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nuetron star collision;)
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mollykinzz85

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swimmy1118

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World Cup Semi-Final Preview - Uruguay vs. Netherlands

And then there were four…the World Cup tournament is down to the last few games, with the big ones, the Semi-Finals, kicking off on Tuesday.

It has been a thrilling tournament thus far, with plenty of drama, upsets and controversy.

Tuesday, July 6th
Uruguay vs. Netherlands

Uruguay is looking to score their second World Cup championship…a scant 80 years after booking their first. Uruguay actually won the first-ever World Cup when they hosted the inaugural tournament some eight decades ago, but they are longshots out of the four remaining teams. Online sportsbooks have them listed at +1100 to be crowned champs.

Their path to the 2010 World Cup title game wasn’t going to be easy no matter what happened in the quarter final between Brazil and the Netherlands. But the men in Orange pulled off an upset to send Brazil home and move through to play Uruguay.

This is a very tough task for the South American side. Sportsbooks have the Dutch as the odds on favorite at +160 to take the title.

World Cup Betting Odds:

Going into their semifinal matchup, the Uruguayans are seeing the odds stacked against them, listed as +400 underdogs; they are 3-2-0 through the tournament.

Thus far, Uruguay has scored seven goals with both Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez leading the team with three goals apiece.

The Dutch are riding high after that big win over Brazil and are also big faves going into the semifinal against the Uruguyans, listed at -303.

The Netherlands have netted eight goals this World Cup and are a little more balanced offensively than their opponents; they are also perfect at 5-0-0 in South Africa 2010.

While Midfielder Wesley Sneijder leads the team with 4 goals, the Dutch have spread the rest of the scoring out with five players – Arjen Robben, Dirk Kuyt, Robin Van Persie and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar – tied with one goal each.

SPORTSBETTING.com manager Brian Taylor reported that “68% of all the betting volume on this match has come in on the Netherlands.”

You can watch the game live at 2:30 PM ET on Tuesday.

We’ll have a full breakdown of the Germany vs. Spain match Tuesday evening.
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scottshapell

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Baseball Betting: Injuries Impact Top Contenders

There’s been a bit of an injury outbreak the past few days on the baseball diamond. So the sports betting public is going to want to keep an eye on rosters as we head toward the All-Star break.

Atlanta Braves right fielder Jason Heyward was having quite a season before he suffered a left thumb injury.

He knicked it up about six weeks ago, but tried to play through the injury before being placed on the 15-day disabled list (DL) on Monday. The rookie RF was batting .251 with 11 homers and 45 RBIs through 71 games – tops amongst rooks in the National League (NL).

Heyward’s stint on the DL is estimated to end around the All-Star break, but don’t bet on seeing him at the Midsummer Classic despite being the second-highest vote-getter in All-Star balloting for NL outfielders

Heyward doesn’t seem to mind though, telling reporters that the Braves are “doing the best thing” by holding him out and he’s probably right.

The Atlanta Braves currently sit in top spot in the NL East, 1.5-games up on the New York Mets and at the moment, online sportsbooks have them as the odds-on favorite to win the division at +100.

You can check all the baseball betting odds

Weekend Baseball Betting Action:

So how will the Braves fare without Heyward?

Heading into the weekend, the Braves begin a three-game home set against the division rival Florida Marlins and seeing as their opponents are in the lower part of the NL East standings (second-last) Atlanta has a chance to distance themselves from the Mets.

However, the Braves haven’t been all that sharp in their last nine home games against the Marlins, going only 3-6 straight up.
Over/Under Alert: In the last eight overall matchups between these two, there have been 7 Overs and 1 Under, in fact the last five overall games between the Braves and the Mets have all gone Over the total.

Philadelphia Phillies:
The two-time defending NL champion Philadelphia Phillies won’t be three-timers if they keep piling up bodies on their disabled list – they are currently 3.5 back of the Atlanta Braves for the division lead.

Already with five bodies in the sick bay, the Phillies recently added starting infielders Placido Polanco (elbow) and Chase Utley (right thumb) to the walking wounded.

Worse yet, according to reports, the ball club doesn’t know exactly when the two will return – MLB.com has Utley and Polanco both set to return “possibly in mid-July.”

The Phillies aren’t far behind the Atlanta Braves in terms of NL East futures betting, currently listed by sportsbooks at +125 to take the division and are both +330 and +750 to win the NL pennant and World Series respectively.

The Philadelphia Phillies are in Pittsburgh to play the Pirates currently, with Game 2 of 4 set to go on Friday.

The ageless one, Jamie Moyer takes the mound and in his last 10 starts, there have been 3 Overs and 7 Unders.

Keep an eye on the injury situation for these contenders as you look for your daily baseball bets.

Enjoy all the weekend action and Happy Independence Day.
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scottshapell

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World Cup 2010: Quarter Finals Preview

And then there were eight!

The Round of 16 has come and gone and eight teams remain – Uruguay, Ghana, Netherlands, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Paraguay and Spain.

The Brazilians have a big challenge in front of them this Friday when they meet the Netherlands, but many in the sports betting community feel they have the easier route to the World Cup title game on July 11. If they get by the Dutch they play the winner of Uruguay-Ghana in the semifinals.

Looking at the World Cup odds, Brazil is the favorite at online sportsbook to win it all. Currently they have odds of +250 to be crowned champs.

For this match on Friday, Brazil is a -158 favorite, while the Dutch are +241and the Total is set at 2.5.

The Samba Boys landed atop this tournament’s Group of Death, aka Group G, finishing with 2 wins, a draw and 0 losses for seven points. Throughout the 2010 World Cup, they have netted eight goals with Luis Fabiano scoring a team-high three – Brazil has had 3 Overs and 1 Under so far in the tournament.

Despite being underdogs for this match, the Netherlands have been strong in opening round play going 4-0 straight up so far in the tournament with 2 Overs and 2 Unders.

The Dutch grabbed top spot in Group E. Looking at their World Cup odds to win the championship, they are listed at +650 to win.

Argentina vs. Germany Preview:
Argentina is one of the favorites to win the World Cup, with odds of +350, but they have a tougher route than Brazil at first glance.

It will be a case of deja vu for the Argentinians as they will face the same team that eliminated them from the 2006 World Cup, Germany. Last time, the Germans eliminated Argentina in a penalty shootout. Going into Saturday’s matchup, Argentina is listed as a -111 favorite while the Germans are +195 underdogs.

Germany and Argentina have met a number of times in past World Cups, sometimes in the championship game.

Argentina took the 1986 World Cup in a 3-2 win over Germany and the Germans returned the favor in 1990, beating the Argentinians 1-0.

Both Argentina and Germany cruised through their Round of 16 matchups with the Argentinians beating Mexico 3-1 and the Germans hammering the English 4-1.

The winner takes on the victor of the Paraguay vs. Spain match in the semifinal of South Africa 2010.

We’ll look at the other two matchups in tomorrow’s article.

Enjoy the games.
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scottshapell

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Spain vs Portugal Preview: 2010 World Cup Odds

See ya later England, we hardly knew yee Italia, better luck in 2014 USA, tough Round of 16 draw Chile…we are now down to the last few games before we head to the quarter finals.

Some countries are starting to feel a tad euphoric, while others are wallowing in despair (see England, Italy and France)

Now we have a huge matchup left on the schedule in the Round of 16, as Portugal will try and pull off an upset of Spain on Tuesday.

The appetizer for this match, Japan vs. Paraguay, should also deliver one of the best matches of the tournament to this point.

Going into Tuesday’s tilt, online sportsbooks have the Spaniards are favored at -114, the Portuguese are listed as +266 underdogs, with a draw paying out at +184 and the Over/Under is set at 2.5.

Spain was tied for the Group H lead with Chile and advanced by virtue of a 2-0-1 record straight up.

Spain managed to score four goals in the first-round of the tournament (they have 1 Over and 2 Unders so far in World Cup 2010), with forward David Villa carrying the bulk of the load, netting three goals.

