Sky Blue fires Miettinen, names Stainton new coach

Soccer Betting Lines

07/20/2010 - Somerset, N.J. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sky Blue FC of Women's Professional Soccer announced Monday that Pauliina Miettinen and assistant coach Anne Parnila were relieved of their coaching duties with the team, and that assistant coach Rick Stainton has been promoted to head coach.

Sky Blue FC is third in the WPS standings, but has just a 5-6-3 record.

"We respect Pauliina a great deal and appreciate the effort she put forth for our organization," Sky Blue FC General Manager Gerry Marrone stated. "Her hard work and passion for the team and the game were never in question.

"Sometimes, a situation simply does not work out. That is part of the learning process involved when it comes to sports. We have to be resilient, as well as continue to adapt and grow."

Miettinen was hired prior to the 2010 season after the team won the inaugural WPS Championship in 2009. A pivotal player in that championship run was team captain Christie Rampone, who finished last season as the team's player/coach.

"I have 100 percent trust going forward," Rampone said. "It's a new season, with 10 games and a playoff run left to go."

Sky Blue visits the second-place Philadelphia Independence on Saturday.

Casinos--online Soccer Betting News

<< Lakers C Bynum to have surgery next week
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Lakers revealed that center Andrew Bynum will undergo surgery to repair a tear of the meniscus in his right knee next week. Bynum, who had the knee drained on June 22, had previousl

<< Orioles demote Tillman again
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles optioned pitcher Chris Tillman back to Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday. Tillman was 1-4 with a 7.92 earned-run average in six starts over two stints with the Orioles this sea

<< Bucs sign second round pick DT Price
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers agreed on a four-year contract with defensive tackle Brian Price, one of the team's 2010 second- round picks on Tuesday. Financial terms of the deal were not announced. "I'm gl

<< Indians activate SS Cabrera after two-month DL stint
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians activated shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera from the disabled list after he missed two months with a broken left forearm. Cabrera, who had originally been expected to return to the l

<< Suns add Babby to front office
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Suns introduced Lon Babby as the organization's next president of basketball operations at a news conference on Tuesday. Babby joins the Suns as the successor to Steve Kerr, whose contract was

Gold Pride's Sinclair named WPS Player of Week >>
Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FC Gold Pride forward Christine Sinclair was honored as Women's Professional Soccer Player of the Week for Week 14 on Tuesday. Sinclair led first-place FC Gold Pride to its third successive win and f

Athletics reinstate P Braden from DL >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics reinstated pitcher Dallas Braden from the 15-day disabled on Tuesday. The 26-year-old left-hander was placed on the DL on July 3 with tendinitis in his pitching elbow, with the move retro

Miami signs G Jerry >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Dolphins have signed third-round draft pick guard John Jerry. The 6-foot-5, 328-pounder was taken 73rd overall out of Ole Miss where he started 46 of 49 games, including 12 as a freshman, at right

Report: Spurs to re-sign Jefferson >>
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs are reportedly set to re-sign free agent forward Richard Jefferson to a long-term contract. Jefferson opted out of the final year of his contract on June 30 to test the free agent

Manny Ramirez lands on DL again >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Dodgers star outfielder Manny Ramirez was placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday due to a calf injury. Ramirez suffered the injury in the first inning of last Friday's 8-4 loss to the C

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.