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The Bodog Bark: North American Sports Betting News & Views
Sports Betting: Stat Check
Brett Favre may be leaving the NFL after enduring the worst season of his career, but at least he wasn’t the league’s worst quarterback in 2010. That honor goes to Jimmy Clausen of the Carolina Panthers. In 10 starts this year, the rookie from Notre Dame threw just three touchdown passes. His 58.4 passer rating was last in the league, and Football Outsiders also has Clausen ranked last in DYAR (Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement). Last year’s worst quarterback? JaMarcus Russell, formerly of the Oakland Raiders. We’ll try to make your transition from college to the pros a little smoother with our latest 10-spot of useful sports betting stats and factoids.
NFL
1. Green Bay at Chicago (Sunday, 3:00 p.m. ET, FOX)
The Packers are 8-3-1 ATS in their last dozen games after holding opponents below 90 yards rushing in their previous contest. The Atlanta Falcons picked up just 45 yards on the ground in Saturday’s Divisional Playoffs. 2. N.Y. Jets at Pittsburgh (Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET, CBS)
The Steelers are 9-0 ATS in their last nine January games. The streak dates back to the start of the 2005 playoffs. The Jets are 6-1 against the football odds in their last seven January contests.
NBA
3. New York at San Antonio (Friday, 8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
New York’s Shawne Williams led the NBA at press time with a 55.9 percent success rate from 3-point distance, canning 33 of his 59 trey attempts. 4. Utah at Philadelphia (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBA-TV)
The 76ers lead the NBA in turnover rate, giving away the ball on just 22.7 percent of their possessions. Utah is a very close fifth at 22.9 percent. 5. Indiana at Denver (Sunday, 10:30 p.m. ET)
At 15-22-3 ATS, the Nuggets are the least profitable of any NBA team with a positive point differential. Denver is beating opponents by an average of 3.1 points.
NCAAB
6. Villanova at Syracuse (Saturday, 12:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Villanova guard Maalik Wayns is No. 15 in Division I with an assist rate of 38.1. That’s assists divided by field goals made by his team while he’s on the court, as compiled by Ken Pomeroy. 7. Texas at Kansas (Saturday, 4:00 p.m. ET, CBS)
The Jayhawks are first in Division I in perimeter defense, holding opponents to 24.9 percent from outside the 3-point line. Kansas is also first in 2-point scoring at 58.8 percent. 8. Michigan State at Purdue (Saturday, 9:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
The UNDER is 11-4 in Michigan State’s last 15 road games and 5-1 in the last six against teams above .600. The Boilermakers are 15-3 (.833) as we go to press.
NHL
9. Washington at Toronto (Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ET, NHLNET)
The Capitals are 37-17 in their last 54 games when playing on one day of rest. They face the New York Islanders on Thursday before taking Friday off. 10. Philadelphia at Chicago (Sunday, 4:00 p.m. ET, NBC)
Philadelphia defenseman Andrej Meszaros leads all NHL players with a plus-27. The Tampa Bay Lightning traded Meszaros (now age 25) to Philly in the offseason for a second round pick in 2012.
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UFC Betting: Matt Mitrione vs. Tim Hague
European Tour Golf Betting: Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship
NBA Betting: L.A. Lakers at Dallas Mavericks
NHL Betting: Toronto Maple Leafs at New York Rangers
NCAA Basketball Betting: Texas A&M Aggies at Texas Longhorns
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This might not make Stephen Colbert happy, but the free market has spoken, and America loves soccer. Interest in the Beautiful Game has skyrocketed over the past 15 years, in lock step with the rise of Internet and satellite television. Millions of Americans have fallen in love with (or developed a strong hatred for) teams like Barcelona and Manchester United. Now they’re surfing our soccer betting lines, where you can find action anywhere from Europe to South America to the thriving leagues in Mexico and the United States.
There’s also this guy named David that people seem to find interesting. David Beckham clearly hasn’t lost any of his starpower at age 35, even though there’s something of a Brett Favre-like backlash against Beckham. He’s still property of Major League Soccer (inaugural season: 1996) and the Los Angeles Galaxy, but Beckham has made headlines over the past couple of weeks by seeking a loan to play for Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League. It appears instead we’ll have to wait for the MLS season to begin in March before we see Becks in action.
Too bad. Spurs are one of the preferred soccer betting teams in the North American market, in part because basketball (and soccer) player Steve Nash is a well-known supporter. And the Premiership is hands-down the highest quality soccer league on the planet. The unbeatable combination of infrastructure and money makes the EPL the top destination for players around the world. Manchester United is a familiar brand in the States; rival Manchester City is catching up fast, both in popularity and in the EPL standings.
Chalkeaters are especially fond of the Premiership. Because it’s so hard to get even one goal in soccer, handicappers have to judge teams on their form more than their statistics. Only the teams with the biggest payrolls (no salary cap to be found here) can afford the best athletes and coaches, so bettors naturally gravitate toward United – and now City, who have supplanted debt-ridden Liverpool in the Top Four of the EPL alongside Chelsea and Arsenal.
The rapid decline of Liverpool has caused a major shakeup in today’s soccer world order – almost like the fall of the Soviet Union, since we’re talking about a team known as the Reds. Liverpool were purchased in 2007 by Americans George Gillett and Tom Hicks, who ended up plunging the team in debts that weren’t revealed until this past May. The Reds were sold in October to John W. Henry and Tom Werner, also from the States, but the team remains in awful form this year with seven wins, 10 losses and five draws in 22 matches. That’s good for 13th place among the 20 EPL teams.
Henry can start doing something about it right now if he chooses. The January “transfer window” is open, meaning teams get to sell or loan players to other teams – even from different leagues, like Beckham from the Galaxy to Tottenham. So far, Liverpool has been going for the cash, loaning striker Nikola Saric to Vitesse Arnhem (of the Dutch Eredivisie league) and striker Nathan Eccleston to Charlton Athletic (of England’s League One). But those are two young men who need playing time if they’re going to help Liverpool down the road. We’ve seen Henry spend the money to make the Boston Red Sox an elite baseball club. Henry is reportedly willing to open up the purse strings for striker Luis Suarez, who has seven goals in 13 games for Ajax (Eredivisie) this season. That would be a good start for a team that’s scored eight goals in 11 away games.
Speaking of those other leagues, the Premiership is by no means the only place you’ll find quality soccer. Spain’s Primera Division, or La Liga, is a worthy adversary for European bragging rights, with Barcelona F.C. winning 17 of its first 19 games behind a roster filled with Spanish players from the 2010 World Cup champions. Barcelona also gives us Lionel Messi (18 goals in 16 games), the Argentine forward who at age 23 is one of the brightest stars in the game. Italy’s Serie A and the German Bundesliga are also well worth watching. You can see live action from all these major leagues on cable or satellite, or at the click of a mouse.
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