09/05/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies have reportedly reached a contract agreement with infielder Tadahito Iguchi.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Iguchi is expected to join the Phillies before Saturday's scheduled game against the New York Mets. It will be Iguchi's second stint in Philadelphia. The Phillies acquired Iguchi from the Chicago White Sox in the 2007 season to fill in for the injured Chase Utley.
After signing as a free agent with San Diego in the offseason, Iguchi hit just .231 with two homers and 24 RBI in 81 games for the Padres before being released.
Iguchi would be ineligible for the postseason should the Phillies win the NL East or wild card.
<< Galaxy lacking stars ahead of RLS contest
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Galaxy will be hoping to snap a
10-game winless skid on Saturday when the team welcomes Real Salt Lake to the
Home Depot Center, however they will have to do so without a number of star
players
<< Hammers swoop for Lopez
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - West Ham United has announced the capture of
Uruguay international defender Walter Lopez on a one-year contract.
The Hammers snapped up the 22-year-old left-back on a free transfer following
his decision
<< Bremen's Frings returns to training
Bremen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Werder Bremen midfielder Torsten Frings has
returned to training following the nose injury which forced his withdrawal from
the Germany squad.
The defensive midfielder has been forced to undergo correct
<< Ravens sign veteran OT Anderson
Owings Mills, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Ravens signed veteran
tackle Willie Anderson on Friday.
Anderson played in 175 of 177 possible games with the Cincinnati Bengals
between 1996 and 2006 before being limited due to
Baltimore hitting coach suspended game; O's make roster moves >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Baseball suspended Baltimore
Orioles hitting coach Terry Crowley one game for inappropriate actions in a
September 3 game against Red Sox.
Crowley will sit out Friday's contest against the
Mancini's agent denies interest in West Ham job >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roberto Mancini is the latest candidate to
be distanced from the managerial vacancy at West Ham United after claims from
his agent that the Italian coach is not currently seeking work.
Mancini, 43, was
Fiorentina's Mutu appeals FIFA ruling >>
Florence, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adrian Mutu has filed an appeal with the
Court of Arbitration for Sport against a FIFA ruling that he must pay $24.1
million in damages to Chelsea.
Mutu, who cost Chelsea $26.5 million when they
Struggling Wizards need result against Dynamo >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas City midfielder Davy Arnaud didn't waste
time reflecting on last week's 2-1 loss to San Jose, instead looking ahead to
Sunday's game at two-time defending Major League Soccer champion Houston.
"We wan
Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year
Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.
Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.
With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.
Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.
Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.
Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to bet on the NBA. With the regular season about to hit the homestretch, it is important to point out that MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.
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