France finishes off Germany, 4-1

Tennis Betting Lines

03/07/2010 - Toulon, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - France and Germany split a pair of dead rubbers on Sunday, as the French finished off a 4-1 victory in a first-round Davis Cup matchup.

France should have its hands full with two-time defending champion Spain in July's quarterfinals.

On Sunday, German Simon Greul bested flashy Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4-6, 6-2, 1-0, retired, and Julien Benneteau handled German Benjamin Becker 6-2, 7-5.

The French clinched the best-of-five tie here on Saturday, when Benneteau and Michael Llodra beat a German tandem of Philipp Kohlschreiber and Christopher Kas 6-1, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 in the doubles encounter.

In Friday's opening singles in Toulon, the hosts got singles wins from Gael Monfils and Tsonga to grab a commanding 2-0 lead on the indoor hardcourt at the Sports Palace.

France is now 6-2 all-time against three-time titlist Germany in a series that dates back to 1913. This marked their first meeting in four years.

The nine-time Davis Cup champion French are captained by Guy Forget, while Patrik Kuhnen led the German squad.

Lesseters Tennis Betting News

<< Flames aim for revenge against division-rival Wild
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Flames will have an opportunity to avenge a recent shutout loss to the Minnesota Wild when the two Northwest Division foes face off for the second time in less than a week this afternoon at the XCel Energy Center.

<< 30 Something: Durant, Thunder visit Kings
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder will close out a three-game road trip Sunday against the Sacramento Kings at ARCO Arena. Durant led the Thunder to a 104-87 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, pu

<< Predators to host Canucks in key conference clash
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Vancouver Canucks continue on a record sequence of road games, the Nashville Predators have been enjoying their time at home as of late. The playoff-hopeful Predators shoot for a third straight win at Bridgestone

<< Raptors face home test vs. Sixers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors have been solid defenders of their home floor and will try to keep it that way Sunday afternoon versus the Atlantic Division-rival Philadelphia 76ers at Air Canada Centre. The playoff-hopeful Rapto

<< Heat suspend Alston indefinitely
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat announced they have suspended guard Rafer Alston indefinitely. The team's statement said Alston, who made contact with the Heat via text message, has "made himself otherwise unavailable t

Bruins carry impressive road streak into Pittsburgh >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One day after getting a season-long road trip off to a desired start, the Boston Bruins will try to keep up their recent success in enemy venues when they visit Pittsburgh's Mellon Arena this afternoon for a battle with the d

Nuggets, Blazers renew rivalry in Denver >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Northwest Division rivals get together again Sunday night, when the Denver Nuggets wrap up a three-game homestand versus the Portland Trail Blazers at the Pepsi Center. The division-leading Nuggets have

Celtics return home to face Wizards >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics will face another inferior foe from the Eastern Conference tonight, when they return home to take on the Washington Wizards at TD Garden. Boston battled back in Friday's 96-86 victory over the Phila

Playoff-hopeful Rockets make a stop at Detroit >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets are still fighting for a playoff spot in the crowded Western Conference. Their chances of gaining ground in the race look promising with tonight's matchup against the slumping Detroit Pistons at The Pal

Lakers take losing streak to Orlando >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant and the suddenly-slumping Los Angeles Lakers have dropped two straight games and hope to get back on track Sunday afternoon against Eastern Conference power Orlando at Amway Arena. In a rematch of last yea

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.

Since the late 1990's, MySportsbook.com has been an online sportsbook / poker room / casino that focuses on quality.. MySportsbook caters to the experienced sports fan who values reliability and accuracy, with great attention to detail. MySportsbook's success over the past 3 years has made them the envy of the sports gambling industry. There are hundreds of sites appearing all over the Internet claiming to be the next best sportsbook online, each one is trying to use the same marketing techniques as MySportsbook originated.

If you want to try the most stylish and reliable type of online sportsbook, go with MySportsbook. Most online sportsbooks give you live odds and plenty of games and events to bet on, at MySportsbook they'll give you that and more. While perfection may be a lofty goal, MySportsbook attempts to achieve that goal. All sorts of ways to bet on football, football betting, Super Bowl betting lines.

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