 |
 Basketball Betting |
 |
||||
|
 |
||||
|
||||
Graeme McDowell, the sole survivorGolf Betting Lines06/21/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - At the end of Sunday's round, it was just a routine two-putt par that gave Graeme McDowell a piece of golf immortality. It was anything but a routine Sunday, however. Pebble Beach played extremely tough all week, not just on Sunday, though it seemed that some players were hesitant to share the reasons for that difficulty. "I kind of know, but I would rather not get into it. It just doesn't sound good," said Phil Mickelson, who was part of the high-powered group that couldn't get it done on Sunday. Dustin Johnson walked into the final round with the lead and good vibes. He won the last two Pebble Beach Pro-Ams, was in good command of his game after a brilliant Saturday and seemed like the type who could handle pressure with his laid-back attitude. Wrong. Johnson was done after a disastrous seven on No. 2. Oh, he made more mistakes throughout the day, but that early, you knew he wasn't ready for major pressure. That's what made this U.S. Open so strange. Johnson imploding wasn't necessarily such a huge surprise, but the fact that Hall of Famers-in-waiting had legitimate chances to get it done and didn't, well, that's strange. Tiger Woods looked like he was back for good on Saturday. After a 66 in round three, highlighted by an approach at 18 that reminded you of Woods' true greatness, it was reasonable to expect big things from Tiger on Sunday, especially if Johnson faltered. Didn't happen. Didn't come close to happening. Woods made six bogeys and two birdies on Sunday and at times looked flat-out bad. He mis-hit irons badly from the fairway and even off the tee. Call it positive thinking or straight-up denial, but Woods said he felt close, if only he could have avoided some bad club decisions. "I fired at the pin on 10. Then hit the wrong club on 12. Should have been a two-iron down there (on six)," said Woods. "You take away those three mental errors right there and I'm right there. I'm tied for the lead." That's an extremely rosy outlook, but he was right. If Woods cut out three mistakes on Sunday, he's warming up for a playoff Monday morning, but Woods played slightly worse than he realizes or is willing to admit. Mickelson also finished three shots behind McDowell, who we will get to later. Mickelson made a ridiculous birdie at the first on Sunday and you felt like it might be his tournament. Hope he enjoyed that one, since it was his only one of the day. Lefty, the eternal bridesmaid of the U.S. Open, tallied three bogeys the rest of the way and never truly threatened McDowell. The most disappointed man Sunday had to be Ernie Els. The two-time U.S. Open champion has two wins this year on tour. At 40, who knows how many more bites at the major apple he'll get? Els got off to a near- perfect start with three birdies in his first six holes, but the Cliffs of Doom couldn't have been more aptly named for Els. He bogeyed nine and hit it so far off-line at 10, he was near a hazard and had to ask an official if he could touch the ground to walk to his ball. When you need permission to brace yourself from falling off a cliff, that's a bad lie. After being tied for the lead, Els went through Nos. 9-11 in 16 strokes, or four-over par. Els was just about done, but he needed to play 17 one more time. It's not like that hole gave him fits. After another bogey at the par three, Els finished four trips to 17 in five-over par. Let's say he plays that hole with two bogeys and two pars - Ladies and gentlemen, the 2010 U.S. Open Champion, Ernie Els! (To let you know how tough Els took this, a man so impossibly nice to most everyone blew past NBC and the media flash-quote area.) In the end, the 2010 U.S. Open Championship belonged to McDowell. Make no mistake, to play Pebble Beach this week in even-par was championship- worthy golf. The USGA strives for par to win the title and they succeeded. Before the event, McDowell was on the fringe of being a major contender. He reminded you a little of Trevor Immelman a few years ago at the Masters in that there was a pervasive attitude in the world of golf that, "Yeah, he could win a major, I guess." McDowell, who is as funny and engaging as the broadcasters said, was not immune from failure either. Over the last 27 holes of a major championship, McDowell made two birdies and six bogeys. McDowell's last birdie of the U.S. Open was at the fifth hole Sunday. Not exactly what you expect from a major winner, but he did make solid pars when it mattered at 15 and 16. When Gregory Havret missed his birdie putt at 18, McDowell could play the hole conservatively and that was all he needed. That was Pebble Beach 2010. McDowell didn't win, he survived. Yes, Pebble Beach was tricky and bordered on a little gimmicky. (The par-three seventh played at 92 yards on Sunday and I'm sorry, that's too short for a major.) But it was still fair. Woods and Mickelson each made the point at various times during the week that if you kept the ball below the hole, you could make birdies. Phil did it on Friday, Tiger on Saturday, but neither did on Sunday. Neither did Els or Davis Love III, who could've made some noise without a poor back nine. Havret actually finished second and had two makeable putts at 17 and 18 that could've forced McDowell to play the last differently. You can't rewrite history. Pebble Beach won this week. Tiger complained about the greens and Phil's vague quote above could be about that. It took the top players in the world, frustrated them to no end and gave a 30-year-old his first major title. And it was one he deserved. "Pint of Guinness, I think there will be a few of those in my future," said McDowell. Anyone that came out on top of this U.S. Open at Pebble Beach deserves a cold beer. Or a room-temperature one.
<< Charlotte Bobcats 2010 Draft Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - As it stands right now the Charlotte Bobcats do not have a pick in the 2010 draft. That's not necessarily a a huge concern since Larry Brown really doesn't like to rely on young players anyway. Two of the team's last three
<< Indians demote Huff
<< NHL Mock Draft: No surprise at 1-2
<< Boston Celtics 2010 Draft Preview
<< 2010 NBA Mock Draft version 2.0
Tigers to recall Sborz >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers will recall pitcher Jay Sborz on Tuesday to fill the roster spot created when Rick Porcello was demoted to Triple-A Toledo on Sunday. Sborz is 1-1 with a 3.04 earned run average
Chicago Bulls 2010 Draft Preview >>
Cleveland Cavaliers 2010 Draft Preview >>
Dallas Mavericks 2010 Draft Preview >>
Denver Nuggets 2010 Draft Preview >>
How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later. While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better. For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory. 1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season. 2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped. How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number. Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules. Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically. How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games). Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition. Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards. American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies It's that time of year folks. Betting on American Idol Season 9. And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below. With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com. No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze. Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol. A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance. Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges. Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago. Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards. |
|
