Aberdeen, Rangers battle for second place

Soccer Betting Lines

12/22/2006 - Aberdeen, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With league-leaders Celtic a whopping 14 points clear of the rest of the pack, it is time to start playing for second place for the rest of the Scottish Premier League.

On Saturday, second-place Aberdeen, maybe the hottest team in the SPL, host third-place Rangers, just two points behind their hosts.

Aberdeen are looking to secure their first spot in European competition since 2002, and will be in a great position to do so with a win over Rangers. The Dons have continued to push their way towards the top, starting the season in the middle of pack and jumping teams week after week. Aberdeen have won five of their last six league contests, including their last five matches on home soil.

Rangers have struggled recently at Pittodrie, leaving town empty-handed in their last two trips. Paul Le Guen's men are coming off of a 1-1 draw with Glasgow rivals Celtic last time out, and are looking to build on that result with a run of positive play to take them back into second. Rangers have been plagued by bouts of inconsistency this season. Every time they put together a string of wins, they seem to suffer a deflating loss.

The club will be without 21-year-old defender Steven Smith, who is suffering from a groin injury. The team also will be missing Kris Boyd, Chris Burke and Ian Murray, who have all missed extensive time this season with long-term injuries.

The first week in April is a long time away, and there are many matches to be played between then and now, but a win by Aberdeen on Saturday would push their edge over Rangers to five points, which is a big margin considering the high-flying Dons recent form. The maximum points for Rangers would move them up by a point and give the team momentum for a push towards a strong second- half finish.

In Saturday's other action in Scotland, table-toppers Celtic host Falkirk, a resurgent Dundee United entertain Hearts, Inverness visits bottom-feeders Dunfermline, St Mirren is just one point from clearing relegation and travels to Hibernian and fourth-place Kilmarnock hosts Motherwell, who is just one spot from the bottom.

WEEKEND SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES

SATURDAY

Celtic - Falkirk

Aberdeen - Rangers

Kilmarnock - Motherwell

Hibernian - St Mirren

Dunfermline - Inverness

Dundee United - Hearts

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2007 Academy Award Betting : Oscars odds

The 79th Annual Academy Awards odds , which will air February 25th, is sparking an interest throughout the nation with the announcement of its nominees. As the public chooses their favorites, sportsbooks are creating odds for one of the biggest entertainment betting nights of the year.

Whether its at a “Oscar Party” or in an on line sportsbook, entertainment gambling on award shows represent a huge increase in betting. As the public speculation mounts, MySportsbook.com, the largest and most respected sportsbook on the web, posted odds on who is going home with a “Golden Best Friend.”

“ We see a majority of our entertainment wagers come from the Academy Awards,” said MySportsbook.com spokesperson, Tim Dalton. “This is a competition that applies to everyone. These are the people that entertain us on a daily basis and you want to see them win.”

MySportsbook.com posted the following odds for Academy Awards:

Odds to win the Achievement in Directing:

Alejandro González Iñárritu "Babel": 8/1

Martin Scorsese "The Departed": 2/17

Clint Eastwood "Letters From Iwo Jima: 4/1

Stephen Frears "The Queen": 12/1

Paul Greengrass "United 93": 15/1

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:

Leonardo DiCaprio in "Blood Diamond": 11/1

Ryan Gosling in "Half Nelson": 20/1

Peter O’Toole in "Venus": 16/5

Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness": 16/1

Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland": 1/11

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:

Penélope Cruz in "Volver": 18/1

Judi Dench in "Notes on a Scandal": 15/1

Helen Mirren in "The Queen": 1/50

Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada": 10/1

Kate Winslet in "Little Children": 20/1

Best Animated Feature Film:

"Cars": 1/3

"Happy Feet": 2/1

"Monster House": 20/1

Best Foreign-Language Film of the Year:

"Water" – Canada: 22/1

"The Lives of Others" – Germany: 7/2

"After the Wedding" - Denmark: 24/1

"Days of Glory (Indigenes)" – Algeria: 23/1

"Pan's Labyrinth" - Mexico: 1/10

Odds to win the Best Live-Action Short Film:

"Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)": 6/5

"Eramos Pocos (One Too Many)": 7/2

"Helmer & Son": 5/2

"The Saviour": 6/1

"West Bank Story": 7/2

Odds to win the Best Original Screenplay:

"Babel": 7/4

"Letters From Iwo Jima": 3/1

"Little Miss Sunshine": 21/20

"Pan's Labyrinth": 11/4

"The Queen": 5/4

Best Motion Picture of the Year:

"Babel": 11/4

"The Departed": 1/2

"Letters from Iwo Jima": 15/2

"Little Miss Sunshine": 17/10

"The Queen": 20/1

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:

Alan Arkin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 11/10

Jackie Earle Haley in "Little Children": 10/1

Djimon Hounsou in "Blood Diamond": 9/1

Eddie Murphy in "Dreamgirls": 2/5

Mark Wahlberg in "The Departed": 5/1

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:

Adriana Barraza in "Babel": 14/1

Cate Blanchett in "Notes on a Scandal": 11/1

Abigail Breslin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 2/1

Jennifer Hudson in "Dreamgirls": 1/8

Rinko Kikuchi in "Babel": 11/1

Film To Win Most Oscars:

Dreamgirls: 2/3

Pans Labyrinth: 6/5

The Departed: 6/1

The Queen: 11/1

Babel: 15/1

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: 11/1

Little Miss Sunshine: 15/1


Additional sports and entertainment odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.