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Kaymer off to record-tying start in FranceGolf Betting Lines07/02/2009 - Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin Kaymer got off to a flying start Thursday as he fired a nine-under 62 to take a three-stroke lead after the first round of the Open de France. Kaymer matched the course record at Le Golf National that Eduardo Romero set in 2005. Peter Hanson carded a six-under 65 to share second place with 2006 winner John Bickerton, Thongchai Jaidee, Rafa Echenique and Scott Strange. Nick Dougherty, who won the BMW International Open last week, is tied for seventh place with Paul Waring at minus-five. Kaymer's round did not get off to a good start as he tripped to a bogey on the 10th. He reclaimed that stroke with a birdie on the 12th and followed with birdies on 13 and 14. The German moved to three-under with a birdie on the 17th. Around the turn, Kaymer rolled in a seven-footer for birdie on the first. Kaymer chipped in for eagle on the par-five third to jump to minus-six. He sank a 13-foot birdie effort on seven and came right back with a long birdie putt on the eighth. At the ninth, Kaymer's last, he converted a 14-footer for birdie and a share of the course record. Kaymer, who has been battling a blister problem on his feet, got his week off to a great start as his team posted a 16-under 55 to win the Pro-Am on Wednesday. "I've been missing a lot of short putts, but everything came together and I hope it continues," said Kaymer. "The foot's still hurting, but I will survive. Yesterday when I was practicing it was unbelievable pain, but now I don't worry about it." Bickerton posted three birdies on the front nine, then birdied four of the first six holes on the back nine. In that mix was a bogey on the 11th. "I've changed a few things in my set-up. I was getting very crouched and very lazy and hadn't even noticed myself, so it was important to address those issues," Bickerton admitted. "The fairways are tight here, but if you do get the ball in the right places then you can get the ball close to the hole and the greens are quite receptive." Miguel Angel Jimenez and defending champion Pablo Larrazabal are tied for ninth place at four-under-par 67. They are joined there by Robert-Jan Derksen, David Drysdale, Ricardo Gonzalez, Paul Lawrie, Jean Van de Velde, Thomas Levet, Sam Little, Francesco Molinari and Alejandro Canizares.
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Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Coyotes brought in veteran defenseman Adrian Aucoin on a one-year contract Thursday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed per team policy. Aucoin, whose departure from Calgary was ea
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Longwood gives hoop's coach Gillian multi-year extension >>
Farmville, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Longwood University has extended the contract of men's basketball head coach Mike Gillian. Financial terms were not released but the extension covers multiple years. The Lancers were 17-14 la
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SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?" A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."
Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook. In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small. "Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets." But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?" Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year. This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here. Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions. In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries. No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning. And that's all any bettor can ask for. To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
Super Bowl XLIII Betting - Super Bowl 2009Super Bowl 2009, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers.Let’s take a look at the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds and the betting line and figure out where they’ve been and where they are going to go. MySportsbook.com put up the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds late on Sunday night with the Pittsburgh Steelers favored by 6.5 points and a total betting line at 47.5 points. Since then, however, the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds have seen a good deal of movement and you’ll want to be on top of where they are likely to move to make sure you get the best line value for the big game. Since opening, the Super Bowl 2009 betting lines went to Steelers -7 in the span of roughly 3 hours but were quickly bought back down just minutes later to 6.5 again. After that is took about 5-6 more hours before the betting line went back to -7 where it has sat for a while now and is likely to remain. The opening betting total of 47.5 was bet down right after the line became available and went to 47 within minutes. Roughly a day later it has been bet even further down to the 46.5 tally it currently is set at. Roughly 60% of gamblers seem to be on the Cardinals here so the point spread will be bet down and a 7.5 would not last very long at all with many taking the early 6.5 in hopes of finding a potential middle in the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds. If you like Arizona and see a 7.5, I’d take it as soon as possible because it’s unlikely to last. For Pittsburgh backers, the -7 might be the best you’ll be able to find but a 6.5 is definitely possible close to game time. Regarding the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds for the total, most tracked gamblers are already on the over and with those who took the under 47.5 already securing a middle on the over 46.5, the only way I see it moving is back up to 47 so if you like the over, I’d recommend betting now. Get free Super Bowl XLIII Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting with credit cards |
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