Liverpool's Suarez makes a bad situation worse

Soccer Betting Lines

02/12/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester City's continued rise to prominence, Chelsea's sudden decline and Tottenham's blistering form have each been major storylines in the 2011-12 English Premier League season.

Yet racism has emerged as the hot-button issue in England these days, with Liverpool's Luis Suarez pouring more gasoline on the already smoldering fire over the weekend.

Already this season, Chelsea captain John Terry has been accused of racially abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand, a charge that Terry will stand trial for in July and one that has had a major impact on the sport in England.

Not only did the FA cancel the pre-match handshake between Chelsea and QPR when the two clubs met in the FA Cup in January, but it also saw fit to strip Terry of his England captaincy.

The decision angered former England manager Fabio Capello, who handed in his resignation earlier this week.

So it was only fitting that Suarez - who recently returned from an eight-match ban for racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra during a match in October - decided to further fan the flames by refusing to shake the hand of the United defender prior to Saturday's match between the two rivals.

It's hard to remember a time when the pre-match pleasantries have come so into focus the way they have this season.

But by snubbing Evra prior to the game, Suarez threatened to turn an already tense situation into a chaotic one.

Had he simply extended his hand to Evra and moved on, both sides could have done their best to bury the hatchet.

Yet the actions of the Uruguayan have now stirred up strong emotions on both sides which could have been easily avoided.

"I couldn't believe it [Suarez refusing to shake Evra's hand]. He's a disgrace to Liverpool football club. He shouldn't be allowed to play for Liverpool again," United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said of Suarez following his team's 2-1 win.

The reaction might be a bit overblown, but the simple fact is that Suarez is behaving as though he is the victim, not the other way around.

Simple name-calling between opposing players on the field is one thing, but racial abuse is something that no player should have to put up with.

Had Suarez admitted he was wrong and attempted to move past the incident we would be talking more about the two goals that Wayne Rooney scored in an important win Saturday instead of something that took place prior to kickoff.

But Suarez doesn't seem ready to let go of the ordeal, seemingly placing blame for it at the feet of Evra, who apparently shouldn't have made a big deal about it.

The actions of the Liverpool striker not only reflect poorly on the club, but also put his coaches and teammates in the awkward position of trying to defend him while at the same time doing their best not to condone his actions.

Some may say that it was only a handshake and that too much is being made about it. Yet had Suarez simply done the right thing, it would be much easier to move on.

Racism has already stolen too many headlines this season. It's a shame Suarez allowed it to claim a few more.

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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."

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