It took Andy Roddick almost 4 hours but after 5 long sets he finally defeated 2002 Wimbledon Champion Lleyton Hewitt 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4. Roddick breathed a sigh of relief when he finished this one. The last time Roddick reached the final four at Wimbledon was back in 2005. His 43 aces against Hewitt put him there again. The contest today was easily one of the most exciting sets thus far in the surge for the Wimbledon Title. Hewitt refusted to go down without a fight. These two men worked hard both physically and mentally in their quest to move on in the tournament. In the end Roddick had just a little more than Hewitt could handle and this battle of formal champions concluded with Roddick moving on and Hewitt moving out.
Needless to say the journey for Andy Roddick will not get any easier. His next foe is 3rd ranked Andy Murray the British hopeful who put away Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 to move on in his search of destiny. Andy Murray is trying hard to become the first British player to win the Wimbledon Title since way back in 1936. The battle of Andy and Andy will find a lot of the British fans rooting for their guy but Andy Roddick says he will take it all in stride. After all he said he would use it too his advantage because when the call out Andy he will pretend they are rooting for him.
Friday #2 seed Roger Federer takes on #24 seed Tommy Haas. Tommy will have the chance to prevent Roger Federer from winning that record breaking 15th Grand Slam. He knows it is going to be a long hard road. Roger defeated #22 seed Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 7-5, 7-6 to move on to face Haas. Haas proved that rankings mean very little as he defeated #4 seed Novak Djokovic 7-5, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3. Andy Roddick and Tommy Haas have never gotten this far at Wimbledon before. They are trying to treasure the moment and maintain their poise as they move on against the big guns.
So we will have an American, Britain, Swiss and German in the final 4 at Wimbledon. Fans have long predicted and expected the final to be between the Britain Andy Murray and the Swiss Roger Federer. They are favored. The American Andy Roddick and the German Tommy Haas will do their best to upset the odds. These men are exactly where they want to be. This is what they practice so hard too do. There is plenty of excetement left before the dust clears and a new Wimbledon Champion is crowned. Who are you betting on? Are you sure? Until we meet again good betting and remember to always be a good sport.
Roger Federer delighted the centre court fans at Wimbledon as he defeated familiar foe Robin Soderling to improve to 11-0 against him in his career. The last time he beat him was only 3 weeks ago at the French Open where he completed yet another Grand Slam. Now the 5 time Champion can move onto the quarterfinals in pursuit of number 6. Federer looked very poised as he never lost a serve and hit 23 aces. Federer won 6-4, 7-6, 7-6. The number 2 seed did not have it as easy as he would have hoped but in the end his patience paid off and he was able to advance.
Elsewhere at Wimbledon 5 time ladies Champion Venus Williams defeated Ana Ivanovic when she had to quit due to a left thigh injury. Her sister Serena Williams moved on as well defeating Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 6-1. Serena who is a 2 time Champion lost to sister Venus in the Finals last year. Number 6 seed Andy Roddick never faced a break point and defeated 20th seed Tomas Berdych 7-6, 6-4, 6-3. On Wednesday Roddick will face 2002 Champion Lleyton Hewitt who had to come back to beat Radek Stepanek 4-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, and 6-2.
Out of nowhere Ivo Karlovic the 22nd seed eliminated the 7th seed Fernando Verdasco 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, 7-6. Karlovic who has yet to lose a serve in his first four matches will play Federer on Wednesday. He had 35 aces against Verdasco he will need that type of day to beat Roger Federer. Novak Djokovic broke 7 times and outlasted Dudi Sela 6-2, 6-4, 6-1. Sela is the number 4 seed. Today was the hottest day thus far in the tournament with the court temperature around 87 degrees. It was not long after Federers win that the roof had to be closed at Wimbledon due to rain.
Who will get to the men and ladies final this year? Will it be Federer and Murray on one side and the two sisters Serena and Venus on the other? The odds may be in favor of one or the other but this does not always indicate a victor. Surprising things can occur at Wimbledon and you never quite know what is going to happen. But I guess that is what makes this tournament so fascinating. Until we meet again good betting and remember to always be a good sport.
On Wednesday the United States soccer team faced a powerful foe in Spain in the Confedertions Cup semi-final in South Africa. The United States could have been in awe of Spains 35 game winning streak. During that period the Spanish team only allowed 11 goals to be scored against them. On Wednesday the United States soccer team managed to get 2 and that was 1 more than they needed as they ended Spains winning streak with a 2-0 victory. Now the United States is in the final against another soccer giant in the Brazilian team. Can they pull 2 major upsets off in a row?
