Hertha signs Bastians, extends Lell's deal
Soccer Betting Lines
01/26/2012 - Berlin, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hertha Berlin added defender Felix Bastians from Freiburg and signed defender Christian Lell to a contract extension, with both players inking contracts through the summer of 2016.
Bastians, 23, played for Germany at various youth levels. He spent time in the youth systems of Borussia Dortmund and Nottingham Forest, where he first broke into the senior team in 2005.
Hertha had previously agreed to add Bastians this summer, but the transfer was pushed through during the winter break. Bastians played for numerous teams on loan while at Nottingham, and then joined Young Boys in Switzerland before his return to Germany with Freiburg in 2009.
Lell, 27, joined Hertha from Bayern Munich two years ago and previously agreed to extend his stay with the club, but has now officially signed a new deal.
Lorient, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lorient signed defender Lamine Gassama from Lyon on Thursday on a 4 1/2-year deal. Gassama, 22, made his debut for Lyon in 2008, and played 17 matches during his stint with the seven-time Ligue 1 champions.
<< St. Mirren signs Goodwin to new two-year deal
Paisley, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Mirren signed Jim Goodwin to a new
two-year contract Thursday, locking up its captain through the summer of 2014.
Goodwin, 30, started his career with Celtic and later played at Stockport,
Scun
<< Coastal Carolina hires Patenaude as offensive coordinator
Conway, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coastal Carolina first-year football coach Joe
Moglia announced Thursday the hiring of Dave Patenaude as offensive
coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Patenaude was Georgetown's offensive coordinator the past tw
<< Kilmarnock signs striker Van Tornhout
Kilmarnock, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kilmarnock signed Belgian striker
Dieter van Tornhout from Cyprus side Nea Salamis on Thursday on a deal through
the summer of 2013.
Van Tornhout, 26, becomes the fourth winter signing for Killie,
<< Red Sox sign former NLCS MVP Ross to one-year deal
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox signed outfielder Cody Ross
to a one-year contract on Thursday.
Ross batted .240 with 14 home runs and 52 RBI over 121 games with San
Francisco last season.
An in-season acquis
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - France will play friendlies against Iceland and Serbia in May in preparation for the Euro 2012 tournament in Poland and Ukraine. France will play Iceland on May 27 and Serbia four days later. The French
Chattanooga to kick off 2012 at South Florida >>
Chattanooga, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
football team will kick off its 2012 season at South Florida and play five
home games as part of an 11-game schedule announced Thursday.
The Sept. 1 season opener
Vallecano adds Brazilian Costa from Atletico >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rayo Vallecano signed Brazilian striker Diego
Costa on loan from Atletico Madrid on Thursday.
Costa, 23, joins Vallecano until the end of the season but there is no option
to buy the player at the end of the
NASCAR not making any big changes for 2012 season >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Unlike 2011, NASCAR will not make any major
alterations in its rules for the upcoming season.
Officials from the sanctioning body, including NASCAR chairman and chief
executive officer Brian France
Earthquakes sign GK Busch to new contract >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Earthquakes signed goalkeeper Jon
Busch to a new contract Thursday.
Busch, 35, joined the Earthquakes in March of 2010 and has 14 shutouts - seven
in each of his two seasons - for the squad. He st
MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
About MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker
Since opening in 1997, MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker has been a leader in Internet wagering, providing single account access for sports and casino play. This sportsbook has a revolutionary payment method, Direct Bank Transfer, gives players a faster and more secure transaction option for both deposits and withdrawals. This Internet Sportsbook takes pride in offering an aggressive VIP rewards program, along with seasonal reduced juice specials and high parlay payout odds. MySportsbook.com has set new standards in the sports betting industry, from their fantastic customer service, industry leading bonuses, extensive selection of wager types and props, to the fastest payouts anywhere... MySportsbook.com is America's Sportsbook! Open an account today at MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker, or call toll-free 1-866-238-6648
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Master Card needs.