07/03/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There's some sort of buzz going on right now in Los Angeles. Is Eric Karros making a return to the Dodgers? Did Juan Pierre embarrass himself by rapping in public again?
Oh wait, Manny Ramirez is returning from his 50-game suspension Friday to help the National League West-leading Dodgers kick off a nine-game road trip against the Padres, Mets and Brewers.
If you don't own a television, do not read newspapers or web sites, then you would have no idea that Ramirez is back after violating the league's substance abuse policy for taking performance enhancing drugs. One of the most feared hitters this past decade, Ramirez, who's been the talk of the town lately, was slapped with a 50-game suspension on May 7 and baseball was slapped even harder in the face. The league's poster boy for antics and dominant skills, Ramirez served his time and even got some swings in at the minor league level. Now he just has to adjust to major league pitching and that certainly won't be a problem.
"We're looking forward to having Manny back," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said earlier this week on the team's official site. "I think he'll add something to our lineup."
How perceptive of you, Joe.
You have to feel bad for Padres starter Chad Gaudin, who gets to face Ramirez Friday night at Petco Park. LA fans will surely hit the road to San Diego to see one of the best hitters in baseball take center stage. The Dodgers played to a solid 29-21 mark without the slugger in the lineup and still lead the NL West with a comfortable 7 1/2-game lead over San Francisco. They were 6 1/2 games ahead of the competition and 21-8 when Ramirez was suspended.
LA still has the best record in baseball at 50-29 and got a huge lift from Juan Pierre in Ramirez's absence. Pierre started all 50 games in left field and did a fine job for Torre, going 68-for-214 for a .318 average with 14 doubles, 21 RBI, 31 runs, 15 walks and 20 steals in those games.
The Dodgers won't return to Chavez Ravine until after the All-Star break, when the "Mannywood" seats re-open for business. Ramirez was hitting .348 with six homers and 20 RBI before the suspension.
WILD CARD-LEADING GIANTS OPEN HOMESTAND
The San Francisco Giants will play by the Bay until after the All-Star break, as they open a 10-game homestand Friday versus Houston, Florida and San Diego.
The Giants (42-36) have won three straight as the host and sport a 24-12 record at AT&T Park this season. While winning the NL West division is a long shot with a 7 1/2-game deficit, San Francisco is currently in the driver's seat in the wild card standings. The lead isn't a big one, just a half-game ahead of Milwaukee and St. Louis, but it's better than not having one at all.
Starting pitching has been the key to the Giants' latest success, especially Matt Cain. Cain will most likely earn an All-Star nod and has lasted at least seven innings over four consecutive trips to the hill. He is 9-2 with a 2.48 ERA in 16 starts this season, and has taken away some of the load off of Tim Lincecum's young shoulder's.
Lincecum, last year's NL Cy Young Award winner, is just plain nasty. He has recorded three complete games over his past four starts, and has lasted no less than eight innings over that span. The righty is 8-2 with a 2.37 ERA through 16 outings in 2009, and will most likely join Cain on the NL All-Star roster.
Youngster Ryan Sadowski will shoot for an encore performance tonight in the opener against the Astros. Sadowski made his major league debut on Sunday at Milwaukee and threw six shutout innings in a 7-0 victory, scattering four hits and striking out two batters with three walks. The righty was 5-2 with a 4.11 earned run average in 13 starts for Triple-A Fresno before being recalled.
ROCKIES' MARQUIS LEADS NL IN WINS
The Colorado Rockies took a shot on Jason Marquis this offseason and the right-hander hasn't disappointed.
Marquis is on pace to finish with a career high in wins, as he sports a 10-5 record and a 3.87 earned run average in 16 starts this season. He posted his NL-leading 10th win in fashion on June 30 at the Los Angeles Dodgers, as he recorded his second complete game this season and third shutout of his career. Marquis held the Dodgers to a pair of hits in the 3-0 victory and fanned three batters. He also drove in two runs and threw 86 pitches, 66 for strikes.
"I can promise you in all the games that I've managed in the big leagues, I can't tell out that I've had a starting pitcher that pitched a nine-inning, complete-game shutout and did it with less than 90 pitches," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said on the team's site following the game.
It was Colorado's second win in 11 games against LA this season -- and both were with Marquis on the mound. It also gave the Rockies 21 wins in June, a club record for any month. The Rox won 20 in the September surge of 2007 that led to a playoff berth and their first World Series appearance.
The veteran right-hander has posted 10 or more wins in six straight seasons and improved to 6-2 over his previous nine starts. Marquis is on pace to finish with a career high in wins, and his best campaign came in 2004 as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. He was 15-7 in 32 starts that year.
Colorado (41-37) is back home after a lengthy road trip and will open a three- game series tonight against the NL West-rival Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field. It went 5-4 on a nine-game road swing through Anaheim, Oakland and Los Angeles and dropped two of three matchups with the Dodgers, including Wednesday's 1-0 loss behind Rafael Furcal's pinch-hit RBI single in the eighth inning off Rockies starter Jason Hammel. Hammel pitched brilliantly, allowing only that one run on five hits with five strikeouts through eight innings.
The Rockies, who are one game behind San Francisco for the top spot in the NL wild card standings, have won 21 of their past 26 games and own a 23-9 record under Tracy.
GONZALEZ SLOWING DOWN IN SAN DIEGO?
Hits and homers have been hard to come by for San Diego Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who has just two home runs since going deep in four straight games from May 30-June 2.
Gonzalez also hasn't had more than one hit in a game since a 4-for-4 effort against the Seattle Mariners on June 18. He has just seven total hits since then, spanning 41 at-bats and 13 games.
On a more positive note for the slugging Friar, Gonzalez has appeared in every game dating back to August 15, 2007 -- a stretch of 285 games. San Diego's all-time record for consecutive games played is held by Steve Garvey, who appeared in 305 straight games.
San Diego (34-44) has lost two straight, six of nine and 13 of its last 19 games. It fell to just 1-3 on a seven-game homestand versus the Astros and Dodgers. The Padres will welcome Manny Ramirez and LA to Petco Park for a three-game series over the weekend. Ramirez is coming off a 50-game suspension for the use of performance enhancing drugs.
SERIES WINS NOT COMING FOR D-BACKS
The Arizona Diamondbacks are brutal. They sit last in the NL West standings at 19 games off the pace and are also 11 1/2 games behind in the wild card race.
Over its last 11 series, Arizona (31-48) is only 1-8-2, with the lone victory coming against the Kansas City Royals from June 16-18. The D-Backs haven't won a series against a National League team since winning three of four matchups against the Florida Marlins from May 19-21.
Much of the blame can be directed towards the starting pitching staff. Brandon Webb is pretty much done for the season, Jon Garland hasn't won since May 19 and Doug Davis owns one win since May 4. Dan Haren and Max Scherzer have been respectable, but overall the rotation is under siege.
Garland has lost six of his last eight starts after opening the campaign 4-2 in eight trips to the hill. Garland is just 4-8 with a 4.81 ERA in 16 starts.
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In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.
Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.
The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.
What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.
These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.
College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.
Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.
Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.
Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.
I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.
Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.
It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.
As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.
Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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