Drogba injured in friendly for Ivory Coast

Soccer Betting Lines

06/04/2010 - Sion, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba could miss the 2010 World Cup after he reportedly suffered a broken arm in a 2-0 friendly win over Japan on Friday.

Drogba left the field in the 15th minute after a challenge from Japan's Marcos Tulio Tanaka, and according to French newspaper L'Equipe, scans have revealed a broken arm that will likely force him to miss this summer's tournament.

The 32-year-old Drogba led the English Premiership with 29 goals for league champions Chelsea, and if he is forced to miss the tournament it would be a huge blow to the Ivory Coast, which will face Brazil, Portugal and North Korea in a tough Group G.

Wwwstartribune Soccer Betting News

<< Golf Course Review - Pebble Beach Golf Links
Pebble Beach, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FACTS AND STATS: Course Architects: Jack Neville and Douglas Grant (1918). Redesign/Renovation Work: Arthur H. Vincent (1919), William Herbert Fowler (1922), Alister MacKenzie (1926), Henry Chandler Egan, Rob

<< Soderling reaches second straight French Open final
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Last year's runner-up Robin Soderling needed all five sets to win his semifinal match and reach his second straight French Open final. The fifth-seeded Soderling outlasted 15th-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych,

<< Rays make a stop in Arlington
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays take aim at their third straight win this evening when they visit the Texas Rangers in the first of three games between the division leaders at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Tampa comes into t

<< Tigers bring hot bats into Kansas City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the focus of Detroit's game over the last few days has been on its pitching, and more specifically Armando Galarraga, Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez have made sure the offense gets its due as well. The d

<< Angels resume trip with stop in Seattle
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim haven't been over the .500 mark since late April and vie to do so tonight in the first of three consecutive contests against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field. The Angels won three of f

Williams sisters capture French doubles title >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The mighty Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, are the 2010 French Open women's doubles champions. The top-seeded sisters blew past a 12th-seeded duo of Czech Kveta Peschke and Slovenian Katarina Sreb

England's Ferdinand suffers training injury >>
Rustenburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England captain Rio Ferdinand left a South Africa hospital on crutches after picking up a knee injury in training on Friday. Fabio Capello's team was taking part in its first training session

Mihajlovic named new Fiorentina manager >>
Florence, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fiorentina have named Sinisa Mihajlovic as their new coach after Cesare Prandelli confirmed that he will be succeeding Marcello Lippi as Italy's manager. The Serbian resigned from his position as Ca

Stosur, Schiavone will decide French Open champ on Saturday >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seventh-seeded Aussie Samantha Stosur and 17th-seeded Italian Francesca Schiavone will be the surprising combatants in Saturday's ladies' final at the 2010 French Open. Stosur and Schia

Wooden 'resting comfortably' in hospital >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Legendary basketball coach John Wooden is resting comfortably at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, according to a release from the UCLA athletics department. The medical update said Wooden, 99, s

FOOTBALL BETTING

Sportsbook Betting

After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.