07/05/2009 - Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reports continue to suggest Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish is willing to take a risk on Newcastle United midfielder Joey Barton.
The 26-year-old former Manchester City star has been linked with a season-long loan switch to St Andrew's.
Birmingham have a recent history of signing controversial characters and trying to reform them, including Jermaine Pennant and Lee Bowyer.
Barton has been convicted twice on charges of violence and was sentenced to six months imprisonment 14 months ago for common assault and affray during an incident outside a McDonald's restaurant in Liverpool.
Barton served 77 days of his prison term, but in July 2008 was given a four- month suspended sentence after admitting assaulting then Manchester City team- mate Ousmane Dabo during a training ground dispute.
Barton reportedly earns $104,000 a week at St James' Park and Newcastle are desperate to get him off their wage bill as it prepares for life in the Championship.
(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)
<< Caicedo set to leave Manchester City
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ecuador international Felipe Caicedo
looks certain to be leaving Manchester City and moving to Sporting Lisbon at
some point this summer.
The 20-year-old is keen to taste Champions League fo
<< Hull interested in Lauren, Zamora
Hull, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Arsenal and Portsmouth defender Lauren
and Fulham striker Bobby Zamora are the latest players to be linked with moves
to Hull City.
The Tigers are struggling to attract players to the KC Stadium this
<< Big Unit exits early with shoulder injury
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - San Francisco starter Randy Johnson
had to cut his outing against Houston short on Sunday after injuring his left
shoulder.
The injury appeared to come in the third inning on an awkward wave at a t
<< Spurs wanted City signings Barry, Santa Cruz
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has admitted
he had been hoping to sign both Gareth Barry and Roque Santa Cruz this summer.
Barry opted to leave Aston Villa for Manchester City though, while Paraguay
in
Report: Wallace agrees to sign with Celtics >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Forward Rasheed Wallace has reportedly agreed
to sign with the Boston Celtics.
Reports from FOXSports.com and the Boston Globe on Sunday indicated Wallace is
expected to sign a two-year contract for the mi
Athletics acquire OF Hairston from Padres >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics on Sunday acquired
outfielder Scott Hairston from the Padres.
Ryan Webb and Craig Italiano, a pair of right-handers from Oakland's minor
league system, are heading to San Diego,
Feldman, bullpen help Rangers complete sweep of Rays >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Murphy went 3-for-3 with a run batted
in, as the Texas Rangers completed a three-game sweep of Tampa Bay with a 5-2
victory over the Rays.
The Rangers also extended their overall winning streak to f
Rangers' Hamilton to return Monday >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton is
expected to return to the team Monday.
Hamilton, who was voted a starting outfielder for the American League All-Star
team, has been out since June 1, when he
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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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.
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 .
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