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10/21/2009 - Stoke-on-Trent, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Manchester United midfielder Danny Pugh has penned a one-year contract extension with Stoke City that will keep him at the Britannia Stadium until the summer of 2012.
The 27-year-old accepts that he has a tough job breaking into the current Potters first team but is prepared to be patient and take his chance when it comes.
He said: "The manager told me I still had a big part to play here and when you're not playing it's reassuring to hear that.
"I'm confident I do have a part to play and can get back into the team on a regular basis, even though we have such a big squad.
"I wouldn't say I had to think long and hard about signing a new contract, but obviously it's frustrating when you're not playing as much as you'd want.
"Signing a new contract has given me a little boost to keep on working hard and to keep on aiming to get into the team."
Pugh has made 57 first-team appearances for City since joining the club from Preston North End two years ago.
However, his only two starts so far this season have come in the Carling Cup clashes against Leyton Orient and Blackpool.
(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)
<< Michigan AD Martin to retire in 2010
Ann Arbor, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - University of Michigan director of
athletics Bill Martin will retire from his position on September 4, 2010, he
announced Wednesday.
Martin notified school president Mary Sue Coleman with a le
<< Browns sign TE Gaines
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Browns have signed tight end
Michael Gaines.
Gaines was released by the Bears last week after seeing action in only one
game this season. The sixth-year pro played in 16 games last year
<< Safin upsets Davydenko in Moscow
Moscow, Russia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Unseeded Marat Safin toppled top-seeded
fellow Russian Nikolay Davydenko in opening-round action Wednesday at the
$1.08 million Kremlin Cup tennis event.
The former world No. 1 Safin, who expects
<< CFL Previews - Week 17 - October 23-24
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
HAMILTON TIGER-CATS (6-9) AT TORONTO ARGONAUTS (3-12)
DATE & TIME: Friday, October 23, 7:00 p.m. (et).
GAME NOTES: The Hamilton Tiger-Cats try to snap a six-game road losing streak
on Friday nigh
Cardinals' Pujols has successful surgery >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols
underwent a successful arthroscopic debridement of bone spurs in his right
elbow Wednesday morning.
The procedure, which also included the removal of bone c
Brees, DeCoud, Stroughter earn NFC weekly honors >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees,
Atlanta Falcons safety Thomas DeCoud and Tampa Bay kick returner Sammie
Stroughter have been named the NFC's top players for Week 6 of the NFL season.
Bree
Brady, Cushing and Royal take home AFC weekly honors >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New England Patriots quarterback Tom
Brady, Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing and Denver Broncos kick
returner/punt returner Eddie Royal have been selected as the AFC's top players
for Wee
Ducks recall goaltender Pogge >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Anaheim Ducks announced Wednesday they
have recalled goaltender Justin Pogge from Bakersfield, the team's development
affiliate in the ECHL.
The 23-year-old Pogge has seven games of NHL experience fro
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 football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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