It’s finally June, FINALLY summer is almost here, and I can still remember watching the Belmont Stakes one year ago: Big Brown was the favorite, my mom was super-stoked, and I was mentally compiling the weirdest names for the horses in the race. I mean, how do they come up with these things? Random word generators?

Anyway, Belmont Stakes odds are back in a big way this year, and although Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra (girl power!) isn’t running it, there’s still plenty of ponies to choose from. It’s easy enough to pick Mine That Bird as your best bet of the bunch, but lookout, here comes Charitable Man from behind. He’s got a great score at Belmont Park, so you can count on the bookies in Vegas definitely putting lots of numbers on him. But me, I’m thinking the Bird’s the word, here. (And try not to have that song in your head right now, I dare ya)

So if horse racing betting is up yer alley this week, I’d definitely recommend taking a look at Mine That Bird. With Rachel Alexandra out of the racebook, there’s only Charitable Man standing in his way, and with Borel on his back, this Bird’s got it made.

Bookmarkin’ and sharin’!

Now, if you’re in the mood for some betting online - and really, why wouldn’t you be? - may I suggest a horse of a different colour? While that might sound like an introduction to Kentucky Derby odds (trust me, my mom is psyched for the Derby this weekend), instead, I’m talking about boxing. Specifically, the biggest boxing match of ‘09 thus far, the marquee poster of which can be seen right here:

Seriously, my dear readership, sports betting online was practically MADE for boxing. Don’t believe me? If you’ve ever placed a wager on a fight before, then you’ll know how much added excitement you get from watching two guys pummel each other into submission. You can really get behind a certain fighter if you’ve got money riding on him, and in this case, it’ll just ramp up the anticipation that much more. Come on now — we’ve got Manny Pacquiao, who’s pretty much second only to God in the Phillippines, taking on Ricky Hatton, England’s fan favorite and a strong boxer in his own right. All this going down on Saturday. Who wouldn’t be excited? Crazy people, that’s who.

Hatton odds on the match are giving the edge to Pacquiao instead. It seems that, no matter how popular “Hitman” Hatton is in his native England, most true boxing fans haven’t forgotten the beating Hatton took from Floyd Mayweather. And so it’s only natural that betting sharps would be placing their wagers on Pacquiao, who displayed a huge amount of speed and stamina in his takedown of Oscar De La Hoya late last year. Yet the Hitman’s fans aren’t willing to lose their faith just yet, and so the sportsbook may find a serious divide between not only their fighters, but their national countries and their respective denizens as well.

But if you want the bottom line, boxing lines say take Pacquiao at -250. Exempt if you’re British — you’re allowed to be patriotic. Either way, tune in on May 2nd for all the ring action!

Here’s a picture for you to look at before I proclaim something that might be considered groundbreaking. Brace yourselves.

Football/soccer, my ladyfriends, is not all David Beckham. It’s not all Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry or even Wayne Rooney. No, it’s not all hot buff men running up and down the pitch while screaming and flying the team colours. It’s about pride, triumph, loyalty, and having a family within the organization of club fans. (Go rent Hooligans for a good peek at the footie fan life.) And if you’re looking for some solid soccer betting this month, look no further than the Champions League, which is definitely what the title says: a tournament of champions.

Champions League odds say that the hottest ticket of next weekend will be the first leg of the matchup between Manchester United and Arsenal. As a good example of bitter rivalry between football clubs, both teams have their reasons for winning this one — Man U to avenge a loss to Arsenal earlier in the season, and Arsenal to keep pushing forward past matches against Liverpool and Chelsea. Both of those earlier games ought to be a concern for Arsenal, as they could end up with a tired defense facing down the reds. I’d pick Manchester United for this one, no doubt.

Now we’re on to a rematch of 2006 between Barcelona and Chelsea, and you can bet your club scarf that Chelsea won’t want to lose this one again. Unfortunately, they’ve been struggling a lot harder than Barca at the moment, managing to pull forward of Liverpool in a 7-5 aggregate win. They won’t go down without a good fight, but look for Barcelona to gain victory here.

Though sometimes, you really DO just need some Ronaldo.

…Okay, yeah, sorry about that. I just couldn’t resist. Really. You know you’d have titled this entry the same if you were me. (Is it all the March Madness odds getting to my brain? Well…maybe.)

