08/08/2008 - Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is convinced Cristiano Ronaldo will enjoy a long career at Old Trafford.
The 23-year-old Portugal international, linked with a transfer to Real Madrid throughout the summer, confirmed earlier in the week that he would definitely be spending the 2008-09 campaign with United.
However, Ferguson feels Ronaldo will still be a United player many years from now, saying: "We're happy. As I said on Wednesday, the matter is now closed.
"He's a Manchester United player and he's happy to be here. He's always been happy here. It's just the unfortunate participation of Real Madrid in his life that's made it difficult for him.
"The important thing is that we've ended all the stuff about Real Madrid. As he gets older, I think Cristiano will appreciate being here more and more. That happens with players the longer they stay here. They don't want to leave.
"If you look at Rio Ferdinand, who joined us as a young man from Leeds United, that's exactly what's happened to him. He's now a real Manchester United person. He loves the club.
"And he comes from another country. He comes from London! It's a different world there. There's not a lot of difference from someone leaving London or Portugal. You come to a real football city, which very few cities can say.
"I think Real Madrid now know they're dealing with a different animal. I can't deny that it was an important issue. There are very few players that have left me against my will. I'd have to think seriously about that one.
"It's unusual for anyone to want to leave Manchester United. Cristiano realizes that, too. We had a good meeting over in Portugal and clarified a lot of things.
"He was good, and I was pleased with that. That's why I was confident that everything was going to be all right.
"As I've said, Cristiano will settle down and enjoy his career here. He's got four years on his contract, and hopefully at some point we'd like to extend it. That's where we are."
(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)
<< Sabres re-sign D Numminen
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Sabres re-signed defenseman
Teppo Numminen to a one-year contract Friday.
Numminen, who had surgery done to repair a faulty heart valve in September
of 2007, returned to play in Buffa
<< Robinho frustrated by Real Madrid
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Madrid's Brazilian forward Robinho is
angry with his treatment by the Spanish giants, as talk of a big-money move to
Chelsea gathers pace.
The 24-year-old is the subject of an offer in the region
<< Shorthanded Reds face rested Rapids at DSG Park
Commerce City, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rapids, coming off a bye
week, host a Toronto FC team that has just one win away from BMO Field this
season at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on Saturday.
Toronto FC have also won just onc
<< Holmes is clubhouse leader at Oakland Hills
Bloomfield Hills Township, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - J.B. Holmes bogeyed two of
his last four holes Friday, but still managed a two-under 68 and got into the
clubhouse lead during the second round of the PGA Championship.
Holmes finished two
Smith to start second preseason game for Ravens >>
Westminster, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Ravens will start Troy
Smith at quarterback in the second preseason tuneup against the Minnesota
Vikings August 16.
Smith will supplant Kyle Boller, who was an efficient 11-of-15
Aston Villa signs defenders Young, Shorey >>
Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aston Villa has made it a double by
sealing the signing of former England right back Luke Young from Middlesbrough.
The 29-year-old moves to Villa Park for an undisclosed fee, arriving at Villa
P
Eagles, Westbrook agree to terms on new contract >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to
terms with running back Brian Westbrook on an undisclosed new contract.
One of the NFL's top offensive weapons and a two-time Pro Bowl selection,
Westbrook
Red Sox' return to harmony brings return to winning >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - At least for one week, no Manny Ramirez has been no problem
for the Boston Red Sox.
Since bidding the perennial All-Star slugger adieu with a jettisoning to the
Los Angeles Dodgers in the final minutes prior to the July 31
New York, NY – October 3, 2007 – The dress rehearsal is over! The NHL preseason has ended and now that fans have had a glimpse of what is to come it is time to hit the book! Stanley Cup odds are live at MySportsbook.com, the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino.
The Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings remain on top of the odds charts after an impressive start in the preseason. Betting lines opened for both teams at 6-1 in June. Since then the Sens have fallen to 7-1 and the Red Wings are now caught in a pack including the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes, the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks, all at 10-1.
MySportsbook.com has also posted props on each team’s point total for the regular season. The Senators lead the charge at 108.5 followed by the Ducks at 106.5. Detroit will attempt a repeat for the prize as the Red Wings are deadlocked with the Predators at 104.5 a piece. The temporary loss of highly touted rookie Evgeni Malkin puts a lot of pressure on the stick of assistant captain Sidney Crosby - his lowly Pittsburgh Penguins are listed at 71.5.
Even if bettors are not brave enough to put their money on the underdog, an early bet on the favorites at sportsbook.com tends to produce bigger payouts than a mid-season wager. Placing a $1,000 bet last summer on the Detroit Red Wings or Ottawa Senators would have paid out to $8,000 and $10,000 respectively, opposed to a $2,500 or $3,000 payout at the beginning of the playoffs.
| Ottawa Senators Detroit Red Wings Carolina Hurricanes San Jose Sharks Anaheim Ducks Philadelphia Flyers Calgary Flames New Jersey Devils Buffalo Sabres Dallas Stars New York Rangers Nashville Predators Vancouver Canucks Colorado Avalanche Minnesota Wild Tampa Bay Lightning Boston Bruins Florida Panthers Montreal Canadiens Atlanta Thrashers Toronto Maple Leafs Edmonton Oilers Phoenix Coyotes Los Angeles Kings New York Islanders Columbus Blue Jackets St. Louis Blues Pittsburgh Penguins Washington Capitals Chicago Blackhawks |
7-1 10-1 10-1 10-1 10-1 12-1 12-1 12-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 15-1 20-1 20-1 25-1 25-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 40-1 40-1 50-1 50-1 80-1 80-1 100-1 100-1 |
NHL Regular Season Points - Team Must Play 82 Games
| Team Ottawa Senators Anaheim Ducks Detroit Red Wings Nashville Predators San Jose Sharks Calgary Flames Philadelphia Flyers New Jersey Devils Buffalo Sabres Carolina Hurricanes Dallas Stars New York Rangers Minnesota Wild Atlanta Thrashers Montreal Canadiens Team Los Angeles Kings Tampa Bay Lightening Vancouver Canucks Boston Bruins Colorado Avalanche Edmonton Oilers Phoenix Coyotes Toronto Maple Leafs Florida Panthers Columbus Blue Jackets New York Islanders Chicago Blackhawks St. Louis Blues Washington Capitals Pittsburgh Penguins |
Over/Under 108.5 106.5 104.5 104.5 103.5 101.5 100.5 99.5 97.5 97.5 97.5 95.5 94.5 93.5 92.5 Over/Under 91.5 91.5 91.5 89.5 89.5 88.5 88.5 86.5 84.5 82.5 80.5 72.5 72.5 72.5 71.5 |
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your hockey sportsbook needs.
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.
MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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