Red Sox offer arbitration to Varitek and Byrd

Baseball Betting Lines

12/01/2008 - Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox have offered salary arbitration to free agent catcher Jason Varitek and right-handed pitcher Paul Byrd.

The Red Sox would be eligible to receive compensation for Varitek, a Type A free agent, and Byrd, a Type B free agent. Players offered salary arbitration have until the conclusion of this Sunday to accept or decline that offer.

Varitek posted a .220 batting average with 13 home runs and 43 runs batted in over 131 games last season, while Byrd combined for an 11-12 record and a 4.60 earned-run average in 30 starts with Cleveland and Boston.

The Red Sox also announced it will not offer salary arbitration to pitchers Bartolo Colon, Curt Schilling and Mike Timlin, catcher David Ross, infielders Sean Casey and Alex Cora, and outfielder Mark Kotsay.

Lasveags Baseball Betting News

<< Harris paces Orange to rout of Colgate
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Harris netted 22 points as the 16h-ranked Syracuse Orange dominated the Colgate Raiders in an 86-51 win at the Carrier Dome. Jonny Flynn had 12 points and a game-high seven assists for Syracuse (7-0)

<< McGrady on the shelf for another week
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Rockets forward Tracy McGrady is expected to be out for another week due to a sore left knee, while guard Brent Barry will be sidelined at least another two weeks due to a right leg injury. McGra

<< Rockies offer Fuentes arbitration
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies offered left-handed relief pitcher Brian Fuentes salary arbitration on Monday. The Rockies will receive two draft picks should Fuentes decline arbitration and sign elsewhere. Fuentes

<< Dodgers offer arbitration to Manny, Lowe and Blake
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers offered salary arbitration to outfielder Mann Ramirez, starting pitcher Derek Lowe and infielder Casey Blake on Monday. Ramirez and Lowe are Type-A free agents, which

<< Burnett offered arbitration by Blue Jays
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays offered salary arbitration to star right-handed hurler A.J. Burnett on Monday. Burnett finished second to ace Roy Halladay in wins for Toronto a season ago, going 18-10 with

Rinne gets first career shutout as Predators top Sabres >>
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pekka Rinne recorded his first career shutout as Nashville scored twice in the third period for a 2-0 win over Buffalo at HSBC Arena. Rinne, who was a perfect 3-0-0 entering the game, stopped all 30 s

Richardson paces Bobcats over Timberwolves >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Richardson scored a season-high 25 points, and Emeka Okafor added a season-best 24 points to go along with 10 rebounds, as Charlotte downed Minnesota, 100-90. The Bobcats also got a season-h

Pierce keys Celtics' ninth straight win >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Pierce scored 17 of his team-high 24 points in the third quarter, as the Boston Celtics rolled to their ninth straight win by beating Orlando, 107-88. Ray Allen scored 21 points, Rajon Rondo netted 16 poi

Knicks tell Marbury to stay away >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks have told disgruntled guard Stephon Marbury to stay away from the team until his contract situation can be worked out. Marbury, who is being paid $21.7 million this season and is in

Canucks' G Sanford leaves game with back spasms >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vancouver Canucks netminder Curtis Sanford left Monday's 3-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets following the first period due to back spasms. Sanford stopped all 11 shots in the first period before being r


FOOTBALL TRASH TALK

NFL Football Trash Talk

Trash talk has a place in every competitive endeavor (except baseball; those stirrup-wearers are too busy chewing on their sunflower seeds and their “supplements” to worry about what their opponents are doing).

Fantasy sports is no exception. Any intelligent discussion of the subject would probably start with a thesis statement or a definition of terms. Thankfully, this won’t be an intelligent discussion.

Let me just say that I am happy to take a place in this space alongside my talented colleagues, even our commissioner. (You should see how she bleats like a demented paper boy about league fees on our fantasy site).

Trash talking, I would argue, is primarily about amusing your friends, their sheeplike demeanors and sloping foreheads notwithstanding. The best place I have found for football trash talking is at www.SportsAlarm.com.

