Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
03/24/2010 - Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Crew earned the Supporters' Shield as the top regular season team for the second straight season in 2009, only to get bounced in the first round of the Major League Soccer playoffs by last-seeded and eventual MLS Cup champion Real Salt Lake.
After winning the MLS Cup themselves in 2008, what did the Crew learn from the early departure, even though they were favorites heading into the 2009 playoffs?
"We got a year older and we've gained some experience and I think the players are anxious to get on the field and prove that they are smarter after what happened last year," Crew coach Robert Warzycha told The Sportsbook Betting Lines.
The Crew should be more prepared heading into the 2010 campaign than the rest of MLS, being that they have already played two meaningful games recently in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League against Mexican club Toluca. While the Crew failed to advance in the tourney, they showed well, earning a draw at home before falling 3-2 in Mexico on March 17.
"I think it was a good experience for the club to be in the Champions League for the first time," Warzycha said. "We didn't know what to expect. We didn't physically know how we would react. It was very important for us to have a good team to play against and we showed very well playing against a very good team."
The tournament also gave Warzycha a chance to see what players could step into the lineup and contribute in meaningful games with some regulars out with injury. What he learned is that his back line is very deep.
On top of the starting four - left back Gino Pedula, right back Frankie Hejduk, and center backs Chad Marshall and Danny O'Rourke - who have been together the past couple seasons, Warzycha is confident in Eric Brunner, Andy Iro and Jed Zayner providing cover.
"It's not only those four guys but we have seven defenders we can basically choose from and I don't think the quality goes down depending on the combination," he said.
Behind them Will Hesmer will still be the starting goalkeeper with Andy Gruenebaum serving as a very capable backup.
The center of the midfield will be anchored by Brian Carroll once he is fully fit from offseason surgery, with Adam Moffat and Emmanuel Ekpo capable of filling the attacking role.
"[Carroll] had surgery in the offseason and hasn't been able to do anything for a couple months," Warzycha said. "He's a guy that anchors everything in the middle of the field, he is a very smart player. He's gonna need a couple more games to get to 100 percent."
No player's stock rose more than Moffat in the Champions League, however. Moffat showed he is finally healthy after a year of trying to overcome various niggles after a serious knee injury in 2008.
"Adam unfortunately has been out with injury and hasn't been able to find his form," Warzycha said. "But this preseason and the two games against Toluca he has almost come back to the performance that you remember from 2008. He is getting fitter, a little bit quicker and I think he is gonna play even better."
Out wide Robbie Rogers and Eddie Gaven should start, with Ekpo capable of eating up minutes there as well.
Up top, 36-year-old Argentine veteran Guillermo Barros Schelotto will once again be counted on to lead the squad.
"Too bad we couldn't use him in the first game at home because he has been great," Warzycha said of Schelotto's yellow-card accumulation suspension in the first leg vs. Toluca. "He scored two goals in the second leg and was very active. You don't see any signs he is getting old."
The former MLS MVP will be joined by a combination of Sergio Herrera, Steven Lenhart, Emilio Renteria and Jason Garey.
"You can choose between those guys so I think we have some depth and as long as you can have a competition and guys stay patient we should be pretty well," Warzycha said.
Schelotto can also drop back into the midfield to give the club more of a attacking formation.
<< Barca gets past Osasuna
Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barcelona moved three points clear of Real
Madrid atop the La Liga table on Wednesday as they recorded a tough 2-0 win
over Osasuna at the Nou Camp.
Despite entering the day in the bottom half of the t
<< Pedroia's wrist X-ray negative
Fort Myers, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin
Pedroia had X-rays on his left wrist come back negative Wednesday.
The 2008 AL MVP injured the wrist Tuesday in a spring training game while
diving for a g
<< St Mirren slams Celtic
Paisley, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Celtic's hopes of catching Rangers at the
top of the Scottish Premier League have been all but dashed after Wednesday's
stunning 4-0 defeat at St Mirren.
Andy Dorman opened the scoring in the 38th min
<< Weber State signs Rahe to long-term extension
Ogden, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Weber State University signed men's
basketball coach Randy Rahe to a multi-year extension on Wednesday.
"I am honored and flattered with this contract and very excited about being
the head baske
Turkoglu misses second half with stomach flu >>
TORONTO (AP) -Toronto forward Hedo Turkoglu missed the second half of the Raptors' game against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night with the stomach flu.Turkoglu had four points in 19 first-half minutes, then didn't return to the court for the start of
Florida's Meyer rips reporter in defense of player >>
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -With a stern look and some finger pointing, Florida coach Urban Meyer had harsh words for a reporter following spring practice.Meyer, speaking for the first time in a week, confronted an Orlando Sentinel reporter Wednesday an
Nets executive comes back with plan for paper bags >>
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -New Jersey Nets chief executive Brett Yormark isn't one to let a marketing opportunity go astray.Two days after a brief finger-pointing exchange with a fan who wore a paper bag on his head to protest the Nets' dismal seas
Fordham names Pecora new men's basketball coach >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fordham University announced the hiring of Tom
Pecora as its new head men's basketball coach.
He will be introduced at a press conference Thursday afternoon. The New York
Daily News reports Pecora inked a
Two playoff teams from 2007 take center stage on the NFL Network Sunday night in a Week 2 NFL betting match-up when the (0-1) New England Patriots betting head south to Florida for a contest with the (1-0) Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
New England HC Bill Belichick couldn’t care less about the way his team plays in the preseason. With a chance to tie last week’s game with the Baltimore Ravens betting, He elected to go for the two-point conversion and outright victory. The conversion failed, and the Pats ended up falling to the Ravens by a 16-15 final count.
New England rolled off twelve unanswered points to give it a chance at securing the victory, but it never threatened to cover the 3.5-point spread. NFL bettors saw this one coming, as they bet the Ravens down from +6 to +3.5 as the week progressed. QB Tom Brady didn’t take part in the Patriots first preseason clash, but could see action this weekend.
His three replacements all put up embarrassing numbers. They went a combined 17 for 33, and threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. The New England defense was encouraging, as they held the Ravens to 2/12 third down conversions and surrendered just ten first downs. That ‘D’ should be bolstered with the addition of former Bucs and Denver Broncos betting safety John Lynch, who could make his Patriots debut on Sunday against his former mates.
HC Jon Gruden had to be impressed with the way his Bucs played on both sides of the ball in their dominating 17-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1’s NFL pre-season betting action. Bucs bettors were quite happy with the effort, as they made a mockery of the fact that they were underdogs in the game.
The logjam at the quarterback position didn’t get any easier to separate for Gruden, as all four of his QBs had positive experiences in the first exhibition of 2008. The four combined to complete 28 of their 40 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, and that was without starting QB Jeff Garcia in the lineup.
RB Michael Bennett had 19 carries and four receptions, totaling 90 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see more of Bennett, Kenneth Darby, and Earnest Graham, as they all compete for playing time with Warrick Dunn in the backfield this season. Defensively, the Bucs recorded four sacks and held the Fins offense in check all day.
First round draft pick Aqib Talib was impressive in the secondary, recording a tackle and two pass defenses in his debut. Don’t be surprised to see Talib in the starting lineup opposite Ronde Barber for the Bucs in ’08.
The betting trends suggest that NFL bettors should be backing the Bucs in this intra-conference exhibition.
These two teams hooked up last year in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs winning that game 13-10. The Buccaneers have only lost one preseason game at home dating back to the beginning of the ’05 preseason. The Patriots have had a mixed bag of results in their recent exhibitions. They have gone 2-2 ATS and SU each of the last three years.
New England currently sits as modest 1-point favorites in this preseason showdown with the ‘total’ now sitting at 34.5.
You can find these lines and all of the NFL betting lines , so be sure to login and get your wagers down before kickoff!
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines .
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sports betting
In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook betting credit cards
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting