Afl Gom
(anyone got akmens or burns?)
7* PHILADELPHIA (-3') -105 VS. SAN JOSE GOM 3:00 ET
The ArenaBowl has finally arrived giving AFL bettors their last chance to pad their bankrolls for the upcoming 2008-09 NFL and NCAA football seasons. The 22nd installment of the AFL’s grand game pits the (11-5) Western Conference champion San Jose Sabercats against the (13-3) Eastern Division champion Philadelphia Soul. This will be just the fourth time these franchises have squared off against one another.
The defending ArenaBowl XXI Champion Sabercats are making their second consecutive ArenaBowl appearance, and fourth in seven seasons, after defeating the #6 Grand Rapids Rampage, 81-55, at the HP Pavilion in the American Conference Championship game two weeks ago. The 26-point victory saw the Sabercats easily cover the six-point spread, and the combined 136-points surpassed the 119-point closing ‘total’ with ease. San Jose covered each of its post-season games to get back to New Orleans making its AFL betting backers very happy, and they’ll look to become the first team since Tampa Bay back in 1996 to hoist the Jim Foster Trophy in back-to-back seasons. Overall, the American Conference champs went 13-5 SU and 8-8-2 ATS, but they enter the biggest game of the season on a 7-3-2 ATS run their L/12 overall games.
The Philadelphia Soul is making its first-ever ArenaBowl appearance after earning a league-best 13-3 record during the regular season and capturing its first Eastern Division title in the franchises five-year existence. The top-ranked Soul defeated the #4 Cleveland Gladiators, 70-35, in the National Conference Championship online betting game two weeks ago at the Wachovia Center. The 35-point victory saw the Soul easily cover the 6.5-point spread, and the combined 105-points stayed under the 118-point closing ‘total’. With many around the league questioning Philly’s placement in the National Conference Finals after a questionable call enabled them to get past the New York Dragons, the Soul let it be known they’re the best the conference had to offer after humiliating the Cleveland Gladiators. Overall, the National Conference champs stand 15-3 SU and 9-8-1 ATS coming into this game, but they’re a poor 2-6 ATS their L/8 when installed the favorite. That said; Head Coach Brett Munsey’s club has stepped up to the plate against winning competition going 6-2-1 ATS the L/9 times.
These clubs locked horns with one another way back in Week 7 when the Soul fought back from a 26-point deficit to defeat the Sabercats, 58-57, on a five-yard touchdown run by QB Matt D’Orazio with 10 seconds remaining in the game. The win kept Philadelphia’s perfect mark intact (7-0), while San Jose dropped to 3-4 after the crippling home defeat. The victory was the Soul’s first ever defeat of the Sabercats who won and covered against them back in 2004 and 2005.
It’s been more than a month since the Sabercats have left the comfy confines of their own arena where they only managed 5-3 SU and 2-5-1 ATS marks as a visitor. Philadelphia won pretty much everywhere they played this season, and managed to go 6-2 SU & 5-3 ATS on the road in some very hostile environments. The Soul played a much tougher schedule than that of their opponents, and I expect that to play a major role in determining the victor of this game. I pegged Philly to hoist the trophy midway through the regular season, and I’m sticking to my guns. Lay the points with Bon Jovi and Jaworski’s bunch as they proved to be the best the AFL had to offer all season long!!!
SLAM YOUR MAN!!!
Mike Rose
