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06/25/2010 - Reno, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Twenty-five years and one wife ago, I first discovered the Reno-Lake Tahoe area and was taken by the beauty of the desert, mountains and pine trees. I was also impressed with the variety of golf courses in the region and as a Seattle native, I thoroughly appreciated those abundant blue skies.
Make no mistake, besides the magnificent setting, I was attracted by the casinos - and still am. Where else can you get golf and gaming and great weather in a spot like this? Nowhere. That's why I keep coming back year after year.
In June, I played in a press junket called the High Sierra Media Tour in which writers sampled the area during a weeklong golf bender that included 36 holes every day if you were so inclined, which I was. We stayed at one hotel one night, another the next, playing courses in the morning and afternoon, and doing it all over again and again. It was wonderfully repetitive.
If you can't stand hot and humid weather, this is the place to be in the summertime, especially Tahoe, where the temperatures are typically in the 70s and 80s. And if you somehow still get overheated, take a dip in the lake - it's glacial-fed. If you get out of the lake and are still hot, cool down at the craps table - I found it to be downright frigid.
The golf is glorious. I'd suggest a week or two with three buddies on the same route we took, starting in Reno then heading to Carson City, South Lake Tahoe, North Lake Tahoe and Truckee. They're all jumping-off points for some of the best and more affordable courses you'll ever play.
The drives are mostly spectacular. Take the one up Kingsbury Grade from the Carson Valley on the way from Genoa to South Lake Tahoe, and if you have the time, drive up the west side of Lake Tahoe instead of the east side when going from end of the lake to the other. The west side features a not-to-be-missed view of Emerald Bay.
Here are some more trip tips that will make your golf vacation in Reno and Lake Tahoe a memorable one:
- After playing D'Andrea and marveling at the views of Reno below, stop at the High Sierra Casino on your way to the Arnold Palmer design at Dayton Valley. Have a burger and a malt at Johnny Rockets, make a bet on your favorite team at the sports book and look forward to your $40 round at Dayton Valley, knowing that if you were here last year, the same round would've cost you $80.
- Don't miss, and let me repeat this in bold face and capital letters, DON'T MISS playing at Genoa Lakes in the Carson Valley. You'll never realize how pretty the Carson Valley is until you're there, looking at the mountains that surround every inch of it. And the feeling you get when you play the course is almost mystical.
- If you hit a jackpot on a slot machine or just feel like splurging, play Edgewood at South Lake Tahoe. This is where they hold the annual American Century Championship celebrity tournament in July, and no matter what you shoot, you know you'll have a better score than Charles Barkley.
- Before leaving South Lake Tahoe, visit the Harvey's Casino sports book, but don't bet on Geoff Ogilvy to win the U.S. Open like I did (he missed the cut), and make a point of having breakfast at the Red Hut, a local greasy spoon that's a hangover helper.
- In the Truckee-North Lake Tahoe area, tee it up at Coyote Moon, Gray's Crossing and Old Greenwood, three pine-tree lined layouts that will immediately join your list of best courses you've ever played. Coyote Moon has some unforgettable holes with boulders around the greens, and one, the 13th, that is incredible - a severely downhill par-3 over a cavern that plays two to three clubs less than the yardage. Gray's Crossing used to be a very private club that is now open to the public, and Old Greenwood might be one of Jack Nicklaus' best.
- Put this one in the area of my own personal preference, but it could be yours too - I was dazzled by the Ritz Carlton where we stayed one night at Northstar, a ski area on the Northwest side of Lake Tahoe. But I got more of a kick out of my room at the Truckee Hotel the next night. It's Rustic with a capital R. The original hotel opened in 1873. When you ask for a wake-up call, they'll call your cell phone and have coffee ready for you in the morning, made by the cool guy with the bushy beard behind the desk who will show you a scrapbook and tell you all the stories behind this historic place. The Truckee Hotel, like the golf and everything else in the Reno-Lake Tahoe area, gets five stars from me.
For more information, visit www.golfthehighsierra.com.
Jim Moore is a sports columnist for seattlepi.com. You can reach him at jimmoore@seattlepi.com.
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BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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