Johnson wins Comeback Player of Year

Soccer Betting Lines

11/05/2007 - Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Soccer announced Monday that Kansas City Wizards forward Eddie Johnson has been named 2007 Comeback Player of the Year. After a 2006 season in which Johnson scored two goals and recorded one assist in 19 games due to national team duty and suspension, Johnson responded with a career year in 2007. The 23-year-old striker set career-highs in five statistical categories and was named team MVP after capturing the Wizards golden boot. Johnson credits his teammates and the Wizards coaching staff for his success this season.

"This is something that I'm overwhelmed by," Johnson said. "Anytime you get an award it's a good thing, but awards aren't achieved individually. It takes the support of an entire team and a great coaching staff, and I want to thank them for giving me a chance this season and working together on the field to make each other better every day. This season, I have felt settled and have made Kansas City my home. This coaching staff believed in me and their expectations for me were very high. I have been focused on playing soccer, working hard and trying to achieve our goals. Any time you do that, you will be successful at the end of the year."

Johnson recorded a team and career-high 15 goals in 2007 while also contributing a career highs in assists (6), shots (75), shots on goal (43) and fouls suffered (57).

"Eddie Johnson has worked extremely hard and has been in a positive frame of mind all year," Wizards coach Curt Onalfo said. "This award is a tribute both to Eddie's efforts and the success of the team. I'm happy to see that all the hard work put in by Eddie did not go unnoticed."

Johnson becomes the fourth Wizards player to win Comeback Player of the Year since the award was first presented in 2000. Goalkeeper Tony Meola captured the first-ever award and midfielder Chris Klein won the award twice (2002 and 2005). Johnson beat out finalists Pat Noonan of New England and Frankie Hejduk of Columbus for the award.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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