Rezai, Errani land in Palermo quarters

Tennis Betting Lines

07/15/2010 - Palermo, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hot Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai and former champion and 2009 runner-up Sara Errani recorded second-round victories Thursday at the $220,000 Palermo International tennis tournament.

The second-seeded Rezai, fresh off her clay-court title in Bastad last week, got past Colombia's Mariana Duque Marino 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 on the red clay at Country Time Club.

Rezai's quarterfinal opponent on Friday will be Italian wild card Romina Oprandi.

The third-seeded Errani, meanwhile, continued her winning ways in Palermo with a 6-0, 7-6 (7-4) victory over Croatian qualifier Mirjana Lucic.

The 5-foot-4 Errani is seeking her third straight trip into the Palermo final, having titled here in 2008 and lost to Flavia Pennetta in last year's all-Italian championship tilt.

Errani's quarterfinal opponent on Friday will be fifth-seeded Wimbledon quarterfinalist Kaia Kanepi, as the Estonian cruised past Romania's Ioana Raluca Olaru 6-1, 6-2 on Day 4 here.

One other second-round affair saw the aforementioned Oprandi straight-set Slovenian Masa Zec Peskiric 6-4, 7-5. Oprandi is one of three Italians into the round of eight.

Friday's other quarterfinals will pit a top-seeded Pennetta against Spanish qualifier Nuria Llagostera Vives and eighth-seeded German Julia Goerges against 36-year-old American Jill Craybas. The world No. 12 Pennetta beat Errani in last year's final here and was the Palermo runner-up back in 2004.

Wskybook Tennis Betting News

<< Oilers name Smith, Buchberger assistant coaches
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Oilers named Kelly Buchberger and Steve Smith as assistant coaches for Tom Renney on Thursday. Buchberger has spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach with Edmonton and prior to tha

<< Cavs' West pleads guilty to charges
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Cavaliers guard Delonte West pled guilty to weapons and traffic charges stemming from his arrest last September, according to a report in the Washington Post. The judge in Prince George's County Ci

<< Bruins sign four
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins signed four players on Thursday, including forward Gregory Campbell. Campbell is a six-year veteran of the NHL and had played that entire time with Florida. Over 363 games, he has total

<< Braves place LHP O'Flaherty on DL, recall Dunn
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves placed left-handed reliever Eric O'Flaherty on the 15-day disabled list on Thursday with a viral infection. O'Flaherty has been a stalwart out of the Atlanta bullpen this s

<< Mariners sign P Wright among roster moves
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners signed free agent pitcher Jamey Wright on Thursday, one of three roster moves made by the club. Pitcher Chris Seddon also had his contract selected from Triple-A Tacoma, while pitche

Browns' Rogers to enter diversion program, avoid trial >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Browns defensive lineman Shaun Rogers will enter a diversion program and avoid trial after carrying a concealed weapon through security at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, according to a report

Beltran (finally) returns for Mets >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Mets will get a much-needed boost on Thursday when they welcome back perennial All-Star outfielder Carlos Beltran from the 60-day disabled list. Beltran has not seen the field for the

McIlroy's 63 ties record; Woods four back >>
St. Andrews, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rory McIlory has gone lower in his career, just not in a major championship. On Thursday at the British Open, McIlroy matched the lowest round in major championship history with a nine-under

Wild re-sign goaltender Khudobin >>
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Wild re-signed goaltender Anton Khudobin to a one-year, two-way contract. Khudobin made his NHL debut last season with Minnesota and in two games he went 2-0-0 and allowed just one goa

Braves activate Heyward from DL >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves activated outfielder Jason Heyward from the 15-day disabled list on Thursday. The rookie sensation has been out since injuring his left thumb while sliding into third base in a win over A

Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.