Here's why the betting beat is so fascinating: Every bit of news that happens in sports potentially impacts the point spread and, in turn, potentially impacts sports fans. Exhibit A happened this past week, when the rumor of Randy Moss being traded from the New England Patriots to the Minnesota Vikings was leaked -- or accidentally tweeted.
A trade like that is what passes for a cataclysmic event in the sports betting world. Which is why the New York Jets-Vikes Monday night game was pulled from every board in Vegas and the Islands. How can a line be made if no one knows who is playing?
To read how the Randy Moss trade affected how sharps looked at the Jets-Vikings tilt this week, plus Chad Millman's list of the most interesting plays of the week, 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