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01/16/2007 - Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With temperatures soaring over 100 degrees, top-seeded Maria Sharapova and former runner-up Kim Clijsters snuck in first-round wins Tuesday at the Australian Open.
The 2006 U.S. Open champion Sharapova survived a scare from Camille Pin, as the Russian battled off both the sweltering heat and her French counterpart to post a grueling 6-3, 4-6, 9-7 victory at Melbourne Park.
A struggling Sharapova won despite piling up a whopping 65 unforced errors, including 24 miscues in the first seven games. She ultimately wound up winning the final set 9-7 after running out to a 5-0 lead in the stanza, advancing on her fourth match point of the day. The Russian superstar battled stomach cramps and took a 10-minute heat timeout during the uncomfortable encounter.
"It's inhumanly possible to play three hours in that kind of heat," Sharapova said. "I don't think our bodies were made to do that. I was so delusional I couldn't think."
The 19-year-old two-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova's second-round opponent on Thursday will be her fellow Russian Anastassia Rodionova.
Play was temporarily suspended Tuesday when tournament officials invoked their "extreme heat policy." Sharapova played with the retractable roof open for the first match at Rod Laver Arena. The roof was then closed in time for the next match.
Twelve of Tuesday's scheduled 32 women's singles matches were postponed until Wednesday.
A fourth-seeded Clijsters destroyed Russian Vasilisa Bardina 6-0, 6-0. Clijsters is fresh off her title in Sydney, while Bardina was a surprise runner-up last week in Hobart.
The 23-year-old Clijsters, playing in her final WTA Tour season, was the 2004 Aussie Open runner-up to her countrywoman Justine Henin-Hardenne.
The former U.S. Open titlist Clijsters' second-round opponent will be Japan's Akiko Morigami.
Sixth-seeded Swiss Martina Hingis drove past France's Nathalie Dechy 6-0, 6-2. The former world No. 1 and five-time Grand Slam champion Swiss reached six straight Aussie Open finals from 1997-2002, winning back-to-back-to-back titles here from '97-99.
Hingis will battle Russian Alla Kudryavtseva in the round of 64.
Eighth-seeded Swiss Patty Schnyder and ninth-seeded Russian Dinara Safina had their openers pushed back until Day 3 because of the oppressive Day-2 heat.
Twelfth-seeded Russian Anna Chakvetadze got past Austrian Sybille Bammer 6-4, 7-5 and 13th-seeded Serb Ana Ivanovic drilled American Vania King 6-2, 6-0. Chakvetadze was last week's champion in Hobart.
Additional seeded winners on Day 2 were No. 24 Aussie Samantha Stosur, No. 29 Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko and No. 30 Italian Tathiana Garbin. Stosur stopped Czech Klara Zakopalova 6-3, 6-1 to please the home faithful.
Mild upsets came when Estonian Kaia Kanepi knocked out 28th-seeded Italian Flavia Pennetta 7-5, 7-6 (7-3) and Japan's Aiko Nakamura erased 32nd-seeded Greek Eleni Daniilidou 6-4, 6-0.
Ten other women notched opening-round wins, including the aforementioned Rodionova, Kudryavtseva and Morigami, American Laura Granville, Aussie Alicia Molik and Indian Sania Mirza. Meghann Shaughnessy, the highest-ranked American in the women's draw (39th), was dismissed by Czech Renata Voracova 7-5, 6-3.
Tuesday action wrapped up early Wednesday morning at Melbourne Park.
<< Cavs continue road trip in Seattle
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers continue their road trip, as they
visit the Seattle SuperSonics tonight at KeyArena.
The Cavaliers are 2-1 on their season-long seven-game road trip. Superstar
LeBron James had 28 points, six rebo
<< Hornets, Magic battle at Ford Center
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Southeast Division-leading Orlando Magic try to halt
a two-game losing streak when they close out a four-game road trip this
evening against the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets at the Ford Center.
Orlando, which le
<< Parsons loses battle with lung cancer
Concord, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former NASCAR Series champion and current
broadcaster Benny Parsons died on Tuesday after being hospitalized at the
Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte the day after Christmas.
