10/21/2008 - Lyon, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former champions Andy Roddick of the United States and Richard Gasquet of France were among Tuesday's first-round winners at the $860,000 Lyon Tennis Grand Prix. Australian Open runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of the host nation also advanced on Day 2.
The top-seeded Roddick erased French crowd favorite Nicolas Mahut 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, while a second-seeded Gasquet fought back to beat Colombian qualifier Santiago Giraldo 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) on the indoor carpet at Palais des Sports Lyon Gerland. The former top-ranked Roddick titled here in 2005, while Gasquet ran the table in 2006.
Roddick will face fellow American Robby Ginepri, while Gasquet will battle Belgian Steve Darcis in the round of 16. Ginepri drove out defending Lyon champion Sebastien Grosjean, a wild card this week, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-4.
In other opening-round play involving seeds, a No. 3 Tsonga topped last year's Lyon runner-up and fellow Frenchman Marc Gicquel 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, while Ecuador's Nicolas Lapentti toppled sixth-seeded Croat Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (7-4), 6-3. Gicquel gave way to Grosjean in last year's popular all-French finale here.
First-round wins also came French veteran Fabrice Santoro and Italian Andreas Seppi. The 35-year-old Santoro, who titled here 11 years ago, subdued Italian Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-1.
Santoro should have his hands full with Tsonga in the second round.
On Wednesday, last week's Madrid Masters runner-up Gilles Simon of France will face Argentine Juan Monaco in a first-rounder. Simon, seeded fourth this week, is all the way up to No. 10 in the world.
<< Blue Jackets activate Malhotra; place Modin on IR
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets activated forward
Manny Malhotra from injured reserve Tuesday, while placing forward Fredrik
Modin on IR.
Malhotra was injured in the club's final preseason game on Octobe
<< Ducks place Klee on waivers
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Anaheim Ducks placed defenseman Ken Klee on
waivers on Tuesday.
Klee, 37, was acquired by the Ducks from the Thrashers in a trade before the
season that saw defenseman Mathieu Schneider head to Atlanta.
<< Post positions drawn for 25th Breeders' Cup
Arcadia, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Post positions and morning-line odds have been
set for the 25th running of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which will
be held this Friday and Saturday at Santa Anita Park.
Defending Breeders' Cup Cla
<< NFC North: Bears' offense covers for injured defense
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's not surprising that the Chicago Bears' defense gave up
a lot of points in this past Sunday's clash with the Minnesota Vikings, since
the team was playing without three of its top defensive backs. What was
surprising, how
Newcastle appeals Beye's red card >>
Newcastle, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Football Association has confirmed
they received a claim for wrongful dismissal from Newcastle United for defender
Habib Beye.
The Senegal international's appeal will be heard on Thursday after he
Browns suspend disgruntled Winslow one game >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Browns handed Kellen Winslow a
one-game suspension on Tuesday as a result of the tight end's negative
comments toward the organization and, specifically, team vice president and
general
Tottenham's Dawson charged with misconduct >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tottenham Hotspur defender Michael Dawson
has been hit with an FA misconduct charge relating to the aftermath of his
sending-off against Stoke City.
Dawson was dismissed in the final minutes of t
Portsmouth's Redknapp denies inciting crowd >>
Portsmouth, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp has
denied suggestions that he incited the crowd before the coin-throwing incident
that marred the goalless draw at Aston Villa.
A linesman was struck on the head
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
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Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch
Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.
Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.
"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs.
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