Liverpool wins race to sign Joe Cole

Soccer Betting Lines

07/19/2010 - Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole has agreed to sign a four-year contract with Liverpool, the club announced on Monday.

The 28-year-old Cole left the Blues last month after he was not offered a new deal by Chelsea, but he will now undergo a physical in the next two days to complete his move to Anfield.

Cole was limited to 14 starts last season for Chelsea in league play because of a knee injury as the Blues captured both the Premiership title and FA Cup crown.

However, he recovered in time to make England's World Cup team, where he made two substitute appearances for the Three Lions in South Africa.

Cole is the first signing made by new manager Roy Hodgson, and he is the second player to arrive at Anfield this summer, joining Serbian striker Milan Jovanovic.

Starbuck-casino Soccer Betting News

<< Kovalchuk heading back to New Jersey
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ilya Kovalchuk is heading back to New Jersey and will re-sign with the Devils. According to the team's website, the Devils will hold a Tuesday afternoon press conference at the Prudential Center to make it

<< AP Source: Rich Cho named new Blazers GM
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -A person with knowledge of the hiring process says the Trail Blazers have named Oklahoma City assistant GM Rich Cho as Portland's new general manager.The person spoke to The Associated Press on Monday on condition of anonymity b

<< Mainz seals Fuchs loan deal
Mainz, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mainz have completed the one-year loan signing of Christian Fuchs from Bochum. The Austrian midfielder has the option of making the deal permanent next year following Bochum's relegation from the Bun

<< Barbosa key to Raptors' team concept
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors are moving in a new direction, the focus no longer on the talents of Chris Bosh, but on a collective approach to playing the game. Bosh recently joined LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in

<< Valero returns to Spain with Villarreal
Villarreal, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - West Bromwich Albion have cut their losses on Borja Valero after allowing the midfielder to return to Spain with Villarreal. Valero, 25, joined the Baggies from Mallorca for a club record $7 mill

Padres extend manager Black's contract >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres announced Monday that they have extended manager Bud Black's contract through the 2013 season with club options for the 2014 and 2015 campaigns. "I am really happy to announce that

Celtics re-sign Nate Robinson >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics have re-signed guard Nate Robinson. Terms of the deal were not released, but the Boston Herald reported last week that the diminutive guard agreed to a two-year, $8 million pact. Bosto

Wrong year for Life At Ten to be so good >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When the two leading thoroughbreds in training are also the top female racehorses in the country, it becomes difficult for any other filly or mare to get recognized. This is the situation that confronts fi

Hurricanes sign C Nash >>
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes have signed center Riley Nash to a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal will pay Nash $550,000 in 2010-11, $600,000 in 2011-12 and $700,000 in 2012-13 at the NHL level. H

NL West: Injuries piling up in LA >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Imagine the San Diego Padres trying to stay atop the NL West standings without Adrian Gonzalez, Chase Headley and Yorvit Torrealba. The Los Angeles Dodgers would certainly enjoy seeing that happen, but they're the one

Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.