Parsons has been par
<< Indians, Michaels agree on two-year deal
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians and outfielder Jason
Michaels have agreed to a two-year deal worth $4.25 million.
The Akron Beacon Journal also reported that Michaels received a $100,000
signing bonus and th
Thrashers welcome Kings >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Thrashers will try to win consecutive games
for the first time in 2007, as they welcome the Los Angeles Kings to Philips
Arena this evening.
The Thrashers are just 2-3-2 since the start of the new calendar year
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
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
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
2007 Academy Award Betting : Oscars odds
The 79th Annual Academy Awards odds , which will air February 25th, is sparking an interest throughout the nation with the announcement of its nominees. As the public chooses their favorites, sportsbooks are creating odds for one of the biggest entertainment betting nights of the year.
Whether its at a “Oscar Party” or in an on line sportsbook, entertainment gambling on award shows represent a huge increase in betting. As the public speculation mounts, MySportsbook.com, the largest and most respected sportsbook on the web, posted odds on who is going home with a “Golden Best Friend.”
“ We see a majority of our entertainment wagers come from the Academy Awards,” said MySportsbook.com spokesperson, Tim Dalton. “This is a competition that applies to everyone. These are the people that entertain us on a daily basis and you want to see them win.”
MySportsbook.com posted the following odds for Academy Awards:
Odds to win the Achievement in Directing:
Alejandro González Iñárritu "Babel": 8/1
Martin Scorsese "The Departed": 2/17
Clint Eastwood "Letters From Iwo Jima: 4/1
Stephen Frears "The Queen": 12/1
Paul Greengrass "United 93": 15/1
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
Leonardo DiCaprio in "Blood Diamond": 11/1
Ryan Gosling in "Half Nelson": 20/1
Peter O’Toole in "Venus": 16/5
Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness": 16/1
Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland": 1/11
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
Penélope Cruz in "Volver": 18/1
Judi Dench in "Notes on a Scandal": 15/1
Helen Mirren in "The Queen": 1/50
Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada": 10/1
Kate Winslet in "Little Children": 20/1
Best Animated Feature Film:
"Cars": 1/3
"Happy Feet": 2/1
"Monster House": 20/1
Best Foreign-Language Film of the Year:
"Water" – Canada: 22/1
"The Lives of Others" – Germany: 7/2
"After the Wedding" - Denmark: 24/1
"Days of Glory (Indigenes)" – Algeria: 23/1
"Pan's Labyrinth" - Mexico: 1/10
Odds to win the Best Live-Action Short Film:
"Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)": 6/5
"Eramos Pocos (One Too Many)": 7/2
"Helmer & Son": 5/2
"The Saviour": 6/1
"West Bank Story": 7/2
Odds to win the Best Original Screenplay:
"Babel": 7/4
"Letters From Iwo Jima": 3/1
"Little Miss Sunshine": 21/20
"Pan's Labyrinth": 11/4
"The Queen": 5/4
Best Motion Picture of the Year:
"Babel": 11/4
"The Departed": 1/2
"Letters from Iwo Jima": 15/2
"Little Miss Sunshine": 17/10
"The Queen": 20/1
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
Alan Arkin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 11/10
Jackie Earle Haley in "Little Children": 10/1
Djimon Hounsou in "Blood Diamond": 9/1
Eddie Murphy in "Dreamgirls": 2/5
Mark Wahlberg in "The Departed": 5/1
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
Adriana Barraza in "Babel": 14/1
Cate Blanchett in "Notes on a Scandal": 11/1
Abigail Breslin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 2/1
Jennifer Hudson in "Dreamgirls": 1/8
Rinko Kikuchi in "Babel": 11/1
Film To Win Most Oscars:
Dreamgirls: 2/3
Pans Labyrinth: 6/5
The Departed: 6/1
The Queen: 11/1
Babel: 15/1
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: 11/1
Little Miss Sunshine: 15/1
Additional sports and entertainment odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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