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06/16/2007 - Oakmont, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Angel Cabrera stuck his final approach shot within inches and made birdie, knocking 19 players out of the U.S. Open by himself.
Oakmont took care of the rest.
Cabrera shot a one-over 71 Friday to take the lead in what was shaping up to be one of the most difficult U.S. Opens ever, finishing his second round with a birdie on Oakmont's ninth hole to get to even-par 140 overall.
The low 60 scores and ties make the cut, as well as anyone within 10 shots of the lead. Cabrera's closing birdie meant all the players at 11-over par missed the weekend.
Phil Mickelson, at 11-over exactly, was among them.
"Carnage," he called the round after shooting a 77.
Bubba Watson had a one-over 71 and was alone in second place at one-over 141. Stephen Ames was one of just two players to shoot under par Friday, carding a one-under 69 to join Aaron Baddeley (70), Justin Rose (71) and Niclas Fasth (71) in third place at two-over 142.
If Oakmont showed its teeth Thursday, it was downright scowling Friday.
Paul Casey hit 13 of 14 fairways and shot a four-under 66 in a morning tee time for the best round of the day -- one of the best rounds of his career, the Englishman said.
But it wasn't an accurate forecast of things to come.
By 5:33 p.m. local time, when Cabrera made a five-foot bogey putt at his 12th hole, there were no players left under par. Cabrera bogeyed his 14th hole at 6:10 p.m., then got back to even-par with his closing birdie at 7:13 p.m.
So, for 63 minutes near the end of the round no one was even playing Oakmont to a push.
The scoring average soared to nearly 77.
"I'll venture to guess that 99 percent of the members can't play this golf course very well or finish in severe conditions," said world No. 3 Jim Furyk, who safely made the cut.
"But they're proud of that fact and that's what this place is about."
Tiger Woods wasn't proud of his round, but a four-over 74 was enough to keep him safe from repeating his missed cut at Winged Foot last year. He was at five-over 145 and tied for 13th place.
"You just really had to keep your patience," Woods said. "The way I hit the golf ball, I could have easily shot myself out of the tournament. But I was able to hang in there."
Cabrera was the first-round leader at the 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock, his only other overnight lead at a major championship.
"This tournament really motivates you," Cabrera, an Argentine, said through a translator in a TV interview after his round. "You play with a lot of intensity out there."
Watson's posted a career-best finish at the Houston Open in April, where he was runner-up. His length helped him Friday in places like the 313-yard 17th, a par four where he almost reached the green with his tee shot.
He chipped within three feet there for his last birdie, but wasn't expecting Oakmont to get any easier Saturday -- especially with the added pressure of playing in the final group.
"It's going to be just as hard as it was today," said Watson, who missed the cut in his only other U.S. Open in 2004.
While no one avoided the "How hard was it?" question Friday, Mickelson had one of the funniest answers -- especially from someone who played the tough four- hole stretch from No. 7 at six-over par.
"It's easier than I've seen it, the greens have slowed up and I don't know what we're doing," Mickelson laughed.
Lefty had made 30 consecutive major cuts since missing the weekend at the 1999 British Open, which ranked as the longest such active streak at the four major championships.
His injured left wrist was still affecting his play, but Mickelson wasn't making any excuses.
"It's fine. It's sore, but it's fine," he said.
Furyk played with Mickelson and had a 75 to keep himself safe from the cut line six-over 146. He had back-to-back birdies on the 13th and 14th holes, from 18 and 20 feet respectively.
On the rest of the course, the 2003 U.S. Open champion made seven bogeys and nine pars.
"I don't concern myself with whether the USGA is playing fair or not anymore, I just play it and try to figure out how to get it in the hole," Furyk said of the course.
The third member of the Mickelson-Furyk group, Adam Scott, opened with a triple-bogey at No. 1 and shot an 82. Looking to shake criticism of his play in the majors, the young Australian missed the cut by a mile at 18-over par.
The scores from that trio -- the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 golfers in the world -- made Casey's morning 66 look like an anomaly.
And it was.
"That's probably one of the best rounds I've played in my professional career," said Casey, who equaled his best round at a major and was alone in seventh place at three-over 143.
It was 23 shots better than the worst score turned in Friday.
Englishman Sam Walker, who has missed the cut in nine of his last 10 European Tour starts, carded an 89 in a round that included just four pars and no birdies.
Mickelson and Scott weren't the only big names to miss the cut.
That list also included Justin Leonard, Luke Donald, Trevor Immelman, Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia, Davis Love III, Henrik Stenson, Colin Montgomerie and two-time U.S. Open winner Retief Goosen.
"The tournament starts on Saturday," Cabrera said. "Everyone who makes the cut has a chance. You just have to see what happens."
<< Yankees' Damon scratched from lineup
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Yankees designated hitter Johnny Damon
was scratched from the team's lineup Friday against the New York Mets with an
abdominal strain.
Damon was set to leadoff for the Yankees.
Center fielder Melk
<< Bruins axe Lewis
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After just one season behind the bench, the
Boston Bruins fired head coach Dave Lewis on Friday.
