Szavay moves on in Prague; Garrigues ousted

Tennis Betting Lines

07/16/2010 - Prague, Czech Republic (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Last week's Budapest titlist Agnes Szavay advanced to the semifinals of the $220,000 Prague Open tennis event with a straight set win over Slovenian Polona Hercog.

The seventh-seeded Szavay handled Hercog, 6-1, 6-4, in just 70 minutes on the red clay at Stvanice.

In a minor upset, Lucie Hradecka downed fifth-seeded Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues, 6-4, 7-5, and the Czech will face Szavay for the right to play in the final.

Eighth-seeded Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova and veteran Swiss Patty Schnyder will meet in the other semifinal. Strycova outlasted Johanna Larsson of Sweden, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, while Schnyder was a 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 winner over Georgian Anna Tatishvili.

Szavay bested Schnyder in last week's Budapest finale for the second time in two years.

Wwwsportnews Tennis Betting News

<< Barrera completes West Ham move
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mexico international Pablo Barrera completed his move to West Ham on Friday, the club announced. The 23-year-old winger has moved to Upton Park from Mexican side UNAM Pumas on a four-year contract

<< Celtics to bring back Robinson
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics are reportedly set to re-sign guard Nate Robinson. According to the Boston Herald on Friday, Robinson will ink a two-year, $8 million deal with the club that traded for him last season.

<< Sabres agree to terms with Conboy
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Sabres reached a one-year contract agreement with forward Tim Conboy on Friday. The 28-year-old winger skated 12 games with Carolina in 2009-10, compiling 34 penalty minutes without recording a po

<< Sun Belt Conference showdown - Troy vs. Middle Tennessee
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Troy has either won or shared the Sun Belt football title the last four years, but that string could end in 2010 as Middle Tennessee is primed to take over the top spot. Regardless of which team wins the tit

<< Soderling advances at Swedish Open
Bastad, Sweden (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Swedish stalwart Robin Soderling survived a scare from Italian Andreas Seppi to advance to the semifinals of the Swedish Open. Soderling, the reigning Bastad titlist and two-time French Op

Sunderland's Gordon to miss start of new season >>
Sunderland, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon will miss the start of the upcoming Premiership season after he fractured a bone in his arm. Gordon sustained the injury in training on Thursday after he fell awkwar

Lightning re-sign Szczechura >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning re-signed forward Paul Szczechura to a one-year contract on Friday. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Szczechura appeared in 52 games last season for the Lightning, rec

Montanes into semis in Stuttgart >>
Stuttgart, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Albert Montanes of Spain rolled over second-seeded Jurgen Melzer in the quarterfinals of the Mercedes Cup tennis event on Friday. Montanes, seeded fifth, cruised over the second-seeded

As the wind blows, scores soar at St. Andrews >>
St. Andrews, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After second-round play was stopped for 66 minutes at the British Open, the wind continued to blow at St. Andrews, and in the process, sent scores soaring. With the final group midway through th

EWU home victories would turn opponents red >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In an effort to boost exposure, Eastern Washington University will literally go in the red this year, replacing the traditional grass surface of Woodward Field with red artificial turf. The move is admitte

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.

NFL Football Office Pool Printable Schedules
MySportsbook.com , leading online sportsbook, offers free NFL football office pool printable sheets! Run your own NFL Football Office Pool. Create your own pool, invite your friends to join. Compete with your with co-workers, friends or family for bragging rights every week. Exchange some hard hits without risk of injury -- Trash Talk with your fellow co-workers.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football sportsbook needs.