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03/05/2010 - Logrono, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two-time reigning champion Spain and visiting Switzerland are tied at 1-1 following Friday's opening singles in a first-round Davis Cup battle in Logrono.
Stanislas Wawrinka gave the Swiss a 1-0 lead with a marathon 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over Nicolas Almagro. The grueling match lasted just under four hours.
Ferrer then leveled the tie for Spain with a 6-2, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 victory over Marco Chiudinelli in a best-of-five tilt on red clay at the Plaza de Toros de la Ribera.
Saturday's pivotal doubles bout will pit a Spanish duo of Marcel Granollers and Tommy Robredo against a Swiss tandem of Wawrinka and Yves Allegro, while Sunday's reverse singles currently call for Ferrer to face Wawrinka and Almagro to meet Chiudinelli.
Switzerland is playing without world No. 1 superstar Roger Federer, while Spain does not have its great star, Rafael Nadal, in the lineup. Federer had previously announced that he would not play this week, while the former No. 1 oft-injured Nadal is out with a bad knee.
Fernando Verdasco and former top-ranked star Juan Carlos Ferrero also made themselves unavailable for the hosts this week because of injuries.
Spain is captained by former French Open champ Albert Costa, while the Swiss are led by Severin Luthi.
The Spaniards are 4-1 all-time against the Swiss, in a series that dates back to 1946.
Spain beat the Czech Republic in last year's final and won four Davis Cup titles in the 2000s, including two straight to close out the decade. The Spaniards are unbeaten in 18 home ties stretching back to 1999.
The Spain-Switzerland winner will face the France-Germany victor in the quarterfinals in July.
<< Eagles give Weaver three-year pact
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to
terms with fullback Leonard Weaver on a three-year contract.
Terms were not disclosed by the club, but the Philadelphia Daily News reported
it to be worth $11
<< No spending spree yet in free agency
NEW YORK (AP) -With the salary cap gone the way of the drop kick, NFL teams began the free agency period Friday with lots of moves.The only thing missing was the megadeal, although the Chicago Bears appeared to be closing in on one with defensive en
<< Three-Year-Olds Regain Spotlight on Saturday
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With last week's cancellation of the Sham
Stakes at Santa Anita, there will be two graded three-year-old prep races this
Saturday as that event joins the Gotham Stakes over in New York.
Eight of the 10 ear
<< Celtic surprised over Brown appeal
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Celtic have spoken of their 'amazement'
after they failed with an appeal to have Scott Brown's Old Firm red card
rescinded.
The 24-year-old midfielder was dismissed after clashing with Gers strike
Colonial Athletic Association Tournament Recaps >>
Richmond, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - RaShawn Polk posted 20 points with four
rebounds as Towson cruised past UNC-Wilmington, 91-74, in first-round action
of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament.
Troy Franklin scored 18 points
Lady Vols rout Ole Miss in SEC quarters >>
Duluth, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alyssia Brewer scored 21 points and Angie
Bjorklund added 16 with five assists, as fourth-ranked Tennessee claimed a
76-51 victory over Ole Miss in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament.
Alicia Man
Arsenal out to win one for Ramsey >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The injury suffered by Arsenal midfielder
Aaron Ramsey is still fresh in the mind of many of his teammates, who are
getting set to host Burnley at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
The promising tee
Chargers make Cromartie deal official; bring back Wilson, Boone >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Chargers made it official on
Friday and announced the trade of cornerback Antonio Cromartie to the New York
Jets.
San Diego will receive an undisclosed 2011 draft pick in return.
In addit
Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.
Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.
Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.
So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.
In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.
For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.
The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.
The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.
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