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Ducks, Stars to face off in key Pacific showdownHockey Betting Lines02/23/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Stars have a chance to close the gap on the first-place Anaheim Ducks when the Pacific Division members get together tonight for an important matchup at the American Airlines Center. Anaheim sits atop the division with 80 points, three more than second-place San Jose and seven better than the Stars. The Ducks have not been playing their best hockey as of late, however, as the club has dropped two straight and five of their last seven games. The Ducks' two most recent defeats have come in extra time. After falling at home to Los Angeles in a shootout on Sunday, Anaheim was edged by Vancouver in overtime Tuesday at the Honda Center. Daniel Sedin scored on the power play 2:19 into the additional period to give the Canucks a 3-2 victory. The score came shortly after Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer was taken off for a hooking penalty. Tim Brent and Chris Kunitz each scored for Anaheim and Jean-Sebastien Giguere stopped 28-of-31 shots. The Ducks have now played four consecutive overtime games, going 2-0-2 in those tests. Dallas also comes in off a narrow defeat, a 2-1 shootout setback Tuesday at Minnesota. Niklas Hagman had the only goal of the evening for the Stars, who failed on all three of their chances during the deciding phase. The loss spoiled an outstanding performance by Stars goaltender Marty Turco, who ended with 38 saves. Dallas should welcome a return to the American Airlines Center, where the team has won four of its five most recent contests and owns a strong 19-9-1 home mark for the season. Anaheim brings a 17-11-3 away record into tonight's showdown. The Ducks have won three of the five previous meetings between these teams this season, but came out on the short end of a 1-0 decision in Dallas earlier this month.
<< Lightning host Bruins in battle between hot teams
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One night after taking over sole possession of first place in the Southeast Division, the Tampa Bay Lightning will try to extend their lead when they return to St. Pete Times Forum this evening to face the Boston Bruins.
<< Red Wings shoot for club mark as Oilers visit Motor City
<< Bieksa, Canucks edge Kings
<< Petersen approved of new contract at Boise State
<< Weather problems plague New Zealand PGA Championship
Wizards start road trip in Windy City >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After surviving a scare against Sacramento, the Washington Wizards hope they have an easier time tonight when they begin a three-game road trip against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. The Wizards have won three in
Kings, Nets meet at Meadowlands >>
Hawks continue homestand vs. Rockets >>
Hornets, SuperSonics clash at New Orleans Arena >>
Timberwolves host Nash, Suns >>
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." 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. |
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