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07/10/2010 - Chester, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Earthquakes earned an opportunistic 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer action at PPL Park on Saturday evening.
The win was made possible because of a number of second-half saves by 'Quakes goalkeeper Jon Busch, who finished with seven in the game.
San Jose (6-4-4) scored both its goals in stoppage time, the first by Cornell Glen as the first half was winding down, and the second by Arturo Alvarez in the closing minutes of the game.
Philadelphia's Fred opened the scoring in the 14th minute when he ran onto a ball that was flicked into the area by Danny Mwanga. Fred then split defenders Ike Opara and Jason Hernandez and fired just under Busch's arm for the 1-0 advantage in the 15th minute.
The Union, who dominated most of the possession in the game, just missed going up 2-0 a minute later when Andrew Jacobson ripped a long-range shot off the post.
San Jose's Joey Gjertsen hit the crossbar with a dipping, long-range shot in the 42nd minute before Glen scored the equalizer.
San Jose striker Chris Wondolowski ran onto a long ball played from the back on the right side and quickly played a ball into the Philadelphia penalty area to Glen, who one-timed the shot just inside the far post, past goalkeeper Chris Seitz.
Busch made a series of strong saves in the second half to keep his team level, the first being in the first minute after the break when Mwanga broke in alone on a breakaway. The steady goalkeeper then came out and knocked the attempt away.
Busch got the best of Mwanga again in the 73rd minute when the rookie attacker pounced on a loose ball in the area after a corner kick.
Busch made a couple more game-saving stops in the final 10 minutes on Sebastien Le Toux before Alvarez's winner.
With the Union pressing forward aiming for the full points, Alvarez caught them on a counter attack, scooping up the ball at the center line and driving all the way in on Seitz. Alvarez then deked past a defender and slotted the shot past Seitz for his third goal of the season.
Philadelphia (3-8-2) will aim to rebound when it hosts Toronto FC on Saturday, while the 'Quakes play at Los Angeles on July 22 in their next MLS fixture.
<< Braves' Jones back in lineup in 4-0 win over Mets
NEW YORK (AP) -When Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones had back spasms after one night in the team hotel in New York, his solution was easy: sleep on the floor.Jones was back in the starting lineup in Saturday's 4-0 victory over the New York
<< Report: Redskins OL Williams to miss season
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Post is reporting that
Redskins starting right guard Mike Williams could be sidelined for the 2010
season because of blood clots near his heart.
Team sources have told the paper
<< Dutch, Spain both eye history-making victory
Johannesburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - History will be made at Soccer
City on Sunday in the final of the FIFA World Cup as either the Netherlands or
Spain will claim its first-ever World Cup title.
One of the two sides will becom
<< Soto and Castro carry Cubs past Dodgers
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Geovany Soto and Aramis Ramirez homered
and the Cubs scored six times in the first three innings to land a 7-3 win
against the Dodgers in the continuation of a four-game series from Chavez
Ravine.
Heyward pulls out of All-Star Game >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Braves rookie right fielder Jason Heyward
won't play in the All-Star Game on Tuesday.
Heyward, 20, was voted as a starter by the fans but is currently on the 15-day
disabled list with a thumb ailment. He
Furcal replaces Reyes on NL All-Star roster >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes will miss
the All-Star Game on Tuesday due to a strained right oblique.
Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal was chosen to replace Reyes and will make his
second appearance in
Quentin powers ChiSox to seventh straight win >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Quentin clubbed two home runs and
Gavin Floyd pitched into the eighth inning as the Chicago White Sox took a 5-1
win over the Kansas City Royals in the second of a three-game set.
Floyd (5-7) won
Myers strong again as 'Stros clip Cardinals >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Keppinger had two hits, including a home
run, to back another strong outing from Brett Myers in Houston's 4-1 win over
St. Louis in the middle contest of a three-game set.
Pedro Feliz chipped in with a
The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.
Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.
The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
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