Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
01/10/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Stricker entered the 2012 season with plenty of questions surrounding his game. He battled through a neck injury at the end of 2011, and no one knew how he would bounce back once the calendar changed.
Stricker answered those questions, and more, in a three-stroke win at Kapalua.
If it weren't for those pesky first 13 holes, Stricker could have won by a dozen. For the week, he played the final five holes at 15-under par after going just minus-eight in the opening 13.
Though he doesn't have the flashiest game, Stricker solidified his place as the top American in the world rankings. He moved to No. 5 with the win.
The title was his eighth since the start of the 2009 season. It might comes as a surprise that Stricker is the only PGA Tour player with multiple wins in each of the last three years.
The 44-year-old has clearly taken the mantle from Vijay Singh as best player in his 40s. The victory was Stricker's ninth since turning the big 4-0.
Some might argue Phil Mickelson is the best player in his 40s, but he has won just once since turning 40, and he has dipped to 15th in the world rankings.
Much like Singh has battled a balky back through his career, it now seems as though Stricker will fight his neck injury for some time to come.
Admittedly, Stricker could barely move his left arm at the BMW Championship in September. Since then, he's had a pair of cortisone shots and done extensive physical therapy.
"I don't want to have surgery. I don't think at this point I need it. I'm just going to go ahead and try to do this maintenance that I've been doing the last couple of months and see if that'll remedy the problem," Stricker said after his win on Monday.
"But from what my physical therapist says, it's just something that I need to stay on, be on top of it all the time. So that's what I'm trying to do."
With other players injuring themselves off the course, Stricker is doing all he can to stay off the disabled list.
He heads to the Sony Open this week hoping to extend his tour-leading cuts made streak to 44.
Though he won the Hyundai Tournament of Champions by three strokes, Stricker was five clear after the second and third rounds. In each of the final two rounds, he lost nearly his entire lead.
In Sunday's third round, Stricker's cushion dipped to one. After playing the final five holes in five-under par in round two, Stricker birdied the last four holes of round three to push his lead back to five.
The final round was more of the same. His five-stroke advantage was down to one after just seven holes. He responded with birdies on eight and nine to give himself some room.
"When you start to lose your lead and see everybody playing well, I'm watching the leaderboard. I want to know where everybody is at, and I see what they're doing," Stricker said. "But that little stretch at eight and nine really kind of calmed me down a little bit. And that, I think, was the difference today."
His lead was back down to one late in the final round, but Stricker birdied 16 and 18 to seal the deal.
Ever the family man, Stricker said afterwards that his two daughters were, "glad we're coming back (to Hawaii). So, they're looking forward to it and so am I. It's a great place to start."
Stricker might be the top American player, he might be the best in his 40s, but his favorite titles are more likely to be father and husband.
We could all be so lucky to have such a role model.
ARE GOLFERS ATHLETES?
It is a debate that rages in grill rooms across the country - are golfers really athletes?
Plenty of top golfers have favorite hobbies like skiing, snowboarding or surfing. It seems recently that golfers are proving they aren't very nimble.
It all started last year at Kapalua when 2009 champion Geoff Ogilvy was unable to defend his title after cutting his hand on some coral in the ocean, days before the season opener.
Last week, within days of each other, Lucas Glover and Paul Casey both took themselves out of action with injuries.
Glover hopes to tee it up this week after having to withdraw from the Hyundai Tournament of Champions with a sprained MCL in his right knee. He was injured in a paddleboard accident early last week.
Meanwhile, Casey would have been defending his title next week at the Volvo Golf Champions if he didn't try his Shaun White impersonation last week. Actually, that's an insult to White.
Casey dislocated his right shoulder in a snowboard accident and will be out of action for up to two months, or more, as the injury heals.
These guys are giving the doubters more ammunition in the battle of whether golfers are or aren't athletes.
At least Tiger Woods broke his leg golfing, right?
MINI-TIDBITS
- Congrats to 2010 British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen on his successful defense of his Africa Open title, and on the pending birth of his second child.
