Football Betting

Beltre has surgery

Baseball Betting Lines

06/30/2009 - Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre underwent surgery Tuesday to remove bone spurs in his left shoulder.

Beltre, who was also put on the 15-day disabled list, had the procedure performed by Dr. Lewis Yocum in Los Angeles. Beltre had similar surgery last September. He's expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks.

The two-time Gold Glove winner is batting .259 with five home runs and 30 RBI in 72 games this season. Beltre is in the final season of a five-year contract he signed prior to the 2005 campaign.

The Mariners also selected the contract of outfielder Ryan Langerhans from Triple-A Tacoma, and announced catcher Jamie Burke cleared waivers and was sent outright to Tacoma. Langerhans was acquired Sunday from the Washington Nationals, while Burke was designated for assignment on Friday when catcher Kenji Johjima was activated from the DL.

<< Stars re-sign Lehtinen to one-year deal
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Stars announced Tuesday that they have re-signed right wing Jere Lehtinen to a one-year contract for the 2009-10 season. The deal includes a $1.5 million base salary, and as much as $1 million m

<< Diamondbacks activate Tracy
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks activated first baseman Chad Tracy from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday. Tracy sustained an oblique strain in a game against the Braves on May 29. The veteran went 3-for-4

<< Bruins buy out Schaefer
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins announced Tuesday that they have bought out the final year of forward Peter Schaefer's contract. Schaefer, 31, did not see the ice in Boston last season, spending the entire campaign in Pr

<< Lions acquire WR Northcutt from Jags
Allen Park, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Lions acquired wide receiver Dennis Northcutt from the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for safety Gerald Alexander on Tuesday. The 31-year-old Northcutt, who spent the last two seasons

<< Blackhawks give Bolland five-year deal
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks re-signed center Dave Bolland to a five-year deal on Tuesday. Bolland, Chicago's 32nd overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, appeared in 81 of the Blackhawks' 82 games last season,

Smith to serve as Division I men's basketball chair >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NCAA announced on Tuesday that Gene Smith, the current associate vice president and athletics director at Ohio State, has been named chair of the Division I Men's Basketball Committee for the 201

Montana State gives basketball coaches three-year extensions >>
Bozeman, MT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montana State University has agreed to three-year contract extensions with head women's basketball coach Tricia Binford and head men's coach Brad Huse. Each coach was set to enter the 2009-10

Utah C Okur to return next season >>
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Utah Jazz center Mehmet Okur decided to exercise his player option in his contract and return to the team next season, the club announced on Tuesday. Okur, who came to Utah as a free agent i

Suns exercise option on Amundson >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Suns exercised the second-year team option on the contract of forward Louis Amundson. Signed by the Suns last August, Amundson saw action in a career-high 76 games last season and averaged 4.2 poin

Boozer, Okur to remain with Jazz >>
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Forward Carlos Boozer and center Mehmet Okur both announced they will remain with the Utah Jazz for the 2009-10 campaign. Boozer announced he will exercise his player option and remain with the

Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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