Stanley Cup betting culminates in a doozie Game 7 this Friday, and that’ll leave us with one less sport to bet on this summer. Don’t worry—the U.S. Open is almost here and we can get a golf betting warmup by making picks for the St. Jude odds this week, which feature a better field than you’d expect.

THE CONTENDERS – Phil Mickelson (+900), David Toms (+1300)

Of this pair, one of them earns his offshore sportsbook favorite status on merit, while the other does so on name. Can you guess which is which? Mickelson is a favorite because of his talent and long list of golf betting accomplishments, but he’s a risky play this week, especially for a “favorite.” After taking time off to be with his ailing wife, he may be rusty and/or distracted this week. He’s also played just once at TPC Southwind , host of the ST. Jude Classic, and he missed the cut. David Toms, on the other hand, is a rock-solid pick. He has two career St. Jude victories, he leads the tour in driving accuracy, and he also cracks the top 10 in scoring average and proximity to hole. His peripherals set him up beautifully for Southwind, as it punishes the inaccurate (56 per cent of fairways hit, 53 of approaches on in regulation in 2008).

WORTH CONSIDERING – Justin Leonard (+1400), Sergio Garcia (+1600)

Leonard is the poor man’s David Toms in that he’s worth picking for similar reasons, but isn’t quite as good as Toms at this tourney. Leonard is the defending champ and he’s very accurate this season too, so he’s worth consideration at slightly better value than Toms. Those who bet sports have avoided Sergio like the plague lately, and for good reason; he’s been terrible on North American soil in 2009. He did tie for fourth in last year’s St. Jude odds and his approaches have been respectable (averaging less than 30 feet from the pin), so he has a shot at redemption this week.

LONG SHOTS – Retief Goosen (+2500), Padraig Harrington (+3300)

It’s strange to call these accomplished golfers long shots, but they simply aren’t set up well for success this week. Goosen has played decently in 2009 but he struggles at the St. Jude Classic (missed cut in 2008, 30^th in 2007). Harrington is an enigma in 2008 golf betting. It seems some hacker is occupying the body of the 2008 Player of the Year, as Harrington has no top-10s in 11 starts this season. He tied Sergio for fourth at this tourney last year, so he could be worth a flier with that nice +3300 value.

Offshore sportsbook pick: David Toms +1300

Game 5 of the Red Wings Penguins odds wasn’t exactly another heart-stopping chapter in a classic series, was it? The Pens lost their cool, the Wings smelled blood, and their power play helped them rout the Pens 5-0. Are the Pens broken? Will Detroit take Game  6 and win the Cup?

Red Wings Penguins odds – Game 6 Tuesday, June 9 at 9:00 p.m. ET
Stanley Cup betting lines: Red Wings +110, Penguins -130

When you give the Red Wings’ power play in inch, it’ll take a mile—that’s the harsh lesson the Penguins learned in Game 5. They were disciplined early in the series and minimized Detroit’s damage with the main advantage, but the wheels fell off in Game 5. The Pens got down early, became frustrated and began taking dumb penalties. The raucous Detroit crowd seemed to suck the life out of the Pens; note that most of their penalties were stick infractions (slashing, high-sticking, tripping), and that means they were sluggish and not moving their feet. Even Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin lost focus, each taking some pretty bad penalties.

Notice how every Pens’ penalty seems to be on Henrik Zetterberg? His smothering defensive shadowing frustrates the Pittsburgh forwards, not to mention NHL betting fans who had Pittsburgh winning Game 5, and Zetterberg got a big boost by Pavel Datsyuk’s return. Though he wasn’t 100 per cent, Datsyuk showed offensive creativity, setting up two goals, and he took defensive pressure off Zetterberg. The Wings will be that much tougher to beat with him in the lineup.

Do the Pens still have a hope at the offshore sportsbook? Well, they are a much different team at home in Stanley Cup betting, as it seems the home support helps them work harder—not to mention cleaner—on defense. Marc-Andre Fleury got the hook in Game 5, but those goals weren’t his fault and he always seems to play well at home. The Pens certainly have some demons to conquer, but that storyline should play out in Game 7. Pittsburgh has been the better team at Mellon Arena and should fight back with a spirited effort Tuesday night.

