Tello, Messi lead Barcelona past Real Sociedad
Soccer Betting Lines
02/04/2012 - Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cristian Tello and Lionel Messi scored a goal apiece as Barcelona edged Real Sociedad, 2-1, at Camp Nou on Saturday to keep pace with Real Madrid in the chase for the La Liga title.
Tello put Barcelona in front nine minutes into the match while Messi and Carlos Vela traded second-half goals in the 72nd and 74th minutes, respectively.
The contest was quite open from the start as the two sides traded clear-cut scoring opportunities inside the opening five minutes.
Messi came close first as he found himself one-on-one with Claudio Bravo, but the Argentine was unable to convert the chance as the Chilean 'keeper produced a fine save.
Real Sociedad responded immediately as Antoine Griezmann found himself through on goal, but it was Victor Valdes's turn to save the day, thwarting the French attacker's attempt to put the visitors in front.
It did not take Barcelona long to finally break through, as Messi turned provider for youngster Tello. The 20-year-old, making his first La Liga start, latched on to a through ball and slipped a shot past Bravo for his first career La Liga goal.
Barcelona nearly grabbed a second goal in the 69th minute when Tello lashed a shot toward goal, but Dani Alves redirected the ball over the goal line from an offside position and the goal was disallowed.
The second goal came just two minutes later as Messi latched on to a curling ball played in behind the Real Sociedad defense and volleyed his effort past an on-rushing Bravo.
Real Sociedad quickly pulled one back, as Thiago Alcantara was caught in possession by Vela, and the Mexican striker slotted a shot past Valdes in the 74th minute.
It proved to be nothing more than a consolation goal for the striker on loan from Arsenal, as the match ended in favor of the reigning European champions.
Barcelona extends its unbeaten run in La Liga play to eight games, but its six draws this season have seen the Catalans fall behind its main title threat. They remain seven points off the pace set by Real Madrid after the Galacticos edged Getafe, 1-0, on Saturday to improve to 55 points on the year.
Real Sociedad falls for the ninth time this season as it occupies 13th place in the table on 24 points.
Real Madrid 1, Getafe 0
Getafe, Spain - Real Madrid narrowly defeated Getafe with a 1-0 win at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez on Saturday to maintain its lead at the top of the La Liga table.
Sergio Ramos provided the lone goal of the game in the 18th minute, helping the visitors claim their fifth-straight victory.
Real Madrid preserves its seven-point lead over Barcelona as it sets the pace in Spain with 55 points through 21 games, while Getafe suffers its first league loss in six matches, remaining tied with Osasuna on 27 points.
Athletic Bilbao 3, Espanyol 3
Bilbao, Spain - Athletic Bilbao and Espanyol played to a back-and-forth 3-3 draw at San Mames on Saturday with all six goals coming from different scorers.
Oscar de Marcos, Fernando Llorente, and Javi Martinez of Athletic Bilbao alternated goals with Romaric and Vladimir Weiss of Espanyol, but it wasn't until second-half stoppage time that the visitors claimed the ultimate equalizer. Uruguayan midfielder Juan Albin scored at the death for Espanyol to split the points.
The two sides remain separated by just two points as Espanyol occupies fifth place on 32 points while Bilbao sits in sixth with 30 points.
Levante 1, Racing 1
Valencia, Spain - Levante and Racing posted goals on opposite sides of halftime as the two teams played to a 1-1 draw at the Ciutat de Valencia on Saturday.
Arouna Kone opened the scoring for the home side in the 23rd minute, but it was canceled out by Racing's Manuel Arana in the 61st minute.
Levante remains fourth despite staying level with Espanyol on 32 points, while Racing's second-straight draw lifts the club to 22 points, two points clear of the relegation zone.
Mallorca 1, Real Betis 0
Mallorca, Spain - Mallorca claimed a 1-0 win over Real Betis in an ugly affair at the Estadio Son Moix on Saturday.
Chori Castro notched the lone goal of the game in the 24th minute, but it was overshadowed by red cards issued to Ivan Ramis and Victor of Mallorca as well as Mario of Real Betis in the second half.
Real Betis has lost three of its last four to drop to 14th place on 23 points, while Mallorca jumps to 12th place by improving to 25 points.
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Curtis Martin, Dermontti Dawson, Chris Do
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Laramie, WY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Leonard Washington and Francisco Cruz netted 16 points apiece as Wyoming upset No. 11 UNLV, 68-66, on Saturday. Luke Martinez added 15 points and Adam Waddell contributed 14 for Wyoming (18-5, 4-3 Mountain
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The Dutch defender, on loan from Feyenoord, grabbed goals
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College Park, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyler Zeller scored 22 points and Harrison
Barnes had 18, as No. 5 North Carolina used a late surge to down Maryland,
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Starkville, MS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arnett Moultrie scored 21 points and pulled
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Renardo Sidney had 17 points, Dee Bost added 15 points with seven assists
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Tucson, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joslyn Tinkle led the way with 22 points and 11
rebounds and No. 4 Stanford demolished Arizona, 91-51, on Saturday.
All five starters scored in double figures including Chiney Ogwumike, who had
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Betting the NFL preseason
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.
Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.
According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).
Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.
''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.
Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.
''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''
Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.
”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.
For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.