Blue Jays release Ohka
Baseball Betting Lines
06/18/2007 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays announced Monday they have released right-hander Tomo Ohka.
Ohka, who signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the team in January, started just 10 games for the Blue Jays. He posted a 2-5 record with a 5.79 earned run average. In 56 innings he allowed 68 hits, 10 home runs and 22 walks while notching 21 strikeouts.
The 31-year-old was limited to just 18 games with Milwaukee last season due to a partial tear in his right rotator cuff which kept him out of action from early May to mid-July. He finished with season with a record of 4-5 and a 4.82 ERA.
In his ninth major league season, Ohka has pitched for the Red Sox, the Expos/Nationals franchise, Brewers and Blue Jays. He is 50-63 with a 4.14 ERA in 184 games, including 172 starts.
Nottingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two-time defending champion Richard Gasquet was among Monday's first-round winners at The Nottingham Open, a final grass-court Wimbledon tune-up. The top-seeded Gasquet improved to a perfect 11-0
<< Three out of Five for Spurs; Among the all-time best?
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Spurs walked into Quicken Loans Arena
on June 12 needing to win two games in order to sweep the Cavaliers and win
their third NBA championship in five years. Both contests were close, but in
the end, the
<< George Washington's Rice withdraws from NBA Draft
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - George Washington guard Maureece Rice
withdrew his name from the NBA Draft on Monday and will return to school for
his senior season.
Rice started in all 32 games for the Colonials this past sea
<< Bruce headed back to Baylor
Waco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baylor guard Aaron Bruce announced Monday he
will return to school for his senior season after withdrawing from the NBA
Draft.
Bruce, who participated in workouts with the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rocke
<< Senators shake up: Murray leaves bench to replace Muckler
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators have made some big changes
within the front office, firing general manager John Muckler and replacing him
with head coach Bryan Murray, who will leave his position behind the bench.
Murray,
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Memphis Grizzlies have named Chris Wallace their new general manager and vice president of basketball operations. "This is a great day for the Wallace family, and we are excited to become Memphians,"
Zvonareva withdraws from Wimbledon >>
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World No. 19 Vera Zvonareva announced
her withdrawal from Wimbledon 2007 on Monday, citing a left wrist injury.
The 22-year-old Zvonareva, sidelined since April, also missed the recently-
concluded
This Week in Golf - June 21st through June 24th >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PGA TOUR -
TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIP, TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Connecticut - J.J.
Henry made this tournament his first win last year when it was called the
Buick Championship, shooting a final-round 67 to
Cabrera climbs to No. 17 in rankings >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Angel Cabrera's unexpected win at the U.S.
Open on Sunday produced an expected result.
After shooting a final-round 69 at brutal Oakmont to hold off Tiger Woods and
Jim Furyk, the Argentine climbed 24 p
Vaidisova reaches second round at Eastbourne >>
Eastbourne, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fifth-seeded Czech slugger Nicole
Vaidisova was among Monday's first-round winners at the $600,000 International
Women's Open, a final Wimbledon tune-up.
Vaidisova overcame Aussie Samantha Stosur
Betting the NFL preseason
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.