Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Vikings and their new quarterback play host to the Chiefs, and the Red Sox and Yankees begin a series at Fenway Park.

Poor Blue Jays pitcher Brett Cecil as his boner continues to go viral on YouTube. The Solheim Cup is underway. Usain Bolt shattered the 200-meter world record at 19.19 seconds.

Colliding on the gridiron . . .

Falcons-Rams, Titans-Cowboys, and Chiefs-Vikings official betting previews are up.

There are three NFL preseason games on tap for Friday, with Atlanta (-3) at St. Louis, Tennessee at Dallas (-2.5), and Kansas City at Minnesota (-3.5). The Titans/Cowboys matchup will be the first game at Dallas‘ brand new stadium, but that will still be overshadowed by Brett Favre’s debut in a Vikings uniform as they host the Chiefs. Favre put an end to the speculation by finally signing with Minnesota mid-week, and he’s been pegged as the team’s starter for Friday night.

As well, the Canadian Football League offers up a pair of games on Friday night, with Saskatchewan at Montreal and Winnipeg at British Columbia. The Alouettes are the toast of the league so far this season, as they’re at 6-1 straight-up and 5-2 against-the-spread. The Roughriders are 4-3 both SU and ATS, and they’re 12.5-point underdogs for Friday. Out west the 3-4 SU and ATS Lions are 7.5-point home favorites against the Bombers; Winnipeg sits at 2-5 SU and 4-3 ATS.

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Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The Yankees and Red Sox launch yet another series on Friday night as Andy Pettitte (9-6, 4.09 ERA) takes on Brad Penny (7-7, 5.22 ERA) in Boston. The Yankees are 3-0 in Pettitte’s last three trips to the mound; the lefthander held the Red Sox scoreless over seven innings in his start on August 9, but had to settle for a no-decision. Righthander Penny hasn’t won since July 24, and he was tagged with a loss by the Rangers last time out (four runs over his 5 2-3 innings).

Also on the American League schedule for Friday: Seattle at Cleveland, the Angels at Toronto, Minnesota at Kansas City, Baltimore at the White Sox, Detroit at Oakland, and Texas at Tampa Bay. Dustin Nippert (4-1, 3.52 ERA) is slated to start for the Rangers on Friday; the righthander is coming off a win over the Red Sox (two runs in six innings pitched). The Rays counter with Scott Kazmir (7-7, 6.36 ERA); the lefthander was defeated by the Rangers in a start back on July 3.

Cole Hamels (7-7, 4.69 ERA) will be up against Mike Pelfrey (8-8, 4.75 ERA) as the Phillies begin a series in New York against the Mets on Friday night. Philadelphia is 0-3 in Hamels’ last three trips to the mound; the lefthander took a no-decision vs. the Braves last time out, allowing two runs over six innings. Righthander Pelfrey was also stuck with a no-decision in his most recent start, as he allowed two runs on five hits in 7 1-3 innings in an outing against the Giants.

Rounding out the NL schedule for Friday: Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, Milwaukee at Washington, Florida at Atlanta, Arizona at Houston, San Francisco at Colorado, St. Louis at San Diego, and the Cubs at the Dodgers. Randy Wells (9-5, 3.01 ERA) will take on Randy Wolf (7-6, 3.43 ERA) in that last matchup. Righthander Wells beat the Pirates in his last start (two runs over six innings), while lefthander Wolf is coming off a win over the Diamondbacks (three runs over 7 2-3 innings).

Tipping off on the hardwood  . . .

Finally, the WNBA serves up three games on Friday night, with Connecticut at New York, Los Angeles at San Antonio, and Washington at Phoenix. The Mystics (12-13 SU, 13-11-1 ATS) were beaten 72-69 on the road by Los Angeles last time out, despite Lindsey Harding’s 19 points and six rebounds. The Mercury, on the other hand, knocked off Chicago 106-99 in their last contest, getting a game-high 27 points from Diana Taurasi. Phoenix is 18-8 both SU and ATS on the year.

Entertainment news…

The Inglorious Basterds reviews are mixed. Check out entertainment props.   

It’s the St. Louis Rams and the Atlanta Falcons. The Dirty Birds are laying 2.5 at BetUs Sportsbook  and 3 at Sports Betting Sportsbook with a total of 36. 

Rams starting QB Marc Bulger is out. Journeyman Kyle Boller gets the start. They will again be minus their best WR Donnie Avery. Fellow wideouts Tim Carter and Brooks Foster are also out leaving St. Louis with just seven wide receivers.

However starting FB Mike Karney returns after missing the opener. He will be the lead blocker for Steven Jackson.

Alex Barron is out at RT for the Lambs, so No. 2 overall picks Jason Smith gets the start. His play has improved throughout camp.

Out for Atlanta: CB Chris Houston, LB Edmond Miles, S William Moore, and DT Jason Jefferson. Atlanta will likely test several young players against the Rams starters. DE Chauncey Davis and DT Trey Lewis will start but head coach Mike Smith said he will rotate players at those positions.

Other young Falcons who will get into the game early include CB Christopher Owens, DE Lawrence Sidbury, and DT Vance Walker.

RB Thomas Brown, who saw a lot of time as kick returner to Detroit, is a game time decision.

Smith did indicate that the QB rotation after Matt Ryan will be different than last week, but he did not specify. As point of reference, against Detroit it was Chris Redman, D.J. Shockley, and John Parker Wilson.

St. Louis starters will play the first half.

Top expert pick on this game: No. 6 all-time NFL service based on units won and No. 3 based on winning percentage has their 2009 NFL Preseason Lock of the Year on the Falcons/Rams. Click now to purchase this pick from the MasterLockLine.

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As the US Open betting season slowly approaches, a lot of bettors start to take more and more notice of what is happening in the Masters Series events prior to the big event. All eyes have been on Rafael Nadal and for good reason. Everyone knows that the Roger Federer express is on track to win another US Open – this would be his sixth consecutive one, for those who are counting – and the only guy that can derail that train is Nadal.

Nadal has been battling knee problems for the first time in his career this year and a lot of people aren’t sure whether this will be a regular thing from this point on or whether this is just one rough season. Nadal is the type of player that goes all out and plays with reckless abandon, so it’s not surprising that his body is breaking down, but it is surprising that his body is breaking down at the age of 23.

The betting public got their first look of Nadal when he came back from a month-long absence at the Rogers Cup in Montreal. Previously, Nadal had been surprisingly upset at the French Open, when he was among everyone’s sports picks to win the event, and then was forced to pull out of Wimbledon with his knee injury.

At the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Nadal struggled and was upset far earlier than anyone expected. He’s fared a little better at the Masters Series in Cincinnati, which to some is a good sign. After struggling to beat Andrea Seppi, needing tie-breakers in both sets to win, Nadal finally looked like himself against No. 31 seed Paul-Henri Mathieu with an easier win.

The issue was that after the match, Nadal still mention that he is suffering from knee tendinitis, which figures to be an ongoing issue. The hard court surface is the least forgiving on the knees, which means Nadal simply isn’t going to be 100% when it comes to the US Open.

Roger Federer is on a role right now. He’s surpassed Pete Sampras’ record for Grand Slams, he’s finally got that elusive French Open Championship, and now the pressure is off of him to just go out and play great tennis.

Over the last five years, Nadal has been the only player on the Tour to consistently beat Federer and if he’s not healthy, don’t expect anyone else to be able to. Those who sports bet online should stick with Federer as their pick at the US Open.

Cowboys Stadium hosts the Fox Sports crew and the Dallas Cowboys host the Tennessee Titans tonight. BetUs Sportsbook has the Cowboys -3 with a total of 38.5.

All Pro C Kevin Mawae remains out for Tennessee. “Intangibles” handicappers love the fact this is the first game in the gazillion dollar Cowboys Stadium.

Bob Warner of NFL betting blog Lines-Maker.com says he expects an “LSU atmosphere” referring to the notoriously rowdy fans at Saturday night Bengal Tiger games. There are 1,742 tree-lined spaces for tailgaters and revelers are expected hours beforehand. Gates open five, yes five hours before kickoff. 

Titans head coach Jeff Fisher said that his starters will play one or two more series than last week. This could take them into the second quarter. Backup QB Vince Young may take some snaps with the starters.

The Cowboys starters will go at least a half. Tony Romo starts at QB and veteran journeyman Jon Kitna follows.

Dallas CBs Terence Newman and Mike Jenkins as well as WR Roy Williams are probable despite nagging injuries. FB Deon Anderson is out.

For the Titans, the following players are out: cornerback Ryan Mouton, offensive tackle David Stewart, safety Nick Schommer, linebacker Josh Stamer, wide receiver Chris Davis, and defensive tackle Jason Jones. Linebackers Stephen Tulloch and Colin Allred, and offensive lineman Doug Datish are doubtful.

Top expert pick on this game: Stevie Vincent gets out the broom last night in pro football. His highest rated play of the season was on the Indianapolis Colts, plus he adds the over. This superstar also nails Texas as a Level 5 in pro baseball.

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