Lyon signs defender Cris to two-year extension

Soccer Betting Lines

07/23/2010 - Lyon, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lyon signed Brazilian center back Cris to a two-year contract extension Friday through the 2012-13 season.

Cris, 33, has spent the last six seasons at Lyon and looks set to finish his career with the French Ligue 1 club. He has 24 goals in 252 matches for Lyon.

"It's a huge joy for me," Cris told Lyon's website. "I wanted to stay. I'm happy at this club and in Lyon, and so is my family. We're at home here."

Cris was linked to a move to Greek side Panathinaikos. He has been hampered by injuries at Lyon, most noticeably a knee injury that forced him to miss most of the 2007-08 season, but he is confident those concerns are in the past.

"After my knee in the past, I hope that people don't start talking about my age now," he said. "Give it a rest. I feel in top form and I always have the strongest desire to play.

"On the pitch, I always give everything I have. I don't ask any questions and I have no friends out on the field. I would even tackle my mother!"

Ecasino-online Soccer Betting News

<< Beasley hopes to turn over new leaf in Minnesota
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Telling the truth has never been much of a problem for me, especially with things that really aren't going to amount to much when Saint Peter is making the decision on whether I'm fit to enter the pearly gate

<< Mainz goalie Muller out with torn ligament
Mainz, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mainz goalkeeper Heinz Muller tore ligaments in his right knee Thursday and will be sidelined for an extended period. Muller was injured in a collision with Benjamin Auer in Thursday's friendly against A

<< Reutimann signs contract extension with MWR
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Reutimann has signed a multi-year contract extension with Michael Waltrip Racing to remain as driver of the No.00 Toyota through the 2012 Sprint Cup Series season. Reutimann and team owner

<< Orioles activate Roberts from DL
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles have reinstated second baseman Brian Roberts from the 60-day disabled list. He had been sidelined since April 10 because of an abdominal strain suffered while stealing second base in

<< Steelers ink Tomlin to extension
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Steelers extended the contract of head coach Mike Tomlin through at least 2012, the team announced on Friday. In addition, the deal calls for an option year for 2013. "Mike Tomli

Mika Miyazato leads Evian Masters >>
Evian-les-Bains, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mika Miyazato shot a five-under 67 to take the second-round lead Friday at the Evian Masters. Miyazato finished 36 holes on the Evian Masters Golf Club with a nine-under 135 and will carry a one-sho

Canucks D Salo out with torn Achilles tendon >>
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vancouver Canucks defenseman Sami Salo is out indefinitely after suffering a torn Achilles tendon. The Vancouver Sun reported on Friday that Salo was injured in his native Finland while playing a

Indians activate Choo, disable Laffey >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians have activated outfielder Shin-Soo Choo from the 15-day disabled list. He had been sidelined since suffering a right thumb injury in a game against Oakland on July 2 while att

St. Etienne's Sanogo out for three weeks >>
Saint Etienne, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Saint-Etienne forward Boubacar Sanogo will be sidelined for three weeks with a thigh injury and could miss the start of the French Ligue 1 season, which starts the first weekend in August. Sanogo left

Pavin joins Langer in lead at Carnoustie >>
Carnoustie, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - American Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin shot his second straight two-under 69 on Friday to join Bernhard Langer atop the leaderboard after the second round of the Senior British Open Champio

Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

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