Astros and SS Lowrie agree to terms

Baseball Betting Lines

02/08/2012 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros and shortstop Jed Lowrie agreed to terms on a one-year contract Wednesday, avoiding arbitration.

He was acquired from Boston in a trade in December that saw Houston also get pitcher Kyle Weiland from reliever Mark Melancon.

Lowrie appeared in a career-high 88 games last season and batted .252 with six home runs and 36 runs batted in. He played at every infield position in 2011.

Over four seasons in the majors, all with Boston, the 27-year-old has played in 256 games and has batted .252 with 19 home runs and 117 RBI.

With his signing, the team has all arbitration eligible players under contract for the 2012 season.

Wwinfospace Baseball Betting News

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Conway, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coastal Carolina will open the Joe Moglia era by hosting North Carolina A&T and has four other home games as part of a 2012 football schedule announced on Wednesday. Moglia was hired in December as the secon

<< St. John's G Stith leaves team
Queens, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Junior guard Malik Stith is leaving St. John's because of personal reasons, head coach Steve Lavin announced Wednesday. The university said Stith would remain a part of the St. John's program as a student-wo

<< Alouettes release Stewart, Desriveaux
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Alouettes released two long- time players Wednesday, cutting ties to defensive end Anwar Stewart and wide receiver Danny Desriveaux. "On behalf of the Montreal Alouettes, I would like to

<< Heat G Chalmers inactive vs. Magic
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miami Heat guard Mario Chalmers was inactive for Wednesday night's game at Orlando because of a left hand sprain. The Heat said Chalmers, who has played all 25 games this season, was day-to- day with the i

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Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indianapolis Colts have promoted Tom Telesco to vice president of football operations. Telesco, who spent 14 years in the personnel department, was promoted by new general manager Ryan Grigson. The

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Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Cavaliers rookie point guard Kyrie Irving has been ruled out of Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers due to a concussion. He is listed as day-to-day. Irving suffered the concussion aft

No. 11 Michigan State hangs on vs. PSU >>
East Lansing, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Draymond Green had 23 points and 12 rebounds and No. 11 Michigan State led wire-to-wire to beat Penn State, 77-57, at Breslin Center on Wednesday. Penn State cut the Spartans' advantage, as large

Virginia rolls over Wake Forest >>
Charlottesville, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Scott led a balanced attack with 19 points and five rebounds as the 19th-ranked Virginia Cavaliers dominated the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, 68-44. Joe Harris added 11 points for the Cavaliers

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Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kris Joseph scored a career-high 29 points and hit the game-winning shot in overtime, as No. 2 Syracuse downed No. 12 Georgetown, 64-61, on Wednesday. The Orange (24-1, 11-1 Big East) have won four st

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El Duque expected to throw Tuesday

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.

Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.

El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.

MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds. 

Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.

New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.

Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''

Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

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Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

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.