In NBA news Hedo Turkoglu has opted out of his conract with the Orlando Magic. Turkoglu was due 7.3 million dollars next year but his hoping for a long term contract that would pay him 10 million per year. Orlando will find it hard to pay that amount since they acquired Vince Carter from the New Jersey Nets the day before. Turkoglu averaged almost 17 points per game this season and was a major factor in the Magics run to the NBA Finals. Cleveland fans got something to cheer about as Shaquille O’Neal was traded to the Cavaliers on Thursday. Shaq has made a pretty good career by teaming with superstars. He won 3 NBA titles with Kobe Bryant and one with Dwayne Wade. Now he has the opportunity to play with LeBron James. Is another NBA title in his future?
At Wimbledon Roger Federer managed to lose a set to 27th ranked Philipp Kohlschreiber but hung on to win and move on to face Roger Soderling on Monday. Federer is chasing his record breaking 15th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon. The chase will get just a little tougher on Monday. On the ladies side Serena Williams was late for her match against Roberta Vinci of Italy. The American won fairly easily to move on to play Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia.
The issue of steroid use in Major League Baseball has been heavily covered for the past few years. Today the Chicago Sports Writers Association voted to not allow any new guidelines when it comes to voting players to the Hall Of Fame if they have used steroids. Some of the bigger names who have been in the steroid using limelight is Barry Bonds, Roger Clemons, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez and Mark McGwire. One of the categories for determining your vote is on character. This issue has been highly debated. If performance enhancing drugs made you better than you would have normally been should you get elected to the Hall? It is my personal opinion that it still takes a very special core of athletic ability to be a superstar. If you gave any player in the Major Leagues steroids could they break Hank Aarons home run record? I don’t think so. The ability has to be there or not. Would Pete Rose have gotten twice as many hits had he of used steriods? I don’t think so. These are great baseball players who were great long before they took performance enhancing drugs. To error is human, to forgive is devine. These players deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. Until we meet again good betting and remember to always be a good sport.
The last time a male tennis player won the Wimbledon Title was in 1936 when Fred Perry defeated Gottfried Von Cramm 6-1, 6-1, 6-0. That moment was frozen in history for British Tennis fans and it is that memory that has offered them solace for over 73 years. For the first time in three quarters of a century British fans have a reason to be hopeful. Andy Murray, the young man from Scotland, is one of the top favorites to win the 2009 Wimbledon Mens Title.
There is a vast amount of pressure on Andy Murray right now. The hopes and dreams of his countrymen hang in the balance of every set he plays. On Wednesday Andy began his mission to bring the Wimbledon Title back to Great Britain. His first obstacle, Robert Kendrick of the United States. This match was not highly anticipated from the standpoint that Kendrick is ranked at 76th. It was to simply be a warm up for more competitive matches down the line. It developed into more of a warm up than Murray had anticipated.
After all, in previous matches against one another the Scot had easily defeated Kendrick 6-0, 6-0. This day however the American came to play. Although Kendrick played with fire and vigor and with the same determination that took him to 5 sets against Rafael Nadal 3 years earlier at Wimbledon in the end the Scot was to have his day. Murray lost the second match but kept his composure and never gave up. His competitor was running the court making amazing returns but Murray stood steady and answered each with his own heart and passion eventually winning the two and a half hour match 7-5, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4.
Once again it is noted that on any given day a player or a team can play beyond their potential. Kendrick played well beyond his ranking and although he fell in the end he earned the respect of his victor and the fans at Wimbledon. Murray admitted that the match was tough but his confidence in himself was ever apparent. His next match is against the Latvian hard hitter Ernests Gulbis and you can bet that Andy Murray will not take this match lightly. The road to the 2009 Wimbledon Title will not be an easy one for Murray but he appears to be composed and prepared for the competition. This could be the year that Britain has cause for celebration once again. Until we meet again good betting and remember to always be a good sport.
The tennis world was not shocked but a little let down when Rafael Nadal pulled out of Wimbledon due to his knee injury. Nadal, Spains Pride and Joy, could not bring himself to chance further injury on the grasscourt at Wimbledon and did not want to compete unless he could do so at full strength. His departure opened the door for the Swiss star Roger Federer to open the competition against Lu Yen-hsun of Taiwan. Roger acknowledged that it was Nadal who should be opening the competition but took on the honor with great charm as he begins his search for his 15th Grand Slam Title.
