Venus reaches third round at U.S. Open

Tennis Betting Lines

09/01/2010 - Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two-time champion Venus Williams was among Wednesday's second-round winners at the U.S. Open.

The third-seeded former world No. 1 Williams got past Rebecca Marino 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 at Ashe Stadium. The powerful American advanced in just over an hour-and-a-half, with the help of 23 unforced errors from her unheralded Canadian opponent. Marino was unable to break Williams' formidable serve on Day 3.

Williams, who is playing her first tennis since Wimbledon because of a knee injury, titled here back-to-back in 2000 and 2001 and was the U.S. Open runner-up to her younger sister Serena in 2002.

Up next for the seven-time major titlist Williams will be Luxembourg's Mandy Minella, who dismissed 32nd-seeded Wimbledon semifinalist Tsvetana Pironkova, of Bulgaria, 6-4, 6-0. Pironkova stunned Williams in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon this summer.

Sixth-seeded French Open champion Francesca Schiavone improved to 9-1 in her last 10 Grand Slam matches with a 6-2, 6-1 dismantling of fellow Italian Maria Elena Camerin. Schiavone became the first Italian woman to capture a major title, which she did at the French Open back in June.

Tenth-seeded Victoria Azarenka retired from her second-rounder amid some extremely hot conditions here on Wednesday.

Argentine Gisela Dulko was pasting Azarenka 5-1 in the first set when the Belarusian collapsed on the court just 31 minutes into the match.

Azarenka left the Grandstand Court via wheelchair, with an ice pack on her neck. She then exited the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on a stretcher, and was driven away by an ambulance.

"I was warming up in the gym prior to my match against Gisela Dulko when I fell while running a sprint," Azarenka said. "I fell forward and hit my arm and head. I was checked by the medical team before I went on court and they were courtside for monitoring. I felt worse as the match went on, having a headache and feeling dizzy. I also started having trouble seeing and felt weak before I fell. I was taken to the hospital for some medical tests and have been diagnosed with a mild concussion."

Azarenka was considered to be among the true contenders here.

Former U.S. Open runner-up Elena Dementieva, seeded 12th here, moved on with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Austrian mother Sybille Bammer. The two-time Grand Slam runner-up Dementieva is the reigning Olympic gold medalist and reached the final here in Flushing in 2004.

Some other seeds were dismissed on Day 3 when France's Virginie Razzano surprised 13th-seeded former Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli, of France, 7-5, 6-4 and former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic drubbed No. 21 Chinese Zheng Jie 6-3, 6-0 in 56 minutes at Ashe Stadium. The currently 40th-ranked Ivanovic, of Serbia, is a former French Open champ.

"I was really happy with today's game, because she's tough opponent and I lost to her last couple of times we played," Ivanovic said of Zheng. "I was expecting really tough match."

Twentieth-seeded Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova avoided an upset by handling Indian Sania Mirza 6-2, 6-4, while 24th-seeded Slovak Daniela Hantuchova came from behind to beat American Vania King 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 and Italian Sara Errani erased 28th-seeded Russian Alisa Kleybanova 6-2, 6-3.

The newest U.S. Open champion will pocket at least $1.7 million.

Wwwgameland Tennis Betting News

<< Report: Sharks to sign former 'Hawk Niemi
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks are set to sign former Chicago Blackhawks cast-off goaltender Antti Niemi to a one-year, $2 million contract, according to multiple reports in both cities. The cash-strapped Blackha

<< Devils GM weighs in on Kovalchuk deadline
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello issued a statement on Wednesday, addressing the National Hockey League's decision to extend the deadline on accepting a new contract for free- agent f

<< Royals catcher Kendall to have shoulder surgery
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -Jason Kendall, who had been the Kansas City Royals starting catcher in 118 of their first 132 games, will undergo shoulder surgery Friday in Los Angeles for a torn right rotator cuff.Royals manager Ned Yost said the recovery t

<< Celtics bring back Delonte West
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics have signed free agent guard Delonte West. Terms of the deal were not released, but the Boston Herald reports it is a non-guaranteed contract for the upcoming season. West was an origi

<< Suddenly surging Astros sweep catatonic Cards
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hunter Pence hit a three-run homer as part of a four-run fifth inning, as the Houston Astros completed a three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals with a 5-2 win at Minute Maid Park. Michael Bourn added a

Padres bring up three from minors >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres made a bevy of roster moves on Wednesday. The club selected the contracts of left-hander Cory Luebke and catcher Chris Stewart and recalled right-hander Ryan Webb from Triple-A Portl

Fukudome helps Cubs down Pirates >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kosuke Fukudome finished 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles, two runs scored and an RBI as the Chicago Cubs set aside Pittsburgh, 5-3, in the finale of a three-game set from Wrigley Field. Tyler Colvin, Micah Hoff

Rockies reinstate P Buchholz from DL >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies have reinstated reliever Taylor Buchholz from the 15-day disabled list. The right-hander was placed on the DL on August 17, retroactive to August 14, with lower back stiffness.

