The passing of September into October means a lot of things: summer is over, fall beings, and LOTS of sports action heats up. Technically speaking, the NFL has been in action since the August Preseason, while regular season games began on September 10th, 2009. College football games began a week earlier, September 3rd, 2009. Now, the 2009-10 hockey season has just been inaugurated, with regular season action starting just days ago. On top of all that, the NBA Preseason is in full swing, with regular season action starting early November (see our 2009-10 NBA Complete Schedule – Click Here).
What’s happening in the NFL?
Week 4 NFL action is just about to wrap up (as this post is being written, the Minnesota Vikings are leading the Green Bay Packers 30-23 in their Monday Night Football 2009 debut). This weekend’s football games brought many sports bettors and fans alike back to earth. After 3 weeks of some unexpected matchup results, Week 4 pretty much went as planned.
We’ve also got to hand it to the Cinci Bengals, who just edged out the Browns by a field goal in Over Time action on Sunday 23-20 (man, their kicker must be psyched). Coincidentally, this game’s score was exactly the same as the Bengal’s victory the week before against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are having a hard time finding their mojo this season. Luckily for the Steelers, they had a solid game against the San Diego Chargers this weekend, winning 38-28.
Then there was the clash of the titans (no, not Tennessee): New York Jets vs. New Orleans Saints, a much heralded contest between two undefeated teams. In the end, Drew Brees’ laser guided rocket arm led to a definitive victory against the Jets, 24-10. If you had the Jets in a straight bet, this loss was even more unfortunate because of the 14 point deficit they suffered against a domineering Saints team. The Saints will continue to “march in” week 6 – after a Bye Week 5 respite – when they take on the New York Giants, who aren’t too shabby this year either . The Giants pummeled the struggling Kansas City Chiefs 27-16 on Sunday, leaving no doubt in anyone’s mind that they’re one of the top teams on the East Coast.
It’s Ice Time
Thursday, October 1, 2009, was the opening day for NHL sports betting action, and a number of great games were contested, mostly between regional rivals.
Canada had two great games on Thursday, with the Montreal Canadiens beating the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3. Remember: Hockey is like the NFL in Canada, so this was a huge night. Likewise, the Calgary Flames had no trouble against the Vancouver Canucks, dialing up a 5-3 game result that certainly charged up Flames’ fans for the season ahead.
Don’t worry: all of the best NHL wasn’t necessarily North of the Border. On Friday, October 2, 2009, The Florida Panthers faced the Chicago Blackhawks in a nail biter matchup. Everything was tied up by the 3rd period, and overtime yielded no goals for either team. As a result, it came down to a shoot out, where the Panthers were finally able to hold of the Blackhawks for the win.
Action between the Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes was much more decisive: the Flyers won the game handily 2-0. Also on the East, the Pittsburgh Penguins skated their way to a 3-2 win against a fired up New York Rangers team. The game was looking a lot closer when the Rangers scored in the 3rd period, but in the end, the Penguins were able to stave them off. Similarly, in the heartland, the St. Louis Blues cross checked the Detroit Red Wings 4-3. No one scored in the 3rd period, but it’s worth noting that the Blues had a monster 2nd period, racking up 3 goals against a bewildered Red Wings outfit.
On Saturday, October 3, 2009, the Blues did it again to the Redwings, winning 5-3 with ANOTHER 3 goal second period effort. The Blackhawks – Panthers rematch was much different: something must have been in Chicago’s water supply that morning, because they blanked the Panthers 4-0 in what was thought to be a “close” matchup. Clearly the Blackhawks came to play on Saturday, and stood by their reputation as a perennial force on the hockey rink.
Anyone for Hoops?
Regular season NBA sports betting doesn’t begin until November, but there’s a full slate of preseason action happening as we write. Most of the games are local scrimidges that don’t involve too much travel, although a few teams are playing foreign basketball clubs from Europe. PreSeason NBA TV coverage is sparse: you might be able to catch a game on your local cable TV provider; otherwise, NBATV is your best bet if you’re looking to quench your thirst for basketball betting action.
Most sportsbooks offer some sort of lines on the NBA preseason, so be sure to visit your sportsbook’s odds page to see where everything stands. Odds for the regular season will be posted in due course, probably about 1 week before the November 1, 2009 tip-off date.
The best bet in basketball is the total bet: NBA game scores can be extremely varied, so be sure to check out over/unders for your favorite basketball teams this season.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our wrap-up of the latest sports betting action happening around the country (and the world). Remember, it’s never to early to signup for a basketball betting account at any of our featured sportsbooks: just click any of the advertisements you see above, and you’ll be led to the top sportsbooks on the net. Although most are still heavily focused on the NFL, be sure to monitor each sportsbook’s player promotion pages, which may offer special basketball betting offers as the regular season draws near.
Until then, see you on the Grid Iron or on the Ice!