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01/16/2007 - Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal and fifth-seeded American James Blake were among the first-round winners on a blistering-hot Day 2 at the 2007 Australian Open.
The two-time French Open champion Nadal was fortunate enough to play under the roof at Rod Laver Arena, as temperatures soared over 100 degrees Tuesday at Melbourne Park. The powerful Spaniard reached the second round by handling American Robert Kendrick 7-6 (8-6), 6-3, 6-2. Last season, Kendrick led Nadal two-sets-to-none before losing in five sets against the Spaniard in a second- round match at Wimbledon, where Nadal wound up as the runner-up to Roger Federer.
The reigning king of Roland Garros Nadal will meet German Philipp Kohlschreiber here in the second round.
The stifling heat forced some players to quit during their openers on Day 2. At one point, play was suspended when the tournament invoked its "extreme heat policy."
Blake, fresh off his title in Sydney, beat former world No. 1 Carlos Moya for the second time in four days, as the American moved on with a 7-6 (10-8), 6-2, 6-4 decision at the year's first major. The 2006 Tennis Masters Cup runner-up Blake also beat Moya in last Saturday's title bout at the Sydney International. Moya reached the Aussie Open final back in 1997.
The ever-improving Blake's second-round opponent will be his fellow American Alex Kuznetsov.
Third-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko and eighth-seeded Argentine David Nalbandian also advanced, as Davydenko handled Argentine Sergio Roitman 6-2, 7-5, 6-2, while the former Wimbledon runner-up and 2005 Masters Cup champion Nalbandian outlasted Serbian Janko Tipsarevic 6-7 (5-7), 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-0, 2-1, as the Serb finally wilted in the sweltering conditions and retired due to heat exhaustion. Tipsarevic served for the match in the third set, but faded in the process.
Heavy Aussie crowd favorite Lleyton Hewitt needed all five sets to advance, as he overcame American journeyman Michael Russell 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. The 19th-seeded former world No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam titlist Hewitt was the 2005 Aussie Open runner-up to Russian Marat Safin.
Up next for the fiery Hewitt will be Canadian Frank Dancevic.
Tenth-seeded Chilean Fernando Gonzalez came from behind to beat Russian Evgeny Korolev 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (8-6), 6-3, 6-2, while 12th-seeded German Tommy Haas humbled Spaniard Albert Montanes 7-5, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3); No. 13 Czech Tomas Berdych blitzed Korean Hyung-Taik Lee 6-1, 6-2, 6-2; and No. 15 Brit Andy Murray mauled Spaniard Alberto Martin 6-0, 6-0, 6-1. Martin held in his final service game of the match to avoid the first-ever Aussie Open triple-bagel in the Open Era.
Seventeenth-seeded Finn Jarkko Nieminen got past American Paul Goldstein 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, while No. 21 Russian Dmitry Tursunov overcame German Alexander Waske 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.
Other seeded winners were No. 28 Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean and No. 31 Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka. Grosjean was leading Christophe Rochus 6-2, 4-1 when the Belgian succumbed to breathing problems brought on by the heat. Grosjean has been a quarterfinalist or better on four occasions in Melbourne.
Upsets came when German Florian Mayer took out 23rd-seeded Swede Robin Soderling 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0; Frenchman Arnaud Clement erased 29th-seeded Belgian Xavier Malisse 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4; and American Robby Ginepri grounded 32nd-seeded Spaniard Nicolas Almagro 4-6, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3. Clement was the Aussie Open runner-up in 2001.
Several other men recorded first-round wins, including the aforementioned Kuznetsov, Kohlschreiber and Dancevic, Belgian Olivier Rochus, France's Fabrice Santoro, Spaniard Fernando Verdasco and Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela. The 19-year-old Kuznetsov edged out Aussie favorite Peter Luczak 6-4, 5-7, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 6-4.
The final match of the day ended after 3:00 a.m. local time, as Italian Andreas Seppi edged out American Bobby Reynolds in marathon fashion, 6-1, 6-7 (4-7), 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-3), 6-3. Seppi needed four hours to advance.
<< Streaking Sens welcome Caps to town
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators shoot for a season-best fifth
consecutive victory when the resurgent club hosts the Washington Capitals this
evening at Scotiabank Place.
After a mediocre first 2 1/2 months of the season, the Senators
<< Panthers open doors for Hurricanes
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes will try to bounce back from a
tough loss this evening, when they visit the Florida Panthers at BankAtlantic
Center.
The Hurricanes last played on Saturday and had a chance to gain ground on
divisi
<< David Beckham, more PR than superstar
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Soccer made the biggest
transaction in its 11-year history this past Thursday when the Los Angeles
Galaxy signed Real Madrid midfielder David Beckham to a five-year contract
that co
<< Habs play host to red-hot Canucks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks will try to continue their recent
surge tonight, when they visit the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre.
The Canucks have won eight of their last nine games and are closing in on the
top spot in t
Wild return home for battle with Oilers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off a surprisingly successful road trip, the
Minnesota Wild will try to regain their usual home dominance when they
entertain the division-rival Edmonton Oilers tonight at the Xcel Energy
Center.
