Indians place P Carmona on restricted list
Baseball Betting Lines
01/26/2012 - Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The pitcher formerly known as Fausto Carmona was placed on Major League Baseball's restricted list by the Cleveland Indians on Thursday following his arrest of double identity last week.
Carmona, whose real name is Roberto Hernandez Heredia, is still dealing with ongoing legal and visa issues in his native Dominican Republic. The pitcher's status for the upcoming season remains unclear.
Maximo Baez Aybar, a spokesman for the Dominican National Police, said last week through his Twitter account that Heredia is actually 31 years old, not 28.
Aybar said Heredia was apprehended on January 19 after leaving the American consulate, where he was renewing his visa.
Heredia will be ineligible to receive pay while on the restricted list. If his issues are resolved during the regular season for a return to the United States, the Indians would only have to pay a prorated portion of his contract for the remainder of the year.
A player can remain on the restricted list for two seasons. The move also frees up a spot on Cleveland's 40-man roster.
Heredia has spent his entire six-year big league career with the Indians. He went 19-8 with a 3.06 earned run average in 2007 -- his first season as a full-time starter -- but has struggled to a 33-48 record since. Last season, he went 7-15 with a 5.25 ERA in 32 starts.
The Miami Marlins are in a similar situation with the pitcher formerly known as Leo Nunez. Nunez, whose real name is Juan Carlos Oviedo, is also on the restricted list.
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Earthquakes signed forward Sercan Guvenisik on Thursday, pending receipt of his P-1 visa. Guvenisik, 31, comes to MLS from SC Preussen Muenster of the Bundesliga 3. He scored 14 goals in 56 leagu
<< Yanks sign P Kuroda
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees signed pitcher Hiroki
Kuroda to a one-year contract on Thursday.
Kuroda has spent his entire four years in the majors with the Dodgers and went
13-16 with a 3.07 earned run average ove
<< Pocono track founder Mattioli dies
Long Pond, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dr. Joseph Mattioli, the founder and chairman
of the board of Pocono Raceway, passed away on Thursday at the Lehigh Valley
Hospital Center in Pennsylvania, following a lengthy illness. He was 86.
Known as
<< Earthquakes sign GK Busch to new contract
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Earthquakes signed goalkeeper Jon
Busch to a new contract Thursday.
Busch, 35, joined the Earthquakes in March of 2010 and has 14 shutouts - seven
in each of his two seasons - for the squad. He st
<< NASCAR not making any big changes for 2012 season
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Unlike 2011, NASCAR will not make any major
alterations in its rules for the upcoming season.
Officials from the sanctioning body, including NASCAR chairman and chief
executive officer Brian France
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians signed right-handed pitcher Dan Wheeler to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to the team's spring training. Wheeler spent the 2011 campaign with the Boston Red
Penn State pays tribute to Paterno >>
University Park, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If there was a common thread for
Thursday's public memorial service for Joe Paterno, it's that he was much more
than a football coach.
He might have recorded 409 victories during a 46-year ten
Pagano: It's going to be a great journey >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indianapolis Colts introduced new head
coach Chuck Pagano to the media on Thursday.
It has been a whirlwind week for the former Baltimore Ravens defensive
coordinator who anticipated being in I
Timbers name Knowles an assistant coach >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Timbers named Cameron Knowles as
an assistant coach Thursday.
Knowles, 29, played for seven seasons, including four with the Timbers. During
his time with Portland, Knowles was a three-time USL F
Toronto FC signs Ecuadorian defender Caicedo >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Toronto FC announced the signing of Ecuadorian
international defender Geovanny Caicedo on Thursday.
Caicedo, 30, began his career with Huracan of Ecuador and has spent his entire
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Super Bowl XLIV Odds
Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.
Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.
That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.
Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.
After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.
The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).
To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.
NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV
New England Patriots 8/1
Dallas Cowboys 9/1
New York Giants 10/1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1
Indianapolis Colts 12/1
San Diego Chargers 12/1
Baltimore Ravens 14/1
Tennessee Titans 16/1
Carolina Panthers 18/1
Philadelphia Eagles 18/1
New Orleans Saints 20/1
Atlanta Falcons 25/1
Denver Broncos 25/1
Green Bay Packers 25/1
Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1
Minnesota Vikings 25/1
New York Jets 25/1
Arizona Cardinals 30/1
Chicago BearS 30/1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1
Buffalo Bills 35/1
Houston TexaNS 35/1
Miami Dolphins 35/1
Washington Redskins 35/1
Seattle SeahawkS 50/1
Cleveland Browns 55/1
Cincinnati Bengals 60/1
San Francisco 49ers 60/1
Oakland Raiders 75/1
St. Louis Rams 75/1
Detroit Lions 100/1
Kansas City Chiefs 100/1
Odds as of: 2/2/09
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.