D.C., Columbus battle to draw

Soccer Betting Lines

07/04/2009 - Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United and the Columbus Crew battled to a 1-1 draw in Major League Soccer action on Saturday night at Crew Stadium.

The game was a battle of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference table, and after the draw, United (5-3-9) still holds a one-point advantage although Columbus (5-3-8) has a game in hand.

United scored the game's first goal in the 33rd minute after a flurry of action. Columbus goalkeeper Will Hesmer made a great save on Clyde Simms in tight before the ball bounced out on the right side to Ange N'Silu. N'Silu then crossed to Chris Pontius, who headed the ball back into the area, off defender Danny O'Rourke. Christian Gomez then pounced on the loose ball and fired into the back of the net for his fourth goal of the season.

That was how the score stayed until Alejandro Moreno scored his third goal of the season just before the hour mark. Emmanuel Ekpo started the chance with a service from the right side to Steven Lenhart, who flicked a perfect pass back-door to Moreno. Moreno then unleashed the shot to tie the game at one.

The Crew will be back in action next Saturday at Chicago while United plays on July 18 vs. Colorado in its next MLS fixture.

Wwwcbot Soccer Betting News

<< Wang leaves game; likely to go on DL
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang left Saturday's 6-5, 12-inning victory against the Toronto Blue Jays with a shoulder injury, and an MRI after the game indicated he may be headed to the disable

<< Blue Jays place P Richmond on DL
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays placed pitcher Scott Richmond on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to July 1, with a sore shoulder. Richmond is 6-5 with a 3.69 earned-run average in 16 games, 13 starts,

<< Valbuena and Francisco help Indians past A's
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luis Valbuena and Ben Francisco each went 3- for-3, with Valbuena knocking in a run and scoring twice and Francisco adding a two-run homer in Cleveland's 5-2 win over Oakland. Carl Pavano (7-7) evened his

<< Marlins get by Pirates
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Emilio Bonifacio went 3-for-4 with two runs scored to help the Florida Marlins take a 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second game of a three-game set. Hanley Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a two-run

<< DeLaet leads Edmonton Open by two
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Graham DeLaet posted a two-under 70 Saturday to take a two-stroke lead after three rounds of the Edmonton Open. DeLaet, who shared the second-round lead with Brady Stockton and Jim Rutledge, completed 54 hol

Price isn't right for Rays; Rangers score 12 in rout >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andruw Jones' three-run homer in the first inning set the tone, as Texas went on to dismantle the Rays, 12-4, in the middle installment of a three-game series. Jones doubled in another run and Michael

USA cruises past Grenada in Gold Cup opener >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robbie Rogers scored one goal and set up two more as the United States opened its Gold Cup campaign with a comfortable 4-0 win over Grenada at Qwest Field. Freddie Adu opened the scoring in the eighth minut

Stewart wins in a firework finish at Daytona >>
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tony Stewart won Saturday's Coke Zero 400 in a dramatic finish at Daytona International Speedway. Stewart moved to the outside of leader Kyle Busch coming out of the final turn of the last lap. Busch atte

Chicago moves to top of Eastern table with win at Colorado >>
Commerce City, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Fire moved into a tie with D.C. United at the top of Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference table with a 2-1 win at the Colorado Rapids on Saturday night. First-half goals by Marco Pappa

Dynamo extend MLS lead with win at K.C. >>
Kansas City, KA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Dynamo extended their lead atop Major League Soccer's overall table with a 1-0 win at the Kansas City Wizards on Saturday night. Kei Kamara scored the game's only goal in the 18th minute to h

Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.