PSG tries to remain perfect under Ancelotti

Soccer Betting Lines

02/03/2012 - Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlo Ancelotti is perfect in four matches in charge of PSG and the rebuilt French club hosts Evian on Saturday in search of their sixth in their last seven games overall.

With more than $100 million spent on transfers last summer, and reinforcements added this winter in Brazilians Alex, Maxwell and Thiago Motta, Ancelotti will have enough firepower to remain atop Ligue 1.

Ancelotti, who spent his three previous managerial stints at Chelsea, AC Milan and Juventus, remains cautious because "our main rivals are Montpellier, but I am wary of Marseille, who have so much quality and experience."

PSG leads second-place Montpellier by three points, while Marseille sits nine points off the pace in fifth place.

But even with his new side off to a great start, Ancelotti realizes a lot can happen in the last 17 matches of the season.

"Everything is going well. I have a squad of young and motivated players who treat me with respect, without doubt because I have won lots of titles," said Ancelotti.

"But I still want to improve my relationship with the players. I like to speak with the players, enjoy myself with them sometimes. In football, there is a time to concentrate on work and a time when you need to relax."

Evian sits mid-table, but just four points above the drop zone as it looks for its first road win of the season at the Parc des Princes.

Montpellier is also at home Saturday against Brest, while surging Ajaccio will try to make it five straight wins when it hosts Nice.

In Saturday's other matches, Dijon hosts Valenciennes, Nancy hosts Rennes, St Etienne hosts Lorient, and Bordeaux hosts Toulouse. Due to severe weather, the times for many of the matches have been adjusted, and some could be postponed.

Marseille has six wins during a seven-game undefeated run ahead of its Olympic clash with Lyon on Sunday. Lyon sits one point ahead of Marseille in fourth.

Although PSG has established itself atop the table, Lyon coach Remi Garde will not concede the title.

"There are several teams that can win the title but I don't think any one side really stands out," he said. "I don't hide my desire to one day win the French title.

"We want to go all the way and I hope we will be competing for the title right down to the wire."

Caen hosts Auxerre, and Sochaux hosts defending champion and third-place Lille in Sunday's other matches, which are also in danger of being postponed due to the extreme cold blanketing Europe.

Sportt Soccer Betting News

<< Youzhny, Baghdatis land in Zagreb final four
Zagreb, Croatia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Third-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny and former champion Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus were a pair of quarterfinal winners Friday at the Zagreb Indoors tennis tournament. Youzhny needed 2 hours, 42

<< Report: Rays win arbitration case against Niemann
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Rays have won their arbitration case with towering right-hander Jeff Niemann, the Tampa Bay Times reported Friday. The 6-foot-9 Niemann, who turns 29 later this month, will earn $2.75 million this

<< Dortmund downs Nurnberg to take Bundesliga lead
Nurnberg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sebastian Kehl and Lucas Barrio scored in the second half as Borussia Dortmund downed Nurnberg, 2-0, on Friday to return to top of the Bundesliga. Defending champion Dortmund broke a three-way tie on poin

<< Snow threatening weekend schedule in Italy
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Heavy snow in Italy is threatening to wreak havoc with the 22nd round of Serie A fixtures this weekend as one match has already been postponed and others have been moved. Four midweek matches were post

<< Youzhny reaches Zagreb final four
Zagreb, Croatia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Third-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny was a hard-fought quarterfinal winner Friday at the Zagreb Indoors tennis tournament. Youzhny needed 2 hours, 42 minutes to stave off eighth-seeded massive-serving

Pats list Gronkowski as questionable >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is listed as questionable on the team's injury report for Sunday's matchup against the New York Giants. Gronkowski's left ankle has been the main inju

Magic suspend Glen Davis 2 games >>
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic suspended forward Glen Davis two games for conduct detrimental to the team, general manager Otis Smith announced Friday. Davis, who was acquired during the offseason via a trade with

D.C. United waives forward Brettschneider >>
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United waived 22-year-old forward Blake Brettschneider on Friday after just one season with the club. Brettschneider was picked 21st overall in the 2011 Supplemental Draft by D.C., and played in 1

Ronaldo poised to lift Real Madrid against Getafe >>
Getafe, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - La Liga leading-scorer Cristiano Ronaldo and his Real Madrid team face Getafe at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez on Saturday, and if history is any indication, the Portuguese superstar could be in line for an

Oden has yet another knee surgery >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden underwent successful knee surgery on Friday. The athroscopic procedure was performed in Vail, Colorado and cleaned out debris inside his right knee. Oden

El Duque expected to throw Tuesday

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.

Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.

El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.

MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds. 

Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.

New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.

Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''

Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

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

Police report: Terrell Owens hospitalized after attempt

Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.

The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"

Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.

Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.

NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.

"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.

The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.

But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.

The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"

When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.

Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.

The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.

The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.

The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.

Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.

Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."

Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.

"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."

Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.

It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.

"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."

Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.

"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."

At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.

According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.

Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.

Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.

When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.

He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.

Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.

Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.

Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.

Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.

While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.

"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.

Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.

Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your VISA Sportsbook needs.