Italy takes back top spot

Soccer Betting Lines

09/19/2007 - Zurich, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The FIFA/Coca-Cola rankings for the month of September were released on Wednesday, and they saw Italy regain the top spot by moving ahead of both Argentina and Brazil.

The Italians win over Ukraine in EURO 2008 qualifying was enough to knock Brazil from the top spot down to third, while Argentina remained in second.

Those top three teams have a comfortable edge on the rest of the field, which is lead by Germany, who moved up one spot into fourth. France fell two places after losing to Scotland in EURO qualifying, while the Netherlands took advantage and jumped up into the top five.

Spain sits in seventh, up one place, while Croatia and the Czech Republic both dropped. The Czechs fell two spots into 11th, while Croatia lost four places but stays in the top 10 at 10th. Capitalizing on this was Portugal, who is up two rankings into eighth, while England moves back into the top 10 at ninth with a three-spot improvement.

The Scots used that win over France, as well as one over Lithuania, to climb to their highest ever spot in the rankings, up nine places to 14th.

Mexico dropped two spots to 13th, but still remains the highest rated team in CONCACAF because the United States moved down one spot to 18th after dropping a 4-2 contest to Brazil. Friendlies in October against Catalonia and Switzerland will give the Stars and Stripes a chance to improve on that ranking.

There was plenty of movement outside of the top 50 teams, but Colombia and Guinea both enjoyed big jumps within the top 50. The South American club climbed seven spots to 24th, while Guinea enjoyed a 12-spot improvement to reach 30th.

The biggest drop in the rankings was suffered by Bosnia-Herzegovina, who lost 14 spots down to 39th. Cameroon also had a tough month, dropping nine places to 25th.

The next FIFA/Coca-Cola rankings will be released on October 24.

Points are accumulated based on the results of a team's matches over the past four years, the importance of each match, the strength of the opponent, the strength of the region and the number of matches per year that each team plays.

Wdogpile Soccer Betting News

<< Pinch-hitter Barajas helps Phillies outlast Cardinals
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pinch-hitter Rod Barajas knocked in the go- ahead run in the 14th inning as the Philadelphia Phillies outlasted the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-4, in the middle game of a three-game set at Busch Stadium. Chas

<< Lackey shines as Angels edge Devil Rays
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Lackey pitched eight-plus solid innings as the LA Angels of Anaheim downed the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 2-1, in the second of a three-game set at Angel Stadium. Lackey (17-9) gave up just one run

<< Ibanez's grand slam lifts M's over A's
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Raul Ibanez belted the fifth grand slam of his career to lead the Seattle Mariners to an 8-7 win over the Oakland Athletics at McAfee Coliseum. Ibanez ended with five RBI for Seattle, which has captured t

<< Mets continue slide with loss at RFK
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ronnie Belliard's three-run go-ahead homer highlighted a five-run fifth inning, as Washington defeated the struggling New York Mets, 9-8, at RFK Stadium. Belliard ended 3-for-4 with two runs scored and A

<< Padres maintain wild card lead in win over Pirates
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Khalil Greene went 3-for-3 with two RBI as the San Diego Padres maintained their wild-card lead by winning the second game of a four-game set with the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-3. Adrian Gonzalez went 2-

Typhoon Wipha wipes out Wednesday's games >>
Shanghai, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FIFA decided to move all four of Wednesday's games to Thursday based on the latest weather reports about typhoon Wipha. FIFA originally moved the Ghana-Norway and Denmark-Brazil co

Davenport wins; Kuznetsova withdraws at China Open >>
Beijing, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lindsay Davenport continued her successful comeback to singles play with another victory on Wednesday, while defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova withdrew from the China Open. Davenport earned a 6-0,

With cameras rolling, Pats don't disappoint >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In the wake of the New England Patriots cheating scandal last week, pundits emerged on all sides of the issue to both defend and condemn the team and its coaches. YouTube videos were crafted, past victims cried bloody murder,

Ravens sign LB Greisen >>
Owings Mills, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Ravens signed free agent linebacker Nick Greisen on Wednesday. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. The 28-year-old Greisen was released by Jacksonville on September 1

Braves try to keep playoff hopes alive in finale with Marlins >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lefty Chuck James looks for his third win against Florida in four decisions tonight when the Atlanta Braves close out a three-game series with the Marlins at Turner Field. The Braves, who won 4-3 on Tuesday, are still clin

American Idol odds : Blake Lewis the Early Standout

An important American Idol betting lines recap from February 20 Guys episode. The 12 men came out flat overall with Blake Lewis appearing to have the early edge after the first hour and a half.

Rudy - was quite good singing "Free Ride" to start off.  Randy was not impressed though.  Paula thought he started off fantastic.  "Never had anyone stop off so lively" said Paula but Simon (who does not like Rudy) does not feel he has a distinct voice and was not impressed either. 

Brandon was a little pitchy according to Randy and Paula agreed.  Simon said he was a good singer but the song was "too safe" and he needs to make an impact.  He was listed at +1200 odds or $1200 paid out on a $100 bet should he win the competition. 

Big favorite Sundance came in with a flat version of "Knights in White Satin" and the judges let him have it, including Paula.  Randy claimed the song was out of pitch throughout.

Korean American - and a Jenny Woo favorite - Paul Kim was up next.  Another pitchy flat one but Randy said he still liked his potential.  Kim at +3000 odds was said to have sung a "third rate version of that (George Michael) song" according to Simon Cowell.  He sang "Careless Whisper".

22 year old Chris Richardson was up next.  He was listed with +1100 odds coming in.  He got the best response from the judges though Simon did not believe the vocal was that great. 

Nick was boring and pitchy.  Simon didn't think he was that bad though and predicted he would be back next week.  Nick Pedro was a big +3000 dog coming into this competition. 

Beat boxer Blake Lewis was listed with early +1000 odds or $1000 payout on a $100 bet if he were to become the next American Idol winner odds .  These of course were the early odds.  He was considered original for picking an "odd song".  He did not beat box and the judges felt it was the best vocal of the night. 

Sanjaya came in as the second biggest favorite after Chris Sligh but his performance Tuesday night was not very good. 

Chris Sleigh was the early favorite at +450 odds.  Great voice and a great sense of humor.  He's a real standout.  Randy felt it was on point but maybe ahead of the chorus a little bit.  Simon Cowell said he felt like he was in some "sort of weird student gig". 

Jared Cotter followed.  He was listed with +2000 odds early on to win the competition.  The judges felt he needs to take more risks but looked good. 

22-year old AJ Talbado, who has tried out for American Idol five times, was up next.  "Kind of a theme park performance" said Simon.  Though the judges felt he performed okay.  Simon did feel AJ might be better than he originally thought.

Phil - this season's military favorite - came into this competition with +1200 odds to win the competition.  He was the last to perform.  He was certainly strong enough to get through this stage of the competition and perhaps the best one after a shaky start. 

Tomorrow night, the ladies perform and I sure hope they do a better job than the boys.  Check out all the American Idol betting odds here.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.

FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.