11/16/2008 - Shanghai, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic defeated Russian star Nikolay Davydenko in straight sets on Sunday to capture the championship at the 2008 Tennis Masters Cup.
The second-seeded Djokovic handled the fourth-seeded Davydenko 6-1, 7-5 on Day 8 at Shanghai's Qi Zhong Stadium.
The 21-year-old Djokovic prevailed in 1 hour, 42 minutes, as he broke Davydenko's serve four times, compared to only one break for the 27-year-old loser.
Djokovic raced out to a 5-0 lead in the first set and never looked back.
Davydenko actually saved some match points while trailing 3-5 in the second set and would eventually pull even in the stanza, but the inspired Serb was just too much for him on Day 8 and Djokovic ultimately closed out the match with an unreturnable serve.
"For me I think was today a very difficult day," said Davydenko. "He played very good."
"Against Djokovic you need to be perfect, also play very fast and very good. That's what he did, and I didn't. I really had no chance."
Djokovic, who won this week's four-player Gold Group, went 4-1 for the week, including a victory over Davydenko in the round-robin portion of the event. Davydenko wound up 3-2 for the week, with both losses coming against Djokovic.
The world No. 3 Serbian Djokovic is now 2-1 lifetime against the world No. 5 Davydenko, with all three meetings coming this year. The speedy Russian prevailed in a Davis Cup bout earlier in the season.
The Belgrade native Djokovic now owns 11 career titles in 17 finals and went 4-3 in his 2008 title tilts. Davydenko went 3-2 in five finals this season, including a big Masters Series title in Miami. He dropped to 14-5 in his career ATP finals.
Djokovic captured his first-ever major title at the Aussie Open back in January. He went 64-17 this year and captured a bronze medal at the Olympic Games here in China.
The 6-foot-3 Djokovic pocketed $1.24 million this week, while Davydenko settled for $615,000 at this exclusive $4.45 million tournament.
Swiss great Roger Federer won this event the last two years, but was eliminated from semifinal contention by Scottish star Andy Murray here on Friday. Davydenko upset a weary Murray in Saturday's semis.
In Sunday's doubles final, the second-seeded tandem of Canadian Daniel Nestor and Serbian Nenad Zimonjic clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking by dousing the top-seeded duo of American twin brothers Bob and Mike Bryan 7-6 (7-3), 6-2. The 2003 and 2004 Masters Cup champion Bryans had been the year-end No. 1 team the previous three years.
Nestor-Zimonjic went 3-1 against the Bryans this season.
The 36-year-old Nestor, paired with Bahamian Mark Knowles, also captured the Masters Cup doubles title last year.
This prestigious event will shift to London next year.
<< Dumont's late tally helps Predators top Kings
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - J.P. Dumont scored the go-ahead goal on the
power play with 2:28 remaining in the third period, boosting the Nashville
Predators to a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings.
Shea Weber was credited with a
<< Tucker leads Avs past Oilers
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Darcy Tucker scored the game-tying goal in
the last minute of regulation, as well as the game-winner in the fifth round
of the shootout, as the Colorado Avalanche pulled off a stunning 3-2 win over
the Edm
<< Stunning comeback: LSU scores 30 in fourth to beat Troy
Baton Rouge, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Charles Scott's four-yard touchdown run
with 4:50 remaining in the game climaxed an incredible comeback, as 19th-
ranked LSU avoided a monumental upset by scoring 30 fourth-quarter points to
beat the Troy Troj
<< Johnson keeps Utah unblemished with rout of SD State
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Johnson threw for 283 yards and a
career-high five touchdowns as eighth-ranked Utah remained unbeaten with BCS
aspirations following a 63-14 pounding of San Diego State.
Johnson connected on 2
Orlando wraps up trip at Charlotte >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic will try to close out a three-game road
trip with a perfect mark when they take on the Charlotte Bobcats tonight at
Time Warner Cable Arena.
Orlando has won the first two tests of the trek and six of
Mavs try to stop skid in Big Apple >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Mavericks will try to stop a five-game losing
streak tonight, when they open a three-game road trip against the New York
Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Dallas is coming off a 102-100 loss to the Orland
Pistons pay a visit to Phoenix >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of conference powerhouses get together tonight in
the desert, where the Detroit Pistons pay a visit to the Phoenix Suns at US
Airways Center.
The 7-2 Pistons have won the first three tests of their four-gam
Nuggets, T-Wolves square off at Pepsi Center >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Nuggets will welcome the Minnesota Timberwolves
to town this evening for a showdown at the Pepsi Center.
The Nuggets have won four of their last five games, including Friday's 94-85
victory over the defending
The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.
Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.
According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).
Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.
''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.
Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.
''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''
Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.
”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.
For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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