... very well," Sherman said. "It just took awhile to grade them."

SuperBook boss Jay Kornegay had a strong opinion on Pittsbugh going into the game.

The Palms broke even on parlay cards, while Sam's Town reported a "small winning day."

"The important thing is we didn't lose," Paonessa said, adding that the Boyd Group was a loser on the total.

All three resorts reported heavy traffic as Sin City circumvented the NFL ban on super Bowl parties by offering food and drink specials and showing the game on regulation-sized TVs throughout the casinos.

"We were busy, but I've seen better," Paonessa said.

"We were busy all day," said Baccellieri, a veteran Caesars Palace employee who hadn't been in vegas for the super Bowl in five or six years

"Always before I saw it from the perspective of a major Strip hotel," he continued.

"It was fun, different, to view it from an off-Strip one.

"I'd call it a decent day."

not even close.more

Learning from Sport - By George!

... We played squash and Monopoly. Holidays were spent playing cricket, learning to row and flying kites. We queued up for hours in the cold and the rain to get tickets to see Sutton united play Leeds in the 4th round of the FA Cup. I sat on his knee to watch Henry Cooper knock down Muhammed Ali. We revelled in England winning the world Cup. And my first attempts at golf were with George.

When my children were small it seemed perfectly natural to enjoy sport with them too. Cycling, running, football, netball, badminton, tennis, rugby, swimming; not to mention endless indoor game...more

Premiership Transfer Window Review - Part Three

...joined from Maccabi Haifa for 100,000 while Deportivo defender Lionel Scaloni has signed a loan deal with the club. If you are fond of speculative punts, striker Marlon Harewood, with six goals in his last 12 Premiership matches, is available at 40/1 to top the Premiership goal scoring charts at the end of the season.

Wigan Athletic

Wigan have had a remarkable first season in the Premiership. They are fifth in the table, one place above former Champions arsenal, just three points adrift of a Champions League spot and a place in the Carling Cup final secured.

Paul Jewell has worked wonders at the JJB Stadium and it is not surprising chairman Dave Whelan has sanctioned a 2 million move for Brann defender Paul Scharner, the free transfer of midfielder David Thompson and loan arrivals for Liverpools Neil Mellor and Tottenham Hotspurs Reto Ziegler.

It would be foolish to bet against the Latics qualifying for europe next season but at present they are the only side in the top 10 with a minus goal difference. They are 300/1 outsiders to win the Premiership in the without Chelsea market.

...more

World Cup 2006 - Reaction To Group Stage draw

...Red hot favourites Brazil received a favourable draw as the group stage of the 2006 World Cup was announced on 9 December. The 16/5 favourites were drawn into Group F with Croatia, Australia and Japan. Hosts Germany also has a relatively easy group with opposition provided in the form of Costa Rica, Poland and Ecuador.

However, not everyone was so lucky. Groups C and E have "group of death" credentials with Argentina, Ivory Coast, Serbia & Montenegro and Holland facing each other in the former, while Italy, Ghana, USA and the Czech Republic will battle it out in the latter.

GROUP A
Germany 7/1
Costa Rica 500/1
Poland 125/1
Ecuador 200/1

Germany should be able to qualify from Group A comfortably, kick-starting the tournament with a match against Costa Rica. Poland could prove to be tricky opponents and will be expected to finish as runners up in the group. However, Ecuador may be capable of providing an upset as they beat Croatia in the group stages of the 2002 World Cup.

GROUP B
England 13/2
Paraguay 20...more

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