The Bruins also relieved associate coach Marc Habscheid of his duties. Both
are expected to be reassigned
<< Rice erases six-run deficit, blasts past Louisville
Omaha, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aaron Luna went 2-for-4, homered, drove in three
runs and scored three as the Rice Owls came back from deficits of five and
six runs to top the Louisville Cardinals, 15-10, in the opener of the College
World Series
<< Saints release Lewis, Whitehead
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Saints released wide
receiver Michael Lewis and defensive lineman Willie Whitehead on Friday.
Lewis is the team's all-time leader in kickoff returns (243 for 5,903 yards)
and punt r
Delsing leads by one in Minnesota >>
Byron, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two-time Nationwide Tour winner Jay Delsing
posted a four-under 68 Friday to move one stroke clear of the field after two
rounds of the Showdown at Somerby.
Delsing, who was one of five first-round lead
107th U.S. Open Second Round News and Notes >>
Oakmont, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phil Mickelson finished off a 77, then told
everyone what he'd be doing for the next several hours.
"Go watch the carnage on TV," Mickelson said.
Lefty was one of the players swallowed up by Oakmont
Ninth-inning rally helps Braves down Indians >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Yunel Escobar hit a two-run double off C.C.
Sabathia in the ninth inning as the Atlanta Braves rallied for a 5-4 victory
over the Cleveland Indians in the opener of a three-game interleague set.
Casey Bl
Blue Jays bash Nationals >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Troy Glaus homered and finished with three RBI
to guide the Toronto Blue Jays past the Washington Nationals, 7-2, in the
opener of a three-game interleague set at Rogers Centre.
Adam Lind added a two-ru
Let’s take a look at the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds and the betting line and figure out where they’ve been and where they are going to go.
MySportsbook.com put up the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds late on Sunday night with the Pittsburgh Steelers favored by 6.5 points and a total betting line at 47.5 points.
Since then, however, the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds have seen a good deal of movement and you’ll want to be on top of where they are likely to move to make sure you get the best line value for the big game.
Since opening, the Super Bowl 2009 betting lines went to Steelers -7 in the span of roughly 3 hours but were quickly bought back down just minutes later to 6.5 again.
After that is took about 5-6 more hours before the betting line went back to -7 where it has sat for a while now and is likely to remain. The opening betting total of 47.5 was bet down right after the line became available and went to 47 within minutes.
Roughly a day later it has been bet even further down to the 46.5 tally it currently is set at.
Roughly 60% of gamblers seem to be on the Cardinals here so the point spread will be bet down and a 7.5 would not last very long at all with many taking the early 6.5 in hopes of finding a potential middle in the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds.
If you like Arizona and see a 7.5, I’d take it as soon as possible because it’s unlikely to last. For Pittsburgh backers, the -7 might be the best you’ll be able to find but a 6.5 is definitely possible close to game time.
Regarding the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds for the total, most tracked gamblers are already on the over and with those who took the under 47.5 already securing a middle on the over 46.5, the only way I see it moving is back up to 47 so if you like the over, I’d recommend betting now.
Get free Super Bowl XLIII Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting with credit cards
Trash talk has a place in every competitive endeavor (except baseball; those stirrup-wearers are too busy chewing on their sunflower seeds and their supplements to worry about what their opponents are doing).
Fantasy sports is no exception. Any intelligent discussion of the subject would probably start with a thesis statement or a definition of terms. Thankfully, this wont be an intelligent discussion.
Let me just say that I am happy to take a place in this space alongside my talented colleagues, even our commissioner. (You should see how she bleats like a demented paper boy about league fees on our fantasy site).
Trash talking, I would argue, is primarily about amusing your friends, their sheeplike demeanors and sloping foreheads notwithstanding. The best place I have found for football trash talking is at www.SportsAlarm.com.
Beyond the entertainment factor, though, I would recognize that the sophomoric ritual has one advantage, when properly applied. It magnifies your fantasy triumphs and mitigates your fantasy failures by transforming the eventual point total into an afterthought. Winning makes it seem like your opponent really is a truss-owning, lapel-pin-wearing nitwit. And in defeat, trash talk can be the air bag to break the fall from your hyperbolic heights. The plug-necked yahoos on your team, you can say, will be sacking groceries by the end of the season.
The best trash talk, in my view, is layered and nuanced. And it doesnt focus only on your opponents team. It picks apart your opponent. The idea is to create a shock-and-awe-scale blizzard of nonsense, and the goal is to make your opponent drop his hands from his keyboard in exasperation.
What team does your opponent root for? Accuse a Giants fan of having a Joe Namath pillowcase. Wheres your opponent from? Give a look of concern no matter his reply, then say, I'll try to type slower for you next time. Is your opponent into politics? Label everyone a tax-and-spend corporate shill.
Cap all that with a liberal application of irrelevance. For instance, dont just conclude by saying your opponent is a twerp who drafts like my grandmother. Say that your opponent is a sweater-wearing, eyebrow-plucking twerp who drafts his team about as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor gave acceptance speeches at the Oscars. By the time your foe makes sense of that, his starting running back will have had puppies.
But what about you? Hmm? Recall a memorable slam? Have a tried-and-true technique? Know someone who seems impervious to insult? Take a moment and tells us about it. Put together some (fit-for-publication) thoughts. You wont be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, Im sure, to reply.
In addition to the trash talking, the Sports Alarm has a huge gallery of high resolution pictures of beautiful women and models in bikinis. The most popular models are: Lindsay Lohan, Carrie Underwood, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paris Hilton.
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