08/19/2008 - New Haven, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fourth-seeded Russian Igor Andreev, second- seeded Croat Ivo Karlovic and eighth-seeded American Mardy Fish were second- round winners Tuesday at the $708,000 Pilot Pen Tennis event, a final U.S. Open tune-up.
Andreev erased Belgian Olivier Rochus 6-3, 6-4 on the hardcourts at the Connecticut Tennis Center.
Fish, who was last year's New Haven runner-up to fellow American James Blake, bounced back from a second-set loss to compatriot Wayne Odesnik to take a 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 victory.
Karlovic dropped his first set to American John Isner, but then easily handled the next two sets to take a 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-4 victory.
German Mischa Zverev toppled fifth-seeded Argentine Juan Monaco 6-3, 6-3, while No. 6 seed Marin Cilic of Croatia was leading last week's Washington, D.C. runner-up Viktor Troicki, 2-1, when the Serbian retired.
In additional action involving top-10 seeds, No. 7 Italian Andreas Seppi overcame compatriot Potito Starace 4-6, 6-4, 6-4; No. 9 Frenchman Marc Gicquel grounded Spaniard Albert Montanes 7-5, 6-3; and Fabio Fognini upended 10th- seeded fellow Italian Simone Bolelli 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.
Eleventh-seeded Austrian Jurgen Melzer snuck past pesky French veteran Arnaud Clement 7-6 (7-1), 7-5 on the grounds at Yale University.
American wild card Robby Ginepri posted an upset by taking out 12th-seeded Argentine Agustin Calleri 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, while other upsets came when Belgian Steve Darcis drove out 13th-seeded Spaniard Marcel Granollers 6-2, 6-2; Slovenian qualifier Luka Gregorc knocked out 14th-seeded Argentine Jose Acasuso 6-4, 6-4; and Czech Ivo Minar doused 15th-seeded Argentine Eduardo Schwank 7-5, 6-3. Minar is rewarded with a third-rounder against top-seeded Fernando Verdasco of Spain.
Sixteenth-seeded Romanian Victor Hanescu avoided an upset by holding off German Denis Gremelmayr 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-3), 6-2.
An additional second-round win came for American lucky-loser Jesse Levine, who drubbed Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-0, 6-3. Levine joined the draw on Monday when red-hot Argentine Juan Martin del Potro withdrew, citing exhaustion.
The 2008 U.S. Open will commence Monday in New York.
<< Tennessee gains TE Warren, loses Cottam to surgery
Knoxville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Tennessee received NCAA
approval Tuesday for sophomore tight end Brandon Warren to suit up for the
Vols this season.
Head coach Phillip Fulmer also announced that junior tight en
<< Fillmore earns medalist honors at U.S. Amateur
Pinehurst, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robbie Fillmore fired a five-under 65 on
Tuesday to earn medalist honors after the stroke-play portion of the U.S.
Amateur.
The championship is being contested at Pinehurst Resorts No. 2 and N
<< Yankees get Matsui back, lose faith in Christian
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees activated
outfielder/designated hitter Hideki Matsui from the 15-day disabled list on
Tuesday and optioned outfielder Justin Christian to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-
Barre.
<< Report: Sixers bring back Ratliff
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia 76ers have reportedly
agreed to bring back forward/center Theo Ratliff with a one-year contract.
According to a report Tuesday in the Philadelphia Daily News, the 35-year-old
Ratliff
Werth's homer lifts Phils, dooms Nats to 11th straight loss >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jayson Werth hit a go-ahead home run in
the eighth inning, lifting the Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-4 win over
Washington in the first of three games with the Nationals.
Shane Victorino finishe
Burnett baffles Bronx Bombers as Jays draw closer in standings >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A.J. Burnett was sensational on the hill, Adam
Lind hit a game-tying homer in the seventh and the Blue Jays got a lift from
Johnny Damon's fielding gaffe in the eighth, as Toronto edged the New York
Yankees
Sizemore and Tribe pound hapless Royals >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Grady Sizemore hit a three-run homer, while
Ryan Garko and Shin-Soo Choo chipped in solo shots as the Indians turned away
the Royals, 9-4, in the opener of a three-game series
Anthony Reyes (2-1), in hi
Youkilis, Dice-K lead Sox past O's >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Youkilis hit a two-run homer and
Daisuke Matsuzaka remained perfect on the road, as the Boston Red Sox defeated
the Baltimore Orioles, 7-2, at Camden Yards.
Matsuzaka (15-2) pitched five innin
MySportsbook.com Week 1 odds:
Saints +6 @ Colts -6
Falcons @ Vikings (pick ‘em)
Panthers @ Rams (pick ‘em)
Broncos -3.5 @ Bills +3.5
Chiefs -1 @ Texans +1
Dolphins +3 @ Redskins -3
Patriots -5 @ Jets +5
Eagles -3.5 @ Packers +3.5
Steelers -4 @ Browns +4
Titans +6 @ Jaguars -6
Bears +6 @ Chargers -6
Lions +3 @ Raiders -3
Bucs +6.5 @ Seahawks -6.5
Giants +4 @ Cowboys -4
Ravens +3 @ Bengals -3
Cardinals +3 @ 49ers -3
Super Bowl line (2008)
NFC +6.5 vs. AFC -6.5
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The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
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