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07/02/2010 - Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Spain's Alejandro Canizares fired his second straight five-under 66 on Friday to take a one-shot lead over defending champion Martin Kaymer at the Open de France.
Canizares birdied his last three holes and finished two rounds at Le Golf National with a 10-under 132, two strokes shy of Seve Ballesteros' 36-hole tournament scoring record.
Kaymer, who defeated Lee Westwood in a playoff last year, shot a 67 on Friday to sit one stroke off the lead at nine-under 133.
First-round leader Robert-Jan Derksen of the Netherlands had a 71 -- eight shots worse than his Thursday score -- and dropped into third place at eight- under 134.
Steve Webster (66) was another stroke further back at seven-under 135.
Derksen played in a morning threesome and was still in the lead when he finished his round. Afterward, he settled in to watch the Netherlands knock of World Cup favorite Brazil, 2-1, in South Africa.
But his lead did not survive the day.
Canizares and Kaymer waited out a rain delay of two hours and 25 minutes, then caught Derksen with birdies near the end of their rounds.
Kaymer was first, making a birdie at the 14th to tie the Dutchman for the lead. He later birdied the 17th to move on shot ahead.
Canizares, meanwhile, collected four birdies in his last five holes, including three in a row at the end of the round to take his one-shot lead.
The son of four-time Ryder Cup player Jose Maria Canizares, Alejandro captured his only European Tour win at the 2006 Russian Open. He made it through qualifying school last year to earn his playing privileges for 2010.
"I was a little negative in my play last year. I wasn't into it very much and had a couple of problems, personal problems," said Canizares, who is ranked 205th in the world. "But this year I came out, I got my card again, so it was like a new start and I knew what I lost and I learned to appreciate it a little more."
Kaymer is chasing his sixth European Tour win and second of the season. He is beginning a unique two-week stretch that will also see him defend his title next week at the Scottish Open.
Derksen has two career wins, the last coming in 2005.
NOTES: The cut line fell at one-over 143 and European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie led the list of the departed...Jose Maria Olazabal, who was playing for the first time since last October, shot a respectable 70 but still finished at 10-over 152 to miss the cut...Robert Karlsson withdrew from the tournament because of a strained wrist but said he would be ready for the British Open in two weeks...Westwood was seven shots back after a 69.
<< Coyotes re-sign D Lepisto
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Coyotes re-signed defenseman Sami
Lepisto to a one-year contract on Friday.
Lepisto, 25, played in a career-high 66 games last season with Phoenix and
recorded a goal and 10 assists.
Over
<< Blackhawks ink D Scott
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks signed free agent
defenseman John Scott to a two-year contract on Friday.
Scott is a two-year veteran and over 71 games in the NHL, all with Minnesota,
he has one goal and two ass
<< Toronto's Marcum lands on DL
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays placed starter Shaun
Marcum on the 15-day disabled list Friday with inflammation in his throwing
elbow.
Marcum is scheduled to miss only one start with the All-Star break on t
<< Panthers sign F Higgins
Sunrise, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Panthers signed free agent left
winger Chris Higgins to a one-year contract on Friday.
Higgins split last season with the New York Rangers and Calgary Flames after a
five-year stint with the M
Rangers welcome back Prust >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Rangers agreed to terms on a new
contract for left winger Brandon Prust on Friday.
The Rangers acquired the 5-foot-11, 195-pound forward in a trade with the
Calgary Flames back in February.
Blue Jays down Yanks in extras >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aaron Hill tied the game with an RBI single in
the eighth inning, and Alex Gonzalez brought in the go-ahead run in a five-run
11th, as the Blue Jays outlasted the Yankees, 6-1, to snap a five-game slide
in the
Ebbett joins Coyotes >>
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Coyotes signed center Andrew
Ebbett to a one-year contract on Friday.
Ebbett, 27, scored nine goals and assisted on six others in 61 games last
season during stints with the Ducks, Black
Reds clobber Cubs >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bronson Arroyo worked six innings and
Cincinnati used a nine-run seventh to help take a dominant 12-0 win over the
Chicago Cubs in the second of a four-game set.
Arroyo (8-4) gave up just two hit
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.
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