Dutch still have work to do against Uruguay

Soccer Betting Lines

07/05/2010 - Cape Town, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Netherlands defeated five-time FIFA World Cup champions Brazil in the quarterfinals, but winger Arjen Robben said afterward "we've not come here to settle for the semifinals."

The Dutch lost to Brazil in the knockout round in 1994 and 1998, and earned a small measure of revenge in South Africa to climb closer to their first final since the second of two straight runner-up finishes in 1978.

But the win over the Brazilians means little, unless Holland continues its run in the semifinals on Tuesday against another past champion, Uruguay, at Green Point Stadium.

"What matters now is focusing on the next game," Robben said. "We're in the last four and we know we're capable of reaching the final."

Uruguay captured two of the first four World Cups, in 1930 and 1950, and used a miracle finish against Ghana to advance to its first semifinal since 1970.

The Netherlands, the most storied country to never win the World Cup, is the lone semifinalist that has won all of its matches. The Dutch cruised through the group stage, and with Robben back in the starting lineup in the knockout round, disposed of Slovakia and Brazil.

Although Robben spent a great deal of the match against Brazil on the ground, his influence has been obvious since he returned from a hamstring injury in the last game of the group stage.

Robben and Wesley Sneijder, who leads the Dutch with four goals, have teamed to fuel the run to the semifinals. Sneijder scored both second-half goals in the comeback win over Brazil, as the own goal originally charged to Brazil's Felipe Melo was later awarded to Sneijder.

Brazilian goalie Julio Cesar admitted after the game Holland "deserved it in the second half, they played really well."

Holland boss Bert van Marwijk said after his side's first goal, the shot from Sneijder that deflected off Melo's head, changed the match.

"Once we scored our first goal we played much better," Van Marwijk said, "and proved that we've got a very strong squad."

Van Marwijk will have to look to the bench against Uruguay, as starting right back Gregory van der Wiel and starting defensive midfielder Nigel de Jong are both suspended for accumulated yellow cards.

In addition, starting central defender Joris Mathijsen missed the Brazil game with an injury picked up late in pre-match practice, and if he does not play, Van Marwijk will be without three of his first-choice players in the back.

Uruguay will be without Jorge Fucile and Luis Suarez, with the latter serving just a one-match suspension after swatting a sure goal off the line in extra time against Ghana.

Ghana's Asamoah Gyan missed the ensuing penalty kick in the closing seconds of extra time, and Uruguay goalie Fernando Muslera made two saves in the shootout to send the South Americans through.

"I don't have an explanation for what happened," Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez said.

Uruguay also won its group, tying France in its opener before wins over South Africa and Mexico. Uruguay beat South Korea, 2-1, in the round of 16.

Although Uruguay used a miracle in the closing seconds against Ghana, veteran Sebastian Abreu didn't think the teams semifinal appearance was just luck.

"We can't say we had winners' luck because that would imply that we are playing down the work we have done since 2006," said Abreu, who converted the last penalty kick in the shootout to seal Uruguay's win.

"This is a team that has gone through a lot," Abreu added, "and that has been the key to a result in the World Cup."

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American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

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

FOOTBALL TRASH TALK

NFL Football Trash Talk

Trash talk has a place in every competitive endeavor (except baseball; those stirrup-wearers are too busy chewing on their sunflower seeds and their supplements to worry about what their opponents are doing).

Fantasy sports is no exception. Any intelligent discussion of the subject would probably start with a thesis statement or a definition of terms. Thankfully, this wont be an intelligent discussion.

Let me just say that I am happy to take a place in this space alongside my talented colleagues, even our commissioner. (You should see how she bleats like a demented paper boy about league fees on our fantasy site).

Trash talking, I would argue, is primarily about amusing your friends, their sheeplike demeanors and sloping foreheads notwithstanding. The best place I have found for football trash talking is at www.SportsAlarm.com.

Beyond the entertainment factor, though, I would recognize that the sophomoric ritual has one advantage, when properly applied. It magnifies your fantasy triumphs and mitigates your fantasy failures by transforming the eventual point total into an afterthought. Winning makes it seem like your opponent really is a truss-owning, lapel-pin-wearing nitwit. And in defeat, trash talk can be the air bag to break the fall from your hyperbolic heights. The plug-necked yahoos on your team, you can say, will be sacking groceries by the end of the season.

The best trash talk, in my view, is layered and nuanced. And it doesnt focus only on your opponents team. It picks apart your opponent. The idea is to create a shock-and-awe-scale blizzard of nonsense, and the goal is to make your opponent drop his hands from his keyboard in exasperation.

What team does your opponent root for? Accuse a Giants fan of having a Joe Namath pillowcase. Wheres your opponent from? Give a look of concern no matter his reply, then say, I'll try to type slower for you next time. Is your opponent into politics? Label everyone a tax-and-spend corporate shill.

Cap all that with a liberal application of irrelevance. For instance, dont just conclude by saying your opponent is a twerp who drafts like my grandmother. Say that your opponent is a sweater-wearing, eyebrow-plucking twerp who drafts his team about as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor gave acceptance speeches at the Oscars. By the time your foe makes sense of that, his starting running back will have had puppies.

But what about you? Hmm? Recall a memorable slam? Have a tried-and-true technique? Know someone who seems impervious to insult? Take a moment and tells us about it. Put together some (fit-for-publication) thoughts. You wont be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, Im sure, to reply.

In addition to the trash talking, the Sports Alarm has a huge gallery of high resolution pictures of beautiful women and models in bikinis. The most popular models are: Lindsay Lohan, Carrie Underwood, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paris Hilton.