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09/07/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's a story that Toronto FC fans have grown accustomed to. A strong start to the season that looks to be leading to the eventual reward of making the MLS playoffs for the first time, only for the team to have a dismal finish and fail to reach the promised land.
The 2010 version of TFC still has time to give that story a different ending, but a few members of the club must improve significantly for that to come to fruition.
Goalkeeper Stefan Frei has been marvelous in net for TFC, but he is also the most overworked keeper in the MLS. Through weekend play, the side had allowed the most shots on net in the entire league.
The midfielders have at times failed to pull their weight defensively, and defenders Nick Garcia and Adrian Cann have occasionally been caught cheating to the tune of several goals, and points in the standings, surrendered.
This affliction was on full display July 31 in a loss to the Kansas City Wizards, where a misguided back header by Cann allowed KC's Teal Bunbury to break in on net alone and beat Frei for the only goal of the game.
At times, Cann's lack of pace has also been his undoing, with the more fleet- footed opposing forwards taking advantage of the former Canadian international player. Cann's current form kept him from being selected to the national team for one of their upcoming friendlies.
Garcia has been perhaps more frustrating to watch, simply because you do not know what to expect from him on a game-by-game basis.
In some fixtures, he shows off his ability to make sound judgements and displays wonderful crossing ability, while in others he makes poor decisions with the ball.
Considering the fact TFC has allowed 26 goals this season, compared to 22 scored, the offense must also do its part in order for the club to succeed and make up for its deficiencies on the back end.
Designated players Mista and Julian De Guzman must live up to their big-money price tags and produce more than they have. After his move from Spain, Mista has been especially disappointing, considering he was supposed to add another dimension to the TFC offense.
Though Dwayne De Rosario and Chad Barrett have done a decent job in leading the TFC attack, the presence of Maicon Santos allowed more flexibility and his full return from injury would make the club more complete.
If TFC hopes to maintain a playoff spot throughout the rest of the season, they must improve at both ends of the field and perform better on the road, which has been their Achilles' heel since entering the MLS in 2007.
With CONCACAF Champions League games on the horizon and the absence of several top-notch players leaving their team for international duty, TFC's roster depth will be put to the test in the coming weeks. The old adage that offense wins games but defense wins championships should be a philosophy that TFC adheres to during the stretch run.
<< Report: Patriots, Brady close to contract extension
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Patriots and quarterback Tom
Brady are reportedly on the verge of a three-year contract extension worth
close to $58 million.
The Boston Herald reports the deal is on the table for Brady,
<< Illini lineman suspended after DUI arrest
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) -Illinois has indefinitely suspended defensive lineman Michael Buchanan after he was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving over the weekend.Champaign County State's Attorney Julia Rietz said Tuesday that Illinois State Police
<< The Real Deal on the AL Cy Young Race
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With 28 days left in the regular season, the
American League Cy Young award is still up for grabs. It seems the New York
Yankees' CC Sabathia is considered the leading candidate, although I think
there's another
<< 2010 World Basketball Championship update - September 7th
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
Halftime - Lithuania 43, China 40
Argentina vs. Brazil, 2 p.m.
Boise State gains ground in AP Top 25 >>
Boise State has gained seven first-place votes to close in on No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Ohio State as the top three in the first regular season Associated Press football poll.The Broncos remained third after a thrilling 33-30 victory against Virginia
McNabb: Ankle not 100 percent, will start Sunday >>
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6 on the coaching hot seat >>
It might not be a wise choice for several NFL coaches to sit down this season. Their seats are going to be awfully hot.Winning records are advised for John Fox, Jack Del Rio, Eric Mangini, Tom Cable, Raheem Morris and Lovie Smith, or else their tenu
Dolphins try to escape LeBron's shadow >>
MIAMI (AP) - Miami is the home of the Dolphin Expressway, the Dolphin Mall, the Dolphin Bar & Lounge, Dolphin Termite Services, Dolphin Used Auto Parts and Dolphin Bail Bonds.That's the way it has been in Miami for decades: Dolphins, Dolphins, D
In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.
Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).
If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).
Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.
New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)
In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:
There was also the possibility that the final score could land exactly on the spread number (for example, the Pats winning 28-21 when -7), which is called a “push” or “no action” and a refund is then issued to bettors of both teams.
The same game with the same point spread can be considered from the weaker team’s perspective: The Underdog (Philly in the case of our example) is not expected to win the game and online football betting thus receives or “gets” points given by the stronger team. When a game is stated from the underdog’s perspective the team is listed with a plus sign and the number of points they are underdogs by:
Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs. New England Patriots
Keep in mind that Philadelphia +7 and New England -7 is the same point spread on the same game, simply stated differently. The first is from the underdog’s perspective; the later is from the favorite’s.
Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:
Let’s look at the actual result of Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24 Philadelphia 21
The favorite, New England, won the game but not by more than the point spread they were favored by (7), so the ATS result was a LOSS for Pats bettors.
Looking at it from the underdog’s perspective, Philly did not win the game, but they lost by less than the point spread (7), so the ATS result was a WIN for Eagle bettors.
Mathematically considered, 24 for the favorite Pats minus 7 equals 17, which is less than the 20 the Eagles scored, so the underdog Eagles win the ATS result (or you could figure 20 plus 7 equals 27 for the Eagles, which is more than 24 for the Pats).
Emily’s boyfriend understood the point spread and wagered $100 on the Eagles at +7. The Eagles may not have gotten a Super Bowl ring, but since they won the ATS result Emily’s boyfriend cashed his bet – giving him money to take her out to a nice dinner.
And now hopefully you understand how to read point spreads, putting you one step closer to joining the fun of sports betting.
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting and World Series odds.
Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Odds
Will he or won't he? Now that the Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips, the big question will be: Does Terrell Owens stay with the team.
Jerry Jones continues to suggest that Terrell Owens will remain with the team.
"I've said that he's back, he's here, he's under contract," Jones said. "In the interviews I've just been through (to hire a new coach), it was very clear to me how highly he's thought of and how much of an impact he had on our offensive success."
Just to be sure though, Terrell Owens cleared out his locker and removed his name plate.
Terrell Owens was among the Cowboys most productive players this past season, catching 85 passes for 1,180 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns.
But T.O. is due a $3 million roster bonus in June, then a $5 million salary this season. Cutting him before then would save a lot of money and headaches.
Aside from the questions surrounding Terrell Owens, the oddsmakers at MySportsbook.com have concerns over starting quarterback Tony Romo's state of mind and whether he will remain a starting quarterback. It is also not known how players will adjust to new head coach, Wade Phillips.
Here are the football odds as seen at MySportsbook.com and subject to change after February 10, 2007 if not locked in prior to that date.
Arizona Cardinals 60-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Baltimore Ravens 15-1
Buffalo Bills 50-1
Carolina Panthers 18-1
Chicago Bears 10-1
Cincinnati Bengals 15-1
Cleveland Browns 100-1
Dallas Cowboys 15-1
Denver Broncos 15-1
Detroit Lions 100-1
Green Bay Packers 50-1
Houston Texans 100-1
Indianapolis Colts 6-1
Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1
Kansas City Chiefs 30-1
Miami Dolphins 40-1
Minnesota Vikings 75-1
New England Patriots 10-1
New Orleans Saints 18-1
New York Giants 20-1
New York Jets 30-1
Oakland Raiders 100-1
Philadelphia Eagles 18-1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10-1
Saint Louis Rams 60-1
San Diego Chargers 6-1
San Francisco 49ers 75-1
Seattle Seahawks 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccanneers 75-1
Tennessee Titans 40-1
Washington Redskins 50-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook credit cards needs.
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