MLB All-Star Game and British Open Betting
There are a pair of marquee wagering events on tap for this week, with sports bettors preparing to lay down some money on the MLB All-Star Game and the British Open.
Baseball's All-Star Game is set for Tuesday night at Arizona's Chase Field, but the first wagering opportunity of the festivities will be Monday night's Home Run Derby.
And the oddsmakers are going with the league's home run leader as they set the favorite for the event – the Blue Jays' Jose Bautista is atop the Bodog odds at 3/1 to claim the Home Run Derby crown on Monday night.
Bautista is joined on this year's AL derby squad by Boston's David Ortiz (9/2) and Adrian Gonzalez (6/1), and the Yankees' Robinson Cano (15/2). The NL offers up sluggers Prince Fielder (7/2) and Rickie Weeks (12/1) of the Brewers, Matt Holliday (9/2) of the Cardinals, and Matt Kemp (15/2) of the Dodgers.
As for the MLB All-Star Game itself, the NL ended a long drought with a 3-1 win in the contest at Angel Stadium last season, and they'll get a break on Tuesday with three members of the Yankees bowing out - Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Mariano Rivera. Injured Ryan Braun will be a notable absence for the NL squad.
The second half of the MLB season gets going on Thursday with seven series starting up, including Milwaukee at Colorado, the Yankees at Toronto, and Texas at Seattle.
Overseas Rory McIlroy is the 6/1 favorite at Bodog to win this week's British Open at Royal St. George's, with Lee Westwood close behind him on that odds list at 7/1. Looking for a repeat win by South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen on Sunday? He's well back in the golf betting pack at 50/1 odds to claim the championship this week.
Luke Donald (14/1), Martin Kaymer (20/1), Sergio Garcia (22/1), Jason Day (25/1), and Nick Watney (25/1) are the other top-tier favorites to win the British Open, with Phil Mickelson back at 28/1, and Tiger Woods skipping the event with his bad leg.
NASCAR racing resumes at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday, with the Sprint Cup Series' Lenox Industrial Tools 301. Clint Bowyer (Sylvania 300) and Jimmie Johnson (Lenox Industrial Tools 301) won the New Hampshire events last season, while Mark Martin and Joey Logano visited Victory Lane there in 2009.
Kurt Busch has also had recent success at New Hampshire, winning three Cup races on the track since 2004.
Finally, the Canadian Football League stages Week 3 of its season this week, with Calgary at Winnipeg on Thursday, Toronto at Montreal on Friday, and Saskatchewan at Hamilton and B.C. at Edmonton on Saturday.