Bayern held by Hamburg at Imtech Arena

Soccer Betting Lines

02/04/2012 - Hamburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich fell two points off the pace of first-place Borussia Dortmund on Saturday after it was held to a 1-1 draw at the Imtech Arena by Hamburg.

Borussia Dortmund claimed sole possession of first place in the Bundesliga on Friday with a 2-0 win over Nurnberg, placing additional pressure on Bayern and Schalke in their Saturday contests.

But neither team was able to keep pace this week as they were both only able to produce one point for their efforts.

Bayern faced a difficult test at the Imtech Arena when Italian midfielder Jacopo Sala put Hamburg in front in the 23rd minute.

It took the visitors nearly 50 minutes to equalize, but the breakthrough finally came in the 71st minute through Ivica Olic.

The draw means that both teams have managed to take just four points from their last three games.

Bayern's once comfortable lead in Germany's top flight has vanished as it sits tied with Schalke for second place on 41 points.

Hamburg, meanwhile, improves to 23 points where it is tied with Stuttgart for 10th place in the Bundesliga.

Bayer Leverkusen 2, Stuttgart 2

Leverkusen, Germany - There was high drama at the BayArena on Saturday as Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart played to a 2-2 draw with both sides being reduced to 10 men.

Stefan Kiessling and Julian Schieber traded first-half goals as the two teams headed into the break tied at a goal apiece. Simon Rolfes then converted a penalty kick two minutes into a second period littered with yellow cards. Michal Kadlec was sent off for Bayer Leverkusen, as was Cristian Molinaro for Stuttgart. The visitors left it late to add even more drama to the affair, as Martin Harnik netted in second-half stoppage time to earn a share of the points.

Bayer Leverkusen has drawn two straight as it sits nine points adrift of a place in the top four, while Stuttgart snaps a four-game losing skid in league play to remain mid-table.

Hannover 1, Hertha Berlin 0

Berlin, Germany - Hannover won its second-straight Bundesliga match on Saturday, edging 10-man Hertha Berlin 1-0.

Mohammed Abdellaoue recorded the only goal of the game in the 68th minute, eight minutes before Sebastian Neumann was given his marching orders for picking up his second yellow card.

Hertha Berlin has lost three straight as it remains just two points above the relegation zone, while Hannover, unbeaten in its last seven Bundesliga contests, occupies seventh place on 30 points.

Schalke 1, Mainz 1

Gelsenkirchen, Germany - Schalke and Mainz traded goals on opposite sides of halftime as the two clubs played to a 1-1 draw at the Veltins-Arena on Saturday.

Mainz took the lead 14 minutes into the first half through Mohamed Zidan's first goal of the Bundesliga season, but Chinedu Obasi, on loan from Hoffenheim, equalized for Schalke 14 minutes into the second half.

It was a costly draw for Schalke as it falls two points behind Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund. Mainz, meanwhile, sits in 12th place on 22 points.

Hoffenheim 2, Augsburg 2

Sinsheim, Germany - Hoffenheim went back and forth at the Rhein-Neckar Arena on Saturday as the two sides came out even in a 2-2 draw.

Sascha Molders put the visitors in front in the 31st minute, but Hoffenheim responded immediately as Peniel Mlapa equalized seven minutes later. The second half saw Hoffenheim go in front after Roberto Firmino converted a penalty kick in the 52nd minute, but Augsburg was able to tie it up in the 72nd minute thanks to a goal from Sebastian Langkamp.

Hoffenheim has drawn three of its last four Bundesliga matches and sits eighth with 24 points, while Augsburg has drawn two straight to remain in the relegation zone on 17 points.

Wolfsburg 0, Monchengladbach 0

Wolfsburg, Germany - Wolfsburg and Monchengladbach produced a stalemate at Volkswagen Arena as they played to a 0-0 draw on Saturday.

Wolfsburg remains tied with Hoffenheim on 24 points while Monchengladbach misses out on the opportunity to move into second place as it stays fourth on 40 points.

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FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million

Football Betting

In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.

And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.

Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.

So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.

Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)

The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.

As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.

The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.

In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.

Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.

And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.

So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.

There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.

So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.

And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.

There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)

Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.

Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.

Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.

So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.

NFL Betting Lines

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