02/08/2010 - Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eighth-seeded Elena Vesnina and Hungarian Agnes Szavay were Monday's first-round winners at the $700,000 Open GDF Suez tennis tournament.
The Russian Vesnina vaulted past Romanian Alexandra Dulgheru 6-1, 6-4, while the unseeded Szavay topped Belarusian Olga Govortsova 6-3, 1-0, as Govortsova retired in the second set on the indoor hardcourts at Stade Coubertin.
A trio of seeds will see action here on Wednesday, as No. 4 Italian Francesca Schiavone, No. 6 Israeli Shahar Peer and No. 7 Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano will take to the courts.
This week's top seeds, Russian Elena Dementieva and Italian Flavia Pennetta, each received opening-round byes. Dementieva was upset by long-time French favorite Amelie Mauresmo in last year's finale here. Mauresmo has since retired from the WTA Tour.
The champion here will collect $107,000.
<< Gainey stepping down as Canadiens GM
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montreal Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey
will reportedly step down from his post, as the team has scheduled a press
conference for 4 p.m. (et).
According to a report by TSN Canada, assistant general
<< Connecticut continues to top women's poll
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Connecticut remained a unanimous choice as the
top-ranked team in women's college basketball, as the Associated Press
released its latest poll Monday.
The Huskies (23-0) enter the week with a 62-gam
<< Safina will skip Dubai
Moscow, Russia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1 Dinara Safina will miss
next week's WTA Tour event in Dubai because of a back injury.
The currently world No. 2 star was forced to retire from her fourth-round
match at last month
<< Kansas still No. 1, Syracuse slides up to No. 2
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas remained the top team in the latest
Associated Press men's college basketball poll, while Syracuse moved up one
spot to No. 2.
The Jayhawks (22-1) regained the top spot last week after spending
Pacers' Foster to have season-ending back surgery >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Indiana Pacers forward/center Jeff Foster
will undergo season-ending surgery for lower back pain following the All-Star
break.
Foster is expected to make a full recovery and participate in training camp
This Week in Golf - February 11th through February 14th >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PGA TOUR - AT&T PEBBLE BEACH NATIONAL PRO-
AM, Pebble Beach Golf Links, Monterey Peninsula Country Club Shore Course,
Spyglass Hill Golf Course, Pebble Beach, California - It's one of most popular
eve
Brewers to honor Selig with statue >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers announced Monday that
they will honor former owner and current baseball commissioner Bud Selig with
a statue at Miller Park.
It will be the third statue built at Miller Park, joining
Gainey steps down as Canadiens GM, Gauthier takes over >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montreal Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey
has decided to step down from his post and hand the reins over to Pierre
Gauthier, the club announced on Monday.
"After a long and difficult period of
After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.
Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.
Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.
So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.
In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.
For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.
The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.
The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.
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