Eagles sign top pick DE Graham
Football Betting Lines
07/29/2010 - Bethlehem, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Eagles have inked top pick defensive end Brandon Graham to a five-year contract.
He is expected to be available for the team's afternoon practice on Friday. Financial terms were not disclosed.
"I can't tell you how excited I am to get there and get it going," Graham said. "I didn't want it to seem like I felt I was better than anybody else. I left it all to my agent, and I think him and the Eagles for making this happen."
Graham was taken 13th overall in this year's draft by the Eagles, who traded up in the first round to grab him. He recorded 10 sacks in each of his last two seasons with the Michigan Wolverines and 28 overall in four years with the school.
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ramon Castro homered twice and Juan Pierre stroked a two-run double, as the Chicago White Sox beat Seattle, 9-5, to sweep a four-game series and extend their home winning streak to 11 games. Paul Konerko
<< Cobourne, Als crush Argonauts
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Avon Cobourne racked up 231 total yards and
scored a pair of rushing touchdowns ,as the Montreal Alouettes trounced the
Toronto Argonauts, 41-10, at McGill Stadium.
Cobourne rushed for 115 yards on 20 ca
<< Nationals send Capps to Twins for Ramos
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals have traded
closer Matt Capps to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for highly
regarded catcher prospect Wilson Ramos.
Additionally the Nationals will also r
<< After Oswalt acquisition, Phillies win eighth straight
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wilson Valdez helped Philadelphia
celebrate its acquisition of pitcher Roy Oswalt with a game-winning RBI single
in the bottom of the 11th inning, as the Phillies completed a three-game sweep
and won
<< Sharks sign D Demers to two-year extension
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks signed defenseman Jason
Demers to a two-year contract extension on Thursday.
The 22-year-old Demers finished fourth among NHL rookie defenseman with 21
points (four goals, 17 assis
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rodriguez didn't hit his 600th career home run, but drove in three runs while both Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson added two RBI as the New York Yankees used a late burst of offense to down Clevela
Young, Teagarden help Rangers beat A's >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Young finished 4-for-4 with three
runs scored, and Taylor Teagarden hit a two-run homer, as the Texas Rangers
defeated the Oakland Athletics, 7-4, in the rubber match of a three-game
series.
Vaughan leads Senior Open by two >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bruce Vaughan carded a four-under 66 Thursday
to grab a two-stroke lead after the opening round of the U.S. Senior Open
Championship at Sahalee Country Club.
Vaughan's lone win on the Champions Tour was
Bartoli, Sharapova move on in Stanford >>
Stanford, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marion Bartoli and Maria Sharapova were both
second-round winners in Thursday's action at the $700,000 Bank of the West
Classic tennis event.
The fourth-seeded and defending champion Bartoli notched a
O's edge Royals in 11 innings >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ty Wigginton hit two sacrifice fly balls,
including the game-winner in the 11th, helping the Baltimore Orioles snap a
five-game losing streak with a 6-5 win over the Kansas City Royals.
Nick Markakis
SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting
NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.
That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.
A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."
It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.
The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.
So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."
Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.
Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.
Seriously.
The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.
The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.
Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."
The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.
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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.''
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