12/04/2008 - Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry is not planning to make any more comments on his future until the end of the season.
The England international was widely expected to leave Villa Park and sign for Liverpool last summer in a long-running transfer saga.
The two clubs were unable to agree on a fee and Barry was disciplined and stripped of the club captaincy after revealing his frustration in a critical interview.
But after starting the season out in the cold at the Midlands club, the 27- year-old midfielder has slowly played his way back into manager Martin O'Neill's plans.
Barry is reported to be willing to pledge his long-term future to Villa should they secure Champions League qualification this season.
But the long-serving midfielder has vowed to remain tight-lipped on the issue until the end of the campaign.
Referring to the continuing speculation surrounding his future, he told the Express & Star: "I realize that (it will continue) and I'm sure the manager does as well.
"The questions might start in April now but you will not get answers until May.
"Hopefully when the time comes we will be looking at Aston Villa in a strong position rather than thinking about my position."
(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)
<< Saints place S Kaesviharn on IR
Metairie, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Saints placed veteran safety
Kevin Kaesviharn on the reserve/injured list Thursday with a neck injury,
effectively ending his season.
Head coach Sean Payton described the injury as a s
<< Wolfsburg eliminates Portsmouth from UEFA Cup
Wolfsburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zvjezdan Misimovic stole the ball off the
feet of Portsmouth and England goalie David James to score the winning goal in
Wolfsburg's 3-2 UEFA Cup win Thursday that sent the Germans into the next round
and
<< Cowboys' Barber uncertain for Steelers game
Irving, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber did
not practice Thursday because of a dislocated toe, leaving his status for
Sunday's game at Pittsburgh in doubt.
Barber has missed three consecutive practices
<< FCS Previews: Week 15
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Here are the predictions for the
quarterfinal round playoff games and the Gridiron Classic from week 15 of the
FCS season.
SATURDAY'S FCS QUARTERFINALS
No. 6 Villanova (10-2) at No. 1 James Madison (11-
Nitties one up at PGA Tour Q School >>
La Quinta, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - James Nitties fired a nine-under 63 Thursday
to grab a one-shot lead after two rounds at the Final Stage of PGA Tour
Qualifying School.
Nitties completed 36 holes of the 108-hole tournament at 12-unde
Fabregas committed to Gunners >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas has reaffirmed
his desire to remain with the Gunners following speculation linking him with AC
Milan.
The 21-year-old midfielder was reported to be interested in joining Milan
Hoffenheim's Ibisevic shuns Bayern link >>
Hoffenheim, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hoffenheim star striker Vedad Ibisevic
has committed his immediate future to the Bundesliga's surprise leaders, having
been linked with a move to Bayern Munich.
The 24-year-old Bosnia international
Goya leads Canadian event by two shots >>
Buenos Aires, Argentina (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Estanislao Goya fired a six-under
65 Thursday to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Argentine
Masters at Olivos Golf Club.
Josh McCumber is alone in second place at minus-four.
NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.
No. 1 always seems to fit USC.
Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.
Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.
Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.
"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."
Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.
"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."
The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.
"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."
Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.
"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"
USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.
"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."
While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.
As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.
But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.
Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.
The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.
The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.
The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.
No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.
Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.
Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.
Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.
The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.
South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.
The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.
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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.
Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.
According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).
Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.
''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.
Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.
''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''
Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.
”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.
For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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