Golf still the biggest priority for Tiger

Golf Betting Lines

03/16/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When people find out you're a golf writer, in the last few months, the inevitable question varies in form, but mostly sounds like this:

"What's up with Tiger?"

Hard to answer, but the smarter fans always wanted to know when he'd come back. That question was answered on Tuesday with Woods' announcement that he will be in the field for the Masters in a few weeks.

It's been my contention all along that he wouldn't miss Augusta. Perhaps I'm a tad jaded in my outlook on life, but I couldn't see Tiger missing a major championship.

Score one for the bald guy.

"The major championships have always been a special focus in my career and, as a professional, I think Augusta is where I need to be, even though it's been awhile since I last played," Woods said in his statement on Tuesday.

I wouldn't use the word "need" when it relates to a golf tournament and you being, there considering the degree to which you publicly humiliated your wife. Maybe both the word choice, and the timing of the comeback, were Ari Fleischer's doing.

(Also, the Masters is the safe choice because it's a very controlled environment with regard to the media.)

Some pundits with purer souls than my own believed Woods would sit out at least the Masters. Maybe they were swayed by his "performance" in his press/friends-and-family gaggle, but I never saw it that way.

Some believed he should sit out the Masters just to show how serious he was about building the family structure. So the rationale there is, just as a show, sit out the Masters so people will believe you are serious about repairing your life. If you really wanted to repair your family life, that would be good too, but just sit out the Masters and then everyone will believe you're serious.

Why bother? Tiger is a professional golfer and professional golfers don't miss major championships, especially a guy who plastered pictures of Jack Nicklaus on his wall as a kid. The goal is that major championship record.

There's no timetable for this. Hey, you cheated on your wife, that costs you the Masters. Or you're delinquent in child support, you must skip the Masters and U.S. Open.

No one but Tiger, perhaps Elin and maybe his therapist know what's really on Tiger's mind. But remember that not even one month ago, Woods uttered these words:

"I do plan to return to golf one day," Woods said on Feb. 19. "I just don't know when that day will be. I don't rule out that it will be this year."

So we went from maybe this year to six weeks? That happened quick. He must have gotten a whole lot better in that month. According to some reports, Woods was out of therapy the next week. To some, it might ring a tad disingenuous.

Maybe it's time to stop giving Woods the benefit of the doubt. He skipped probably four events he would've played if he hadn't gotten caught. While I'm sure Woods wouldn't mind having another Sarazen Trophy on his mantle for the CA-Championship, it's nothing compared to that green jacket.

I'm no marriage counselor and quite frankly it's Tiger's business when he feels he's ready to come back, but, that press joke a few weeks ago didn't show a guy who seemed ready to get back to the rigors of major championships.

Was he blowing smoke there? Yes, and it's clear that his focus has never totally left the world of professional golf. It's refreshing that he went to therapy, for whatever the reason. And, everyone should root for reconciliation with his wife if it's still possible, but let's not lose sight of the big picture as Woods sees it.

There's no sense in a token skipping of the Masters to show contrition to the skeptical masses. Woods won't be missing anything that truly mattered to him, and since his motivations will be questioned at every turn anyway, Woods might as well play Augusta.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

- CBS has to be a tad excited about this announcement. Ratings will be other worldly.

- I think an underrated aspect of this whole Woods saga is how galleries will respond. I imagine after some spectators partake of a few cocktails, Tiger may hear some gentlemen saying some unpleasant things about Perkins parking lots and the volume of waitresses there. All earned, by the way.

- My apologies, Ernie Els. My column contending that you have a good run left in the tank was going to be fantastic.

- Movie moment - How do guys in the Star Wars movies have British accents? Luke grew up on a desert planet, some characters come from an ice planet, and the other grew up in a flat in Liverpool?

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MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined

Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.

"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."

Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)

According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.

As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).

Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.

Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at

17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.

*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007

New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers

By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.

"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."

While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."

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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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