11/23/2008 - Mar del Plata, Argentina (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fernando Verdasco was the hero on Sunday, as the lefthander outlasted fellow slugger Jose Acasuso to give visiting Spain an insurmountable 3-1 lead in its best-of-five Davis Cup final against Argentina. The Spaniards won their third Davis Cup title in nine years.
Sunday's schedule called for the reverse singles on Day 3 at Mar del Plata, and in the first, and only, rubber of the day, Spain got the huge victory from Verdasco, who was inserted into the lineup in place of David Ferrer. Acasuso also played as a replacement, as he got the call instead of rising 20-year-old star Juan Martin del Potro from Argentine captain Alberto Mancini, but things didn't quite work out for the stunned hosts.
The 25-year-old Verdasco needed 3 hours, 56 minutes to outlast a game Acasuso 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, as Acasuso finally ran out of gas in the fifth set. The Argentine required some medical attention early in the final stanza, one that was dominated by his talented Spanish counterpart.
Spain, captained by Emilio Sanchez, captured its third Davis Cup title this decade, with the other wins coming in 2000 and 2004.
The world No. 16 Verdasco won despite piling up nine double faults and being out-aced 14-5. He did, however, break the 48th-ranked Acasuso's serve a whopping nine times, compared to five breaks for the Argentine loser, who also tallied 16 more unforced errors (47-31) in the hard-fought setback.
Acasuso was removed from Argentina's doubles lineup in favor of David Nalbandian here on Saturday.
Sunday's scheduled fifth and final rubber between Nalbandian and Spaniard Feliciano Lopez was not played, as the tie concluded at 3-1 for Spain.
Spain headed into Sunday with a surprising 2-1 lead after winning the pivotal doubles rubber in four sets. A tandem of Verdasco and Lopez got the big point by handling an Argentine duo of Nalbandian and Agustin Calleri in four sets on Day 2 after the two nations split Friday's opening singles. On Day 1, Nalbandian whipped Ferrer in straight sets to get Argentina going, but Lopez then stunned del Potro in four to level the tie.
Including singles and doubles this week, both Verdasco and Lopez were a perfect 2-0 for the visitors on the indoor hardcourt at Estadio Islas Malvinas.
A disappointed Argentina is still seeking that elusive first-ever Davis Cup championship. The three-time finalists also had runner-up finishes in 1981 and 2006.
The Spaniards captured the title here despite playing without world No. 1 superstar Rafael Nadal, who pulled out last week due to a knee injury. Nadal was replaced on the team by Marcel Granollers, who did not play this week.
Spain is now 3-0 all-time versus Argentina, which was hosting for the first time ever in this series. The Spaniards prevailed at home way back in 1926 and also in 2003.
Team Spain, which is now 3-3 in its all-time Davis Cup finals and appeared in its fourth final this decade, reached this year's final by beating the 32-time and defending champion United States 4-1 in a semifinal in Madrid, while Argentina got past Russia 3-2 in Buenos Aires, with del Potro winning a fifth and deciding rubber.
The Argentines had won 13 straight Davis Cup ties as a host.
<< Rams QB Bulger leaves with head injury
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Rams quarterback Marc Bulger
left Sunday's game versus the Chicago Bears with a head injury and his return
is questionable.
The signal-caller was hurt after taking a shot to the head on a sack by
<< Struggling Stuttgart sacks Veh
Stuttgart, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stuttgart has sacked coach Armin Veh
after a run of five games without a win left the club down in 11th place in the
Bundesliga table.
Veh's final game in charge was a 4-1 thrashing at Wolfsburg
<< Oklahoma vaults Texas; Alabama-Florida 1-2 in poll
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oklahoma's rout of Texas Tech on Saturday
shook up the latest Associated Press college football poll.
Alabama remained the No. 1 team and is followed by Florida, Oklahoma, Texas
and Southern California
<< Tottenham climbs out of drop zone with win over Blackburn
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tottenham moved out of the relegation zone
on Sunday as Roman Pavlyuchenko's ninth-minute goal helped Spurs earn a 1-0
win over Blackburn at White Hart Lane.
The win is the fifth in six games in all
Shin holds off Webb to win ADT Championship >>
West Palm Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ji-Yai Shin carded a two-under 70 on
Sunday to hold off Karrie Webb and win the ADT Championship.
Webb birdied the 18th to finish one back at minus-one at Trump International
Golf Club.
With th
Real's Higuain sidelined with injured ankle >>
Madrid, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Madrid's Argentinian striker Gonzalo
Higuain is facing a short spell on the sidelines after suffering an ankle
injury in Saturday's 1-0 victory over Recreativo.
Higuain had to be replaced late
Calf surgery to sideline Portsmouth's Defoe >>
Portsmouth, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Portsmouth striker Jermain Defoe expects
to be sidelined for around a month as he continues to be troubled by a nagging
calf injury.
The 26-year-old limped off during England's 2-1 win in Germany in m
Inter Milan's Mourinho praises Adriano >>
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho was full of
praise for striker Adriano after the Milanese won the Derby D'Italia against
Juventus 1-0 in the San Siro on Saturday.
A Sulley Muntari strike 18 minutes
El Duque expected to throw Tuesday
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.
Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.
El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.
MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds.
Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.
New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.
Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''
Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
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Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook
Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds. The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.
Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.
Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).
Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.
World Series odds
Adam Dunn 15-1
Albert Pujols 5-1
Alex Rodriguez 12-1
Alfonso Soriano 15-1
Andruw Jones 25-1
Barry Bonds 50-1
Carlos Delgado 40-1
David Ortiz 8-1
Jermaine Dye 40-1
Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1
Lance Berkman 40-1
Manny Ramirez 20-1
Richie Sexson 40-1
Ryan Howard 6-1
Travis Hafner 20-1
Vladimir Guerrero 40-1
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