But anyway, check it — the Masters are coming up soon! And with it, of course, come Masters odds, which even non-golf people are getting a chuckle out of. I mean, really, who would bet against Tiger Woods? Who would even consider that he won’t get a fifth green jacket? Any time you watch Tiger make another miraculous putt, it’s kinda like the man’s got God on his side. But, for the sake of playing spoiler, let’s at least take a look at the other big guy in the running:

Phil Mickelson’s +580 in Master lines here, and it’s well-deserved. He’s won two of his last three events, and he’s got a pretty solid track record at the Masters with two green jackets of his own. It looks like it’ll come down to these two heavyweights of the putting green - Woods and Mickelson - to take all at this year’s Masters tourney, and for those who bet online on golf, that should make for a more than satisfying Easter Weekend. Just make sure you remember to hide a few eggs for the kids, okay?

Tomorrow: April Fool’s Day. Possibly the end of the world (the birth of SkyNet?) because of the Conficker virus. The continuation of March Madness odds (Final Four coming soon!). But also - what’s this? - a free UFC event on cable TV?? Yes, it’s time once again for UFC Fight Night odds, and though it’s not as high a marquee event as UFC 97 betting will be, it’s still something to mark on your must-view TV list for the week. After all, it sure beats having to fork over “cover fees” to watch PPV at a bar, right?

Headlining this prime UFC betting event is Carlos “Natural Born Killer” Condit versus Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann. Kampmann’s got the more in-depth storyline here: he had to drop to welterweight after being destroyed by Marquardt at UFC 88; he returned to beat Barros at UFC 93; he’s got a lot to prove with his muay thai style and versatility. But now his opponent is a newcomer — Condit. Logically, given that Condit’s last three losses were due to submission, this is what Kampmann should go for — however, due to Condit’s superiority as a ground fighter, this could be a risky move. MMA lines give the edge to Kampmann in this bout, as he is the more experienced of the two, but don’t count Condit out of this one. If he can neutralize Kampmann’s strengths, it’ll be all over for the Hitman.

And that definitely won’t be an April Fool’s Day joke.

(Conficker, on the other hand…well, I guess we’ll just have to wait until tomorrow and see, huh?)

So many sporting events lost in the chaos and hype that is March Madness odds! So many poor, neglected championships and playoff runs that go unnoticed to the dedicated legions of college basketball fans that become slaves to their brackets all month. (Also known as: many of the men in my life.) Oh well, that means there’s more for us multi-minded online sports betting players — like, say, Stanley Cup odds! Don’t worry, NHL, I haven’t forgotten about you. You’re my favorite.

Get well soon, scruffy Toskala!

As the playoff race tightens in the National Hockey League, it really becomes hard not to check the standings every single morning. Especially this season, when the final holder of the eighth playoff spot in both Eastern and Western Conferences is just brutally uncertain. The competition is crazy, man. Right now, hockey betting has got its eye on the Florida Panthers taking on the Buffalo Sabres tonight, and the cats really have to step their game up if they want to stay with Montreal (who are playing the Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow and, barring any acts of God, will probably destroy them - sigh). Likewise, the Sabres are struggling to pull ahead of the Panthers, and will definitely be playing for their (playoff) lives tonight. Oh baby.

Craig Anderson’s sort of a tool.

Also racing into playoff contention is the Anaheim Ducks, who will make short work of the Colorade Avalanche tonight and keep ahead of Nashville, who are tying them for the eighth place spot. I have severe doubts the Ducks will even make the playoffs this year, but with their closest competition being the Preds, it might even happen that they both stay in the standings and push the Edmonton Oilers right out of the Western Conference. Dwayne Roloson’s improved goaltending aside, the Oilers are looking just weak right now.

I still love you, sexy Sheldon Souray.

Meanwhile, we’ve got some big names tonight too: how about some Flames vs Penguins odds? The game’s tonight, and I gotta say it looks like an even match. The Flames, while a strong team in general, are pretty terrible on the road - they lost to the LEAFS a few weeks ago, fer god’s sake - and they’ll be taking on the Pens on their home turf in Pittsburgh. The Penguins are sure to be steaming about their loss to rival Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday, and they’ll be looking to take advantage of both the Flames’ lack of effort away from home and also Dion Phaneuf’s lackluster play as of late. Possible Olli Jokinen hat tricks notwithstanding, this could be a crazy one. Buckle up.

Plus, um, Sidney.

Thanks.

Okay. Did Monday feel weird to any of you? After a solid four days of March Madness betting and general college basketball insanity - I know more than a few of us were happy for the invention of TiVo - yesterday there was just…nothing. Nothing but silence and the chance to reflect on the results of the first weekend of MM.

Then again, what wasn’t weird was the results of the tourney’s kickoff rounds. We’re now down to the “Sweet 16″ in the March Madness odds, and they’re pretty much the usual suspects: big teams like Pittsburgh, Louisville and Connecticut. If things keep up like this, it looks like we may just have four No. 1 seeds as the Final Four, appropriately enough. Win big or go home, boys.

So what have we got on our immediate radar for March Madness betting? Taking a look at the stacked Midwest region, it’s difficult to ignore the matchup between Louisville and Arizona. This is going to be a gong show through and through, and though sportsbook odds will definitely have Louisville on track for victory, it’ll be a game worth watching if only to see the fight Arizona puts up. They’ve worked hard to get where they are, and I don’t think they’ll go quietly. (But go they will, trust me. The Cardinals are my pick to win the thing, after all.)

The other half of the Midwest features No. 3 Kansas versus No. 2 Michigan State. As much as my heart tells me Michigan will take this match, this here is another good example of a show to tune in for just to see the game the Jayhawks bring. They’re young and slightly inexperienced, sure, but they’re adjusting to the MM pressure at a scary rate, and Cole Aldrich is carrying them along. A safe bet is Michigan; a skilled bet is Kansas. Choices, choices…

…And so we begin the epic three-week stretch of glory, excitement and intensity that is March Madness betting! The sun is out, the birds are singing, the sportsbooks are ready, and any good bettor worth their salt is throwing out picks and doing their best to cap this difficult tourney. Let’s take a look at what we’ve got for you in the immediate March Madness odds future (unfortunately, hotness factor of various teams and how cool their mascots are have no bearing on their odds):

No. 5 Illinois VERSUS No. 12 Western Kentucky - Thursday at 9:55 PM EST

This one ought to be today’s no-brainer. Apparently it’s NCAAB tradition for a No. 12 seed to overthrow a No. 5 seed, and Illinois vs. Western Kentucky odds should be good evidence of that. It doesn’t take a genius to see that the Illini have been slumping, as solid a team as they’ve been in the past, and although Western Kentucky hasn’t faced many opponents of that caliber, they landed the Sun Belt Championship and a winning streak to close out their season. How are these kids considered underdogs? Bet on the Hilltoppers tonight, peeps.

No. 5 Utah VERSUS No. 12 Arizona - Friday at 7:10 PM EST

Well, look at what we have here. Remember what I said earlier about Arizona? Self-fulfilling prophecy right in this matchup. As good as Arizona was to make it this far, I predicted before that they’ll fall against Utah, and I’m sure that’s exactly what’s gonna happen tomorrow night. Utah is on a roll right now - no basketball pun intended - and although Arizona is more experienced against higher-level teams, they’re too shaky right now to be trusted (much like many team in the March Madness lines). Pick Utah for the win here.

More madness to come, kids! Keep checking back with your girl Alice for top NCAAB picks…(and no, I won’t wear a cheerleader outfit for you, sorry)

March Madness betting may be approaching fast, but right now, it’s hard to escape the clutches of America’s favorite - and one of its longest-running - reality TV talent shows, American Idol and its subsequent American Idol odds.

While I’m hardly moved by the sounds of bad Michael Jackson covers (hey, even the real MJ doesn’t do it for me) and I spend more time wondering just what narcotic Paula Abdul is on (and where I can get some), it’s hard to disregard how quickly the competition moves here. We’re already into the top 11, with BOTH Jasmine Murray and Jorge Nunez being eliminated from this week’s round (the unfortunate Michael Jackson edition). With the added twist that the judges can veto any elimination they can all agree on - which may be easier this season, given how cuddly and touchy-feely Simon’s been getting with Paula, ewwww - there should be more debatable decisions than ever.

American Idol season 8 odds have been predicting a female winner - as I mentioned to you back in November - and right now, I’m liking the looks of Megan with her awesome tats and cute appeal. There’s the slim chance that, buoyed by the votes of thousands of teenybopper girls, Adam will get the lion’s share of the votes (I’m an admitted sucker for the guyliner-rocker types, but I can’t vote against the contestant I’ve got my wager placed on! :P). Also, Scott may come from behind due to the stay-at-home mom vote — not just because he’s legally blind, but because he’s got a great set of pipes to make up for it.

Make sure you get your props wagering on at the sportsbook, and tune in every week so you’re up to date on the office water-cooler talk…