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12/05/2011 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The drought lasted 749 days, 107 weeks and 27 starts.
Tiger Woods is finally a golfing champion once again. His win Sunday at the Chevron World Challenge was his first since the infamous car crash that derailed his personal life.
Some thought the crash would never derail his professional life, but it did. Woods left Hank Haney, fired Steve Williams and, with Sean Foley and Joe LaCava, got back to the winner's circle.
Is Woods back to being the dominant Woods, the 2000s Woods?
It would be very naive to surmise that based on Sunday's victory.
The Chevron World Challenge is not an official event, although it does award world ranking points. The win actually moved Woods up 31 places to No. 21. No matter how crazy it seems for an event of such little magnitude to carry such large weight, Woods is on the cusp of the top 20.
This event can alter the world rankings completely as we know it, the fact is that one can not be declared "out of a slump" with a victory at a tournament that boasts 18 players.
The world rankings weighted this championship heavily, but the real tournaments of the week were half a globe away.
Four players in the Chevron field are ranked in the top 10 on this Monday morning. Three of the top four players in the world were at the Nedbank Challenge in Sun City, South Africa. The missing player from that quartet, Rory McIlroy, won a full-field event in Hong Kong on the European Tour.
Woods' game held up brilliantly against Zach Johnson down the stretch, but that wasn't the same as getting into a dogfight with Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, McIlroy or Martin Kaymer.
The Nedbank is one of the most lucrative events in the sport. The Hong Kong Open was the final full-field tournament on the European Tour schedule. Players were trying to get into the top 60 on the money list so they could get into the field this week at the Dubai World Championship.
That took away from the quality of the Chevron field, thus, took away some from the quality of Woods' victory.
"This is a tough date right before the Race to Dubai," Woods said after his victory Sunday. "I'm ecstatic the field we got. Got a lot of good players here. Generally in the past we've had more international players that play; this year was basically an American kind of field. We'll see. It's all schedule. The Race to Dubai is now part of a new reality for us, and maybe we can work around it somehow."
Without the greatest field in the world, Woods did come out on top and that's important. A first win has to come somewhere and at some time. Woods couldn't control this field, or who would emerge at the top of it. Johnson played decently for a few days, then Tiger blew by him with birdies at the end.
That's why this victory can't be considered anything more than a nice, positive step. You have to test your game in the most pressure-packed of situations. Due respect to Johnson and Sherwood Country Club, but that glorified pro-am won't be confused with the back nine Sunday at Augusta.
Woods won't be back all the way until he wins a major championship. He's based his entire career on those four championships, so until he captures another one of those, then you'll see a different column.
That's an incredibly high and possibly unfair bar to reach, but Woods set it. Remember, the 2009 PGA Tour season saw Woods win six times and he took home the FedExCup for a second time.
Injuries happen. Age catches up to all of us, but Woods was the player he always had been before the car accident. We all knew he'd get back to winning, but this doesn't signify he's all the way back.
You can't be back when your only victory is an unofficial one with 17 of your buddies in the field.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
- As explained to me by Doug Ferguson of the AP over twitter, Woods' big jump in the world rankings is based more on his number of events over two years than the field or size. The rankings seemed flawed.
- Luke Donald will go for history Sunday. He can become the first player to win the money title on the PGA Tour and European Tour in the same year. Rory McIlroy is trying to put some heat on him with a win in Hong Kong, but young Mr. McIlroy will need a really high finish to inch past Donald.
- The Geoff Ogilvy/Robert Allenby near fight over their Presidents Cup play seems a tad trivial. Allenby had to be upset at such a bad performance at his home course. Heated words, an offer to go outside over a spilled drink really isn't much, but it passes for serious action in the buttoned-up world of professional golf. That happens at your local bar, everyone's back playing darts in no time.
- Movie moment - Caught "The Descendants" the other day and that Clooney cat has a bright future. It's a great movie alternating between a comedic road trip and a sad tale of a broken family.
<< Kentucky still No. 1; Harvard ranked for first time
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kentucky remained the top team in the latest
Associated Press men's college basketball poll, while Harvard is ranked for
the first time and is among the four newcomers this week.
The Wildcats kept the to
<< Ibagaza out for Arsenal clash
Piraeus, Greece (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Olympiacos midfielder Ariel Ibagaza will
miss his team's final Champions League Group F match against Arsenal on
Tuesday because of a thigh injury.
The 35-year-old sustained the problem in
<< Parx Racing gaining stakes recognition
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Each year the American Graded Stakes
Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association re-evaluates all
the stakes races in the United States with a minimum purse of $75,000. Stakes
can be
<< Bears' Forte has MCL sprain
Lake Forest, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte could
be sidelined for at least a couple of weeks with a sprained medial collateral
ligament in his right knee.
Forte was hurt during the first quarter of Sunday's g
FAU makes Pelini head football coach >>
Boca Raton, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Florida Atlantic named Carl Pelini head
football coach during a Monday press conference.
Pelini takes over for Howard Schnellenberger, who coached his last game before
retirement this past weekend. Sc
2011 LPGA Tour Year In Review >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There's really only one way to look at the
LPGA Tour in 2011:
The Year of Yani.
That means Yani Tseng, of course. Tseng began the year as the No. 5 player in
the world, nearly a full point off the avera
Lady Bears are unanimous No. 1 >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baylor remained the top team in the latest
Associated Press women's college basketball poll.
The Lady Bears received all 39 first-place votes for a total of 975 points
from a nationwide media panel.
Thank goodness college basketball has a maniac playoff >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - What if Saturday was the knife striking
through the heart of North Carolina's national championship dreams?
What if it set up a reeling spiral of losses before conference play? To flip
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American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies
It's that time of year folks. Betting on American Idol Season 9. And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below. With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.
No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.
Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.
Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.
Odds to Win
There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.
All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.
A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.
Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.
Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol.
Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.
If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.
Elimination Props
Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.
Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.
Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups
The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.
Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
El Duque expected to throw Tuesday
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.
Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.
El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.
MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds.
Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.
New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.
Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''
Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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