Jimenez outlasts Westwood for Dubai title
Golf Betting Lines
02/07/2010 -
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miguel Angel Jimenez didn't
play great golf in Sunday's playoff, but did enough to defeat Lee Westwood and
win the Dubai Desert Classic.
Jimenez netted three pars in the extra session and the last one was enough to
topple Westwood, last year's Race to Dubai winner.
Jimenez and Westwood, two of four third-round co-leaders, headed to the par-
four ninth at the Emirates Golf Club for the third playoff hole. Westwood had
good looks at victory on both previous holes and Jimenez did his share of
scrambling, but they were even on No. 9.
Westwood found the fairway off the tee at the ninth, while Jimenez missed the
short grass in the left first cut. Jimenez came up short and right with his
approach, but Westwood was almost a club short and nearly met a watery
problem.
Jimenez chipped to four feet and Westwood pitched to six feet. Westwood missed
his par putt and Jimenez drained his for his 16th European Tour victory and
ninth since he turned 40.
"I feel so proud to win this trophy. I like the golf course, I like the
ambience and I like the people and I am very happy," said the 46-year-old, who
was a runner-up twice in this event.
Thongchai Jaidee, the third of four third-round co-leaders, had a one-over 73
and missed the playoff by a single stroke at minus-10.
Martin Kaymer, who won the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship two weeks ago, posted a
two-under 70 and shared fourth place with Edoardo Molinari, who had a 71 on
Sunday. The pair finished at nine-under 279.
That wasn't quite enough to get into the sudden-death session between Jimenez
and Westwood.
Both playoff combatants had even-par 72s on Sunday and finished regulation
tied at 11-under 277. Jimenez birdied the 17th and Westwood the 18th to put
the two into a sudden-death playoff.
Westwood appeared to have the advantage on the first playoff trip through the
par-five 18th. Jimenez laid up short of the water, while Westwood knocked it
just left of the green. Jimenez nearly rolled into the pond with his third,
but was safe and actually got up and down for par. Westwood had 10 feet for
the birdie and the win, but played too much break and it was back to the tee
for the second playoff hole.
If the first extra hole was advantage Westwood, the second time around in
sudden death it was absolutely his for the taking. Jimenez drove into the
rough and once again had to lay up, only this time he had 200 yards for his
third. Westwood's fairway-metal second rolled over the back and Jimenez' third
found a bunker.
Westwood hit an average chip and left himself with 15 feet downhill for
birdie. Jimenez blasted out to 12 feet, so Westwood stepped over his putt in
great shape. He missed, but tapped in for par and had to wait for Jimenez to
make his to extend the playoff.
"The Mechanic" poured his par save into the middle of the cup and it was off
to the par-four ninth and eventually the winner's circle for the 46-year-old
Spaniard.
"I made a very good putt on the second hole of the playoff on the 18th that
kept me going then I had a putt to win," said Jimenez. "My last win was in
2008 in the PGA (BMW PGA Championship) and it proves the old guys like me can
win."
Jimenez had an average day in windy conditions on Sunday. With several
players, including Westwood, Jaidee and Alvaro Quiros, on top of the
leaderboard, Jimenez plodded along.
He made bogey at the sixth, then went birdie-bogey immediately after the turn.
Jimenez still trailed and didn't move in front until his third birdie in four
rounds at the 17th.
Westwood caught him with a birdie on the 18th in the final group.
The final 54-hole leader to finish on Sunday was Quiros, a runner-up last week
in Qatar. Quiros owned the lead for a good portion of the back nine until
three late bogeys led him to a three-over 75.
Quiros shared sixth place with last year's winner Rory McIlroy, who managed a
one-over 73 in the final round. McIlroy and Quiros came in at eight-under-par
280.
Tom Watson, 60, played his first European Tour event since 1993 and was
brilliant on Sunday. He shot a four-under 68 and tied for eighth with world
No. 10 Henrik Stenson and Gregory Bourdy. Both Stenson and Bourdy had 68s as
well on Sunday and the trio was knotted at minus-six.
"I'm obviously very happy with how I played today," said Watson. "It was a
good week. I've enjoyed it very much. It was a learning experience here in
Dubai.
NOTES: Amateur Matteo Manassero had a one-under 71 on Sunday and tied for 31st
at minus-one...Last week's winner in Qatar, Robert Karlsson, struggled to a
four-over 76 and fell into a tie for 44th at plus-one...Next week is a new
event on tour, the Avantha Masters in India.
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FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million
Football Betting
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
NFL Betting Lines
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MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds
With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season. What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season. Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all. Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13). Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two. Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury. Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven. Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury. Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season.
In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons (32-19) are the favorites to win it all at 6-1. The addition of Chris Webber seems to have been a good move for the Pistons. Since coming over from the 76ers, Webber has averaged 13.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG and the Pistons are 11-4. Even though the defending champion Heat are currently on the playoff making cusp, they are the Eastern Conference team that is getting the most action to win it all (9-1). The fact that Shaquille O’Neal is back in the starting lineup after missing 39 games probably has something to do with this. No doubt, Shaq makes a difference when in the lineup as their winning six out of their last seven would indicate.
Just because it is the All-Star break doesn’t mean that you can’t bet on NBA hoops this weekend. Be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com to bet on who you think will cut down the nets this July. Also, be sure to check out all of the lines and props for All-Star weekend. With the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry, there are plenty of ways to cash in on the NBA this weekend.
MySportsbook.com’s NBA Championship odds:
Atlanta Hawks 1000-1
Boston Celtics 5000-1
Charlotte Bobcats 5000-1
Chicago Bulls 20-1
Cleveland Cavaliers 20-1
Dallas Mavericks 2-1
Denver Nuggets 25-1
Detroit Pistons 6-1
Golden State Warriors 250-1
Houston Rockets 12-1
Indiana Pacers 60-1
Los Angeles Clippers 45-1
Memphis Grizzlies 5000-1
Miami Heat 9-1
Milwaukee Bucks 1000-1
Minnesota T-Wolves 200-1
New Jersey Nets 50-1
New Orleans Hornets 150-1
New York Knicks 150-1
Orlando Magic 75-1
Philadelphia 76ers 1000-1
Phoenix Suns 5-2
Portland TrailBlazers 1000-1
Sacramento Kings 250-1
San Antonio Spurs 9-1
Seattle Sonics 5000-1
Toronto Raptors 35-1
Utah Jazz 20-1
Washington Wizards 25-1
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