Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
07/31/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - I guess the Houston Astros and Cleveland Indians really enjoyed last year's World Series.
After the Astros paid the Philadelphia Phillies to basically take Roy Oswalt off their hands, Houston general manager Ed Wade shipped Lance Berkman to the New York Yankees for marginal prospects and will pay more than half of the $7.1 million guaranteed to him the rest of this season.
Not to be outdone, Cleveland shipped outfielder Austin Kearns to New York on Friday for a player to be named later, then right before the deadline also sent closer Kerry Wood to the Yankees with the option of either taking $500,000 or a pair of middling prospects. Of course, the Tribe will help out the "cash-strapped" Yankees this year by assuming $2.3 million of the $3.8 million left on Wood's deal.
Is Brian Cashman a ninja? How exactly is he getting these general managers to give the Yankees money?
Heading into the season I thought there was a better than average chance that we were going to be watching the same two teams as last year battle it out in the World Series. The Yankees are already the best team in baseball at the moment, and made themselves even better on Saturday.
Berkman is going to be a monster hitting in front of Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez. And Wood is the ultimate security blanket for Joba Chamberlain. Injuries are always a concern with Wood, but if he is healthy this could be a huge move. And if he is not? Who cares? They got him for a song and a dance. If anything it is addition by subtraction for them, because Chan Ho Park was designated for assignment to make room for Wood on the roster.
You want to talk about depth on the Yankees? Kearns was the Cleveland Indians' two-hitter; he is now the fourth outfielder on the Yankees. Don't sleep on that move. It could turn out to be a very important under-the-radar transaction.
For the NFL fans out there who will soon be crying about losing two preseason games, enjoy the Yankees from here on out, because they will be staging a two- month long exhibition season until October.
The Phillies, on the other hand, have some work to do, especially given the fact that the National League East-leading Atlanta Braves helped themselves out immensely on Saturday with the acquisition of Rick Ankiel and Kyle Farnsworth.
Atlanta's bullpen was already as deep as any team in baseball and Ankiel, simply put, is a huge upgrade over Nate McLouth, who was sent to Triple-A earlier in the week.
With a gun to my head, though, I still think I would choose the Phillies to win the East. I am a little less sure of it now than I was this morning, but the top of that rotation is nasty. I still think the Phils are in line for their fourth straight division title.
The Phillies' biggest problem is still their bullpen. They did not address it on Saturday, and will have trouble doing so through waivers in the next month. So I guess Philadelphia just holds its breath from the seventh inning on.
Either way, though, whether they win the division or not, I think the Phillies will win the wild card. As Bill Parcells says, "All you have to do is make the tournament." And with a starting trio of Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Oswalt, they will be an extremely tough out.
A lot of talk heading into Saturday surrounded Nationals slugger Adam Dunn, but in the end he stayed put, much to the chagrin of the Chicago White Sox, who did everything in their power to land him. I still think there is a chance Dunn gets moved at some point over the next month through waivers.
There was a name from trade deadlines past making the rounds early in the day, as it was being reported that the Los Angeles Dodgers were listening to offers for Manny Ramirez. I did not buy it. The Dodgers can't hit as it is; losing Ramirez wouldn't have solved anything.
Now, the Yankees and Braves weren't the only contending teams making moves prior to Saturday's non-waiver trade deadline. Let's take a look at some of the winners and losers on a busy trade deadline Saturday:
WINNERS
LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Nobody was sure what to make of the Dodgers as we headed into the deadline. They needed a starting pitcher and could have used another reliever, but their finances have been a problem with the messy divorce of team owner Frank McCourt. Los Angeles, though, filled both needs by landing lefty Ted Lilly, who should thrive in a pitchers' park like Chavez Ravine; and Octavio Dotel, who will serve as Jonathan Broxton's setup man. Dotel didn't come cheap, though, as the Dodgers sent lefty James McDonald to Pittsburgh along with a terrific prospect in outfielder Andrew Lambo.
SAN DIEGO PADRES
San Diego is going for it. Pitching has easily made the Padres the biggest surprise in baseball this season, and now they have upgraded their offense over the past few days, first picking up Miguel Tejada from Baltimore, then on Saturday acquiring outfielder Ryan Ludwick from St. Louis. Tejada is an RBI machine and will fit nicely behind Adrian Gonzalez, while Ludwick adds even more pop. I can't believe it, but I think the Padres are going to win the NL West.
TEXAS RANGERS
For a team that is not sure who its owners are, Texas sure does make a lot of moves. The Rangers are the biggest winners of all. Not from a move they made Saturday, however, but for picking up Cliff Lee just before the All-Star break. He was the best player on the market and they got him. The Rangers went from team that could contend for a postseason spot, to becoming a team that could really make some noise in October. Jorge Cantu was then picked up earlier this week to provide some depth at first base and the addition of Cristian Guzman is a perfect stopgap at second base until Ian Kinsler returns.
