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06/09/2007 - West Des Moines, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jay Haas, the reigning Champions Tour Player of the Year, overcame a double-bogey on Saturday with six birdies in a seven-hole span to increase his lead at The Principal Charity Classic.
Haas shot a four-under 67 in the second round and is three ahead at 10-under- par 132.
David Edwards shot a three-under 68 on Saturday and is alone in second place at minus-seven. Denis Watson, who won the Senior PGA Championship last month, posted a four-under 67 and has third place at six-under-par 136.
Haas, who held a one-shot lead over Dave Eichelberger at the start of the second round, bogeyed the par-three second hole. He got that stroke back with a 10-foot birdie putt at the par-three fifth, but trouble loomed.
At the par-four eighth, Haas drove his ball well to the right. His second shot remained in the tall grass and he finally reached the putting surface with his fourth shot. Haas missed the 35-footer for bogey and found himself trailing the lead.
That was short-lived for Haas, an eight-time winner on the Champions Tour, including two this year. He reached the par-five ninth green in two and two- putted for a birdie from 25 feet. Haas made it two in a row with a sensational seven-iron tee ball that rolled back to a foot.
"The next hole was big, the ninth hole," said Haas. "It's a relatively easy par five, if you drive it well and I did. I hit one of my best drives of the day and managed to get a two-putt birdie. That kind of settled me down a bit."
Haas stayed hot, although he parred the par-five 11th when his second left him with a difficult bunker shot. After the par at 11, Haas rattled off four consecutive birdies.
At the 12th, Haas drained a 17-footer for birdie to reach seven-under par and get within one of the lead. He holed a 45-foot birdie putt at the 13th to tie for the lead, then kicked in a three-footer at 14 to move in front for good.
He gave himself a good look at eagle at the par-five 15th, but his 20-footer stayed above ground. Haas tapped in for birdie, then moved three clear when Edwards could not make par from the right rough at 17.
Haas parred 16 and 17 in relative ease, but hit a strong approach to the closing hole at Glen Oaks Country Club. He had 14 feet to extend the lead, but missed the putt.
Now, Haas will take a three-shot lead into Sunday, although one week ago, he was in a similar position and lost. He held a one-shot advantage last week at the Boeing Championship at Sandestin, but lost to Loren Roberts after a final- round 73 and tied for fifth place.
"I try not to get ahead," said Haas, who is competing in this event for the first time. "We'll see. I'm hitting some good shots, but there's a long way to go."
Brad Bryant (65) and Mark James (70) are tied for fourth place at five-under- par 137.
Eichelberger struggled to a one-over 72 on Saturday and is knotted in sixth place with Jay Sigel (66) and Morris Hatalsky (68). The trio came in at four- under-par 138.
Tom Jenkins (67), Mike McCullough (67), Hale Irwin (66), Chip Beck (68), Wayne Levi (68), Dave Stockton (69), John Jacobs (70) and Tom Purtzer (71) share ninth at minus-three.
<< Knowles and Nestor capture French Open title
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Long-time doubles stalwarts Mark Knowles and
Daniel Nestor rallied past Lukas Dlouhy and Pavel Vizner, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, to
win the 2007 French Open.
The sixth-seeded tandem of the Bahamian Knowles and Can
<< Green stretches lead to three at Fontana
Vienna, Austria (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Australian Richard Green extended his lead
to three strokes through three rounds of the BA-CA Golf Open.
Green posted a four-under 67 Saturday at Fontana Golf Club to complete 54
holes at 15-under-par
<< Boston demotes Romero
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox on Saturday designated left-
handed reliever J.C. Romero for assignment.
In 23 appearances this season with Boston, Romero had a 1-0 record with a 3.15
earned run average in 20 innings of wor
<< Pierzynski suspended one game
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski has
been suspended for one game and fined an undisclosed amount by Major League
Baseball for his inappropriate actions during the bottom of the eighth inning
of Thur
Giants' Lewis, Alfonzo placed on DL >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - San Francisco Giants catcher Eliezer
Alfonzo and right fielder Fred Lewis have been placed on the 15-day disabled
list. Both were hurt in Friday's 5-3, 10-inning loss to the Oakland Athletics.
Alfo
Wallace on pole in Nashville >>
Lebanon, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Wallace, son of Rusty Wallace, won the
pole for Saturday night's Federated Auto Parts 300 Busch race at the Nashville
Superspeedway. The No.66 Dodge circled the 1.333-mile cement oval in 29.753
seconds
Thompson four in front in Raleigh >>
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Thompson only shot a two-under 69 on
Saturday, but extended his lead to four after three rounds of The Rex Hospital
Open.
He missed Jimmy Green's 54-hole tournament record by one shot after he came i
Van Nistelrooy rescues Real Madrid's title hopes >>
Zaragoza, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ruud van Nistelrooy scored in the 89th
minute to give Real Madrid a 2-2 draw against Real Zaragoza at Estadio La
Romareda on Saturday.
The result would have been a disaster for Madrid but Raul Tam
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
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