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03/13/2010 - Getafe, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mallorca's troubles away from home continued on Saturday as the club suffered a 3-0 defeat at Getafe.
Mallorca entered the weekend in fourth place, level on points with Sevilla and only four behind third-placed Valencia, but the loss drops them into fifth place, while Getafe jumps into eighth and has renewed its hopes for a spot in Europe.
Daniel Parejo scored the opener after 32 minutes and a pair of substitutes, Miku and Manu, sealed the win with goals in the last 10 minutes, while Mallorca's Nunes was sent off just prior to the third goal.
Mallorca has put together one of the best home records in La Liga this season, but their form away from home has been poor as they have posted just two wins in 14 matches on the road.
The game started slowly with neither team doing much offensively in the first 30 minutes, but the first good chance fell to Getafe as Roberto Soldado played Pedro Leon in behind the defense, and he forced a save from goalkeeper Dudu Aouate.
However, Aouate couldn't keep out a close-range header minutes later from Parejo, who finished off a cross from Jaime Gavilan.
Mallorca was unable to get anything going offensively and they were fortunate to remain within a goal early in the second half as Aouate produced saves on both Leon and Javier Casquero.
But it wasn't until the final 10 minutes that all three points were secured as a pair of substitutes put the result out of reach.
Parejo had a hand in Miku's goal as he set up the young striker for a low shot that managed to get past Aouate, while Mallorca captain Nunes was sent off four minutes later when he handled the ball on his own goal line.
Manu easily converted the penalty kick with five minutes to play to wrap up the win, which snaps a six-game winless skid for Getafe.
Sevilla moved into fourth place after their 1-1 draw with Deportivo, while Athletic Bilbao had to settle for a 0-0 draw against Sporting Gijon as Bilbao's Igor Gabilondo missed a second-half penalty kick.
<< Weight done for season
Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Islander captain Doug Weight will
miss the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury that will require
surgery.
The 39-year-old tore the rotator cuff and labrum in his left shoulder
<< MRI on Gerald Wallace's ankle comes back negative
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An MRI on Charlotte Bobcats forward Gerald
Wallace's left ankle came back negative on Saturday.
The results showed Wallace does not have any fractures or ligament damage, but
rather a left ankle and mid-fo
<< Lyon misses chance to join leaders
Lyon, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lyon missed out on a chance to join Bordeaux
and Montpellier at the top of the Ligue 1 table on Saturday as they were held
to a 1-1 draw by St Etienne.
With the top two teams in the league both having draw
<< Gilardino's brace carries Fiorentina past Napoli
Naples, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of second-half goals from Alberto
Gilardino handed Fiorentina a 3-1 win over Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo on
Saturday.
Ezequiel Lavezzi broke a scoreless deadlock early in the second half t
Redskins re-sign OL Montgomery >>
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Redskins re-signed offensive
lineman Will Montgomery on Saturday.
The 6-foot-3, 312-pound Montgomery played in all 16 games with Washington last
season and started three contests at right gua
Richmond reaches first A-10 title game since 2002 >>
Atlantic City, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Anderson posted 27 points and six
rebounds as Richmond advanced to the Atlantic 10 final with an 89-85 decision
over 24th-ranked Xavier.
David Gonzalvez added 26 points and five assists for the
Sam Houston State wins Southland, goes to NCAA Tournament >>
Katy, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gilberto Clavell scored 21 points, grabbed five
rebounds, and dished out four assists, as the top-seeded Sam Houston State
Bearkats punched their ticked to the NCAA Tournament with a 64-48 victory over
Stephen
Els and Schwartzel share first at Doral >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ernie Els was joined atop the leaderboard by
fellow South African Charl Schwartzel after Saturday's third round of the WGC-
CA Championship.
Els, the second-round leader, managed a two-under 70 at the TPC
(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).
The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.
"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."
Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.
"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."
When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:
CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.
DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.
PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.
You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.
"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."
Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.
(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)
Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."
But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."
Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."
Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."
All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.
In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.
"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."
To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.
Super Bowl XLIII is now set, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers will meet each other on February 1st in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium to battle it out for the coveted Lombardi Trophy. The game kicks off at 6:00pm ET on NBC with announcers Al Michaels and John Madden covering the on-field action. Super Bowl XLIII betting odds at online bookmaker MySportsbook.com have the Steelers listed as an early -6.5 against the spread favorite.Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds
Pittsburgh earned their passage to the big game by beating their division rival, the Baltimore Ravens, 23-14 in yesterday's AFC Championship Game. The Steelers jumped on Baltimore early, building a 13-0 first half lead, and never let up on their way to a fairly easy win. Although the Ravens did close to within two points in the fourth quarter, it never appeared as if they had enough offense to pull off the upset.
The Steelers dominating defense held Baltimore to a total of 198 yards while allowing them to convert just three third downs in 13 attempts. Pittsburgh also forced quarterback Joe Flacco into three interceptions, one of which safety Troy Polamalu returned fourty yards for a touchdown.
The Cardinals, by far the playoff team with the longest odds to reach Super Bowl XLIII, did so yesterday with a 32-25 upset of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. Arizona charged out of the gates and built a 24-6 halftime lead that had the Eagles venerable defense reeling. Quarterback Kurt Warner and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald did most of the damage, connecting on three first half touchdowns.
Arizona, however, could not sustain their momentum and the Eagles took a 25-24 with 10:45 left to play in the fourth. The Cardinals, with the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance hanging in the balance, mounted a fourteen play, 72 yard touchdown drive that consumed 7:52 off the clock. Warner hit running back Tim Hightower on a short screen for the go-ahead, game clinching score that will forever live in Cardinal infamy.
MySportsbook.com's Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds:
Pittsburgh Steelers -6.5 (-110), Over 46.5 (-110), -260 (Money line)
Arizona Cardinals +6.5 (-110), Under 46.5 (-110), +220 (Money line)
Matt Foust won both of his conference championship plays yesterday and he is ready to serve up plenty of Super Bowl action. Each individual play costs $15.00, however, MySportsbook.com recommends purchasing Matt's NFL Playoff Package which includes all of Matt's Super Bowl props and picks from just $45.00.
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