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 Releases World Series Championship Lines
New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox early favorites to win 2008 World Series
The Major League Baseball season starts this weekend and MySportsbook.com, a leading online sportsbook for over 8 years, is the first to offer baseball sports betting lines on who will win the 2007 World Series.
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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
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Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
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Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
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Bonds nearly hits HR 751, SF wins
4 and drove in
a pair of runs, and Barry Bonds nearly hit homer No. 751 as San Francisco beat
1, in the middle contest of three at AT&T Park.
6) allowed five hits and one run over 6 2/3 innings, fanning
eight and walking three.
game slide.
Bonds, who came within five homers of Hank Aaron's record on Friday, went
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