Beckham's England career cut too short

Soccer Betting Lines

03/15/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Some people may describe David Beckham as overrated, others might call him spoiled or pampered, but one thing that is very evident when it comes to Beckham is that he is persistent.

How else to explain why Beckham was running around the pitch at the San Siro in Milan on Sunday at the age of 34, when he should have been basking in the California sun halfway around the world?

Beckham simply lives to play for England's national team, and the only way he would get another chance to play for the Three Lions in this summer's World Cup was to pull on the red and black jersey of AC Milan.

All of which makes the sight of Beckham hobbling off the field in the dying minutes of Milan's 1-0 win over Chievo on Sunday with a torn Achilles tendon so hard to watch.

The injury will rob England's most-capped outfield player of a chance to join the team at this summer's World Cup in South Africa, which would have made him the first England player to take part in four World Cups.

Beckham's England career appeared to be over after the 2006 World Cup when he voluntarily stepped down as England captain, and was not in the plans of new England boss Fabio Capello.

He appeared well on his way to retirement when he left Real Madrid and headed off to California to play in Major League Soccer for the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007, like an elderly U.S. citizen moving to Florida or Arizona to live out their final years.

The Englishman would get to enjoy the sunny weather and would be right at home in Hollywood, while also collecting a decent paycheck for his efforts.

But a funny thing happened to Beckham as he crept closer to retirement; he realized that he needed to play for England again.

He had a past history with Capello at Real Madrid, as the Italian manager banished Beckham to the reserves, only for Beckham to earn back a place in the team.

And he pulled off a similar reversal after a successful loan spell at AC Milan, which gave the former Manchester United standout the opportunity to earn his 100th cap for England .

Many felt that Capello allowed Beckham to reach the milestone as a favor, and that he wouldn't have a chance to earn a seat on the plane to South Africa this summer.

However, Beckham returned to Milan again this past January with only one thing in mind.

"It's the only reason I am choosing to be away from my family for six months," Beckham told Fox Sports Radio about his desire to play at the World Cup. "Being in the World Cup squad is not guaranteed, even if I go to Milan it is not guaranteed, but I need to do everything possible to give myself a chance.

"It's always a roller-coaster in my career ... and it is going to be like that for the next six to eight months, but I am looking forward to it."

Little did Beckham know that his ride would be cut short just a few months into his England adventure.

After being kicked in the face in the opening minutes of Sunday's game, which left a nice little gash on the right cheek of one of the world's most recognizable faces, Beckham took a pass in midfield with no player near him late in the second half.

He took a step, but immediately grabbed at his left ankle and indicated to the bench that he was coming off.

He was examined on the sidelines for a few minutes and ultimately taken to the dressing room on a stretcher, but as tears streamed down his face he appeared to already know his fate.

To be fair, Beckham wasn't guaranteed a spot on the World Cup roster, but he appeared to be on his way to accomplishing what at first seemed a very unlikely goal.

He was not a player who would crack the starting 11, but was at peace with that fact and was prepared to contribute whatever he could to the team, whether it was to drop a pinpoint cross on the head of Wayne Rooney, or bend home one of his trademark free kicks.

Beckham's career as an England player has had plenty of ups and downs, from his red card against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup that saw him receive death threats, to his free kick goal against Greece that allowed England to qualify for the 2002 competition.

He has always been a magnet for attention, leading some to view him as more of a celebrity than a soccer player, but his desire to win back a place on England's team over the past couple of years has been inspiring.

His absence won't dramatically alter England's hopes of ending a World Cup title drought that dates back to 1966, but it provides a sad ending to an otherwise storybook career.

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MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined

Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.

"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."

Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)

According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.

As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).

Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.

Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at

17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.

*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007

New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers

By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.

"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."

While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."

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