Reina's blunder is the least of Liverpool's concerns
Soccer Betting Lines
08/16/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Every English Premier League season is a 38-game grind that spans nine months, so the events that take place on the opening weekend of the season are often long forgotten by the time the leaves begin to change.
However, there is one image that could be etched into the minds of Liverpool fans everywhere a few months from now, and that is the sight of goalkeeper Pepe Reina fumbling the ball over his own goal line in the 90th minute of the team's 1-1 draw with Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday.
This frightening sight cost the Reds three points against a potential title rival, but the reason why it might become memorable has nothing to do with Liverpool's quest to end their 20-year league title drought.
This season is supposed to mark the beginning of a new era at Anfield, with the memories of last season's seventh-place finish gone along with manager Rafael Benitez.
Roy Hodgson has replaced the Spaniard in the manager's seat, and the club was also able to retain its top two players, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, despite heavy speculation that one or both could be on their way out.
The Reds were also able to add winger Joe Cole from Chelsea, essentially in a swap deal for Yossi Benayoun, while also bringing in midfielder Milan Jovanovic from Standard Liege.
Christian Poulsen was acquired from Juventus shortly before the start of the season, and there were even some positives to be taken from the opening match, most notably the play of striker David Ngog, who was a constant threat in place of Torres up top.
Another encouraging thing is the fact that the team was in position for a win despite playing the entire second half down a man after Cole was red-carded in the 44th minute.
But like Reina's mistake, things could go south very quickly for Hodgson and his team, with the keeper's error signifying the start of the club's potential decline.
Midfielder Javier Mascherano appears to be on his way out, with one or two other players also possibly leaving, but tensions are high behind the scenes at Liverpool for a different reason.
The club's American owners, George Gillett and Tom Hicks, put the team up for sale back in April because of the terrible financial situation they put the team in, and while multiple candidates have emerged as potential buyers, it now appears that the club could be headed for a serious financial crisis.
The current financing arrangements for the team will run out six weeks from now, and unless a takeover is completed by that time, there are multiple reports that Liverpool, one of the most powerful clubs in England, could be flirting with the possibility of entering administration.
Last season it was Portsmouth that suffered that fate, including the nine- point deduction that goes along with it. Pompey ended up finishing on the bottom of the table and was relegated, and they are currently in the midst of trying to put an end to their free fall.
But Portsmouth is not a club anywhere near the stature of Liverpool, a team that can lay claim to 18 league titles and has been called champions of Europe on five occasions.
Liverpool is supposed to be one of the haves in England, a team powerful enough to avoid such a situation.
However, Liverpool's managing director, Christian Purslow, sounded a bit worried on Sunday when he told Sky Sports, "We have had a number of bids for the club. We will take time to examine those extremely carefully. "Second to that is [the need] to sell the club as soon as possible."
What Purslow also acknowledged is the fact that despite there being two potential buyers known to the public, Kenny Huang, who heads a China-based investment group, and Syrian Yahya Kirdi, who is the frontman for Middle Eastern and Canadian investors, as well as other undisclosed bids, none of the potential candidates has yet provided proof of funds.
This means that the process does not appear to be headed for a conclusion anytime soon, which could put Liverpool's financial situation in ruins if things are not resolved by the end of next month.
On paper, Liverpool has the kind of talent that should allow the club to return to the top four, if not seriously challenge for the league title, but they could be in for a major disaster if no action is taken.
Leeds United was a title contender at the start of the decade, but major financial trouble caused them to enter administration and they ended up falling to the third division in a matter of a few years.
And while Liverpool may be able to better withstand their own money troubles, it could force the team to sell some of its better players, allowing teams like Manchester City, Tottenham and Merseyside rivals Everton to pass them by.
The team had a successful summer and appeared to be entering the season with a feeling of optimism. They even put together a good first match that will give them something to build on.
But just like Reina fumbling away a win, Liverpool's owners could be throwing the club into financial upheaval, dashing any high hopes the team had for the coming campaign.
Ironically enough, the anthem of the club is "You'll Never Walk Alone" a showtune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, Carousel, that is sung prior to kickoff at every home game.
The words of the title also appear in the club crest as well as on the Shankly Gate entrance to the stadium.
But if no progress is made in the coming weeks on the takeover front, Liverpool may find itself in a very lonely place.
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Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook
Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds. The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.
Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.
Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).
Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.
World Series odds
Adam Dunn 15-1
Albert Pujols 5-1
Alex Rodriguez 12-1
Alfonso Soriano 15-1
Andruw Jones 25-1
Barry Bonds 50-1
Carlos Delgado 40-1
David Ortiz 8-1
Jermaine Dye 40-1
Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1
Lance Berkman 40-1
Manny Ramirez 20-1
Richie Sexson 40-1
Ryan Howard 6-1
Travis Hafner 20-1
Vladimir Guerrero 40-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
What Is the Point Spread?
What are Sports Betting Point Spreads?
In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.
Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).
If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).
Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.
How to Read Point Spreads
New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)
In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:
- Philly wins the actual game by any amount of points
OR
- Philly loses the game by less than 7 points.
-
There was also the possibility that the final score could land exactly on the spread number (for example, the Pats winning 28-21 when -7), which is called a “push” or “no action” and a refund is then issued to bettors of both teams.
The same game with the same point spread can be considered from the weaker team’s perspective: The Underdog (Philly in the case of our example) is not expected to win the game and online football betting thus receives or “gets” points given by the stronger team. When a game is stated from the underdog’s perspective the team is listed with a plus sign and the number of points they are underdogs by:
Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs. New England Patriots
Keep in mind that Philadelphia +7 and New England -7 is the same point spread on the same game, simply stated differently. The first is from the underdog’s perspective; the later is from the favorite’s.
For Those Who Like to Consider Things Mathematically
Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:
- Subtracting the point spread from the favorite’s score (thus the minus sign before the number) and then compare to the underdog’s score
OR
- Adding the point spread to the underdog’s score (thus the plus sign before the number) and then compare to the favorite’s score
Who Really “Won” the Super Bowl odds ?
Let’s look at the actual result of Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24 Philadelphia 21
The favorite, New England, won the game but not by more than the point spread they were favored by (7), so the ATS result was a LOSS for Pats bettors.
Looking at it from the underdog’s perspective, Philly did not win the game, but they lost by less than the point spread (7), so the ATS result was a WIN for Eagle bettors.
Mathematically considered, 24 for the favorite Pats minus 7 equals 17, which is less than the 20 the Eagles scored, so the underdog Eagles win the ATS result (or you could figure 20 plus 7 equals 27 for the Eagles, which is more than 24 for the Pats).
Emily’s boyfriend understood the point spread and wagered $100 on the Eagles at +7. The Eagles may not have gotten a Super Bowl ring, but since they won the ATS result Emily’s boyfriend cashed his bet – giving him money to take her out to a nice dinner.
And now hopefully you understand how to read point spreads, putting you one step closer to joining the fun of sports betting.
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting and World Series odds.