Portugal made it out of this tournament’s Group of Death (G), finishing with a record that consisted of one win and two draws; the Portuguese were second to Brazil in Group G.

The Portuguese are one of the highest-scoring teams in the tournament with 7 goals for and 0 against. However, you’re going to want to note that all of the goals came in a 7-0 smackdown vs. the North Koreans.

Portugal has spread their offense out more than Spain, with midfielder Tiago leading his teammates with two goals and five other players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, tied for second with a single goal, but again, the scoring all came in that wipeout.

Like Spain, the Portuguese have 1 Over and 2 Unders so far in the tournament.

Hey if you think Portugal can rack up another big win, you can bet on that at Sportsbook.

The odds of a Portuguese victory by six or more goals is +9000, while the odds of a Spanish victory by six or more is +8000…I don’t even think those odds are high enough, suffice to say there is almost no possibility of either of those results coming in for bettors.

Brian Taylor, manager from SPORTSBETTING.com, talked a bit about the action on this one. “As expected, this one is attracting quite a bit of attention from our players, similar numbers to England-Germany and the USA-Ghana match. Right now Spain has 31% of the action, but the draw is the most popular option so far, with 41%. 28% have bet on Portugal scoring an upset.”

I’m looking forward to this one.

Enjoy the action.
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scottshapell

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The Prince Of Persia

Most people think time is like a river that flows swift and sure in one direction.
But I have seen the face of time
and I can tell you they are wrong.
Time is an ocean in a storm......
You may wonder who I really am and why I say this.
come and I will tell you a tale like none which you have ever heard

 It is said some lives are linked across the time.
Connected by an ancient calling that echoes through the age

 
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shadow flying

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NFL Betting: Detroit Lions Week 1 Pick

2-14 last year, 0-16 the year before; there’s only one way for the Detroit Lions to go…right?

One of the NFL’s most maligned teams, the Lions haven’t really had anything to cheer about since, well, the last time they made the playoffs, which was in 1999 (Sportsbook had them as a 7-point dog in that Wild-Card game, which they lost 27-13 to the Washington Redskins).

Will the Lions be Kings of the Jungle again? Let’s say that’s highly unlikely this year and the current NFL Future odds posted at online sportsbooks are evidence of that.

They are longshots to take the NFC North division, currently listed at +1400, longer shots of course to win the NFC championship (+5000) and off the charts when it comes to the Super Bowl (+20,000).

Brian Taylor, sportsbook manager at SPORTSBETTING.com, said of the early betting volume on the NFC North, they actually do have some clients who are taking a chance on Detroit in 2010.

Of all the betting action on the future bet “To win the NFC” 9% of the money is on the Lions at +1400 (a $100 wager pays $1,400 if they win).

It might be a little optimistic and a year or two early, but remember the Dallas Cowboys were in rough shape before Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin came together to lead them. And it took Tom Brady supplanting Drew Bledsoe for the Patriots to really emerge as a consistent championship caliber team.

But do the Lions have a QB that can step forward and turn this franchise around? I think they do.

Matt Stafford had a very good rookie season…as good as Mark Sanchez, despite the numbers and Sanchez’s playoff performance.

In 10 starts in his rookie campaign, Stafford threw for 2,267 yards and 13 TDs but also was intercepted 20 times as well – not the prettiest of stats but then again, look at the team in front of him.

The Lions had the worst defense in the league, in terms of yards allowed, as opposing teams amassed 6,274 yards against Detroit’s defense.

To that end, the Lions selected DT Ndamukong Suh in the first-round of this year’s draft.

If the Detroit Lions are to really make a push for the postseason though, they are going to have to improve their record against divisional opponents.

The Lions have lost 15-consecutive games to fellow NFC North teams, 0-15 straight up (SU), and have gone 4-10-1 against the spread (ATS) at the same time.

They can start to turn the tide Week 1, when they’ll open the regular season in Chicago against the Bears. SPORTSBETTING.com has the lines up for Week 1 games and the Lions are currently listed as 7-point underdogs.

Looking at the numbers, Detroit is only 3-8 SU in their last 11 overall against the Bears and they aren’t much better against the spread at 4-7 ATS. In their last 20 when listed as underdogs of 8-points or less, they are only 4-16 SU and 5-15 ATS.

That said, I like the Lions plus the points in the opener.

I expect them to take a big step forward in 2010, winning six or seven games, maybe more.
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scottshapell

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NCAA Football Odds: Big Change for Big Ten

Nebraska Cornhuskers Join the Big Ten

It was a good news bad news scenario for the Big 12. Good news: the Texas Longhorns aren’t going anywhere. The bad news: see ya later Nebraska (and Colorado too).

The ‘Huskers are headed to the Big Ten, while the Colorado Buffaloes are pulling up stakes for the Pac-10.

Nebraska still has another year facing the likes of the Longhorns, the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Oklahoma Sooners but come next summer, online sportsbooks will be putting up NCAA Football future odds on Nebraska vs. the likes of the Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State Buckeyes and the Penn State Nittany Lions.

J.B. Milliken, the University of Nebraska’s president, thought it was prudent to join the Big Ten.

“The University of Nebraska would have new opportunities with membership in the Big Ten – and I believe the Big Ten would be a stronger conference as well,” he said in an AP report.

Based on the numbers, the Cornhuskers could be making a good move.

Since Sept. of 1995, the Nebraska Cornhuskers have faced Big Ten competition nine times, going 8-1 straight up and 6-3 against the spread.

With only nine games in the last 15 years, obviously the ‘Huskers haven’t faced all 11 teams in the Big Ten – yes, there are 11 teams despite the name of the conference – but here is how they’ve fared against the ones they have played.

They’ve played the Iowa Hawkeyes twice in the past 15 years, once in 1999 and once in 2000 and they hammered them both times. In both of those games they were huge favorites, covering in ’99 and failing to cover in 2000.

The ‘Huskers last played the Michigan Wolverines back in Dec. of 2005 at the Alamo Bowl and it was a 32-28 thriller in favor of Nebraska. For sports bettors who remember that game, you might recall the ‘Huskers covered as 10-point underdogs.

Based on history, the Cornhuskers should feast on the other school from the state of Michigan.

In three meetings against the Michigan State Spartans since 1995, the Nebraska Cornhuskers have gone 3-0 both straight up and ATS.

Will that dominance continue when the ‘Huskers face the Spartans regularly starting in 2011?

The last meeting between the Northwestern Wildcats is a game that the Nebraska Cornhuskers like to reminisce about.

It was the again the Alamo Bowl, this time in 2000, and led by QB Eric Crouch (remember him?) the Cornhuskers hammered Northwestern 66-21, covering the -14.5 points and going Over the 64.5-point Total.

Sorry to Big 12 fans, but I think this is a good move for Nebraska.

You can check all the current NCAA football Odds
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scottshapell

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thursday morning

well today training was effing awsum :)

we did so much fly :) ... but the only thing that really pisses me off is that some kids have no idea how to swim fly arg! and its more that they dont even try because every1 seems to think that its such a hard stroke to swim,,,,, NOT! as always we had to do the same drills over and over and over again until every1 could do it, I live in Tanzania so we dont the very best swimmers here so my brother and I get really irritated when we are put into a relay team and get let down, as do many of the other people!   

My brother is only 10 but is like so much better than I was when I was that age and sometimes I feel like every1 compares him to me but I mean its fine because he knows who is faster and he never really says anything that shows that he thinks he is better, If that even makes sense? :/ o_O

 I am like so glad that I am finally done with grade 8 it was so hectic this year, all the girls are so effing hormonal and pissy all the time, they also all get caught up in drinking and smoking rather than things that are important like sports and only 4 girls in my grade swim! Right now I am like top in my grade but i think if I was in the US, Uk OR eVEN SA I would only b like top 10. I am kinda going through like a slow stage and I have not beaten any times in like a month. aka I am not all that great :(

I need to get in the pool more XD

well thats all for now

forever swimming.. eat my bubbles :) XD S.W.I.M 

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I love fly

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