Roger was recently crowned the Champion of the French Open. He became only one of six tennis players to ever complete a career Grand Slam. There are many British fans who are already anticipating a contest between Roger and thier own Andy Murray on July 5th. Andy kicks off his Wimbledon competition on Tuesday.
Today Roger Federer kicked off Wimbledon on centre court and although he got off to a slow start eventually cruised by Yen-hsun of Taiwan 7-5, 6-3 and 6-2 respectively. At the all England Club in London Roger has won 41 of his last 42 matches. The only loss there came last year when he dropped one in the finals to Rafael Nadal. Some tennis historians called it the best tennis match ever played. It is for this reason that is heartbreaking that Nadal could not compete this year. Many were looking forward to that possible rematch.
Roger failed to convert on his first four break point chances. Even though he fell behind 3-2 in the first match he regained his composure and took control of the match. There is no doubt that Roger is favored to win the 2009 Wimbledon but there are a few players like Englands own Andy Murray who will have the opportunity to make their bid for it as well. In the back of Rogers mind he has to be wondering about his missed rematch against Rafael Nadal as well. Any true Champion wants to compete against the best in his field so there can never be any unanswered questions or doubts.
The first major seed to be lose at Wimbledon was the American James Blake. The 17th seed fell early to Andreas Seppi of Italy 7-5, 6-4 and 7-6. There are no guarantees at Wimbledon. Every point will have to be earned and there are no givens at any time. If Roger Federer is destined to win his 15th Grand Slam Title than he will have to play his heart out everytime he walks onto the grasscourt. Being favored to win is nice but making it happen is what it is all about. Until we meet again good betting and always remember to be a good sport.
All eyes are on Wimbledon as Rafael Nadal holds the tennis world in suspense while he makes the heart wreching decision if he will participate when the action begins on Monday. If today play was any sign of things to come don’t hold your breath. Rafael played Lleyton Hewitt in an exhibition today and lost both sets 6-4 and 6-3. He is supposed to announce on Friday if his injured knees will allow him to compete. Todays loss was his first since he dropped one to Roger Soderling in the fourth round of the French Open. Nadal is riding 7-2 odds if he competes at Wimbledon. Nadal is due to play another exhibition match against Stanislas Wawrinka on Friday. He has said he will make his decision after that match. Nadal was diagnosed with tendinitis last November and missed the Davis Cup soon after. The mens field at the 2009 Wimbledon is strong with Roger Federer coming in at 2-3 odds looking for no less than his 6th Wimbledon Title and his 15th Major. Andy Murray has 3-1 odds while Andy Roddick is a 18-1 favorite. The world and the field will have to wait as one to see what role Nadals knee will play in the outcome.
Read more on Online Tennis Odds!
Today in Farmington, New York the U.S. Open Golf Tournament got under way. However, the only thing falling into the holes was rain. Tiger Woods barely finished his 7th hole when rain postponed the event being held at Bethpage Black Golf Course. Tiger finished the day at 1over par.
In world soccer the USA took a sound beating by Brazil in the Confederations Cup in Pretoria, South Africa. The USA team was beaten soundly 3-0 and have proved that they are far from ready to compete in next years World Cup. The USA is 0-2 in the Confederation Cup and things are not looking like they will get any better.
In the National Football League Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth was suspended indefinately today for driving drunk in Miami and killing a pedestrian. It is not known if indefinately will mean forever or just until the courts are finished with him. Minnesota Vikings owner Zygi Wilf made it clear today that the future of Brent Farve in a Vikings uniform is up to Farve. Farve announced on HBO recently that if his arm was ready the Vikings were the only team he has spoke too. We still may see Farve come out of retirement one more time. Atlanta Falcons Quarterback Matt Ryan looked pretty darn good as a rookie last year. His teammates said he will be even better in 2009. The Cinncinati Bengals Quarterback seems to be back to his old self. He has not been the same since his knee injury against the Pittsburgh Steelers back in the 2004 playoffs. With all the coaching changes and player shifts this year should prove to be pretty interesting to say the least.
The action never stops in the world of sports. The competition only gets better. This only enhances the games that we the fans pay to enjoy. Until we meet again remember to always be a good sport.
On June 18th at 7am eastern time the 2009 U.S. Open Golf Tournement will tee off in Farmingdale, New York. The field of players is inspiring to say the least including the last years winner Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods enters this years open with odds at 3-2. Tiger Woods has won 14 major titles in his career and he would love to make it number 15.
