08/24/2008 - East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Red Bulls attacking midfielder Jorge Rojas missed Sunday's Major League Soccer match vs. the Houston Dynamo because of passport and P-1 visa issues.
Rojas traveled to his native Venezuela to play for his national team this week for a friendly vs. Syria and couldn't get back into the United States, apparently because his passport was damaged and needed to be replaced before he could get his P-1 Visa to return.
"We first noticed the problem on Thursday," New York Sporting Director Jeff Agoos said. "Jorge went down to Venezuela for a friendly against Syria on Wednesday. We knew Jorge would have to leave the United States at some point, whether it was the game on Wednesday or the upcoming [World Cup] qualifiers [for Venezuela] in Peru and Paraguay on Sept. 6 and then the ninth.
"Our belief is that him being in Venezuela and being a known quantity in Venezuela he would have had a much better chance of getting his P-1 in Venezuela then in two countries he would have been qualifying against. That was why we made the decision to send him down on Wednesday and play against Syria rather than wait and chance it in Peru or Paraguay."
To the Red Bulls' dismay, Rojas couldn't get his P-1 at the U.S. consulate building in Venezuela because at least one official suspected something was wrong with the passport.
"The U.S. consulate believed that [the passport] could be doctored and was not willing to issue a passport because of that," Agoos said.
"Because of the time it took to get the passport, he wasn't able to get the P-1 visa in time to be back."
Rojas has the passport issue resolved, according to Agoos, and is expected to be back with the team early next week, in plenty of time for New York's pivotal match vs. D.C. United on Saturday.
<< Giants' Umenyiora done for season
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Giants defensive end
Osi Umenyiora will miss the entire 2008 season after injuring his left
knee in Saturday's 10-7 preseason loss to the New York Jets.
Umenyiora had to be
<< Report: Giants' Umenyiora done for season
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Giants defensive end Osi
Umenyiora will miss the entire 2008 season after injuring his left knee in
Saturday's 10-7 preseason loss to the New York Jets, according to a report in
the New
<< Bengals' Palmer on schedule for opener
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer
underwent a brief procedure Sunday for treatment of a nose injury he suffered
in the team's preseason game versus New Orleans.
Palmer played the first half in
<< Falcons sign TE Pollard, release Cooper
Flowery Branch, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Falcons signed veteran tight
end Marcus Pollard on Sunday and released tight end George Cooper.
Pollard, 36, was signed by New England as a free agent in April, but released
by the Patriots
Harden, Cubs take series from Nationals >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rich Harden was excellent on the mound and
Kosuke Fukudome had a pinch-hit, two-run homer to lead the Cubs in a rout of
the lowly Washington Nationals, 6-1, in the rubber match of a weekend set from
Wrigley
Piercy wins for second time in three weeks >>
Moscow, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Piercy fired a six-under 64 Sunday to come
from behind and win the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic.
Piercy, who won two weeks ago at the Wichita Open, completed his second win on
the Nationwide Tour at 13-u
Pujols, Looper lead Red Birds over Bravos >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Albert Pujols went 2-for-2 with a two-run
homer and three walks, and Braden Looper threw seven solid innings to lead St.
Louis to a 6-3 win over Atlanta in the rubber match of a three-game set.
Looper (12
D-Backs option Slaten; recall Buckner >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks optioned left-handed
pitcher Doug Slaten to Triple-A Tucson on Sunday and recalled right-hander
Billy Buckner.
Buckner was optioned to Tucson when Slaten was activated from th
El Duque expected to throw Tuesday
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.
Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.
El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.
MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds.
Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.
New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.
Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''
Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
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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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