Russians one win away from seizing Fed Cup
Tennis Betting Lines
09/15/2007 - Moscow, Russia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Anna Chakvetadze and Svetlana Kuznetsova both did their part Saturday, taking the first pair of singles rubbers to hand Russia a comfortable edge over defending-champion Italy heading into Sunday at the 45th Fed Cup final.
Chakvetadze took the court first for the heavily-favored Russians and didn't disappoint. The 20-year-old maintained her composure under the pressure of playing for her country at home, taking the first set and bouncing back after dropping the second set to post a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory against Italy's top- ranked player Francesca Schiavone.
Kuznetsova rode the momentum from her runner-up finish at last week's U.S. Open, pummeling Mara Santangelo 6-1, 6-2. The 2004 U.S. Open champion used a strong first serve -- leading to eight aces -- and took advantage of Santangelo's shaky serve, as the Italian committed six double faults. Kuznetsova won 90 percent of the points on her first serve to only 49 percent for the Italian.
While the second match took just 58 minutes, the opener to the Fed Cup final pushed past two hours at Small Sports Arena. The stats spoke of a competitive match with each player taking advantage of break chances and winning just under 60 percent of their first serves. Schiavone actually won more total points in the match, yet fell in the three-set thriller.
On Sunday, the reverse singles will pit the world No. 2 Kuznetsova against Schiavone and the fifth-ranked Chakvetadze versus Santangelo. The tie is scheduled to come to a close with a doubles rubber between a Russian tandem of Nadia Petrova and Elena Vesnina and an Italian pairing of Santangelo and Roberta Vinci on the indoor hardcourt at "Luzhniki." Schiavone is Italy's highest-ranked player, at No. 25 in the world.
The Russians are captained by Shamil Tarpischev, while the Italians, who also have Flavia Pennetta at their disposal, are skippered by Corrado Barazzutti.
Russia is a perfect 3-0 all-time against the Italians, including a victory in the first round of World Group play in 2005. The Russians are a dominant 9-2 in 11 rubbers, dating back to 1968. The two nations have never met beyond the second round, until this year.
Italy captured its first-ever Fed Cup in its first-ever final when it topped host Belgium 3-2 in last year's title bout. The Russians won this event in 2004 and '05 and are 2-4 in their all-time finals.
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Betting Football
NFL Football Betting OnlineIs there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.