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06/28/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - This past Friday in Los Angeles, 30 general managers and their scouts got together for the NHL Entry Draft.
It was a head-scratching draft for those watching, and a hand-sitting affair for many involved.
The following is a Canadian roundup of the winners and losers of draft day.
EDMONTON OILERS
With the first overall pick, the Edmonton Oilers select ... a franchise player. And for those living under a rock this past year, his name is Taylor Hall.
While there was a lot of hype surrounding the battle between Taylor and Tyler [Seguin], the Oilers opted to go for the most accomplished and NHL-ready of the top two.
It was the first time the Oilers had the luxury of picking first overall, and they used the selection on a player with major offensive upside, plenty of grit and Alberta roots...how can you go wrong?
Barring any unforeseen catastrophes, Hall will be lacing up in Oil Country come the start of next season.
In total, the Oilers finished draft weekend in Los Angeles with 11 total picks, including highly-touted forwards Tyler Pitlick (2nd round) and Ryan Martindale (3rd round). NHL Central Scouting ranked them 18th and 27th respectively, among North American skaters.
Synopsis: Big-time winner; Oilers fans should be excited.
Draft list: Taylor Hall (1), Tyler Pitlick (31), Martin Marincin (46), Curtis Hamilton (48), Ryan Martindale (61), Jeremie Blain (91), Tyler Bunz (121), Brandon Davidson (162), Drew Czerwonka (166), Kristians Pelss (181), Kellen Jones (202).
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Phil Kessel is good, but it still must have hurt to see the Boston Bruins entourage slowly saunter to the stage to announce the second overall pick.
The pick, of course, ended up being Plymouth Whalers center and Ontario Hockey League MVP Tyler Seguin.
And to make matters worse, Brian Burke didn't put his scouts to work until Saturday, having reportedly turned down a first-round pick in an undisclosed deal on Friday.
After swinging a trade that sent prospect Jimmy Hayes to the Chicago Blackhawks for a second-round pick, the Leafs gobbled up Portland Winterhawks sparkplug Bradley Ross.
Ross is compared to former Leaf Darcy Tucker based on his chippy style of play and timely goal scoring, having put up 27 goals and 68 points playing on a line with first-round draft picks Nino Niederreiter and Ryan Johansen.
Synopsis: Good recovery; plenty of truculence.
Draft list: Bradley Ross (43), Greg McKegg (62), Sondre Olden (79), Petter Granberg (116), Sam Carrick (144), Daniel Brodin (146), Josh Nicholls (182).
VANCOUVER CANUCKS
After trading their first-round selection to the Florida Panthers in a deal centered around defenseman Keith Ballard, the Canucks had to sit tight until the fourth round to make their first pick.
With it they selected Patrick McNally, a 6'2" offensive defenseman out of Milton Academy high school in Massachusetts.
McNally was the 40th-ranked skater by Central Scouting and is said to possess great poise with the puck and the ability to use his skating ability to jump into the rush, a factor highlighted by his 14 goals and 35 points in only 28 games.
He has committed to Harvard next year so it should be a while before he becomes a household name in Vancouver.
Synopsis: Not bad, considering limited picks.
Draft list: Patrick McNally (115), Adam Polasek (145), Alex Friesen (172), Jonathan Ilahti (175), Sawyer Hannay (205).
MONTREAL CANADIENS
Although they only had five picks in total, the Canadiens made some shrewd decisions throughout the draft.
For starters, trading up to land American defenseman Jarred Tinordi with the 22nd pick was a great move by GM Pierre Gauthier.
Tinordi is a strapping shut-down blueliner with a cannon from the point. He also captained the U.S. National Development Program in 2009-10 and has hockey bloodlines (his father is longtime NHL defenseman Mark Tinordi).
While the younger Tinordi is committed to the University of Notre Dame for next season, there is speculation he could opt to hone his craft playing for the London Knights in the OHL.
Another interesting name to keep an eye on is Vancouver Giants forward Brendan Gallagher. Although he is on the small side (only 5'9", 163 lbs), he put up 41 goals and 111 PIM's as a 17 year-old.
Synopsis: Outside of Tinordi, not too much to get excited about.
Draft List: Jarred Tinordi (22), Mark MacMillan (113), Morgan Ellis (117), Brendan Gallagher (147), John Westin (207).
CALGARY FLAMES
The Flames came into Los Angeles with a dire need to replenish the prospect cupboard, despite not drafting until the third round.
With his first pick, GM Darryl Sutter took Maxwell Reinhart of the Kootenay Ice. Despite passing up some flashy names, Reinhart brings an all-around game and is the son of former Flame Paul Reinhart.
It should also be noted that Reinhart jumped from 157th to 79th between Central Scouting's midterm and final rankings for North American skaters.
Sutter stuck to the bloodlines in the next round as well, drafting physical defender John Ramage out of the University of Wisconsin. John is the son of former NHLer Rob Ramage.
Synopsis: Made the best of a bad situation.
Draft List: Maxwell Reinhart (64), Joey Leach (73), John Ramage (103), Bill Arnold (108), Michael Ferland (133), Patrick Holland (193).
OTTAWA SENATORS
Having found themselves in a favorable position in the first round (16th), the Senators opted instead to trade that pick to the St. Louis Blues for Swedish defenseman David Rundblad.
Rundblad was a first-rounder in 2009 (17th), with the potential to become a solid offensive puck mover. And despite the hype lost in trading a first round pick, the Sens must have felt he fit their needs better than any player left at 16.
The Sens didn't pick until the third round and ultimately settled with Czech winger Jakub Culek. Culek currently plays for Rimouski in the QMJHL and brings good size with great hands to complement his offensive vision.
Synopsis: Not a lot of action, not a lot of hype.
Draft List: Jakub Culek (76), Markus Sorensen (106), Mark Stone (178), Bryce Aneloski (196).
<< Venus moves on, Jankovic retires in fourth-round match at Wimbledon
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Five-time champion Venus Williams
advanced to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon with a straight-set victory over
Australian Jarmila Groth, while Serbia's Jelena Jankovic retired from her
fourth-
<< Jankovic retires in fourth-round match at Wimbledon
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Serbia's Jelena Jankovic retired from
her fourth-round match against Vera Zvonareva at Wimbledon due to a back
injury.
The fourth seed took a spill early in the match and received treatment on
<< Red Sox C Martinez breaks thumb
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Red Sox catcher Victor Martinez
suffered a broken left thumb in Sunday's 5-1 win over the San Francisco
Giants.
Martinez left the game in the fourth inning after being hit by several f
<< Cano caps Yankees rally in rubber match win over Dodgers
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robinson Cano hit a go-ahead two-run homer
in the 10th inning after the Yankees rallied to tie the game off Jonathan
Broxton, lifting New York to an 8-6 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in
the rub
Braves get first look at Strasburg >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nationals drafted Stephen Strasburg with the hopes that
he could one day headline a rotation that would make Washington a contender in
the National League East.
The 21-year-old phenom gets his first crack at division p
Phils try to stay hot in opener with Reds >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - As the weather is getting warmer, so are the Phillies'
bats.
Given their past success against Reds starter Johnny Cueto, that isn't likely
to change this evening when Philadelphia begins a three-game set versus
Cincinnati
Mets, Marlins square off in Puerto Rico >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Though the Marlins are being designated as the home team
for this three-game series in San Juan, Puerto Rico, it is the Mets who have a
number of players that are set to take the field in their native country.
As Major Lea
Jays, Tribe commence four-game set in Cleveland >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ricky Romero will try to get the Toronto Blue Jays back on
track this evening when they open a four-game set with the Cleveland Indians
at Progressive Field.
The Jays, who with 40 wins are one of the biggest surprises i
Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"
A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."
Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.
In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.
"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."
Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.
But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"
Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.
This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.
Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.
In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.
No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.
And that's all any bettor can ask for.
To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
Terrell Owens could return for Cowboys next game
A bye week will allow Terrell Owens broken hand to recover just in time for the next game the Dallas Cowboys are slated to play, according to reports. MySportsbook.com, an football sportsbook, has posted football betting lines on TO playing.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger Sunday night and had a plate surgically attached to it Monday. Although Owens' hand was swollen and aching Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said he's optimistic the receiver will be back at work next week and catching passes a week from Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
MySportsbook.com online sportsbook listed Terrell Owens with odds of 7-2 (or $7 paid out for every $2 bet) to return back for the game against Tennessee.
"I certainly wouldn't rule it out now," Parcells said, referring to Terrell Owens immediate return. "Maybe five days from now I might, but I wouldn't rule it out now. ... I know we're looking to try to get him moving around pretty good in the next day or so. So we'll see where we are."
Owens did not speak with reporters Wednesday, but said Sunday he'd be out two to four weeks. A return against the Titans would be 13 days after the surgery. The Cowboys were listed as an early -7 1/2 favorite vs. the Tennessee Titans for Week 4 at MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Mastercard needs.
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