Covello moves in front at The Players Cup

Golf Betting Lines

07/16/2010 - Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vince Covello posted his second consecutive five-under 66 on Friday and moved in front after two rounds of The Players Cup.

Covello finished 36 holes at 10-under 132 and is three strokes ahead at Pine Ridge Golf Club.

First-round leader Aaron Goldberg carded a one-under 70 in round two and fell to second at minus-seven.

Brady Stockton (70) and Jose de Jesus Rodriguez (66) are knotted in third place at six-under 136.

Covello began on the 10th tee Friday and broke into red figures right away with a birdie at 10. He added another birdie at the par-five 12th, but that was the last positive for some time.

Covello, 27, parred his next six holes, but bogeyed back-to-back holes at one and two. He atoned for the miscues with four consecutive birdies from the third, starting with a 20-footer at No. 3, to reach nine-under par.

"That (birdie on three) really got me going," acknowledged Covello. "You just have to keep going, you never know what's going to happen. It's a great track and there are birdie chances out there. You just have to take advantage of them."

He got to 10-under par at the par-five eighth. Covello, who finished third earlier this year, birdied the hole and will take a three-shot lead into the weekend in search of his first win on the Canadian Tour.

"My game has been pretty good, but I've just had a tough time putting it all together," he said. "You need to keep a good attitude when you're trying to get out of a funk, which I've done. I'm just trying to limit my mistakes."

Brock Mackenzie (71), Danny Sahl (68), Alan McLean (68), Richard Lee (66) and Johnny Bloomfield (71) are knotted in fifth place at five-under 137.

NOTES: Mackenzie tops the tour's money list...2009 champion Graham DeLaet is playing on the PGA Tour this season...The 36-hole cut fell at two-over 144 and Andy Matthews, who won this year's Mexican PGA Championship, made it on the number.

Stockmarket-casino Golf Betting News

<< Harvick grabs first truck pole at Gateway
Madison, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Harvick will start on the pole for Friday's CampingWorld.com 200 Camping World Truck Series race after posting the quickest lap in qualifying at Gateway International Raceway just outside of St.

<< NFL suspends Seahawks LB Hill one game
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NFL has suspended Seattle Seahawks linebacker Leroy Hill one game for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Hill was also fined an additional game check. The Seattle Times reported

<< Manny Ramirez replaced in first inning
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez left Friday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals due to right calf tightness. He's considered day-to-day. Ramirez was replaced in left field by Xavier Paul in the b

<< Gainey goes in front at Chiquita Classic
Maineville, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tommy Gainey posted a six-under 66 on Friday to move atop the leaderboard after the second round of the inaugural Chiquita Classic. Gainey finished 36 holes at 14-under 130 at TPC River's Bend and is one st

<< Mets bump Pelfrey to Monday
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Mets starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey will have his scheduled Saturday start pushed back to Monday due to a stiff neck. The Mets will insert lefty Hisanori Takahashi to take the place of Pelf

Keppinger, Myers lead Astros past Pirates >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Keppinger homered and drove in three runs to support 7 2/3 sturdy innings from Brett Myers in Houston's 5-2 win over the Pirates in the opener of a three-game set. Hunter Pence singled twice, s

Romero bounces back to pitch Jays past Orioles >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ricky Romero tossed seven solid innings en route to his first victory in exactly one month, as the Toronto Blue Jays held off the Baltimore Orioles, 4-2, in the opener of a three-game set at Camden Yards.

Glenn shines as Tiger-Cats batter Bombers >>
Hamilton, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Glenn threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to a 28-7 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Ivor Wynne Stadium. DeAndra' Cobb scored on both a rush and a rece

Reds open second half by edging Rockies >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bronson Arroyo pitched into the eighth inning and Orlando Cabrera drove in two runs, as the surprising Cincinnati Reds opened the second half of the season with a 3-2 win over Colorado at Great A

Strasburg, Nats open second half on winning note >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Willingham hit a three-run double in the top of the sixth inning, and the Washington Nationals beat Florida 4-0 in the opener of a three-game series at Sun Life Stadium. Washington rookie phenom Steph

SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.

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.

To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.

Will Ohio State continue to run the table in College Football betting odds?
MySportsbook.com favors Buckeyes, Fighting Irish and Golden Bears in this weekend's big games.

NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 21 - My Sportsbook NCAA football fans: things are beginning to get really interesting on college football's national stage. Following last weekend's "Separation Saturday", which included five teams ranked in the top 15 dropping games, the BCS Championship picture is beginning to take shape - with Ohio State leading the charge. And, according to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, the number-one-ranked Buckeyes will continue their winning ways this weekend.

Revenge will be the name of the game in Columbus this Saturday, as Ohio State looks to even the score following last season's loss to Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions. Although Penn State are listed as 16.5 point underdogs, they are 11-10 all-time versus the Buckeyes. Paterno and the Lions, however, will have to shut down Heisman Trophy favorite Troy Smith who has thrown for 769 yards and seven touchdowns this season.

Speaking of revenge, Notre Dame will be out for some against Michigan State, following last year's 44 - 41 overtime loss to the Spartans in South Bend. The thirteenth-ranked Irish, listed as a 3-point favorite, will also be looking to avenge last Saturday's thrashing from the Michigan Wolverines. The Spartans, meanwhile, have won seven of the last nine match-ups against Notre Dame and are coming off an impressive 38-23 victory over Pittsburgh.

Out west, 22nd-ranked Arizona State will be battling for their first victory over 21st-ranked California since 2000. Although the Golden Bears are listed as 7.5-point favorites, the Sun Devils are 3-0, lead the nation in sacks with 18 and possess the Pac-10's leading passer in sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.

NCAA Football betting lines (home team in CAPS)
--------------------------------------------------

Date Favorite Opponent Point Spread
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sept 21 GEORGIA TECH Virginia 17
Sept 22 NEVADA Northwestern 6.5
Sept 23 MICHIGAN Wisconsin 14
Sept 23 Minnesota PURDUE 3
Sept 23 SYRACUSE Miami (Ohio) 6.5
Sept 23 MISSOURI Ohio 21.5
Sept 23 Louisville KANSAS STATE 14
Sept 23 TENNESSEE Marshall 22
Sept 23 CLEMSON North Carolina 16.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA Kentucky 24
Sept 23 Iowa ILLINOIS 20.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA STATE Rice 30.5
Sept 23 AUBURN Buffalo 41.5
Sept 23 BOWLING GREEN Kent 7
Sept 23 NAVY Tulsa 4.5
Sept 23 VIRGINIA TECH Cincinnati 27
Sept 23 BYU Utah State 29
Sept 23 OHIO STATE Penn State 16.5
Sept 23 TEXAS Iowa State 25
Sept 23 Washington State STANFORD 10
Sept 23 CALIFORNIA Arizona State 7.5
Sept 23 UCLA WASHINGTON 3
Sept 23 INDIANA Connecticut 1.5
Sept 23 Central Michigan EASTERN MICHIGAN 4
Sept 23 WYOMING Air Force 1
Sept 23 UTEP NEW MEXICO 9.5
Sept 23 West Virginia EAST CAROLINA 21
Sept 23 Boston College NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7
Sept 23 GEORGIA Colorado 27
Sept 23 ARKANSAS Alabama 1.5
Sept 23 BAYLOR Army 11
Sept 23 WESTERN MICHIGAN Temple 28
Sept 23 MISSISSIPPI Wake Forest 2.5
Sept 23 KANSAS South Florida 5.5
Sept 23 TEXAS A&amp;M Louisiana Tech 23.5
Sept 23 UAB Mississippi State 9.5
Sept 23 LSU Tulane 36
Sept 23 Utah SAN DIEGO STATE 6.5
Sept 23 BOISE STATE Hawaii 15
Sept 23 Notre Dame MICHIGAN STATE 3
Sept 23 USC ARIZONA U 22
Sept 23 Oklahoma State HOUSTON 1
Sept 23 OREGON STATE Idaho 23
Sept 23 OKLAHOMA Middle Tennessee State 29
Sept 23 MARYLAND Florida International 18.5
Sept 23 AKRON North Texas 17.5
Sept 23 SOUTH CAROLINA Florida Atlantic 29.5
Sept 23 NEBRASKA Troy 23
Sept 23 SMU Arkansas State 6

For complete NCAA football odds and World Series odds please visit MySportsbook.com