Tsonga wins Marseille opener
Tennis Betting Lines
02/22/2012 - Marseille, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded former champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was an easy second-round winner Wednesday at the Open 13 tennis event.
The 2009 Marseille titlist trounced fellow Frenchman Nicolas Mahut 6-3, 6-2 on the indoor hardcourts at Palais des Sports.
Tsonga will face another compatriot, Edouard Roger-Vasselin, in Friday's quarterfinals. Roger-Vasselin dismantled Italian Flavio Cipolla 6-3, 6-0 on Day 3.
Meanwhile, third-seeded world No. 9 Serb Janko Tipsarevic eased into the quarters with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Belgian qualifier David Goffin.
In some opening-round action on Wednesday, sixth-seeded Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov overcame Czech Lukas Rosol 2-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 and French left- hander Michael Llodra snuck past Swiss Marco Chiudinelli in a pair of tiebreaks, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-3). Llodra titled here in 2010 and was the Marseille runner-up in 2009.
Second-seeded American Mardy Fish and fourth-seeded former world No. 4 Argentine Juan Martin del Potro will see second-round action here on Thursday. The former U.S. Open champion and last week's Rotterdam runner-up del Potro will battle former world No. 3 Russian Nikolay Davydenko on Day 4.
The newest Marseille champ will collect $120,000.
Agreed to terms with pitchers Matt Hoffman, Andy Oliver and Adam Wilk, infielder Hernan Perez and outfielder Andy Dirks.
<< Catania tops Siena to ease relegation worries
Siena, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Francesco Lodi's first-half penalty kick
handed Catania a 1-0 win at Siena on Wednesday that lifts the visitors nine
points clear of the relegation zone.
Wins have been scarce for both clubs in rece
<< Zusi re-signs with Sporting
Kansas City, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sporting Kansas City midfielder Graham Zusi
has signed a new contract with the club, it was announced on Wednesday,
although terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 25-year-old Zusi is coming of
<< Line of Scrimmage: Combine questions have a need for speed
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Class was back in session for prospective
graduates into the football profession when the world's most celebrated
college job fair, the NFL Scouting Combine, got underway Wednesday, even
though this year's tw
<< Hawks' Johnson to miss All-Star Game
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Hawks guard Joe Johnson will miss All-Star weekend
because of tendinitis in his left knee, the team said Wednesday.
Johnson, who is averaging 17.6 points per game, was selected to the All-Star
game as a reserve
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Penn will play a difficult non-conference schedule to try to set up a run for the Ivy League football title this year. Penn announced its 10-game schedule on Wednesday and will play five home games and fiv
Report: Temple in talks to join Big East >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Temple is reportedly in talks to join the Big
East in all sports as early as next season, which would give the conference 13
teams in football and 18 in basketball.
A planned move could be completed this
Royal Delta set for Sabin >>
Hallandale Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Champion filly Royal Delta is ready to
make her 2012 debut in Saturday's $100,000 Sabin Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
The four-year-old will face four challengers in the 1 1/6-mile race.
Royal Delta,
Aubameyang's hat trick topples Lorient >>
Saint Etienne, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a
second-half hat trick to help St Etienne to a 4-2 win over Lorient at the
Geoffrey-Guichard Stadium on Wednesday.
The match came to life after a scoreles
This Week in Auto Racing February 23 - 26 >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Get ready for what is expected to be a
wild four days of racing at Daytona International Speedway, culminating with
Sunday's Daytona 500.
NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series
Daytona 500 - Daytona International
FOOTBALL BETTING
After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.
Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.
Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.
So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.
In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.
For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.
The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.
The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.
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