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06/21/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Behind a devastatingly skilled attack and coached by a personality to match, it is a bit of a mystery as to how Argentina has faded into the peripherals of South Africa.
Despite having won both its matches in convincing fashion - even in the 1-0 win over Nigeria, they dominated the flow of the game - Argentina find themselves taking a back seat to headlines of early upsets and team mutiny.
Favorites by anyone's definition, the Albiceleste entered the 2010 World Cup without the same type of fanfare and hype allotted to countries such as Spain and Brazil.
This, in spite of a roster that includes one of the most talented players in the world, in Lionel Messi, and football legend Diego Maradona patrolling the sidelines.
And that Maradona guy - the one who almost single-handedly won the 1986 World Cup with a virtuoso performance cemented in soccer lore - he's more than happy to pull the curtain back and praise a group talented enough to win their third Cup title.
"I want to congratulate my players for having perfectly executed our game plan. We deserved a win like this because we'd already threatened this kind of result against Nigeria," Maradona said after his team's 4-1 thrashing of Group B rival South Korea.
"Except from the ... error [that led to South Korea's goal], we had all the play and did what we wanted with the ball."
Such confidence appears misplaced given Maradona's lack of pedigree when it comes to directing a squad on the pitch.
After navigating his team through an uninspiring qualifying round and with just two Cup games under his belt, there is plenty of ammunition to shoot down hopes of a third world title for the storied soccer nation.
Having all but secured a trip to the round of 16 prior to playing their final group match versus Greece on Tuesday, the Argentineans can look ahead to the elite portion of the tournament with shades of Germany fresh on their minds.
It was then that Argentina's 19-year-old prodigal striker, Messi, could only watch from the bench as his team was eliminated in the quarterfinals by the host country in a heartbreaking penalty shootout.
For Messi, who scored at a rate of more than a goal a game for his club team Barcelona this year, performing on the international stage will be everything in defining his legacy as one of the all-time football greats.
And yet despite lofty comparisons to his coach - whose five goal performance in the '86 tournament stands as one of the gold standards in the history of the sport - Messi will have to start finding the back of the net if Argentina have any thoughts of knocking off Brazil, Germany, or Spain.
Through their first two games, the team's top striker has been held off the score sheet even though his electric speed and mesmerizing footwork has remained the focal point in an impressive Albiceleste offense.
Although questions as to the club's ability to defend and stop the opposing attack are considered to be its main deterrent to the final, Argentina's success will hinge on the performance of its two superstars.
But this time around, only one of those men can look on while the other tries to revive those fond memories of 24 years ago.
"Messi is my Maradona," the coach said upon assuming national team duties.
If such sentiment holds true, Argentina's story will be front and center this summer.
<< New Zealand highlights parity-filled first round
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Finding 32 quality teams to fill out a World Cup field can
sometimes be a difficult task, especially when soccer hotbeds like Europe and
South America are limited to a certain number of teams.
Often times it is the las
<< Bafana Bafana need win over frazzled French, help to survive
Bloemfontein, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - South Africa is on the verge of
becoming the first host nation to fail to advance to the knockout stage of the
FIFA World Cup, but a frazzled France presents a part of the miracle equation
the Baf
<< Memphis Grizzlies 2010 Draft Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With O.J. Mayo, Zach Randolph and Rudy Gay on hand and
three first round picks at their disposal, the Memphis Grizzlies have a chance
to take the next step in their rebuilding program.
Getting Gay, a restricted free agent,
<< Mexico, Uruguay battle for Group A supremacy
Rustenburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Both Mexico and Uruguay are in a
great position to advance from Group A, and their meeting at Royal Bafokeng
Stadium on Tuesday could determine who tops the group and who finishes second.
Both
Line of Scrimmage: How high is the sky for Redskins? >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two years ago, an NFL team coming off a
4-12 season made banner headlines by dealing for a highly-decorated veteran
quarterback who was expected to return that franchise to glory.
The same team beefed up t
Miami Heat 2010 Draft Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat have just four players under contract right
now but their plans are clear.
Pat Riley hopes to re-sign All-Star guard Dwyane Wade and bring in another
top-tier free agent to team with his superstar, with most
Greece faces huge challenge against Argentina >>
Polokwane, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Greece was impressive in the final
57 minutes of its victory over Nigeria, scoring twice to overturn a deficit in
its first-ever FIFA World Cup victory.
Dimitris Salpigidis notched Greece's first-e
Zenyatta continues to lead national poll >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Undefeated mare Zenyatta remains atop the NTRA
Thoroughbred Poll for the week ending June 20. The six-year-old champion has
never lost in 17 career starts.
Zenyatta, who won the Vanity Handicap on June 1
El Duque expected to throw Tuesday
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.
Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.
El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.
MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds.
Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.
New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.
Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''
Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
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The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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