Spain triumph caps tournament of firsts

Soccer Betting Lines

07/11/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When the 2010 FIFA World Cup was awarded to South Africa on May 15, 2004, the tournament promised to be a history- making event.

The 19th edition of the competition would be the first to be played on the African continent, but the location wasn't the only first that we witnessed.

South Africa proved to be a gracious host, but it was maybe a bit too kind as Bafana Bafana became the first host nation to be eliminated from the tournament at the group stage.

Spain's 1-0 win over the Netherlands in Sunday's final allowed the Spanish to call themselves world champions for the first time, and they also became the first team to lose their opening match at a World Cup and still win the tournament.

South America was on its way to unprecedented success in South Africa, as they put four teams in the quarterfinals for the first time ever, but only Uruguay emerged to reach the last four.

The final itself made history as it was the first time that two European teams met in a World Cup final played outside of Europe, while Africa almost got a huge first of its own with Ghana's run to the quarterfinals.

The Black Stars became the third African nation to reach the quarterfinal stage - joining Cameroon in 1990 and Senegal in 2002 - and the only things that kept them from making history were the hand of Uruguay's Luis Suarez and a wayward penalty kick from Asamoah Gyan.

Each of those events was memorable in its own way, and here were a few more moments to be savored from South Africa.

Best Goal: Giovanni Van Bronckhorst (Netherlands vs. Uruguay)

The Dutch captain provided his team with a huge lift in the semifinal win over Uruguay, as he scored a fantastic goal out of nowhere. The goal arrived in the 18th minute, when Van Bronckhorst surprisingly unleashed a rocket from almost 40 yards out that found its way perfectly inside the right post. It was a stunning goal that helped to open up a tight Uruguay defense and put the Dutch on a path to the final.

Honorable Mention: Siphiwe Tshabalala (South Africa vs. Mexico)

Tshabalala provided the tournament with its first goal in the second half of a 1-1 draw against Mexico, and what a goal it was. He couldn't have placed the ball any more perfectly into the upper-right corner with a left-footed laser.

Best Save: Maarten Stekelenburg (Netherlands vs. Brazil)

With the Dutch seemingly on the ropes in the first half of their quarterfinal match with Brazil, Stekelenburg came up with a huge save on Kaka shortly before halftime to keep his team within a goal. Following a wonderful build-up, Kaka fired a shot that appeared to be headed for the upper-right corner of the net that would have given Brazil a two-goal lead and all but spelled the end of the Dutch. But Stekelenburg got a hand to it, tipping it past the post and sparking a second-half rally to help the Oranje advance.

Honorable Mention: Luis Suarez (Uruguay vs. Ghana)

It isn't often that a striker finds himself in this position, but with Uruguay and Ghana locked in a 1-1 draw in the dying moments of extra time, Suarez swatted a header from Ghana's Dominic Adiyiah off his own goal line, eventually leading to a Uruguay win on penalty kicks and making Suarez public enemy number one in Africa.

Player of the Tournament: David Villa (Spain)

Villa finished the tournament with five of Spain's eight goals and his contribution was even more important because of the poor form of strike partner Fernando Torres. Spain didn't score a lot of goals, but Villa scored them when it mattered most and he played a major role in Spain's first-ever World Cup title.

Honorable Mention: Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands)

Sneijder scored one goal in the first three group-stage games for the Netherlands, but he saved his best for the knockout round, scoring four goals and assisting on another as the Dutch got past Slovakia, Brazil and Uruguay, respectively, to reach the final.

Young Player of the Tournament: Thomas Muller (Germany)

Muller has set the bar very high for future World Cups as the 20-year-old scored five goals and assisted on three more as Germany stormed to the semifinals. The Bayern Munich youngster was a constant threat on the right wing and was particularly dangerous on the counter attack. He was wrongfully suspended for the match against Spain in the semifinals because of yellow card accumulation, and his absence was clearly felt.

Game of the Tournament: Uruguay vs. Ghana

It wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing game of the competition, but there was nothing close to the drama that took place in the final minutes of extra time between the two teams. With the game locked at 1-1, Ghana had a chance to win the game when they were awarded a penalty kick after Uruguay's Luis Suarez handled the ball on his own goal line to prevent a goal. However, Asamoah Gyan saw his kick smack off the crossbar, and Uruguay went on to win in the shootout.

Most Disappointing Team: France

There are a number of other teams that could easily slip into this spot, but France was the biggest disgrace of all in South Africa. Not only did they finish last in Group A with just one point, but they also refused to practice after striker Nicolas Anelka was sent home by lame-duck manager Raymond Domenech. Television footage of a French trainer throwing his credential in disgust on the practice field pretty much summed up how things went for Les Bleus this summer.

Biggest Surprise: Uruguay

They needed to beat Costa Rica in a two-legged playoff just to reach South Africa, after finishing fifth in South American qualifying. But once they got to the African continent, Oscar Tabarez and his team won Group A and then proceeded to beat South Korea in the round of 16 before a dramatic penalty-kick victory over Ghana. Uruguay's luck ran out in the semifinals against the favored Dutch, but they reached the last four of the World Cup for the first time in 40 years and have something to build on for when the tournament comes to Brazil in 2014.

Team to Watch in 2014: Germany

The Germans have finished third in each of the last two World Cups but they will be eyeing a place in the final when the tournament shifts to Brazil four years from now. The hosts will obviously be overwhelming favorites, but the Germans will be bringing almost the same team from this years tournament, including star players like Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Muller and Mesut Ozil, who will each be in or entering their prime.

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Sportsbooks to bet on football

Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.

He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.

"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.

He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.

Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.

Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.

Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.

Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.

With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.

Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).

And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)

The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.

While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.

Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.

One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.

Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.

What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.

That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.

MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.

"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.

"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."

So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.

In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.

MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.

The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.

Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.

MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.

To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com

For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com

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