Sonic youth

Golf Betting Lines

05/03/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rory McIlroy would have to wait two days to properly celebrate the defining round of his young career.

Had he been at home in Northern Ireland, he might have popped a cork Sunday night. Standing in the sun in Charlotte, however, the most he could legally look forward to was a celebration on Tuesday night at Sawgrass, site of the upcoming Players Championship.

"If I was back at home, I'd be having a good one tonight," McIlroy said.

The 20-year-old with the curly brown locks set a course record Sunday with a 10-under 62 in the final round of the Quail Hollow Championship, becoming the youngest winner on the PGA Tour since Tiger Woods in 1996.

With one foot on the pedal and another on the course's neck, McIlroy made an impossible six consecutive 3s to finish the final round, posting a 30 on the back nine to beat Phil Mickelson by four shots.

He finished at 15-under 273, winning his first PGA Tour title in only his 18th start. Not bad for a player who made the cut on the number Friday at one-over par.

"A 30 on the back nine to win is just fabulous. He's an amazing talent," said Mickelson, who also won as a 20-year-old on the PGA Tour, though he was an amateur at the time.

"You knew [McIlroy] was going to come out and win out here. He's won all other places in the world at 20 years old. It's remarkable," Mickelson said. "He's some kind of player."

Indeed, it was a future-is-bright kind of weekend for young golfers.

Many hours before McIlroy captured one of the biggest non-major events in the men's game, 18-year-old Ryo Ishikawa fired a 12-under 58 to win an event on his home Japan Golf Tour.

It was the lowest score ever recorded on a major golf circuit.

McIlroy read about Ishikawa's score before he began his round at Quail Hollow and joked that he was "just trying to keep up with" the young Japanese star.

"He's a great player," McIlroy said, "and obviously with myself winning today as well, it looks good for the future."

Meanwhile, as Lorena Ochoa played her final tournament before retirement, a number of young LPGA Tour stars vied for a piece of her spotlight in Mexico.

It looked like 20-year-old Michelle Wie might capture her second victory and the unofficial title of "The New Face of Women's Golf." But it was Japan's Ai Miyazato, instead, who closed with a 67 on the Tres Marias course to win Ochoa's farewell event.

Miyazato, who is 24, won for the third time in five starts this season and for the fourth time in her last 14 starts.

With Ochoa stepping away after dominating the game for four years, Wie and Miyazato represent two likely candidates to take over the reigns and steer the tour through a lean year.

Which is a good thing. Because if the No. 1 player in the women's game is going to enter early retirement for the second time in three seasons, the least the golf gods can do is offer us young and exciting replacements.

Ochoa, 28, didn't technically get her wish to retire as the No. 1 player. As it turns out. Jiyai Shin, the 2009 LPGA Rookie of the Year, knocked her out of the top spot by .09 points after winning in Japan on Sunday.

But the rankings weren't out by the time the Mexican star spoke Sunday, and Ochoa considered that proof that she retired on top, saying: "Today, I am still No. 1." (Fine with me.)

Many of the players gathered to see Ochoa off to a party, including some of her closest friends on the LPGA Tour. They autographed a caddie bib, which was presented by Miyazato.

"She's one of my best friends," Miyazato said. "I'm going to miss her."

As for the men's No. 1? Woods missed the cut in Charlotte -- only the sixth time he's done that as a professional. Missed it by eight shots with the worst 36-hole score of his career.

I suppose for karmic reasons, it was appropriate that he sit home on the weekend while others were playing a round.

Offsmaker Golf Betting News


<< Shin takes over top spot in women's world rankings
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jiyai Shin was victorious on the Japan LPGA Tour over the weekend and that helped her take over the top spot in the women's world golf rankings. Shin takes over the top spot from the retiring Lorena

<< Blackhawks aim to rebound in Game 2 vs. Canucks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-seeded Chicago Blackhawks will try to bounce back from a blowout loss in the opener of the Western Conference semifinals, when they host the Vancouver Canucks in Game 2 tonight at United Center. The Blackhawks a

<< Bruins try to grab 2-0 lead over Flyers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marc Savard and the Boston Bruins will try to build off the momentum from a thrilling overtime victory when they host the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at TD Garden. Savard, playing for

<< Rockies ace Jimenez goes for win No. 6 at San Diego
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colorado's Ubaldo Jimenez, riding a 22 1/3-scoreless innings streak, aims to become the majors' first six-game winner as the Rockies begin a three-game series with the National League West-leading San Diego P

<< Harden leads Rangers into Oakland Coliseum
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The first-place Texas Rangers will get a chance to extend their new-found lead in the American League West this evening when Rich Harden makes his first ever start against his old club, the Athletics, in the opener of a th

Injured Stricker to miss Players Championship >>
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World No. 3 Steve Stricker has withdrawn from this week's Players Championship due to a right shoulder injury. Stricker last attempted to play two weeks ago at the Zurich Classic,

ChiSox activate C Castro from DL >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox activated catcher Ramon Castro from the 15-day disabled list on Monday. The 34-year-old Castro began the 2010 campaign on the DL with a bruised right heel. He went 2-for-13 with one

Northeastern signs Coen to extension >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Northeastern men's basketball coach Bill Coen has signed a multi-year contract extension. Coen has guided the Huskies to a record of 66-62 during his four-year tenure, which includes postseason appearances

NBA Playoff Preview - Orlando vs. Atlanta >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The well-rested Orlando Magic finally will get back to work on defending their Eastern Conference championship when they kick off the second round of the postseason against their division rival, the Atlanta Hawks. The se

Diamondbacks recall Valdez to start against Astros >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks recalled right-hander Cesar Valdez from Triple-A Reno to make his major league debut in Monday's series opener at Houston. The 25-year-old Valdez went 1-1 with a 3.80 earned run a

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.

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

Field                                              100-1

About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.