12/02/2008 - Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Mariners left fielder Raul Ibanez was offered salary arbitration by the team prior to Monday night's midnight (et) deadline.
"With the deadline tonight, offering Raul arbitration keeps all of our options open," Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said. "We can continue our conversations with any, or all, of our free agents but, by rule, we had to offer Raul arbitration by today to guarantee we could receive draft-pick compensation if he ends up signing elsewhere."
Seattle chose not to offer arbitration to its other two eligible free agent players, utility men Willie Bloomquist and Miguel Cairo.
Ibanez played all 162 games with Seattle last season. He hit .293 with 43 doubles, 23 home runs and 110 RBI.
Ibanez has until the conclusion of Sunday to accept the offer. The Mariners will receive two extra draft picks next year if Ibanez should sign with another team.
<< Beasley comes up big as Heat shock Warriors in OT
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Beasley made a veteran play in his
rookie season, stepping front of an inbounds pass, getting fouled and
draining the winning free throw with 3.6 seconds left in overtime, as Miami
downed
<< Marvelous Monday night debut: Slaton carries Texans past Jags
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Slaton was ready for prime time with 130
yards on the ground and two touchdowns, and the Houston Texans opened up the
offense in their first-ever Monday Night Football appearance, leading to a
30-17 v
<< Former NHLer Martin dies in drowning accident
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hubert "Pit" Martin, who spent 18 years in the
NHL with four clubs, including more than 10 seasons with the Chicago
Blackhawks, passed away Monday after a drowning incident in Canada.
The 64-year-ol
<< Avs use big second period and then hold off Wild
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Stastny had two goals and an assist, and
capped a Colorado scoring binge with the eventual game-winner late in a four-
goal second period as the Avalanche topped the Minnesota Wild, 6-5, at Xcel
Energy
Mets' Perez offered arbitration >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Mets pitcher Oliver Perez was offered
salary arbitration prior to the midnight (et) deadline Monday night.
The 27-year-old left-hander has until the conclusion of Sunday to accept the
arbitration of
Pulley, Guyton highlight MEAC All-Conference Team >>
Virginia Beach, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - South Carolina State running back Will
Ford was selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Offensive
Player of the Year and Morgan State's Jarrell Guyton earned the Defensive
Player of the Year
Knicks welcome Blazers to MSG >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers will continue a five-game road
trip this evening against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Portland has won four straight overall and opened the trek with Sunday's 96-85
victory over
Golden Eagles seek return to win column in clash with Chippewas >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 25th-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles of
the Big East Conference welcome the Central Michigan Chippewas of the Mid-
American Conference to the Bradley Center this evening.
Central Michigan is off to a shaky
Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value
If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture. Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).
For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot. The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.
TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.
"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,' it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."
"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.
Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash. Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.
The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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