Playing the Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale will make this a challenge. Not only is he facing a serious field of hungry contenders but the galleries set up around each and every hole in this tournement will offer some of the most provocative fans anywhere in the world. It is well known that the sports fans in New York are not afraid to voice their opinions, even at a golf tournament. Some of the fans in the Adam Sandler movie “Happy Gilmore” might not seem so off base. New York fans have their own special way of rewarding success and pointing out failure.
Click here to Bet on the US Open!
The Bethpage Black Golf Course offers 3 par 4’s that cover over 500 yards each. This makes this the second longest course in U.S. Open history. Rocco Mediate who enters the field with 150-1 odds was the runner up to Tiger last year. He says the fans will not bother him because he is of that nature himself and will fit right in. Sergio Garcia who played this course in the 2002 U.S. Open felt the wrath of the New York fans. The fans mocked his continued repititions in spanish until they caused Sergio to blow his cork and show them with a hand gesture that they were number 1. Sergio enter this years open with 40-1 odds. For someone playing this course for the first time about the only advice is too wear ear plugs. These fans will support you when you are doing well and let you know when you are not.
Tiger Woods admits as well that there is no other course quite like Bethpage Black. This atmosphere is unique and special. Tiger won the open there in 2002 and is well aware of what to expect. The crowd favorite on the Bethpage Black Course is Phil Mickelson who comes in as a 19-2 favorite. Phil Mickelson’s wife Amy was recently diagnosed with Breast Cancer. The doctors believe they caught it early and our best wishes go out to her for a full recovery. Amy has made it clear that she would like to see Phil win this Open. There is no doubt that Phil would like to win it for her. Phil has brushed up on his knowlege of New York sports teams so that he can win the fans over even more. He knows it is much better to have them behind you than against you.
Other well known players in the field are Retief Goosen who comes in at 35-1 and Jim Furyk who has 22-1 odds. Ernie Els arrives at 40-1, Steve Stricker 33-1 and Vijay Singh 35-1. With so many great players in the field, the atmosphere created as only New York fans can and the simple pressure of being Tiger Woods makes repeating even more of a challenge. The odds are this is going to be a very exciting U.S. Open Tournement and you can bet on that. The truth will fly off the tee early tomorrow morning. Until we meet again remember too always be a good sport.
Bet on the US OPEN Now! $50 Free at BetUs.com!
There was not much Magic in Orlando last night as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Orlando Magic 99-86 to win the NBA Championship. It was the Lakers 15th Championship and the first they had won in 7 years. By winning 4 out 5 games in the series Los Angeles was able to remove the cloud that followed them since losing to the Boston Celtics in the finals last year. The Lakers Coach Phil Jackson seemed rather subdued as he acquired his own 10th National Basketball Association Championship. That is one more than legendary Red Auerbach.
The Los Angeles Lakers may have had their hot and cold swings this season but when it mattered they faced the challenge and prevailed. The 16-0 run in the second period of last nights game seemed to take the magic right out of the Magic. Kobe Bryant won the Most Valuable Player Award and rightfully so. He worked hard to claim his 4th Championship ring and no one can take that away from him. His leadership carried on after the game was over as he encouraged his teammates to live in the moment. He told them to forget about the adversity of last year and restrain from concerns about the next and to treasure the moment forever.
The Lakers players praised Coach Jackson for giving them the room to play the game the way it was intended. He did not try to mold them but allowed the best in them to present itself. Coach Jackson has not been able to get around like years past. The 64 year old has gone through hip replacement surgery said he was unable to push players like he did a decade ago. Physically he may have been a little slower but the fire of passion that pours from true champions still shown in his eyes. He said he was proud of this team for the self motivation they displayed. The bond between Coach and player was unmistakeable.
As for the Orlando Magic they ended their season with 1 finals game victory. This year it was not to be. As always in sports and competition there is the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. However, the Magic should not hold thier heads low. They reached the NBA Finals and they faced a powerful adversary with heart and passion. They fell to a great Championship team but this does not mean that they are not Champions in thier own right. The Magic will have to find solace in the fact that there is always the opportunity to find tha Magic again next year. Until next time remember to always be a good sport.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have won the National Hockey League Championship 2-1 over the defending Champion Detroit Red Wings. I patiently listened to all my fellow sports writers trash the Penguins today all over the sporting news. If the Pittsburgh Penguins had listened to them there was not even any sense showing up at Joe Louis Arena this Friday Evening against the truly blessed Red Wings. My fellow sports writers had already handed the Stanley Cup to the Detroit because they were playing at home. What was proven tonight in Detroit is that the Pittsburgh Penguins had much more heart and talent than credited and in addition we sports writers are better at writing about the games then predicting them.
