Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
02/04/2012 - Doha, Qatar (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Lawrie fired a five-under 67 in breezy conditions Saturday to grab a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the Qatar Masters.
Lawrie, who won both this event and the British Open in 1999, completed 36 holes at eight-under-par 136. He broke a nine-year winless drought last year with a victory at the Open de Andalucia and will go for his seventh tour title on Sunday.
The event was cut to 54 holes after heavy wind on Friday forced officials to pull players off the course at Doha Golf Club. The wind never diminished Friday so the play was called for the day and completed on Saturday.
Lawrie has five players within three strokes of his lead, but there are 10 players tied for seventh, four shots back.
Nicolas Colsaerts, last year's China Open winner, posted a four-under 68 to end 36 holes at seven-under-par 137. Ricardo Gonzalez (67) and Peter Hanson (69) share third place at minus-six, while James Kingston (69) and Simon Khan (68) are tied for fifth at five-under 139.
The group four strokes off the lead includes Jason Day, Sergio Garcia and John Daly, who had the lead when play was called on Friday despite not hitting a single shot.
First-round leader Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano had two bogeys in the seven holes he played on Friday. In his final 11 holes on Saturday, he managed 10 pars and another bogey to post a three-over 75, which dropped him into a share of 16th at minus-three.
Lawrie, who played his entire second round on Saturday, started with a birdie on the first. However, he gave that stroke back as he tripped to a bogey on the par-three third.
After three pars in a row, Lawrie converted a birdie effort on the seventh. Another birdie at the ninth gave the Scotsman a share of the lead at minus- five.
Lawrie could have birdied the 10th, but for the second straight week he dropped his ball on his ball marker and was forced to take a one-shot penalty.
"I'd never done it in my life, 20 years on Tour, but last week in Abu Dhabi I was lucky because my caddie saw it and said the marker never moved," Lawrie explained.
"This time I wasn't sure and (referee) Andy McFee said I had to be 100 percent sure. I wasn't watching and [they] didn't have it on the telecast, so you've got to take the penalty and kick on."
Lawrie bounced back with his second birdie in two rounds on the 11th. With that, he regained a piece of the lead after Colsaerts and Kingston had moved ahead. Lawrie again fell behind as he parred four in a row from the 12th.
The 43-year-old Lawrie converted a birdie try on No. 16 to join Colsaerts at minus-seven. Lawrie got up and down from the right rough at the last to head into the final round with a one-stroke lead.
Colsaerts, who was in the group ahead of Lawrie, had six birdies on Saturday, four of which came on holes he also birdied in round one.
He birdied the first for the second straight round, then birdied the fourth to get to minus-five. Colsaerts dropped a shot on the seventh before making pars on eight and nine.
Colsaerts, 29, birdied the 10th and 12th, both for the second round in a row to move atop the leaderboard. He climbed to seven-under with a birdie on 16.
However, Colsaerts stumbled to a bogey on the par-three 17th. He atoned for that error with his second birdie in two rounds at the last.
NOTES: Defending champion Thomas Bjorn rallied with a seven-under 65 to finish two rounds at even-par 144...The cut line fell at one-over-par 145 with 76 players moving on to the final round...Among those that missed the cut were Matteo Manassero, K.J. Choi, Henrik Stenson, Hunter Mahan, Colin Montgomerie and Peter Uihlein.
<< Brassard's OT winner lifts Columbus over Anaheim
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Derick Brassard scored two goals, including the
game-winner at 3:55 of the overtime period, leading the Columbus Blue Jackets
to a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center.
Brassard poked the puck o
<< Denver's Mozgov leaves game with sprained ankle
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denver Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov left
Friday's game against the Lakers with a sprained left ankle.
With about 10 minutes to go in the third quarter, Mozgov came down awkwardly
on his left ankle afte
<< Kiprusoff backstops Flames to win over reeling Blackhawks
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 26 shots and set a
new franchise record in Calgary's 3-1 victory over Chicago at the Saddledome.
Kiprusoff became the club's all-time leader in games played (527), surpassing
Mike
<< Are the Heat all they are cracked up to be?
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - To most NBA fans, Miami is the big time.
That's what happens when LeBron James and Chris Bosh decide to join Dwyane
Wade on a "superteam" that plays on the shores of Biscayne Bay and the shadow
of South Be
Thunder, Spurs tangle in the Alamo City >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs have one more game left in the Alamo
City before embarking on their annual Rodeo Road Trip, as they close out a
three-game homestand tonight versus the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Spurs have won
Penguins aim to rebound against struggling Bruins >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins had their hot streak doused
Wednesday in Toronto and will try to get back in the win column when they
visit the struggling Boston Bruins in today's game at TD Garden.
The Penguins had posted their s
Ovechkin returns as Capitals visit Canadiens >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Ovechkin will try to help the Washington Capitals
avoid their first three-game slide in over two months, as the star forward
returns from suspension today to battle the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell
Centre.
Ovechkin
Avalanche seek rare successful trip to Vancouver >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The sliding Colorado Avalanche will try to post a rare win
over the first-place Vancouver Canucks when the Northwest Division rivals meet
this afternoon at the Pepsi Center in Denver.
Colorado has lost four straight -- all
My fellow Americans, as tempting as it may be to don the coat and HD-ready tie in order to deliver this State of the Game address before the cameras, I know better. As Brad Paisley sings on his latest album, "I'm so much cooler online."
The ideas for this annual essay to kick off the MySportsbook.com college football betting preview flowed like frat-house beer, which is to say they were cheap and spilled all over the floor. The 2007 season will be better than 2007, if only because there will be more of it. A year ago, the NCAA Football Rules Committee made two rule changes in the interest of speeding up the game. These changes went over like Kobe burgers at a vegan banquet.
To its credit, the rules committee rectified its mistakes. This season the clock once again will start when a kickoff is received, rather than when it is kicked, and the clock will not start so quickly on a change of possession.
However, kickoffs have been moved back five yards, to the 30, which will force more returns. (Thus forcing the clock to run. Clever, huh?) Special teams might decide a lot of games, because coaching strategy will come straight out of another new Paisley lyric (almost), I'd like to check you for kicks.
Paisley sings with a twang, which is why he's appropriate for this college football season. The sun coming up over the 2007 college football betting lines season rises from the south. It's a Southern football world. As the Southeastern Conference begins its 75th year, the power shift is noticeable.
Eight-figure budgets, glamorous settings -- and that's just for the head coaches. The SEC has four coaches who have won national championships -- the greatest aggregation of coaching know-how since Eddie Robinson dined alone.
Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have given lie to the idea that a conference championship game is too daunting a hurdle on the road to No. 1. In six of the past 10 seasons, the national champions played and won a conference championship game -- three of the six (Tennessee, 1998; LSU, 2003; Florida, 2007) from the SEC.
There will be more of the same this season, if the preseason prognostications are correct. Six SEC teams are in the preseason coaches' poll, more than from any other conference. Only one conference has talent so deep that a team with 15 returning starters, including the best quarterback in the league, from an eight-win season is considered an afterthought. That may speak more to Kentucky's losing legacy than to the wisdom of the predictions, but there you have it. And seriously, keep an eye on Wildcats QB Andre' Woodson.
The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans.
So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California.
USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster. Instead, the Trojans gathered themselves and routed Michigan, 32-18, in the Rose Bowl.
USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess (such as, without naming names, L.M. from Baton Rouge). The league only got deeper this season; Dennis Erickson is taking over an Arizona State team that never quite got out of its own way under his predecessor, Dirk Koetter.
Erickson will resume his quest to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools. Both he and Spurrier, now in his third season at South Carolina, returned to college football at schools with lower profiles than where they won their titles.
That isn't the case for the third coach looking for the national championship double. You may have missed this, but NASA reported the astronauts on the space shuttle last spring made contact with what can only be described as beings from another galaxy.
The leader of the aliens said, "We come in peace," followed by, "So how do you think Nick Saban will do at Alabama?"
The public is reacting to the new Crimson Tide coach as if he is the Barry Bonds of college football -- beloved at home for what his fans believe he is going to do, hated on the road for his intimidating attitude and for what his detractors believe he did (bend NCAA recruiting rules). I made this comparison from the dais at a charity dinner in Mobile, Ala., last month, and the chill that washed over me didn't come from the air conditioning.
Saban will attempt to prove that he can remake in Tuscaloosa what he built in Baton Rouge, much like another member of the national championship fraternity. Bobby Bowden is attempting to remake at Florida State what he built at, um, Florida State. Bowden rebuilt his offensive staff, bringing in four new coaches led by Saban's former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, to jump-start an offense that has been dead for a couple of years.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to show new signs of life, too. That is said with no disrespect toward last season's champion, Wake Forest, which provided one of the best story lines of 2007. The Demon Deacons begin this season in their customary position, overshadowed by the Virginia Techs, Miamis and Florida States.
It's not that Wake will find it difficult to duplicate its success in 2007 as much as the feeling that success engendered. Surprising success is the narcotic of sport. It never feels quite so euphoric the next time. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has figured this out. He refers to 2007, when a league looked down upon by fans and foes alike took three undefeated teams into November, as "Cinderella."
The fairy tale may be over, but the Big East has four genuine Heisman Trophy candidates in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White, and Rutgers tailback Ray Rice. Rutgers, as did Wake Forest and, of course, Boise State, proved last season that the have-nots in college football occasionally have quite a lot.
The Broncos' rousing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has raised the profile of all schools in conferences that don't get automatic BCS bids. This season, TCU and Hawaii are the preseason favorites to burst through the BCS doors and earn an at-large bid. The Warriors return 14 starters from an 11-3 team, including quarterback Colt Brennan.
Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2007, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season.
After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country.
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.
Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.
That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.
Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.
After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.
The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).
To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.
NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV
New England Patriots 8/1
Dallas Cowboys 9/1
New York Giants 10/1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1
Indianapolis Colts 12/1
San Diego Chargers 12/1
Baltimore Ravens 14/1
Tennessee Titans 16/1
Carolina Panthers 18/1
Philadelphia Eagles 18/1
New Orleans Saints 20/1
Atlanta Falcons 25/1
Denver Broncos 25/1
Green Bay Packers 25/1
Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1
Minnesota Vikings 25/1
New York Jets 25/1
Arizona Cardinals 30/1
Chicago BearS 30/1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1
Buffalo Bills 35/1
Houston TexaNS 35/1
Miami Dolphins 35/1
Washington Redskins 35/1
Seattle SeahawkS 50/1
Cleveland Browns 55/1
Cincinnati Bengals 60/1
San Francisco 49ers 60/1
Oakland Raiders 75/1
St. Louis Rams 75/1
Detroit Lions 100/1
Kansas City Chiefs 100/1
Odds as of: 2/2/09
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting