11/21/2008 - Mar del Plata, Argentina (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 2008 Davis Cup final commenced Friday, as David Nalbandian gave host Argentina a 1-0 lead with a lopsided victory over Spaniard David Ferrer in the best-of-five affair at Mar del Plata.
The world No. 11 Nalbandian outclassed the 12th-ranked Ferrer 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 in just under two hours on the indoor hardcourt here at Estadio Islas Malvinas.
Ferrer failed to take a lead at any point on Day 1 and was under constant pressure due to some solid serving and tremendous net play by Nalbandian.
The former Tennis Masters Cup champion and former Wimbledon runner-up Nalbandian whipped Ferrer with the help of seven aces, and the gritty Argentine broke the Spaniard's serve a whopping seven times, compared to only two breaks for the eventual loser.
Nalbandian improved to 4-6 lifetime against Ferrer, including wins now in three of their last four encounters. This marked their first meeting this year and their first-ever Davis Cup matchup.
Friday's other opening singles rubber currently pit the hosts' world No. 9 star Juan Martin del Potro versus Spanish lefthander Feliciano Lopez.
Saturday's doubles bout currently calls for an Argentine duo of Jose Acasuso and Agustin Calleri to meet a Spanish tandem of Lopez and fellow southpaw Fernando Verdasco, while Sunday's reverse singles currently pit the 20-year- old del Potro against Ferrer and Nalbandian versus Lopez.
The Spaniards, captained by Emilio Sanchez, also have Davis Cup rookie Marcel Granollers at their disposal. Granollers joined the squad last week when world No. 1 superstar Rafael Nadal announced his withdrawal, citing a knee injury. The amazing Nadal is the reigning Wimbledon, French Open and Olympic champ.
The powerful Argentine squad, captained by Alberto Mancini, is seeking its first-ever Davis Cup title, while the Spaniards already own two championships, with both coming this decade, in 2000 and 2004.
Spain is 2-0 all-time versus Argentina, which is hosting for the first time ever in this series. The Spaniards prevailed at home way back in 1926 and again in 2003.
The Spaniards 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 have won 13 straight Davis Cup ties as the host.
<< Milito won't rule out Real
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Genoa striker Diego Milito is refusing to
rule out a potential January move to Real Madrid.
Milito has already been the subject of a rejected approach from the Spanish
giants, who are keen to land a ne
<< Xavi reveals new Barca deal is close
Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barcelona midfielder Xavi has paved the
way for a resolution is his contract negotiations with the club after
admitting he wants to end his career at the Camp Nou.
The 28-year-old Spain inter
<< Schuster won't quit Real
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bullish Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster
insists he has never considered resigning despite the club's inconsistent form
leading to speculation that he is close to the sack.
Real's sporting director, Pr
<< Report: White Sox sign Cuban defector Viciedo
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox have reportedly agreed
to terms on a lucrative contract with 19-year-old Cuban defector Dayan
Viciedo.
Viciedo, considered to be a five-tool talent at third base, defected from
Penguins loan Cashman to Wheeling >>
Wilkes-Barre, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have
loaned defenseman Reid Cashman to their ECHL affiliate, the Wheeling Nailers.
Cashman, 25, appeared in four games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season,
recor
Nashville reassigns rookie forwards to Milwaukee >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nashville Predators reassigned rookie
forwards Patric Hornqvist and Ryan Jones to the Milwaukee Admirals of the
American Hockey League.
Jones has three goals and three assists in 15 games
Wild reassign Schaefer to Houston >>
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Wild reassigned goaltender Nolan
Schaefer to the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League. Schaefer was
recalled Tuesday on an emergency basis and did not play a game with the NHL
club.
Phantoms center recalled by Flyers >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers recalled center
Jonathon Kalinski from their American Hockey League affiliate, the
Philadelphia Phantoms.
Kalinski, who could become the fifth Phantom to make hi
The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting