08/22/2008 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The transfer of Toronto FC midfielder Maurice Edu to Glasgow Rangers of the Scottish Premier League has been completed, the Major League Soccer club announced on Friday. The transfer, which was reported to be for roughly $4.8 million, was contingent upon Edu receiving a UK work permit and that process has now been completed.
"I'm excited about this new chapter in my career," Edu said. "I will miss Toronto and the team's amazing supporters and fans. Toronto FC will always have special meaning for me because it's the club that gave me my professional start. I want to thank Mo [Johnston], John [Carver], the coaching staff and my teammates for making my time with Toronto FC such a memorable experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life."
Edu was selected first overall by Toronto FC in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft. During his rookie season, he started all 25 games and finished the 2007 MLS regular season with four goals and one assist and went on to win MLS Rookie of the Year.
This season, Edu started 12 of 13 games while adding a goal and an assist.
"Maurice is a talented young player and this move is a wonderful opportunity for him," TFC manager and director of soccer Mo Johnston said. "Coming off of his rookie season and his selection to the U.S. Olympic and national teams, Maurice has garnered a great deal of attention from other clubs around the world. In the end, we believe the decision to transfer Maurice is in the best interest of his development as a player and Toronto FC."
<< White Sox keep piling on wins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It seems no matter how well the Chicago White Sox play,
they can't quite shake those "piranhas" manager Ozzie Guillen calls the
Minnesota Twins.
This time last week, Chicago and Minnesota were deadlocked in a tie for first
<< Mets host Astros, aim to keep up Amazin' run
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With pennant races heating up during the latter stages of
the regular season, there is no better time than now for New York Mets ace
Johan Santana to get on a roll. He leads the National League East-leading Mets
tonight
<< Nuggets bring back Smith
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Nuggets re-signed restricted free
agent swingman J.R. Smith on Friday.
The 22-year-old Smith averaged 12.3 points in 74 regular season games and
18.3 points in four playoff contests for the N
<< Cubs host Nationals in matchup of first and worst
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National League Central-leading Chicago Cubs continue
their homestand against inferior opponents today, when the Washington
Nationals come to town for the first of three straight games at Wrigley Field.
Chic
Big 12 - Will it be an Oklahoma-Missouri rematch? >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Missouri Tigers were the number one
team in the country at the end of the regular season, but Oklahoma pounded
them by three touchdowns in the Big 12 Championship game. Will these two teams
hook up at Arr
Wozniacki reaches Pilot Pen final >>
New Haven, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rising Dane Caroline Wozniacki was an
upset semifinal winner Friday at the $600,000 Pilot Pen Tennis event, a
final U.S. Open tune-up.
Wozniacki upended seventh-seeded Alize Cornet of France 7-5, 6-4
Clarke among three leaders at KLM Open >>
Zandvoort, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Darren Clarke fired a six-under 64
on Friday to share lead with Robert Rock and Alexander Noren at the midway
point of the KLM Open.
Clarke, Rock (64) and Noren (66) are knotted at eight-und
QB Edwards out for Bills preseason game against Colts >>
Orchard Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bills starting quarterback Trent Edwards
will sit out Buffalo's preseason game at Indianapolis on Sunday due to a deep
thigh contusion.
J.P. Losman will start in Edwards' place. Edwards, a second-year
Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Odds
Will he or won't he? Now that the Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips, the big question will be: Does Terrell Owens stay with the team.
Jerry Jones continues to suggest that Terrell Owens will remain with the team.
"I've said that he's back, he's here, he's under contract," Jones said. "In the interviews I've just been through (to hire a new coach), it was very clear to me how highly he's thought of and how much of an impact he had on our offensive success."
Just to be sure though, Terrell Owens cleared out his locker and removed his name plate.
Terrell Owens was among the Cowboys most productive players this past season, catching 85 passes for 1,180 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns.
But T.O. is due a $3 million roster bonus in June, then a $5 million salary this season. Cutting him before then would save a lot of money and headaches.
Aside from the questions surrounding Terrell Owens, the oddsmakers at MySportsbook.com have concerns over starting quarterback Tony Romo's state of mind and whether he will remain a starting quarterback. It is also not known how players will adjust to new head coach, Wade Phillips.
Here are the football odds as seen at MySportsbook.com and subject to change after February 10, 2007 if not locked in prior to that date.
Arizona Cardinals 60-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Baltimore Ravens 15-1
Buffalo Bills 50-1
Carolina Panthers 18-1
Chicago Bears 10-1
Cincinnati Bengals 15-1
Cleveland Browns 100-1
Dallas Cowboys 15-1
Denver Broncos 15-1
Detroit Lions 100-1
Green Bay Packers 50-1
Houston Texans 100-1
Indianapolis Colts 6-1
Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1
Kansas City Chiefs 30-1
Miami Dolphins 40-1
Minnesota Vikings 75-1
New England Patriots 10-1
New Orleans Saints 18-1
New York Giants 20-1
New York Jets 30-1
Oakland Raiders 100-1
Philadelphia Eagles 18-1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10-1
Saint Louis Rams 60-1
San Diego Chargers 6-1
San Francisco 49ers 75-1
Seattle Seahawks 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccanneers 75-1
Tennessee Titans 40-1
Washington Redskins 50-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook credit cards needs.
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.
MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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