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05/20/2010 - Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich's Hamit Altintop has sat on the bench a lot this season, going unused in more than 20 matches, but don't look for him there Saturday in the Champions League final against Inter Milan.
Coach Louis van Gaal left the Turkey international on the bench for the entire match 15 times during a 22-game span at one point this season.
Altintop made just start one after the winter break until late March, when he was thrust back into an important role in the Champions League.
Van Gaal used Altintop in the first game of the Champions League quarterfinals against Manchester United with Dutch winger Arjen Robben out. Altintop was on the field against Schalke a few days later as well, but went back to the bench and even went unused in the ensuing weeks.
Altintop continued to play his role on the Bundesliga and Pokal Cup champions without causing a problem, and replaced suspended winger Franck Ribery against Lyon in the second leg of the Champions League semifinals.
Bayern, with Altintop playing a big role, won the second leg 3-0 in France to seal the series on aggregate 4-0.
With Ribery also suspended for the final, Van Gaal's obvious choice is to hand Altintop another start Saturday at the Bernabeu in Madrid at 2:45 p.m. (ET).
"Hamit has shown what he can do," Robben, who leads the club with 23 goals in all competitions, said on the team's website.
Altintop has 12 starts this season and has come off the bench 13 times, but in France a few weeks ago played his best match of the season. He assisted on one of Ivica Olic's three goals, and was involved all over the pitch.
Although Altintop has played a quieter role this season, he joked "I've always been around, even if you weren't aware of it." Although he has just one goal - in the Pokal Cup - he is a better defensive player than Ribery and can also be a weapon in the attack.
Altintop will try to compensate for Ribery's absence again, this time against a Jose-Mourinho led Inter side that disposed of defending champion Barcelona in the semifinals.
Bayern advanced to the final the hard way, losing 3-2 in the second leg of its Round of 16 series against Fiorentina and quarterfinal clash against United to advance on away goals following 4-4 aggregate draws.
Although Bayern rolled past Lyon, which knocked out Real Madrid earlier in the tournament, Inter Milan provides an even tougher challenge. With the exception of Ribery, though, Van Gaal has his first-choice lineup.
If Altintop, who played a great Euro 2008 tournament for Turkey, plays another game like he did against Lyon - he should have space to roam with Inter sure to focus on Robben - Van Gaal and Bayern won't feel Ribery's loss as much.
Bayern is searching for its fifth Champions League title, with its last win in 2001 against Valencia. Bayern also won three straight from 1974-76.
Inter also has to compensate for a banned player, with influential midfielder Thiago Motta suspended for the final. Inter is vying for its third Champions League crown, and first in 45 years. Inter won in 1964 and 1965.
Mourinho's plan to replace Motta won't be known until his squad gets onto the field, but the presence of Wesley Sneijder - who like Robben was sold by Real Madrid last summer - will go a long way again for the Italian champions.
Bayern and Inter have met four previous times in European play, with Bayern on top with two wins and a draw. The teams last played in the 2006-07 Champions League, when the teams tied the first leg 1-1 in Munich and Bayern won 2-0 in Italy in the group stage.
That was before Van Gaal and Mourinho arrived at their current clubs. Van Gaal and Mourinho have both won the Champions League before, Van Gaal with Ajax in 1995 and Mourinho with FC Porto in 2004.
Van Gaal was a mentor for Mourinho, widely regarded as one of the best coach's in the world, when he was head man at Barcelona and Mourinho was an assistant. Saturday's final will prove if the teacher is smarter than the student.
<< Zach Thomas retires as a Dolphin
Davie, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Linebacker Zach Thomas announced his retirement
on Thursday after signing a one-day contract with the Miami Dolphins, for whom
he played between 1996 through 2007.
Thomas left Miami after an injury-plagued 2007
<< Cards double up Marlins, earn series split
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Holliday's two-run, go-ahead double in
the second inning held up, as the Cardinals earned a split of a two-game
series against the Marlins with a 4-2 decision.
Ryan Ludwick and David Freese ea
<< Belmont Stakes prospect preps in turf race
Elmont, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Madrid, a Belmont Stakes candidate, faded
down the stretch Thursday at Belmont Park in his first race in more than a
month. The three-year-old colt was using the optional claiming event as a prep
for the
<< Webb to referee Champions League final
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Howard Webb will referee Saturday's Champions
League final between Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in Madrid, Spain.
Webb, who has been an international referee since 2005, will be assisted by
his countrymen
Villa rejects City's offer for Milner >>
Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aston Villa has rejected a $28 million
offer from Manchester City for James Milner.
City have been linked with a move for the England midfielder since the end of
a season where he was named PFA Young
Yankees put Posada on DL, bring up Moeller >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees placed injured catcher Jorge
Posada on the 15-day disabled list Thursday.
Posada has a hairline fracture on the bottom of his right foot, and it was
announced Wednesday he will be sidelin
Benitez wants to stay at Liverpool >>
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rafael Benitez insists he is ready to
see out the remaining four years of his Liverpool contract despite being
expected to leave Anfield this summer.
The Spaniard was believed to be heading o
Van Gaal plans to coach Bayern next season >>
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich head coach Louis van Gaal has
vowed to remain with the German giants next season, even if his side clinch an
historic treble by winning the Champions League final.
Van Gaal has enjoyed a dre
Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"
A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."
Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.
In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.
"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."
Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.
But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"
Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.
This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.
Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.
In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.
No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.
And that's all any bettor can ask for.
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New York, NY – October 3, 2007 – The dress rehearsal is over! The NHL preseason has ended and now that fans have had a glimpse of what is to come it is time to hit the book! Stanley Cup odds are live at MySportsbook.com, the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino.
The Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings remain on top of the odds charts after an impressive start in the preseason. Betting lines opened for both teams at 6-1 in June. Since then the Sens have fallen to 7-1 and the Red Wings are now caught in a pack including the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes, the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks, all at 10-1.
MySportsbook.com has also posted props on each team’s point total for the regular season. The Senators lead the charge at 108.5 followed by the Ducks at 106.5. Detroit will attempt a repeat for the prize as the Red Wings are deadlocked with the Predators at 104.5 a piece. The temporary loss of highly touted rookie Evgeni Malkin puts a lot of pressure on the stick of assistant captain Sidney Crosby - his lowly Pittsburgh Penguins are listed at 71.5.
Even if bettors are not brave enough to put their money on the underdog, an early bet on the favorites at sportsbook.com tends to produce bigger payouts than a mid-season wager. Placing a $1,000 bet last summer on the Detroit Red Wings or Ottawa Senators would have paid out to $8,000 and $10,000 respectively, opposed to a $2,500 or $3,000 payout at the beginning of the playoffs.
| Ottawa Senators Detroit Red Wings Carolina Hurricanes San Jose Sharks Anaheim Ducks Philadelphia Flyers Calgary Flames New Jersey Devils Buffalo Sabres Dallas Stars New York Rangers Nashville Predators Vancouver Canucks Colorado Avalanche Minnesota Wild Tampa Bay Lightning Boston Bruins Florida Panthers Montreal Canadiens Atlanta Thrashers Toronto Maple Leafs Edmonton Oilers Phoenix Coyotes Los Angeles Kings New York Islanders Columbus Blue Jackets St. Louis Blues Pittsburgh Penguins Washington Capitals Chicago Blackhawks |
7-1 10-1 10-1 10-1 10-1 12-1 12-1 12-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 15-1 20-1 20-1 25-1 25-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 40-1 40-1 50-1 50-1 80-1 80-1 100-1 100-1 |
NHL Regular Season Points - Team Must Play 82 Games
| Team Ottawa Senators Anaheim Ducks Detroit Red Wings Nashville Predators San Jose Sharks Calgary Flames Philadelphia Flyers New Jersey Devils Buffalo Sabres Carolina Hurricanes Dallas Stars New York Rangers Minnesota Wild Atlanta Thrashers Montreal Canadiens Team Los Angeles Kings Tampa Bay Lightening Vancouver Canucks Boston Bruins Colorado Avalanche Edmonton Oilers Phoenix Coyotes Toronto Maple Leafs Florida Panthers Columbus Blue Jackets New York Islanders Chicago Blackhawks St. Louis Blues Washington Capitals Pittsburgh Penguins |
Over/Under 108.5 106.5 104.5 104.5 103.5 101.5 100.5 99.5 97.5 97.5 97.5 95.5 94.5 93.5 92.5 Over/Under 91.5 91.5 91.5 89.5 89.5 88.5 88.5 86.5 84.5 82.5 80.5 72.5 72.5 72.5 71.5 |
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