12/01/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PGA TOUR - PGA TOUR NATIONAL QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT, PGA West (Nicklaus Tournament and TPC Stadium Courses), La Quinta, California - The final stage of the PGA Tour's Q-School will be contested over 90 holes running from Wednesday to Monday.
In a rare occurrence, last year's Q-School winner Frank Lickliter is back to defend his title. He opened with back-to-back 62s last year and cruised to a four-stroke win.
There are plenty of known players trying to gain their 2009 PGA Tour cards at PGA West this week. Among them are Ricky Barnes, Notah Begay III, 1996 PGA Champion Mark Brooks, Robert Gamez, Jason Gore, John Huston, Bob May and Chris Riley.
After 108 holes of action at Q-School, the top 25 and ties will earn their PGA Tour cards for 2009.
Players will compete on both the Nicklaus and TPC Stadium course three times. The final three stages will be televised on the Golf Channel.
There are two more off-season events for the PGA Tour. Next week is the Merrill Lynch Shootout, where Woody Austin and Mark Calcavecchia were victorious last year.
LPGA TOUR
LPGA TOUR FINAL QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT, LPGA International (Champions and Legends Courses), Daytona Beach, Florida - LPGA Q-School kicks off Wednesday and this year's version has a little added star power.
Michelle Wie is one of the 140 players teeing it up at LPGA International this week. Wie made the cut in four of seven starts in 2008.
Wie's last top-10 finish was in 2006 when she tied for second at the Evian Masters. That year, she finished in the top five in the season's first three majors.
Joining Wie in the field will be Shiho Oyama, a standout on the LPGA of Japan. Oyama is currently ranked 40th in the world.
Also in the field are former LPGA Tour winners Jackie Gallagher-Smith, Patricia Meunier-Lebouc and Stacy Lewis, whose win at the 2007 NW Arkansas LPGA Championship was unofficial because the event was shortened to 18 holes by rain.
The five-day marathon will be played on the Legends and Champions courses at LPGA International. The field will play two rounds on each course before the cut to the low 70 and ties. The final round will be played on the Champions Course.
The top 20 will gain LPGA status for the 2009 season.
This is the final LPGA event of the year. The tour will return to action February 12-14 with the SBS Open at Turtle Bay.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
DEL WEBB FATHER-SON CHALLENGE, ChampionsGate Golf Club (International Course), ChampionsGate, Florida - Ryder Cup captains Paul Azinger and Nick Faldo will be in the field for the Del Webb Father-Son Challenge this weekend, facing each other three months after Azinger's United States team rolled to a five- point win over Faldo's European squad.
Azinger and Faldo will both be appearing at the non-official Champions Tour event for the first time -- Azinger with the late Payne Stewart's son Aaron, and Faldo with his own son Matthew.
Among the other father/son teams in the field will be two-time winners Bernhard and Stefan Langer, Jack Nicklaus and Jack Nicklaus II, Arnold Palmer and grandson Sam Saunders, Greg and Gregory Norman, Vijay and Qass Singh and Raymond Floyd and Raymond Floyd, Jr., who have won the tournament three times together.
Last year, Larry Nelson became the second father to win the event with two different sons when he combined with Josh Nelson for a second consecutive 12- under 60 in the final round on Sunday. Larry will play this year with Drew, who won the tournament with his father in 2004.
The tournament will take place Saturday and Sunday on the International Course at ChampionsGate. It will be covered by NBC and is the final event on the Champions Tour's 2008 schedule.
CANADIAN TOUR
ARGENTINE MASTERS, Olives Golf Club, Buenos Aires, Argentina - The Canadian Tour remains in South America for its second event of the 2009 season.
Angel Cabrera, the 2007 U.S. Open champion, is scheduled to headline the field in his native country.
Also expected to play this week at Olives Golf Club are reigning U.S. Senior Open champion Eduardo Romero and four-time Champions Tour winner Vicente Fernandez, both from Argentina.
The Canadian Tour's 2009 season kicked off last week at the Sport Frances Open in Chile. Rafael Gomez claimed a one-shot win over Daniel Im to earn a two- year exemption on the North American tour.
The circuit remains in warmer climates next week for the Costa Rica Classic, its last event until the third week in March.
<< Donaldson, Edwards, Landers Named as Payton Finalists
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Running back Herb Donaldson of Western
Illinois, Appalachian State signal caller Armanti Edwards and quarterback
Rodney Landers of James Madison were announced on Monday as the three
finalis
<< Browns' injury woes continue, Dorsey to start vs. Titans
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ken Dorsey will be the Browns starting
quarterback when Cleveland travels to take on the Tennessee Titans next
Sunday, while the team will be without both quarterback Derek Anderson and
tight end Kellen Winslow.
<< Cardinals cut Johnson, sign Graham
Tempe, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Cardinals signed punter Ben Graham
to replace Dirk Johnson, who was released earlier Monday.
Graham is a former Australian rules football player who began the 2008 season
with the New York Jets,
<< Kinnear and Newcastle have become a good match
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The abrupt resignation of manager Kevin
Keegan in September left some big shoes to be filled at Newcastle, and not too
many people were thrilled that Joe Kinnear would be the one attempting to fill
them.
Boston recalls Boychuk, Lashoff from Providence >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins recalled defensemen Johnny
Boychuk and Matt Lashoff from their American Hockey league affiliate, the
Providence Bruins, it was announced on Monday.
Boychuk, 24, has posted four goals
Christensen to take over at Wyoming >>
Casper, WY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wyoming is reportedly set to name Dave
Christensen its new head football coach.
According to the Casper Star Tribune, Christensen will leave his job as the
Missouri offensive coordinator to take ove
Rivet, Kaleta out but Kotalik returns for Sabres >>
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Sabres will miss a pair of players
but also will get one back for Monday's home game against Nashville.
Defenseman Craig Rivet was a late scratch due to an undisclosed upper body
injury while
Astros agree to deal with Hampton pending a physical >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros have reportedly come to an
agreement on a deal with free agent starting pitcher Mike Hampton pending a
physical.
According to MLB.com, the 36-year-old Hampton will travel to Houston
The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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My fellow Americans, as tempting as it may be to don the coat and HD-ready tie in order to deliver this State of the Game address before the cameras, I know better. As Brad Paisley sings on his latest album, "I'm so much cooler online."
The ideas for this annual essay to kick off the MySportsbook.com college football betting preview flowed like frat-house beer, which is to say they were cheap and spilled all over the floor. The 2007 season will be better than 2007, if only because there will be more of it. A year ago, the NCAA Football Rules Committee made two rule changes in the interest of speeding up the game. These changes went over like Kobe burgers at a vegan banquet.
To its credit, the rules committee rectified its mistakes. This season the clock once again will start when a kickoff is received, rather than when it is kicked, and the clock will not start so quickly on a change of possession.
However, kickoffs have been moved back five yards, to the 30, which will force more returns. (Thus forcing the clock to run. Clever, huh?) Special teams might decide a lot of games, because coaching strategy will come straight out of another new Paisley lyric (almost), I'd like to check you for kicks.
Paisley sings with a twang, which is why he's appropriate for this college football season. The sun coming up over the 2007 college football betting lines season rises from the south. It's a Southern football world. As the Southeastern Conference begins its 75th year, the power shift is noticeable.
Eight-figure budgets, glamorous settings -- and that's just for the head coaches. The SEC has four coaches who have won national championships -- the greatest aggregation of coaching know-how since Eddie Robinson dined alone.
Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have given lie to the idea that a conference championship game is too daunting a hurdle on the road to No. 1. In six of the past 10 seasons, the national champions played and won a conference championship game -- three of the six (Tennessee, 1998; LSU, 2003; Florida, 2007) from the SEC.
There will be more of the same this season, if the preseason prognostications are correct. Six SEC teams are in the preseason coaches' poll, more than from any other conference. Only one conference has talent so deep that a team with 15 returning starters, including the best quarterback in the league, from an eight-win season is considered an afterthought. That may speak more to Kentucky's losing legacy than to the wisdom of the predictions, but there you have it. And seriously, keep an eye on Wildcats QB Andre' Woodson.
The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans.
So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California.
USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster. Instead, the Trojans gathered themselves and routed Michigan, 32-18, in the Rose Bowl.
USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess (such as, without naming names, L.M. from Baton Rouge). The league only got deeper this season; Dennis Erickson is taking over an Arizona State team that never quite got out of its own way under his predecessor, Dirk Koetter.
Erickson will resume his quest to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools. Both he and Spurrier, now in his third season at South Carolina, returned to college football at schools with lower profiles than where they won their titles.
That isn't the case for the third coach looking for the national championship double. You may have missed this, but NASA reported the astronauts on the space shuttle last spring made contact with what can only be described as beings from another galaxy.
The leader of the aliens said, "We come in peace," followed by, "So how do you think Nick Saban will do at Alabama?"
The public is reacting to the new Crimson Tide coach as if he is the Barry Bonds of college football -- beloved at home for what his fans believe he is going to do, hated on the road for his intimidating attitude and for what his detractors believe he did (bend NCAA recruiting rules). I made this comparison from the dais at a charity dinner in Mobile, Ala., last month, and the chill that washed over me didn't come from the air conditioning.
Saban will attempt to prove that he can remake in Tuscaloosa what he built in Baton Rouge, much like another member of the national championship fraternity. Bobby Bowden is attempting to remake at Florida State what he built at, um, Florida State. Bowden rebuilt his offensive staff, bringing in four new coaches led by Saban's former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, to jump-start an offense that has been dead for a couple of years.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to show new signs of life, too. That is said with no disrespect toward last season's champion, Wake Forest, which provided one of the best story lines of 2007. The Demon Deacons begin this season in their customary position, overshadowed by the Virginia Techs, Miamis and Florida States.
It's not that Wake will find it difficult to duplicate its success in 2007 as much as the feeling that success engendered. Surprising success is the narcotic of sport. It never feels quite so euphoric the next time. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has figured this out. He refers to 2007, when a league looked down upon by fans and foes alike took three undefeated teams into November, as "Cinderella."
The fairy tale may be over, but the Big East has four genuine Heisman Trophy candidates in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White, and Rutgers tailback Ray Rice. Rutgers, as did Wake Forest and, of course, Boise State, proved last season that the have-nots in college football occasionally have quite a lot.
The Broncos' rousing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has raised the profile of all schools in conferences that don't get automatic BCS bids. This season, TCU and Hawaii are the preseason favorites to burst through the BCS doors and earn an at-large bid. The Warriors return 14 starters from an 11-3 team, including quarterback Colt Brennan.
Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2007, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season.
After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country.
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