Djokovic wins opener in rainy Rome
Tennis Betting Lines
04/28/2009 - Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Third-seeded Novak Djokovic was the lone second-round winner Tuesday at the $3.645 million Italian Masters tennis event.
Djokovic of Serbia got past Spaniard Albert Montanes 7-6 (7-5), 6-0 on the red clay at Foro Italico to advance to the third round. The world No. 3 Djokovic defeated Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka in last year's Rome finale.
Fourth-seeded Andy Murray's second-round match versus Juan Monaco and 15th- seeded Marin Cilic's second-round contest against Christophe Rochus were both postponed until Wednesday due to rain/darkness.
In first-round action, thirteenth-seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo came from behind to beat big Russian Marat Safin 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2. Safin was making his last appearance at this event, as he expects to retire from the ATP World Tour at the end of this season.
Twelfth-seeded Fernando Gonzalez of Chile handled Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 6-1. German Philipp Kohlschreiber overcame Italian Simone Bolelli 4-6, 6-1, 6-0, while Italian Andreas Seppi came from behind to beat American Sam Querrey 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Day 2 here. Seppi is rewarded with a second-round match against world No. 1 superstar Rafael Nadal.
Additional wins came for Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, German Mischa Zverev, Serbian Janko Tipsarevic, Austrian Jurgen Melzer, Russian Mikhail Youzhny, Swede Robin Soderling, American Mardy Fish, Italian Fabio Fognini, and Ernests Gulbis of Latvia.
Six matches were either suspended or postponed because of rain here on Monday, and rain/darkness forced three first-round matches to be either suspended or postponed on Tuesday.
This week's top seeds are Nadal and former world No. 1 Roger Federer. The reigning Australian Open, Wimbledon, French Open and Olympic champion Nadal, who has won three of the last four titles in Rome, is fresh off his fifth straight Barcelona and fifth consecutive Monte-Carlo clay-court championships. Federer is a two-time Rome runner-up, including in 2006 against Nadal.
The 2009 Rome titlist will take home $565,000.
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bartolo Colon allowed just a single unearned run in seven innings of work and Paul Konerko knocked in both Chicago runs, as the White Sox took Game 1 of a doubleheader with Seattle, 2-1, at U.S. Cellula
<< Winnepeg Blue Bombers (CFL)
Signed defensive backs Nick Kordic and John Eubanks.
<< Cardinals release RB James
Tempe, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Cardinals released three players
on Tuesday, the biggest name among them is veteran running back Edgerrin
James.
The 30-year-old, in his third season with Arizona in 2008, rushed for just 5
<< Reds 3B Encarnacion heads to the DL, Rosales recalled
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cincinnati's Edwin Encarnacion was placed
on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday after tests revealed the Reds' third
baseman has a chipped bone in his left wrist.
Encarnacion, mired in a 1-for-27 slu
<< This Week in Auto Racing May 1 - 3
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With a wild weekend at Talladega now in
the rear-view mirror, it's time for NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series
teams to run under the lights at the three-quarter-mile Richmond International
Raceway
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Bengals cut ties with both Kyle Larson and Ryan Plackemeier on Tuesday after drafting punter Kevin Huber in the fifth round of this past weekend's NFL Draft. Larson just completed
NBA issues fines to Adelman, McMillan and Rivers >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Basketball Association handed
out $25,000 fines Tuesday to Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, Houston Rockets
head coach Rick Adelman and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Nate McMillan
for pub
Former UNLV star Gondrezick passes away at 53 >>
Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former UNLV star, NBA player and Runnin'
Rebel radio and TV announcer Glen "Gondo" Gondrezick passed away on Monday at
the age of 53.
Gondrezick underwent a heart transplant on September 20, 2008.
"G
Winnipeg Blub Bombers (CFL) >>
Signed defensive backs Nick Kordic and John Eubanks.
Delaware extends contract of men's hoops coach Ross >>
Newark, DE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Delaware extended the
contract of men's head basketball coach Monte Ross on Tuesday. Financial terms
of the deal were not disclosed, but the length of the deal is set to keep Ross
in char
Online Sportsbook Football Betting
Colts give the ‘D’ its due
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards