Palmer excels in new role
Golf Betting Lines
04/05/2007 - Augusta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arnold Palmer has not made a start at the Masters since 2004. He has not made a cut since 1983, where he tied for 36th place.
He has donned the green jacket four times, although the last one came in 1964. The last Masters champion who was actually alive when Palmer last won was 50- year-old Mark O'Meara, who captured the Masters title in 1998.
So seeing Palmer have such an important role in this year's Masters was quite a welcome site. He became the eighth honorary starter of the Masters this week, and the first since 2002 when Sam Snead drove the first tee ball.
Palmer popped up his drive in the left rough, but, in a vintage Arnold moment, joked after the round about his ceremonial tee shot.
"I hit it pretty good," said Palmer. "I've always said that if I would hit the shot and it went left, it was okay. If it went right, I was in trouble. So that little draw I hit off the first tee kept me out of that sand trap up on the right side."
The ball could have gone left into the rough, found the bunker on the right or went 10 feet off the tee, it hardly mattered. Estimates say that almost 10,000 people were waiting at the front gate Thursday and most rushed right to No. 1 for Palmer's drive.
"Seeing what happened when they opened the gates was also quite a thrill, to see those people come in," admitted Palmer. "And of course that's what it's been about for me for a long time."
As Palmer accepted this new role, it came after quite a bit of reflection.
"I just was reminiscing and thinking about how much Augusta has meant in my life, right up to today," he said. "I was thinking back to when I went to Wake Forest and I used to watch the Masters and think about coming here, and whoever thought that 60 years later, here we are."
It was one of the worst-kept secrets in Georgia, how badly the fellas at Augusta National wanted The King to be an honorary starter. Palmer balked at first, partially because he did not want to admit his time as a competitor was over.
The other reason might have had to do with the fact that he was upset with the hierarchy of Augusta National for the reason he could no longer tee it up at the Masters.
Palmer was openly critical of Augusta National's policy of not allowing past champions to participate after the age of 65, a position he did not back down from all week.
"I suppose that I had a little objection to the fact that some of traditions of Augusta were taken away," admitted Palmer. "I think of the exempt status, when everybody was exempt. And I suppose I objected to some of the things -- that they didn't want us to play. It may have been a real legitimate reason, but I was shook a little by that."
But the King came back once again for one reason - to delight "The Army."
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Here are this week's Arena Football League match-ups for Week Six. THURSDAY, APRIL 5 COLUMBUS DESTROYERS (2-2) AT DALLAS DESPERADOS (5-0), 8:30 P.M. ET DESTROYERS: Looking to defeat two undefeated teams i
<< Goestenkors introduced at Texas
Austin, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gail Goestenkors was introduced Thursday as the
new women's basketball coach at Texas.
Goestenkors announced her decision to leave Duke on Tuesday and will replace
the legendary Jody Conradt as the third
<< Donovan staying at Florida
Gainesville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Florida men's basketball coach Billy
Donovan will apparently remain just that, after much speculation that he might
be tempted to leave the program he has built into a national power to take
over at
<< Blake will open for U.S. against Spain's Robredo
Winston-Salem, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - American James Blake will take to the
court against Tommy Robredo in Friday's opening singles rubber in the Davis
Cup World Group quarterfinal between the United States and Spain in Winston-
Salem.
<< Woosnam withdraws from Masters
Augusta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ian Woosnam, the 1991 winner at Augusta
National Golf Club, withdrew from the Masters on Thursday due to a back
injury.
Woosnam, who captained Europe to victory at last year's Ryder Cup,
Augusta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending champion Phil Mickelson will have a hard time successfully repeating if he can not rebound from a disastrous front nine Thursday at the Masters. During the opening round of the 2007 season's f
Buehrle leaves game with injured arm >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle left the
team's game against Cleveland in the top of the second inning with an apparent
left arm injury.
The game was deadlocked at one when the Indians' Ryan Garko r
O'Neill brings two to Illinois Derby >>
Cicero, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top California trainer Doug O'Neill brings two
colts from the West Coast to head Saturday's $500,000 Illinois Derby at
Hawthorne. The 1 1/8 mile race for three-year-olds has attracted a field of
nine Ke
Osasuna blanks Leverkusen in UEFA Cup quarterfinals >>
Leverkusen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Lopez tallied a goal and an
assist to lead La Liga's Osasuna over Leverkusen, 3-0, in a UEFA Cup
quarterfinal first-leg match at BayArena.
Javier Cuellar and Webo also found the b
Phoenix is getting warmed up for the postseason >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pacific Division champion Suns and their offensive
show is getting tuned up for the postseason. Phoenix has scored 100 or more
points in nine straight games and is 7-2 in that span.
The Suns are the second seed
American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies
It's that time of year folks. Betting on American Idol Season 9. And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below. With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.
No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.
Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.
Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.
Odds to Win
There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.
All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.
A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.
Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.
Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol.
Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.
If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.
Elimination Props
Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.
Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.
Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups
The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.
Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.