05/11/2008 - Milan, Italy (Soccer Betting) - Inter Milan failed in its second attempt to secure a third straight Serie A title, finishing 2-2 with Siena at the San Siro while Roma beat Atalanta 2-1, cutting Inter's lead to just one point with one game to play.
Inter will finish the season at relegation-battling Parma, while Roma will hope Inter drops points for the third consecutive game and the capital club secures all three against Catania.
Patrick Vieira put Inter ahead 11 minutes into the match, but Siena answered 20 minutes later through Massimo Maccarone. Mario Balotelli's third goal of the season right before halftime gave the Nerazzuri a 2-1 lead, but the visitors responded once again through a terrific strike from Houssine Kharja with 20 minutes to play.
Inter was handed a chance to get the win in the 78th minute when Marco Materazzi drew a questionable penalty kick, but his effort from the spot was stopped by Siena goalkeeper Alex Manninger.
The home side got off to a great start with Balotelli's corner kick finding the head of Vieira inside the box. The former Arsenal man then headed his side ahead by beating Manninger from close range.
The Inter defense gave the goal back in the 31st minute, however, when Siena's Kharja split the back line with a through ball, allowing Maccarone to get in on goal and slip the ball underneath Inter keeper Julio Cesar.
Another dead-ball situation allowed Inter to take a one-goal lead into the half as Maicon's long throw into the box was flicked through the face of goal by Vieira to Balotelli, who was left with an easy finish at the back post.
The home side was just 45 minutes away from the title, but Kharja put the celebrations on hold with a fantastic effort from 25 yards that found the lower corner to level the match.
Inter had one last chance to grab the title eight minutes later when Siena's Christian Rigano was called for bringing down Materazzi inside the box. It was a debatable call, but Manninger made it a mute point when he came up with a diving stop to deny the Inter defender from the penalty spot.
Roma got goals from Christian Panucci and Daniele De Rossi to hold off Atalanta, giving themselves a shot to steal the title on the season's final day.
Third-place Juventus finished 1-1 with Catania, which is now two points clear of the drop zone, while last-place Livorno will be headed down next year after losing 1-0 to Torino.
Empoli is in trouble after losing 2-0 to Reggina, leaving the team three points from safety with one game left. Parma occupies the final relegation spot heading into the last week after they suffered a 3-1 defeat to Fiorentina, which jumped into fourth place after AC Milan was stunned 3-1 by Napoli.
Sampdoria improved its European chances with a 2-0 win over Palermo, Cagliari downed Udinese 2-0 and Lazio got goals from Goran Pandev and Tommaso Rocchi in a 2-0 win over Genoa.
<< Diamondbacks' Johnson scratched from start
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Randy
Johnson was scratched from his scheduled start against the Chicago Cubs on
Sunday due to wet weather conditions.
Edgar Gonzalez was tabbed to start in Johnson's pl
<< Yankees-Tigers postponed due to heavy rain
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunday's scheduled series finale between the
New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers was postponed due to rain.
No make-up date for the game was announced.
<< Fever knocks Recapturetheglory out of Preakness
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Recapturetheglory, fifth in the Kentucky
Derby, has been declared out of the Preakness Stakes after showing a fever
Friday night.
"We took his temperature last night (Friday)," assistant trainer
<< Second day qualifying for Indy a washout
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An all-day rain ended the second day of
Indianapolis 500 qualifying even before it began. No drivers were able to take
to the track.
Qualifying for positions 12-33 will restart next Saturday, the thir
Millwood sent to 15-day DL >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers placed starting
pitcher Kevin Millwood on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday with a strained
right groin.
Millwood left Saturday's 6-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics af
Braves/Bucs game rained out >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunday's game between the Atlanta Braves
and Pittsburgh Pirates was postponed due to rain.
The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Monday, with the first
pitch scheduled for 12:35 p.m. (e
Toronto, Cleveland to play doubleheader Monday after rainout >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunday's game between the Toronto Blue Jays
and the Cleveland Indians has been postponed due to rain.
The game will be made up as a traditional doubleheader on Monday, as the clubs
will play twice to fini
Padres acquire P Corey from BoSox >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres acquired pitcher
Bryan Corey from the Boston Red Sox on Sunday in exchange for a player to be
named later or cash considerations.
Corey, who was outrighted to Triple-A Pawtuc
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smith and Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running back Deuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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