Liverpool's Suarez makes a bad situation worse
Soccer Betting Lines
02/12/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester City's continued rise to prominence, Chelsea's sudden decline and Tottenham's blistering form have each been major storylines in the 2011-12 English Premier League season.
Yet racism has emerged as the hot-button issue in England these days, with Liverpool's Luis Suarez pouring more gasoline on the already smoldering fire over the weekend.
Already this season, Chelsea captain John Terry has been accused of racially abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand, a charge that Terry will stand trial for in July and one that has had a major impact on the sport in England.
Not only did the FA cancel the pre-match handshake between Chelsea and QPR when the two clubs met in the FA Cup in January, but it also saw fit to strip Terry of his England captaincy.
The decision angered former England manager Fabio Capello, who handed in his resignation earlier this week.
So it was only fitting that Suarez - who recently returned from an eight-match ban for racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra during a match in October - decided to further fan the flames by refusing to shake the hand of the United defender prior to Saturday's match between the two rivals.
It's hard to remember a time when the pre-match pleasantries have come so into focus the way they have this season.
But by snubbing Evra prior to the game, Suarez threatened to turn an already tense situation into a chaotic one.
Had he simply extended his hand to Evra and moved on, both sides could have done their best to bury the hatchet.
Yet the actions of the Uruguayan have now stirred up strong emotions on both sides which could have been easily avoided.
"I couldn't believe it [Suarez refusing to shake Evra's hand]. He's a disgrace to Liverpool football club. He shouldn't be allowed to play for Liverpool again," United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said of Suarez following his team's 2-1 win.
The reaction might be a bit overblown, but the simple fact is that Suarez is behaving as though he is the victim, not the other way around.
Simple name-calling between opposing players on the field is one thing, but racial abuse is something that no player should have to put up with.
Had Suarez admitted he was wrong and attempted to move past the incident we would be talking more about the two goals that Wayne Rooney scored in an important win Saturday instead of something that took place prior to kickoff.
But Suarez doesn't seem ready to let go of the ordeal, seemingly placing blame for it at the feet of Evra, who apparently shouldn't have made a big deal about it.
The actions of the Liverpool striker not only reflect poorly on the club, but also put his coaches and teammates in the awkward position of trying to defend him while at the same time doing their best not to condone his actions.
Some may say that it was only a handshake and that too much is being made about it. Yet had Suarez simply done the right thing, it would be much easier to move on.
Racism has already stolen too many headlines this season. It's a shame Suarez allowed it to claim a few more.
Ostrava, Czech Republic (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The host Czech Republic advanced to the Davis Cup quarterfinals with an easy 4-1 victory over Italy this week. The Czechs had already clinched the best-of-five tie with a doubles victory in Ostra
<< Last-place Novara stuns Inter at San Siro
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Unfortunately for last-place Novara, it does
not play Inter Milan again this season.
Andrea Caracciolo scored in the 56th minute Sunday and Novara won for just the
third time in Serie A this season - and the
<< Red Wings shoot for NHL home record vs. Flyers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings will try to tie the NHL record for
consecutive home wins when they shoot for their 20th straight victory at Joe
Louis Arena tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers.
It's fitting that the Red Wings wil
<< Sharks begin epic trek in St. Louis
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The first-place San Jose Sharks will make the first stop on
their longest road trip of the season tonight, as they visit the St. Louis
Blues in a Western Conference showdown at Scottrade Center.
The Sharks lead the Pacific
<< Pens welcome Bolts to Steel City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins tied a season-high for goals in a
game on Saturday and will try to carry some of that offense into tonight's
contest when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning at Consol Energy Center.
The Penguins host
Bamberg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Argentina settled for a 4-1 victory over host Germany in a best-of-five opening-round Davis Cup matchup. The 2011 runner-up Argentines will host Croatia in a quarterfinal in April. Argentina clinched
Blues activate McDonald >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Blues activated forward Andy
McDonald from injured reserve on Sunday.
McDonald has been out of action since suffering a concussion at the end of the
second period on October 13 in Dallas. He
PSV returns to Eredivisie summit >>
Eindhoven, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dries Mertens converted a penalty in
the 8th minute, Ola Toivonen and Tim Matavz added goals before the half hour,
and PSV Eindhoven beat De Graafschap, 4-1, to return to the Eredivisie summit
Sunday.
Rangers and Napoli agree to deal >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers and catcher/first baseman
Mike Napoli agreed to terms on a one-year contract on Sunday. Per club policy,
no terms of the deal were disclosed.
The 30-year-old set career highs last year
Kerber upsets Bartoli in Paris, wins first WTA title >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - German Angelique Kerber captured her first-
ever WTA title by upsetting French crowd favorite Marion Bartoli in Sunday's
final at the Open GDF Suez tennis event.
The ninth-seeded Kerber toppled the secon
SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.
Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"
A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."
Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.
In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.
"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."
Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.
But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"
Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.
This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.
Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.
In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.
No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.
And that's all any bettor can ask for.
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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?
Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite. Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight. With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites. As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).
Midwest
#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler
The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April. Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT. After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games. Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season. As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers. Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS). Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field. With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.
#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV
As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year. If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season. As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well. This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons. Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late. There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games. It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.
East
#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown
“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season. Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU. They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games. With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field. Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense. Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc. The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range. Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.
#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC
The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country. Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times. Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter. UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen. UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS. An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games. This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS. USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types. An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough. USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS. They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12. When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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