Azarenka wins Australian Open women's title
Tennis Betting Lines
01/28/2012 -
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Victoria Azarenka became a first-time
Grand Slam titlist Saturday with a convincing straight-set victory over Maria
Sharapova in the Australian Open women's final.
The third-seeded Azarenka downed Sharapova 6-3, 6-0 at Rod Laver Arena to run
her winning streak to a personal-best 12 matches after claiming the Sydney
championship before the year's first major. She will achieve another first in
her career, ascending to No. 1 in the world rankings on Monday -- dethroning
Caroline Wozniacki.
Azarenka improved to 3-0 in hardcourt finals against the 24-year-old
Sharapova, whose last major title came at the 2008 Aussie Open. The fourth-
seeded Russian was also the Aussie runner-up in 2007.
The 22-year-old Belarusian, who was making her debut in a Grand Slam final,
became the youngest champion at Melbourne Park since Sharapova. Azarenka
dropped only two sets throughout the entire fortnight en route to her 10th
career title.
<< Durant powers Thunder over Warriors
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Durant's double-double of a season-high
37 points and 14 rebounds powered the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 120-109
victory over the Golden State Warriors Friday night.
Russell Westbrook had a terr
<< Aldridge shines as Trail Blazers dominate Suns
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LaMarcus Aldridge scored 23 points, and
Portland dominated the middle two quarters in a 109-71 rout of the Phoenix
Suns.
Gerald Wallace tallied 17 points, Wesley Matthews 16 and Nicolas Batum 14 fo
<< Fernandez leads Nuggets over Raptors
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rudy Fernandez poured in 23 points to lead four
teammates in double-figures as the Denver Nuggets topped the Toronto Raptors,
96-81 at Pepsi Center.
Danilo Gallinari dropped in 21 points and pulled down sev
<< No. 5 Duke routs Clemson
Clemson, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tricia Liston had 16 points. leading No. 5 Duke
to a dominant 81-37 win over Clemson at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Elizabeth Williams added 14 points, five rebounds, and five blocks and Richa
Jackson scored 13 poin
<< Pierce powers Celtics to 4th straight win
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Temporarily, the Celtics may not have Rajon
Rondo or Ray Allen in the lineup, but they still have Paul Pierce.
As the Pacers cut Boston's lead to two in the third quarter, Pierce put the
team on his ba
Coastal Carolina's Norman playing in Senior Bowl >>
Mobile, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coastal Carolina cornerback Josh Norman will
play in Saturday's Senior Bowl - the fifth FCS player named to the college
football all-star game.
Coming off a recent appearance in the East-West Shrine Game, Norman
UC Davis set for first Big Sky season >>
Davis, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - UC Davis football is set to enter a new era in
2012 with eight Big Sky Conference games as well as a visit to San Jose State
as part of an 11-game schedule.
The Aggies are joining the Big Sky from the Great West
Historical games part of Maine's 2012 schedule >>
Orono, ME (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Maine football's 2012 schedule includes the 100th
game against rival New Hampshire and a trip to Boston College for the 1,000th
official game in program history.
Coach Jack Cosgrove's Black Bears are coming off a
Bryans dethroned in Aussie doubles final >>
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek ended
the three-year Australian Open reign of Bob and Mike Bryan on Saturday,
beating the top-ranked twin brothers in the men's doubles final.
Paes and Stepanek
Hornets trying to trade Kaman >>
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Hornets are trying to trade
away center Chris Kaman, and will not play him as they go through that
process.
Kaman is not injured, but hasn't played in New Orleans' last two games. He
Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting
So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.
Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?
If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)
Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).
In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.
Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.
As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.
(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)
If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.
Atlantic Coast Conference
Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech
 The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.
Work left to do:
Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.
Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).
Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.
For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com
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NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.
That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.
A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."
It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.
The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.
So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."
Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't.
Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.
Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.
Seriously.
The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.
The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.
Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."
The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.
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Bonds nearly hits HR 751, SF wins
4 and drove in
a pair of runs, and Barry Bonds nearly hit homer No. 751 as San Francisco beat
1, in the middle contest of three at AT&T Park.
6) allowed five hits and one run over 6 2/3 innings, fanning
eight and walking three.
game slide.
Bonds, who came within five homers of Hank Aaron's record on Friday, went
1 with three walks, an RBI double and scored twice. The double ...
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