Israel stays alive against Chile in Davis Cup

Tennis Betting Lines

03/07/2010 - Coquimbo, Chile (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Israeli doubles specialists Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram posted a big victory on Sunday, as the Israelis pulled within 1-2 of the host Chileans in their best-of-five first-round Davis Cup matchup.

Erlich and Ram fought back for a 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (11-9), 2-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory over a Chilean tandem of Jorge Aguilar and Paul Capdeville.

Monday's reverse singles will decide the winner here, as Chilean Fernando Gonzalez will take on Dudi Sela in the first match and Nicolas Massu is scheduled to face Harel Levy in a possible deciding rubber.

On Saturday, Massu got the Chileans going with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Sela and Gonzalez doubled the hosts' advantage by overcoming Levy 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 on the red clay here in Coquimbo.

This week's matchup started a day late -- Saturday instead of Friday -- because of the tragic earthquake and tsunami that struck Chile last week, killing about 800 people. The Enjoy Tennis Center was unaffected by the disaster and the local airport was open, but transportation problems delayed the arrival of players and officials.

The Chileans are captained by Hans Gildemeister, while Eyal Ran is serving as the Israeli skipper.

Chile and Israel have split two all-time meetings, with the Chileans prevailing in 1960 and Israel, a surprise Davis Cup semifinalist last year, coming out on top three years ago.

The Chile-Israel winner will meet the Czech Republic in July's quarterfinals.

Wwwvegaspalms Tennis Betting News

<< Second period blitz helps Wings down Chicago
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pavel Datsyuk's breakaway tally capped a five- goal eruption in the second period and proved to be the game-winner, as Detroit overcame an Andrew Ladd hat trick and held on to beat the Chicago Blackha

<< Xavier edges Charlotte to reach A-10 tourney final
Upper Marlboro, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyeasha Moss finished with 15 points, as fifth-ranked Xavier held off Charlotte, 51-49, in a semifinal matchup in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Ta'Shia Phillips added 11 points, 14 rebounds and f

<< Kentucky fends off Gators to wrap up perfect season at home
Lexington, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Darius Miller and Eric Bledsoe each scored 14 points, as third-ranked Kentucky held off Florida, 74-66, to complete a perfect season at Rupp Arena. Patrick Patterson added 13 points and John Wall ended

<< Dodgers C Martin out 4-6 weeks
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Russell Martin will miss four to six weeks of action due to a pulled groin muscle. The injury will sideline Martin for the remainder of Spring Training and Opening Day.

<< Young scores 32 as Sixers down Raptors
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Thaddeus Young scored a career-high 32 points and Jrue Holiday had 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists, as the Philadelphia 76ers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 114-101 win over the Tor

Irish reach Big East semis with win over St. John's >>
Hartford, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Skylar Diggins scored 21 points to help sixth-ranked Notre Dame defeat No. 16 St. John's, 75-67, in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. Devereaux Peters had 13 points and Lindsay Schrader

Duke downs N.C. State for ACC title >>
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jasmine Thomas scored a team-high 18 points and added six rebounds and six assists as ninth-ranked Duke defeated N.C. State for the ACC women's title. Karima Christmas chipped in 13 points, while J

Leuer and Taylor lead Wisconsin over Illinois >>
Champaign, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jon Leuer and Jordan Taylor each scored 20 points to lead 15th-ranked Wisconsin to a 72-57 victory over Illinois at Assembly Hall. Trevon Hughes posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 reboun

Northern Iowa claims second straight MVC crown >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kwadzo Ahelegbe poured in a game-high 24 points to go along with five rebounds, as the top-seeded Northern Iowa Panthers punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament by taking down the second-

K-State signs Martin to contract extension >>
Manhattan, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas State signed head men's basketball coach Frank Martin to a three-year extension on Sunday. Martin, who had two years remaining on his original deal, is signed through the 2014-15 season. "Coa

Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard

FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million

Football Betting

In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.

And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.

Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.

So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.

Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)

The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.

As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.

The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.

In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.

Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.

And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.

So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.

There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.

So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.

And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.

There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)

Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.

Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.

Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.

So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.