Udinese deals Juventus first loss of season

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09/16/2007 - Turin, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Udinese gave Juventus its first loss of the season on Sunday at Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino as Antonio Di Natale scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win.

It was a nice way to rebound from a 5-0 loss to promoted side Napoli last time out, although the hosts were unlucky to come away with nothing after Alessandro Del Piero was denied by the woodwork on two occasions, including one in stoppage time.

Roma is now the only perfect team in Serie A after securing a 2-0 victory against Reggina on Sunday.

The first half was positive for Juventus, and the hosts were able to create a couple of chances throughout the opening 45 minutes.

The first came when David Trezeguet sent a header just wide from eight yards out, and then Del Piero was given a pair of opportunities to put Juve on the board.

Pavel Nedved lobbed a short pass over the defense and into the box for Del Piero, who beat keeper Samir Handanovic to the ball and chipped a shot over the sliding netminder. However, the ball sailed over the crossbar.

In the 32nd minute, Del Piero was unlucky not to put the home side ahead from a free kick. He sent a dipping shot over the wall that left the keeper standing, but luckily for Handanovic, he watched the ball slam off the left post.

Gyan Asamoah had the two best chances for Udinese in the opening half, but both times he failed to hit the target from inside the box after getting into good positions.

Less than two minutes into the second half, the visitors moved in front. Gokhan Inler did well to hold off a defender inside the box and play a one- touch ball to Di Natale, who headed past keeper Gianluigi Buffon.

Nedved created a chance for himself in the 59th minute, cutting the ball back on the left inside the box, but firing a poor shot well wide.

Asamoah nearly doubled the lead for Udinese minutes later when his half-volley from the right smacked off the inside of the near post, but Juventus came right back with another dangerous Del Piero free kick. The Juve captain came close again after curling his shot around the wall but up and over the net.

With the final whistle just minutes away, Udinese once again dodged a bullet from a Del Piero free kick. The Italian international cracked his shot past the wall but it struck the bottom of the crossbar and bounced down inches from the goal line.

In other Serie A play on Sunday, Riccardo Zampagna scored in the 86th minute to give Atalanta a 2-2 draw with Fiorentina, Genoa and Livorno shared the points in 1-1 fashion, Inter Milan recorded a 2-0 victory over Catania Calcio and Napoli won its second straight game by beating Sampdoria 2-0. Torino played to a draw in its third consecutive match by finishing 1-1 with Palermo and Parma tied Cagliari 1-1.

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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.