De Rossi signs five-year extension with Roma

Soccer Betting Lines

02/05/2012 - Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi has signed a five-year contract extension, the Italian club announced Sunday.

De Rossi, 28, had a contract through the end of the current season, but signed a new deal to keep him with the only club he's played for during his career.

The Italian international debuted for Roma in 2001, and returned to the lineup Sunday after two matches on the sideline with a back injury to help Roma crush Inter Milan, 4-0.

No financial details were released about De Rossi's new contract.

Sportsbook-online-sportsbook Soccer Betting News

<< Notre Dame dominates DePaul
South Bend, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Natalie Novosel led the way with 21 points for No. 2 Notre Dame as it dominated DePaul, 90-70, at Purcell Pavilion on Sunday. The Fighting Irish (23-1, 10-0 Big East) had five scorers in double figu

<< NFL Inactives (Sunday, February 5, 2012)
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The following is a list of inactive players for Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, IN. NEW YORK GIANTS VS. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, 6:30 P.M. (ET) Giants - RB Da'Rel Scott, WR Ramses Barden, C Jim Cordle, T J

<< Italy sneaks past Ukraine to reach Fed Cup semis
Biella, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Italy got a big doubles win from Flavia Pennetta and Roberta Vinci in Sunday's fifth and deciding rubber in their Fed Cup quarterfinal against visiting Ukraine, as the Italians won the best-of- five en

<< Isles' Hamonic to miss two weeks
Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic is expected to miss two weeks after taking a slap shot to the face from Buffalo Sabres defenseman Christian Ehrhoff on Saturday. Hamonic needed help to g

<< Heat get past Raptors
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James had a game-high 30 points to go with nine rebounds as the Miami Heat outlasted the Toronto Raptors, 95-89, at American Airlines Arena on Sunday. Dwyane Wade scored 25 points and Chris Bosh add

Johnson lifts No. 8 Tennessee past Auburn >>
Knoxville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Glory Johnson recorded her ninth double- double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds as No. 8 Tennessee took down Auburn, 82-61. Ariel Massengale added 14 points, five rebounds and four

Price, Canadiens shut out Jets >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carey Price stopped 23 shots for his third shutout of the season as the Montreal Canadiens took a 3-0 decision over the Winnipeg Jets. Tomas Plekanec had a goal and an assist while Max Pacioretty and Ale

No. 7 Miami-Florida cruises over Clemson >>
Coral Gables, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shenise Johnson had a double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds as No. 7 Miami-Florida ran over Clemson, 68-47, at BankUnited Center on Sunday. The Hurricanes (20-3, 9-1 ACC) got a 15-point effort

Lyon, Marseille share points in Olympic clash >>
Marseille, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Souleymane Diawara's own goal in the late stages of the first half helped Lyon erase an early deficit and the seven-time Ligue 1 champions tied Marseille, 2-2, on Sunday at the Stade Velodrome. Benoit Che

Villarreal continues turnaround at Sevilla >>
Seville, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Javier Camunas scored in the 80th minute and Villarreal continued its turnaround with a 2-1 La Liga win Sunday over Sevilla at the Sanchez Pizjuan. Villarreal won just three of its first 18 fixtures this sea

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.