Reports: A's land Cuban slugger Cespedes
Baseball Betting Lines
02/13/2012 - Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics and coveted Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes agreed to terms on a four-year contract Monday, according to reports.
The deal is worth $36 million and won't be officially announced until Cespedes completes a physical, MLB.com reported.
Under terms of the contract, the A's will not be able to offer the 26-year-old arbitration, meaning he will automatically become a free agent following the 2015 season, according to MLB.com.
Several other teams were said to be in the running to land Cespedes, a Cuban defector who has been granted residency in the Dominican Republic.
The Miami Marlins also offered him $36 million, but over six years instead of four, ESPN reported.
Cespedes' contract with the A's will pay him $6.5 million in the first year, $8.5 million in the second and $10.5 million in each of the final two years, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Touted as a five-tool player, Cespedes batted .333 with a league-record 33 home runs during the 2010-11 season in Cuba and started in center field for the country during the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While it may appear that Kentucky head coach John Calipari comfortably plays the part of a New York stockbroker, cynics may believe he is a no-stone-unturned salesman more interested in the commodity's worth
<< Bombers re-sign QB Brink
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers re-signed
quarterback Alex Brink to a new contract on Monday. Terms of the deal were not
disclosed.
In eight games last season, including two starts, Brink threw for 1,023
<< Jeremy Lin highlights NBA Players of the Week
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin was
further acknowledged for his surprising play on Monday, earning Eastern
Conference Player of the Week honors for games completed through February 12.
Oklah
<< Union adds MLS veteran Albright
Chester, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Union has signed MLS veteran
defender Chris Albright, the club announced on Monday.
Albright is a three-time MLS All-Star and has spent 13 seasons in the league
with four teams.
The 33-
<< Oilers ink Sutton to extension
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Oilers agreed to terms with
defenseman Andy Sutton on a one-year contract extension Monday.
Acquired on July 1 from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defenseman Kurtis
Foster, the 36-ye
Sao Paulo, Brazil (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Italy's Filippo Volandri cruised to a straight-set win over seventh-seeded Albert Montanes on Monday in the first round of the $475,300 Brasil Open. Volandri won nearly 80 percent of his first-serv
NTRA Pre-season Polls released >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Thoroughbred Racing Association
(NTRA) released a pair of pre-season 'Kick-Off' polls for the 2012 racing
season. Performances are through Sunday, February 12.
Game On Dude is first in the
NASCAR champ Stewart appearing on ABC television show >>
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
champion Tony Stewart has done some acting during the offseason.
Stewart, who captured his third Sprint Cup title last season, will appear on
an upcoming episod
CAA gets deal with NBC Sports Group >>
Richmond, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colonial Athletic Association announced
Monday a five-year agreement with the NBC Sports Group to broadcast conference
football and men's and women's basketball games.
The agreement begins with the 2012-13
Patriot League adding football scholarships in 2013 >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Touchdown.
After exhaustive debate in recent years, the Patriot League has decided to
start awarding athletic scholarships in football - 15 each year - beginning
with the 2013 season.
The league
MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
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