It's Kentucky Derby Week, or as I like to call it, the real religious holiday. Yes, that's how important the Kentucky Derby is to my family. Call me crazy, but I just don't understand how anybody who considers himself a true horse race betting fan could do anything this coming Saturday except hang-out with friends, eat some good food, drink a lot of high-priced whiskey, watch the races at Churchill Downs and try to make lots of money in the BetUS online racebook.

The Kentucky Derby is as old, and as important, as any sporting event in the United States. How important? The horse, trainer and jockey that win the Kentucky Derby become forever remembered in our collective horse racing minds. No horse racing fan forgets you if you win the Kentucky Derby.

Case in point, Risen Star who was obviously the most talented 3-year old colt of his generation. He took down the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in 1988. But who do we remember? The filly Winning Colors out of the D. Wayne Lukas barn. She wired the Derby field that year.

This year, the winner of the Kentucky Derby automatically gets a seat next to Curlin for year end honors. That's the way it is every year.

For horse racing fans, going to the Kentucky Derby is unlike anything you are ever going to experience again. I've been to a few Breeders' Cups, okay? And, let me tell you, Breeders' Cup day is nothing like the Kentucky Derby. I spent an entire week in Lexington, going back and forth to Louisville during Derby week last year, and it was unlike anything I had ever seen in my life.

Everybody I met was discussing the race. I mean everybody! In the Lexington Journal the top story, during Derby week, was on a horse or jockey or trainer or owner. The cab drivers asked me who I liked for the race. The fellas who checked me into the Hilton Hotel in Lexington asked me who I liked. The waitresses, waiters and bartenders all asked me who I liked.

And that was just in Lexington! The parties in Louisville were absolutely insane! The entire city was on a permanent party during the entire week. I've spent many a week in New Orleans, but New Orleans has nothing on Louisville during Derby week.

Churchill Downs is actually in a quiet neighborhood. I remember being offered water, liquor, snacks, all for a price of course, while walking to the track. Police on horseback were everywhere and everybody was in a fantastic mood. One thing that really got to me was the hats. Yes, I know that everybody knows about the hats, but the hats were crazy. I mean, people actually put on suits and ties, nice dresses. It was a different experience then going out to Hollywood Park on a Saturday afternoon.

You immediately feel the history at the Kentucky Derby. That's something I won't forget. The history is everywhere. Churchill Downs is very, very old. It feels old. It looks old. The people who work there are old.

Oh, yeah. O.J. showed up with three girls and they were all hot. Maybe I should declare bankruptcy and not pay my taxes!

Okay, now that everybody realizes how important this race is let me tell you why you need to stay at home and play the ponies in the BetUS online racebook during Kentucky Derby Day.

First, you don't want to get shut out at the windows. Believe it or not, every major racetrack in the United States will be broadcasting the Derby and every single major racetrack in the United States will have problems getting your bets in. This is also true with those other online racebooks. You know? The ones that own their own television networks?

Log onto BetUS, call the customer service team at BetUS and you will get your bet in. But that's not the only reason. BetUS offers everything that any other online racebook or traditional track offers. Sure, sometimes its fun to get out to the track, but the pools on Kentucky Derby Day are going to be absolutely huge.

Real horseplayers need to concentrate on any slight changes that occur during the myriad of difficult to handicap races on the Kentucky Derby Day card. That requires being able to listen to your own thoughts which is hard to do when there's over one-hundred thousand screaming drunkards within a mile radius of you.

Lay out your form, fix yourself a mint julep, get the computer ready and make some money. That's what the Kentucky Derby is all about and the BetUS racebook is the best place to do it. Trust me. I should know. I've been there.

By Nila Amerova
Monte Carlo, Monaco - The final eight at the ATP Masters Series in Monte Carlo was trimmed down to four after today's round of tennis betting action with the favourites and top four seeds - No.1 Roger Federer, No.2 Rafael Nadal, No.3 Novak Djokovic and No.4 Nikolay Davydenko sweeping into the semis. The online tennis betting community backing the favourites, in particular, Federer, who has been but a shadow of his former self in 2008, will be hoping this is the start of things to come this season, with the world's most outstanding players colliding in the final stages of tournaments.

