Chelsea bested by Napoli in Italy
Soccer Betting Lines
02/21/2012 - Naples, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chelsea's Champions League aspirations took a major hit on Tuesday as it suffered a 3-1 loss to Napoli in the first leg at the Stadio San Paolo.
The Blues opened the scoring through Juan Mata in the 27th minute but proceeded to surrender three unanswered goals as the visitors were picked were picked apart by Edinson Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi.
Chelsea took the lead after a mistake in the center of defense helped Mata get through on goal.
Daniel Sturridge played a centering pass at the top of the box and Napoli captain Paolo Cannavaro botched the clearance, letting the Spanish youngster collect possession before slipping a shot past Morgan De Sanctis.
Napoli responded before the halftime break to the tune of two goals as the lethal combination of Lavezzi and Cavani helped the home side get in front.
Lavezzi leveled the score in the 38th minute as the Argentine collected a pass from Cavani just outside the box. Lavezzi was given the freedom to advance the ball slightly before he curled a brilliant, uncontested effort past Petr Cech's far post.
Cavani then assumed the role of scorer just before the break as the Uruguayan met a cross at the back post and clipped the ball past Cech for his fifth goal of the Champions League season.
The duo connected for Napoli's third goal of the night in the 65th minute. Cavani tracked down a long ball and slipped by David Luiz. The Uruguayan attracted Cech out of position and played a square ball to Lavezzi, who calmly slotted the ball into the empty net for his second of the match.
Napoli will take a two-goal aggregate lead back to Stamford Bridge for the second leg on March 14. Chelsea's away goal gives the club a glimmer of hope to advance, but it will need at least a 2-0 win to advance to the quarterfinals.
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche brought in some skill and toughness on Tuesday, acquiring forward Steve Downie from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for defenseman Kyle Quincey. The Bolts then turned around a
<< Tevez apologizes to Manchester City
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester City forward Carlos Tevez
apologized Tuesday and withdrew his appeal against the Premier League club's
claim of gross misconduct, opening the door for his return from a five-month
absence
<< Dulgheru exits Monterrey
Monterrey, Mexico (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fourth seed Alexandra Dulgheru came up
an opening-round loser Tuesday at the $220,000 Monterrey Open.
Spaniard Silvia Soler-Espinosa erased the Romanian Dulgheru 6-3, 6-3 on the
hardcourts at Sierra Mad
<< Atletico Madrid's Diego to miss four weeks
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atletico Madrid playmaker Diego suffered a
torn right thigh muscle Sunday and will be sidelined four weeks.
The 26-year-old Diego was injured in the second half of a 1-1 draw against
Sporting Gijon,
<< Pervak wins Memphis opener
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second seed Ksenia Pervak was an easy
opening-round winner Tuesday at the $220,000 Memphis International tennis
event.
The Russian Pervak handled Canadian Rebecca Marino 6-2, 6-4 on the indoor
hardcourts at
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Jersey Nets forward Shawne Williams will undergo surgery on February 22 to remove a bone fragment from his left foot. Nets general manager Billy King made the announcement Tuesday. The surger
Ichiro Suzuki to move out of leadoff spot >>
Peoria, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ichiro Suzuki has been in the leadoff spot for
almost his entire 11 years with the Seattle Mariners, but that will not be the
case this season.
Mariners manager Eric Wedge announced Tuesday that Chone Figgi
Rockies minor leaguer Torres suspended >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colorado Rockies minor league pitcher Joseph
Torres has been suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball for a violation of
the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
The 29-year-old Torres, w
Lightning acquire F Segal from Chicago >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday acquired
forward Brandon Segal from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for forward Matt
Fornataro.
Segal, 28, has 11 goals and 22 points in 92 games over three NHL season
Almagro stays hot in Buenos Aires >>
Buenos Aires, Argentina (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off his title in Sao
Paulo last week, reigning Buenos Aires champion Nicolas Almagro continued his
winning ways Tuesday with a first-round victory at the Copa Claro tennis
event.
The seco
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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MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
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