My Picks to Win the Gold

Here are my picks for who will win the gold medals in curling at the 2010 Olympics:

• For the men, I pick the Kevin Martin rink, representing Canada. They have been very good for the past decade or two, and they looked awesome in the Olympic trials.
• For the women, I pick Wang and her rink from China. I make this choice with some disappointment and hope that I'm wrong. But Wang looked excellent and improving last year at the world championships; and no matter how good Cheryl Bernard looked at the Olympic trials, she and her rink didn't look like world-beaters there.

My picks are not much different from those of the odds makers:

It may not be as popular as hockey in Canada but curling is a sport that Canadians love and the men’s team is the favorite in Curling odds at 8/11 to win the gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics while the women’s team is almost even money. Britain is the second choice in men’s curling odds at 4-1 while Norway is 5-1. ...
On the women’s side, ... Canada is a slight favorite at 7/4 at online sportsbooks while China is 15/8. Sweden and Switzerland are 8-1; Denmark is 10-1 while Great Britain is 12-1. Longshots include Germany and the United States at 20-1.

Addendum: Let me add that while I really enjoy considering the odds provided at various gambling sites, I personally do not gamble at these sites (or anywhere, actually), and I do not recommend using them for anything other than information. Friendly side-bets are another story.