The Monte Carlo Masters tennis odds at BetUS Sportsbook are generous in that they suggest Roger Federer, the World No.1, is an underdog to win the title. It is not often one finds the tennis maestro set at long-odds in a tournament, but the sports betting markets are unanimous, tipping Federer at around 8/1 to win the tournament, behind odds on favourite, three-time champion Rafael Nadal (no surprise in his odds) and Novak Djokovic, who weighs in at around 7/2.

The order on the favouritism plane - Nadal/Djokovic /Federer, respectively - is interesting to note when the last two Monte Carlo finals featured the Federer/Nadal rivalry on centre court. In 2007, Nadal beat Federer 6-4, 6-4 and in 2006, when the tournament was played to the best of three sets, Nadal won in four 6-2 6-7(2) 6-3 7-6(5).

Now with both players (Federer/Nadal) confirmed in the final four, on opposite ends of the draw, come this Sunday, there is every chance the ATP Masters Series will receive their rivalry in the final movement of the tournament once again. So are the bookies short-changing Federer in the sports betting market?

Well, yes and no. Somewhere in the small crevice created between the conclusiveness of each counter is the answer. So, what has changed to cause a shift in betting market trends?

Answer: Why, the rise of Novak Djokovic, of course! Where have you been!

Just as the odds reflect, Novak Djokovic, over the last year and some change, has insinuated himself right at the heart of what used to be the blissful duopoly of Federer and Nadal in the game. Creating a "triopoly" - if you will - Djokovic wedged himself between the two, with Federer and Nadal alternating flanks on either side of him on the favourite's plane. As we are now in the clay court season, naturally, common sense dictates, Nadal – the King of Clay – is to assume the lead as the odds-on-favourite, followed by Djokovic and Federer. Come grass or hard court season, the trio's delicate succession of odds swings, with Federer taking on the leading role as the odds-on-favourite, followed by Djokovic and Nadal. Not an outright favourite (as of yet), he is tipped second fiddle to either player depending on the surface and tournament. The implication in the order, which is contrary to the order of their ATP ranking, is that Djokovic has the game to threaten either player on his favourite patch in a tournament.

Therefore, can Djokovic string together the game to knock either Federer or Nadal of their stride? At the ATP Masters Series Monte Carlo, the online tennis betting community does not have to wait long before the opportunity to bet on the sword of Damocles that is Djokovic to strike one of the pair, for Djokovic looms in the semis as Federer's next challenge. Bet on the ATP Masters Series Monte Carlo - the weekend of tennis betting at BetUS Sportsbook could not be more exciting as the action will come quick and fast!

So there you have it, a nice short break down for you of some of the exciting tennis betting options available at BetUS Sportsbook. Now that you are all read up, you are ready to start betting on tennis!

The top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers can take a 2-0 lead over the eighth-seeded Denver Nuggets, as the teams square off tonight at the Staples Center in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.

On Sunday, Pau Gasol finished with 36 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists as the Lakers used a strong second half to blitz the Nuggets, 128-114, in Game 1 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series at the Staples Center.

Superstar Kobe Bryant netted 18 in the fourth quarter and ended with 32 points in the win for the Lakers. Lamar Odom contributed 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Luke Walton added 16 points off the bench.

Carmelo Anthony recorded 30 points and 12 rebounds in the loss for the Nuggets. Allen Iverson also scored 30 while dishing out seven assists before he was ejected with 2:10 left in the fourth quarter. Iverson received a pair of technicals for arguing with referee Ken Mauer. Linas Kleiza chipped in 23 points in defeat.

Denver is scheduled to host the Lakers on Saturday at the Pepsi Center in Game 3 of this best-of-seven series.

The Nuggets have lost 14 straight Game 2s in the postseason. The last time Denver won the second game of a playoff series was against the Lakers on May 4, 1985 in the Western Conference finals.

