Mark Lawrence has published the Playbook Football Handicapper's for 17 years and it has been a valuable asset for football bettors.

Unlike the majority of pre-season football annuals, Playbook doesn't have much in the way of text, instead relying on statistics and results as the primary focus of the Yearbook.

Read the review of 2009 Playbook Football Handicapper's Yearbook Preview in the Football Betting section of the site.

Things pick back up tonight, as a full schedule of 15 baseball games and four WNBA games are on tap.

So far, bettors haven't shied away from backing the big favorites, as Detroit (-210) and Boston (-250) have attracted over 80-percent of the bets in their respective games. Seattle is the other team receiving 80-percent of the wagers, although in the case of the Mariners, the line has actually dropped a bit from the opening number.

In the WNBA, the home teams are getting most of the action, with three of them receiving 75-percent, or more, of the wagers. The lone exception is Sacramento.

Today's play is up at Free Sports Betting Picks located in the Sports Gambling 101 section of the site.

Photo: Chicago's Mark Buehrle has pitched well this season. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

There were no doubt several surprised bettors this morning when they checked their account balances at online sportsbooks. Several baseball games failed to go nine innings because of rain, which caused all total wagers and run-line wagers to be refunded.

Even though both the Florida and Cleveland games had gone over the posted totals, the bets were declared no action by nearly every online sportsbook. Those who went to bed thinking they had a win had to be disappointed to see if was no bet. On the other hand, those thinking they had a loss, had to be pleasantly surprised to see the funds back in their account.

While the rules don't come into play all that often, the time to know your sportsbook's rules if before placing a bet, not after there is a dispute.

Read Sports Betting Rules in the Sports Gambling 101 section of the site to find out more.

Photo: Rain can be a mixed blessing for sports bettors. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

In the United States, betting on tennis isn't something that receives much thought, or much attention. It's a bit different in Europe, however, as placing wagers on a match is fairly common.

While there is always talk about the possible manipulation of point spreads and totals when it comes to basketball and football, tennis receives its share of scrutiny, especially on the international level, so when Jurgen Melzer received a larger-than-usual proportion of wagers in Tuesday's match with Wayne Odesnik flags were raised.

The primary culprit behind the betting turned out to be a television announcer, who noted Odesnik was battling an injury before the match had started. You can't blame him for doing his job, as I'm sure that his intentions weren't to create an uproar in the betting parlors.

Read Sports Illustrated's Unusual Betting Pattern Reported at Wimbeldon. Photo: Wayne Odesnik's injury caused an upheaval in betting on Tuesday. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Three more people have plead guilty in the BetOnSports case, but did avoid jail time under terms of the plea bargain. The bad news, at least for the trio, is that they agreed to forfeit millions of dollars, which prosecutors said came from the profits of illegal online betting. At one time, BetOnSports was one of the giants in the online sportsbook industry.

Read Three More Plead Guilty in BetOnSports Case in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Friday brings with it another day of Interleague play, something some bettors love, while other bettors will be glad when teams get back to games in their own division.

There are several interesting matchups tonight, with the Dodgers and the Angels one of the biggest, along with the pitching duel between Houston's Roy Oswalt and Minnesota's Kevin Slowey.

If bettors were impressed by the Nationals' success against the Yankees, they're not showing it today, as Toronto is receiving 85-percent of the wagers, while the White Sox, Red Sox and Cardinals are all getting 70-percent or more of the wagers in their respective games.

There are also six WNBA games tonight, where there have been several huge line moves. The total in the Los Angeles game has climbed six points to 172, while the total in the Seattle game has dropped five points to 150. In sides, Atlanta is now favored by 3.5 after opening even and New York is favored by 7.5 after opening as 2-point favorites, but much of that is due to the injury to San Antonio's Becky Hammon missing the game.

Today's play is up at Free Sports Betting Picks located in the Sports Gambling 101 section of the site.

Photo: Kevin Slowey and the Minnesota Twins host the Houston Astros tonight. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Northcoast Sports' Power Sweep newsletter is the most popular of all the football newsletters, but many readers fail to utilize each issue to its most. There is plenty of worthwhile information included between the pages of each issue.

We'll look at several aspects of the newsletter that may be overlooked in Using Power Sweep Newsletter located in the Football Section of the site.

There's nothing better than killing time during the summer months than reading about the upcoming football season. Well, there is one thing better and that's reading about the upcoming football season for free, which is exactly what the folks at the Gold Sheet have in store for you.

To get the free NFL preview, which is already completed and uploaded (the college version is still being worked on, but also will be free), simply visit the Gold Sheet's web site and on the right hand side of the page you will see a spot to enter your e-mail address and the Gold Sheet will send you a link for both previews.

You can't beat the price and the Gold Sheet is one of the most respected names in the handicapping business for a reason.

To get your free football previews, visit The Gold Sheet's web site.

When it comes to the world of sports, there's nothing quite like a Game 7 for the championship, which is what will take place inside Joe Louis Arena tonight, as the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Red Wings in Detroit.

If you've never watched a hockey game before, this is the one to watch, as five of the six games have been pretty close, with just one lopsided game so far.

The Red Wings are good-sized favorites, as the mem from Motown have attracted 68-percent of the wagers. As a result the line is now Detroit -185 after opening at Detroit -165. The total has remained at 5.5, but now bettors taking the under are asked to risk $130 to win $100. Bettors taking the over will win $110 for every $100 wagered.

Interleague play returns in baseball and many bettors are a bit hesitant to get involved, as there seems to be more uncertainty in the games.

There are also four WNBA games on the slate, but the lines have been fairly static so far, although that should change this afternoon.

Today's plays are up at Free Sports Betting Picks located in the Sports Gambling 101 section of the site.

Photo: Henrik Zetterberg and the Detroit Red Wings hope to see the trend of the home team winning to continue tonight in the final hockey game of the season. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

The key game in the NBA Finals will take place tonight, as the Los Angeles Lakers visit Orlando for Game 4. The Magic were able to escape with the victory in Tuesday's game to pull within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.

Orlando shot an impressive 62.5-percent last time out and the public isn't expecting to see a repeat performance, as 70-percent of the wagers are coming in on the Lakers. As a result, the line has dropped from the opening number of Orlando -3.5 to Orlando -2.

The total has dropped from 204 to 201.

Tonight's NBA plays are up Free Sports Betting Picks located in the Sports Gambling 101 section of the site.

Photo: Kobe Bryant and the Lakers will try to take control of the NBA Finals tonight. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)