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09/28/2007 - Leverkusen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Re-tooled Bayern Munich has lived up to expectations so far this year, going undefeated in seven games to sit atop the standings as the class of the Bundesliga.
An offseason signing spree that included Miroslav Klose, Frank Ribery and Luca Toni put high expectations on Bayern after a disappointing 2006-07 season.
By starting the year so well, the pressure has been lifted off Bayern and it's a welcome change for the players as they prepare for a showdown against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
"Last season people were putting us down and now everything seems to be going really well," Bayern defender Philip Lahm said. "We have world-class players. It's good that we have come back down to earth, and that the euphoria of the first few weeks has died down."
Klose has silenced any critics by scoring eight goals, Ribery has been great in midfield and Toni has five goals.
The presence of those international veterans, along with a mix of young (like Lahm) and old (like Oliver Kahn) talent from last season's squad has jelled perfectly.
Bayern Munich (5-0-2) is the lone team in the league with five wins, and only Schalke is also unbeaten.
The disappointment of last year's fourth-place finish is already fading with an early lead in the standings and an incredible plus-18 goal differential.
Bayer Leverkusen, which was fifth last season, is in third-place entering the weekend's games even with a relatively young squad. Since starting the season with a draw and a loss, Bayer is unbeaten in four straight - including three straight wins.
"Leverkusen are always tough to play, and they've had some good games. They have a really strong squad and some top players," Lahm said. "We have to be well prepared."
Although many unknown young players have been key to Leverkusen early in the season, winger Bernd Schneider is a player Lahm believes is key to the club.
Schneider has been battling knee problems, but will likely play on Saturday.
"He's always dubbed the 'White Brazilian,'" Lahm said. "He has a sensational technique, a terrific shot and I don't think you can compare him to any player in the Bundesliga. For me, he's sensational."
In Friday's lone game in the Bundesliga, Schalke remained undefeated with a 1-0 win over Hertha Berlin. Schalke moved past Bayer Leverkusen into second with the victory. Marcio scored the game's lone goal on a penalty kick in the 44th minute.
Also on Saturday, Karlsruher hosts Borussia Dortmund, Rostock hosts Stuttgart, Werder Bremen hosts Arminia Bielefeld, Hamburg hosts Wolfsburg and Bochum hosts Nurnberg.
On Sunday, Energie hosts Eintracht and Hannover hosts Duisburg.
<< Panthers' Delhomme listed as doubtful
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme
is doubtful for Sunday's matchup against Tampa Bay due to a strained right
elbow.
Delhomme, who missed practice for the third straight day, was injur
<< D.C. hopes to avoid letdown against Toronto
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United will try to take another step
toward finishing with Major League Soccer's best record for the second year in
a row on Saturday against Toronto FC.
D.C. is riding a 10-game unbeaten streak, whi
<< Bartoli ousts top-seeded Chakvetadze in Luxembourg
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wimbledon runner-up Marion
Bartoli upset U.S. Open semifinalist Anna Chakvetadze of Russia in Friday's
quarterfinal action at the $600,000 Fortis Championships.
The fifth-seeded Bartoli
<< Jockey Club Gold Cup features "Ron" and Curlin
Elmont, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunday's $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup at
Belmont Park has attracted a field of seven including leading older
thoroughbred Lawyer Ron and Preakness Stakes winner Curlin. The 1 1/4 mile
event
Kings name Blake captain >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Kings have named defenseman
Rob Blake the team captain for the 2007-08 season, the team announced on
Friday.
It will be Blake's second stint as the Los Angeles captain. He wore the
Astros name Cooper permanent manager >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros announced Friday the hiring
of Cecil Cooper as the team's permanent manager.
Cooper joined the Astros in 2005 as the club's bench coach and had served as
interim manager since the firing o
Pronger given "C" in Anaheim >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defenseman Chris Pronger has been named Captain
of the Anaheim Ducks, the team announced on Friday.
Pronger is taking over for defenseman Scott Niedermayer, who is still thinking
about retiring.
"It's a trem
Red Sox shut down Buchholz for remainder of season >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox have opted to shut down
right-hander Clay Buchholz for the remainder of the season after tests
detected mild fatigue in his throwing arm.
Red Sox manager Terry Francona said Frid
MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
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“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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