Chicago squares off with Houston on short rest

Soccer Betting Lines

08/20/2010 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Fire travel to take on Houston for their second Major League Soccer fixture in three days on Saturday night.

The Fire are coming off a 2-1 win over New England at Toyota park on Wednesday, and are hoping to build on the effort on the road even though they will be on short rest.

Calen Carr scored the game winner five minutes from time on Wednesday in his first game of the season for the Fire (6-5-6).

"It was great," Carr told mlssoccer.com. "Right after I scored, I just kind of ran and wanted to celebrate with my teammates and then just kind of let it soak in. To get a win and to score in my first game back after what was a really difficult road is a great feeling."

The goal was set up by the recently acquired Freddie Ljungberg, who is making an impact with his new team after being traded from Seattle Sounders FC.

"Freddie is a player that any coach in the league would want," Fire coach Carlos de los Cobos told mlssoccer.com. "I am very happy with him and the commitment he has shown to this team."

The Fire's other designated player, Nery Castillo, lasted only 45 minutes in his first MLS start as he continues to adjust to his new surroundings.

"I still need to work on my fitness and to find my rhythm, but I felt good playing a half," he told mlssoccer.com. "I will admit I got tired, and so I asked to be taken out to give the opportunity to someone who was in better shape than me because we knew this was a must-win game for us."

The Dynamo (5-10-5) are currently in the midst of a 10-game winless run, which makes getting a result on its home field on Saturday that much more important. It is second-from-the-bottom in the Western table, and in real danger of falling to last place.

The team is still adjusting to the transition of losing a number of regulars, especially from the midfield, over the past couple seasons.

"I think in the past we have had guys on the field who had played with each other for five-plus years," Dynamo forward Brian Ching told mlssoccer.com. "This year that isn't the case, and I think the more games we get under our belt, the more positive and the more confident we are going forward."

Wwwbaymeadows Soccer Betting News

<< Marseille set to add Gignac from Toulouse
Marseille, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marseille agreed Friday with Toulouse on the transfer of France striker Andre-Pierre Gignac, who led Ligue 1 in scoring one season ago. The 24-year-old Gignac had 24 goals for Toulouse last season, and h

<< Bucks sign Boykins
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Bucks announced Friday they have signed guard Earl Boykins. Boykins, 34, spent the 2009-10 season with Washington and averaged 6.6 points and 2.6 assists in 67 games. He previously

<< Marseille signing Remy has heart problem
Marseille, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marseille revealed Friday that striker Loic Remy, acquired on Thursday from Nice, has a heart condition and will not make his debut Saturday. Marseille acquired Remy, a 23-year-old who has played twi

<< Twins' Punto heads back to DL
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins have placed infielder Nick Punto back on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained left hamstring. Punto aggravated the injury in the fifth inning of Thursday's game again

<< Tigers recall Figaro, option Weinhardt
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers recalled pitcher Alfredo Figaro from Triple-A Toledo and optioned pitcher Robbie Weinhardt to the same club Friday. Figaro has appeared in one game this season for the Tigers. The righ

Rangers option P Holland, recall Kirkman >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers have optioned pitcher Derek Holland to Triple-A Oklahoma City and recalled pitcher Michael Kirkman from the same club. Holland was brought up earlier in the week to make a start against

Marlins' Paulino suspended, placed on restricted list >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Florida Marlins catcher Ronny Paulino has received a 50-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The team placed Paulino on the restricted lis

Union continue quest for first shutout at United >>
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Union earned their first- ever Major League Soccer win over D.C. United, and could produce another first against the struggling four-time champions Sunday afternoon at RFK Stadium. The Uni

NBA hands down 10-game suspension for Delonte West >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Basketball Association has suspended guard Delonte West for 10 games without pay for pleading guilty to carrying a concealed weapon and wearing, carrying, and transporting a handgun, in viol

Serena withdraws from U.S. Open >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Serena Williams has withdrawn from the U.S. Open because of a right foot injury she sustained last month. The world No. 1 cut her foot on broken glass in a restaurant in July, an injury that required

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.

MySportsbook.com offers Blackjack contest and $10,000.00 in Free Prize money!

Every month MySportsbook.com's casino host, Jack Black, gives away $10,000.00 in free casino prize money. To Enter - All you have to do is play at least 10 hands (total) of Blackjack on one of the specified dates of the blackjack contest. The online casino host randomly hands out free bonuses ranging from $50 - $500, and one lucky player who will receive a free $2,500.00 bonus.

"We have been running this monthly free blackjack contest to our active mebers for 5 years now, and the players just love it," says Jack Black, online casino host at MySportsbook.com. "And why wouldn't they love a free chance to win some extra online blackjack cash."

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Mastercard needs.