LA has won two of its last Game 2s in the playoffs.

The Lakers were 3-0 against the Nuggets during the regular season. LA defeated Denver twice at the Staples Center and on December 5 at the Pepsi Center.

This is the fourth time these teams have met in the postseason. The Lakers are a perfect 3-0 against the Nuggets, as they defeated Denver in the first round of the playoffs in 1979 and 1987. The Lakers also knocked out the Nuggets in five games, 4-1, in the 1985 West finals.

The Lakers have been eliminated two straight years by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs. They lost in seven games in 2006 and in five during the opening round of the 2007 postseason.

During the regular season, Los Angeles won its first Pacific Division crown since the 2003-04 campaign, when Shaquille O'Neal was trying to lead the Lakers to their fourth title in five years.

The Nuggets have advanced to the playoffs for the fifth straight year. They have been eliminated four straight years in the opening round of the postseason, and are 4-16 during that span. They fell in five games in the opening round to Minnesota in 2004, San Antonio in 2005, 2007 and the Clippers in 2006.

The last time the Nuggets advanced to the second round of the playoffs was during the 1994 postseason. Denver upset the Seattle SuperSonics in five games, 3-2, in the opening round that season, but was ousted in seven games by Utah in the Western semifinals.

Denver was 17-24 on the road this season, while the Lakers were 30-11 as the host.

By Jerry Magee
Through the history of an NFL draft that had its beginning in 1936, only twice have the procedures begun with the selection of an offensive tackle. There's a reason.

These individuals have a way of flaming out. One thinks of Tony Mandarich of Michigan State, taken on selection No. 2 by the Green Bay Packers in 1989. Mandarich had some success, but it was with the Indianapolis Colts, and as a guard, not a tackle.

More recently, there have been other notable failures at tackle, including Robert Gallery of Iowa, named by the Oakland Raiders in 2004, also as a No. 2 choice. As Mandarich was, Gallery has been switched to guard.

These matters come up because of the possibility, seemingly a strong one, that the Miami Dolphins could invest the ranking selection in the April 26-27 draft in Jake Long, a 6-foot-7, 313-pound offensive tackle from Michigan.

Bill Parcells, supervising the Dolphins' draft, is understood to have begun contractual discussions with Long's interests. Should these dialogues lead to an accord, Parcells would not have to wait until draft day to identify Long; he could name him at the time of his choosing, although he likely would not. The NFL would not want the suspense to be drained from the process.

As an offensive tackle taken at the top of the draft, Long would join the only two others at his position to be similarly tapped, Ron Yary by the Minnesota Vikings in 1968 and Orlando Pace by the St. Louis Rams in 1997. They have done handsomely. Yary is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. One day, Pace, still active, could be.

Meantime, opinions are divided on what sort of future Long has in the NFL. One person who does not question his status is Lloyd Carr, his Michigan coach.

Said Carr: "Any discussion of the best football players in this country, if it doesn't include Jake Long, then I think there's something missing from that discussion. I think if you took a 50-play highlight film of Jake Long, it would educate people so they could see what a great offensive lineman he is and how he can impact the game."

Not all the scholars of the draft, however, are taken with Long. Russ Lande, a former Rams scout whose evaluations are made under the nome de draft "g.m. jr.," lists Long No. 13 in grading draft prospects. Lande has two other tackles, Ryan Clady of Boise State and Chris Williams of Vanderbilt, ranked ahead of Long.

No one whose draft judgments are published puts Long in the same area as Joe Thomas, a Wisconsin athlete selected in the first round in 2007 by Cleveland (on choice No. 3).

This is a year when offensive tackle is being viewed as the draft's strength, with potential starters to be available not just in the opening round but in later rounds.

By D.S Williamson
After getting swept by the Baltimore Orioles earlier this month, the Mariners have turned things around - somewhat. Meaning baseball betting faithful may be able to trust the Mariners again enough to place a wager. They've won their last three games in a row, not counting their Friday night match-up versus the Angels, and, more importantly, their pitching has been better then it has been so far this season. The Mariners will send out Jarrod Washburn for this game. Washburn is 1 and 1 on the season with a 3.50 ERA. He has given up 18 hits and 7 runs in 18 innings pitched so far this season.

The L.A. Angels of Anaheim will counter Washburn with Ervin Santana. Although Santana's ERA isn't excellent, it's 3.32 at this time, he is 2 and 0 on the season with 14 strikeouts in three games.

Let's take a look at my personal wager lines.

Seattle Mariners

Jarrod Washburn - L + 1 1/2 - 145 + 155 O 9 1/2

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Ervin Santana – R - 1 ½ + 135 - 170 U 9 ½
This is going to be a very difficult game for both teams. The Mariners and the Angels are two of the teams in the N.L. West who should fight for the division title. That means that the Angels and Mariners will be working hard to secure this win.

Santana is easily the Angels best pitcher. Weaver isn't bad either, but Santana appears to be their most consistent option so far this season. However, giving up runs for odds on a team that has been hot lately, the Mariners, doesn't make much sense me. I also don't like the idea of putting up extra cash to bet the Angels to win this game straight-up.

Washburn will be the underdog and on the run-line I have no doubt that I could get that all important run and a half should I want it, but do I really want it? I don't think the run and a half will matter all that much in this game. And if it does, it's not worth the risk.

I think that the best wager in this game is on the Mariners straight-up. They will be an underdog in this game, getting above even money, and they have been hot lately.

The Angels proved in their series with the Royals last week that they could lose a game at home against a subpar team.

The Mariners might not be subpar so the chances of them beating the Mariners on Saturday night are actually pretty good.

Go to the BetUS sportsbook today and take a swing at Major League Baseball online betting. Join BetUS to experience the best in online sports betting action!

By Charles Jay
* UTAH has won four of the last five meetings SU
* UTAH has covered seven of the last eight meetings
* Four of the last six meetings have gone OVER the total
* UTAH has covered four of the last six meetings as the road team
* UTAH has had the shooting edge in eight of the last nine meetings
* UTAH has had the rebounding edge in each of the last five meetings
* HOU has made more three-pointers in nine of the last ten meetings

Houston went on a tear this season, winning 22 straight games to bring itself from Western Conference also-ran to playoff contender. Of course, losing Yao Ming was a big blow, and this will eventually kill the Rockets' hopes to win the conference title.

In this game, though, they may not be in bad shape. There is an albatross of sorts around the neck of the Jazz, and that is the team's 17-24 SU road record. And although Utah comes into this series with a head of steam, Houston has some momentum as well. After the losing streak ended, the Rockets went into a lull of sorts, dropping five of the next eight games. But the team finished strong, winning six of the last eight.

The key injury for Houston, of course, is Yao. But Rafer Alston is going to miss at least the first two games as he is nursing a bad hamstring. That's a tough break, especially if he has to miss more time than that. In the way of a stopgap, however, you could do worse than Bobby Jackson, who like Alston is not much of a shooter but is rather sure-handed in distributing the ball.

Here is the difference, though, as we see it - Utah has the more beneficial playoff experience, having gone to the conference finals last season; the Jazz has a much more varied offensive game, and that has been enhanced somewhat with the addition of Kyle Korver, who at least gives this team the threat of a long-range bomber. Also, we know the Jazz are going to shoot around 50% from the field, but Houston has shown flashes of wild inconsistency, and they come into this game having shot just 35%, 40% and 41% in their last three. Remember that there were few "throwaway" games down the stretch in the loaded Western Conference.

The Rockets catch a break in that they'll have the home court edge despite Utah being the team that was the division champion. Utah knows it is critical to "break serve" here, so look for Deron Williams, with just a couple of exceptions the finest point guard in the league, to take advantage of Jackson's sore knee by making him work overtime on the defensive end.

We'll go with the Jazz in this one, taking the point in the BetUS NBA betting odds.

Betting on NBA player and game props makes every aspect of the game exciting. Join BetUS.com today to bet on the NBA and make online sports betting work for you!

By Robby Maddux
The 2008-09 NFL schedule was released on Tuesday and it promises to deliver an awesome football betting campaign. The upcoming online NFL betting season will be packed with unprecedented excitement from opening day kickoff right through the final play of Super Bowl XLIII.

The season starts Sept. 4 with the Washington Redskins visiting the reigning Super Bowl champion New York Giants on Thursday evening. Last season, these two met twice and split the meetings SU (straight up) and ATS (against the spread).

In Week 1 on Sunday Sept. 7, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots will make another run at perfection when they open the season at home against the Kansas City Chiefs. It will be the first regular-season meeting since 2005-06 when the Chiefs posted a 26-16 cover win at home as the 3-point favorites.

There's two games Sept 8 as Monday Night Football makes its season debut featuring the Green Bay Packers hosting the Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos visiting the Oakland Raiders.

The Packers won both meetings last season SU and ATS versus the Vikings. Green Bay was NFL's biggest money-makers at 12-3-1 ATS in 2007-2008. The Broncos and Raiders went 1-1 SU but Oakland (19-61 SU over the past five seasons) took the money in both as underdogs last season.

The new schedule even sends NFL betting action across the pond. For the second consecutive year, a regular-season game will be played in London at Wembley Stadium, with the New Orleans Saints the "home" team playing San Diego on Sunday, Oct. 26.

The two haven't met since 2004 when the Chargers routed the Saints 43-17 easily covering the 6½-point spread as chalk.

Brady and the Patriots face Peyton Manning and the Colts on Sunday night, Nov. 2 on the road. Last season, New England got the 24-20 victory over the hosting Colts but failed to cover the 5-point spread as favorites en route to a 10-6-0 ATS regular-season record.

BetUS NFL odds (futures) are displaying New England clear cut favorites to win Super Bowl XLIII at +330. Indianapolis and San Diego are oddsmakers second choice at +700.

On Turkey Day Thursday, Nov. 22, there will be three games. The Tennessee Titans will be in the motor city to play the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys, and the Arizona Cardinals visit the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Buffalo Bills will play in Toronto on Sunday, Dec. 7 against the Miami Dolphins, who posted a laughable 1-15 SU record (5-8-3 ATS) last season, as part of an effort to expand the NFL market across the border. This marks the first time the Bills will play during the regular season in Canada, which is only a 90 minute drive away.

If you bet on NFL action, the upcoming campaign is going to be spectacular, to say the least. Here are additional key dates for the NFL wagering community:
Aug. 9-13: First preseason weekend
Dec. 29-30: Regular season ends
Jan. 5-6: Wild Card Playoffs
Jan. 12: Divisional Playoffs
Jan. 20: Conference Championships
Feb. 3: Super Bowl XLIII - Glendale, Arizona
Feb. 10: AFC-NFC Pro Bowl - Honolulu, Hawaii

The 2008 NFL betting season is almost here! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The BetUS sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join BetUS today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!

Where are you now, you stupid online sports betting Nashville pushers? Yes I'm angry. Do you know how many emails and calls I had to take from people trying to convince me that Dan Ellis was the second coming? Well have fun with that. I know that the "fun" thing to do in betting is guess the big underdog in the playoffs, but it's also fun to win money. And that should be your ultimate goal.

Detroit is a steep favorite again, and for good reason. If you watch the highlights, you'll see that Detroit is a well-oiled machine whose offensive proficiency is far too prolific for Ellis and his blue-line corps. Detroit has all the confidence in the world, and the makings of a sweep in the works. Nashville is in over their heads, so bet smart and take the Red Wings despite the line.

Well so much for the notion that Boston was going to give Montreal a hard time. Montreal hammered the Bruins in a 4-1 thrashing that saw the Kostitsyn brothers score in the opening two-minutes of the game. After that, there was no looking back. Tim Thomas looked nervous as all hell, and Montreal buried him with pucks. If there were any doubts that Montreal was undeserving of the number-one ranked offense in the league, then there's not much more I can do to convince you. The writing's on the wall.

Boston is winless in their last 12 meetings with Montreal. Somewhere, most likely at home, they'll get a win. But not on a Saturday night with a rabid Montreal home crowd frothing at the mouth to throttle Boston again. I'm not betting against Montreal at home, especially against a team they are 12-0 SU against. Neither should you.

One glaring stat that I overlooked concerning Anaheim - they're the most penalized team in the league. Their power-play went 3-of-7 on Thursday night, getting blown up in a 4-0 shutout loss to the Stars. They played undisciplined and lazy, and without the two-way play of Andy McDonald (now in St. Louis) or Doug Weight at full strength, their penalty killing looks rough.

But still, the leadership on this team is enough to whip the roster in to shape and I still believe in a team that had the second stingiest defines in the league with 2.3 goals against per game. The Ducks will need to exact a measure of revenge and show the plucky Stars whose boss. Bet on them converting their mistakes in to opportunities and capitalizing with the win.

Score big with online sports betting in the BetUS.com sportsbook, where you'll find odds and lines for every NHL hockey game of the year..

By Charles Jay
Here are some of the NBA basketball betting trends that are relative to this matchup:(Trends are current through April 10).

* LA has lost 15 of its last 17 games SU
* LA has covered one of its last six games
* LA has played five of its last six games UNDER the total
* LA has lost nine of its last ten road games SU
* LA has covered four of its last six road games
* GS has covered one of its last six games
* GS has played five of its last six games UNDER the total
* GS has covered one of its last six home games
* GS has played four of its last five home games OVER the total

In the HEAD-to-HEAD NBA basketball betting trends:

* GS has won three of the last four meetings SU
* GS has covered six of the last eight meetings
* GS has won and covered the last four meetings SU as the home team
* Seven of the last ten meetings have gone UNDER the total
* GS has had the shooting edge in three of the last four meetings
* GS has made more three-pointers in seven of the last ten meetings

The Clippers got slugged around again on Thursday night against the Lakers (106-78), which brings their streak of consecutive pointspread defeats to four. Elton Brand had 23 points in that game, but he's getting minimal support, except for the outstanding rookie, Al Thornton (12.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg - 22 points vs. Lakers). the 'other" L.A. team is second from the bottom in the league in scoring (93.8 ppg), while Golden State is the NBA's highest scoring club at 110.7 points per contest.

However, the Warriors don't play a lot of defense, allowing 46.6% shooting and 105.4 points a game, and because of that they have not been a very good team at carrying big numbers. In fact, they are 5-15 ATS when laying six points or more. And Don Nelson's team, which is none too physical, won't extract any advantages on the glass from a Clippers team that may be without Chris Kaman, but still has a relatively potent combo up front with Brand and Thornton.

Golden State is just 14-25 ATS at the Oracle Arena, which makes them the league's worst pointspread team at home aside from Miami. We'll look for the Clips to keep this one within a roomy number in the BetUS NBA basketball betting odds.

Find the latest 2007-2008 NBA odds and lines in the best online sportsbook, BetUS.com. Join BetUS.com today to bet on the NBA and make online sports betting work for you.

The 2008 US Masters Tournament is well underway, but the shocking twists and turns continue, after the top 3 spots on the leaderboard are now occupied by players no one had considered, especially the leader Trevor Immelman. Scoring 68 on both the first and second round of the 2008 Masters, Trevor Immelman remains the leader of the golf tournament with total eight under par, followed by Brandt Snedeker with -7. Tiger Woods, who entered the 2008 US Masters as the ultimate favorite to win, with odds 1/1 at the online bookmaker BodogSports, is now tied for the 13th position on the Masters leaderboard, along with Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh.

In the first round Tiger Woods went for bogey on the 13th and 14th hole, offsetting the bad start with an eagle on the 15th to finish the first day even. But the troubles continued for Woods in the second round - three bogeys and four birdies put Tiger Woods at one under par and tied at No.13. After the first two rounds of the 2008 Masters, the online bookmaker BodogSports quickly revised the odds offered on the golf tournament and Tiger Woods now holds odds to win at 4/1. Phil Mickelson is now the new favorite to win the Masters, listed with shortened odds 3/1, after opening the tournament with odds 10/1. Mickelson started the golf tournament with one under par in the first round and four birdies in the second round brought his total score to five under to tie at the third spot on the Masters leaderboard with Ian Poulter and Steve Flesch.

The leader after the second round of the 2008 Masters Tournament, Trevor Immelman from South Africa, went -4 to par in the first round with four birdies and chased the lead with five more birdies and one bogey in the second round. Despite the great play Immelman exhibited so far during the Masters, the odds makers at BodogSports are still reluctant to make him the favorite and Trevor Immelman is holding odds 6/1 to win the 2008 Masters. Although well within reach, Tiger Woods will have to give 110% in order to get a shot at winning the 2008 US Masters this year, while Phil Mickelson remains the best bet on the course. The third round of the Masters continues on Saturday with broadcasting on CBS starting at 3:30pm EST.

By D.S Williamson
Are sportsbook bettors wondering why the Baltimore Orioles are playing so well? Could the Orioles be the team to beat in the A.L. East? The Orioles are 6 and 1 currently. That's pretty surprising considering that nobody picked the Orioles to do much of anything at the beginning of the season.

Things do tend to even out eventually in baseball. After all, there are 162 games. But six straight wins sure does say a lot about this team. Then again, they haven't played either the Boston Red Sox or the New York Yankees yet. Before jumping on their bandwagon, I have to see them do something special against a true A.L. East powerhouse.

The surprise teams so far in the N.L. are the teams I highlight below, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Florida Marlins. The Marlins are 5 and 3. It's a surprise because like the Orioles, the Marlins shouldn't be anywhere close to a winning record.

Let's take a look at the rankings!

Major League Baseball Power Rankings

1. St. Louis Cardinals - - The Cardinals are 8 and 2 against the BetUS spread in their last 10 games. They're number one on this list mainly because they appear to have longetivity. In a 162 game season a lot of teams are cold in the beginning and then get hot towards the end of September. I like the Cardinals' consistency and truly believe that they will keep things going.
2. Milwaukee Brewers - - Two N.L. Central teams in the Top Five? Why not! The BrewCrew are 6 and 2 straight-up and 8 and 2 against the BetUS spread going back to their last two games of the 2007 season. The lack of real pitching studs may hurt this team soon, but right now I love these guys.
3. Chicago White Sox - - Until the Yankees, Tigers, Red Sox and Angels get off their collective asses I am going to keep hyping this team. The ChiSox are 5 and 3 on the season and 6 and 4 against the BetUS spread going back to their last 2 games of the 2007 season. The way Mark Beuherle came back, after a rough first start, to whup up on the Tigers last weekend was awesome.
4. Arizona Diamondbacks - - I didn't think the Diamondbacks would separate themselves from the rest of the N.L. West so early in the season. Like the Cardinals, I don't think this team drops off all that much during the length of the season. Webb and Haren are awesome. They're scoring more runs than anticipated and both the Dodgers and Padres have been disappointing early. The D'Backs are 7 and 2 straight-up and 7 and 2 against the BetUS spread.
5. Kansas City Royals - - 6 and 2 against the BetUS spread so far this season. Are the Royals like the Orioles? Are both teams this good? Unlike the Orioles who have secured their gaudy record by beating up on lesser teams, the Royals have done it by sweeping the Detroit Tigers and handing it to the New York Yankees. That means they might be real.
6. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - - I wasn't sure where to put these guys. They do have a winning record of 6 and 4 against the BetUS spread. That makes them a legitimate team, but I still doubt their pitching. Still, none of the other top teams in the A.L. appear to want to win.
7. Chicago Cubs - - 5 and 3 against the BetUS spread this season. The Cubbies add to a very deep N.L. Central. The downfall of the Cubs will occur when their pitching staff goes belly-up which is bound to happen. Not enough great pitching means that the Cubs will have to score like crazy just to be competitive against the Brewers and the Cardinals.
8. San Diego Padres - - 5 and 5 so far this season against the BetUS spread. I still love their pitching staff. They're visiting the Dodgers this weekend. That should tell us more. I'm grabbing with these last three spots...
9. Baltimore Orioles - - I've got to put them somewhere, right? They are 6 and 1 against the worst teams in the A.L. I can’t believe in this bunch but 6 and 1 against the BetUS spread is 6 and 1 against the BetUS spread.
10. Toronto Blue Jays - - 4 and 4 against the BetUS spread. Sure, they aren't the Yankees or the Red Sox, but nobody wants to be either one of those teams right now. I like the Jays starting pitching staff and I think they can stay under the radar for the entire season while the Yankees and Red Sox keep getting hyped to the moon. We'll see...

