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09/02/2010 - Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Florida Marlins catcher John Baker is headed for Tommy John surgery on Friday.
The Miami Herald reported Thursday that Baker, who has not played since May 12, will undergo a procedure to repair a damaged ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
Dr. James Andrews is scheduled to perform the reconstructive surgery, according to the paper.
A former fourth-round pick of Oakland in the 2002 draft, Baker was limited to 23 games this year, during which he hit .218 with three doubles and six RBI.
In other injury news, reserve infielder Donnie Murphy had surgery Thursday to repair a dislocated right wrist. He sustained the hurt during Wednesday's game against the Nationals.
<< Iowa gives Ferentz extension through 2020
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -Iowa says it is extending coach Kirk Ferentz's contract through 2020.Ferentz's current deal runs through 2015 and pays him roughly $2.84 million per season. Ferentz's new deal will total nearly $3.7 million a year.School offici
<< Braves activate Glaus
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves activated first baseman
Troy Glaus from the 15-day disabled list prior to Thursday's game against the
Mets.
Glaus had been on the DL since August 18 with inflammation in his left knee
<< Hawks sign C Thomas
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks signed free agent center Etan
Thomas on Thursday. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
An eight-year veteran, Thomas spent last season with Oklahoma City and in 23
games a
<< Boston's Buchholz named AL Pitcher of the Month
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz was
named the American League Pitcher of the Month for August.
Buchholz was 4-0 with a minuscule 1.03 earned-run average over six August
starts. He struck out
Preds ownership completes Del Biaggio buyout >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nashville Predators chairman Tom
Cigarran announced on Thursday that the current ownership group has completed
the purchase of remaining ownership shares from jailed former investor William
"Boots"
Avalanche sign Stewart for two years >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche signed restricted free-
agent forward Chris Stewart to a two-year deal on Thursday.
The 22-year-old led the Avs with 28 goals and ranked second in points with 64
over 77 regular-season
Steelers' Leftwich hurts left knee >>
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Steelers quarterback Byron Leftwich, expected to start during Ben Roethlisberger's suspension, has injured his left knee during the first half of an exhibition game against Carolina.Leftwich completed an 18-yard pass to rookie Emma
Dunlap, Sisk share Mylan Classic lead >>
Canonsburg, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Dunlap and Geoffrey Sisk both carded
rounds of six-under 65 on Thursday to share the 18-hole lead at the inaugural
Mylan Classic.
Dunlap and Sisk collected eight birdies and two bogeys apiece on the
S
The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
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