Belmont Stakes Odds – Some Horses to Consider

The Belmont Stakes odds are just a week away and there are some storylines to consider, including jockey Calvin Borel’s push for the Jockey’s Triple Crown. The field isn’t set in stone yet for the big race, but here are a few names to consider.

MINE THAT BIRD

The Kentucky Derby Winner is obviously another big favorite at the Belmont Stakes odds, though his effectiveness could be determined by his jockey, as Borel rode him for his victory but Mike Smith rode him in the Preakness. Some horse race betting fans feel it’s a trap to bet on Mine That Bird because Rachel Alexandra may still run the race; Alexandra held off Mine that Bird to win the Preakness. However, the Preakness was a shorter distance, Mine that Bird was closing at the end, and the Belmont Stakes odds are longer than both of those races, so Mine That Bird should be the fave.

RACHEL ALEXANDRA

If the little filly-that-could runs in the Belmont Stakes odds, Borel will likely be the rider as he goes for a personal Triple Crown. While she makes for one of the better online betting picks, Belmont Stakes betting fans have to be careful, as her Preakness triumph came on a 13/16 track.

CHARITABLE MAN

Not a household name, Charitable Man could sneak up on the field next week. He dominated the Peter Pan at Belmont Park with a 3 3/4 –length score and could sneak up to steal the race the same way Rachel Alexandra did the Preakness.

MINER’S ESCAPE

Could he surprise? He has the upbringing to do it. His Hall-of-fame trainer and owner tandem of Nick Zito and Robert V. LaPenta won the Belmont Stakes odds last year with Da’Tara, so they obviously know what it takes to win. Miner’s Escape won his last start, the Frederico Tesio Stakes, so he has momentum heading into next week. Don’t forget about his Belmont Stakes betting prospects, as he’ll offer better racebook value than the big favorites.

Atletico Madrid Takes the Last Ticket for the 'Champions'

Atletico Madrid won the last ticket was at stake for the next 'Champions' to defeat this Saturday to Almeria 3-0 in the 38th day, which closes the Spanish football league, which helped him secure the fourth because of the championship.

In this way, all rojiblanco, who won with goals from Argentine Sergio 'Kun' Agüero, Raúl García, the Uruguayan Diego Forlan, finished with 67 points behind champions Barcelona (87), who tied this Saturday at the Sports ground La Coruña (1-1), Real Madrid and Sevilla, who play on Sunday.

Barcelona, Real Madrid and Seville were classified directly to the group stage of the Champions League, while Atletico Madrid will have to contest a tie after the European competition.

Villarreal, which finished fifth (65) this Saturday after winning in Mallorca (3-2), and Valencia, sixth (62), which won 2-0 at Athletic Bilbao, Europe vie for the League, the new name will to the UEFA Cup from next season.

Third place for the League is to Europe itself Athletic, despite finishing at the bottom of the table has won the ticket as a finalist in the Copa del Rey, which lost 4-1 to Barcelona, because Catalans played the Champions League.

Atletico Madrid confirmed its fourth place thanks to Agüero, Forlan and Raul Garcia. The Argentine opened the account with a golazo in the 19th minute, which made two cuts to his compatriot Hernan Pellerano and beat up by the Brazilian Diego Alves to the left-handed.

The second is whether Raul Garcia scored in the 27 to a heading from the left by Argentine Maxi Rodriguez.

Forlán has increased at 49 making his 32nd goal this season, which secured the trophy for leading scorer of the Spanish league, ahead of Cameroon Samuel Eto'o (30), scored both of the tie against Deportivo in the 89, and David Villa (28), who scored a double in Saturday's victory against Athletic.

Barcelona, after the celebrations on Wednesday after winning the Champions League in a year that has won a historic triple, tied with a team full of substitutes to the Deportivo La Coruña (1-1), thanks to both Eto'o in the last breath.

With this tie, the whole Galician consolidated seventh place, four points of Valencia.

The Club was scored both by the Equatorial Guinean Rodolfo Bodipo, heading to a center of Mexican Jose Andres Guardado in 31 minutes.

Villarreal, which was probably the last match of their Chilean coach Manuel Pellegrini, who is placed at Real Madrid, dismissed the season with a 3-2 victory in Majorca, thanks to goals from Ruben Garcia 'Cani' (28) and a doublet Joseba Llorente (40 and 52).

Osasuna (18th) will seek to remain the elite of Spanish football, who have already left and mathematically Numancia Recreativo Huelva. If her party wins at home to Real Madrid, Navarre will in the first category.

The other teams threatened by the 2nd division are Sporting Gijón (17th, 40 points), Getafe (16th, 41), Betis (15th, 41) and Valladolid (14th, 40).

Chelsea Won the FA Cup Final

Chelsea recovered after allowing fastest goal in the history of the FA Cup on Saturday and won 2-1 at Everton in the final to win the trophy for the fifth time.

Louis Saha gave Everton advantage after just 25 seconds into the Wembley stadium, but Didier Drogba tied to 21 minutes and Frank Lampard scored the goal of victory in the final 18 minutes.

The comeback gave Chelsea their first trophy in two years and its technical Guus Hiddink perfect farewell before he left office.

We were very hard and the team has always shown that it can react after a setback, which I like, Hiddink said. It was a great success, winning at the Mecca of football.

The FA Cup is something I can not believe.

The referee awarded a goal not to Florent Malouda for 78 minutes, when the French far from finished and the ball hit the crossbar, bounced on the floor and left the bow. Repetition television showed the ball had crossed the goal line.

Chelsea had other opportunities to shake the networks, the most important of Nicolas Anelka and Malouda.

I thought we were going through our best moment when Frank Lampard scored his goal, said the technician Everton, David Moyes. It is a great player and scores goals, and that's what I did.

Saha's goal was the fastest in a Wembley final for 18 seconds.

Drogba scored for the second time in an FA Cup final as the Ivory Coast was the author of the target in extra time with which Chelsea won the title in 2007 on Manchester United.

It was a great season, finished fifth in the Premier League and reach the final, but leaves a bitter taste, said the steering wheel of Everton, Tim Cahill. But it is an experience that can help me in the coming years.

Cavaliers vs. Magic - NBA Conference Finals Odds & Stats

The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic will both be trying to pick up a win on Saturday when they battle at Amway Arena in the sixth game of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Oddsmakers currently have the Magic listed as 2-point favorites versus the Cavaliers, while the game's total is sitting at 192½.

LeBron James poured in a game-high 37 points in a triple-double performance to propel the Cavaliers to a 112-102 victory over the Magic on Thursday and cut the series deficit to 3-2.

The Cavaliers covered the 7.5-point spread, while the 214 points sailed OVER the posted total of 197.

James finshed with 14 rebounds and 12 assists in that win. Mo Williams chipped in with 24 points.

Hedo Turkoglu led the Magic with 29 points, and Dwight Howard had a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds.

A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cleveland's last 6 games on the road

The total has gone OVER in 5 of Cleveland's last 6 games when playing Orlando

The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cleveland's last 5 games

Cleveland is 15-4 SU in its last 19 games

Orlando is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland

Orlando is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland

Orlando is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Cleveland

Orlando is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games

Chelsea Offers 50 Million Euros for Ribery

Chelsea offered 50 million euros to Bayern Munich for the Bavarian team's French midfielder Franck Ribéry, as published by the British press on Thursday, while the German club denies the information.

Since the Munich institution, the team's spokesman, Markus Hörwick said that the news about Chelsea's offer is "one more big lie" of linking the player with Gallic eventual signing of a 'big' clubs in Europe.

"Again, we want to renew and Ribéry not sell," he Hörwick.

For its part, the English newspaper The Independent argues that the executive director of Chelsea, it was prepared to finance the signing of star NAFEC, and with 26 years of contract with Bayern until 2011.

The question of the salary of the player is yet to be resolved, says the rotary because Ribéry claimed 144,000 euros per week while Chelsea offers 103,000.

If the signing takes place, Chelsea completed one of the most expensive in the recruitment of world football, although it would be lower than in 2001 by Real Madrid when he signed the French midfielder Zinedine Zidane, worth 52.7 million euros.

Bayern Munich has not ceased to repeat in recent weeks that its star player is unmarketable despite Real Madrid, Milan, Manchester United or the new champion of Europe, Barcelona, aim chips.

Ribéry, who came in summer 2007 at Bayern, where he has become one of the most attractive players in the Bundesliga, recently declared that the AFP has not taken any Decision on its future.

BSNblog on The Washington Post

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Latest NHL Final Odds

Series Price:

• Pittsburgh Penguins 6/5


• Detroit Red Wings 2/3

Trophies and Presentation

Odds to Win the Conn Smythe:

• Sidney Crosby 5/1


• Evgeni Malkin 11/2


• Nik Lidstrom 6/1


• Johan Franzen 9/1


• Henrik Zetterberg 8/1


• Marc-Andre Fleury 8/1


• Chris Osgood 13/2


• Bill Guerin 12/1


• Valtteri Filppula 15/1


• Daniel Cleary 12/1


• Chris Kunitz 13/1


• Sergei Gonchar 15/1


• Marion Hossa 12/1


• Pavel Datsyuk 10/1


• Field 9/1

Who will the MVP thank first?

• Teammates 1/1


• Owner 9/4


• Family 10/1


• Gary Bettman 14/1


• Sponsor 20/1


• God 17/1


• Does not thank anyone 25/1

Historical Props

Reference:

• Gretzky (7p - 4g-3a) 1984


• Messier (4p - 3g-1a) 1984


• Gretzky (11p - 7g4a) 1985


• Messier (6p - 2g4a) 1985


• Lemieux (12p - 5g7a) 1991


• Jagr (5p - 0g5a) 1991
  

Game 1 Odds:

Team	Puckline	Moneyline	Total
Pittsburgh	+1.5 (6/13)	7/5	O 5.5 (4/5)
Detroit	-1.5 (7/4)	5/8	U 5.5 (21/20)

Who will finish with more points in the series?

• Sidney Crosby 5/6


• Evgeni Malkin 5/6

Which Stanley Cup finals points total will be higher?

• Sidney Crosby(2009) 7/5


• Mario Lemieux (1991) 5/9

Which combined Stanley Cup finals points total will be higher?

• Crosby/Malkin (2009) 10/11


• Jagr/Lemieux (1991) 10/13

Which Stanley Cup points total will be higher?

• Wayne Gretzky (1984) 10/11


• Sidney Crosby (2009) 10/13

Which combined Stanley Cup points total will be higher?

• Gretzky/Messier (1985) 5/6


• Crosby/Malkin (2009) 5/6

TV Ratings

Which Country will average a higher number of viewers?

• Canada 10/11


• USA 10/13

Which City will have the highest single game TV rating?

• Pittsburgh 10/13


• Detroit 10/11

Which Stanley Cup Ratings will be higher? (per game average)

• 2008 10/11


• 2009 10/13

On the Ice

Who will be the finals leading goal scorer?

• Sidney Crosby 3/1


• Evgeni Malkin 3/1


• Johan Franzen 9/2


• Henrik Zetterberg 5/1


• Daniel Cleary 8/1


• Ruslan Fedotenko 10/1


• Bill Guerin 12/1


• Marion Hossa 12/1


• Mikael Samuelsson 15/1


• Nicklas Lidstrom 12/1


• Field 8/1

Who will be the finals leading point getter?

• Evgeni Malkin 7/2


• Sidney Crosby 7/2


• Johan Franzen 11/2


• Henrik Zetterberg 11/2


• Valtteri Filppula 8/1


• Nicklas Lidstrom 9/1


• Sergei Gonchar 10/1


• Daniel Cleary 12/1


• Bill Guerin 12/1


• Chris Kunitz 12/1


• Ruslan Fedotenko 15/1


• Marion Hossa 15/1


• Field 8/1

Who will be the first Penguin to drop gloves?

• Kris Letang 4/1


• Matt Cooke 4/1


• Bill Guerin 7/1


• Max Talbot 7/1


• Jordan Staal 8/1


• Hal Gill 8/1


• Sidney Crosby 10/1


• Evgeni Malkin 13/1


• Field 2/1

Will will be the first Red Wing to drop the gloves?

• Niklas Kronwall 3/1


• Jonathan Ericsson 6/1


• Tomas Holmstrom 10/1


• Brian Rafalski 4/1


• Brad Stuart 5/1


• Kirk Maltby 9/1


• Chris Chelios 13/1


• Field 2/1

Will there be a fight in the Stanley Cup Finals?

• Yes 5/9


• No 7/5

Will a goalie get a point in the Finals?

• Yes 10/1


• No 1/20

Team with most penalties in the series:

• Detroit Red Wings 10/13


• Pittsburgh Penguins 10/11

First goalie to get a penalty:

• Marc-Andre Fleury 1/2


• Chris Osgood 3/2

Which team will have the best Penalty Kill?

• Detroit Red Wings 11/10


• Pittsburgh Penguins 2/3

Which team will have the best Power Play?

• Detroit Red Wings 5/9


• Pittsburgh Penguins 7/5

First team to score a Power Play goal:

• Detroit Red Wings 2/3


• Pittsburgh Penguins 11/10

Will there be a Shorthanded Goal scored in the series?

• Yes 10/1

Will a backup goalie win a game in the series??

• Yes 7/1

How many games will go to overtime?

• Over 1.5 1/1


• Under 1.5 5/7

What will be the longest OT game?

• 1 Period 5/6


• 2 Periods 10/11


• 3 Periods 3/1

Will there be a hat trick scored in the series?

• Yes 3/1


• No 1/5

Odds and Ends

Will the Stanley Cup be dropped during the skate around?

• Yes 20/1

Will the winner of the 2009 cup win in 2010?

• Yes 4/1

Will the anthem singer in any game forget the words?

• Yes 5/1

Will the anthem singer slip and fall?

• Yes 4/1

Will an Octopus be thrown on the ice in Pittsburgh?

• Yes 3/1

Will an Octopus be thrown on the ice in Detroit?

• Yes 1/8


• No 16/1

Will Joe Biden attend a finals game?

• Yes 5/2


• No 1/4

Will Bill Cowher attend a game in a Red Wings jersey?

• Yes 8/1

Odds on number of panes of glass that get broken by a shot:

• Over 1.5 10/11


• Under 1.5 10/13

Sports and Newsworthy odds can be found at: Sports Betting blog

Delaware Supreme Court gives OK to Sports Betting

Sports Betting blog reports: The state Supreme Court says a proposed sports betting lottery in Delaware does not conflict with the state constitution.

In a 22-page ruling dated Wednesday, the court said the state constitution permits lotteries that have an element of skill, as long as chance is the predominant factor in winning or losing.

The justices also said that the proposed sports lottery satisfies the constitutional requirement that lotteries be under state control, and that it does not improperly delegate lawmaking authority to the state lottery director.

The court's opinion comes in response to a request from Gov. Jack Markell for its thoughts on the sports lottery, under which Delaware would become the only state east of the Rocky Mountains offering sports wagering.

Boxing Betting Odds – Valuev-Chagaev, Berto-Urango Highlight Saturday’s Card

Nikolay Valuev vs Ruslan Chagaev

Helsinki, FI

Boxing odds: -115 both ways

Ruslan Chagaev and Nikolay Valuev will finally get a chance to settle their score this Saturday in Helsinki, Finland. Valuev will be looking for revenge after a disheartening loss to Chagaev in the first meeting but the second meeting may not be much different.

Valuev is a big, powerful giant that can take almost anyone down with one punch but the smaller, quicker Chagaev dodged him for 12 rounds in the first meeting.

Chagaev’s speed proved to be a real challenge for Valuev, who not only failed to find the range but failed to find Chagaev with many power shots.

One key factor could be Chagaev’s recovery from a torn Achilles, which could obviously slow him down. He has to be a moving target – just like he was the first time – if he wants to earn back his title.

Considering Chagaev is expected to be 100% for this fight, expect the result to be very similar to their first bout. Valuev has an extra foot of height and more power, but Chagaev’s skill and speed will be king.

Boxing betting pick: Chagaev -115

Andre Berto vs Juan Urango

Hollywood, FL

Boxing odds: Berto -350

Andre Berto will square off with Juan Urango this Saturday as South Florida gets to host a meaningful fight for the first time in a while.

While both of these fighters are trying to climb the ranks in a competitive division, they are both at the opposite ends of the spectrum.

Berto is a very skilled, disciplined boxer who is technically sound. On the other hand, Urango is a street fighter, who will look to make this boxing match into a straight brawl.

The good news is that with Urango’s punch first, think second mantra, the fight should be very entertaining. Urango doesn’t dance around much and he’ll me marching straight ahead looking for home run hits the entire way.

The real test for Berto will be to face a guy that is so aggressive. Berto clearly has the skills to outbox Urango, but can he handle the pressure?

The likely answer to that question is yes. Berto will stay disciplined and if Urango gets a little off his game, Berto will take advantage.

Boxing betting pick: Berto -350

Barcelona Reached his Third Title of the Champions League

Barcelona on Wednesday completed an historic Treble of titles by winning the final of the Champions League with a 2-0 victory over Manchester United.

Lionel Messi, with a rare headed goal, and Samuel Etoo signed targets Catalan team, which also topped the Spanish league and Copa del Rey.

In the Olympic Stadium in Rome, won his third Barsa scepter Europe (1992, 2006, 2009) in the first season of the brilliant technical Pep Guardiola, who remained true to its style and attacked with everything at United.

When I came out as a champion player, was just very young and it was ecstasy, Guardiola said when recalling the 1992 consecration in Wembley Stadium before the Sampdoria of Italy. The triplet at the first attempt is a marvel.

The British left to the chance to be the first team to repeat the title of Europe since the tournament adopted the format of the Champions League.

Etoo's goal came after 10 minutes in United's best moment. The Cameroonian striker by picking the right banda, received a pass from Andres Iniesta, cut and hooked with Nemanja Vidic and then finish off the first pole tip.

Until that time, Alex Ferguson had the best opportunities, pushing the ball out from the front line.

Messi, the top scorer in the Champions League with nine entries, sealed the outcome at 70 to the second with a header after a perfect center pole from Xavi Hernandez.

Has long been waiting for this title, said the French striker Thierry Henry, who played with the Arsenal team that lost the 2006 final against Barsa. The last five minutes were the longest of my life.

Won the best team, Ferguson said. We expected something better, but we must give credit to Barcelona. If you hold, then you are much more complicated it.

The duel began with the United generating clear scoring opportunities.

Within two minutes, the Catalan goalkeeper Victor Valdes made a strong rebound in the free-kick by Cristiano Ronaldo and Ji-Sung Park was almost embocadas ball.

The Portuguese star far from finished five minutes later and the ball went near the arch, and just before the goal of Barsa, Cristiano chest down a ball on the edge of the area and cross-kicked to the second left-handed stick.

The target of the actions reassured Etoo Barcelona and took full possession of the ball, reaching tens of hilar consecutive passes in some stretches of the match.

We started the match brilliantly. We had confidence and could be at the forefront, said Ferguson. Do not play to our best level, but they are a good team ... Xavi and Iniesta can keep the ball all the time. We did (the game) very difficult.

