Braves agree to terms with Woodward
Baseball Betting Lines
12/20/2006 - Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves and infielder/outfielder Chris Woodward agreed to terms on a one-year contract for the 2007 season on Wednesday.
Financial terms of the deal were not announced.
Woodward, 30, played the last two seasons with the New York Mets. He hit just .216 with three homers and 25 RBI in 83 games last season. In two seasons with the Mets, he had six homers and 43 RBI in 164 contests.
He is a career .247 hitter with 32 homers and 178 RBI, playing his first six years with the Toronto Blue Jays before going to the Mets.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - All-Star center Yao Ming has been huge for Houston, which is a solid 15-9 and is 3 1/2 games behind the first place San Antonio Spurs in the Southwest Division. The second place Dallas Mavericks are just one game behind
<< Carolina places Wahle, Rucker on IR
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Panthers placed offensive
lineman Mike Wahle and defensive end Mike Rucker on injured reserve Wednesday.
Wahle will undergo surgery within the next week to repair a torn labrum in his
righ
<< Clippers need to find their game
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Expectations are high for the Los Angeles Clippers this
season. After winning 47 games during the 2005-06 campaign and advancing to
the conference semifinals, the Clippers are expected to be a factor in the
West.
The Cl
<< Keane, Miller Named Team Captains for AHL All-Star Classic
Springfield, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - American Hockey League President and CEO
David Andrews announced today that Mike Keane of the Manitoba Moose and Kip
Miller of the Grand Rapids Griffins will serve as playing captains for the
2007 Rbk Hockey A
<< Last-Minute Shopping not First on Ravens' List
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - List of things to do for you Ravens fans in the week
preceding Christmas:
1. File a formal complaint with whoever is responsible for selecting the AFC
Pro Bowl team (be sure to CC yourself, since fan voting makes up a larg
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Ravens placed linebacker Dan Cody on injured reserve Wednesday and signed former Pro Bowl wide out Alex Bannister. Cody was taken 53rd overall in the 2005 draft but missed that entire sea
Inter gets number 10 with 10 >>
Lazio, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Inter Milan proved once again why it sits
at the top of the Serie A table on Wednesday, when the first-place squad
defeated Lazio 2-0 at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza to capture its
10-stra
Sevilla adds to La Liga lead; Recreativo honors fallen supporters >>
Sevilla, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sevilla took a four-point lead in the
Spanish La Liga table with a 4-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna to close out its
2006 season, Wednesday.
Second-placed Barcelona, who has only played 14 games comp
Jaguars' Taylor sidelined with hamstring injury >>
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred
Taylor is listed as questionable for the team's game against New England on
Sunday.
Taylor leads the 8-6 Jags in rushing with 1,120 yards on the season.
Royals make Riske signing >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Royals signed pitcher
David Riske to a one-year contract with an option for 2008 on Wednesday.
Last season Riske, 30, was 1-2 with a 3.89 earned run average in 41
appearance
MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.
Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.
According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).
Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.
''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.
Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.
''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''
Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.
”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.
For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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."
About MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker
Since opening in 1997, MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker has been a leader in Internet wagering, providing single account access for sports and casino play. This sportsbook has a revolutionary payment method, Direct Bank Transfer, gives players a faster and more secure transaction option for both deposits and withdrawals. This Internet Sportsbook takes pride in offering an aggressive VIP rewards program, along with seasonal reduced juice specials and high parlay payout odds. MySportsbook.com has set new standards in the sports betting industry, from their fantastic customer service, industry leading bonuses, extensive selection of wager types and props, to the fastest payouts anywhere... MySportsbook.com is America's Sportsbook! Open an account today at MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker, or call toll-free 1-866-238-6648
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Master Card needs.