05/13/2008 - Middlesbrough, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Middlesbrough have decided against offering midfielder Fabio Rochemback a new contract when his current deal expires next month.
The 27-year-old Brazilian, who scored a sensational free-kick in Sunday's 8-1 rout of Manchester City, will be allowed to leave the Riverside Stadium alongside unwanted duo Gaizka Mendieta and striker Dong-Gook Lee.
Rochemback made 33 appearances in all competitions this season but had been linked with a return to former club Sporting Lisbon at various points in the campaign.
"We both feel that the time is right for Fabio to have a fresh challenge," said manager Gareth Southgate in a club statement.
"Fabio is a talented player. I think he has just had his best season for us."
Meanwhile, Mendieta, who cost Italian side Lazio nearly $60 million when he moved from Valencia in 2001, has been allowed to leave on a free transfer.
The former Spain international has not made an appearance for the Boro first team since December 2006.
"It was a difficult situation for a player of Gaizka's caliber to find himself out of the first-team reckoning. It was a dent to his pride," Southgate said.
"I made it clear to him that he did not figure in my plans but he decided to stay and try to get back into the first team.
"That didn't work out but his attitude to training was always excellent and he was a good influence on some of our young reserve-team players."
South Korea international Dong-Gook Lee has also been released after struggling to hold down a starting place following his arrival from Pohang Steelers in January 2007.
(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)
<< Fans deserve years, not months, of Sorenstam v. Ochoa
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Annika Sorenstam was laying out her reasons for wanting
to walk the earth, and I couldn't help but think what that means for the rest
of us.
Just as the LPGA Tour had finally discovered a foil for its biggest star (ask
th
<< Bammer loses in rainy Rome
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Austrian lefthander Sybille Bammer was an
upset victim on a rainy Tuesday at the $1.34 million Italian Open, a clay-
court French Open tune-up.
The 19th-seeded Bammer was ousted by rising Belarusia
<< Flyers D Coburn out for Game 3
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Braydon
Coburn will not play in Game 3 of Eastern Conference finals against
Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
Coburn left in the first period of his team's 4-2 loss to Pi
<< Gagne makes decision easy for Yost
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - From the "what took you so long department", comes the
news that Milwaukee Brewers manager Ned Yost has removed Eric Gagne from his
closer's duties and will go by a closer-by-committee for now.
"It's not ideal," Yost said.
Phillies lose ground on western swing >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When the Philadelphia Phillies left the City of Brotherly
Love a little over a week ago, they led the National League East by a slim
margin. Upon returning back home, the club now finds itself second in the
standings.
Aft
Seahawks Pro-Bowl LB Tatupu arrested for DWI >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu was
arrested Saturday for investigation of driving while intoxicated, according to
the Seattle Times.
Tatupu was arrested in Kirkland, Washington early Saturday m
Pirates call up RHP Salas >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates selected the
contract of right-handed pitcher Marino Salas from Triple-A Indianapolis on
Tuesday.
In a corresponding move, the club optioned righthander John Van Benschote
Bruins grant Kobasew contract extension >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins signed forward Chuck
Kobasew to a multi-year contract extension on Tuesday.
Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 26-year-old enjoyed a solid year for the
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.
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 sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament odds
As of February 9, MySportsbook.com has released its coveted 2007 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament betting odds. “March Madness betting ” only a month away, the top ranked Florida Gators are favorite at 7-2 to win it all. The defending champs have not disappointed at all this season and currently have a 22-2 record and are undefeated (9-0) in SEC play. The Gators’ thrive off of their extremely balanced, experienced and versatile attack. All five starters started in last seasons National Championship game. What is most impressive with this group is their balance; the five starters all average between 10.7 and 13.6 PPG. The Gators have been on an absolute roll having won 15 straight by an average of 16.4 PPG.
Right behind the Gators are the 5th ranked UNC Tar Heels at 9-2. The Heels (21-3, 7-2) are absolutely loaded with top notch talent and are as deep as any team in the country. A concern for the Tar Heels might be inexperience. Of their top four scorers/ minute earners, three are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. The rest of the regular season, the Tar Heels play only one team that is currently ranked (Duke). Their remaining opponents do combine for an impressive 107-58 record though.
Other teams that the MySportsbook.com members seem to believe will win it all include the west coasts’ top team #2 UCLA (6-1), #3 OSU behind man-child Greg Oden (8-1), and #4 Wisconsin (10-1) behind their defense which has given up 70+ points only three times all season.
Below is a list of some of the favorites to win the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship lines. For the full list of teams and March Madness odds be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com. If you want to use your credit card to bet on college hoops or any other event, MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.
Arizona 20-1
Butler 20-1
Duke 30-1
Florida 7-2
Georgetown 30-1
Indiana 35-1
Kansas 15-1
Marquette 25-1
Maryland 40-1
Memphis 50-1
Nevada 50-1
UNC 9-2
OSU 8-1
Oregon 30-1
Pittsburgh 15-1
Texas 30-1
Texas A&M 18-1
UCLA 6-1
Wisconsin 10-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook betting needs.
Sports Betting News: Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting