08/19/2008 - New Haven, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fourth-seeded Russian Igor Andreev, second- seeded Croat Ivo Karlovic and eighth-seeded American Mardy Fish were second- round winners Tuesday at the $708,000 Pilot Pen Tennis event, a final U.S. Open tune-up.
Andreev erased Belgian Olivier Rochus 6-3, 6-4 on the hardcourts at the Connecticut Tennis Center.
Fish, who was last year's New Haven runner-up to fellow American James Blake, bounced back from a second-set loss to compatriot Wayne Odesnik to take a 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 victory.
Karlovic dropped his first set to American John Isner, but then easily handled the next two sets to take a 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-4 victory.
German Mischa Zverev toppled fifth-seeded Argentine Juan Monaco 6-3, 6-3, while No. 6 seed Marin Cilic of Croatia was leading last week's Washington, D.C. runner-up Viktor Troicki, 2-1, when the Serbian retired.
In additional action involving top-10 seeds, No. 7 Italian Andreas Seppi overcame compatriot Potito Starace 4-6, 6-4, 6-4; No. 9 Frenchman Marc Gicquel grounded Spaniard Albert Montanes 7-5, 6-3; and Fabio Fognini upended 10th- seeded fellow Italian Simone Bolelli 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.
Eleventh-seeded Austrian Jurgen Melzer snuck past pesky French veteran Arnaud Clement 7-6 (7-1), 7-5 on the grounds at Yale University.
American wild card Robby Ginepri posted an upset by taking out 12th-seeded Argentine Agustin Calleri 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, while other upsets came when Belgian Steve Darcis drove out 13th-seeded Spaniard Marcel Granollers 6-2, 6-2; Slovenian qualifier Luka Gregorc knocked out 14th-seeded Argentine Jose Acasuso 6-4, 6-4; and Czech Ivo Minar doused 15th-seeded Argentine Eduardo Schwank 7-5, 6-3. Minar is rewarded with a third-rounder against top-seeded Fernando Verdasco of Spain.
Sixteenth-seeded Romanian Victor Hanescu avoided an upset by holding off German Denis Gremelmayr 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-3), 6-2.
An additional second-round win came for American lucky-loser Jesse Levine, who drubbed Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-0, 6-3. Levine joined the draw on Monday when red-hot Argentine Juan Martin del Potro withdrew, citing exhaustion.
The 2008 U.S. Open will commence Monday in New York.
<< Tennessee gains TE Warren, loses Cottam to surgery
Knoxville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Tennessee received NCAA
approval Tuesday for sophomore tight end Brandon Warren to suit up for the
Vols this season.
Head coach Phillip Fulmer also announced that junior tight en
<< Fillmore earns medalist honors at U.S. Amateur
Pinehurst, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robbie Fillmore fired a five-under 65 on
Tuesday to earn medalist honors after the stroke-play portion of the U.S.
Amateur.
The championship is being contested at Pinehurst Resorts No. 2 and N
<< Yankees get Matsui back, lose faith in Christian
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees activated
outfielder/designated hitter Hideki Matsui from the 15-day disabled list on
Tuesday and optioned outfielder Justin Christian to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-
Barre.
<< Report: Sixers bring back Ratliff
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia 76ers have reportedly
agreed to bring back forward/center Theo Ratliff with a one-year contract.
According to a report Tuesday in the Philadelphia Daily News, the 35-year-old
Ratliff
Werth's homer lifts Phils, dooms Nats to 11th straight loss >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jayson Werth hit a go-ahead home run in
the eighth inning, lifting the Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-4 win over
Washington in the first of three games with the Nationals.
Shane Victorino finishe
Burnett baffles Bronx Bombers as Jays draw closer in standings >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A.J. Burnett was sensational on the hill, Adam
Lind hit a game-tying homer in the seventh and the Blue Jays got a lift from
Johnny Damon's fielding gaffe in the eighth, as Toronto edged the New York
Yankees
Sizemore and Tribe pound hapless Royals >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Grady Sizemore hit a three-run homer, while
Ryan Garko and Shin-Soo Choo chipped in solo shots as the Indians turned away
the Royals, 9-4, in the opener of a three-game series
Anthony Reyes (2-1), in hi
Youkilis, Dice-K lead Sox past O's >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Youkilis hit a two-run homer and
Daisuke Matsuzaka remained perfect on the road, as the Boston Red Sox defeated
the Baltimore Orioles, 7-2, at Camden Yards.
Matsuzaka (15-2) pitched five innin
Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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 lines .
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sports betting
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting