Djokovic rallies past Murray to reach Aussie Open final

Tennis Betting Lines

01/27/2012 - Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Novak Djokovic will play for a second straight Australian Open title after rallying for a thrilling five-set semifinal win over Andy Murray in a rematch of last year's final.

Djokovic blitzed Murray in straight sets last year to win his second Aussie Open crown on the way to a dominant season that included two more Grand Slam titles and his ascension to the No. 1 ranking in the world.

It was a much different story on Friday in Melbourne, as Djokovic regrouped after dropping a third-set tiebreaker. He then dominated the fourth set before gutting out the last and claimed a 6-3, 3-6, 6-7 (4-7), 6-1, 7-5 triumph in a match that lasted nearly five hours.

Djokovic, who first won this title in 2008, will take on 2009 winner Rafael Nadal for the championship on Sunday. The super Spaniard topped Roger Federer in four sets on Thursday to earn his spot in the final.

Wwcdnow Tennis Betting News

<< Despite defections, plenty of talent still on hand for Pro Bowl
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A select number of the NFL's best players will be making a trip to Hawaii to participate in this Sunday's AFC-NFC Pro Bowl, though the league's annual all-star game will be lacking some of its star power once again due to a v

<< Kuznetsova-Zvonareva win Aussie doubles title
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva bested Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci to win the Australian Open women's doubles title on Friday. The unseeded Russian duo of Kuznetsova and Zvonareva ea

<< Clippers slip past Grizzlies
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Blake Griffin finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, leading the Clippers to a 98-91 victory over the Grizzlies at Staples Center. Chris Paul and Mo Williams each scored 18 points, whil

<< Holt leads No. 21 Saint Mary's past Loyola Marymount
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stephen Holt had 19 points and six rebounds to lift No. 21 Saint Mary's to a 71-64 win over Loyola Marymount. Matthew Dellavedova totaled 13 points and seven assists while Rob Jones added 11 points and 1

<< No. 7 Tennessee cruises past Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shekinna Stricklen led a balanced attack with 14 points, as No. 7 Tennessee cruised to an 86-56 win over Alabama on Thursday. Glory Johnson added 13 points and eight rebounds for the Lady Vols (15-5, 6-

Tiger two behind Olesen in Abu Dhabi >>
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tiger Woods posted a three- under 69 Friday to move within two strokes of the lead after two rounds of the Abu Dhabi Championship. Woods, who is playing this event for the first time, had f

Villanova promotes Crocker to defensive coordinator >>
Villanova, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Villanova head football coach Andy Talley announced Friday the promotion of Billy Crocker from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator. Talley also announced the hiring of Roc Bellantoni as defensive line

Hawks resume road trip in Detroit >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks hope to bounce back from a miserable showing their last time out tonight when they continue a five-game road trip against the Detroit Pistons at the Palace in Auburn Hills. Atlanta seemed lost at times on

Wizards try to pick up road victory in Houston >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Wizards have had trouble the past two seasons playing well on the road and look to avoid an 0-8 start as the guest tonight against the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center. The Wizards will play two straight

Magic try to rebound against Hornets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For three quarters last night it appeared the Orlando Magic had erased all the memories of their worst shooting performance in franchise history in a rematch with the Boston Celtics. But a lousy final period sent the Magic

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING

NCAA Football Betting

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

FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million

Football Betting

In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.

And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.

Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.

So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.

Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)

The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.

As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.

The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.

In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.

Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.

And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.

So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.

There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.

So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.

And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.

There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)

Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.

Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.

Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.

So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.