LOSERS
CHICAGO WHITE SOX
I guess it is hard to blame the White Sox for not getting Dunn. I am not sure what else they could have done. It seems like Washington really had to be bowled over to deal him. That seemed to be the case early on, though. Why didn't Kenny Williams look elsewhere for a bat? The Ramirez stuff was never going to happen. On the bright side I do like the pickup of righty Edwin Jackson, who could thrive under very underrated pitching coach Don Cooper. They needed a big stick, though, and came up short. Last year they were able to get Alex Rios on waivers. Hopefully lighting strikes twice for fans on the South Side of Chicago.
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
The Giants were in the same boat as the White Sox in looking for a bat. It wasn't Dunn they were seeking, however, but they were trying hard for Milwaukee's Corey Hart and Toronto's Jose Bautista. The Giants, though, are probably in the best position of any of the contenders to land a player through waivers.
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
The Cardinals went into July with the hope of landing Oswalt or Dan Haren. They ended up with Jake Westbrook, at the expense of their offense in Ludwick. Now with Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright atop their rotation, the Cardinals are already in pretty good shape. They probably could have gotten by with just rookie Jaime Garcia and the returning Kyle Lohse. Westbrook won't hurt them by any stretch, I just think they gave up too much for him.
HOUSTON ASTROS
What exactly is Ed Wade doing? I did not get the Oswalt deal on Thursday and I certainly don't understand the Berkman trade. Why are you paying these teams to take your superstars? I find it hard to believe you could not have found a better deal for Berkman than you got from the Yankees, considering you were willing to pay more than half the money he had coming to him. Not to mention they signed Brett Myers to a multi-year deal. I hope Wade is renting, not buying in Houston.
HOW WAIVER WIRE DEALS WORK
Today was technically the trade deadline, but deals can still be made through the waiver wire over the next month or so.
Here is how that works:
Any player can be put on waivers by his team, and the player does not need to be informed. Other teams then have the chance to make a claim on the player during a 47-hour window.
If the player is claimed, the team that placed him on waivers has the option of pulling him back. If the team pulls him back they can't trade him for 30 days.
If his team decides not to pull him back:
Option 1: His team can work out a trade with the team that claimed him. Any player involved in the trade who is on a 40-man roster must go through waivers first.
Option 2: His team can just dump him and his salary on the team that claimed him, receiving no player in return.
Option 3: No one claims him, and his team is free to trade him to any team.
If more than one team places a claim on a player, the winning claim is awarded based on worst record or the league the claiming team is in.
There is not a deadline at any point. There is a "playoff roster" deadline of September 1, but there's an injury loophole that has been exploited in the past.
<< Hahn, Chappell share lead at Cox Classic
Omaha, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - James Hahn fired a seven-under 64 and Kevin
Chappell had a three-under 68 to share the third-round lead Saturday at the
Cox Classic.
They finished 54 holes on the Champions Run course at 17-under 196 to take a
o
<< Hanigan, Arroyo lead Reds past Braves
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Hanigan delivered the tie-breaking two-
run double in the seventh inning, and Bronson Arroyo tossed seven sturdy
frames in Cincinnati's 5-2 win over Atlanta in the middle tilt of a three-game
set.
<< A Little Warm is hot horse in Jim Dandy Stakes
Saratoga Springs, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A Little Warm, ridden by John
Velazquez, took the lead in mid-stretch on his way to winning Saturday's
$500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.
The 1 1/8-mile contest is the
<< Sunderland signs Richardson to extension
Sunderland, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunderland signed midfielder Kieran
Richardson to a contract extension through the 2012-13 season on Saturday.
Richardson, 25, joined Sunderland from Manchester United in 2007 and has made
85 appea
Boston calls up Kalish; designates Hermida for assignment >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox designated outfielder Jeremy
Hermida for assignment to make room on the 25-man roster for outfield prospect
Ryan Kalish, who was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket.
Kalish was immediately ins
Ortiz's late heroics helps BoSox slip past Detroit >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Ortiz provided some late-game dramatics
yet again, belting a game-winning three-run double in the ninth inning to lift
the Red Sox to a 5-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers.
Ryan Perry, who came into t
Hamilton scratched from Rangers' lineup >>
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -Major league batting leader Josh Hamilton was scratched from the Texas Rangers' lineup Saturday night because of patella tendinitis in his right knee.Hamilton, hitting .362 with 23 homers and 75 RBIs, started in center field in
Querrey beats Tipsarevic to reach final in LA >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending champion Sam Querrey battled
back from a set down to defeat sixth-seeded Janko Tipsarevic in the semifinals
Saturday at the $700,000 Farmers Classic tennis event.
The second-seeded American Que
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.
Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.
The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.
Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.
NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.
"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.
The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.
But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.
The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.
Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.
The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.
The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.
The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.
Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.
Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."
Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.
"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."
Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.
It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.
"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."
Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.
"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."
At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.
According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.
Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.
Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.
When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.
He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.
Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.
Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.
Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.
While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.
"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.
Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.
Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your VISA Sportsbook needs.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting