NFL lines already being offered

With another quest for the Stanley Cup sadly finished in the great sport of hockey and other season mercifully over in the pathetic NBA, could it already be time for people to be turning their attentions to the National Football League? As far as many football fans are concerned, the only sport that exists ended in February after the Super Bowl and starts again in August during the preseason.

A good way to tease those people would be to show them that the opening lines are already out for Week 1 of the NFL regular season. It's way too early to make picks on those September games, but it's never a bad time to look at the odds for upcoming Super Bowl XXXIX. Odds to win each particular division are also available, but it is always dangerous to make wagers this early because of unforeseeable injuries.

To bridge that gap die-hard football handicappers just have to be satisfied with what's at hand, such as this Sunday's Arena Football League ArenaBowl 18 pitting San Jose at Arizona. If that's not good enough, how about following and betting on the Canadian Football League season, which began this week. Or maybe someone has an idea who will win college's BCS Championship Game at the Orange Bowl in January. Either way, the NFL's opening night Sept. 9 is still too far off in the distance to make serious predictions.

• Tennis' third major of the year, the Wimbledon Championships, begin Monday in London. Just two weeks ago the French Open was wrapping up on the slow, red clay of Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, and now competitors must make the quick transition to playing on grass, the fastest surface on tour. After the long clay court season, that is simply not enough time for many of the athletes to make proper adjustments, and one should always expect players with power games to dominate here.

On the gentlemen's side there are two clear-cut favorites. Last week America's Andy Roddick won the Queen's Club-Stella Artois tournament, setting a record in the process with a booming 153 mph serve. At the same time, defending Wimbledon champion Roger Federer was mowing through his opponents in straight sets at the Gerry Weber Open. My strategy will be to bet on both players and hope Roddick wins with his better odds.

On the ladies' side as of Wednesday evening odds were not yet available to Carson area handicappers. But clearly the one to pick is the U.S.A.'s Serena Williams. Her power game is most suited to grass and unmatched by any player on the tour.

• The College World Series begins today at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb. The Southeastern Conference has proved to be the story of the entire championship. A record nine schools from the SEC were invited to the 64-team Division 1 tournament, including Mississippi State, the only club of the 64 that failed to qualify for its own conference tourney. Those invitations have been justified as four of those nine squads earned berths into the eight-team College World Series.

The favorite nonetheless is the Big 12's Texas, the No. 1 seed, participating in its record 31st CWS. The Longhorns won the title two years ago and are coached by Augie Garrido who owns the most wins in Division I history with almost 1,500. Texas should win its bracket with Arizona, Arkansas and Georgia.

The other bracket is loaded with Cal-State Fullerton, Louisiana State, Miami-Florida and South Carolina. My pick is South Carolina, who is on quite a roll right now. The Gamecocks so far have been the best team from the best conference, having swept through the SEC tournament, regionals and super regional.

Championship - South Carolina over Texas in an upset.

• Another sport that is available for wagering in Carson area sports books is soccer. Although it is the most popular sport in the world, soccer will probably never quite catch on in the United States. Critics cite a lack of scoring as the main reason for its lack of popularity, but they fail to appreciate the incredible amount of skill necessary to play soccer at a high level.

Quick - name another sport where you are unable to use your hands to score ... hmmm ... keep thinking ... um, er ... there is none. It is no wonder why it is so hard to score, while goalies can use their hands to keep you from scoring.

The big tournament going on right now is Euro 2004, being played in Portugal. The pick is France and one of the best players in the world Zinedine Zidane.

Joe Ellison is the Nevada Appeal Betting Columnist. Contact him at editor@nevadaappeal.com.