12/02/2008 - Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 2008 Major League Soccer Cup Champion Columbus Crew announced on Tuesday that they have exercised the option year on the contract of reigning league and MLS Cup MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto. The move makes him the club's first designated player.
"Securing Guille's return was one of our top priorities entering the offseason and we are pleased to get that accomplished," Crew President and General Manager Mark McCullers said. "It goes without saying that he was one of the keys to our championship season and, on top of that, he helps attract international attention to both the club and our region. We look forward to his continued dynamic contributions next season."
Schelotto collected seven goals and 19 assists in 27 games during the 2008 regular season before earning six assists in four matches for the Crew during the 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs.
<< Kilmarnock hopes to add experienced striker
Kilmarnock, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kilmarnock boss Jim Jefferies has his
sights set on an experienced striker to help his squad out in the January
transfer window.
A 1-0 loss at Hamilton Academical was enough to persuade Je
<< Espanyol's Tamudo set for short absence
Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Espanyol striker Raul Tamudo has been ruled
out of action for the next month after picking up an injury in the weekend
defeat to Sporting Gijon.
The 31-year-old pulled a muscle in his left leg and i
<< Blue Bombers name Kelly new coach
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have named Mike
Kelly their new head coach.
Kelly was the offensive coordinator for the Blue Bombers from 1992 through
1996 and was part of teams that captured three regular
<< Madrid's Pepe faces spell on sidelines
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Madrid's injury crisis shows no sign of
easing after it was revealed that Pepe faces up to four weeks on the sidelines.
The Portugal international picked up a thigh injury in Saturday's defeat to
G
Quinn to undergo surgery >>
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn has
decided to undergo surgery to repair his broken right index finger, an
injury he sustained in a November 17 game against Buffalo.
Quinn broke the tip of
Report: UConn RB Dixon suspended indefinitely >>
Hartford, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - University of Connecticut running back Andre
Dixon has reportedly been suspended from the team following a drunken driving
arrest.
The Hartford Courant reported that head coach Randy Edsall decided to susp
Fiorentina's Gobbi fractures cheekbone >>
Florence, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fiorentina will be without Massimo Gobbi for
the next month after scans confirmed the midfielder has suffered a fractured
cheekbone.
The 28-year-old has missed La Viola's last two games - defeats to A
River Rats netminder Peters recalled by Carolina >>
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes recalled goaltender
Justin Peters from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Albany River
Rats, it was announced on Tuesday.
Peters' recall was deemed necessary because
The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect
LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.
Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.
Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting