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12/23/2008 - Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Binghamton Senators forward Kaspars Daugavins has been reassigned to the Mississauga St. Michaels Majors of the Ontario Hockey League, the American Hockey league club announced on Tuesday.
In 23 games with the B-Sens this season, Daugavins has scored twice and added one assist, while recording nine penalty minutes.
<< Jaguars' personnel director resigns
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Jacksonville Jaguars have announced
the resignation of player personnel director James Harris, effective at the
conclusion of the season.
Harris, known as "Shack," has held the position since Ja
<< Blue Jackets activate Klesla off IR
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated
defenseman Rostislav Klesla off injured reserve. He had been sidelined since
mid-November because of an ankle injury.
Klesla was hurt during a November 14 game
<< Celtic signs young Czech star Misun
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Celtic completed the signing of the Czech
fullback Milan Misun on a four-year deal on Tuesday.
The 18-year-old is the Bhoys' second capture of the day following the
confirmation that Dundee Uni
<< Celtic confirms deal with Dundee goalie Zaluska
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Celtic has confirmed that Dundee United
goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska has signed a pre-contract agreement with the club and
will join Gordon Strachan's side at the end of this season.
The 26-year-old Pol
Pittsburgh sends Stone back to Wilkes-Barre >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins re-assigned forward
Ryan Stone to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Wilkes-
Barre/Scranton Penguins, it was announced on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old Stone appea
Caps recall Helmer, Gordon from Hershey >>
Arlington, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Capitals recalled defensemen
Bryan Helmer and forward Andrew Gordon from the Hershey Bears of the American
Hockey League, it was announced on Tuesday.
Helmer, 36, is the Bears captain and
Williams feeling sweet again under DiLeo >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Like him or not, understand Philadelphia
76ers general manager Ed Stefanski isn't a stupid guy.
Stefanski pulled the trigger on Mo Cheeks after two consecutive games with
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cav
Chelsea's Alex escapes FA action >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Football Association will take no action
against Chelsea defender Alex over an alleged stamp on Everton's Tim Cahill
during Monday evening's 0-0 draw at Goodison Park.
The FA asked referee Phil Dowd
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.
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