11/03/2008 - St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays announced on Monday that the team has declined the 2009 options on the contracts of designated hitter Cliff Floyd and pitcher Trever Miller.
Floyd appeared in 80 games last year, which included 72 starts as the designated hitter. He batted .268 on the season and had 11 home runs and 39 RBI.
The 35-year-old has been in the majors since 1993 and in 1,611 games he has 233 home runs and 865 RBI along with a .279 average. He has also played for Montreal, Florida, Boston, the Mets and the Cubs.
Miller made 68 appearances for Tampa last season out of the bullpen and went 2-0 with a 4.15 earned-run average in 43 1/3 innings of work.
Since his first appearance in the majors in 1996, he has pitched in 519 games and has a 14-14 record with a 4.43 ERA. He has played for Detroit, Houston, the Dodgers, Philadelphia, Toronto and Houston.
The team also announced on Monday that catcher Michel Hernandez has cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Durham.
<< Iverson heads to Pistons for three players
Auburn Hills, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Pistons pulled off a big
deal on Monday, acquiring star guard Allen Iverson from the Denver Nuggets in
exchange for three players.
Leaving the Motor City will be guard Chauncey Billups,
<< British Columbia dominates West Division All-Star team
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Canadian Football League announced
the 2008 West Division All-Star team on Monday, as voted upon by members of
the Football Reporters of Canada.
The British Columbia Lions garnered 13 mention
<< Bills S Whitner likely out vs. Pats with separated shoulder
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Bills will likely be without the
services of safety Donte Whitner in this Sunday's divisional battle against
the New England Patriots.
Whitner suffered a separated shoulder in Sunday's 26-17
<< Montreal and Winnipeg headline East Division All-Star team
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Canadian Football League on Monday
announced the 2008 East Division All-Star team, as voted upon by members of
the Football Reporters of Canada.
Fourteen Alouettes garnered mention, led by
Blue Jackets activate Modin from IR >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets activated forward
Fredrik Modin from injured reserve on Monday.
The 34-year-old has just three assists in five games this season. He was
placed on IR on October 21 with a hip
Red Bulls' Angel earns MLS Player of the Month >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Soccer announced on Monday that
New York Red Bulls forward Juan Pablo Angel has been voted the league's Player
of the Month. The Colombian scored three goals and one assist in four games in
October
Edwards could make it an interesting Chase after all >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Just when it looked like Jimmie Johnson
was going to run away with this year's "Chase for the Sprint Cup"
championship, here comes Carl Edwards with a late-season surge.
Edwards took a huge gamble in his q
Fulmer done as Tennessee head coach after 2008 >>
Knoxville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Longtime Tennessee head coach Phillip
Fulmer announced at a Monday afternoon press conference that he will not
return as head coach next season.
Fulmer, a Tennessee alum, is in his 17th year as
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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