Iowa offensive lineman Hundertmark to leave Hawkeyes >>
Iowa City, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Iowa junior offensive lineman Cody Hundertmark has left the football program to concentrate on academics. The announcement was made by Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz on Wednesday. The 6-foot-4,

Oswalt solid as Phils down Dodgers >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roy Oswalt lost a no-hitter with two outs in the sixth but still contributed 6 1/3 stellar innings to a combined three- hitter in a 5-1 Phillies win over the Dodgers to finish out a three-game set. Oswal

It's less than a month until the NHL hockey betting season opens at MySportsbook.com and preparations are underway for another battle in the race to hoist Lord Stanley's mug in 2007.

As cup crazy fans prepare to place their bets, one online sportsbook ,MySportsbook.com, is offering hockey betting lines on the 2007/2007 Stanley Cup , who will bring it home this upcoming season.

Despite a poor showing in last season's playoffs and the loss of Steve Yzerman to retirement, the Detroit Red Wings are early favourites at this online sportsbook with wagering odds of 6-1. The Wings will look to offensive powerhouse Pavel Datsyuk and newly appointed captain Nicklas Lidstrom to lead one of the league's most prominent franchises.

Always a threat are the Ottawa Senators, with newly acquired goaltender Martin Gerber from the Stanley Cup champion ,Carolina Hurricanes. The Sens are second best in the rankings at a 7-1 bet, and odds makers at this sportsbook are optimistic that the Ottawa squad will fare better than last season's Eastern Conference semi-final upset to the Buffalo Sabres.

Also worth noting are the defending Stanley Cup champs Carolina Hurricanes, a 10-1 bet to repeat. Behind the Canes are the New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and Anaheim Mighty Ducks all sit at 12-1. In the basement are the Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and St. Louis Blues who all have 100-1 odds to win.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your hockey betting needs.

FOOTBALL TRASH TALK

NFL Football Trash Talk

Trash talk has a place in every competitive endeavor (except baseball; those stirrup-wearers are too busy chewing on their sunflower seeds and their supplements to worry about what their opponents are doing).

Fantasy sports is no exception. Any intelligent discussion of the subject would probably start with a thesis statement or a definition of terms. Thankfully, this wont be an intelligent discussion.

Let me just say that I am happy to take a place in this space alongside my talented colleagues, even our commissioner. (You should see how she bleats like a demented paper boy about league fees on our fantasy site).

Trash talking, I would argue, is primarily about amusing your friends, their sheeplike demeanors and sloping foreheads notwithstanding. The best place I have found for football trash talking is at www.SportsAlarm.com.

Beyond the entertainment factor, though, I would recognize that the sophomoric ritual has one advantage, when properly applied. It magnifies your fantasy triumphs and mitigates your fantasy failures by transforming the eventual point total into an afterthought. Winning makes it seem like your opponent really is a truss-owning, lapel-pin-wearing nitwit. And in defeat, trash talk can be the air bag to break the fall from your hyperbolic heights. The plug-necked yahoos on your team, you can say, will be sacking groceries by the end of the season.

The best trash talk, in my view, is layered and nuanced. And it doesnt focus only on your opponents team. It picks apart your opponent. The idea is to create a shock-and-awe-scale blizzard of nonsense, and the goal is to make your opponent drop his hands from his keyboard in exasperation.

What team does your opponent root for? Accuse a Giants fan of having a Joe Namath pillowcase. Wheres your opponent from? Give a look of concern no matter his reply, then say, I'll try to type slower for you next time. Is your opponent into politics? Label everyone a tax-and-spend corporate shill.

Cap all that with a liberal application of irrelevance. For instance, dont just conclude by saying your opponent is a twerp who drafts like my grandmother. Say that your opponent is a sweater-wearing, eyebrow-plucking twerp who drafts his team about as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor gave acceptance speeches at the Oscars. By the time your foe makes sense of that, his starting running back will have had puppies.

But what about you? Hmm? Recall a memorable slam? Have a tried-and-true technique? Know someone who seems impervious to insult? Take a moment and tells us about it. Put together some (fit-for-publication) thoughts. You wont be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, Im sure, to reply.

In addition to the trash talking, the Sports Alarm has a huge gallery of high resolution pictures of beautiful women and models in bikinis. The most popular models are: Lindsay Lohan, Carrie Underwood, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paris Hilton.