07/03/2009 - Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Five-time champion Roger Federer defeated Tommy Haas in Friday's men's semifinal action at Wimbledon. The iconic Federer will now appear in a men's record seventh straight Wimbledon final on Sunday.
The second-seeded former world No. 1 Federer topped a 24th-seeded Haas 7-6 (7-3), 7-5, 6-3 on another sun-filled day at the All England Club. Federer would supplant Rafael Nadal atop the men's rankings with a victory here on Sunday.
The Swiss Federer titled here from 2003-2007 and was last year's runner-up to his great rival Nadal in arguably the greatest tennis match of all-time.
Federer's opponent on Sunday will be third-seeded Brit Andy Murray or sixth- seeded American Andy Roddick. Murray was last year's U.S. Open runner-up to Federer, while Roddick was the back-to-back Wimbledon runner-up to Federer in 2004 and 2005.
The great Federer is trying to become the men's all-time leader in Grand Slam singles titles, as he's currently tied with American great Pete Sampras at 14. The super Swiss equaled Sampras and became the sixth man in history to complete a career Grand Slam when he titled at the French Open last month.
Federer will also appear in a men's record 20th Grand Slam final (14-5).
The confident Federer snuck out an ultra-tight first set against Haas by cruising in the tiebreak on Day 11 of the fortnight.
In the second set, things were air-tight again, but Federer finally broke through on his third set point when a game Haas misfired long with a forehand in the 12th game of the stanza.
Federer then charged across the finish line in the third set and converted on his first match point with a resounding overhead smash winner.
The sublime Swiss advanced in 2 hours, 2 minutes and never faced a break point against his German counterpart. Federer broke Haas only twice, but also fired 21 more winners (49-28) en route to victory.
Federer is now 10-2 all-time against Haas, including wins in their last nine meetings. The 31-year-old former world No. 2 Haas was appearing in his first- ever Wimbledon semifinal in 11 trips here. He's also played in three Aussie Open semis, losing all three.
Haas, who lost to Federer in the fourth round at the French Open last month, had been a perfect 10-0 on grass this year, including his first-ever grass- court title in his native Germany just three weeks ago.
The 27-year-old Federer played in a record 21st straight Grand Slam semifinal on Friday, and he's now won seven straight at the AEC.
Federer is 46-1 at Wimbledon and 71-1 on grass overall since 2003.
The reigning French Open and five-time U.S. Open titlist Federer is 59-22 in his career finals, including a 2-1 mark this year. He lost to Nadal in the Aussie Open finale back in January.
The 2009 Wimbledon champ will pocket $1.39 million. Federer is the all-time leader in prize money, with more than $48 million earned.
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The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
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