Bettman needs to build off thrilling Cup final

Hockey Betting Lines

06/11/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It may sound cliche, but when it comes to fixing what ails the National Hockey League, there may be no better time than the present.

On the heels of the most successful NHL season in a decade and a Stanley Cup final that demonstrated all that is right with the league, it is a moment that must be captured with vigor by Commissioner Gary Bettman.

The Stanley Cup final produced a spectacular brand of hockey that has reinvigorated the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers franchises, which also happen to reside in two of the game's most important markets.

Fresh-faced superstars like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have become household names across North America, poster boys if you will, for a new era in the NHL. An era that is seeing youth, speed and goal scoring become the defining elements of a brand that has suffered for so long.

Add already established superstars like Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin to the fold, along with a slew of talented youngsters led by the likes of Steven Stamkos and Drew Doughty, and it is safe to say that the recipe for success is a good one.

Television ratings for this latest Stanley Cup Final were remarkable in Canada and the highest in the United States since the Flyers, led by Bobby Clarke, beat out Bobby Orr and the Boston Bruins for hockey's ultimate prize in 1974. It seems unfathomable, but 1.2 out of every 10 American televisions was tuned into the Game 6 matchup on Wednesday night, demonstrating a heightened interest for the game south of the border.

Hockey is on the verge of a breakthrough, and Bettman is on the clock.

In most markets the game is thriving or at least sustainable, but a few sore spots exist that have shown little evidence of viability.

Franchises in Phoenix, Atlanta, and Florida are on life support, while there are ownership issues in other regions around the league likely spurned by the recent economic meltdown.

The remedy is simple; find owners who want to purchase these troubled franchises in cities that can sustain them, and move the teams.

The trouble is that Bettman has for years been outwardly ignorant to the possibility of relocation to Canadian markets, even when potential suitors have existed. This approach has done little for his image, and little for the game itself.

Previously spurned markets in Winnipeg and Quebec have been waiting with open arms, while southern Ontario, the world hotbed of hockey, continues to operate with the Toronto Maple Leafs as its only franchise.

Instead, Bettman has been insistent on transfers to areas like Las Vegas or Kansas City, further examining the Southern United States for relocation, as if to compound his already misguided expansion of the NHL into the United States' Sun Belt.

If only he had tried as hard to keep franchises in Winnipeg and Quebec as he has in the Desert with the Coyotes, the NHL might not be wrestling with these ugly issues.

Instead of trying to cover up the financial pitfalls of dying organizations, and sugarcoat the reasons why fans dislike or ignore the game in certain cities, Bettman needs to come clean with the realization that franchises in peril will continue to drag down the league.

As it stands, Bettman has received serious interest from prospective owners in both Winnipeg and Quebec. Mark Chipman and David Thomson of True North Sports and Entertainment made a serious pitch to buy the Phoenix Coyotes and return them to Winnipeg, and Bettman says he's heard from more than one "substantial" group in Quebec, including a pitch from media giant Quebecor.

Canadian fans need not yell from the highest hills to be heard, but rather, the league needs to do the noticing for them. There is a market in Canada for additional NHL franchises that should no longer be ignored.

The continued growth of the NHL brand and the health of the league will rest squarely on relocation to these ready-for-prime-time markets.

The positive ripple effect of the Cup finals has made this an unprecedented time to build on the current wave of momentum, and Bettman needs to right the ship once and for all.

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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.