11/07/2008 - Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers exercised their 2009 option on infielder Hank Blalock Friday. Per team policy, financial terms of the deal were not announced.
The 27-year-old Blalock hit .287 with 12 home runs, 19 doubles and 38 RBI in 65 games with the Rangers during the 2008 season, his seventh with the club.
The two-time All Star missed a total of 108 days due to a pair of disabled list stints in 2008, but still managed a .337 average with eight homers, 10 doubles and 23 RBI over 24 contests in September this past season.
<< Stars activate D Zubov off IR
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Stars activated defenseman Sergei
Zubov off the injured reserve list Friday.
The 38-year-old Zubov missed all of training camp and the first 12 games of
this season after undergoing hip surgery
<< Ravens CB McAlister opts for surgery
Owings Mills, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ravens cornerback Chris McAlister opted
to have season-ending surgery on his right knee Friday and will be placed on
injured reserve, according to Baltimore coach John Harbaugh.
"Talking to Chris to
<< Tottenham's Dos Santos out with ankle injury
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mexico international Giovani Dos Santos is
set for a spell on the sidelines, according to Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp.
The teenager missed Thursday's UEFA Cup victory against Dinamo Zagreb after
inj
<< Bills sign LB Lehman, place CB Youboty on IR
Orchard Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) The Buffalo Bills signed linebacker
Teddy Lehman and placed cornerback Ashton Youboty on injured reserve Friday.
The 6-foot-2, 238-pound Lehman was most recently with the Lions, but suffered
an in
Aberdeen's Duff set for knee surgery >>
Aberdeen, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aberdeen midfielder Stuart Duff is
unlikely to play again this year after being told he needs surgery on his
injured knee.
Dons boss Jimmy Calderwood made the decision to send Duff for an op
Lazio's Mauri hopes to sign new contract >>
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lazio midfielder Stefano Mauri has urged the
Rome club to offer him a new contract.
The former Udinese winger is out of contract at the end of the current season
but, after proving his worth to the f
Newcastle's Kinnear slams Owen rumors >>
Newcastle, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Newcastle interim manager Joe Kinnear has
denied reports which suggested Michael Owen could join Chelsea in the January
transfer window.
The 28-year-old striker's future on Tyneside remains uncertain
Fiorentina's Mutu out two weeks >>
Florence, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fiorentina striker Adrian Mutu has been
ruled out for two weeks with a stomach muscle injury.
The injury-plagued Romania international picked up his latest problem after
scoring during the midweek
Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game
How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.
A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.
Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.
The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).
Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.
The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).
Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
To visit this online sports book got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
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