Rapids aim to continue Independence Day dominance
Soccer Betting Lines
07/03/2009 -
Commerce City, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Fire returns to Major League
Soccer action for the first time in three weeks on Saturday when the club
travels to Dick's Sporting Goods Park to meet the Colorado Rapids.
Chicago has been busy with its participation in the SuperLiga for the past few
weeks, and although they were successful in advancing to the semifinals of the
competition, not a lot has gone right for the club in league play recently.
The Fire has lost its last three games in MLS, dropping the club to fourth in
the Eastern Conference, although they are still only two points back of East
leaders D.C. United.
Head coach Denis Hamlett's side was also bounced from the U.S. Open Cup this
past Tuesday, losing 1-0 to a USL2 side, the Wilmington Hammerheads.
The loss is the fifth in seven games in all competitions for the Fire, but
things don't figure to get much easier on Saturday against the Rapids.
Colorado will be hosting a game on Independence Day for the 14th time, and
judging by their 11-1-1 all-time record on the nation's birthday, Chicago had
better be in top form.
The Rapids had their eight-game unbeaten streak snapped last time out in a 3-0
defeat at Seattle, but head coach Gary Smith believes that his team simply did
not make the most of its chances.
"Seattle had seven shots and hit the target four times. We had six shots and
hit the target twice," Smith said. "We missed a penalty at a very, very
important time and we come in at 1-1 and are in the game. It still gives a
nice foothold into the game. We never really took advantage of our possessions
and opportunities."
Colorado enters Saturday's match in fourth place in the Western Conference,
seven points back of leaders Houston, but the club will be missing a pair of
key players due to international duty.
The CONCACAF Gold Cup will rob a number of teams of important contributors,
and the Rapids are no exception.
The club will be missing midfielder Colin Clark and striker Omar Cummings, who
have combined for nine goals and 11 assists so far this season, while leading
scorer Conor Casey, who missed the team's past few games because of the
Confederations Cup, could also be in action for the United States at some
point during the tournament.
Chicago is without two players of their own due to international duty as
defender Gonzalo Segares and midfielder Logan Pause will miss Saturday's
match.
<< Mariners activate P Kelley off DL
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners activated rookie reliever
Shawn Kelley from the 15-day disabled list on Friday.
Kelley has been sidelined since May 6 with a strained oblique muscle in his
left side. The right-han
<< Canucks ink former Red Wing Samuelsson to three-year deal
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks signed free agent
right wing Mikael Samuelsson to a three-year contract on Friday. Per club
policy, financial terms of the pact were not disclosed.
The 32-year-old Swiss had
<< Echenique in front in France
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rafa Echenique was in the news last week for
his amazing double-eagle on the 72nd hole of the BMW International Open that
almost snatched him the trophy.
On Friday, he made the news for a different reason.
<< NL West: Dodgers welcome back Manny with road trip
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There's some sort of buzz going on right now in Los
Angeles. Is Eric Karros making a return to the Dodgers? Did Juan Pierre
embarrass himself by rapping in public again?
Oh wait, Manny Ramirez is returning f
<< Sol's Abily claims WPS Player of Month
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Sol midfielder Camille Abily
was selected as the WPS Player of the Month for June.
The 24-year-old French international from Rennes had five goals in the month
of June, helping the Sol to
Pavlyuchenko unsure over Spurs future >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko is
seeking talks over his future when he returns for the start of preseason
training.
Pavlyuchenko scored 14 goals in 32 games in his first season in the Pr
Wenger: Adebayor going nowhere >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arsene Wenger is confident that Emmanuel
Adebayor will start the new season as part of his Arsenal squad.
The Togo striker has been mentioned as a possible transfer target for AC Milan
for the second ye
Bremen hopeful of Pizarro stay >>
Bremen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Werder Bremen have confirmed their interest
in re-signing Claudio Pizarro on a permanent basis.
The Peruvian striker spent last season on loan at the Weserstadion from
Chelsea and scored 26 goals in
All expected Haskell favorites at Monmouth >>
Oceanport, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two days after Arkansas Derby winner Papa
Clem arrived at Monmouth Park for next month's Haskell Invitational. Belmont
Stakes champ Summer Bird settled into his stall at the Jersey shore track.
With th
Sunderland rejects Ferdinand rumors >>
Sunderland, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has
rejected suggestions that the Black Cats are willing to part with Anton
Ferdinand this summer.
Ferdinand had a mixed first season on Wearside following
MySportsbook.com Posts Heisman Trophy Odds
With 3,919 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and a mere seven interceptions last season, combined with a powerful South Bend Heisman legacy, odds makers at MySportsbook.com have given Notre Dame senior quarterback Brady Quinn the best Heisman Trophy odds at 5-2.
Quinn isn’t the only big man on campus this season. Oklahoma junior running back and 2004 Heisman runner-up Adrian Peterson, listed at 7-2, rushed for a combined 3,033 yards in his first two years as a college player and will give Quinn a run for his money.
This online sportsbook has also listed Troy Smith, Ohio State senior quarterback, as another strong favorite to win the 72nd Heisman Trophy. A 7-1 bet, Smith threw for 2,282 yards last season and also led the Buckeyes to a convincing 34-20 victory over Quinn and the Fighting Irish in last season’s Fiesta Bowl.
Current betting odds Heisman trophy are:
Brady Quinn (QB, Notre Dame)
Adrian Peterson (RB, Oklahoma)
Troy Smith (QB, Ohio State)
Michael Bush (RB, Louisville)
Steve Slaton (RB, West Virginia)
Brian Brohm (QB, Louisville)
Chris Leak (QB, Florida)
Mike Hart (RB, Michigan)
Ted Ginn (WR, Ohio State)
Darius Walker (RB, Notre Dame)
Drew Tate (QB, Iowa)
Marshawn Lynch (RB, Cal)
Kenny Irons (RB, Auburn)
Chad Henne (QB, Michigan)
Kyle Wright (QB, Miami)
Drew Stanton (QB, Michigan State)
Kenneth Darby (RB, Alabama)
JaMarcus Russell (QB, LSU)
Drew Weatherford (QB, Florida State)
Blake Mitchell (QB, South Carolina)
Reggie Ball (QB, Georgia Tech) |
5-2
7-2
7-1
10-1
10-1
12-1
12-1
18-1
18-1
20-1
30-1
35-1
35-1
40-1
50-1
50-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
60-1 |
For complete NCAA Football odds visit MySportsbook.com.
NFL Football Trash Talk
Trash talk has a place in every competitive endeavor (except baseball; those stirrup-wearers are too busy chewing on their sunflower seeds and their supplements to worry about what their opponents are doing).
Fantasy sports is no exception. Any intelligent discussion of the subject
would probably start with a thesis statement or a definition of terms.
Thankfully, this wont be an intelligent discussion.
Let me just say that I am happy to take a place in this space alongside my talented colleagues, even our commissioner. (You should see how she bleats like a demented paper boy about league fees on our fantasy site).
Trash talking, I would argue, is primarily about amusing your friends,
their sheeplike demeanors and sloping foreheads notwithstanding. The best place I have found for football trash talking is at www.SportsAlarm.com.
Beyond the entertainment factor, though, I would recognize that the
sophomoric ritual has one advantage, when properly applied. It magnifies
your fantasy triumphs and mitigates your fantasy failures by transforming
the eventual point total into an afterthought. Winning makes it seem like
your opponent really is a truss-owning, lapel-pin-wearing nitwit. And in
defeat, trash talk can be the air bag to break the fall from your
hyperbolic heights. The plug-necked yahoos on your team, you can say,
will be sacking groceries by the end of the season.
The best trash talk, in my view, is layered and nuanced. And it doesnt
focus only on your opponents team. It picks apart your opponent. The idea
is to create a shock-and-awe-scale blizzard of nonsense, and the goal is to
make your opponent drop his hands from his keyboard in exasperation.
What team does your opponent root for? Accuse a Giants fan of having a Joe Namath pillowcase. Wheres your opponent from? Give a look of concern no matter his reply, then say, I'll try to type slower for you next time. Is your opponent into politics? Label everyone a tax-and-spend corporate shill.
Cap all that with a liberal application of irrelevance. For instance, dont just conclude by saying your opponent is a twerp who drafts like my grandmother. Say that your opponent is a sweater-wearing, eyebrow-plucking twerp who drafts his team about as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor gave acceptance speeches at the Oscars. By the time your foe makes sense of that, his starting running back will have had puppies.
But what about you? Hmm? Recall a memorable slam? Have a tried-and-true technique? Know someone who seems impervious to insult? Take a moment and tells us about it. Put together some (fit-for-publication) thoughts. You wont be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, Im sure, to reply.
In addition to the trash talking, the Sports Alarm has a huge gallery of high resolution pictures of beautiful women and models in bikinis. The most popular models are: Lindsay Lohan, Carrie Underwood, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paris Hilton.
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