07/05/2008 - Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Fire snapped an extended scoreless streak that reached over three games, but had to settle for a 2-2 draw with the Columbus Crew on Saturday night after scoring the first two goals in the Major League Soccer fixture.
With the draw, the Crew (8-4-3) are just three points behind the league- leading New England Revolution in the Eastern Conference table with a game in hand. Chicago (6-5-3), on the other hand, is nine points back of the leaders.
The Fire got on the board first in the eighth minute when Cuauhtemoc Blanco looped a pass over the top of the Crew defense to midfielder Justin Mapp in the penalty area. The winger fired a shot off the left post, but Chris Rolfe followed up and knocked the rebound home from the penalty spot for the 1-0 lead.
Chicago doubled its lead in the 25th minute when Rolfe found defender Gonzalo Segares making an overlapping run down the left side. The Costa Rica international then fired a perfect cross on the ground to Calen Carr, who fired past Will Hesmer for his second goal of the season.
About nine minutes before the first half break the Crew were able to pull a goal back when Emmanuel Ekpo scored his second goal in as many games. The chance was made by Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who stripped the ball away from defender Bakary Soumare and crossed to Ekpo, who roofed a shot over Jon Busch from in close.
That was how the score stayed until the 87th minute when late substitute Steven Lenhart knocked in another Schelotto cross to tie the game at two, giving the Crew a valuable point in their effort to stay with the Revs.
The Crew travel to take on Real Salt lake in their next league fixture next Saturday while the Fire will aim to gain ground when they host Toronto FC earlier the same day.
<< Loretta, Astros make easily work of slumping Braves
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Loretta finished 3-for-4 with three
doubles and four RBI as Houston pounded Atlanta, 6-1, in the middle contest of
a three-game set at Turner Field.
Carlos Lee and Miguel Tejada knocked in the ot
<< Fielder's late hit pushes Brewers past Bucs
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Prince Fielder's RBI single in the bottom
of the ninth lifted the Milwaukee Brewers to a 2-1 win over Pittsburgh in the
second of three games with the Pirates.
Tyler Yates took the mound for Pittsburgh
<< Nats' Dukes leaves with knee injury
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Nationals left fielder Elijah
Dukes left Saturday's contest against the Cincinnati Reds in the seventh
inning after twisting the patella bone in his right knee.
Dukes took an awkward l
<< Rangers C Saltalamacchia leaves contest
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas Rangers catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia
left Saturday's game against the Baltimore Orioles with a right groin strain.
The 23-year-old Saltalamacchia, who was replaced by Max Ramirez in the sixth
innin
Reds rally late to swat Nats >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jerry Hairston Jr. singled to start
the ninth, stole second, and scored the winning run on a Brandon Phillips
single, as the Cincinnati Reds edged the Washington Nationals, 3-2, in the
third i
Meena Lee, Ji share lead in Arkansas >>
Rogers, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Meena Lee fired a seven-under 65 Saturday to
move into a share of the lead with the second round of the NW Arkansas
Championship suspended due to darkness.
Lee completed 36 holes at 12-under-par 132.
Mets rally late to topple Phillies >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Damion Easley went 3-for-5 and knocked
in a run, while Brian Schneider's two-run, pinch-hit double in the eighth
inning proved to be the difference as the New York Mets rolled past
Philade
Twins' bats send reeling Indians to seventh straight loss >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brendan Harris, Craig Monroe and Alexi
Casilla each knocked in two runs, as the Minnesota Twins rallied to beat the
Cleveland Indians, 9-6, in the middle contest of a three-game set from the
Metrodo
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.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting