Now that golf betting players are done with The Masters, they can move on to this week’s event, the Verizon Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links. Harbour Town is known as one of the best courses in the country and a ball-striker’s paradise, so it’s no surprise that Boo Weekley has won this event two years running. However, it won’t be easy with a strong field chasing him.
Even NBA betting players were focusing on the NCAA Tournament, but with the playoffs coming up, the NBA power rankings are returning with a new No.1 team, and some movement in the top 10.
1. (2) Cleveland Cavaliers (63-15): The Cavs finally take the top spot, but a blowout loss in Orlando last Friday is worrying. Sunday’s visit from Boston should be entertaining.
2. (1) Los Angeles Lakers (62-16): The Lakers didn’t do much to lose the top spot, but losing in Charlotte didn’t help. Andrew Bynum should be back very soon to join the Lake Show for their playoff run.
The Los Angeles Dodgers were stuck in neutral until they acquired a player who might just be the best right-handed hitter in Major League Baseball history. They were a small-ball team until they acquired Manny Ramirez at the trade deadline last season but now that he’s here for the long haul, MLB betting fans know that the Dodgers will be as well.
Earlier this week in MLB betting, we discussed the rise and fall of the Colorado Rockies between 2007 and 2008, and how they were an extremely tough team to forecast this season. Well, their division rivals, the Arizona Diamondbacks, are in a similar boat for the 2009 MLB odds. We know they have talent – particularly in the pitching department – but can the young bats catch up to the arms and lead the D’Backs to the playoffs?
The most exciting day in golf betting is finally upon us: the Masters odds. This year’s trip to Augusta National may be the most anticipated in years thanks to a plethora of interesting storylines entering the event. Will Tiger put the cherry on top of his long road back from a broken leg? Will Lefty overcome his virus? Will Sergio end his years of suffering?
San Francisco is an MLB betting darkhorse in the National League West, which is more of a statement about the weakness of the division than it is about the Giants. San Francisco has a great pitching staff, but unless its finds a way to generate more run support, it could be another long season in the City by the Bay.
In 2009 MLB betting, few teams are tougher to predict than the Colorado Rockies. A year after a magical late-season run boosted them into the playoffs and the World Series, the Rockies tumbled to a 74-88 record. Which is the real Colorado team? Most online betting fans would answer “why, somewhere in between, silly,” but even that is no sure thing.
MLB betting players know that pitching will take you a long way, but what’s the point if there’s no offense to drive in runs? This is the problem facing San Diego heading into the MLB season, and sportsbook odds are against the Padres in 2009.
In MLB betting, Prince Fielder embodies the Milwaukee Brewers. He’s big, strong, and loveable, and the Milwaukee team, full of young sluggers, gives us the same feeling. But no amount of cuddliness can change the fact that the Brewers will take a step back in 2009. When you subtract CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets from a playoff team’s rotation and replace them with no one, there’s no way you’ll win 90 games again.
The Chicago Cubs‘ “curse” has been running strong for just over 100 years now, and fans and bettors alike are anxious to know if this is finally the season they break the jinx. Sportsbook oddsmakers certainly seem to think they have a shot.
At +450, Cubs odds to win the World Series are telling. Chicago rolled up an impressive 97 wins last year, tops in the National League and tied for second in all of baseball.
In MLB betting, the American League and National League are different beasts. Whereas the Red Sox and Yankees are shoe-ins to contend every year, the NL’s divisional and MLB Wild-Card playoff picture varies wildly. Remember when the Rockies made the World Series in 2007, then went 74-88 the last year?
Looking at the National league’s baseball betting odds this season, you have to wonder…could the Big Red Machine be on the way back to glory?
Sure, the Cubs are unparalleled, but the next rung in the crowded NL Central is up for grabs. The Brewers may regress, the Cards should improve, and the Reds may sneak past both of them if everything goes right at the sportsbook. Even with the loss of Adam Dunn, they’ll score plenty of runs and their starting pitching may finally measure up to the young bats.
The Houston Astros were an MLB betting surprise in 2008, staying afloat in the tough NL Central division and winning 86 games. Even though 86 wins doesn’t scream “playoff contender,” I still think that total was a fluke. The Astros are thin on talent, particularly in the pitching department, and they’ll be hard pressed to match last season’s online betting “success.”
Masters betting players can warm up, like many of the PGA pros, with this weekend’s tournament in Houston at Redstone Golf Course, the Shell Open. Johnson Wagner is the defending champion in this event, but he’ll have his hands full with one of the strongest fields in recent memory.
Pittsburgh-area fans have been spoiled over the past few years, what with the collective success of the Steelers, Penguins and Panthers. Apparently, somebody forgot to send the memo to the Pittsburgh Pirates, and it looks like another long season in Steeltown for this baseball club.
Mets hoping bolstered bullpen gets them over the hump – At first glance, the New York Mets enjoyed a respectable season, winning 89 games and featuring a number of players that put on impressive seasons. In reality, it was another wildly disappointing year in New York. The Mets were met with yet another September swoon, dashing their postseason hopes despite a strong start to the season.