The first period of the game went scoreless. The two teams were feeling each other out as if it were a Championship boxing match. Perhaps this was in honor of Muhammed Ali who was attendance and wearing a Detroit Red Wing jersey. Sorry Champ, it wasn’t to be. The Penguins scored two goals in the second period both by Talbot. That is right it was not Malkin or Crosby but who cares. Championship teams need not rely on only one or two players. Great Championship teams are built around the total package and in Game 7 of this Stanley Cup Finals it was the Penguins who had the total package. The Red Wings scored their lone goal too late in the final period and could never get the puck past sensational Pittsburgh goalie Mark Andrew Flurrey again. Chalk this one up for the record books.
In the NBA Finals the Los Angeles Lakers took a commanding lead by beating the Orlando Magic Thursday night 98-91in overtime. This presents the Lakers with a 3-1 advantage in the best of 7 series. Once again my fellow sports writers have already awarded the Lakers the Championship without playing another game. This time the odds just may be in their favor. But then of course there are some two years out there who could make a pretty reliable prediction on this one now. Perhaps I am old school. I say leave them play game 5 until the final buzzer sounds before counting anybody out. I must admit it does not look good for the Magic at this point but it didn’t look good for the Pittsburg Penguins going into game 7 in Detroit either and we all know how that turned out.
In quick National Football Leage news the Atlanta Falcons finally cut the final apron strings with Michael Vick today. They feel his efforts will be better appreciated elsewhere. The Minnesota Vikings have not given up on Brett Farve. They have sent some of their staff down to workout with Brett to see how his arm is holding out. Trent Green the 15 year veteran Quarterback retired today. Donovan McNabb got the big contract he wanted in Philadelphia today. Now many sports writers feel they are set to make a run at the Super Bowl. There is another Pennsylvania team that may have something to say about that.
The best thing about all of these games that we offer our opinions and predictions on is that in the end no one really knows how the game is going to turn out. Of course that is what makes it so exciting. It is always safe to play the odds but be prepared that every once in a while the odds are proven wrong and heart and determination win over all the facts and figures hands down.
The Orlando Magic turned the ball over 20 times Sunday night and when the final second ticked off the clock in overtime they turned over the game as well. The Los Angeles Lakers seemed to want it more. The Lakers ended up winning 101-96 and they are taking that 2-0 series lead into Orlando on Tuesday night. Magic Courtney Lee missed a routine layup at the end of regulation that would have tied the series at 1 game each. You know that when the going gets tough the tough get going. The Lakers seem set for a date with destiny and a 15th NBA Title.
Read NBA Finals betting lines!
Although the ball seems to be bouncing the Lakers way Kobe Bryant says there is nothing to be happy about. He wants this Championship as much as anyone but he knows that the series is not over until that final second tics off of their 4th win. They are only half way there and Kobe has been around long enough to know that the Magic will not simply lie down and give up in front of the hometown crowd in Orlando. Although the Magic still seem to be missing a beat they just missed splitting the series in Los Angeles. Rashard Lewis scored 34 points as the Lakers double teamed Dwight Howard all night long.
Kobe Bryant did not score 40 like in game 1 but he tossed in 29, which was just as effective. As the Lakers begin to smell the blood of their wounded victims that 15th Title is looming nearer and nearer. The Orlando Magic on the other hand is still dreaming of that first ever Finals victory. Kobe does not want his teammates to start celebrating yet.
He knows game 2 was too close for comfort and that the Magic are tough at home. If the truth were known Kobe is probably breathing a little easier. But the competitor in him knows that you can never leave your guard down. It must make him a little content to know that only 3 teams in NBA history have come back from a 2-0 deficit in the Finals. The Magic have to be aware of this as well.
Dwight Howard and the Magic may be wounded but some creatures only fight harder when wounded. He says they will have to fight harder to put everything together. The Magic know very well that losing game 3 would almost certainly leave them in a hopeless situation.
The Orlando Magic did not get to the NBA Finals on luck. It has been a season built on heartbreak but they have always found a way to prevail. Only time will tell if the Magic can reach down deep and pull out one more miracle. Orlando is a great team. Great teams find a way to win. But first the Orlando Magic will have to start playing as a team once again.
Bet on NBA Playoffs at BetUs.com!