Messi is not strongly influenced by the attack of Barcelona in the first half, but his mere presence behind the lack of English. The Argentine and Henry exchanged their positions by now common in the stadium, with Messi pulled the French left and the banda on the far right.

John OSHE a free kick that went high and deflected a shot by Cristiano were the only opportunities that the rest of the United created the first time while a shot from Messi to 19 minutes caressed the crossbar.

Xavi started to tremble with United a free kick that grazed the 27 angle.

Iniesta and Xavi, the brains of Bluered midfield, controlled the game at will and at times despaired to United that he could not grab the ball.

Argentine Carlos Tevez, possibly contested his last game with the jersey of the Red Devils entered the second half by Brazilian Anderson, but his presence was not affected.

Henry waste a golden chance at 48 when he ran for the left wing with a pass filtering Xavi, left spread to Rio Ferdinand and goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar will tackle the ball when he tried to stick it down softly to second.

The attacking continued Barsa on the plug, with a poisoned serving balls Xavi Messi and Etoo.

A free kick from a Xavi burst stick to 53, while the United barely enough to contain the attacks of his opponent.

Valdés tackled him a shot to the foot of the 72 Christian, and from that time the Portuguese were far removed from the stadium.

NBA Odds – Tuesday Basketball Betting Pick

As any experienced NBA odds player knows, anything can happen in basketball betting. The Cavaliers vs Magic odds have proven just that, as the Cavs would be down 3-0 in the series had LeBron James not beaten the buzzer in Game 2. Tuesday’s Game 4 may ultimately decide the series, as the Cavaliers odds would gain momentum heading home 2-2 while the Magic would take a stranglehold on the series by going up 3-1. What will happen?

Cavaliers vs Magic odds: Game 4 Tuesday, May 26 at 8:35 p.m. ET

NBA odds: Cavaliers -1

As dominant as the Cavs looked in their back-to-back sweep victories over rounds one and two, there’s no point reminiscing, as they’ve been soundly outplayed in this series. LeBron has been his usual All-World self but the help hasn’t been there for him. Delonte West has been cold and Mo Williams has been colder, to the tune of sub-33-per cent shooting in every game so far this basketball betting series.

Like LeBron, Dwight Howard has been his usual self for the most part, but the key to Orlando’s success has been its hot, hot shooting. Rashard Lewis has shot 50 per cent or better from three-point land in every game this series, while Hedo Turkoglu has been hot too. The Cavs got into massive foul trouble in Game 3, with 34 fouls, and Turkoglu in particular made them pay, draining 11 of 12 shots from the line. In total, the Magic got to the line a whopping 52 times, hitting 39 shots and essentially making it impossible for the Cavs to win.

Don’t write the Cavs off at the online sports book just yet. You know that (a) they won’t foul the Magic that many times in a game again, (b) West and Williams have nowhere to go but up for Cleveland and (c) Lewis and Turkoglu have nowhere to go but down for Orlando. The Cavs were a 67-win team and are still too good to fall behind 3-1 in this series. They’ll win a tight one and take this intriguing NBA odds matchup back to Cleveland tied 2-2.

Online sports book pick: Cavaliers -1

Wolfsburg, a Humble Champion

Wolfsburg won his first title of the German Bundesliga to win 5-1 at Werder Bremen yesterday. Felix Magath's team ended the season with 69 points, two more than last year's champion Bayern Munich, which won 2-1 at Stuttgart in the last date.

Magath's Wolfsburg will train for Schalke.

"At the beginning of the season, I did not believe we could win the title," said Magath, soaked in champagne and poured that his players. "But I knew we had a good team, we played well and deserved the title."

Wolfsburg and Bayern vie for the Champions League next season. Stuttgart, which finished third with 64 units, will dispute the preliminary phase of the main club tournament in Europe.

Hertha Berlin, who lost 4-0 to the fallen Karlsruhe quarter ended with 63 points along with Hamburg and will play in the new League Europe (UEFA Cup before).

Frankfurt Hamburg overcame a 3-2 and finished fifth with 61 units. Karlsruhe and Arminia Bielefeld fell, while Energy repechaje a dispute with the third team for the second place in the Bundesliga.

The Brazilian Grafite scored two goals against Werder and ended up with 28 targets with artillery. His partner added an Edin Dzeko and closed the campaign with 26. Their combined 54 goals is a new record for the Bundesliga.

Origin - Mediocrity is the image that comes dragging Wolfsburg, the club just as the city of 120,000 in habitants, both synonymous with Volkswagen, the automotive giant.

Volkswagen owns the club, the finances, given the economic framework for living. Like the city, founded seven decades ago, when the Nazi regime installed at the site of Lower Saxony factory to be the "people's car", the Volkswagen.

In the early decades, The Wolves moved in the local and regional leagues, but he drew attention for the first time in 1995 when he was a finalist of the Cup two years later, he came to the millions injected Volkswagen took the first results, to achieve promotion to the First Division.

Things took a turn with a change in Volkswagen, took the lead when Martin Winterkorn, a fan of cars but also football, recognizing that all-or-nothing gamble and hired in 2007 to Magath, who came out two champion times with Bayern Munich.

The backbone of the new champion form goalkeeper Diego Benaglio, Swiss International, the coupling Bosnian Zvjezdan Misimovic, world champion Italian duo Andrea Barzagli and scorers, Grafite and Dzeko.

Messi and the Champions League Final: "The Most Important of my Career"

Argentine Lionel Messi said today that the final of the Champions League that his team, Barcelona, playing in Rome on Wednesday with Manchester United is the most important of his career.

"I could not enjoy the final in Paris because of injury I had, but luckily I have a new opportunity now. It is the most important of my career," said Messi, 21, at the open day of UEFA during the final.

Argentina Barcelona star could not be due to injury in the 2006 final, which Barcelona won the European title up to beat the Arsenal.

"There are no favorites or revenge for last year," he said about the victory of United in the semifinals in 2008.

"There are two great teams full of great players. If we have to give a favorite, perhaps because they won last year, but expect a very open final. The Manchester will football that made the Chelsea," he said, ruling out a scheme ultradefensivo those of Alex Ferguson as posed by Guus Hiddink, who did so much suffering to Barcelona in the semis.

Messi believes that Barcelona and Manchester have been as "the two best football teams have played all year," and that the bet offer both offensive is the key to success. Barcelona won the League and Cup in Spain and the "red devils", the League Cup, the World and Premier League clubs.

"They do a very similar to our football. They like to play the ball fairly low and they are very good at the counter, with people as fast as Tevez and Cristiano," warned the tip azulgrana.

Precisely because of the good football displayed by his team, believes that Barcelona deserved to win the Champions. " "I realize that many people that is not what Bar ‡ admired for his football. We deserve this reward."

The Argentine had to answer many questions about the duel with the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, both of which are considered the best players in the world.

"It's very destabilizing, and a player that you can decide a game at any time. It's hard to stop, have much scoring, it is very complete," Messi praised the Portuguese.

The Argentine also stressed the figure of his compatriot Carlos Tevez and Patrice Evra French side, which is surely his marker in Rome on Wednesday. "I respect him because he is a great player as demonstrated last year. Let's see what happens this time," he said with a spirit of revenge.

Barcelona looking for a new triplet. "We know we are close to making history. Although we do not win, will be a great season. We have opportunities, both players have been playing by the way throughout the year. We're playing in a spectacular".

Messi was the key to the game. "The most important is that we can make our game, that is, to have possession of the ball, and sometimes we think. Those goals do not matter."

"I hope it is an open end for the good of football and for people to enjoy."

Indy 500 Odds and Picks

With the UFC 98 odds on Saturday and the Indy 500 odds on Sunday, it’s a nice weekend to be a sports betting fan. Let’s look at some of the most exciting drivers to consider for Indy 500 betting.

THE ELITE

Helio Castroneves

Indy 500 odds: +375

The Dancing With the Stars winner is far more than just an entertainer. He has two Indy 500 odds titles under his belt already (2001, 2002) and has a good car with Penske. After escaping jail time for tax evasion, he should race with vigor on Sunday and it’s no wonder he has the best sportsbook odds of any racer.

Scott Dixon

Indy 500 odds: +425

Right behind Castroneves is the guy who looks like the best bet to win on paper. Not only is Dixon the defending champion, he’s fresh off a win at Kansas. You have to like his Indy 500 odds.

THE CONTENDERS

Ryan Briscoe

Indy 500 odds: +625

If you want a guy with a fast car and good sportsbook value, Briscoe could be your man. He’s racing well at the moment and, though his best finish at the Brickyard is fifth, he has a Penske car and that always bodes well.

Dario Franchitti

Indy 500 odds: +700

He has an Indy 500 victory already, but that 2007 win was cut short by rain, so Ashley Judd’s boy toy probably wants to win a full-length race at the Brickyard to prove himself. He’s a solid pick with better value than the major contenders, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to roll the dice on him.

THE SLEEPERS

Danica Patrick

Indy 500 odds: +925

It’s fitting that the top Indy 500 sleeper is the one driver most online bet players want to sleep with. Patrick could be poised to finally break through, as she has a pair of fourth-place finishes at the event and two-top five finishes on the IndyCar circuit this season. Whether or not you pick her depends on how you bet online; Danica Patrick is a better choice for those who like playing the long shots for big value.

Tony Kanaan

Indy 500 odds: +925

Kanaan’s experience could go along way on Sunday; he’s raced in seven Indy 500s, with three top-fives and four top-10s, so it’s entirely possible that he finally puts it all together and wins. Like Patrick, he’s a great sportsbook pick for anyone hoping to win big money in Indy 500 betting.

Conference Finals - Magic vs. Cavaliers Betting Odds & Free Pick

The Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers will both be trying to pick up a win on Friday when they battle at Quicken Loans Arena in the second game of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Oddsmakers currently have the Cavaliers listed as 9-point favorites versus the Magic, while the game's total is sitting at 189.

The Magic erased a 16-point deficit and upset the Cavaliers 107-106 in Game 1 of the series on Wednesday.

The Magic won that game as a 8.5-point underdog, while the combined 213 points sailed OVER the posted total of 184.5.

Dwight Howard led the Magic with 30 points and 13 rebounds for a double-double.

LeBron James led all scorers with 49 points, six rebounds, and eight assists for the Cavaliers.

A few trends to consider:
Orlando is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Cleveland

Orlando is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Cleveland

Orlando is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Cleveland

The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Orlando's last 5 games

Cleveland is 20-2 SU in its last 22 games at home

Cleveland is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games

Cleveland is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games at home

Cleveland is 11-2 ATS in its last 13 games

Online Gambling blog free pick: Magic + 9

UFC 98 Betting Odds Preview

While the popularity of UFC odds betting isn’t waning at all, the sport has something to prove to its fans after Anderson Silva and Thales Leites put viewers to sleep at UFC 97. Can the UFC 98 odds breathe life back into MMA betting? Hardcore fans should enjoy the main event, which will be a chess match between the sport’s best defensive fighters in Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida, but layman supporters probably won’t be on their feet again until sluggers Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva meet at UFC 99.

Let’s make some picks for the main events in the UFC 98 odds.

Rashad Evans (18-0-1) vs Lyoto Machida (14-0) – for UFC Light Heavyweight Championship

UFC odds: Evans +160, Machida -200

“Sugar” Rashad Evans finds himself in a strange position at the sportsbook as a rare underdog champion. What does the man have to do to earn MMA betting fans’ respect? He’s undefeated, having beaten the likes of Michael Bisping, Tito Ortiz and, most recently, Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin via knockout. The latter two fights answered questions about Evans’ finishing ability, as fight fans were beginning to wonder if the outstanding wrestler could do anything besides “lay and pray.” Now that he’s demonstrated considerable power (especially in his huge knockout of Liddell), how could he possibly be an underdog?

The answer: Lyoto “the Dragon” Machida, also undefeated, is probably the best technical fighter Evans has ever faced. Machida’s unorthodox, upright Karate stance makes him extremely difficult to hit – more so than any fighter in MMA betting. Even though Evans’ strength isn’t striking anyway, he’ll have trouble just getting close enough to Machida to take him down. If Evans does successfully get Machida to the ground, he’ll still have to contend with a man proficient in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Evans is almost as good as Machida at evading attacks, so this fight should go to a decision, but the more versatile Machida should inflict more damage and win the title.

Sportsbook pick: Machida -200

Matt Hughes (43-7) vs Matt Serra (16-5)

UFC odds: Hughes -300, Serra +240

Grudge match alert! Finally, after endless trash talking and training injuries, Hughes and Serra settle their bad blood Saturday. The luster has worn off this MMA betting matchup, but don’t worry – as soon as the opening bell rings, things should get ugly here. Hughes is a massive UFC odds favorite with good reason – he’s a phenomenal wrestler, among the best of all-time in UFC betting, and that matches him up well against the diminutive Serra, whom Georges St-Pierre manhandled on the ground in their rematch.

Hughes is definitely getting long in the tooth and is coming off brutal losses to GSP and Thiago Alves, but he’s made it fairly clear that this is the last fight of his career, so he’ll leave everything in the octagon. Sports wagering fans should expect him to beat Serra.

Sportsbook pick: Hughes -300

Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway Betting Odds

After taking a break for the All-Star event the drivers of the Sprint Cup Series will return to the track for a points race on May 24 in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Mark Martin picked up the win in the circuit's last points race, the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on May 9. Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart finished behind Martin in that race, while Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon were fourth and fifth.

Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, Greg Biffle, Joey Logano, and Matt Kenseth rounded out the Top 10 in the Southern 500. Denny Hamlin was 13th, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was 27th, and Kyle Busch had to settle for a 34th-place result.

Gordon heads into the Coca-Cola 600 with a 29-point lead on Stewart in the driver standings. Kurt Busch is 55 points back of Gordon in third place, ahead of Johnson and Hamlin.

Jeff Burton, Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman, Biffle, and Kenseth make up the rest of the standings' current Top 10. Martin's win at Darlington boosted him four spots to 11th in the points race, and Carl Edwards sits just above the Chase cutoff in 12th position.

Burton won the Bank of America 500 at Lowe's last October, while Kasey Kahne is the defending champion in the Coca-Cola 600. Kahne also picked up a pair of Lowe's wins in 2006, while Gordon and Casey Mears won on the track in 2007.

Johnson won five Lowe's events from 2003-2005, including a sweep of the races in both 2004 and 2005. Gordon has a total of four Cup wins at the track in his career, and Martin grabbed a trophy at Lowe's in both 1998 and 2002.

After competing in the Coca-Cola 600 the drivers of the Sprint Cup Series will move on to Dover International Speedway for the Autism Speaks 400 on May 31. June events will then take place at Pocono, Michigan, Sonoma, and Loudon.

Man United - Tevez Situation to be Decided in June

Carlos Tevez's future at Manchester United will be resolved until after the Champions League final, while the club deals with vericuetos to reach a permanent agreement.

The loan of Tevez for two years expires at the end of the season and the club's general director, David Gill, reported Sunday that the team would hire him to pay 25 million pounds (38 million U.S. dollars) to a group of investors.

But that will happen after the current monarch of the Champions League against Barcelona to play for the title on May 27.

The current situation will be clarified in early June, Gill predicted to the BBC. Carlos has played very well. We would like to continue, but the current economic situation must be resolved.

The coach Alex Ferguson, whom he seems irritating having to negotiate with third parties, agreed that United should consider the economic crisis in the world when thinking about the payment of large accounts.

The demands raised initially we were unrealistic, Ferguson said the newspaper The Sunday Times. Like other clubs, we must be aware of the consequences of lack of credit. This is no time for careless with money. As for Tevez, everyone would be better if the will exists to reach a negotiated settlement.

Tevez appeared to bid farewell to fans cluv on Saturday when he was substituted during the 0-0 draw with Arsenal that gave Manchester its third consecutive title in the Premier League.

The Argentine player said it would be difficult to stay in Manchester to complain that he had not been respected during the contract negotiation.

Tevez arrived at West Ham United at the start of the 2007-8 season and quickly became a favorite among fans. More than a thousand fans went to the outlets where managers and players threw beer cans while shouting Fergie, contrátalo.

However, achieving a permanent agreement is further complicated because the contract of Tevez is owned by a group of investors, not from another computer.

Manchester United Win Premier League Title

Manchester United won its third consecutive title Saturday in the Premier League 0-0 draw with Arsenal in the penultimate day of the season.

Los Diablos Rojos of Alex Ferguson needed just one point to win his third consecutive title and his escort left behind Liverpool, which is seven units with two matches to play.

It's an incredible feeling. Fortunately we were able to achieve today, "said striker Wayne Rooney. Recent years have been incredible and hopefully we can continue.

United have won 11 titles in the Premier in the last 17 seasons under the command of Ferguson, and tied with Liverpool as the most English winners of the tournament with 18 crowns.

Despite a dull party, the public in the Old Trafford stadium erupted in celebration when they heard the final silbatazo.

Ferguson has 25 trophies since arriving at the club in 1986 and expects to add another when United face Barcelona in the final of the Champions League on May 27 in Rome.

That was the goal because we are the best team in the world, but never thought he would win 11 titles, "said the coach of 67 years. I want to keep forever.

The result of Saturday gives Ferguson almost two weeks to prepare his team for the final in Rome, although Arsenal threatened to ruin the party at Old Trafford as the visitors were more dangerous in a game of few scoring opportunities.

90 minutes were the longest in history, said Ferguson. There was only a shortcut on the whole match was a very cautious.

Although the goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Rooney and Argentine Carlos Tevez attention, the defense of United this season was one of their strengths and goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar imposed a record for British football to add 1311 minutes without allowing a goal.

Tevez, whose future is uncertain with the club when his loan expires at the end of the season, was one of the most acclaimed players from the public during the medals ceremony.

Tevez was the owner and the public ovation when he left the stadium in the second half. When Ferguson spoke after the coronation, the audience drowned his words with chants of fíchalo.

Maybe it's goodbye, "said the Argentine. It is very difficult (to stay).

United stumbled in April when he lost 4-1 to Liverpool and 2-0 against Fulham, but then thread a winning streak and left on the road to the Reds.

I think it is a fantastic achievement, "said zaguero Gary Neville, who won their eighth title with the team. We made things difficult this season. Next season we will have a difficult task to repeat.

Liverpool on Sunday to face West Bromwich Albion colere. The last date is next week and closes United against Hull.

Brewers, Cardinals Battle In National League Central

Before the Preakness odds get out of the gate on Saturday afternoon, we’ll get to see some early baseball. Most of the handicapping focus will be on the Preakness betting but the Milwaukee Brewers-St. Louis Cardinals day game should be interesting.

Jeff Suppan and Adam Wainwright will be the on the mound for their respective teams as both the Cardinals and Brewers jockey for position – pun intended – in the National League Central.

Suppan will be facing his former team and although he had been a disappointment to start the season, lately he’s improved. Although they aren’t expecting him to be a staff ace or even a No. 2, No. 3 or No. 4 starter, the Brewers would like some reliable innings out of him at the back end of their rotation.

In his first two starts, Suppan gave up 11 runs in his first 7.2 innings pitched (13.75 ERA). Since then, he has given up just 12 earned runs in his remaining 30 innings pitched (3.60 ERA).

