Sports Betting Tips and Game Handicapping Picks

Nadal, the man to beat in French Open

Jeffdstuff — Sat, 08 May 2010 16:04:05 +0000

Yep, the French Open in all its clay court glory is here again.

Dubbed as the most challenging of all the grand slams, the 2010 French Open tennis tournament is sure to stay true to the rigors and tough competitiveness so typical of the second of the annual tennis majors.

This year’s French Open will be held from May 24^th to June 7^th and this year’s tournament is sure to unleash some of the most riveting grand slam tennis action you’d ever see. Thousands are expected to arrive at Roland Garros during the two weeks of the competition in hopes of catching a glimpse of the best tennis players in the world.

Leading the pack for the men’s favorites is the ‘king of clay,’ Rafael Nadal who seem to come up with his best tennis every time he plays on that clay surface.

He etched his name into French Open history after matching the record of the well-known Bjorn Borg and the 1920’s heroine of the Open, Suzanne Lenglen, with four consecutive French Open titles.

Nadal’s success on clay is so ridiculous, you’d be a fool to bet against this guy in this tournament.

That brings us to Roger Federer. Can he win a title in France and get title number 17? Federer has found the clay courts in Paris to be his nemesis.

He is one of those great players who can’t seem to do shit on clay. He is in good company though as he is accompanied by the likes of Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors, Maria Sharapova and Martina Hingis as a few great tennis players who are denied of a title on clay.

Novak Djokovic, on the other hand, is probably the only real threat to Nadal as he is considered by many as a great clay court player. Other guys to watch out for include Nikolay Davydenko, who is one of the hottest players in tennis right now.

Andy Roddick and Juan Martin Del Potro should also be...

Argentina still team to beat in World Cup

Jeffdstuff — Sat, 08 May 2010 16:02:39 +0000

Can Lionel Messi power Argentina towards World Cup glory?

You read it, one of the most talented footballers in the world, that being Lionel Messi, will be leading Argentina in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

That’s probably why many sports bettors are picking Argentina to win Group B, especially with the talent that they have.

Argentina is only the fourth of five qualifiers from South America, ahead of Uruguay, but behind Brazil, Chile and Paraguay.

Their main man, Lionel Messi, won the 2009 Ballon d’Or and was awarded the European Footballer of the Year.

Messi is the diamond that the whole world recognizes, while Sergio Aguero, another star Argentina can rely on the pitch, is another youngster on the rise. They also have Carlos Tevez, a skillful, hard-working striker.

In midfield, Javier Mascherano gives Argentina steel, while Juan Sebastián Veron is a good distributor of the ball.

Last year, Argentina played 13 matches, won eight of them and lost five. This is not the kind of record a country with Argentina’s proud history finds acceptable, especially when included among those results is a 6-1 thrashing at the hands of 56th ranked Bolivia.

Let’s see how they do come June in...

Women to bet on in the French Open

Jeffdstuff — Fri, 07 May 2010 16:04:54 +0000

Yep, the French Open is here and if you’re a betting man, you should take note about these women you shouldn’t be betting against on May.

In case you didn’t get that, it’s that time of the Grand Slam tennis season when the best tennis players in the world head to Roland Garros for the 2010 French Open tennis tournament.

And as far as the women’s side of things go, Justine Henin is the clear cut favorite to win this tournament. Henin’s presence in the draw is clearly pushing the odds long for even the second favorite and there is good reason for that.

Henin made the finals of the recent Australian Open and, despite her long layoff, she is a force on tour even at the Grand Slam level. Her best Grand Slam has always been the French Open as she won four titles at Roland Garros (2003, 2005, 2006, and 2007) before she ‘retired’ from tennis just prior to the 2008 French Open.

Her past success at the French Open, combined with her stellar play on tour since returning from retirement has clearly won her a lot of backers to win again at Roland Garros this spring.

Trying to outwit Henin is Kim Clijsters. Even though Clijsters’ best results at the French Open were back in 2001 and 2003 when she was the runner up in both tournaments in Paris, Clijsters has remained to be a force to be reckoned with at Roland Garros.

Clijsters has played in two French Open tournaments, the 2005 event and the 2006 event, reaching the semifinals back in ‘06.

Of course, Serena Williams has to be included as one of the favorites to win the French Open. Sure, Williams has not won the French Open since 2002, about the time when she started winning everything, but at least she has won it before. Her most recent result from 2009 was a quarterfinal loss but even that was to the eventual champion, Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Speaking of, French Open defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova has...

Can the Greeks win the 2010 World Cup?

Jeffdstuff — Fri, 07 May 2010 16:02:58 +0000

Can they finally add some hardware other than that cup they won six years ago in Euro 2004?

Team Greece, who topped Euro 2004, finished second in European Group Two behind Switzerland, but beat Ukraine 1-0 in a two-leg playoff to secure their place in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The only score Greece had came in the away game in Donetsk.

That is the thing about this Greek team, they’re not flashy, but they have the mental fortitude to grind out 1-0 wins, no matter where they play.

The team’s appearance in the 2010 FIFA World Cup would only be the second time in their country’s history that they have reached the World Cup finals.

Previously, in the USA in 1994, they exited in the first round after losing all three of their group games.

Their ambition will be much higher this time around.

During 2009, Greece played 10 internationals, winning four of them, losing twice, and drawing four.

Striker Theofanis Gekas is a key for the Greek national team.

His 10-goal return was the highest tally by a player in European qualifying.

Another key is fellow striker Angelos Charisteas, who scored the winning goal at Euro 2004.

He presents a physical challenge to opposing defenders because of his...

Fernando Alonso ready for Spanish GP

Jeffdstuff — Sat, 01 May 2010 16:04:49 +0000

Because after winning the first race of the season in Bahrain, the Spaniard hasn’t really won shit in Asia.

And now that the European leg of the 2010 F1 season is about to kick off in his home country of Spain, Fernando Alonso is looking forward to having a series of strong finishes in the next few races, claiming that this leg is where the race for the title truly begins.

”The Championship always starts in the first race, but it’s true that it’s just a race to confirm the good sensations you’ve had during testing. But it’s true that in Europe it is time to show who is going to fight for the title and who isn’t,” Fernando Alonso said in an interview.

”The first races can be atypical races with changing weather all the time, so now in Europe it’s the moment of truth to show who is going to be in the title fight, and also for the teams to prove they can develop faster than their rivals. It’s the start of a nice fight.”

”Being third in the Championship, very few points away from the leader, I believe is a very good situation.”

”With the potential that we have, with the super team that I have, this is just the beginning and I have a real chance to fight for the world championship, something I couldn’t even think about last year after four races.”

”I’m enjoying it again, and I’ve felt that bug from winning a race or winning the championship again, and that’s the most positive thing about the start to this year.”

”We can’t forget that last year during the final part of the season Ferrari was very far from the leaders, so there were a lot of things to confirm and many wishes to grant and they have been granted.”

Of course, many know that Ferrari has some reliability issues...

Can South Africa win the World Cup?

Jeffdstuff — Sat, 01 May 2010 16:02:30 +0000

South Africa is the first ever African nation to host the FIFA World Cup.

That’s probably why they are one of the sentimental favorites to win the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

As hosts, they qualified automatically marking their 3^rd appearance overall after making it to France in 1998 and then again in 2002 after being banned from entering qualification from 1966 until 1994.

Despite the automatic qualification, South Africa played World Cup qualifiers mainly because World Cup qualifiers also serve as qualifying for the African Nations Cup.

Unfortunately, South Africa was eliminated from the qualifying. They are, in some way, playing in a World Cup even though they lost in the qualifying stage.

South Africa also played in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. They played well, advancing from the group stage before being eliminated by the No.1 ranked team, Spain, in overtime, 3-2.

South Africa plays Mexico, Uruguay, and France. All three will be tough matches. France is ranked in the top 10, while Mexico and Uruguay are in the top 20. South Africa is ranked 88th.

It has been a turbulent few years for South Africa, but a creditable performance at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, the prelude to this summer, has set expectations high going into their Group A matches.

Their semi-final loss to Brazil followed by a succeeding single-goal, extra-time defeat by Spain in the third-place match, show that the hosts can compete at the highest level.

And though they have fallen at the group stage in...

Can the USA shock England again?

Jeffdstuff — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:04:14 +0000

Oh yes, after 50 years, they meet again.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup is almost here and South Africa is ready to take over the world as they play hosts to the biggest football tournament in the world.

As always, countries participating in the 19 ^th FIFA World Cup are all looking forward for a fantastic campaign. England for one, is a country still trying to dominate the sport they introduced into the world. The United States on the other hand, is still trying to stay respectable in this sport since, let’s face it, they are still not known as that good of footballers.

And as stated, England and the United States will meet on June 12. This will be their first meeting since the Americans earned a shocking win over England back in the 1950 tournament in Brazil. And since the Americans did beat England the last time they faced on this stage, you can’t blame them for being confident coming into the tournament.

”American fans are thinking we should advance out of the group, and I like that. I like how they’re thinking,” United States team captain Carlos Bocanegra said. ”We feel confident as well that this is a group we can get out of.”

After advancing to the quarterfinals in 2002, the best finish the Americans had since the initial World Cup in 1930, there were high expectation for the Americans at the 2006 tournament in Germany. But they were eliminated in the first round with losses to the Czech Republic and Ghana.

The U.S. famously upset England 1-0 in the first round of the 1950 tournament in Brazil, still considered by many as the greatest American victory in football. That makes their meeting this June one fixture football fans can’t afford to miss.

After playing England, USA will play Slovenia at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park on June 18 and completes the first round on June 23 against Algeria in Pretoria. The U.S. has never played either nation.

Odds on the U.S. winning were lowered from...

Can Mexico win the 2010 FIFA World Cup?

Jeffdstuff — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:02:17 +0000

Can the El Tri continue to ride on the momentum that carried them where they are right now?

Mexico qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup by finishing second in CONCACAF qualifying, just one point behind the United States. They were undefeated at home but inconsistent on the road. They won impressively in Costa Rica 3-0 but fell in Honduras 1-3.

In the Gold Cup, Mexico was impressive as they advanced rather easily through the group stage and defeated Haiti 4-0 in the second round. In the semifinal, they drew with a tough Costa Rican team but advanced on penalties. In a memorable final, Mexico crushed the host United States 5-0. Though the United States did not field their best players, it was still an impressive victory.

Coming to the World Cup in South Africa, Mexico is the eight-time and current CONCACAF Gold Cup champions. They also won a FIFA Confederations Cup in 1999. The Mexican team is currently ranked No.17 in the world. They have a long, storied soccer tradition and have the nickname ”El Tri.”

One of the key players team Mexico has is Giovani dos Santos. Dos Santos is an intriguing player that has been hyped for years, and his first World Cup may be the time he finally breaks out as a legitimate star. Reared in Barcelona’s youth division, he played for the senior team at the tender age of 18.

Mexico is coached by Javier Aguirre, who has been a calming presence for the team. Mexico can attack from the wings and from set pieces and can be quite dangerous offensively. The 5-3-2 formation has some tradition in Mexico and Aguirre has been willing to use this formation as it accentuates the wing play.

The first eight seeds in the World Cup consist of the top seven ranked teams and the host nation. Mexico got lucky because they drew the host nation, South Africa. Instead of having to play a top-ranked team, Mexico is playing the second-lowest ranked team in the tournament.

Mexico has gone on to the second round in the past...

Roethlisberger suspended for 6 games

Jeffdstuff — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 16:04:13 +0000

That’s almost half of the season.

When a guy gets suspended from the NFL with still a few more months left before the 2010 NFL football season begins, you can’t help but wonder what moves will that guy’s team make to save themselves from limping out of the gates come September.

That is the dilemma the Pittsburgh Steelers are in these coming months as they prepare to start their campaign this coming season without their prized quarterback who already led them to two Super Bowl titles in four years.

That’s right, the NFL finally suspended Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for six games after rape allegations were thrown at the young NFL star. In a letter to Roethlisberger, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said that Roethlisberger must adhere to any counseling or treatment that is recommended by the professional evaluators to help him make better decisions and avoid situations that can cause legal or other problems. A professional behavioral evaluation is mandatory for anyone that has violated the personal-conduct policy.

Also according to the letter, Roethlisberger may not attend any team offseason activity until he has completed the evaluation and the evaluating professionals confirm with the commissioner that Roethlisberger may resume football activities. If so cleared, Roethlisberger will be able to participate in training camp and preseason games this summer.

”The personal conduct policy makes clear that I may impose discipline ‘even where the conduct does not result in conviction of a crime’ as, for example, where the conduct ‘imposes inherent danger to the safety and well being of another person,”’ NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stated in his letter to Roethlisberger.

”As the District Attorney concluded, the...''

Lewis Hamilton wants to win at all cost

Jeffdstuff — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:04:25 +0000

Now we know why Fernando Alonso hated his guts so much.

In case you missed the fourth race of the 2010 F1 season which pretty much concludes the Asian leg of this year’s campaign, McLaren scored a dominant one-two finish to put them in the lead for the constructors’ title.

Thanks to Jenson Button scoring his second win of the season, McLaren Mercedes took the lead from Ferrari in this year’s race for the constructors’ championship. McLaren now has 109 championship points to Ferrari’s 90.

However, the story was Lewis Hamilton, who finished second fastest behind his teammate to give McLaren the one-two finish. How come? Well, he was back to his old antics that estranged former teammate Fernando Alonso a couple of years ago and although Hamilton and Button haven’t banged heads yet, trust me when I say that it’s only a matter of time.

Perhaps the most intriguing stunt Lewis Hamilton pulled was when he and Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel went wheel to wheel in Shanghai over the weekend. There’s nothing wrong with that when you do it on the race track but when you do it on the freaking pit lane?!? There’s something terribly wrong with you.

Coming in for new tires, Sebastian Vettel was well on his way to the pit lane when Lewis Hamilton all of a sudden, jumped in front of him to have his new set of tires as well. It didn’t end there though.

As soon as Vettel left his pit box, Hamilton tried to jump in again in front of him, only this time, he caught the right side of Vettel’s car as Hamilton went wheel to wheel with the Red Bull driver, putting everybody’s pit crew in jeopardy.

Refusing to yield to Vettel, Hamilton continued to...