Inter Milan brass taking massive gamble with Balotelli sale
Soccer Betting Lines
07/26/2010 -
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With reports surfacing that Inter Milan are
prepared to transfer Mario Balotelli to Manchester City for a fee in the range
of 30 million Euros, the young star's tumultuous time with the club seems to be
at an end.
The 19-year-old Balotelli is a supremely gifted player with the ability to use
his strength and quickness to elude opponents and create quality scoring
opportunities. Even at a young age, the skill set the young Italian possesses
is of an elite nature.
Should Balotelli continue to progress, he could eventually become one of the
best players in the world, a factor that makes his sale a reluctant one for
Inter. It should be noted that Inter does not need to sell Balotelli at this
point as a result of any financial constraints - they're choosing to because of
issues with his character.
While Balotelli does possess top-level skill, his mental stability and petulant
behavior has caused concerns in Milan, so much so that some fellow teammates
reportedly want to see him removed from the team's roster. Spats with Inter
fans and former coach Jose Mourinho are well-documented, while his appearance
on national television wearing heated rival AC Milan's jersey did not sit well
with Inter supporters, to say the least.
So intense were his issues with Mourinho that he was benched for long stretches
throughout the season, the last for throwing his jersey on the ground after
fans booed him for a poor display in a Champions League match against
Barcelona.
Balotelli is without question lacking maturity at this point in his career, yet
it didn't stop some of the top clubs in Europe from inquiring about his
services. The growing pains for Balotelli have been a constant throughout his
career, but were not surprising given that he's been under the microscope since
the age of 17.
His conflicts with coaches and fellow players are alarming, but will likely
lessen once Balotelli matures in age and is taken under the wing by an
established soccer mind. Balotelli's former Inter coach and current Manchester
boss Roberto Mancini seems adept at taking on such a challenge and it's one
that could reap huge benefits for both Balotelli and Mancini.
Considering his age, the risk of bringing in Balotelli from a Manchester City
point-of-view is minimal, and the club's new owners have declared they'll spend
whatever money is necessary to compete in the English Premier League, along
with contending in other European competitions.
The risk is much greater for Inter, considering the club's reputation in parts
of Italy. With a roster boasting very few Italian players, the sale of
Balotelli will likely not sit well with purists who believe Italian clubs
should groom their own home-grown players over foreigners. While the sale
amount of 30 million Euros is nothing to groan about, if Balotelli is able to
put both his mental and physical game together, he will likely be worth double
that amount in a few short years.
With Rafa Benitez taking over the club from departed manager Jose Mourinho, the
opportunity is there for a fresh start for Balotelli at Inter. The Spanish
manager has the chance to instill a vote of confidence in the young star that
he felt was waning with Mourinho. Whether or not Balotelli has burned too many
bridges over the last few seasons to make that possibility a reality is
questionable at this point. One thing that's not in question is Balotelli's
skill set, but whether he takes advantage of such talent is squarely on the
shoulders of the young Italian himself.
It's said that patience is a virtue and, in the case of Balotelli, it could
prove either a catastrophic risk or magnificent judgement. At this point, it
seems to be a 50-50 proposition but one that could see Manchester City benefit
much more than Inter Milan, should the sale go through.
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Super Bowl XLIII, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Super Bowl XLIII is now set, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers will meet each other on February 1st in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium to battle it out for the coveted Lombardi Trophy. The game kicks off at 6:00pm ET on NBC with announcers Al Michaels and John Madden covering the on-field action. Super Bowl XLIII betting odds at online bookmaker MySportsbook.com have the Steelers listed as an early -6.5 against the spread favorite.Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds
Pittsburgh earned their passage to the big game by beating their division rival, the Baltimore Ravens, 23-14 in yesterday's AFC Championship Game. The Steelers jumped on Baltimore early, building a 13-0 first half lead, and never let up on their way to a fairly easy win. Although the Ravens did close to within two points in the fourth quarter, it never appeared as if they had enough offense to pull off the upset.
The Steelers dominating defense held Baltimore to a total of 198 yards while allowing them to convert just three third downs in 13 attempts. Pittsburgh also forced quarterback Joe Flacco into three interceptions, one of which safety Troy Polamalu returned fourty yards for a touchdown.