Suppan also had some trouble with walks early on, starting his season with a 2:7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his first two starts. Since then, he’s struckout 19 batters and walked just 10.

Suppan will faceoff with Adam Wainwright, who is 3-1 this season. Even though the record has been good, his ERA has been far higher than normal. Wainwright’s ERA hasn’t been higher than 3.70 in the last three years but it’s at 4.35 this season.

He had a good start to the season in April but has been pounded in back-to-back starts in May.

Wainwright had an ERA of 2.76 in 29.1 innings pitched through April while allowing just one home run. In May, he’s allowed 11 earned runs in 12 innings pitched. More importantly, he’s allowed four home runs in those 12 innings pitched, which far too many for a pitcher that gave up just 12 in 2008 and just 13 in 2007.

Wainwright is still 8-2 in his last 10 home games and he clearly pitchers much better at home. Look for him to get back on the winning track with a strong performance on Saturday.

With no NBA odds or NHL odds on the board for Saturday, take a shot with the Cardinals on the moneyline.

Preakness Stakes Odds - Preakness Stakes Favorites

Preakness Stakes odds favorites win more than half the time so keep that in mind as you look at this year’s race. Remember that favorites in horse racing win about 33% of the time. Preakness Stakes favorites win 51% of the time. I you are considering Preakness Stakes longshots you will want to keep that in mind.

Preakness Stakes favorites are oftentimes the Kentucky Derby winner, but not always. In 2008 it was Big Brown who was favored at odds of 1-5 and he was an easy winner. In 2007 it was Derby winner Street Sense a very slight favorite over Curlin and he lost a very close race. In 2007 it was Barbaro the Preakness Stakes online betting choice and he lost after getting injured. In 2005 the Derby winner, Giacomo was not favored. That role went to Afleet Alex and he won the race. The Derby winners were favored though in 2002-2004 as War Emblem, Funny Cide and Smarty Jones were winners as Preakness Stakes favorites.

As you handicap Preakness odds do you really want to go against Preakness Stakes betting favorites and take Preakness Stakes longshots? You are bucking a 50%+ trend and those numbers are tough to get past if you like Preakness Stakes longshots at the sports book. Preakness Stakes favorites that have had big online betting money wagered on them have done even better than the 50%. Odds-on favorites have won about 64% of the time. 18 of 28 odds-one favorites have hit the wire in first place in Preakness wagering. Many of those horses were huge favorites at the sports book as Big Brown was. Big Brown went off at 1-5 but he was not the biggest of the Preakness Stakes favorites ever. That honor goes to Citation in 1948 followed closely by Spectacular Bid in 1979.

Not all Preakness Stakes betting favorites have won. Probably the most memorable failure was Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000 as he disappointed a lot of people losing at odds of 3-10. Red Bullet was the Preakness Stakes longshots choice at odds of 6-1.

When you are betting this year’s Preakness you have to start with the favorite. That role is likely to go to Rachel Alexandra with Kentucky Derby winner, Mine That Bird pretty much an afterthought. Looking at Rachel Alexandra first and everyone else second seems to be the way to go based on Preakness Stakes odds history.

Tevez Scores Another Crucial Goal for Manchester

Carlos Tevez scored another crucial goal and Manchester United was placed at a point in a third consecutive title in the Premier League on Wednesday to beat Wigan 2-1 at home in it.

The United went missing after a goal from Colombian Hugo Rodallega to 28 minutes until they entered the Argentine as a replacement and equal shares just three minutes after stepping on the court with a shot to the heel 61.

Then the midfielder Michael Carrick scored the goal of victory four minutes remaining when playing in the JJB Stadium.

United now need only avoid defeat to visiting Arsenal on Saturday for the championship is when a party disputes, which cosecharía his 18th title _un récord_ and empataría Liverpool in this statistic.

We prepare for the match in the same way that we always prepare for any meeting, said Alex Ferguson, manager of United. Go against a very good Arsenal.

Liverpool are six points of United before their penultimate match at home by West Bromwich Albion, which will also be contested on Saturday.

The United, the 2-0 weekend defeat to Manchester City, appeared to be aimed at an embarrassing defeat until Tevez joined the Party in place of Anderson.

South American striker, who scored the weekend just his fourth goal of the campaign, said he hopes to be at another club next year due to United's reluctance to hire him after they received a loan.

But again at this meeting to show their value when reacted quickly to stop a deflected shot from Carrick and directed arc.

A draw would have left United needing to win one of their last two games to secure the title with a trip to the stadium on the last day of which _The Hull faces descenso_ the May 24, Carrick said, but the victory with a long shot distance that is embedded in the top corner.

It feels great scoring goals as important as this, said Carrick. Wigan attacked us and created some problems. It is not the first time you picked up.

The United have won 27 of his 36 matches in the Premier League, whereas Wigan have tied four and lost 28 of their 32 matches against the top four clubs in the division since he joined it four years ago.

Preakness Betting – Rachel Alexandra Has Spiced Up the Preakness

The first jewel of Horse Racing’s Triple Crown provided quite a shock as one of the biggest long shots in the history of the Derby won outright. Mine That Bird took the run for the roses and even though in most cases the Derby winner is immediately the favorite on the Preakness odds, there is an interesting, special case this year.

A filly by the name of Rachel Alexandra, who didn’t run in the Kentucky Derby, will be a huge factor for the Preakness odds.

Rachel Alexandra dominated the Kentucky Oaks race, which is why all of the sudden there was hype surrounding this horse. The speed of Rachel Alexandra was measured as it ran through the Oaks and it was compared to the speed of Mine That Bird – as well as every other horse – at the Kentucky Derby. Expert prognosticators believe that if Rachel Alexandra ran in the Derby, it would have won.

Rachel Alexandra doesn’t have a great pedigree, which is why there was some debate as to whether she should be entered at Pimlico. The super filly did win the Kentucky Oaks and it was an impressive performance, but who knows about how she’ll perform on a bigger stage with tougher competition.

She’s a real wild card for Preakness betting handicappers as they aren’t sure what to make. The science shows that she should dominate, which is why odds makers list her as the favorite, but the intangibles aren’t on her side. There are some questions marks.

But the general concern is that the field at the Preakness may not be as tough as it has been in previous seasons. With such a huge underdog winning at the Derby, it might indicate that the field is rather weak at this point. The favorite at the Derby pulled out of the race and there is clearly no Big Brown that is expected to dominate this field in Baltimore.

Rachel Alexandra is the hot horse right now, which is why you can expect her price tag to climb as the Preakness odds approach. She’s won her last five races all by impressive margins and bettors are going to be hopping on her back as she trots into the starting gates.

Win or lose, one thing is for sure: Rachel Alexandra’s entry into the Preakness has generated plenty of gossip and speculation for the second leg of the Triple Crown.

Lebron Advancing to the Finals of the Eastern Conference of the NBA

Cleveland Cavaliers last night beat the Atlanta Hawks 84-74, thus advancing to the finals of the Eastern Conference of the NBA.

Now James and company will wait for the winner between the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic, teams are tied at two victories in the series.

Precisely the Celtics, the current NBA champions, will tonight, beginning at 6 p. m., at the Magic in their court.

Magic-Celtics series will last at least until Thursday, while the winner will return to Ohio a few days to relax before the final open house.

Back in Atlanta, the most valuable player last night of the regular season, Lebron James, was lofty with 27 points for the "Knights" passes the broom for the second time so far in these playoffs.

Online Gambling blog reports: Cleveland had previously swept in the first round to the Detroit Pistons.

During the game last night, Delonte West and Žydrūnas Ilgauskas escorted James on the scoreboard with 21 staff and 14 points respectively, with 10 balls caught in the struggle for rebotera Lithuanian Zydrunas.

However, for the winners, who was sent on board the Brazilian Anderson Varejão, with 11 balls recovered.

In the camp of the hawks in the marker is lucieron Josh Smith, with 26 so, Joe Johnson, 18, and Ronald Murray, 14.

Lebron was two rebounds and two assists to achieve a triple-double, leading department in the regular season.

In the previous meeting, the Cavaliers won 97-82, James was overwhelmed with 47 points, to leave no doubt who is the key element in the actions of the Cleveland quintet.

In the four meetings against the Atlanta of the number 23 of the Cavaliers scored 34, 27, 47 and 27 units, for an average of 33.8.

Collectively, the "Knights" outperformed its rivals in the field shooting (42.9 against 31.5) and shooting from the line of three (55.6 compared to only 15.4).

Moreover, they were higher in the register of rebounds (48 to 33). The Hawks had better aim at free throws (86.7 by 53.8).

Federer Wins in his Debut at the Madrid Masters

Roger Federer won on Tuesday 6-1, 7-5 to Robin Soderling in his debut in the second round of the Madrid Masters, where the Argentinean Jose Acasuso and Eduardo Schwank were eliminated in the first exchange.

The Swiss managed 24 winners to 25 errors and took no forced his Swedish opponent. Federer added 11 aces, including on match point to seal its ticket to the third round.

Federer, who was the first free, could lose its second place in the world ranking at the hands of Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic if not get a good result in the clay courts of Madrid, the last blank before the French Open.

Acasuso lost 6-3, 6-2 Jeremy Chardy before the French and fell Schwank 7-5, 6-4 against the Italian Andreas Seppi in the clay courts of the championship.

The tournament in Madrid has been disastrous for Argentine tennis players, with the removal of Martin Vasallo Argi ¿½ this, Guillermo Cañas, Juan Ignacio Chela, Acasuso, Schwank and Gisela Dulko in the first round. Juan Monaco was the only one that has exceeded its first game.

Spaniards Fernando Verdasco and Tommy Robredo advanced to the third stage, the first with a 6-3 victory, 6-2 over his compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero and Robredo with a 3-6 victory, 7-6 (5), 6 -- 2 against American Mardy Fish.

Robredo will play in the second round against Britain's Andy Murray, who won 7-6 (9), 6-4 to Italian Simone Bolelli.

Favorite Spanish Rafael Nadal will debut on Wednesday in the second round against Austrian Jurgen Melzer, who defeated 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 to Albert Montanes Spanish.

The Croatian Ivan Ljubicic also advanced to the third round with a 6-4 victory, 7-5 over Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Russian Nikolay Davydenko, Croat Marin Cilic and Ivo Karlovic, the American James Blake, the Italian Fabio Fognini and Czech Tomas Berdych won the first round.

In the female branch, the serbia Jelena Jankovic overcame a second round with a 7-5 victory, 6-2 on the Slovak Daniela Hantuchova.

The Danish Caroline Wozniacki won 6-3, 6-1 to American Varvara Lepchenko, defeated Italy's Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 6-2 to Czech Petra Kvitova, Hungarian Agnes Szavay overcame 2-6, 7-5, 6 -2 to Aravane Rezai of France, Russia beat Vera Dushevina 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 to Italy's Roberta Vinci, and crush the French Amelie Mauresmo 6-2, 7-5 Zheng Jie of China.

French Open Odds – Nadal To Be Crowned King Of Clay

The story is the same and so are the characters. While another chapter to the French Open book will be added at the end of the month, the ending might read the same as the previous four chapters.

The 22-year-old Spaniard Rafael Nadal has won four straight French Open Championships and as we approach around round at Roland Garros, the French Open odds indicate that Nadal will be heavily favored to do so again.

Nadal is a -400 favorite for the event and considering Roger Federer – one of the best tennis players ever – is also in the tournament, that goes to show how just how dominant Nadal is on clay.

While Federer had been the best player in the world for a long time prior to Nadal and while Federer is still significantly better than anyone else on the Tour, he’s still a 13-to-1 underdog on the French Open odds.

If those numbers still don’t give you a taste of how overbearing Nadal has been on the clay in Paris, take a look at his performance last season.

Again a favorite on the French Open odds in 2008, Nadal ran through the entire tournament without losing a single set. He became just the fifth man in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam title without losing a single set.

Nadal even met the World No.1 Roger Federer, in the final and that didn’t even slow him down. As a matter of fact, Nadal handed Federer one of his worst beatings over the previous five years, winning 6-1, 6-3, 6-0.

As this year’s French Open approaches, there is no one else to even considering betting in the sportsbook.

Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic are the only other players in the field – along with Federer – that are inside of 40-to-1 to win.

Nadal is just 22-years-old and will turn 23 on June 3rd. He hasn’t even hit the prime of his career but is already unbeatable on clay. Federer might be his best competition and Federer himself should breeze all the way through the finals (Federer lost a total of three sets en route the finals last year) but even so, he has no chance against Nadal if he’s healthy.

Bjorn Borg and Nadal are currently tied as the only players to win the French Open four consecutive years but considering Nadal only lost 41 games in the entire tournament in 2008, you can expect another win as he separates himself from the all-time great.