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09/15/2007 - Wuhan, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Katrine Pedersen scored and set up a goal as Denmark, playing with its coach in the stands because of a suspension, topped New Zealand, 2-0, on Saturday.
Coach Kenneth Heiner-Moller was suspended two games by FIFA for making contact with an official after Denmark's 3-2 loss to China on Wednesday.
He'll also miss Wednesday's key Group D game against Brazil, but at least the Danes are in position to qualify for the quarterfinals following a solid game against New Zealand. Cathrine Paaske Sorensen also scored for Denmark.
Denmark has been surrounded by controversy following an allegation of spying after finding two men with video cameras hiding behind a two-way mirror prior to its game against China. FIFA quickly dismissed the allegations, saying the two men were not related to any other team.
With its first win of the tournament, Denmark took the first step to move on from the distractions and reach the next round for the first time since 1995.
Denmark dominated early, holding possession for the majority of the first 15 minutes, but couldn't create any solid chances until later in the half.
The Danes had their best chance of the first half in the 20th minute when Paaske Sorensen launched a 30-yard blast off the crossbar.
It was far from the only chance for the Danes or Paaske Sorensen, as she just missed her second goal of the tournament again in the 26th minute on a header just over the crossbar.
Denmark's last solid chance of the opening half was from career scoring leader Merete Pedersen, who didn't start against China. She had a shot deflected wide by New Zealand's defense in the 39th minute.
New Zealand goalie Jenny Bindon played well in a busy first half, making three saves and coming off her line numerous times to cut off scoring chances.
Denmark continued to test Bindon early in the second half, forcing her to make a save just seconds after the restart.
Another solid Denmark threat followed in the 55th minute when Maiken Pape sent a header high from just a few yards out.
A few minutes later in the 61st minute, Denmark finally found the target.
Pape set up the chance when she was taken down just outside the top of the box by Bindon. Katrine Pedersen lined up the free kick and her shot dipped toward the left corner, deflecting off Bindon's fingertips before going into the net.
Denmark needed just six more minutes to extend its lead off another free kick by Katrine Pedersen. Her attempt was from just outside the top left of the box but instead of a shot, she crossed to the far post to Paaske Sorensen.
Paaske Sorensen, who scored in the 87th minute of a 3-2 loss to China, had a defender on her hip but jumped to head the ball and slotted it inside the left post.
New Zealand managed just three shots, but didn't put any on goal. The club, in its first World Cup since 1991, had its lone notable moment in the 87th minute when Annalie Longo, who is just 16, became the second youngest player to ever play in the World Cup.
New Zealand plays its last game of the group stage on Wednesday against China.
<< Heavy wind delays Solheim Cup
Halmstad, Sweden (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Heavy wind gusts of 40 mph forced
tournament officials to delay the start of the Saturday foursomes matches at
the Solheim Cup.
The wind knocked over signs, tents and even some trees at Halms
<< Greene's homer carries Padres over Giants in 10th
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Khalil Greene belted a home run in the
bottom of the 10th inning to lift the San Diego Padres to 5-4 victory over the
San Francisco Giants at Petco Park.
With one out in the 10th, Greene smacked the fi
<< Francoeur's two-run single lifts Braves over Nats in 13th
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Francoeur's two-run single in the 13th
inning led Atlanta to an 8-5 victory over the Washington Nationals.
Chipper Jones, who returned to the lineup after missing three starts due to
a strained
<< Guillen's sac fly lifts Mariners over D-Rays
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Guillen's sacrifice fly in the bottom of
the ninth sent Seattle over Tampa Bay, 2-1, in the second of four between the
teams at Safeco Field.
With Gary Glover (5-5) on the hill, Ichiro Suzuki began
Another late rally for Europe keeps it close >>
Halmstad, Sweden (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 18th hole doomed the Americans.
Two European teams won the 18th hole to earn crucial halves in the first two
matches of Saturday's foursomes matches at the Solheim Cup.
In the foursomes, each tea
Robredo, Gonzalez advance to China Open final >>
Beijing, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tommy Robredo and Fernando Gonzalez will
meet in Sunday's final after each took care of business in Saturday's
semifinals at the $500,000 China Open.
Robredo nipped German wild card Nicolas K
Samba Queens dance all over China >>
Wuhan, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marta and Christiane each scored two goals as
Brazil rolled to a 4-0 win over China on Saturday, its second impressive win
in the World Cup.
Brazil defeated New Zealand 5-0 in its opener and with the win ov
Aussies leave it late against Norway >>
Hangzhou, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lisa DeVanna came on as a second-half
substitute and rescued a point for Australia as she scored in the 83rd minute
to give the Matildas a 1-1 draw with Norway on Saturday.
Ragnhild Gulbrandsen sco
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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