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07/18/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - What? What? What?
That's my general response when my dear wakes me up in the middle of the night. Be it a noise or my diesel-locomotive snoring, that's my canned response to her.
It's roughly what we all felt Sunday afternoon.
Louis Oosthuizen won the British Open Championship at St. Andrews. The oldest, most prestigious major title, won at the very home of golf, went to a largely unknown man from South Africa.
Sadly, this might have been the biggest yawner of a major championship in my generation, but I've been poked, not by my dear, but by the game of golf. I'm finally awake.
Paul Azinger said it best on ESPN's broadcast: "I hope the viewer wasn't bored with the blowout."
Sorry, Zinger, but we were.
Let's clear some things up first about the boredom.
Oosthuizen's performance was nothing short of brilliant. I just referred to this as the most boring major championship ever, but that was partly due to the amazing display by Oosthuizen.
He owned St. Andrews on the weekend. By Friday afternoon, no one expected Oosthuizen to come out on top. Lee Westwood was there. So was Paul Casey. Mark Calcavecchia might have scared you 15 years ago, but even at 50, he's a streaky guy who could've piled up six birdies on the front nine in round three.
Oosthuizen hung tough. In fact, he did better than that, he attacked. At St. Andrews, attacking is playing to your strength in relation to the course. He drove it spectacularly. His irons were crisp. His putting was generally genius. Oosthuizen flat-out awed us all, including Tom Watson, who applauded as Oosthuizen walked up 18 on Sunday. It seemed like Watson might cry at what he saw.
Oosthuizen was just that good and this is a guy to root for.
He wasn't a country club kid who was destined by the gods or genes to be a major champion. Oosthuizen is the son of farmers from South Africa. He was in Ernie Els' academy for a few years honing his craft.
No, Louie didn't have to ward off Tiger or Phil or Ernie. Casey got close, but Oosthuizen swatted him away like an annoying gnat nipping at your ankle.
And that's when boredom set in.
Where was Tiger? I get that his game is as far down as his personal life, but didn't he dominate St. Andrews twice for a claret jug? He couldn't get his putter working, but Louis Oosthuizen could?
Where was Phil? Does he want to be No. 1 in the world because I'm having serious doubts. Lefty won't ever win a British, but St. Andrews and this week was probably his best chance and all he could muster was a tie for 48th?
Where was Ernie? Didn't he win twice this year?
Westwood? Top threes in four majors in the last three years, but no charge all week?
Rory McIlroy? A 63 then an 80, but at least this 21-year-old kid fought hard to get back into the top five.
Where was the challenge? I get that St. Andrews played difficultly, but Oosthuizen handled it like it was a local muni. He's a top 60 player, however the field and the championship let us down.
Oosthuizen's margin of victory was the biggest since Tiger at the Old Course in 2000. That leads to a very uninteresting tournament and it didn't let down.
Dominating performances draw interest, but not when it's a man very few have heard of. If Tiger or Phil had done this on Sunday, it would've been compelling. What we got wasn't.
Nothing against Oosthuizen, but this will forever be known as the biggest snoozer of a major. Kudos to him for making it that way, but wake me up for the PGA.
What? What? What?
Must have been a noise. Or my snoring.
<< Astros' Oswalt leaves start in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt was
removed from Sunday's game against the Pirates after four innings with a left
ankle contusion.
The right-hander was struck in the left ankle by a Pedro Alvarez
<< Yankees' Pettitte leaves Sunday's game
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte was
removed his Sunday start against the Tampa Bay Rays with a strained left
groin.
The veteran left-hander missed with a pitch to run the count to 3-1 on Kelly
Sh
<< Heat agree to bring back James Jones
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat have reportedly agreed to bring
back forward James Jones at the veteran's minimum.
Miami requested waivers on the seven-year veteran in June, buying out the
final three years of his previou
<< Yankees' Pettitte leaves game with strained groin
NEW YORK (AP) -Andy Pettitte has left the New York Yankees' game against Tampa Bay in the third inning because of a strained left groin.Making his first start since pitching in the All-Star game Tuesday night, the 38-year-old left-hander never appea
Pirates' McCutchen exits Sunday's game >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen
left Sunday's game after making a diving catch on a Pedro Feliz line drive in
the eighth inning.
McCutchen landed on and braced his fall with his right shoulder
Indians break out brooms against Tigers >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeanmar Gomez had quite the major league
debut, allowing just two unearned runs in seven strong innings, as the Indians
used an inside-the-park homer from Jhonny Peralta to beat the Tigers, 7-2, and
sweep D
Sanabia picks up first MLB win as Marlins edge Nats >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gaby Sanchez hit a run-scoring double and Alex
Sanabia picked up his first major league victory, as the Florida Marlins edged
the Washington Nationals, 1-0, in the rubber match of a three-game set at Sun
Life St
Iannetta, Cook help Rockies avoid sweep >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Iannetta's solo home run in the sixth
allowed seven strong innings by Aaron Cook to hold up in a 1-0 Rockies win
against the Reds to avert a three-game sweep at Great American Ball Park.
Cook (4-
MySportsbook.com Posts Heisman Trophy Odds
With 3,919 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and a mere seven interceptions last season, combined with a powerful South Bend Heisman legacy, odds makers at MySportsbook.com have given Notre Dame senior quarterback Brady Quinn the best Heisman Trophy odds at 5-2.
Quinn isn’t the only big man on campus this season. Oklahoma junior running back and 2004 Heisman runner-up Adrian Peterson, listed at 7-2, rushed for a combined 3,033 yards in his first two years as a college player and will give Quinn a run for his money.
This online sportsbook has also listed Troy Smith, Ohio State senior quarterback, as another strong favorite to win the 72nd Heisman Trophy. A 7-1 bet, Smith threw for 2,282 yards last season and also led the Buckeyes to a convincing 34-20 victory over Quinn and the Fighting Irish in last season’s Fiesta Bowl.
Current betting odds Heisman trophy are:
| Brady Quinn (QB, Notre Dame) Adrian Peterson (RB, Oklahoma) Troy Smith (QB, Ohio State) Michael Bush (RB, Louisville) Steve Slaton (RB, West Virginia) Brian Brohm (QB, Louisville) Chris Leak (QB, Florida) Mike Hart (RB, Michigan) Ted Ginn (WR, Ohio State) Darius Walker (RB, Notre Dame) Drew Tate (QB, Iowa) Marshawn Lynch (RB, Cal) Kenny Irons (RB, Auburn) Chad Henne (QB, Michigan) Kyle Wright (QB, Miami) Drew Stanton (QB, Michigan State) Kenneth Darby (RB, Alabama) JaMarcus Russell (QB, LSU) Drew Weatherford (QB, Florida State) Blake Mitchell (QB, South Carolina) Reggie Ball (QB, Georgia Tech) |
5-2 7-2 7-1 10-1 10-1 12-1 12-1 18-1 18-1 20-1 30-1 35-1 35-1 40-1 50-1 50-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 |
For complete NCAA Football odds visit MySportsbook.com.
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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