11/17/2008 - London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jimmy Bullard and Scott Parker have been called up into the England squad for the friendly against Germany, after Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard were ruled out by injury.
Gerrard and Lampard are struggling with groin and rib injuries respectively and have returned to their clubs after initially reporting for international duty with the rest of Fabio Capello's squad.
The star duo's absence has meant late calls for Fulham's Bullard and West Ham's midfield enforcer Parker.
Capello was also forced to call up Blackburn goalkeeper Paul Robinson on Sunday, after Joe Hart had sustained an ankle injury in Manchester City's 2-2 draw with Hull City.
However, regular England skipper John Terry now seems set to play in Germany, after a foot injury sustained at the weekend proved to be less serious than was at first feared.
(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)
<< RedHawks fly into Steel City to challenge Panthers
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fifth-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers are set
to host a pesky bunch of Miami-Ohio RedHawks in an early season non-conference
clash.
Miami already has two games under its belt, as the squad took part in the 2K
<< Second-ranked Huskies host Hawks at XL Center
Hartford, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-ranked Connecticut Huskies welcome
in-state foe Hartford to the XL Center this evening, for a non-conference
clash.
The Huskies opened their 2008-09 season in Storrs, routing Western Carolina,
81-5
<< Dolphins face tall task in clash with Hoyas
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The two-time defending Big East regular-
season champion Georgetown Hoyas will open their new campaign this evening
when they host the Jacksonville Dolphins in a non-league affair at the Verizon
Center.
T
<< NIT Season Tip-Off action has Eastern Michigan taking on Purdue
West Lafayette, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Eastern Michigan Eagles and 11th-
ranked Purdue Boilermakers meet up for the first time since 1971, as they
tangle in the first round of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Mackey Arena tonight.
The victor of
Newcastle's Barton out two months with knee injury >>
Newcastle, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Newcastle United have confirmed that
midfielder Joey Barton will be out for around two months after suffering knee
ligament damage in the 2-2 draw with Wigan.
The 26-year-old lasted just 17 minut
New career awaits Curlin >>
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Curlin, the 2007 Horse of the Year, is
apparently finished racing and will begin his career as a stallion.
The Monday edition of the Louisville Courier-Journal is reporting that trainer
Steve Asmussen
Canucks aim to stay hot versus Islanders >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks will shoot for their fifth win in six
games when they visit the New York Islanders for this evening's
interconference matchup at Nassau Coliseum.
The Canucks are coming off a 4-1-1 homestand in which
Milan denies Benzema offer >>
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan managing director Adriano Galliani
has denied making an approach to Lyon for highly-rated forward Karim Benzema.
The 20-year-old France international has been linked with moves to some of
Europ
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers SPORTS TRASH TALK
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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