Brazil advances to play U.S. in Confed Cup final
Soccer Betting Lines
06/25/2009 - Johannesburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daniel Alves scored in the 87th minute, helping Brazil edge South Africa 1-0 on Thursday in the Confederations Cup to set up a rematch with the United States in the final.
Alves, who entered the match as a substitute in the 81st, lined up a free kick from 19 yards and drilled a shot to the right of a five-man South African wall, just off the post and into the side netting.
Brazil, which beat the United States 3-0 in group play, faces the Americans on Sunday at 2:30 (ET). The U.S. shocked world No. 1 Spain on Wednesday to advance to its first FIFA final.
South Africa will play the third-place game Sunday against Spain, which won the teams' group meeting 2-0.
Brazil opened Thursday's semifinal with the first scoring chance when Ramires unleashed a 20-yard blast that tested South Africa goalie Itumeleng Khune, who dove to make the first of four saves.
South Africa followed with three straight chances, the best in the 21st minute when Aaron Mokoena ran between Brazil center defenders Lucio and Luizao to meet a free kick and headed just high with only goalie Julio Cesar to beat.
Brazil's Kaka had two chances in a five-minute span late in the half, but his first shot was wide and Khune saved the second.
South Africa's Steven Pienaar capped the back-and-forth first half with a blast inches wide of the left post in the 43rd as the game went to half scoreless.
The African club had the first good chance of the second half also, with Teko Modise unleashing an 18-yard shot in the 58th that deflected off Luizao's arm and changed directions but was still stopped by Cesar at the right post for the best of his four saves.
Over the next 30 minutes, both sides had a few chances but rarely finished well and overtime and penalty kicks seemed like the only way the match would end.
But just minutes from the end of regulation, Ramires earned a foul just outside the area and Alves lined up the kick from 19 yards out on the top left side of the area.
South Africa lined up a good wall but Alves eyed the right side and drilled the shot just past a defender and a diving Khune for a near-perfect goal, his third for Brazil.
The Brazilians nearly added a second goal before the final whistle, but Luis Fabiano was denied from close-range to give the South Africans some hope in the closing seconds.
South Africa couldn't find the equalizer, though, and settled for the rematch with Spain, which will be trying to rebound from its first loss in 36 games, despite an inspired performance.
Brazil extended its unbeaten streak to 15 games (11-0-4), and improved to 3-0-0 all-time against South Africa.
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Women's Professional Soccer announced Thursday that The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in Fenton, Mo., will be the site of the 2009 WPS All-Star Game on Aug. 30. The league will employ a unique format
<< San Jose waives Denton, Gray
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Earthquakes placed defender Eric
Denton and midfielder Kelly Gray on waivers Thursday.
Denton appeared in 10 matches this season and had an assist. In 2008 he started
26 games at left back.
G
<< Winnpeg Blue Bombers (CFL)
Released defensive backs Patrick Body, Ronyell Whitaker, Jasper Johnson and Nick Kordic, wide receiver Terry Firr, offensive linemen Jean-Francois Morin-Robeerge, Matt O'Meara and Thaddeus Coleman, running back Joe Smith, defensive linemen Monte
<< United fails to lure Brazilian starlet
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gremio has rejected a request from
Manchester United to take rising star Douglas Costa on trial.
The 18-year-old attacking midfielder is one of the brightest talents in South
American football a
<< Pirates send Snell to minors
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates optioned struggling
pitcher Ian Snell to Indianapolis of the International League on Thursday.
Snell has made 15 starts this season, compiling a 2-8 record with a 5.36
earned r
Dundee, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dundee United manager Craig Levein is hoping to hold off interest in Morgaro Gomis this summer. Gomis, 23, is under contract with the Terrors until 2011, but has been the subject of interest fro
Berkman clubs two homers to help Astros crown Royals >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lance Berkman hit a pair of two-run homers and
reached the 1,000 RBI plateau as the Houston Astros edged the Kansas City
Royals, 5-4, in the finale of a three-game interleague set at Minute Maid
Park.
Werder completes Marin signing >>
Bremen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Werder Bremen has finally completed the
signing of Germany Under-21 international Marko Marin.
The 20-year-old midfielder has signed a four-year contract to officially seal
his $10.6 million transfer
Lions give C Raiola contract extension >>
Allen Park, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Lions announced on Thursday
they have agreed to terms with center Dominic Raiola on a contract extension
that will keep him with the club through the 2013 season. Financial terms of
the dea
Hawks acquire Crawford from Warriors >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks acquired guard Jamal Crawford
from the Golden State Warriors on Thursday in exchange for guards Acie Law and
Speedy Claxton.
"We feel we have gained tremendous flexibility with the addition
2007 NFL Football Betting Preview
“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
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