Federer's drive for five begins with Russian

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06/22/2007 - Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roger Federer will begin his quest for a fifth straight Wimbledon title against someone who has never played on the lawns of the All England Club, as the draw for this year's third Grand Slam event was unveiled Friday.

The top-seeded Federer is again the overwhelming favorite on the hallowed grass courts of the London suburb and will open his fortnight against Russia's Teimuraz Gabashvili. Gabashvili has never played at Wimbledon and his first two ventures into Grand Slam play this year ended with first-round losses at both the Australian and French Opens.

Federer is trying to become the first man to win five straight Wimbledon crowns since the great Bjorn Borg accomplished the feat from 1976-80. His opening match next week will be his first on grass this year, as the Swiss star did not play any of the Wimbledon tuneup events. He pulled out of the warmup at Halle, Germany last week on the heels of his loss to Rafael Nadal in the French Open final.

Nadal, who lost to Federer in last year's Wimbledon final, is seeded second this year and will open play against American Mardy Fish. Another American, Andy Roddick, is the third seed. He lost a pair of Wimbledon finals to Federer in 2004 and '05 before a third-round finish last year and is slated to take on fellow American Justin Gimelstob in the first round.

Roddick is in Federer's half of the draw and can only face the Swiss superstar in the semifinals.

Other potential opponents for Federer include two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin of Russia in the third round, 13th-seeded German Tommy Haas in the fourth and American James Blake or Fernando Gonzalez of Chile in the quarterfinals.

The ninth-seeded Blake has never made it past the third round at Wimbledon and will open with Russia's Igor Andreev, who will get another chance to eliminate an American in the first round of a Grand Slam. Andreev was a surprise quarterfinalist at the French Open after taking out Roddick in the first round at Roland Garros.

Roddick's potential opponents include Slovakia's Dominik Hrbaty in round three and Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic or Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic in the fourth round. Hrbaty's never been past the fourth round at Wimbledon and Ljubicic has never reached the round of 16, but has advanced to the final at this week's Ordina Open. Stepanek was a surprise quarterfinalist last year.

Britain's Andy Murray is a possible quarterfinal foe for Roddick, although the eighth seed has been battling a wrist injury that kept him out of the French Open. Murray, Britain's latest hope to end the host country's long title drought, could face the nation's previous great hope -- Tim Henman -- in the third round.

Nadal's half of the draw includes a potential third-round matchup with two- time Wimbledon semifinalist Sebastien Grosjean of France and a possible fourth-rounder against Germany's Florian Mayer, who was a quarterfinalist in his first trip to Wimbledon three years ago. Seventh-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych and 11th-seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo could be quarterfinal foes for the three-time French Open champ.

A couple of top-flight grass court players dot the other half of Nadal's portion of the draw, as it features 2002 Wimbledon champ Lleyton Hewitt of Australia and his opponent in that year's final, David Nalbandian of Argentina. Hewitt, seeded 16th this year, would have to get past fourth-seeded Serb Novak Djokovic in the fourth round. Nalbandian, meanwhile, could meet 2006 semifinalist Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus in the third round or sixth- seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko in the fourth. Davydenko, however, has just one match win in five appearances at Wimbledon.

Play at the All England Club is scheduled to start Monday, June 25.

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Problem with Bears?

Chicago, IL - New Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and star linebacker Brian Urlacher shot down reports of a rift, saying they're simply not true.

"There's nothing between us," Cutler said Thursday, when he reported to training camp. "I just want to put that to rest. There never has been anything between us."

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Urlacher added: "I never said what I was quoted as saying and that's it. I have a lot of respect for Jay. I think Jay knows that."
Former Bears receiver Bobby Wade caused a stir when he told Minneapolis radio station KFAN-AM that Urlacher used a profanity while questioning Cutler's manhood during a conversation in Las Vegas last weekend. Wade, who now plays for the Vikings, said Urlacher used a profane version of the word "wimp" during the interview that had to be edited out.
go radio station WSCR-AM also reported that Urlacher had to be restrained from confronting Cutler during organized team activities.
"I wouldn't go face-to-face with Brian, anyway," Cutler said. "No, that's never happened. I've hung out with Brian away from the facility numerous times and we've always gotten along."
Urlacher, noting he was limited by a groin injury, denied the reports in an interview with the Chicago Tribune and did it again when he reported to camp.
"I didn't practice this summer, so I don't know how I would fight the guy if I didn't practice," Urlacher said. "We have no problems. I'm excited about football starting. I'm excited to have him as our quarterback."
Why would Wade say that?
"I don't know," Urlacher said. "Maybe he's jealous because we have a good quarterback now."
Cutler said the first he heard of any friction was when he got a call from Urlacher to clear the air. Urlacher, however, said he had already taken several calls from teammates wondering if the reports were true when Cutler phoned.
"He called me and I said, What's up (expletive), what are you doing?'" a grinning Urlacher said, uttering the same word he allegedly used with Wade. "It's so dumb to me that this even got to this point, but it did and then here we are."
better place after going 9-7 and missing the playoffs for the second straight year. They have a franchise quarterback for the first time in decades after acquiring Cutler in an offseason trade with Denver. But there are questions about his attitude following a fallout with Broncos management and new coach Josh McDaniels.
His critics include former Bears coach Mike Ditka and former Indianapolis and Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy, one of Smith's mentors. Smith, however, said Cutler has been a model teammate so far while denying any animosity with Urlacher.
"There's no issue with Jay and Brian, except Brian and Jay are both excited about being teammates for our club this year," coach Lovie Smith said. "No more than that. We can't spend a whole lot of time on something that isn't true. I have talked to the players. Whenever something comes out, you have to address it, but it's a non-issue."
In some ways, Cutler is getting a second chance in Chicago, an opportunity to repair his reputation.
Smith said another quarterback - Michael Vick - deserves one, although he doesn't see it happening with the Bears, who lack an experienced backup. The former Atlanta Falcons star, who served a 23-month sentence for running a dogfighting ring, said Thursday he is getting close to signing with a pro football team.
"A second chance, like everyone in society who has paid their debt to society," Smith said. "He deserves a second chance. As far as we're concerned, we like this team that we have right now."
Particularly the new quarterback.
"Me and Brian have been on a good relationship since I've been here, and I expect it to continue that way," Cutler said.

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FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

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After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

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