Stanley Cup betting pick: Penguins -130

The Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers will both be trying to pick up a win on Sunday when they battle at STAPLES Center in the second game of the NBA Finals.

Oddsmakers currently have the Lakers listed as 7-point favorites at BetED  versus the Magic, while the game’s total is sitting at 202 at Bodog Life.

Kobe Bryant poured in a game-high 40 points as the Lakers ran over the Magic 100-75 in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series on Thursday.

The Lakers easily covered the 6-point spread, but the 175 points fell UNDER the night’s posted total of 205.5.

Bryant also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out eight assists in that win.

Dwight Howard had a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds for the Magic in the loss.

Who will cover? Let’s go to the power of 620 sports services behind every selection for the answer.

The Coach Potato is the premier television handicapper in the world. In 1988 after having success as a handicapper, investing 70-plus hours per week, he opted to streamline and concentrate on only national TV games. His efficiency has paid off hitting at least 58 % in college and pro football and basketball. All plays are rated equally. He’s on a 12-0 NBA run elevating him to both the top playoff handicapper for 2009 and for this entire century! Lakers/Magic total makes it an unlucky-for-the books 13 in a row winners. Click now to purchase sports betting picks from the top sports services or you can get more information and a free sports pick

Team records:
Orlando: 59-23 SU, 49-32-1 ATS
Los Angeles: 65-17 SU, 42-39-1 ATS

Orlando most recently:
When playing on Sunday are 7-3
Before playing LA Lakers are 6-4
After playing LA Lakers are 4-6
After a loss are 7-3

Los Angeles most recently:
When playing on Sunday are 7-3
Before playing Orlando are 3-7
After playing Orlando are 6-4
After a win are 5-5

A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Orlando’s last 6 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers
Orlando is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Orlando’s last 7 games
Orlando is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the LA Lakers last 5 games at home
LA Lakers are 15-2 SU in their last 17 games at home
LA Lakers are 11-2 SU in their last 13 games when playing at home against Orlando
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the LA Lakers last 6 games when playing at home against Orlando

Next up:
Orlando home to LA Lakers, Tuesday, June 9
LA Lakers at Orlando, Tuesday, June 9

The French Open Men’s Final 2009 is in progress as we file this report, NFL betting is just around the corner, Summer Bird pulls the Belmont upset, the Red Wings take a 3-2 lead over Pittsburgh, and the top NBA bettor and MLB handicapper is unleashing Sunday.

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Lakers try to handle the Magic for the second straight game, and NASCAR’s top drivers hit the track in the Pocono 500.

Tipping off on the hardwood  . . .

The Magic will be looking to bounce back from an embarrassing Game 1 defeat on Sunday night when they take the court in Los Angeles for the second game of the NBA Finals. Orlando was pounded 100-75 in the opener by the Lakers on Thursday night, with Dwight Howard scoring just 12 points and Jameer Nelson contributing six points off the bench in his return from injury. Kobe Bryant led the Los Angeles attack with 40 points in that easy victory, and Pau Gasol chipped in with 16 points. Oddsmakers have listed the Lakers as 6.5-point faves for Sunday.

It’s a run better than 98 percent of you will ever have on your own, yet nothing out of the ordinary for GodsTips. They are 16-3 with NBA Wise Guys and sports bettors get another one for Sunday. We have added five MLB Majors and a Wise Guy in MLB. Click now to purchase

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

Tim Lincecum (4-1, 3.01 ERA) will get the ball for the Giants on Sunday afternoon as they again play on the road against the Marlins. Righthander Lincecum was last tagged with a loss on April 12 vs. the Padres, but San Francisco is still just 1-3 over his last four outings. Florida counters with Ricky Nolasco (2-5, 9.07 ERA); the righty has given up 16 runs in his last 5 2-3 innings.

