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09/14/2007 - Hangzhou, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top spot in Group C will be on the line on Saturday when Australia meets Norway in the second game for both teams.
Norway earned a tough 2-1 comeback win against Canada, while Australia recorded its first ever win in the World Cup with a 4-1 triumph against Ghana.
The Matildas entered the Ghana match with a 0-7-2 record in World Cup play, but showed why they can be considered a threat to advance past the group stage for the first time ever.
Striker Sarah Walsh was the most dangerous player on the field for Australia, scoring one goal and setting up another. She was a problem from the opening whistle for Ghana, and she will be counted on once again to lead the Australia attack.
Lisa DeVanna came off the bench to score twice in the second half and Heather Garriock tallied the other Australia goal and played a solid match as well.
The Australia defense was not tested all that much by a weak Ghana attack, so there are still question marks as to how strong this unit is.
Having come through the tough Asian qualifying group, Australia showed its quality, but we will get an idea of just how good the Matildas have become following the Norway game.
The Norwegians are an extremely sound team technically, and will not make the mistakes in defense that allowed Walsh to get into space. They also have a player in striker Ragnhild Gulbrandsen who will give the defense all it can handle.
Gulbrandsen got free inside the box on numerous occasions against Canada, scoring one goal and helping to set up the game winner. She is a dominant player in the air, and also has some skill with her feet as well. Australia captain Cheryl Salisbury will likely draw the assignment of keeping Gulbrandsen in check, which is a big task for any defender.
Norway is known as a team that favors short passes en route to a nice build up. However, against Canada, they showed the ability to use the long ball and prove that they are capable of making adjustments.
The team's second-half effort against Canada was dominant, and they will have no trouble with any team in their group if they can duplicate that performance.
Norway is one of the most complete teams in this tournament, and they should show that against Australia on Saturday and take control of the group.
<< Canada aims to rebound against Ghana
Hangzhou, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Canada and Ghana are both coming off
losses in their opening match, and a win is a must for either team if they are
to hold out hope of advancing into the quarterfinals.
Canada took a 1-0 lead int
<< Red Bulls look to cool Fire, improve playoff position
Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Red Bull New York and the Chicago Fire
square off for the third and final time this season in a Major League Soccer
fixture Saturday at Toyota Park.
The teams just played each other on Sept. 1 -
<< Rams CB Hill to miss Sunday's game against 49ers
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Rams head coach Scott Linehan
announced that starting cornerback Tye Hill will miss Sunday's game against
San Francisco after hurting his lower back in practice on Thursday.
Hill, the 15t
<< Simpson named suspect in casino robbery
Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Las Vegas police questioned former football
star O.J. Simpson and declared him a suspect Friday in a hotel room
armed robbery, involving sports memorabilia at The Palace Station Casino.
The form
United acquires Monteiro from Fire >>
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United announced Friday the club has
acquired Jerson Monteiro from the Chicago Fire in exchange for a conditional
2008 MLS SuperDraft pick. Uniteds roster included an open developmental spot
for the
Farfan could make season debut vs. Vitesse >>
Eindhoven, Holland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Three-time defending Eredivisie
champions PSV Eindhoven could get a extra boost of energy on Saturday when it
plays Vitesse at Philips Stadium.
Jefferson Farfan, who has missed all season due
Manning, Umenyiora practice >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Giants got a boost
on Friday, as both quarterback Eli Manning and defensive end Osi Umenyiora
practiced in preparation for Sunday's game against Green Bay.
Head coach Tom Coug
Unbeatens Bayern Munich, Schalke clash >>
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich will put its unbeaten mark on
the line on Saturday against Schalke 04, the only other club in the Bundesliga
that hasn't lost this season.
Although the league contenders haven't lost yet, the
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.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
MySportsbook.com Posts Heisman Trophy Odds
With 3,919 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and a mere seven interceptions last season, combined with a powerful South Bend Heisman legacy, odds makers at MySportsbook.com have given Notre Dame senior quarterback Brady Quinn the best Heisman Trophy odds at 5-2.
Quinn isn’t the only big man on campus this season. Oklahoma junior running back and 2004 Heisman runner-up Adrian Peterson, listed at 7-2, rushed for a combined 3,033 yards in his first two years as a college player and will give Quinn a run for his money.
This online sportsbook has also listed Troy Smith, Ohio State senior quarterback, as another strong favorite to win the 72nd Heisman Trophy. A 7-1 bet, Smith threw for 2,282 yards last season and also led the Buckeyes to a convincing 34-20 victory over Quinn and the Fighting Irish in last season’s Fiesta Bowl.
Current betting odds Heisman trophy are:
| Brady Quinn (QB, Notre Dame) Adrian Peterson (RB, Oklahoma) Troy Smith (QB, Ohio State) Michael Bush (RB, Louisville) Steve Slaton (RB, West Virginia) Brian Brohm (QB, Louisville) Chris Leak (QB, Florida) Mike Hart (RB, Michigan) Ted Ginn (WR, Ohio State) Darius Walker (RB, Notre Dame) Drew Tate (QB, Iowa) Marshawn Lynch (RB, Cal) Kenny Irons (RB, Auburn) Chad Henne (QB, Michigan) Kyle Wright (QB, Miami) Drew Stanton (QB, Michigan State) Kenneth Darby (RB, Alabama) JaMarcus Russell (QB, LSU) Drew Weatherford (QB, Florida State) Blake Mitchell (QB, South Carolina) Reggie Ball (QB, Georgia Tech) |
5-2 7-2 7-1 10-1 10-1 12-1 12-1 18-1 18-1 20-1 30-1 35-1 35-1 40-1 50-1 50-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 |
For complete NCAA Football odds visit MySportsbook.com.
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