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09/18/2007 - Chengdu, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In three previous World Cups, Australia posted a combined record of 0-7-2 and didn't come close to sniffing the quarterfinals.
However, the Matildas not only picked up their first win in World Cup play but are now just a draw against Canada from making their first ever appearance in the quarterfinals.
Canada, meanwhile, had loftier expectations for this year's tournament after a fourth-place finish in 2003. The Canadians played well in qualifying and nearly beat the United States, the number one ranked team in the world, in the Gold Cup final.
Things have not gone quite as well for manager Even Pellerud's side in China as the team dropped its opening match 2-1 despite holding a one-goal lead at halftime. The North American's rebounded to hand Ghana a 4-0 defeat, but they are still left with needing a win against Australia to get back to the quarterfinals.
Australia has shown that it is one of the most improved teams in the world, with a back line that is anchored by captain Cheryl Salisbury and a balanced attack that features Sarah Walsh and super-sub Lisa DeVanna.
DeVanna in particular has been a huge part of Australia's success, coming on after halftime to score twice against Ghana and once against Norway. DeVanna's goals helped the Aussies pull away from Ghana, but it was her work against Norway, with Australia down a goal that proved most impressive.
A good Norway back line had held Australia's attack in check over the first 45 minutes, but things turned around when DeVanna was introduced in the second half.
It will be tempting for manager Tom Sermanni to include DeVanna in his starting 11, but the boost that she has given Australia in the first two games is something Sermanni may not want to mess with.
If DeVanna is to add to her goal total, she will have to beat Canada's Erin McLeod between the posts, which is something that has proven to be difficult.
McLeod is the reason that Canada lost only 2-1 to Norway, as the Norwegians thoroughly outplayed Canada over the second half and should have scored four or five goals.
The Canadian attack looked good against Norway in the first half, but was nowhere to be found in the second. They put away four goals against struggling Ghana but the it remains to be seen if they are capable of carrying Canada deep into tournament.
Christine Sinclair is by far the most talented striker on the team and she owns two goals in Canada's first two games. Sinclair is a prolific scorer that is capable of setting up her teammates as well, but she will need more help from her supporting cast if Canada is to move on.
Canada has been in big games on a big stage before, while Australia is in uncharted territory. However, the Matildas have shown their mettle in this tournament and will not be easily unnerved.
<< Hester not slowing down in year two for Chicago
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sometimes when you cage the beast, the beast gets angry.
Words of wisdom from perhaps a famous general, a ruthless dictator, or maybe
even a high-energy athlete?
Actually, it was Wolverine (played by Hugh Jackman) from X
<< King ousts Bartoli in Kolkata
Kolkata, India (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - American Vania King upset top-seeded
Marion Bartoli in first-round action Tuesday at the $175,000 Sunfeast Open.
The 18-year-old King dismissed the Wimbledon runner-up Bartoli in 6-1, 7-5
fashion
<< Schaub, defense lead Texans to 2-0 start
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There's a buzz going on right now in Houston and it has
nothing to do with the Astros on the cusp of missing the postseason for a
second consecutive year.
It's too early to start talking playoffs in the NFL, but the Housto
<< Harrison cleared to play
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Steelers revealed some
positive news regarding the injury of linebacker James Harrison. Harrison was
diagnosed with a stiff neck and is not expected to miss significant time.
Harrison
Favre's legend continues to grow >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - I guess Brett Favre does have something left in the tank
after all.
Just when you think the 17-year veteran is washed up and past his prime, he
has his Packers 2-0 for the first time since the 2001 campaign after
completi
These Lions have a lot of heart >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It is games like Sunday's contest against the Minnesota
Vikings that turn a team that was a joke last season into a winner this
season.
Jason Hanson's 37-yard field goal with 8:55 left in overtime gave the Lions a
big win
Clemens, Jets come up short in Baltimore >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Through the first three quarters of their loss to the
Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, the New York Jets would have been better off with
Clarence Clemons under center rather than what they had in Kellen Clemens.
But, in the fou
Phils activate Hamels >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies have activated
All-Star left-hander Cole Hamels for Tuesday's start against St. Louis.
Hamels, who has been on the disabled list since August 17 with a left elbow
strain, ex
(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).
The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.
"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."
Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.
"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."
When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:
CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.
DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.
PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.
You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.
"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."
Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.
(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)
Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."
But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."
Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."
Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."
All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.
In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.
"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."
To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.
NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.
No. 1 always seems to fit USC.
Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.
Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.
Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.
"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."
Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.
"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."
The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.
"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."
Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.
"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"
USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.
"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."
While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.
As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.
But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.
Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.
The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.
The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.
The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.
No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.
Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.
Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.
Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.
The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.
South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.
The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.
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