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09/04/2010 - Eden Prairie, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Veteran wide receiver Javon Walker was among the players released by the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday, as the team reduced its roster to the 53-player NFL maximum.
Walker, who was signed in August after a hip injury sidelined star receiver Sidney Rice indefinitely, had performed well in preseason action. The former Green Bay Pro Bowler, who has previously spent time with the Raiders (2008-09), Broncos (2006-07) and Packers (2002-05), caught six passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns in two preseason games.
Also released were safety Colt Anderson, guard Thomas Austin, guard Adrian Battles, wide receiver Taye Biddle, wide receiver Freddie Brown, tackle Patrick Brown, tackle Chris Clark, fullback Ryan D'Imperio, wide receiver Marquis Hamilton, running back Ian Johnson, defensive tackle Tramaine Johnson, kicker Rhys Lloyd, tight end Garrett Mills, defensive end Mike Montgomery, wide receiver Logan Payne, tackle Drew Radovich, cornerback Marcus Sherels, linebacker Nate Triplett and defensive back DeAndre Wright.
Notables among that group include Johnson, the former Boise State star; Lloyd, who was attempting to make the team as a kickoff specialist; and Montgomery, a five-year NFL veteran who played in 56 games with the Packers since 2005.
On Friday night, Minnesota dealt quarterback Sage Rosenfels and running back Darius Reynaud to the New York Giants.
The Vikings will begin their regular season on Thursday, when they travel to meet the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints to kick off the 2010 NFL season.
<< Giants make cuts, QB Bomar among them
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Quarterback Rhett Bomar was among the
players released by the New York Giants on Saturday, as the team reduced its
roster to the 53-player maximum.
Bomar, a fifth-round 2009 draft choice out of Sam Hous
<< 25th-ranked West Virginia opens by blanking Coastal Carolina
Morgantown, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Geno Smith completed 20-of-27 passes for a
career-high 216 yards and two touchdowns in his first collegiate start and
Noel Devine ran for 111 yards and a score to lead West Virginia to a 31-0
drubbin
<< Ducks dominate in opener against New Mexico
Eugene, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kenjon Barner rushed for 146 yards and four
touchdowns on 17 carries as 11th-ranked Oregon used a powerful first
half to dismantle New Mexico, 72-0, in the first-ever meeting between the
schools
<< Hamlin edges Newman for Atlanta pole
Hampton, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denny Hamlin earned his first pole of the
season by topping Ryan Newman in Saturday's qualifying for the Emory
Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Hamlin turned in a lap of 187.380 m.p.
Wood, Reds handle Cardinals >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Travis Wood turned in seven solid innings and
hit his first career home run to lead Cincinnati in a 6-1 victory over rival
St. Louis in the middle test of a crucial three-game set at Busch Stadium.
Jonny Go
Eagles send Andrews to Seattle >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Eagles reportedly sent
offensive lineman Stacy Andrews to Seattle on Saturday for an undisclosed
draft pick in 2011.
The move was reported on the team's website, although there
Siavii, Octavien among Cowboys' 20 cuts >>
Irving, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defensive lineman Junior Siavii and linebacker
Steve Octavien were among the most recognizable names released by the Dallas
Cowboys on Saturday, as the team pared its roster to the 53-player maximum.
Siavii, a f
Cahill shuts down Angels >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trevor Cahill tossed six scoreless innings to
help the Oakland Athletics defeat the Angels, 3-1, in the second test of this
three-game series.
Cahill (15-6) allowed four hits to go with a career-high six
Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"
A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."
Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.
In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.
"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."
Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.
But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"
Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.
This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.
Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.
In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.
No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.
And that's all any bettor can ask for.
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Sportsbook betting odds favor Europe in Ryder Cup
September 19, – Despite holding a decided edge in the all-time series, with 24 wins, 2 ties and 10 losses, Team USA is the underdog again heading into the Ryder Cup in Kidare, Ireland this weekend, according to MySportsbook.com. The Europeans have captured four of the past five editions, including their largest victory ever, an 18 ½ to 9 ½ thumping in Michigan in 2004. Current Ryder Cup betting odds favor the Europeans to continue their winning ways; they are a 4-5 bet to take the title, compared to 6-5 for the Americans.
Despite being knocked out in the first round of World Match play by Shaun Micheel, Tiger Woods is predicted to lead the US charge and be their highest point scorer for the week, with odds listed at 9-4 that he outpoints all other American players, including Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco to name a few. Team USA has four relatively unknown players on the roster but all four are 2007 tournament winners and have posted some of season’s best performances, each earning over $1.5 million on the PGA TOUR. They include Zach Johnson, Vaughan Taylor, JJ Henry and Brett Wetterich.
The experienced European squad includes the likes of Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Jose Maria Olazabal and Darren Clarke, who’s emotions will be tested after the passing of his wife to a battle with cancer. Donald and Garcia are in particularly good form and each is a 5-1 bet to lead the European squad in the points race. Donald has proven he can go head to head with Woods at a major event after a run for the $1.2 million purse at the PGA Championship. Garcia’s Ryder Cup credentials prove he’s ready for battle too.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your golf sportsbook needs.
Ryder Cup Odds| Europe Tie USA |
4-5 10-1 6-5 |
| Tiger Woods Jim Furyk Phil Mickelson Chris DiMarco David Toms Stewart Cink Chad Campbell Scott Verplank Zach Johnson Vaughan Taylor JJ Henry Brett Wetterich |
9-4 4-1 5-1 7-1 8-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 25-1 30-1 30-1 50-1 |
| Sergio Garcia Luke Donald Padraig Harrington Colin Montgomerie Darren Clarke David Howell Lee Westwood Paul Casey Henrik Stenson Jose Maria Olazabal Paul McGinley Robert Karlsson |
5-1 5-1 6-1 13-2 8-1 9-1 9-1 11-1 12-1 12-1 20-1 25-1 |
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com
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