Go to the BetUS sportsbook today and take a swing at Major League Baseball online betting. Join BetUS to experience the best in online sports betting action!

News of possible F.A.R.C. insurgencies in the Costa Rican government has been traveling all over that quaint bookie haven.

F.A.R.C. is the acronym for Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, the largest, oldest best equipped terrorist organization in the world, according to the U.S. Department of State.

News reports began surfacing that F.A.R.C. may have had some influence over Costa Rican politicians.

Oscar Arias, the Costa Rican president has released a statement saying that he has had contact from the Columbian Government that details that there isn’t any Costa Rica politician linked with FARC, after to the recent raids of the Columbian rebel group.

The raid was conducted a month ago at the beginning of March as the Columbian Army invaded a FARC headquarter and manage to recover Raul Reyes' computer, a high ranking FARC member.

The Public Security minister, Fernando Berrocal, resigned earlier this week after his allegations over the raid where he accused several Costa Rican politicians of being linked with the Columbian rebel group. It now appears apparent that these allegations were indeed wrong according to the Columbian government.

It was rumored that the Costa Rican government was going to send their own representatives down to Columbia this week to help out with investigation, however due to the contact from the Columbian government; no such action will be taken at the moment. Vice-president Laura Chinchilla was expected to be apart of that team.

Arias ended his statement by claiming that his government is fully transparent and has nothing to hide just like his previous government when he was president 20 years ago.

According to a report in AM Costa Rica, the majority of foreigners in Costa Rica had never heard of "F.A.R.C.," but had some sort of an idea about Colombian rebels. All the Costa Ricans, on the other hand, were familiar with the term F.A.R.C., and most believed that the terrorist group was definitely connected to politicians here.

Leading betting exchange group Betfair could soon be able to operate and advertise its services in Australia's most populated state following a High Court ruling last week.

According to a report in The Sydney Morning Herald, the ruling of the highest court in Western Australia against legislation prohibiting residents from placing bets using Betfair's online exchange could now see the operator branch out nationwide, including into New South Wales and the metropolis of Sydney.

Alan Cameron, head of a Government review into whether Betfair and other online operators should be allowed to operate in the state, told the newspaper that his gut reaction was that the ruling would see operations begin soon. He stated that this could happen even before he submits his findings in July as the ruling had put 'significant obstacles' in the way of steps to prevent Betfair from operating in Australia.

The newspaper quoted industry players as stating it was likely that Betfair, which has a wagering licence in Tasmania, would be allowed to operate and advertise in all of the nation's six states and two territories. However, the Government of New South Wales stated that it is seeking advise from the Crown Solicitor over the implications of the High Court decision in Western Australia.

'State Governments are rapidly losing control over their wagering markets,' said Bruce Tobin, Spokesperson for wagering and gaming firm Tabcorp.

Critics do not like Betfair because it allows punters to bet on losing horses and, many opponents claim, increases the likelihood of race rigging as it is easier to fix a horse to lose than to win.

'It's an inevitable consequence that they probably will be allowed in every state across the country," said Barrie Fletton, Wagering Chief for Australian gaming company Tatts Group.

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