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07/02/2010 - Port Elizabeth, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the second successive FIFA World Cup, Brazil has failed to reach the semifinals as it suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Netherlands at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Friday in a quarterfinal match.
Brazil was knocked out in the quarterfinal round by France in 2006, but it was firmly in control in the first half of Friday's match and it took the lead after 10 minutes through Robinho.
However, Brazil failed to capitalize on a number of other chances and allowed the Netherlands to equalize early in the second half with a fluke own goal from Felipe Melo.
Wesley Sneijder then put the Dutch ahead with a 68th-minute header before Melo's night got even worse as he was sent off for stepping on Arjen Robben after the Dutchman had gone down in the 73rd minute, effectively ending Brazil's chances.
The Netherlands last reached the semifinals of the World Cup in 1998, when it was beaten by Brazil, and it will now play the winner of the other quarterfinal on Friday between Ghana and Uruguay.
The Dutch lost central defender Joris Mathijsen to a knee injury prior to the match and his absence was felt in the opening 10 minutes when Robinho sliced through the middle of the back line and took a pass from Melo before slotting his shot past goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg.
Brazil continued to pressure and Dani Alves should have done better with a low cross from Juan that he fired over the net from eight yards, while a brilliant build up followed six minutes later for the South Americans.
Robinho started the move by dancing down the left wing and playing a pass to Luis Fabiano, whose clever backheel found Kaka at the top of the box. He then sent a curling shot toward the upper-right corner of the net, but the ball was tipped past the post by a fine save from Stekelenburg.
The goalie also did well right before halftime to keep out a good first-time strike from Maicon, which proved huge as the game entered the second half.
The equalizing goal came very much against the run of play and it was an innocent looking cross from Sneijder that set it up.
The ball was played toward the front of goal from the right wing, but goalkeeper Julio Cesar was bumped by teammate Melo, allowing the ball to hit off Melo's head and go into the net.
It was a slice of good fortune for the Dutch, and it also saw Brazil come unhinged.
The winning goal came in the 68th minute from a corner kick as Arjen Robben played the ball to the near post for Dirk Kuyt, who flicked it into the path of Sneijder for a successful header.
Brazil was down to 10 men five minutes later when Robben went down and was stepped on by Melo, earning the midfielder a red card and severely damaging Brazil's chances.
The final 15 minutes saw Brazil unable to really threaten the Dutch net, with the best chance coming on a corner kick that was poorly handled by Stekelenburg but headed to safety by Kuyt.
<< Petulant players, underwhelming teams highlight World Cup
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It was supposed to be a celebration of a
beautiful game, a gathering of some of the best soccer players in the world.
The 2010 World Cup, however, has raised concern in regards to some of the
world's best team
<< Okada steps down as Japan coach
Tokyo, Japan (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Japan coach Takeshi Okada has stepped down as
manager following the team's exit from the FIFA World Cup on Tuesday.
Okada guided Japan through the group stage, but the Samurai Blue lost in the
opening round
<< Celtics sign first-round pick Bradley
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics have signed guard Avery
Bradley, their first-round pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. Terms of the deal were
not disclosed.
The Celtics took Bradley 19th overall in the draft after he played
<< Rays lefty Price goes for 12th win in Twin Cities
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Once the owners of the best record in baseball, the Rays
haven't won three straight games since early June. Joe Maddon's ballclub has
to like its chances of reaching that mark tonight, when David Price goes for
his 12
Oilers re-sign Strudwick >>
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Oilers came to terms with
defenseman Jason Strudwick on a one-year contract Friday.
Strudwick, who turns 35 on July 17, played in 72 games with the Oilers last
season -- his second in
Argentina, Germany ready to move war onto the pitch >>
Cape Town, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Argentina and Germany reignited a
dormant rivalry four years ago in a World Cup quarterfinal that ended with a
melee, and they meet again in the final eight Saturday at Green Point Stadium
in what
Paraguay will have trouble stopping Spain >>
Johannesburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Spain coach Vincente del Bosque
admitted a few days ago "it's difficult to stop us" when we're in top form, so
Paraguay faces a huge challenge Saturday in the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals.
Spain
Lightning bring back Kubina on two-year deal >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed defenseman
Pavel Kubina to a two-year contract, bringing him back to the club he helped
to a Stanley Cup championship in 2004.
Kubina, 33, spent the first eight seasons
Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value
If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture. Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).
For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot. The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.
TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.
"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,' it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."
"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.
Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash. Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win.
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My fellow Americans, as tempting as it may be to don the coat and HD-ready tie in order to deliver this State of the Game address before the cameras, I know better. As Brad Paisley sings on his latest album, "I'm so much cooler online."
The ideas for this annual essay to kick off the MySportsbook.com college football betting preview flowed like frat-house beer, which is to say they were cheap and spilled all over the floor. The 2007 season will be better than 2007, if only because there will be more of it. A year ago, the NCAA Football Rules Committee made two rule changes in the interest of speeding up the game. These changes went over like Kobe burgers at a vegan banquet.
To its credit, the rules committee rectified its mistakes. This season the clock once again will start when a kickoff is received, rather than when it is kicked, and the clock will not start so quickly on a change of possession.
However, kickoffs have been moved back five yards, to the 30, which will force more returns. (Thus forcing the clock to run. Clever, huh?) Special teams might decide a lot of games, because coaching strategy will come straight out of another new Paisley lyric (almost), I'd like to check you for kicks.
Paisley sings with a twang, which is why he's appropriate for this college football season. The sun coming up over the 2007 college football betting lines season rises from the south. It's a Southern football world. As the Southeastern Conference begins its 75th year, the power shift is noticeable.
Eight-figure budgets, glamorous settings -- and that's just for the head coaches. The SEC has four coaches who have won national championships -- the greatest aggregation of coaching know-how since Eddie Robinson dined alone.
Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have given lie to the idea that a conference championship game is too daunting a hurdle on the road to No. 1. In six of the past 10 seasons, the national champions played and won a conference championship game -- three of the six (Tennessee, 1998; LSU, 2003; Florida, 2007) from the SEC.
There will be more of the same this season, if the preseason prognostications are correct. Six SEC teams are in the preseason coaches' poll, more than from any other conference. Only one conference has talent so deep that a team with 15 returning starters, including the best quarterback in the league, from an eight-win season is considered an afterthought. That may speak more to Kentucky's losing legacy than to the wisdom of the predictions, but there you have it. And seriously, keep an eye on Wildcats QB Andre' Woodson.
The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans.
So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California.
USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster. Instead, the Trojans gathered themselves and routed Michigan, 32-18, in the Rose Bowl.
USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess (such as, without naming names, L.M. from Baton Rouge). The league only got deeper this season; Dennis Erickson is taking over an Arizona State team that never quite got out of its own way under his predecessor, Dirk Koetter.
Erickson will resume his quest to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools. Both he and Spurrier, now in his third season at South Carolina, returned to college football at schools with lower profiles than where they won their titles.
That isn't the case for the third coach looking for the national championship double. You may have missed this, but NASA reported the astronauts on the space shuttle last spring made contact with what can only be described as beings from another galaxy.
The leader of the aliens said, "We come in peace," followed by, "So how do you think Nick Saban will do at Alabama?"
The public is reacting to the new Crimson Tide coach as if he is the Barry Bonds of college football -- beloved at home for what his fans believe he is going to do, hated on the road for his intimidating attitude and for what his detractors believe he did (bend NCAA recruiting rules). I made this comparison from the dais at a charity dinner in Mobile, Ala., last month, and the chill that washed over me didn't come from the air conditioning.
Saban will attempt to prove that he can remake in Tuscaloosa what he built in Baton Rouge, much like another member of the national championship fraternity. Bobby Bowden is attempting to remake at Florida State what he built at, um, Florida State. Bowden rebuilt his offensive staff, bringing in four new coaches led by Saban's former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, to jump-start an offense that has been dead for a couple of years.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to show new signs of life, too. That is said with no disrespect toward last season's champion, Wake Forest, which provided one of the best story lines of 2007. The Demon Deacons begin this season in their customary position, overshadowed by the Virginia Techs, Miamis and Florida States.
It's not that Wake will find it difficult to duplicate its success in 2007 as much as the feeling that success engendered. Surprising success is the narcotic of sport. It never feels quite so euphoric the next time. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has figured this out. He refers to 2007, when a league looked down upon by fans and foes alike took three undefeated teams into November, as "Cinderella."
The fairy tale may be over, but the Big East has four genuine Heisman Trophy candidates in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White, and Rutgers tailback Ray Rice. Rutgers, as did Wake Forest and, of course, Boise State, proved last season that the have-nots in college football occasionally have quite a lot.
The Broncos' rousing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has raised the profile of all schools in conferences that don't get automatic BCS bids. This season, TCU and Hawaii are the preseason favorites to burst through the BCS doors and earn an at-large bid. The Warriors return 14 starters from an 11-3 team, including quarterback Colt Brennan.
Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2007, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season.
After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country.
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