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03/07/2010 - Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mikel Arteta scored his first two goals of the season, Landon Donovan added a goal and an assist, and Everton defeated Hull City 5-1 on Sunday at Goodison Park.
Arteta, limited to six EPL matches due to injury, scored both in the first and Donovan scored in the 82nd and assisted on Jack Rodwell's goal in the 86th.
Everton, which got its other score on an own goal, moved to eighth. Hull City, which is 0-11-4 on the road, remains in the bottom three.
Hull had a chance to open the scoring just five minutes into the match, but as Richard Garcia settled a through ball from Nick Barmby, Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard charged off his line and deflected his shot attempt just as it left his boot.
Ayegbeni Yakubu should have fired Everton into the lead in the 13th, but drove a 16-yard shot off the right post.
Yakubu made up for the miss four minutes later when he sent a pass in from the right to the far post, where Arteta ran onto the ball and hit a volley inside the near post to beat Hull goalie Boaz Myhill.
Everton was handed a chance to put the match away in the 28th when Yakubu was fouled in the area, but his weak penalty attempt was easily handled by Myhill.
Hull responded with the tying goal three minutes later through 19-year-old Tom Cairney. The young midfielder chested down a pass just outside the box and hit the ball before it reached the ground to unleash a dipping shot over Howard to the far post.
Everton was back in front within 10 minutes when George Boateng settled a pass in the area, then dropped the ball to Steven Pienaar, who rolled the ball with a back pass to Arteta for an easy finish.
Richard Garcia headed an Arteta cross into his own net six minutes after half, then Donovan came off the bench to finish off the victory in what could be his last match at Goodison.
Donovan, who will rejoin the Los Angeles Galaxy in MLS soon, set up Yakubu for a chance he sent over the bar in the 74th but then added a goal and an assist.
Everton played a ball in from the left, and it slipped just by Rodwell in the center of the area and arrived to an open Donovan at the far post. Donovan hit the ball powerfully off a bounce, drilling it back inside the far post in the 82nd.
Donovan had another chance minutes later from a similar spot, but sent a pass back into the middle to Rodwell, who did well to finish just inside the right post.
The United States star joined Everton on loan in January and has two goals and three assists in just nine matches.
<< Twins lock up P Blackburn, sign 20 others
Fort Myers, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins on Sunday signed
pitcher Nick Blackburn to a four-year, $14 million contract. The deal also
includes a club option for the 2014 season worth $8 million.
Blackburn started 33
<< Boonchu Ruangkit claims European Seniors event
Brunei (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boonchu Ruangkit defeated Frankie Minoza in a
playoff Sunday to claim the Aberdeen Brunei Senior Masters.
Ruangkit and Minoza closed with five-under 66s to finish at 14-under-par 199.
Ruangkit won with a pa
<< Croatia rips Ecuador 5-0 in Davis Cup first-rounder
Varazdin, Croatia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Croatia put the finishing touches Sunday
on a 5-0 sweep of visiting Ecuador in a best-of-five Davis Cup first-round
matchup.
In a pair of dead rubbers on Day 3, Antonio Veic vaulted past Julio-C
<< Twente climbs to top of Eredivisie
Waalwijk, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kenneth Perez scored midway through
the second half and Twente moved atop the Dutch Eredivisie with a 1-0 win over
last-place RKC Waalwijk at Mandemakers Stadion on Sunday.
PSV Eindhoven dropped it
Jaguars sign Kampman >>
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Jacksonville Jaguars have
signed defensive end Aaron Kampman, the team announced Sunday. Terms and
length of the deal were not disclosed.
Kampman had spent all eight of his NFL seaso
Nurnberg hands Leverkusen first loss >>
Nurnberg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting scored twice in
the closing minutes of the first half, Mikael Tavares added a goal 10 minutes
after the break, and Nurnberg held on to hand Bayer Leverkusen its first loss
of the
Keane's double leads Celtic over Falkirk >>
Falkirk, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robbie Keane scored a goal in each half
and Celtic defeated Falkirk 2-0 on Sunday at Falkirk Stadium for its first win
over the struggling club in three matches this season.
Celtic settled for draws in
Djokovic propels Serbia past U.S. in Davis Cup >>
Belgrade, Serbia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Novak Djokovic outlasted big John Isner in
five sets on Sunday to lift Serbia past the United States and into the 2010
Davis Cup quarterfinals.
The Serbs have an insurmountable 3-1 lead in the best-of-five
The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
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Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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