Lyon, Marseille share points in Olympic clash

Soccer Betting Lines

02/05/2012 - Marseille, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Souleymane Diawara's own goal in the late stages of the first half helped Lyon erase an early deficit and the seven-time Ligue 1 champions tied Marseille, 2-2, on Sunday at the Stade Velodrome.

Benoit Cheyrou and Brandao scored inside 34 minutes as Marseille took control, but Bafetimbi Gomis pulled the first back in the 36th and Diawara's error with halftime looming capped a four-goal first half in the Olympic clash.

Lyon used the point to stay in fourth place. Marseille, which is undefeated in its last eight, remained one point out of the European places in fifth.

Sunday's other games, Auxerre at Caen and Lille at Sochaux, were postponed due to severe cold weather.

Wwwsandscasino Soccer Betting News

<< No. 7 Miami-Florida cruises over Clemson
Coral Gables, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shenise Johnson had a double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds as No. 7 Miami-Florida ran over Clemson, 68-47, at BankUnited Center on Sunday. The Hurricanes (20-3, 9-1 ACC) got a 15-point effort

<< Price, Canadiens shut out Jets
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carey Price stopped 23 shots for his third shutout of the season as the Montreal Canadiens took a 3-0 decision over the Winnipeg Jets. Tomas Plekanec had a goal and an assist while Max Pacioretty and Ale

<< Johnson lifts No. 8 Tennessee past Auburn
Knoxville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Glory Johnson recorded her ninth double- double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds as No. 8 Tennessee took down Auburn, 82-61. Ariel Massengale added 14 points, five rebounds and four

<< De Rossi signs five-year extension with Roma
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi has signed a five-year contract extension, the Italian club announced Sunday. De Rossi, 28, had a contract through the end of the current season, but signed a new deal to keep

<< Notre Dame dominates DePaul
South Bend, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Natalie Novosel led the way with 21 points for No. 2 Notre Dame as it dominated DePaul, 90-70, at Purcell Pavilion on Sunday. The Fighting Irish (23-1, 10-0 Big East) had five scorers in double figu

Villarreal continues turnaround at Sevilla >>
Seville, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Javier Camunas scored in the 80th minute and Villarreal continued its turnaround with a 2-1 La Liga win Sunday over Sevilla at the Sanchez Pizjuan. Villarreal won just three of its first 18 fixtures this sea

Serena leads U.S. past Belarus; Venus returns >>
Worcester, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Serena Williams recorded a singles victory on Sunday to move the United States into the Fed Cup World Group Playoffs. The 2011 U.S. Open runner-up Williams improved to 2-0 this week by overc

Miami upsets No. 7 Duke in overtime >>
Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Early in the season, all Reggie Johnson could do was look on as his Miami-Florida Hurricanes got off to a disappointing 5-4 start. Recovering from offseason knee surgery to repair a torn meniscu

LSU upsets No. 6 Kentucky >>
Baton Rouge, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adrienne Webb scored 19 points to lead LSU as it upset No. 6 Kentucky 61-51 at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Sunday. LaSondra Barrett added 12 points for the Lady Tigers (15-9, 5-5 SEC),

Patriots TE Gronkowski active for Super Bowl >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is active for the Super Bowl. Gronkowski had been listed as questionable on the injury report for Sunday's game against the New York Giants because of a high l

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.

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.