Marlins' infield dirt to provide Miami a challenge

NCAA Football Betting Lines

08/29/2010 -

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) -When No. 13 Miami opens its season Thursday, it's probable that some of the Hurricanes will be bloodied and scraped by the time the game ends.

And it might not be Florida A&M's fault, either.

The Hurricanes' roughest opponent this week might not be the Rattlers, but instead the baseball dirt that will remain at Sun Life Stadium - home of the Florida Marlins as well - for at least the next month. The entire playing surface won't be sod-covered until the Marlins' season ends, so for now, the infield dirt is a necessary evil for the Hurricanes and Miami Dolphins.

Linebacker Colin McCarthy simply says, ``It's not fun.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Wwnhl NCAA Football Betting News

<< da Silva cruises to Zambia Open title
Ndola, Zambia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adilson da Silva closed with a one-under 72 Sunday to cruise to a four-shot win at the Zambia Open. The Brazilian, who was runner-up in the last Sunshine Tour event, finished the 54-hole event at 17-under

<< Tanihara wins shootout in Japan
Itoshima, Japan (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hideto Tanihara closed with a six-under 66 Sunday to earn a one-stroke win at Vana H Cup KBC Augusta. Tanihara finished at 22-under-par 266. The victory was his ninth on the Japan Golf Tour, but his first

<< FCS Season Preview: Great West
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - And for our next magic trick ... we're going to pick the winner of the Great West Football Conference. That's not easy to do with the way the five-team conference in the Football Championship Subdivision h

<< Montero's late goal lifts Seattle over Chicago
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fredy Montero scored twice, including the game- winner in stoppage time, as Seattle Sounders FC beat the Chicago Fire, 2-1, on Saturday night in Major League Soccer at Qwest Field. John Thorrington converted a

<< Arnaud leads Kansas City to 2-0 win at L.A.
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Davy Arnaud had a goal and an assist to lead the Kansas City Wizards to a 2-0 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday night in Major League Soccer at The Home Depot Center. Arnaud scored his third goal of th

2010 World Basketball Championship update - August 29th >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Group C Halftime: China 41 Ivory Coast 33 (Ankara) Group D Halftime: Canada 43 Lithuania 33 (Izmir) Group A End of 1st Quarter: Jordan 17 Angola 16 (Kayseri) Group B End of 1st Quarter : USA 23 Slovenia 11 (Istanbul

Giants wrap up series vs. D'Backs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Giants rookie Buster Posey is a big reason for the club's success, but a forearm strain has been bothering the young catcher lately. He is expected to be back in today's lineup versus the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fin

LA sends Lilly to mound in Colorado >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ted Lilly will try to stay unbeaten in Dodger blue this afternoon, as he takes the hill in the finale of a three-game series against the NL West-rival Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Lilly has won all five starts

Brewers' Bush takes on Pirates at Miller Park >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh native Dave Bush faces his hometown team for the 16th time today, when the Milwaukee Brewers close out a three-game weekend set with the visiting Pirates at Miller Park. A 30-year-old product of Wake Forest, B

Braves go for a series win over Marlins >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National League East-leading Atlanta Braves were able to end their four-game slide with last night's win versus the Florida Marlins. This afternoon they'll try for a series victory over their division rivals in the fin

SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.

Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"

A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."

Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.

In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.

"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."

Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.

But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"

Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.

This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.

Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.

In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.

No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.

And that's all any bettor can ask for.

To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.

Anybody who knows about online sports betting knows MySportsbook.com! They are probably the most famous offshore sports gambling website located on the web! After nearly 10 years of online sportsbook service, MySportsbook.com is still impressing their visitors with great customer service, live odds, fast payouts, and an easy-to-use website. MySportsbook.com has everything that die-hard sports fans want. For those looking to bet on all major sporting events, look no further. Make MySportsbook.com your one-stop shop for NFL football, college football, baseball, baseketball, boxing, and horseracing.

MySportsbook.com has one distinct advantage over all other online sportsbooks: They have been in the football gambling industry the longest and have served the most satisfied customers. So if you're in the market for a new online sportsbook for the next upcoming season, be sure to check out MySportsbook.com today! We are absolutely positive that you will not be disappointed with this company.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting lines needs.