Bender out two weeks for Dortmund

Soccer Betting Lines

02/06/2012 - Dortmund, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Borussia Dortmund midfielder Sven Bender is set to spend the next two weeks on the sidelines because of an ankle injury, the club confirmed.

Bender sustained the injury in Friday's 2-0 win over Nurnberg when he was on the other end of a challenge from Nurnberg's Daniel Didavi and had to be replaced after 23 minutes.

The 22-year-old has suffered a damaged ligament in his left ankle as a result of the tackle, and is now likely to miss league matches with Bayer Leverkusen and Hertha Berlin.

The Germany international has tallied one goal in 14 Bundesliga matches this season having missed time with a fractured jaw.

Casniuo Soccer Betting News

<< Lakers' Brown suspended one game
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike Brown was suspended one game and fined $25,000 following his ejection from the February 4 game against Utah. Brown was tossed in the fourth quarter of the 96-87 loss, and

<< Minnesota's Love suspended two games for stomp
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love has been suspended two games for stomping on Houston's Luis Scola. The incident occurred in the third quarter of the February 4 game when Love drove his foot into

<< Leverkusen's Sam to miss eight weeks
Leverkusen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayer Leverkusen will be without midfielder Sidney Sam for the next eight weeks after he sustained a thigh injury in the club's 2-2 draw with Stuttgart on Saturday. Sam had recently return

<< D.C. United signs midfielder Saragosa
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United announced Monday that it has signed midfielder Marcelo Saragosa. Per league and club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. The 30-year-old Brazilian is quite familiar with Major L

<< Ibrahimovic receives three-match ban
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been given a three-match ban for violent conduct, it was confirmed on Monday. The Swedish frontman was sent off in Milan's 0-0 draw with Napoli on Sunday after he

Wild sign D Prosser >>
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Wild signed defenseman Nate Prosser to a two-year contract extension on Monday. Prosser, 25, has posted six assists and 18 penalty minutes over 23 games with the Wild this season in close

Newcastle gets mixed news on injured duo >>
Newcastle, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Newcastle has received news on injured duo Ryan Taylor and Leon Best, with Taylor's injury not as bad as initially feared while Best will miss "a number of weeks" according to the club. Taylor suff

Marcelino sacked by Sevilla >>
Seville, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sevilla announced on Monday that the club has decided to part ways with manager Marcelino Garcia Toral after a poor run of results by the team. Marcelino took charge of Sevilla last summer following the

Upcoming schedule for Saturday's winners in flux >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - This past Saturday had a trio of major stakes races for three-year-olds on the Kentucky Derby trail. Where the winners of the races will start next is not firmly decided. Odds-favorite Alpha va

Meara signs with the Red Bulls >>
Harrison, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Red Bull New York announced Monday that it has officially signed goalkeeper Ryan Meara after selecting the goalkeeper in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. "Ryan is a talented, y

Horse Betting

(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.

$12,000,000.00 MARCH MADNESS BRACKET CONTEST

2009 MARCH MADNESS BRACKET CONTEST

Offering $12 Million Dollars to whoever fills in the perfect March Madness Bracket. For the fifth year in a row MySportsbook.com is giving March Madness bettors a chance to never have to work another day in their lives. MySportsbook.com has been in business for 12 years and to celebrate this years March Madness they are offering $1 Million Dollars for every year they have been taking college basketball wagers along with every other sports wagering type imaginable.

The MySportsbook.com March Madness contest is simple just Sign-up for the March Madness bracket contest and come back after Selection Sunday to submit your March Madness picks. Then place $20.00 in wagers during each round of the March Madness tournament. Even if your bracket is not perfect you could potentially still win $10,000.00.

There is not an office pool on the planet that can offer this March Madness Grand Prize. Get together with your office, work as a team or keep the $12 Million and do it yourself and win the $12 Million. Also feel free to print out the Printable March Madness Brackets .

Get free 2009 March Madness Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online March Madness betting VISA Mastercard