Arsenal's Fabregas blasts exit reports
Soccer Betting Lines
06/25/2009 - London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas has pledged his future to the Gunners after press reports suggested that he was growing tired of his club's failure to win silverware.
The 22-year-old, who has been with the north London club for six years, had voiced his anger at the Gunners' 'impotence' in the pursuit of trophies, but Fabregas insists that does not mean that he wants to move on.
He told the club's official website: "I'm not sure how many times I need to talk directly about my commitment to Arsenal as I continue to say the same thing over and over again.
"But it appears that every time I have spoken to the Spanish media recently, my words have bounced back to England, leaving question marks about my future.
"So, for anyone who is unclear or may have misunderstood what my position is, let me make myself absolutely crystal clear. I am wholeheartedly committed to Arsenal and my future lies with this great club.
"It is a fact that we have not won a trophy for four years and yes, I am angry about that, but that anger stems from the deep, deep desire I have to win things with Arsenal.
"I care about this club and believe in this team. I am proud to captain this team and proud to wear the shirt. It really upsets me when people express my thoughts otherwise.
"The spirit in this squad is fantastic and we have the ability and mentality to compete on all fronts for silverware.
"Make no mistake, we are focused and determined to show that we are capable of achieving great things together."
(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks have reportedly purchased the 29th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft from the Los Angeles Lakers. According to several reports, the Knicks acquired the selection for $3 million,
<< Cavs land Shaq in trade with Suns
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers have bolstered their
frontcourt by acquiring 15-time All-Star Shaquille O'Neal from Phoenix in
exchange for center Ben Wallace, guard Sasha Pavlovic, Cleveland's second-
round p
<< Cubs activate Freel; place Johnson on DL
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs activated third baseman Ryan
Freel off the 15-day disabled list on Thursday and placed center fielder Reed
Johnson on the 15-day DL.
Freel had been on the DL since late May with a strained
<< Chiefs ink S Brown
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Chiefs signed safety Mike
Brown on Thursday.
The 5-foot-10 Brown spent the previous nine seasons with Chicago after the
Bears took him 39th overall in the 2000 draft. He has recorded 6
<< Real enters chase for Inter's Maicon
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Madrid has joined the race to sign Inter
Milan's Brazilian wing back Maicon, according to the player's agent.
The 27-year-old is poised to exit the San Siro this summer, with Real joining
the hunt for
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Retief Goosen fired an eight-under 64 in sloppy conditions Thursday to grab a two-stroke lead after the first round of the BMW International Open. Goosen, a two-time U.S. Open champion, is coming of
Schalke may sell GK Neuer to Bayern >>
Gelsenkirchen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Schalke has admitted it's prepared to
talk to Bayern Munich over a deal for goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
The 23-year-old is currently away on international duty at the European
Under-21 Champion
Murray, Roddick roll; Hewitt ousts del Potro at Wimbledon >>
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - U.S. Open runner-up Andy Murray and
two-time Wimbledon runner-up Andy Roddick moved on, while former Wimbledon
champion Lleyton Hewitt posted a big second-round upset by leveling fifth-
seeded Argentine
Villarreal signs goalie Oliva >>
Villarreal, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Goalkeeper Diego Lopez's future at
Villarreal has been brought into question following the club's capture of
experienced shot-stopper Xavi Oliva.
Oliva, 33, has joined the Yellow Submari
Mariners activate Lopez, place Betancourt on DL >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners activated infielder
Jose Lopez from the bereavement list and placed infielder Yuniesky Betancourt
on the 15-day disabled list on Thursday.
Lopez has been out of the lineup since Jun
NFL Football Office Pools : NFL Football Contests
NFL Football Office Pool Printable Schedules
Welcome to our free football office pool page. Run your own NFL Football Office Pool. Create your own pool, invite your friends to join. Compete with your with co-workers, friends or family for bragging rights every week. Exchange some hard hits without risk of injury -- Trash Talk with your fellow co-workers.
Football Pickem Pools: Your basic office pool format, where you pick the winner of each game, either against the spread or straight up. Spice up your pool by using confidence ranks, key picks, and other options. Pick 5 pools available. You can print NFL Football Office Pools here. Custom ranks available. Custom point spreads. Use Pro and/or College games, even D1AA games can be included. Many many other options.
Football Survivor Pools: Also known as Knockout, Suicide, Eliminator, Survival and Loser pools. Pick one team each week. If they win you advance to the next round. If they lose, you're out. The catch: You can only pick a team once. Many options like Pick a Team Only [Once,Twice,Unlimited], [1,2,3,4,5] Strikes and You're Out, Double Picks, Bye Weeks, Alias Entries and more. Very easy to set up and manage.
Football Share Pools: Pick college and/or pro football game winners using Vegas odds in our own unique Share Pool format. Accumulate points by picking pointspread and over/under winners. Risk as many points as you want on any game. The person with the most points (shares) at the end wins. Perfect for the Playoffs and Bowl Seasons.
Fantasy Football Pools: Fantasy football pool managers love our easy to use interface and custom settings. Points and head to head leagues, custom points, offline drafts, live scoring, waiver wire, trades and more. Live customer service by email or phone. $50 flat fee.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?
The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.