05/13/2008 - Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zenit St. Petersburg boss Dick Advocaat and his players insist the club will be fine without striker Pavel Pogrenbnyak on Wednesday in the UEFA Cup final against Rangers.
"Maybe it is even good that we have had all these problems because we all take responsibility and play as one," Zenit captain Anatoliy Tymoschuk said.
Pogrenbnyak, who is tied with Bayern Munich forward Luca Toni with 10 goals to lead all scorers in the UEFA Cup, got a yellow card in the second half against Bayern in the semifinals. He had two goals in the huge 4-0 win over Bayern and helped Zenit reach the final on aggregate, 5-1.
"Their 1-1 draw in Munich was terrific, the 4-0 win at home was exceptional," Rangers coach Walter Smith said. "It was probably one of the best results in European competition this season."
Although the potent Zenit attack will have to make up for his loss, the team's impressive win over Bayern in the second leg in Russia came with three players sidelined due to suspension.
Striker Andrei Arshavin and midfielders Radek Sirl and Fernando Ricksen return for the final at City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England against the top defensive team in the tournament.
Rangers, which was initially in the Champions League but dropped into the UEFA Cup after finishing third in its group, have allowed just two goals in eight UEFA Cup games.
The Scottish club didn't allow a goal to Fiorentina in the semifinals but also didn't score and needed penalty kicks to advance. In the quarters, Rangers was able to shutout Sporting Lisbon twice to advance on aggregate, 2-0.
In the round of 16, Rangers won the first leg 2-0 and held on after allowing a goal in the second leg for a 2-1 aggregate victory. Rangers narrowly escaped the round of 32, playing a 0-0 tie against Panathinaikos before scoring on the road in a 1-1 tie to advance on away goals.
Rangers' defense will face its toughest task yet against Zenit, which rolled to wins over Germany's Bayer Leverkusen in the quarterfinals and Bayern in the semifinals.
Zenit has been the most dangerous offensive team in the event. Even without Pogrenbnyak, the Russians precision-run, counter-attack offense will give the Scottish club all they can handle.
Smith considers Zenit the favorite, but Advocaat knows how good Rangers is and doesn't consider the final a lock. In addition to the UEFA Cup, Rangers is in the running for the Scottish Premier League title and the League Cup. The club already captured the Scottish Cup.
"You cannot come to the final of the UEFA Cup, the League Cup, the Scottish Cup and hopefully become champions too, without being a balanced team who can play football," Advocaat said.
"Don't try and make Rangers worse than they are."
The last time Rangers was in a European final was in 1972 when the team beat Dynamo Moscow 3-2 at the Nou Camp in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final.
Zenit narrowly advanced past the group stage by finishing third - three teams in each group advance to the knockout round - and is searching for its first title in its first-ever European event.
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The 27-year-old Brazilian, who scored a sensational free-kick
<< Phillies lose ground on western swing
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When the Philadelphia Phillies left the City of Brotherly
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Aft
<< 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-
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The 19th-seeded Bammer was ousted by rising Belarusia
Pirates call up RHP Salas >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates selected the
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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
Detroit G Billups out for Game 5 >>
Auburn Hills, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pistons guard Chauncey Billups will
miss Game 5 of Detroit's Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Orlando
Magic on Tuesday with a strained right hamstring.
Billups was hurt with 8:11 left
Mets place Pagan on DL, shuffle up roster >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The ailing New York Mets shook up their
roster on Tuesday, making six moves, including placing outfielder Angel Pagan
on the 15-day disabled list with a left shoulder injury.
The Mets also designated
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.
Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game
How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.
A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.
Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.
The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).
Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.
The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).
Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
To visit this online sports book got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
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