Bookmaker Reviews

Archive for March 11th, 2009

Due to the quickly declining economy, the National Football League held a breaking press conference in which they announced that the decline in ticket and merchandise sales had forced them to cut a team from the league. Their final decision came to be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But not to fear, their players will join the Green Bay Packers squad, and the two teams will merge to form the TamPacks…

haha sry guys i got this in a text message thought i’d share  more

I don’t mean to beat a dead fish, and I did do a search but didn’t find anything, but what day and/or time does SCEA release their roster? Thanks so much. Later more

Andrew Hughes on the sport where England are genuine contenders… women’s cricket, where the World Cup is underway in Australia.
If watching Andrew Strauss’s band of not very merry men toil under the hot Caribbean sun has drained your enthusiasm for the game somewhat, there is an alternative. It is possible to enjoy all the benefits of watching an exciting and successful cricket team, without feeling disloyal to the three lions. Simply switch your loyalties to the England women’s team who are currently in Australia, taking part in the ninth edition of the Women’s World Cup. Not only were they second favourites going into the tournament, they’ve actually won it on two previous occasions, which is roughly two times more than their male counterparts have managed. And the cricket schedule works out perfectly. You can catch up on your sleep during the ‘action’ from the Caribbean and wake up suitably refreshed to watch the Women’s World Cup, with all the games getting underway at 11:00pm GMT.

Super Eight …or should that be Six?
The first Women’s World Cup was held in 1973, so it pre-dates the men’s version by two years. Though Australia, New Zealand and England have participated in every tournament, the final number of entrants has varied and so the format has been through some changes. Typically, it has involved a single league on a round robin basis, followed by semis and a final. But this time, they’ve gone with two groups of four, followed by a ‘Super Six’ stage. On the one hand, this represents an expansion in the size of the tournament and reflects the organisers’ confidence in the popularity and commercial appeal of the women’s game. On the other hand, like the men’s version, it does seem an inordinately long-winded way of eliminating the no-hopers.

Come on England!
The market on the tournament winner is still immature, but England have made an impressive start by crushing Sri Lanka on Saturday and even when prices settle down, you are unlikely to be able to back them at much more than [2.6] or thereabouts. They are certainly a team on a roll, coming into the tournament on a run of 14 wins. Over the last two years, improved funding for the women’s game in England has meant that many of the top players have benefited from being able to play semi-professional cricket down under during the winter. Many pundits are predicting that England could be the team to beat over the next few years and with their passage through to the Super Six stage as group winners looking assured, they have a real chance of winning the World Cup for the first time since 1993.

The Rest
Australia are inevitably favourites. The five-times champions are on home soil and haven’t lost a one day series or tournament since 2000. But both England and New Zealand have been pushing them closer in the limited overs format recently and with a host of new faces this time around, there will be less of a fear factor in facing them. In the battle of the neighbours, New Zealand shocked the hosts on Sunday and are now in pole position to claim first place in Group A. The only other serious contender is India, who exceeded all expectations by reaching the final in South Africa in 2005, but who generally do not do that well outside the Indian subcontinent. West Indies and South Africa are purely there to make up the numbers.

Top England players
If there were an IPL for the women’s game, then England’s players would be much sought after. According to the first ever ICC rankings for the women’s game, released in October, Claire Taylor is the world’s top bat and Isa Guha top bowler.They also have one of the most exciting talents in the game, opening bat Sarah Taylor who is only 19 yet has already scored two one day international centuries. Other players to watch out for are the Australian Ellyse Perry, a fast-bowler and dashing batter, something of a pin-up girl in Aussie sports; New Zealand’s Aimee Mason, opening bat and leading White Ferns wicket taker and India’s former skipper Mithali Raj, the lynchpin of their batting order, having amassed 3,000 one day runs at an average of 46. more

User: zeevvnn (http://www.thedugout.tv/community/member.php?u=38744)
Infraction: Permanent Ban
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Here’s the question i pose to everyone, not just Cowboys fans. If you had Felix Jones and Marion Barber who would you start the game with?

My personal opinion I would start Felix Jones. Sure Barber might not get the \”start\” but he will be the star back. He’s most effective coming off the bench to dominate the field when he’s fresh and the defense has been softened by a speed back. When you look at his successful years with the Boys he came off the bench after JJ and he did phenomenally. I say if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, start Felix in the games and when you soften up the D a bit pop Barber in there as your closer and bruiser. Unleash the Barbarian when he’s more apt to succeed. more

Ok probably not too many of you care about the World baseball Classic but myself as a fellow Dutchman am proud of this

Check out the highlights of this game:

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Cheltenham will play host to dozens of high-class horses next week, but many a big name will return home humbled by the intense competition and that final hill. Racing UK analyst Graham Cunningham pinpoints a posse of leading fancies in for a rude Festival awakening.
1: Champion Hurdle (Tuesday): Katchit, Punjabi and Crack Away Jack

Having missed the value about Binocular, a little imagination is called for to find an angle in the day one showpiece.

And although there is risk involved, I suspect that opposing this trio as a group has a very strong chance of paying dividends.

Katchit was heroic in thwarting Osana last year, but this renewal has more depth and there has been little sign this season that his lion heart still beats quite so strongly.

Punjabi also ran a blinder for third last year, but he was flattered to pass the tiring Sublimity on deep ground and I think he’ll do well to make the first five this time.

And with Crack Away Jack, the simple question relates to whether he is really good enough to make a major impact at this exalted level.

If they prove me wrong to dominate the finish, I doubt my fragile pride will ever recover.

But with Binocular, Osana, Celestial Halo, Sublimity, Ashkazar and various dangerous floaters running for me, I’m more than happy to take them on as a combined place lay at current odds.

2: National Hunt Chase (Wednesday): Coe

The human Coe was noted for his silk, smooth action and a killer turn of foot over a mile or thereabouts.

His equine namesake needs a good bit further to be seen to best advantage, but his slapdash jumping is the barrier to a podium finish in this day two marathon for amateur riders.

Granted, Coe has overcome his clumsy tendencies to make his mark in a couple of valuable staying handicaps at Haydock this winter, but the new portable fences at the Lancashire venue are a world apart from the stiff black birch of Cheltenham and I suspect his suspect technique will let him down badly once the pressure is on.

In short, we’re talking a confident place lay here. Despite the probable massive field here, the Betfair place market revolves around the first three only.
Coe probably has the running power to go close. But whether he has the jumping ability to make the most of that stamina is another matter altogether.

3: Ballymore Hurdle (Wednesday): Karabak

Confession time. I read this gelding wrong at Cheltenham before Christmas and have continued to read him wrong since.

Perhaps I should just take my medicine and accept that he’s a genuine Grade 1 hurdler, but something tells me he is no real value having been backed all the way down to 3-1 since being bought by JP McManus recently.

The reason I took against Karabak back in December was due largely to the fact that he was dwarfed in the paddock.

His lack of size didn’t stop him bolting up that day and he followed up in similarly commanding fashion at Ascot, but this represents another steep hike in class.

Diamond Harry, Mad Max and the exciting Irish raider Mikael D’Haguenet represent stern obstacles in his path and, rightly or wrongly, I suspect this is one McManus purchase which won’t pay an instant dividend.

4: RSA Chase (Wednesday): What A Friend

The bad news for Sir Alex Ferguson is that a Champions League tie with Inter Milan is likely to prevent him being present to see this gelding carry his colours in the biggest staying novice chase of the season.

But the good news for the Manchester United manager is that he probably has a better chance of silverware by concentrating on events at Old Trafford.

Granted, What A Friend is two from two over fences after following his Uttoxeter defeat of Carruthers with an emphatic performance in a small field on this course in December.

However, it nags away that he checked out tamely in a big field over hurdles at last year’s Festival and his awkward high head carriage suggests that he may well need things to fall just right in order to be seen at his very best.

The bottom line is I suspect that What A Friend may not be quite man enough for a severe test like this. Don’t tell Fergie I said so, but I suspect he might prove more of a friend to the layers than the backers.

5: World Hurdle (Thursday): Big Buck’s

To misquote the American rapper Sir Mixalot: \”I like Big Buck’s and I cannot lie.\”
The problem is, I just don’t like him enough to think he can confirm course form with Punchestowns before fending off the potent French threat of Kasbah Bliss, in what promises to be one of the most explosive battles of the entire week.

Paul Nicholls has to be applauded for spotting that this handsome ex-French gelding would profit from a return to hurdling and his last two starts have yielded a decisive success in a valuable handicap here and an even bigger Cheltenham success courtesy of his strong-staying defeat of Punchestowns in the Cleevee Hurdle.

But Punchestowns looks likely to take his revenge granted an 8lb pull and faster conditions, while last year’s runner-up Kasbah Bliss returns in rampant form after following a lucrative Flat campaign with a crushing Haydock success last month.
In this case it probably makes sense to swerve the place lay, as Big Buck’s is highly likely to run his race and reach the winner’s enclosure.

But whether he can cope with the speed of Punchestowns and Kasbah Bliss if the ground is good next Thursday remains to be seen.
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Hello all, I’ve faced a problem with my FM09. After setting up my Aston Villa game, I saved the game and the next time I loaded it, I couldn’t select any options other than \”World\” and \”Options\” at the top. Which means essentially I couldn’t play the game, couldn’t make any changes to my team,… more

Do you use a feature back, split back field, running back by commitee, a qb scrambler etc more

Nick Shiambouros tells us which horse will be carrying his money in the 3.10 at Sandown today.
At Sandown today in the 3.10 European Dream is a horse that could run well at a big price. This gelding put up a fair effort on unsuitable ground last time out at Market Rasen when finishing second to Carrickboy.Today he has the ground to suit him and his very best effort would see him in the shake up. At present he is trading at [34.0] on the exchange.

Today’s Selection:

Sandown, 3.10, European Dream, Win and Place
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