Beyond the entertainment factor, though, I would recognize that the sophomoric ritual has one advantage, when properly applied. It magnifies your fantasy triumphs and mitigates your fantasy failures by transforming the eventual point total into an afterthought. Winning makes it seem like your opponent really is a “truss-owning, lapel-pin-wearing nitwit.” And in defeat, trash talk can be the air bag to break the fall from your hyperbolic heights. “The plug-necked yahoos on your team,” you can say, “will be sacking groceries by the end of the season.”

The best trash talk, in my view, is layered and nuanced. And it doesn’t focus only on your opponent’s team. It picks apart your opponent. The idea is to create a shock-and-awe-scale blizzard of nonsense, and the goal is to make your opponent drop his hands from his keyboard in exasperation.

What team does your opponent root for? Accuse a Giants fan of having a Joe Namath pillowcase. Where’s your opponent from? Give a look of concern no matter his reply, then say, “I’ll try to type slower for you next time.” Is your opponent into politics? Label everyone a tax-and-spend corporate shill.

Cap all that with a liberal application of irrelevance. For instance, don’t just conclude by saying your opponent is a “twerp who drafts like my grandmother.” Say that your opponent is a “sweater-wearing, eyebrow-plucking twerp who drafts his team about as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor gave acceptance speeches at the Oscars.” By the time your foe makes sense of that, his starting running back will have had puppies.

But what about you? Hmm? Recall a memorable slam? Have a tried-and-true technique? Know someone who seems impervious to insult? Take a moment and tells us about it. Put together some (fit-for-publication) thoughts. You won’t be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, I’m sure, to reply.

In addition to the trash talking, the Sports Alarm has a huge gallery of high resolution pictures of beautiful women and models in bikinis. The most popular models are: Lindsay Lohan, Carrie Underwood, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paris Hilton.







MySportsbook.com week 1 NFL lines


Now that the 2008 NFL schedule is finally out, it is only matter-of-course for lines on “Week 1” to follow.  Of course MySportsbook.com is the first to churn out odds for the NFL’s inaugural week for the upcoming season.   Expect a lot of fireworks the first Thursday night of the season as the defending champion Indianapolis Colts face off against the surprise of the 2008 season, the New Orleans Saints.  These teams were ranked #1 and #3 in the NFL respectively a season ago so a high scoring affair could be in order.  As of now, the Colts will be giving 6 points to the Saints; keep in mind the Saints were one of the better road teams last season going 6-3 SU and 7-2 ATS.  The first Monday night of the season will again provide a “double feature”. Coming off a disappointing season, the Cincinnati Bengals will look to get back to playoffs and improve their public image as they take on the AFC North favorite Baltimore Ravens.  The second game features a couple of teams that haven’t had too much success recently but each could make some noise if the NFC is as weak as it was last year as the San Francisco 49ers host the Arizona Cardinals. The most interesting game of the opening week will feature the NFC champion Bears as they hit the road to take on the NFL’s top team during last year’s regular season, the San Diego Chargers.

MySportsbook.com Week 1 odds:

Saints +6 @ Colts -6

Falcons @ Vikings (pick ‘em)

Panthers @ Rams (pick ‘em)

Broncos -3.5 @ Bills +3.5

Chiefs -1 @ Texans +1

Dolphins +3 @ Redskins -3

Patriots -5 @ Jets +5

Eagles -3.5 @ Packers +3.5

Steelers -4 @ Browns +4

Titans +6 @ Jaguars -6

Bears +6 @ Chargers -6

Lions +3 @ Raiders -3

Bucs +6.5 @ Seahawks -6.5

Giants +4 @ Cowboys -4

Ravens +3 @ Bengals -3

Cardinals +3 @ 49ers -3

 Super Bowl line (2008)

NFC +6.5 vs. AFC -6.5

MySportsbook is a large, publicly traded company with strong financial backing. You will find their customer service is second to none and their web site is extremely user friendly and easy-to-use. All major professional sports games are available. Once you signup with MySportsbook, you may never use another online sportsbook again.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.