Red Sox Sparks Seasons Down Logan

Baseball Betting Lines

New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daryle Ward, who played 11 seasons for six teams but has been out of Major League Baseball since 2008, was suspended 50 games for testing positive for an amphetamine. Ward, currently a free-agent minor league first baseman, will serve his suspension upon signing with a major league organization, MLB said Wednesday.

 

Additionally, MLB announced free agent minor league left-handed pitcher Dustin Richardson was suspended 50 games for testing positive for several substances. He will also serve his ban once he is signed somewhere.

 

The Tigers are coming off an American League Central title from 2011, their first division crown in 24 years, and lured one of the biggest available free agents to Detroit. He is familiar with the city, as his father, Cecil, played for the Tigers from 1990-96.

 

In 998 big league games, all with the Brewers, the 27-year-old Fielder has clubbed 230 homers and driven in 656 runs. He finished third in the voting for the National League Most Valuable Player last year after batting .299 with 38 homers and 120 RBI.

 

Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nationals have agreed to terms with reliever Brad Lidge on a one-year contract. Lidge, 35, has been a closer for much of his career, but has struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness in recent years. He will likely be a setup man for Drew Storen, who posted a 2.75 earned run average and converted 43-of-48 save chances for Washington last season.

 

The right-handed Lidge had spent the last four seasons with the Phillies and helped the team to a World Series title in 2008. He posted a 1.95 ERA and converted all 48 of his save opportunities during the regular season and playoffs.

 

Lidge has spent 10 seasons in the majors after being selected in the first round of the 1998 draft by Houston. He pitched his first six seasons with the Astros.

 

Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Athletics have agreed to terms on a one- year contract with outfielder Jonny Gomes. Gomes, 31, split last season between Cincinnati and Washington, and hit .209 with 14 homers and 43 RBI in 120 games. The Reds traded him to the Nationals in late July.

 

Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox signed outfielder Cody Ross to a one-year contract on Thursday. Ross batted .240 with 14 home runs and 52 RBI over 121 games with San Francisco last season.

 

The 31-year-old has played in 757 game over eight major league seasons with the Tigers, Dodgers, Reds, Marlins and Giants. He is a career .261 hitter with 100 homers and 371 RBI.

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Betting Football

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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.