Napoli tops Chievo to snap winless skid
Soccer Betting Lines
02/13/2012 - Naples, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Napoli snapped a five-game winless streak on Monday by securing a 2-0 home win against Chievo which improves the club's European hopes.
Napoli had been held without a goal in its last two games but scored twice in the first half en route to the win, moving the club to within eight points of a place in the top three.
The goal drought for the home side came to an end in the 15th minute when Ezequiel Lavezzi's corner kick was headed past goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino by Miguel Britos.
Sorrentino then fouled Napoli's Edinson Cavani inside the penalty area, allowing the Uruguay international to score his 13th goal of the campaign from the spot.
Chievo remains nine points above the drop zone but has lost three of its last four matches.
Siena 1, Roma 0
Siena, Italy - Siena claimed three big points on Monday at home against Roma as Emanuele Calaio's penalty kick early in the second half was enough for a 1-0 win.
The home side entered the match winless in four games, but the turning point came six minutes after the break when Roma's Simon Kjaer brought down Siena's Mattia Destro near the penalty spot.
Calaio stepped forward and just beat goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg with a low shot inside the right post from 12 yards.
A win could have moved Roma past Inter Milan and into fifth place, but the capital club has now claimed just one victory from its last five contests.
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Touchdown. After exhaustive debate in recent years, the Patriot League has decided to start awarding athletic scholarships in football - 15 each year - beginning with the 2013 season. The league
<< CAA gets deal with NBC Sports Group
Richmond, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colonial Athletic Association announced
Monday a five-year agreement with the NBC Sports Group to broadcast conference
football and men's and women's basketball games.
The agreement begins with the 2012-13
<< NASCAR champ Stewart appearing on ABC television show
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
champion Tony Stewart has done some acting during the offseason.
Stewart, who captured his third Sprint Cup title last season, will appear on
an upcoming episod
<< NTRA Pre-season Polls released
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Thoroughbred Racing Association
(NTRA) released a pair of pre-season 'Kick-Off' polls for the 2012 racing
season. Performances are through Sunday, February 12.
Game On Dude is first in the
<< Volandri topples Montanes in Brazil
Sao Paulo, Brazil (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Italy's Filippo Volandri cruised to a
straight-set win over seventh-seeded Albert Montanes on Monday in the first
round of the $475,300 Brasil Open.
Volandri won nearly 80 percent of his first-serv
San Sebastian, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sevilla's struggles continued on Monday at Real Sociedad as the visitors saw their winless streak reach eight games following a 2-0 defeat. The two sides entered the final 30 minutes of the
Sporting's struggles continue >>
Lisbon, Portugal (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sporting Lisbon fell further off the pace
at the top of the Portuguese Liga after a 2-0 defeat at Maritimo on Saturday.
The result leaves Sporting in fourth place and 16 points back of leaders
Benfi
Johansson loses in first round at Bogota >>
Bogota, Colombia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sixth-seeded Mathilde Johansson was a
first-round loser at the XX Copa BBVA Colsanitas on Monday.
Johansson fell to Russia's Valeria Savinykh 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 7-5 on the red
clay at the Centro d
Bryant to play six home games in 2012 >>
Smithfield, RI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bryant University football will play six
home games as part of its first season of FCS playoff eligibility, Bulldogs
head coach Marty Fine said Monday.
Bryant has posted a combined 26-18 record in first four
Hobbled Comrie finally retires >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Comrie, who hasn't played in the NHL
yet this season due to multiple hip surgeries, retired on Monday.
Comrie's agent. Ritch Winter, made the announcement earlier in the day on his
Twitter account.
Problem with Bears?
Chicago, IL - New Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and star linebacker Brian Urlacher shot down reports of a rift, saying they're simply not true.
"There's nothing between us," Cutler said Thursday, when he reported to training camp. "I just want to put that to rest. There never has been anything between us."
Urlacher added: "I never said what I was quoted as saying and that's it. I have a lot of respect for Jay. I think Jay knows that."
Former Bears receiver Bobby Wade caused a stir when he told Minneapolis radio station KFAN-AM that Urlacher used a profanity while questioning Cutler's manhood during a conversation in Las Vegas last weekend. Wade, who now plays for the Vikings, said Urlacher used a profane version of the word "wimp" during the interview that had to be edited out.
go radio station WSCR-AM also reported that Urlacher had to be restrained from confronting Cutler during organized team activities.
"I wouldn't go face-to-face with Brian, anyway," Cutler said. "No, that's never happened. I've hung out with Brian away from the facility numerous times and we've always gotten along."
Urlacher, noting he was limited by a groin injury, denied the reports in an interview with the Chicago Tribune and did it again when he reported to camp.
"I didn't practice this summer, so I don't know how I would fight the guy if I didn't practice," Urlacher said. "We have no problems. I'm excited about football starting. I'm excited to have him as our quarterback."
Why would Wade say that?
"I don't know," Urlacher said. "Maybe he's jealous because we have a good quarterback now."
Cutler said the first he heard of any friction was when he got a call from Urlacher to clear the air. Urlacher, however, said he had already taken several calls from teammates wondering if the reports were true when Cutler phoned.
"He called me and I said, What's up (expletive), what are you doing?'" a grinning Urlacher said, uttering the same word he allegedly used with Wade. "It's so dumb to me that this even got to this point, but it did and then here we are."
better place after going 9-7 and missing the playoffs for the second straight year. They have a franchise quarterback for the first time in decades after acquiring Cutler in an offseason trade with Denver. But there are questions about his attitude following a fallout with Broncos management and new coach Josh McDaniels.
His critics include former Bears coach Mike Ditka and former Indianapolis and Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy, one of Smith's mentors. Smith, however, said Cutler has been a model teammate so far while denying any animosity with Urlacher.
"There's no issue with Jay and Brian, except Brian and Jay are both excited about being teammates for our club this year," coach Lovie Smith said. "No more than that. We can't spend a whole lot of time on something that isn't true. I have talked to the players. Whenever something comes out, you have to address it, but it's a non-issue."
In some ways, Cutler is getting a second chance in Chicago, an opportunity to repair his reputation.
Smith said another quarterback - Michael Vick - deserves one, although he doesn't see it happening with the Bears, who lack an experienced backup. The former Atlanta Falcons star, who served a 23-month sentence for running a dogfighting ring, said Thursday he is getting close to signing with a pro football team.
"A second chance, like everyone in society who has paid their debt to society," Smith said. "He deserves a second chance. As far as we're concerned, we like this team that we have right now."
Particularly the new quarterback.
"Me and Brian have been on a good relationship since I've been here, and I expect it to continue that way," Cutler said.
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