07/02/2009 - Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies traded infielder Jeff Baker to the Chicago Cubs Thursday in exchange for minor league pitcher Alberto Alburquerque.
The Rockies had placed Baker on the 15-day disabled list with a left hand sprain, retroactive to April 27. He was transferred to the 60-day DL back on May 24 and has yet to play this season.
Baker was hitting just .130 with no homers and three RBI in 12 games this season.
Alburquerque made 24 appearances for the Cubs' Class A affiliate in Daytona Beach. He will be assigned to Colorado's Double-A squad in Tulsa.
<< Hossa's Cup quest leads him to Chicago
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's every NHL player's dream to win a
Stanley Cup title, and Marian Hossa is certainly no exception.
Over the past few years, Hossa's travels have taken him from Atlanta to
Pittsburgh to Detroit, and desp
<< Golf Tidbits: Should we believe Finchem?
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem met the
media on Wednesday at Congressional Country Club, site of this week's AT&T
National, and discussed many subjects.
The biggest topic was drug testing. Finchem a
<< Shane Sellers returns tonight at Evangeline
Opelousas, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Retired jockey Shane Sellers begins his
return to the races tonight (Thursday) at Evangeline Downs in Louisiana.
Sellers has been away from racing for 4 1/2 years due to a serious knee
injury.
<< Flames sign Garth Murray
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Flames have signed veteran center
Garth Murray and forward Riley Armstrong.
Terms of the contracts were not disclosed.
Murray appeared in 10 games last season for Phoenix and did not registe
Materazzi signs three-year extension with Inter >>
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defender Marco Materazzi has signed a three-
year contract extension with Inter Milan.
Materazzi, 35, had 12 months remaining on his existing deal but is now under
contract at the San Siro until 2012.
O'Neal ready to "Win a ring for The King" >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shaquille O'Neal met the media Thursday in
Cleveland, a week after he was traded to the Cavaliers from the Phoenix Suns,
and unveiled a new motto in his attempt to capture another NBA title.
"Win a ring
Coyotes ink D Aucoin >>
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Coyotes brought in veteran
defenseman Adrian Aucoin on a one-year contract Thursday.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed per team policy.
Aucoin, whose departure from Calgary was ea
Kaymer off to record-tying start in France >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin Kaymer got off to a flying start
Thursday as he fired a nine-under 62 to take a three-stroke lead after the
first round of the Open de France.
Kaymer matched the course record at Le Golf Na
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.
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