Here's one more reason this past weekend was so huge for NFL fans: When I got back from vacation Sunday, I had an e-mail from Las Vegas Hilton bookmaker Jeff Sherman waiting for me. The subject line read, "Week 1 NFL Lines."
That's right, degenerates. It's April, Mr. Irrelevant hadn't even booked his flights for the parade honoring him as last pick in the draft, and I had the lines for the first games of the 2010 season in my inbox.
To read Chad Millman's analysis of this year's Week 1 lines, along with some back story as to how Vegas pros set these games so early, you must be an ESPN Insider.
- Editor in Chief of ESPN The Magazine
- Writes "Behind The Bets" blog on sports gambling
- Authored seven books, including "The Odds"
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Chad Millman
Chad Millman, Editor in Chief of ESPN The Magazine, joined The Mag as an associate editor in 1998. A year later he left to write "The Odds" -- about a trio of Vegas bookmakers and wiseguys -- and to find riches working for an Internet company. He made tens of dollars on "The Odds," the web biz tanked and he returned to The Mag. He also worked at Sports Illustrated and wrote some other books, including "Iceman" with Chuck Liddell, "Invincible" with Vince Papale, "Pickup Artists" with Lars Anderson, and "The Detonators." His most recent books are the national bestseller "The Ones Who Hit the Hardest," about the blood feud between the 70s Steelers and Cowboys, written with Shawn Coyne, and the New York Times bestseller "They Call Me Baba Booey", with Gary Dell'Abate.
Millman's daily blog explores the culture of sports gambling; on Mondays and Fridays in the fall, he investigates trends in point spreads related to professional football.
E-mail Chad: Chad.X.Millman@espn.com
Follow Chad on Twitter: @ChadMillman
Behind the Bets podcast: Subscribe