Gal leads suspended Wegmans LPGA
Golf Betting Lines
06/25/2009 - Rochester, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sandra Gal fired an eight-under 64 and held a one-shot lead Thursday when the rain-delayed first round of the Wegmans LPGA was suspended due to darkness.
Jiyai Shin stood alone in second place at seven-under 65, while Becky Lucidi was on the course at six-under through 15 holes when play was halted at 8:35 p.m. (et).
The round was delayed for almost three hours in the middle of the day because of inclement weather. When players returned to the course at 5:30 p.m., there were only about three hours of daylight remaining.
Those who didn't finish their rounds will return to Locust Hill in the morning.
Major winner Morgan Pressel was among the players who finished their rounds before the weather delay hit just after 2:30 p.m. The 2007 Kraft Nabisco champion shot a four-under 68 to lead a five-way tie for sixth place.
"Grinded it out today," Pressel posted to her Twitter page before the delay.
Gal, on the other hand, coasted.
The 24-year-old from Germany made her first trip around the 6,300-yard layout without a bogey, posting a career-low score on the LPGA Tour. Her previous best was a 65 in the first round of the Corning Classic last month, where she posted her first top-10.
Her day started on the back nine, where Gal made five birdies in a row from the 11th to the 15th. She made another birdie at the 17th, giving her a 31 around the turn.
Gal's birdie run was interrupted by the rain.
"It was not nice," said Gal, "but then I said I'll just take it as positive and start a fresh round and see how low we can go after that. I think that mind set kind of helped me for the back nine."
After making birdie putts that totaled 40 feet on her first nine holes, Gal drained two long attempts -- a 12-footer at No. 1 and a 15-footer at No. 9 -- to get into the clubhouse with the lead.
"A really fun day," she said.
Shin, the reigning Women's British Open champion, also played her first round without a bogey. She made three birdies in her first four holes Thursday, then four more on the back nine.
Last year, Shin, currently ranked No. 4 in the world, became the first non- LPGA Tour member to win three events. She has already picked up a fourth title this season -- when she is considered a rookie.
Shin simplified her game after the rain delay.
"The fairways and greens were softer, and the wind was gone," said the 21- year-old Korean.
Cheyenne Woods, the 18-year-old niece of Tiger Woods, played in her first event as a professional and shot a three-over 75. Cheyenne is entering her second year at Wake Forest.
"The difference is definitely the crowds, the media and the competition is a lot tougher," she said of her pro debut.
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Canadian Football League on Thursday announced its final roster cutdowns before the start of the regular season. Below is a list of players released, sorted by team and position: The B
<< Iles in front at Players Cup
Bridgeport, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bradley Iles of New Zealand fired a seven-
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9-3, in the rubber match of a three-game interleague set from Safeco Field.
Mike S
<< Clippers take Griffin with top pick
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers selected Oklahoma
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led the Sooners i
<< Fedorov returning home to Russia
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Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hanley Ramirez went 3-for-5 with a grand slam and five total runs batted in, as the Florida Marlins completed a three-game sweep of Baltimore with an 11-3 victory. Rookie Sean West (3-2) tossed six shutout inni
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Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Willie Harris and Josh Bard each finished
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debut of John Smoltz with a 9-3 thrashing in the finale of a three-game
interle
Votto helps Reds down Jays >>
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McCutchen's hit in ninth lifts Pirates over Tribe >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andrew McCutchen singled in Jack Wilson with
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Smoltz activated from DL, makes season debut >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Right-handed pitcher John Smoltz
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Betting the NFL preseason
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.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook
Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds. The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.
Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.
Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).
Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.
World Series odds
Adam Dunn 15-1
Albert Pujols 5-1
Alex Rodriguez 12-1
Alfonso Soriano 15-1
Andruw Jones 25-1
Barry Bonds 50-1
Carlos Delgado 40-1
David Ortiz 8-1
Jermaine Dye 40-1
Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1
Lance Berkman 40-1
Manny Ramirez 20-1
Richie Sexson 40-1
Ryan Howard 6-1
Travis Hafner 20-1
Vladimir Guerrero 40-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.