has long been convinced that the sweep or slog sweep are usually deployed by batsmen who dont use their feet well against spinners.Batting on slow, spinning wickets is not easy against a top-flight

LAS VEGAS -- Heading into SuperContest Weekend at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, the famed pro football handicapping contest is once again on a record pace.The SuperContest drew 1,727 entries last year at $1,500 apiece for a record purse in excess of $2.5 million and a first-place prize of $906,675, as the contest increased for the sixth straight year. There were concerns that the SuperContests growth could be slowed this year when the Westgate announced an 8 percent administrative fee that would be taken out of the prize pool to cover costs of running the contest, but that hasnt happened yet.At this time last year (heading into the SuperContest Weekend of Friday and Saturday, Aug. 28-29, 2015), there were 694 entries at the close of business on Thursday, Aug. 27.This years entries were at 695 as of this past Monday night and were into the 760s on Wednesday afternoon. With more than 30 hours to go until the close of business on Thursday night, the number should reach into the mid-800s. (Ill post an update in the comments section below.)During the first few weeks since we started taking signups on July 1, we were around 60 to 100 ahead of last year and thought that might slow down due to the 8 percent takeout, said Jay Kornegay, vice president of race & sports book operations at the Westgate, But then we saw a lot of signups last weekend and another spike this week. It looks like were going to be closer to 170 ahead going into our biggest weekend.The SuperContest Weekend, in its fifth year, features a free handicapping seminar at 6 p.m. PT Friday (the cocktail reception starts at 5 p.m.) in The Pavilion ballroom at the Westgate, a golf outing across the street on Saturday afternoon at the Las Vegas Country Club and prize drawings back in The Pavilion at 7:30 p.m. with at least six $1,500 SuperContest entries being given away as well as dozens of other prizes such as dinners, shows, sports memorabilia, etc.Fridays seminars will include two college football panels and one NFL panel with Brian Blessing acting as emcee. The 6 p.m. college football panel will include Chris Fallica of ESPNs College Gameday (and an ESPN Chalk contributor) along with Ken Thomson , Joe Lisi and moderator Steve Cofield. The 7 p.m. college football panel includes Kenny White, Dave Cokin and Lee Sterling with moderator Scott Spreitzer. The 8:05 p.m. NFL panel includes Marc Lawrence, Bernie Fratto and Rufus Peabody with moderators Gill Alexander and JT The Brick.The winners of the SuperContest Satellite Series on the Gamblino app are scheduled to be honored at 7:55 p.m. The bad news is that the Gamblino app will not be running qualifying tournaments this football season. Kornegay said he hasnt had time to figure out a qualifying tourney for next year.For the uninitiated, here are the SuperContests full rules and regulations.Sunset Station gets in seminar gameLas Vegas casinos have long used seminars to bring football bettors into their sportsbooks (recent examples being held at the Stardust, Ballys, Palace Station and Red Rock since the turn of the century), so its not surprising that another casino doesnt want to let the Westgate have all the fun.The Sunset Station will be holding a pro football seminar at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30, in the Club Madrid nightclub, with Blessing pulling double-duty along with race & sports book director Chuck Esposito. Scheduled speakers include Bruce Marshall of the Gold Sheet, Andy Iskoe, Todd Fuhrman, Fratto and former ESPN handicapper Hammerin Hank Goldberg.More Vegas football contestsWhile the SuperContest is the biggest game in town, there are plenty of other casinos in Vegas also trying to lure customers with their handicapping contests.-- The Friday Football Showdown is back at the Golden Nugget, as previewed in this ESPN Chalk piece. The entry fee is $2,000, as it tries to challenge the SuperContest in the high-end contest space. Players not only pick NFL games against the spread but can also play NFL over/unders as well as NCAA sides and totals. The Nugget was hoping to go from 87 entries last year to around 200 this year, especially due to the fact it still pays back 100 percent of the prize pool.As of Thursday afternoon, there were only 41 entries, but theres expected to be a big increase this weekend with all the contest players in town signing up at the Westgate also wandering over to the other casinos with contests.-- After a two-year hiatus, William Hill has resumed its College Pick Em Contest for NCAA football handicappers. The entry fee is $500 with a limit of three entries per person (past versions of this contest were $250 per entry from 2005-2012 and then $100 in 2013 before it was dropped). Players make 7 plays against the spread (from a list of 25 available games) for 10 weeks starting with the games of Sept. 9-10. The prize pool is guaranteed to be at least $25,000 with 70 percent of entries going to the champion. In addition, theres a $25,000 bonus to the champion if they hit at least 70 percent winners (49 of the possible 70 points). As of Thursday afternoon, there were 36 entrants and again theres expected to be a spike this weekend. Full details are on the William Hill website.-- On the lower end, Wildfire Gaming offers the free College Football Clash with $500 in weekly cash prizes and the season-long champion winning a trip for two to the 2017 Rose Bowl (or a $1,500 cash prize in lieu of the trip). Wildfire Gaming is connected to Station Casinos and its Boarding Pass program, but this contest is just held at the smaller casinos such as Wildfire Rancho, Wildfire Sunset, Wildfire Lake Mead, Wildfire Boulder, Barleys and Wild Wild West.-- Ive long been a big fan of the football contests here in Vegas and believe theyre worth entering for those visiting town, even if for just one weekend. Many are free while others cost about what you might already be spending in office pools back home, but could have much bigger payoffs. Most of these are just picking teams to win, no points involved. The Station Casinos and Boyd Gaming have free contests where you just need to sign up for a free players card. William Hill also has a $25 buy-in Pro Pick Em contest with a $10,000 weekly prize for most winners.One contest we lost this year is Airin It Out at the Aliante in North Las Vegas, as Boyd Gamings purchase of the property is expected to be finalized during the first half of the season. NFL Jerseys China . -- Eastern Kentucky thrives off creating havoc for others. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. http://www.jerseyswholesalenflcheap.com/ . Now, correct me if Im wrong but I saw one official distinctly pointing at the net indicating a good goal but after an inconclusive review they overturned the goal. Shouldnt the ruling on the ice (good goal) stand after an inconclusive review? Why was this overturned? James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. Wholesale NFL jerseys . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. Wholesale NFL Jerseys China . And follow TSN.ca right through Deadline Day for all the updates. From Pierre LeBrun While Anaheim GM Bob Murray said earlier this season he was not going to trade Jonas Hiller despite the fact hes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, some sources have told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun that Murray might be willing to move another goalie. For the coming Test in Galle, on what promises to be a spinning minefield, Australia must seek the best way to combat the clever art of Rangana Herath and Co.The best way to play a quality spinner on a turner is to get to the other end. If both batsmen have this mindset, singles come at a canter, the scoreboard ticks over, and the bowler starts to worry. The great players of spin down the years - Don Bradman, Neil Harvey, Doug Walters, Garry Sobers, Brian Lara and VVS Laxman, to name a few - all knew the value of rotating the strike. When a batting pair rotates the strike, it soon creates great concern for the spinner. He starts to change his field: one or more of his close catchers are moved back to plug the gaps. When the singles come in a flood, the spinner also starts to lose patience. There are more loose balls on offer, and thus, a greater volume of boundaries.This Australian team as a batting collective is all at sea, especially against the wiles of Herath. They are not helping themselves. Joe Burns goes hard at the ball and often has his bat a long way in front of his pad when playing a forward-defensive shot. David Warner needs to be patient, and Usman Khawaja, who shapes not unlike Lara on a good, fast pitch with the ball coming on, needs to be tighter in defence against a good spinner. As with Burns, Khawajas bat is too far in front of his pad when he plays forward. Erapalli Prasanna, easily the best offspinner Ive seen, would have demolished this Australian team, even on a wicket that afforded only a hint of spin.Why? He got the ball to dip in an acute way. If a batsman misjudges the length of an acutely dipping ball, and his bat is in front of his pad, it is only a matter of time before he gets an inside edge, presenting a catch to a close-in fieldsman.There is a looseness in the manner in which most Australian batsmen go about their work. A spinner loves nothing more than a batsman coming down the wicket to hit him on the half-volley. If the batsman misjudges the length, hes liable to be caught or stumped. Bob Simpson, a splendid player of spin, used to say that when you move down the wicket to hit a spinner, try to get him on the full. That way, if you misjudge the length slightly, you can quickly adjust to hit the ball on the half-volley.In Pallekele, Steven Smith was the lone Australian batsman who looked competent at the crease. But his dismissal in the first innings, when he tried to hit on the half-volley, was a classic case of misreading the length. The likes of Adam Voges and Mitchell Marsh look decidedly uncomfortable on these slow Sri Lankan pitches that afford spin and variable bounce. One doesnt expect either to have much impact in Galle.In the short form of the game, especially T20, batsmen rely on huge bats to smite the ball. It is very much wham, bam stuff, with not a skerrick of footwork. Even in Test cricket these days rarely do we see a batsman advance to a spinner and ease the ball through a gap for two or three.Walters, a brilliant judge of length, oonce played a remarkable innings for Australia against Northern Districts in 1974, scoring a century in a session without hitting a boundary.dddddddddddd. He worked the ball into gaps and used his feet to drive through the covers or wide of mid-on. He didnt sweep once. Prasanna has long been convinced that the sweep or slog sweep are usually deployed by batsmen who dont use their feet well against spinners.Batting on slow, spinning wickets is not easy against a top-flight spinner, but it is not impossible. Certainly 21-year-old Kusal Mendis, with that masterful second-innings 176, found the supposed minefield in Pallekele very much to his liking.In effect, Australias batsmen need to embrace five points:Rotate the strike.Play with soft hands, and the bat not in front of the pad when playing forward defence.Use their feet to work the gaps.If they sweep or slog-sweep, do it sparingly.Be patient.A spinner knows what he likes and dislikes about the manner in which a batsman goes about his work. The batsman who rotates the strike, works the gaps, has soft hands and rarely slog-sweeps is an opponent very much up for the contest. A few years ago Herath was a member of my Spin Australia coaching clinic in Colombo. A solidly built little bloke, he wasnt a standout gifted spinner, but I liked the way he competed. He tended to bowl flat, and from the time it was suggested that he drive up and over his braced front foot, he improved out of sight. His stock ball is hard-spun, and if he bowls a flat delivery, he knows how to regain the desired just-above-the-eyeline loop by reaching up a little higher on his front foot at delivery. That enables him to stay for a split-second longer on his front foot, and helps him achieve maximum revolutions on the ball. How brilliantly Herath rewarded Sri Lanka in the wake of the selectors finally getting things right. In 71 Tests he has taken 313 wickets at a good average of 29.64.Steve OKeefes injury is a big blow to Australia, but Victorias Jon Holland, also a left-arm orthodox spinner, might prove a surprise packet in Galle. Holland will enjoy Smiths captaincy. Smith will get his fields right in Galle, and they will be a far cry from the Far Flung Chinese field Hollands Victoria captain Matthew Wade set for him in the Sheffield Shield final at Glenelg Oval a few months back.Despite the ludicrous field placings, Holland bowled splendidly then to help the Victorians to a deserved victory. As with OKeefe, he will nicely complement Nathan Lyons offspin. Lyon needs to take a leaf out of Heraths spin book and change his pace in a subtle way. Even on a big turner, change of pace is important to break the rhythm of the batsman.The Australian batsmen havent much time to develop a winning mindset. Theyll need to bat and bowl out of their skins to turn the tables on the Sri Lankans, but most likely the visitors are looking at a 3-0 whitewash. 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