Also on the NL schedule for Sunday: the Cubs at Cincinnati, the Mets at Washington, Milwaukee at Atlanta, Pittsburgh at Houston, Colorado at St. Louis, and Arizona at San Diego. As well, the Dodgers will host the Phillies in the primetime matchup, with Los Angeles‘ Randy Wolf (3-1, 3.21 ERA) taking on Philly’s Antonio Bastardo (1-0, 1.50 ERA). Bastardo won his debut on Tuesday.

Over in the American League on Sunday the Rays and Yankees continue their series in New York, with Matt Garza (4-4, 3.67 ERA) taking on Joba Chamberlain (3-1, 3.71 ERA). Also on the AL slate for Sunday: the Angels at Detroit, Kansas City at Toronto, Texas at Boston, Cleveland at the ChiSox, Baltimore at Oakland, and Minnesota at Seattle, with Kevin Slowey (8-1, 3.97 ERA) going for the Twins.

Rounding out the Roundup . . .

Pocono Raceway will host the Sprint Cup Series on Sunday, with the drivers competing in the 2009 Pocono 500. Jimmie Johnson is pegged as the 4/1 Vegas favorite to visit victory lane on Sunday, followed by Kyle Busch at 5/1, and Jeff Gordon at 7/1. Standings leader Tony Stewart is listed at 10/1 odds to get the win along with Denny Hamlin, with Carl Edwards at 12/1. Kasey Kahne, who won the 2008 Pocono 500, is pegged at 15/1 odds to repeat as the champion on Sunday.

The drivers of Formula 1 will be in Istanbul on Sunday for the Turkish Grand Prix. Brawn-Mercedes driver Jenson Button will be looking to win his fourth straight race; Button has taken the checkered flag in five of the six F1 events so far this season and holds a 16-point lead on teammate Rubens Barrichello in the drivers championship. Felipe Massa won the Turkish Grand Prix last season, with Lewis Hamilton finishing in second place, and Button ending up well back in 11^th place.

Finally, the WNBA continues its 2009 opening weekend with four games on the Sunday schedule: Atlanta at Washington, Connecticut at New York, Minnesota at Indiana, and Sacramento at Seattle. Everyone but New York played on Saturday.

Mine That Bird is nearly even money on the 2009 Belmont Stakes morning line and virtually every sportsbook has head-to-head matchups including BetUs Sportsbook rated No. 1 by the OffshoreInsiders.com Network.

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Stanley Cup final continues in Detroit, the WNBA tips off its season, and Mine That Bird guns for a Belmont Stakes win.

Tipping off on the hardwood  . . .

The NBA Finals are idle on Saturday, leaving the day’s hoops spotlight for the opening of the WNBA season. There are six games on the WNBA’s slate, including Washington at Connecticut; the Sun are the biggest favorite on the day, giving eight points at home to the Mystics. Rounding out the schedule: Seattle at Sacramento, Indiana at Atlanta, Chicago at Minnesota, San Antonio at Phoenix, and Detroit at Los Angeles. The Sparks are 2/1 Vegas favorites to claim the title.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The Phillies and Dodgers will kick off the National League slate on Saturday afternoon with a 4:10pm ET contest in Los Angeles. Joe Blanton (4-3, 5.86 ERA) will take the mound for Philadelphia, with the righthander having won each of his past three outings. Los Angeles will counter with Hiroki Kuroda (1-1, 2.53 ERA). The righthander has made just two starts in ’09, returning from the DL on June 1.

Elsewhere around the National League in baseball betting on Saturday: San Francisco at Florida, the Mets at Washington, Pittsburgh at Houston, the Cubs at Cincinnati, Milwaukee at Atlanta, Colorado at St. Louis, and Arizona at San Diego. D-Backs starter Max Scherzer (2-4, 4.47 ERA) was pounded for eight runs in 3 2-3 innings in his last outing versus Atlanta. Josh Geer (1-1, 5.44 ERA) starts for the Padres.