The Cardinals, by far the playoff team with the longest odds to reach Super Bowl XLIII, did so yesterday with a 32-25 upset of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. Arizona charged out of the gates and built a 24-6 halftime lead that had the Eagles venerable defense reeling. Quarterback Kurt Warner and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald did most of the damage, connecting on three first half touchdowns.
Arizona, however, could not sustain their momentum and the Eagles took a 25-24 with 10:45 left to play in the fourth. The Cardinals, with the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance hanging in the balance, mounted a fourteen play, 72 yard touchdown drive that consumed 7:52 off the clock. Warner hit running back Tim Hightower on a short screen for the go-ahead, game clinching score that will forever live in Cardinal infamy.
MySportsbook.com's Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds:
Pittsburgh Steelers -6.5 (-110), Over 46.5 (-110), -260 (Money line)
Arizona Cardinals +6.5 (-110), Under 46.5 (-110), +220 (Money line)
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American Idol Betting Odds: Season 6
The online gambling websites are in the process of deciphering each American Idol contestant and his or her chances of winning Season 6 to come up with the early American Idol betting lines.
Tim Dalton of MySportsbook.com has been locked away in a soundproof room coming up with all the latest tallies, we are told. "American Idol has become one of the most significant betting events of the year," claims Jack Black of MySportsbook.com. "Last year, millions were bet during the season across the globe, not just in America.
It's tough early on since we really do not have a glimpse as to how well each of these individuals will perform solo on a week-to-week basis. It's like Week 1 of the NFL. Pre-season means nada!
We do know the 24 finalists however.
Sanjaya Malakar is the young man whose sister failed to make it into the Top 24. He's very low key but - unless he totally flubs - will probably win over the young girlie vote for a few weeks anyway. He's too young to go all the way, according to Payton O'Brien.
Brandon Rogers - Who?
Phil Stacy is the military guy who missed his daughter's birth because of the Memphis audition. He should go a good distance.
Chris Sligh - He's got the humor and in many ways he's the Anti-American Idol much like last year's winner Taylor Hicks was. And this is why he'll probably get pretty far in this competition. He's chubby, white with a big curly afro....but more importantly, a great voice! People love "real", not "real cute" to go all the way.
"Blake Lewis should go far because of his uniqueness and looks. He's the boy next store with a twist - he beat boxes. But on top of this, he's a great singer, and I adore him," Payton O'Brien relayed.
A talented beat-boxer Blake Lewis was a hit during the group sing in Hollywood but Simon explained that this is a singing contest just before he told him he was “in.”
Paul Kim has caught our own roving reporter, Jenny Woo's eyes.
"I love the fact that there is a Korean American on the show and he is bound to get more Asians tuning into the show," Woo said from her Miami Beach estate. "There has never been a major presence of Asian-Americans on American Idol in the past. He's a hottie with a nice voice so that should help to take him far. Expect heavy betting action from the Asian community."
Sundance Head - He's not perfect, but he's got the personality that will take him through a few weeks, plus he's got the lineage (son of Roy Head - whose 1965 single, "Treat Her Right," hit No. 5 in the charts)
And the others:
Rudy Cardinas
AJ Tabaldo - the 5th time is the charm
Nicolas Pedro
Chris Richardson
Jared Cotter
The girls
"Melinda Doolittle has one of the best voices," says MySportsbook.com Reporter and an acclaimed dancer in her own right, Destiney Lewis. "It is great to see a back up singer step out like she has. The girl needs to gain more confidence but that can also be a positive. I think she will go far."
Alena Alexander - Those tears (she never seems to stop bawling) should get her far.
"Single mom Lakisha Jones I suspect will be a pretty big favorite entering Week 1 of the competition," says Destiny Williams. Jones is an excellent singer and down to earth. "She'll have a wide appeal," echoed O'Brien.
Nicole Trellis - Seems to exert confidence.
Amy Krebs - a powerful singer.
Antonella Barba
Gina Glocksen
Hailey Scanardo
Jordan Sparks
Stephanie Edwards
Leslie Hunt
Sabrina Sloan
MySportsbook.com is offering a 20% signup bonus with an initial deposit (i.e. open your American Idol betting account with $300, receive another $60 in which to bet with).
Last two contestants will be?
1 Male/1 Female +100 (a $10 bet pays $10 plus your initial $10)
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