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07/08/2010 - Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Darren Clarke posted a six-under 65 on Thursday to take the first-round lead of the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond Golf Club.
Clarke is riding a hot wave. He captured the unofficial JP McManus Pro-Am earlier in the week as he is trying to get one of the final spots in next week's field at the British Open Championship at St. Andrews. A top-five finisher this week who is not otherwise exempt gets into the field next week.
"I'm a bit of a confidence player," said Clarke, who finished second at the 1997 British Open. "I've been on tour for a long time. Of course I'd love to qualify for next week. My focus is playing this week and playing as well as I can and if that gets me into the Open, then fantastic."
Edoardo Molinari, Graeme Storm and Damien McGrane are knotted in second place at five-under 66.
John Daly, 18-year-old Japanese star Ryo Ishikawa, Stephen Gallacher, Thongchai Jaidee, Peter Hedblom, Bradley Dredge and Johan Edfors are tied for fifth at four-under 67.
This being the final tune-up for next week's Open Championship is one of many storylines in place this week at Loch Lomond.
Phil Mickelson, the Masters champion, is No. 2 in the world, but a win on Sunday or a solo runner-up would give Mickelson his first-ever No. 1 spot in the world rankings.
Mickelson will have some work to do to get to that coveted perch. He managed an even-par 71, and that was with a double-bogey from the brush at 14, and is tied for 44th.
Also at even-par is 2010 U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell, who is making his first start since earning his first major title last month at Pebble Beach. He was careful not to be too excited about his return after a three-week celebration.
"There were a few good swings in there and a few champagne swings as well," joked McDowell.
But after Thursday, the story was Clarke.
He birdied two of his first five and added another at No. 7 to reach three- under par. Clarke knocked his approach to 10 feet to set up birdie at the ninth to get him one off the early lead.
Clarke joined first place with a birdie at the par-five 13th. He took sole possession of the lead thanks to a five-footer for birdie at the very next hole.
Clarke parred his remaining holes and in a driving rain toward the very end of his round. He is a leader
"Obviously I played nicely all day," said Clarke. "I gave myself lots of chances. As you can see from the scoring, it was pretty tough out there. All in all, very pleased with it."
NOTES: Two-time winner Ernie Els shot a two-under 69...Gregory Havret, who was second to McDowell at Pebble Beach and also returned to the European Tour Thursday, shot a one-under 70. He won this title in a playoff over Mickelson in 2007...Defending champion Martin Kaymer had a 71 in round one...Reigning PGA Champion Y.E. Yang struggled to a one-over 72.
<< Jermaine O'Neal headed to Boston
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics have reportedly agreed to
terms with center Jermaine O'Neal.
According to the Boston Globe, O'Neal has agreed to the mid-level exception of
$5.7 million for the 2010-11 campaign.
O'Neal
<< Grizzlies officially bring back Gay
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Memphis Grizzlies signed forward Rudy Gay
to a multi-year contract Thursday, officially ending his flirtation with free
agency.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the Memphis Commercial Appeal bac
<< Duke draws Princeton in CBE field
Princeton, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The CBE Classic revealed its regional lineup
for the upcoming season with Duke and Princeton highlighting the early
matchups.
Duke, Kansas State, Gonzaga and Marquette were previously selected as
<< '10 U.S. Open will set prize-money record
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 2010 U.S. Open will offer the richest
purse in tennis history, at over $22.6 million, with the singles winners
pocketing at least $1.7 million apiece.
The overall prize money is up $1 million
Rochus, Dabul reach Newport semis >>
Newport, RI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fourth-seeded Belgian Olivier Rochus and
unseeded Argentine Brian Dabul were a pair of straight-set quarterfinal
winners Thursday at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships.
The 5-foot-6 Rochus rout
Phillies activate P Madson from DL >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies have activated
pitcher Ryan Madson from the 15-day disabled list.
He underwent successful surgery to repair a broken right great toe on May 4.
Madson has been on the disab
Suns bring back Frye with five-year deal >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Suns have signed center Channing
Frye to a five-year deal on Thursday.
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The Arizona product posted 11.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest in 81
Oklahoma City and New Orleans complete draft day deal >>
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oklahoma City Thunder have acquired
the draft rights to Cole Aldrich and veteran forward Morris Peterson from the
New Orleans Hornets in exchange for the draft rights to forward Craig Brackens
and gua
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
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.
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