Over in the American League on Saturday the Rays and Yankees continue their series in New York, with David Price (1-0, 3.00 ERA) taking on CC Sabathia (5-3, 3.46 ERA). As well, it’ll be Kansas City at Toronto, Cleveland at the White Sox, Minnesota at Seattle, the Angels at Detroit, Texas at Boston, and Baltimore at Oakland. Righty Jason Berken (1-1, 2.25 ERA) will get the ball for the Orioles. See the MLB odds at Sports Betting Sportsbook

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

The Stanley Cup final is knotted up at two games apiece as the series heads back to Detroit for Game 5 on Saturday night. The Penguins grabbed their second straight win over the Red Wings in Game 4 on Thursday, getting a goal and an assist each from Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 37 of 39 Detroit shots in the win, while Wings counterpart Chris Osgood made 27 saves. Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk sat out Thursday with his bad foot.

Rounding out the Roundup . . .

Off yet another winning night last night, GodsTips has the win, place, show and fourth place finisher for the Belmont Stakes. Finally another Wise Guy and it’s an underdog winner plus a Major.Click now to purchase

With Rachel Alexandra taking a pass on Saturday’s Belmont Stakes the favorite to win the third jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown is Mine That Bird. Jockey Calvin Borel will be back on Mine That Bird for the Belmont Stakes after he rode Rachel Alexandra to victory in the Preakness Stakes. Borel and Mine That Bird combined to win the Kentucky Derby last month, meaning the jockey has a chance to sweep the Triple Crown events. The top challenger for Saturday’s race at Belmont Park is expected to be Charitable Man, with Dunkirk the third favorite.

Here are the Vegas odds and the Belmont Stakes 2009 morning line. It’s a huge day in horse racing as Calvin Borel tries to prove Kent Desormeaux wrong and become the first jockey ever to win the Triple Crown on two different horses. GodsTips, anchor of OffshoreInsiders.com has the top four finishers.

Mine That Bird is the heavy favorite, with steam money comning in on Charitable Man, leapfrogging Dunkirk as the second favorite.

Popular sportsbook and race book BetED has tremendous head-to-head betting options. BetUs Sportsbook also has similar options.

For the top four finishers, check out GodsTips, the best of all sports handicappers in the world.

Did the Penguins inspire French Open betting finalist Roger Federer? He fought back to win his semifinal match, perhaps inspired by Pittsburgh‘s comeback to even up its series with the Detroit Red Wings. After four games in which the home team controlled the play, the Penguins and Red Wings are tied 2-2 and down to a best-of-three series. Can the Penguins keep their momentum going and steal a game on the road?

Penguins vs Red Wings odds – Game 5 Saturday, June 6 at 8:05 p.m. ET
Stanley Cup betting lines: Penguins +135, Red Wings -155

As good as the Red Wings looked in Games 1 and 2, it looks like they’re really starting to tire. They’re not a ridiculously old team, but many of them have been around for a long time—Chris Osgood, Tomas Holmstrom, Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski, Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby—you get the idea. The younger Penguins showed a real spring in their step in Games 3 and 4, feeding off the home crowd and doling out lots of big hits. The young Penguins checkers – Jordan Staal, Maxime Talbot, Tyler Kennedy—have really energized the team with their tenacious efforts.

The Wings simply have no answer for Evgeni Malkin. He’s dominating the series, using his size, strength and stride, and no Red Wing physically matches up to him. He has seven points in the series and 35 in the NHL betting playoffs—the highest total by any player other than Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux or Paul Coffey in one playoffs. Detroit did, however, succeed at the sportsbook early in the series by containing Sidney Crosby. Fantastic two-way player Henrik Zetterberg smothered Sid the Kid while also chipping in offense. However, Zetterberg could only go so long without Pavel Datsyuk in the lineup; playing too many minutes, he really tired in Games 3 and 4, and Crosby was unleashed as a result. He joined Malkin to run wild on the Wings and scored the game-winner in Game 4.

The Wings certainly have a shot to rebound going home, but they’re in trouble. The Penguins have their confidence back and seem way fresher and more physical. With Crosby and Malkin hitting their stride, Detroit has to get its own offense going to match them. Their snipers have to do much more—did you know Tomas Holmstrom hasn’t scored in 16 playoff games? With only one day off between games, the Wings won’t regroup in time for Game 5. The Pens will keep pushing and steal one in Hockeytown.

Best betting online pick: Penguins +135