The Wild had lost
Ducks get the Blues >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Blues have been playing better hockey as of
late, but they'll face a tough test tonight when they continue their West
Coast road trip against the conference-leading Anaheim Ducks at the Honda
Center.
The Bl
Special Eclipse Award goes to Barbaro's owners and Penn >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roy and Gretchen Jackson, owners of Kentucky
Derby winner Barbaro, and the University of Pennsylvania's Equine Hospital
will receive the Special Eclipse Award for 2006.
The National Thoroughbred Racing
Cubs ink P Ohman >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs agreed to terms on a two-year
deal with pitcher Will Ohman on Tuesday.
The 29-year old Ohman set career-highs with 78 games pitched, 65 1/3 innings
and 74 strikeouts with the Cubs last seaso
MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
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March Madness odds and printable March Madness brackets
With the field of 64/65 set, MySportsbook.com has the Florida Gators as the 4-1 favorite to successfully defend their National Championship. Men’s Division-1 College Basketball has not seen a team repeat as National Champions since Duke won back to back championships in ’91 & ‘92. After losing three out of four late in the season, the Gators are full of momentum as they won their last four games by an average of 18 points. Not surprisingly, right behind the Gators are the other three top seeds: Kansas 5-1, UNC 6-1, and Ohio State 7-1. Many consider Kansas to be the hottest team in the country, having won 11 straight. With Kansas, it is hard to ignore all of the early exits from the “dance” in recent years. With an impressive ACC Tournament, UNC ensured themselves the other top seed. UNC has about as much talent as any other team in the tournament but with a team that’s best players are primarily freshman and sophomores, could youth be a concern. Behind freshman sensation, Greg Oden, OSU will look to do what their football team failed to do just a few months earlier. OSU seems to have peeked at the right time, as they currently have a 17 game winning streak. Since the tournament field was expanded in 1985, there has never been an instance where all four #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. It is obvious that each of the top seeds have the talent to make it through to Atlanta. But as everyone knows, when makes the NCAA Tournament so special are all of the spoilers and “Cinderella” stories that knock off the favorites on a daily basis.
Be sure to logon to MySportsbook.com to see check out all of the early lines and “March Madness” props. Also be sure to enter the “$10,000,000 Perfect Bracket Contest”. If someone has the skills to predict every winner, they will be set for life and walk away with $10,000,000. Even if no one can cash in on the Grand Prize, with a $35,000 guaranteed prize pool and a Mazda RX-8 to the first prize winner, Sportsbook.com’s bracket is a must for all “March Madness” fans.
MySportsbook.com’s odds to win the Championship and Regions:
| EAST | National Championship | Region |
| Arkansas | 300-1 | 50-1 |
| Belmont | 1000-1 | |
| Boston College | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Eastern KY | 1000-1 | |
| George Washington | 75-1 | |
| Georgetown | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| Marquette | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Michigan State | 100-1 | 25-1 |
| New Mexico St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| UNC | 6-1 | 6-5 |
| Oral Roberts | 500-1 | |
| Texas | 15-1 | 5-1 |
| Texas Tech | 200-1 | 5-1 |
| USC | 75-1 | 20-1 |
| Vanderbilt | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Washington State | 40-1 | 15-1 |
| WEST | ||
| Duke | 50-1 | 10-1 |
| Florida A&M | 1000-1 | |
| Gonzaga | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Holy Cross | 300-1 | |
| Illinois | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Indiana | 75-1 | 40-1 |
| Kansas | 5-1 | 13-10 |
| Kentucky | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Niagara | 1000-1 | |
| Pittsburgh | 40-1 | 8-1 |
| Southern Ill. | 50-1 | 12-1 |
| UCLA | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| VCU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Villanova | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| VA Tech | 50-1 | 15-1 |
| Weber St | 1000-1 | |
| Wright St | 1000-1 | 300-1 |
| MIDWEST | ||
| Arizona | 50-1 | 30-1 |
| Butler | 40-1 | 30-1 |
| Davidson | 300-1 | |
| Florida | 4-1 | 4-5 |
| Georgia Tech | 75-1 | 25-1 |
| Jackson State | 1000-1 | |
| Maryland | 30-1 | 6-1 |
| Miami-OH | 300-1 | |
| Notre Dame | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| ODU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Oregon | 40-1 | 6-1 |
| Purdue | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Texas A&M CC | 1000-1 | |
| UNLV | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Winthrop | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Wisconsin | 15-1 | 7-2 |
| SOUTH | ||
| Albany | 200-1 | |
| BYU | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Central CT St. | 1000-1 | |
| Creighton | 100-1 | 35-1 |
| Long Beach St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| Louisville | 40-1 | 10-1 |
| Memphis | 30-1 | 4-1 |
| Nevada | 75-1 | 35-1 |
| North Texas | 500-1 | |
| Ohio State | 7-1 | 6-5 |
| Penn | 500-1 | |
| Stanford | 200-1 | 50-1 |
| Tennessee | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| Texas A&M | 12-1 | 11-5 |
| Virginia | 75-1 | 18-1 |
| Xavier | 100-1 | 40-1 |
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