Underwhelming Madrid need special touch

Soccer Betting Lines

09/06/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When Jose Mourinho left Inter Milan this summer for the bright lights of the Bernabeu, he took a calculated risk. After all, Inter had just come off a season where they won both the domestic league and cup along with the most prestigious competition in all of domestic football, the Champions League.

Mourinho could have easily soaked up all the glory of being the only manager to win the Champions League with two different clubs and stay put with a team that should once again be among the elite in world football.

However, that's never been Mourinho's style. The self-professed "Special One" was hungry for a new challenge and the quest to erase the disappointment of a trophy-less season in Madrid last year was just that.

A spending spree in the summer of 2009 brought Real Madrid the likes of Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, but what it didn't bring was success.

Former coach Bernd Schuster was unable to tactically bring the cohesion the club needed and that resulted in humbling defeats throughout the season.

After the departure of Schuster, Mourinho's influence was felt almost immediately at Madrid.

Gone were long-time Madrid veterans Raul and Guti and in came young stalwarts Mesut Ozil, Sami Khedira and Angel Di Maria.

Also making his way into the fold was stalwart defender Ricardo Carvalho, who won domestic championships under Mourinho at FC Porto and Chelsea.

While Madrid possess a roster filled with talent and potential, many of the newcomers failed to live up to the lofty expectations.

Karim Benezma found himself a spectator for much of the season after being usurped by Gonzalo Higuain at forward while Kaka never truly found his form, causing transfer rumors to surface about his possible departure.

One of the glaring weaknesses of the club is the lacking of a true instrumental midfielder capable of creating offensive opportunities.

With arch-rivals Barcelona boasting such players as Xavi and Iniesta, they have found success in breaking down even the toughest of defenses.

In acquiring Mesut Ozil from Werder Bremen, Mourinho hopes he's found a player that could bring the club's offensive game together and open up space for the likes of Di Maria and Ronaldo to work their magic on the wings.

A 0-0 draw against Mallorca to open the season was likely not the result Mourinho was hoping for, but it is indicative of where Real Madrid is at the current moment, a work in progress.

Now that Lassana Diarra and Ronaldo are down with injuries for the next few weeks, the new recruits will get the opportunity to prove they are indeed worthy of putting on the famed Madrid shirt.

The task for the "Special One" will be how to turn a star-studded group of individuals into that of a team. That indeed might have been the biggest factor in getting rid of the likes of Raul and Guti, who were seen to have their share of influence in the Madrid locker room.

Rafael Van Der Vaart became Mourinho's latest victim, having been sent packing to Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League on the final day of the summer transfer market.

Madrid is now indeed Mourinho's team. The brash and arrogant manager has never been one for failure and no one should expect any less from him at Madrid, no matter the bumps and bruises early on.

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(September 15)—The NASCAR season has hit the homestretch with the opening event on this year’s Chase for the Cup taking place this weekend at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. With 10 races remaining to determine the Cup Series champion, leading online sportsbook MySportsbook.com today announced odds on all 10 Chase qualifying drivers capturing the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.

One of the largest sportsbook sites on the Internet, MySportsbook.com currently lists the top two drivers in the point standings as the early favorites to win the Nextel Cup. Entering the Chase for the Cup with a slim five-point lead in the point standings, 2003 NASCAR champ Matt Kenseth has been made a slight favorite to win his second Cup at 7/2 betting odds. 2001 Cup Rookie of the Year Kevin Harvick has betting odds listed at 5/2 and four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon is listed at 6/1 to capture the Nextel Cup this year.

Hoping to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father who won six NASCAR titles, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands at 8/1 to breakthrough with his first Cup victory. Staying with the family theme, MySportsbook.com lists 2005 Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch at 14/1 to succeed big brother Kurt’s 2004 NASCAR title. While Kasey Kahne was the final driver to qualify for the Chase with a third place finish last week, the oddsmakers give him a fighting chance at 10/1 mainly due to several mile-and-a-half tracks remaining on the schedule. Despite going winless on the NASCAR circuit this season, Jeff Burton enters the Chase at 5/1 to capture the Cup title. Meanwhile, rookie Denny Hamlin is 4/1 to win the championship, while veteran driver Mark Martin enters the Chase for the Cup as a 15/1 long shot to win his first NASCAR title in his 24th and final season.

MySportsbook.com will offer comprehensive Nascar betting lines on every race remaining on the Nextel Cup series including driver match-ups, props and odds to win each race. For a complete list of NASCAR odds, please visit www.MySportsbook.com.

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Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook

Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds.  The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.

Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.

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Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.

World Series odds

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