Roger Federer will face Andy Murray for the Australian Open title Sunday night. If Roger wins it will be his forth. Andy Murray is still trying to become the first British player to win a major since Fred Perry did it way back in 1936. Federer on the other hand has won his share.
Roger has won 15 majors and has participated in no less than 22 grand slam titles. Although Murray has defeated Federer in 6 of their 10 match ups, Roger has won the last 2. He will be favored to win this one as well.
The number 2 ranked Rafael Nadal had his right knee give out in his quarter final match against Murray. He will be out for at least 4 weeks. His luck continues to run bad. Now Murray must look for some luck against Federer.
Federer is ranked number 1 in the world because he is at the peek of his game on the court. Murray is once again feeling the stress of having to take a British player to new heights. He will need more than luck on Sunday night. Until we meet again may your betting be better and remember to always be a good sport.
Another weekend of sports action is here again and there will be a lot of athletes with sore bodies come Monday. The Major League Baseball season is winding down and the National Football League is just heating up. The NCAA Football season is on fire as well. If you squint your eyes you can see the NBA season in the distance. Yes, there is plenty of sports for any enthusiast and plenty of opportunity to make a little wager. There is plenty to talk about so hold on tight it could get a little rough.
The MLB playoff picture is close to developing and it is going to be fun. The New York Yankees are the winningest team in baseball this year with 102 wins. They have clinched the American League East with the Boston Red Sox clinching a wild card spot right behind them. In the AL Central the Detroit Tigers need to win 2 games to clinch. The Los Angeles Angels have already clinched the AL West. Last years Champions the Philedelphia Phillies have already clinched the NL East and the St. Louis Cardinals the NL Central. In the NL West the Los Angeles Dodgers clinched with the Colorado Rockies taking in the wildcard. Next week we will devote a day to sizing up the playoff picture.
Just a reminder that I picked the Patroits over the Raven, the Jets over the Saints, the Steelers over the Chargers and the Vikings over the Packers in Week 4 of the NFL. I will also take the Dallas Cowboys over the Denver Broncos and the Tennesee Titans will pick up their first win over the Jacksonville Jaquars. By the way Brett Farve injured his foot but he is up and moving around fine and should start his 273rd straight game on Monday night against the Packers.
In NCAA Football number 1 Florida is off until next weekend when they face LSU. Number 2 Texas is also off until next week when they will face Colorado. Number 3 Alabama is at Kentucky and should pull this one out with no problem. Number 4 LSU is at Number 18 Georgia. This will be a tough game but LSU should come away with a victory. Number 5 Boise St is hosting UC Davis so what do you think? Number 6 Va Tech is at Duke and they are not playing basketball folks. Number 7 USC is playing Number 24 California who got stunned 42-3 last week. It won’t get much better this Saturday. Number 8 Oklahoma will be at Number 17 Miami of Florida. Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford will not be starting. That’s not good. Could be an upset in the making. Number 9 Ohio State will be at Indiana. The Buckeyes have shutout their last 2 opponents. Could Indiana be number 3? I think so. Finally Number 10 Cinncinati takes a short road trip to Miami of Ohio. Cinncinati should not have a problem.
Just a few notes of interest. In Golf Tiger Woods won the FedEX Cup last week and took home the ten million dollar prize. That put Tiger over the Billion dollar earnings mark in his career. That is right 1 Billion dollars. In Tennis Rafael Nadal has been cleared to play again and will participate in Spain’s Davis Cup in December. Andy Murray on the other hand has dropped out of the Japan Open due to a wrist injury. Well that is it for this week folks. Until we meet again may your betting be better and remember to always be a good sport.
Remember also to catch up on the latest game odds at Betus.com!
It is hard to believe but the NFL season is right around the corner. As usual during the off season Coaches were replaced and some big name players were traded to other teams. Lets briefly look at what may lay ahead in the upcoming season. In the AFC East watch out for Miami and Buffalo. In the AFC North Indy and the Titans will fall out of contention and the Texans will make a surprise run. In the AFC West San Diego should hold on but Kansas City is the team to watch. In the AFC South the Steelers did a great job of keeping the nucleous of their Super Bowl winning team. They should win their division but Baltimore will be a thorn in their side again. In the NFC East eyes are on the Eagles but Dallas may still have something to say. In the NFC North a lot will depend upon rather Brent Farve ends up with the Vikings. Chicago should be a threat now that they have a Quarterback in Jay Cutler. In the NFC South keep your eyes on the upstart Atlanta Falcons with Matt Ryan moving into his second year and having newly acquired Tony Gonzales. The NFC West is up in the air. Arizona may still be the team to beat there but the Rams and 49ers have second year coaches that are fired up and hungry. Both could easily make a run in that division. We will have our precise picks as the season draws nearer.
In the Tennis world there is a lot of anticipation that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal may still have a chance to meet in the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Canada next month. Nadal did not compete at Wimbledon due to a knee injury. He should be ready to go for the Rogers Cup on August 8th. Many tennis fans were foaming at the mouth in hopes of seeing the two superstars meet at Wimbledon but it was not too be and Federer ended up winning his 15th Grand Slam and 6th Wimbledon Championship.
In Golf Tiger Woods will visit Australia for the first time in 11 years when he participates in the Australian Masters in November. Grandstand seats for this event are already selling out. Woods did not fair well when he played in the 1996 Australian Open where he finished 12 strokes behind winner Greg Norman or in the 1997 Australian Masters where he finished 8th behind winner Peter Lonard. However, eleven years have made quite a difference in Tiger Woods. The Melbourne fans know this will be one of the few chances that they will get to see this Golf legend play.
In the UFC they are preparing for their biggest event in history tomorrow night in Las Vegas at UFC 100. Brock Lesnar is being picked to defeat Frank Mir in their rematch that highlights the event. Frank Mir won their initial meeting but Lesnar is a little better than he was then. Georges St. Perrie is picked to beat his opponent Thiago Alves. There are some exciting matchups on this card and there could be some upsets. You can check out our lates odds right here at the Sportsbook Gazette. Somethings in sports never change there will always be the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Until we meet again good betting and always remember to be a good sport.
Roger Federer beat Andy Roddick 16-14 in the longest 5th set final in major history to win his 6th Wimbledon Title and his record breaking 15th Grand Slam. He is not ready to throw in the towel yet. He has plenty more championship tennis in him and he wants to continue his already excellent run of success. Federer has also reclaimed the title of the number one tennis player in the world. This Wimbledon seemed a little sweeter since he lost in the finals last year to Rafael Nadal. Nadal did not participate at Wimbledon this year due to sore knees. There are some who feel that the true final would have been between Nadal and Federer once again. However, this takes nothing from Federers victory. He is one of the greatest tennis players in history. Serena Williams beat her sister Venus once again in the womans Wimbledon Championship.
In other tennis related news French Tennis player Mathieu Montcourt has died at the age of 24. He was only recently banned from the sport for betting on matches. All the authorities in Paris will say is that he died in his sleep and there will be an autopsy performed. Montcourt had received a 5 week ban and was fined $12,000 for betting on matches. French phenom Rafael Nadal had rose through the ranks in France playing against Montcourt in the junior circuit.
In the Davis Cup the United States still feels good about their upcoming match against Crotia this weekend. Andy Roddick has bowed out fresh off of his loss to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon finals complaining of a hip injury. United States Captain John McEnroe said he will be missed but the team is still full of confidence in their ability to win. Andy Roddick had helped the Americans win the Davis Cup in 2007.
It has been a rough week in sports. Steve McNair the great Quarterback for the Tennesee Titans for many years was found shot to death in his apartment. The motive behind the shooting is still under investigation. McNair was a tough cookie and played his heart out during his tenure with the Titans. He won the respect of his adversaries and team mates a like. His accomplishments of the gridiron wll be long remembered and his kindess as a human being will cement his place in our memories forever. Until we meet again good betting and remember to always be a good sport.
The At&t National Golf Tournament is being played at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. Someone shot a 4 under 66 for the lowest 36 hole score ever on this course. That someone was none other than Tiger Woods. Tiger holds a pretty impressive record when he is leading or sharing a lead at this stage of the game. He is 31-6 in these situations and has won his last 11 dating clear back to 2004. Defending Champion Anthony KIm had shot a record 62 in the first round but has fallen back to 2 shots behind Tiger. Rod Pampling and Jim Furyk rounded out the top 4.
At the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament the final on Sunday will be between the Swiss Roger Federer and the American Andy Roddick. If Federer can pull it off he will win his record breaking 15th Grand Slam. Federer defeated Tommy Haas today 7-6, 7-5, 6-3. Andy Roddick on the other hand knocked off the British darling Andy Murray ending Britains hopes for a Wimbledon Champion for the first time since 1936. Roddick defeated Murray 6-4, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6 leaving the British fans a little dazed and saddened but now he must turn his attention to Roger Federer and see if he has enough left to stop history in the making.
In Major League Baseball the Boston Red Sox still lead the New York Yankee’s by 2 games in the American League East. In the AL Central the Detroit Tigers lead the Chicago White Sox by 2 games as well. In the AL West the Los Angeles Angels are only holding off the Texas Rangers by a half a game. In the National League East the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies are ahead of the Florida Marlins by 1 game. In the NL Central the St. Louis Cardinals lead the Milwaukee Brewers by a game. The biggest lead in the majors is held by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West where they lead the San Francisco Giants by 7 and a half games.
In October there will be another professional Football League starting in the United States. It will be called the United Football League and will feature 4 teams from Las Vegas, San Francisco, New York and Orlando. That league has already said the if former Atlanta Falcon Quarterback Michael Vick can evade anymore legal problems they will welcome him to play in their league. Vicks future with the NFL is still up in the air. It looks like Brent Farve will be the Quarterback in Minnesota this year. Could he win the Super Bowl there and then possible, I don’t know…retire? Would you like a piece of those odds? Until we meet again good betting and always remember to be a good sport.
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.
