United, TFC square off at BMO for 'important game'

Soccer Betting Lines

09/10/2010 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Last-placed D.C. United travels to take on a desperate Toronto FC club on Saturday afternoon in Major League Soccer action at BMO Field.

The Reds (7-9-7) are in must-win mode if they have any hope of making the playoffs, especially after battling to a scoreless draw at Chicago in a mid- week fixture.

"It's definitely is a big point, but I think we should have came out with a win, but we'll take the point," Toronto captain Dwayne De Rosario told Rogers Sportsnet after the game. "It pushes us up a little bit, we have another important game coming up against DC on Saturday."

Toronto has proven to be a different club at home than on the road. It is 6-1-5 this season at BMO Field, and just 1-8-2 away from it. Because of its road woes, the team is under immense pressure to get all three points against a struggling D.C. United club on Saturday.

"We can't lose anyone right now, we need as many guys as possible," De Rosario said. "We do have a little bit of injuries [concerns] in important positions. We've got to carry on with it and, hopefully, the guys that do get their chances are 100 percent ready and focused and take the opportunities."

United (4-16-3), on the other hand, is having one of the worst seasons in franchise history. After a 1-0 loss vs. Columbus last weekend, it tied the MLS mark for times being shut out in a season at 15. If it happens again in the club's next seven games it will own the dubious mark.

"It's a bit of a broken record at this point, right? Unfortunately we're not making big plays," D.C. United interim coach Ben Olsen told mlssoccer.com. "You've heard this before. This is who we are right now. I think there's part of us that's growing, and there's part of us that is kind of staying the same, and the part that's staying the same is costing us games. So I don't know what else to tell you."

Last week it was a goalkeeping blunder by Bill Hamid that cost his team the game when he misplayed a ball right to Guillermo Barros Schelotto in his own six-yard box. The Argentine easily slotted the ball home for the only goal in a 1-0 United loss.

"The field's playing kind of poor, but at the same time, there's no excuse for that mistake on my part," Hamid said after the match. "It shouldn't have been a goal, shouldn't have been a mistake. Maybe I could've one-timed it out, who knows. But I apologize to my teammates, to the coaches, to the staff, to the fans, for the mistake."

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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Huskers' Lucky hospitalized for undisclosed reason

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky was hospitalized Monday for undisclosed reasons after Lincoln police responded to a call at his residence.

The Nebraska athletic department said in a release Monday that Lucky was admitted Sunday night.

MySportsbook.com has the Cornhuskers listed at +2500 to win the BCS National Championship odds.

A nursing supervisor at the hospital said all questions about Lucky were being referred to the athletic department. The athletic department said there would be no further comment from the department or Lucky's family.

A Lincoln Police spokesman said officers responded to a call at Lucky's residence 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The spokesman said he didn't know Lucky's condition at the time he was taken to the hospital.

Lucky, from North Hollywood, Calif., started six games last season as a sophomore and was the team's second-leading rusher, with 728 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 383 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.

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