and emotional abuse, severe burns, the horrific breakdown of Go For Wand - this was a show that was emotionally hard on everyone who worked on it, but no more so than for the man who lived through the events," said Amy Zimmerman, executive producer of HRTV and the co-writer of the documentary. "Everyone at HRTV is very grateful to Randy Romero for his honesty and assistance in letting us to tell his story."

HRTV has now won Media Eclipse Awards four times. Last year it was honored in the Television-Features category for "Inside Information: Swale" the 1984 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner. Earlier the network picked up an award for best Feature in 2006 for the Pony Highway production of "On the Muscle" and in 2008 for the Hennegan Brothers' documentary "The First Saturday in May."

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.

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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.