Andreev, Fish, Karlovic all reach third round in New Haven

Tennis Betting Lines

08/19/2008 - New Haven, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fourth-seeded Russian Igor Andreev, second- seeded Croat Ivo Karlovic and eighth-seeded American Mardy Fish were second- round winners Tuesday at the $708,000 Pilot Pen Tennis event, a final U.S. Open tune-up.

Andreev erased Belgian Olivier Rochus 6-3, 6-4 on the hardcourts at the Connecticut Tennis Center.

Fish, who was last year's New Haven runner-up to fellow American James Blake, bounced back from a second-set loss to compatriot Wayne Odesnik to take a 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 victory.

Karlovic dropped his first set to American John Isner, but then easily handled the next two sets to take a 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-4 victory.

German Mischa Zverev toppled fifth-seeded Argentine Juan Monaco 6-3, 6-3, while No. 6 seed Marin Cilic of Croatia was leading last week's Washington, D.C. runner-up Viktor Troicki, 2-1, when the Serbian retired.

In additional action involving top-10 seeds, No. 7 Italian Andreas Seppi overcame compatriot Potito Starace 4-6, 6-4, 6-4; No. 9 Frenchman Marc Gicquel grounded Spaniard Albert Montanes 7-5, 6-3; and Fabio Fognini upended 10th- seeded fellow Italian Simone Bolelli 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.

Eleventh-seeded Austrian Jurgen Melzer snuck past pesky French veteran Arnaud Clement 7-6 (7-1), 7-5 on the grounds at Yale University.

American wild card Robby Ginepri posted an upset by taking out 12th-seeded Argentine Agustin Calleri 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, while other upsets came when Belgian Steve Darcis drove out 13th-seeded Spaniard Marcel Granollers 6-2, 6-2; Slovenian qualifier Luka Gregorc knocked out 14th-seeded Argentine Jose Acasuso 6-4, 6-4; and Czech Ivo Minar doused 15th-seeded Argentine Eduardo Schwank 7-5, 6-3. Minar is rewarded with a third-rounder against top-seeded Fernando Verdasco of Spain.

Sixteenth-seeded Romanian Victor Hanescu avoided an upset by holding off German Denis Gremelmayr 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-3), 6-2.

An additional second-round win came for American lucky-loser Jesse Levine, who drubbed Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-0, 6-3. Levine joined the draw on Monday when red-hot Argentine Juan Martin del Potro withdrew, citing exhaustion.

The 2008 U.S. Open will commence Monday in New York.

Wwwgamefaqs Tennis Betting News

<< Jets sign WR Brackins
Hempstead, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Jets signed wide receiver Larry Brackins on Tuesday following the injury to start-up wideout David Clowney during Saturday's 13-10 preseason setback to Washington. Brackins is fres

<< Tennessee gains TE Warren, loses Cottam to surgery
Knoxville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Tennessee received NCAA approval Tuesday for sophomore tight end Brandon Warren to suit up for the Vols this season. Head coach Phillip Fulmer also announced that junior tight en

<< Fillmore earns medalist honors at U.S. Amateur
Pinehurst, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robbie Fillmore fired a five-under 65 on Tuesday to earn medalist honors after the stroke-play portion of the U.S. Amateur. The championship is being contested at Pinehurst Resorts No. 2 and N

<< Yankees get Matsui back, lose faith in Christian
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees activated outfielder/designated hitter Hideki Matsui from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday and optioned outfielder Justin Christian to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes- Barre.

<< Report: Sixers bring back Ratliff
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia 76ers have reportedly agreed to bring back forward/center Theo Ratliff with a one-year contract. According to a report Tuesday in the Philadelphia Daily News, the 35-year-old Ratliff

Mets closer Wagner out indefinitely >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Mets closer Billy Wagner will be out indefinitely as he is experiencing more pain and swelling in his left elbow. Wagner had an MRI exam at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York on T

Werth's homer lifts Phils, dooms Nats to 11th straight loss >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jayson Werth hit a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning, lifting the Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-4 win over Washington in the first of three games with the Nationals. Shane Victorino finishe

Burnett baffles Bronx Bombers as Jays draw closer in standings >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A.J. Burnett was sensational on the hill, Adam Lind hit a game-tying homer in the seventh and the Blue Jays got a lift from Johnny Damon's fielding gaffe in the eighth, as Toronto edged the New York Yankees

Sizemore and Tribe pound hapless Royals >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Grady Sizemore hit a three-run homer, while Ryan Garko and Shin-Soo Choo chipped in solo shots as the Indians turned away the Royals, 9-4, in the opener of a three-game series Anthony Reyes (2-1), in hi

Youkilis, Dice-K lead Sox past O's >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Youkilis hit a two-run homer and Daisuke Matsuzaka remained perfect on the road, as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Baltimore Orioles, 7-2, at Camden Yards. Matsuzaka (15-2) pitched five innin


Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .








Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com

For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.