Plenty to bet on in the summer

After poor results for the United States at Wimbledon and the World Cup, many in the media are acting all concerned about American athletes slipping on sports' greatest stages. But the media are loaded with hypocrites.

Too many prominent and influential members of the media are slinging crap like "soccer is boring" or "all that guys in the Tour de France do is ride a bike." Many of these same people then turn around and say that our athletes are failing to excel at the top levels.

The next Lance Armstrong, Pete Sampras or Pélé is out there somewhere, and if he takes the attitude and advice of those idiots in the media, he would never even pursue his best sport. All he would want to do is play baseball, basketball or football.

The fact of the matter is, there is no such thing as a bad sport. The only things bad are peoples' opinions about sports.

If athletes and fans close their ears and open their eyes, they will decide for themselves which sports are great and which ones they should pursue. American attitudes would get better and participation would increase, which would lead to improvement in a wider variety of sports at the world class level.

SUMMER EVENTS

With this being my last article before the next pro football season, it's time to take a look at those sports that will be keeping handicappers busy during the summer:

Every NASCAR race is bettable, with propositions rivaling drivers, manufacturers, teams and rookies. Parlay cards and win, place, and show wagers are also available.

Golf's third major, the British Open begins Thursday, and the pick here is to take the Field at 4 to 1 odds. The celebrity golf tournament begins today at Tahoe, and is also bettable.

The WNBA season is halfway over, but even the most loyal basketball fans have seen enough hoops for a while, so it's hard to get excited about wagering on it.

The Canadian Football League and controversial star Ricky Williams is bettable, but it is not televised locally.

Championship future bets can be made on the Nextel Cup, NBA, WNBA, NHL, MLB, NCAA basketball and upcoming boxing matches.

And we shouldn't forget about our friends who love horse racing, which is bettable every day.

The biggest sport to bet on this time of year, of course, is baseball. But, to borrow a phrase, to me, watching Major League Baseball is like watching paint dry or grass grow. I'd rather watch a Little League game.

The big one everybody is waiting for is football. It's hard to believe that the NFL preseason starts in less than a month. Odds are out for the Super Bowl, conference championships, division champions, over/under wins for each team, and the point spreads for Week 1. In college football, one can bet for the BCS champion and the winners of the seven major conferences.

Have a good end to the summer, and see you in September!