- Seems strange that the PGA and European Tours are starting their second event of the season on Thursday and the LPGA Tour hasn't officially announced its 2012 schedule yet. I'm sure commissioner Michael Whan is working feverishly to get more events before the schedule is finally released.
<< Former Blues GM Caron dies
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former St. Louis Blues general manager Ron
Caron died Monday night. He was 82 years old.
Caron, nicknamed "The Professor" for his remarkable hockey memory, served as
the Blues GM from 1983-94 and aga
<< Parma turns to former Italy coach Donadoni
Parma, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Parma named former Italy boss Roberto Donadoni
its new manager Tuesday after it fired Franco Colomba.
Donadoni, 48, coached Italy from 2006-08, but after a quarterfinal loss in the
Euro 2008 tournament to even
<< Stricker up to 5th in world rankings
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Stricker's victory Monday at the
Hyundai Tournament of Champions moved the American up to fifth in this week's
world rankings.
Luke Donald remained in first, followed by Lee Westwood, Rory
<< West Brom adds Allan from Dundee United
West Bromwich, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - West Bromwich completed the capture
of Scottish Under-21 international midfielder Scott Allan from Dundee United
on Tuesday.
Allan, 20, joins the English Premier League club on a 2 1/2-year contra
Wisconsin C Konz to enter NFL Draft >>
Madison, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - University of Wisconsin center Peter Konz has
decided to skip his senior season and will enter the NFL Draft.
Konz started 31 games for the Badgers in three seasons and was a First-Team
All-Big Ten selecti
SE Louisiana's Roberts adds familar coordinators >>
Hammond, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Southeastern Louisiana University football
coach Ron Roberts announced Tuesday the additions of Greg Stevens as offensive
coordinator and Pete Golding as defensive coordinator to his program.
Both coaches s
Green Bay coordinator's son dies >>
Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The son of Green Bay Packers offensive
coordinator Joe Philbin has been found dead in a Wisconsin river.
Authorities had been searching for Michael Philbin, 21, since he was reported
missing Sunday
Oilers' Eberle out 2-3 weeks >>
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Edmonton Oilers forward Jordan Eberle will
miss 2-3 weeks of action with a right knee injury.
Eberle suffered the injury during Saturday's game in Dallas. The results from
an MRI informed the team's decis
Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.
Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.
That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.
Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.
After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.
The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).
To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.
NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV
New England Patriots 8/1
Dallas Cowboys 9/1
New York Giants 10/1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1
Indianapolis Colts 12/1
San Diego Chargers 12/1
Baltimore Ravens 14/1
Tennessee Titans 16/1
Carolina Panthers 18/1
Philadelphia Eagles 18/1
New Orleans Saints 20/1
Atlanta Falcons 25/1
Denver Broncos 25/1
Green Bay Packers 25/1
Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1
Minnesota Vikings 25/1
New York Jets 25/1
Arizona Cardinals 30/1
Chicago BearS 30/1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1
Buffalo Bills 35/1
Houston TexaNS 35/1
Miami Dolphins 35/1
Washington Redskins 35/1
Seattle SeahawkS 50/1
Cleveland Browns 55/1
Cincinnati Bengals 60/1
San Francisco 49ers 60/1
Oakland Raiders 75/1
St. Louis Rams 75/1
Detroit Lions 100/1
Kansas City Chiefs 100/1
Odds as of: 2/2/09
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
MySportsbook.com is the Internet’s largest online sportsbook site serving customers in more than 80 countries worldwide. Founded in 1997, MySportsbook.com was the first sports book to introduce reduced margin wagering, using a -105 pricing model that gives bettors up to 50% better value on wagers than traditional bookmakers. With low minimum bet requirements and the highest maximum limits on the Web, MySportsbook.com has earned an industry leading reputation for providing consistent value to the player, professional customer service and the quickest payouts online. Fully licensed and regulated in Antigua and the UK, the company offers a secure environment for sports betting, horse racing and online casino games.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts credit cards needs.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting