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07/18/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - What? What? What?
That's my general response when my dear wakes me up in the middle of the night. Be it a noise or my diesel-locomotive snoring, that's my canned response to her.
It's roughly what we all felt Sunday afternoon.
Louis Oosthuizen won the British Open Championship at St. Andrews. The oldest, most prestigious major title, won at the very home of golf, went to a largely unknown man from South Africa.
Sadly, this might have been the biggest yawner of a major championship in my generation, but I've been poked, not by my dear, but by the game of golf. I'm finally awake.
Paul Azinger said it best on ESPN's broadcast: "I hope the viewer wasn't bored with the blowout."
Sorry, Zinger, but we were.
Let's clear some things up first about the boredom.
Oosthuizen's performance was nothing short of brilliant. I just referred to this as the most boring major championship ever, but that was partly due to the amazing display by Oosthuizen.
He owned St. Andrews on the weekend. By Friday afternoon, no one expected Oosthuizen to come out on top. Lee Westwood was there. So was Paul Casey. Mark Calcavecchia might have scared you 15 years ago, but even at 50, he's a streaky guy who could've piled up six birdies on the front nine in round three.
Oosthuizen hung tough. In fact, he did better than that, he attacked. At St. Andrews, attacking is playing to your strength in relation to the course. He drove it spectacularly. His irons were crisp. His putting was generally genius. Oosthuizen flat-out awed us all, including Tom Watson, who applauded as Oosthuizen walked up 18 on Sunday. It seemed like Watson might cry at what he saw.
Oosthuizen was just that good and this is a guy to root for.
He wasn't a country club kid who was destined by the gods or genes to be a major champion. Oosthuizen is the son of farmers from South Africa. He was in Ernie Els' academy for a few years honing his craft.
No, Louie didn't have to ward off Tiger or Phil or Ernie. Casey got close, but Oosthuizen swatted him away like an annoying gnat nipping at your ankle.
And that's when boredom set in.
Where was Tiger? I get that his game is as far down as his personal life, but didn't he dominate St. Andrews twice for a claret jug? He couldn't get his putter working, but Louis Oosthuizen could?
Where was Phil? Does he want to be No. 1 in the world because I'm having serious doubts. Lefty won't ever win a British, but St. Andrews and this week was probably his best chance and all he could muster was a tie for 48th?
Where was Ernie? Didn't he win twice this year?
Westwood? Top threes in four majors in the last three years, but no charge all week?
Rory McIlroy? A 63 then an 80, but at least this 21-year-old kid fought hard to get back into the top five.
Where was the challenge? I get that St. Andrews played difficultly, but Oosthuizen handled it like it was a local muni. He's a top 60 player, however the field and the championship let us down.
Oosthuizen's margin of victory was the biggest since Tiger at the Old Course in 2000. That leads to a very uninteresting tournament and it didn't let down.
Dominating performances draw interest, but not when it's a man very few have heard of. If Tiger or Phil had done this on Sunday, it would've been compelling. What we got wasn't.
Nothing against Oosthuizen, but this will forever be known as the biggest snoozer of a major. Kudos to him for making it that way, but wake me up for the PGA.
What? What? What?
Must have been a noise. Or my snoring.
<< Astros' Oswalt leaves start in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt was
removed from Sunday's game against the Pirates after four innings with a left
ankle contusion.
The right-hander was struck in the left ankle by a Pedro Alvarez
<< Yankees' Pettitte leaves Sunday's game
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte was
removed his Sunday start against the Tampa Bay Rays with a strained left
groin.
The veteran left-hander missed with a pitch to run the count to 3-1 on Kelly
Sh
<< Heat agree to bring back James Jones
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat have reportedly agreed to bring
back forward James Jones at the veteran's minimum.
Miami requested waivers on the seven-year veteran in June, buying out the
final three years of his previou
<< Yankees' Pettitte leaves game with strained groin
NEW YORK (AP) -Andy Pettitte has left the New York Yankees' game against Tampa Bay in the third inning because of a strained left groin.Making his first start since pitching in the All-Star game Tuesday night, the 38-year-old left-hander never appea
Pirates' McCutchen exits Sunday's game >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen
left Sunday's game after making a diving catch on a Pedro Feliz line drive in
the eighth inning.
McCutchen landed on and braced his fall with his right shoulder
Indians break out brooms against Tigers >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeanmar Gomez had quite the major league
debut, allowing just two unearned runs in seven strong innings, as the Indians
used an inside-the-park homer from Jhonny Peralta to beat the Tigers, 7-2, and
sweep D
Sanabia picks up first MLB win as Marlins edge Nats >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gaby Sanchez hit a run-scoring double and Alex
Sanabia picked up his first major league victory, as the Florida Marlins edged
the Washington Nationals, 1-0, in the rubber match of a three-game set at Sun
Life St
Iannetta, Cook help Rockies avoid sweep >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Iannetta's solo home run in the sixth
allowed seven strong innings by Aaron Cook to hold up in a 1-0 Rockies win
against the Reds to avert a three-game sweep at Great American Ball Park.
Cook (4-
“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?
Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite. Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight. With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites. As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).
Midwest
#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler
The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April. Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT. After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games. Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season. As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers. Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS). Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field. With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.
#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV
As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year. If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season. As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well. This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons. Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late. There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games. It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.
East
#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown
“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season. Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU. They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games. With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field. Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense. Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc. The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range. Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.
#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC
The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country. Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times. Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter. UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen. UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS. An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games. This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS. USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types. An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough. USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS. They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12. When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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