Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
09/03/2010 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There is guarded optimism surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs heading into the 2010-11 NHL season, much of that due to the astute moves made this offseason by general manager Brian Burke.
Through trades and free agency, Burke has assembled an interesting mix of forwards that should compete at a higher level than last season, one that saw the Leafs finish 25th in goals scored per game with only 2.56.
One of the more celebrated moves was the acquisition of hard-nosed forward Kris Versteeg. The 24-year-old, who was acquired via trade from the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks, brings an impressive resume that includes 42 goals and 97 points spread out over the past two seasons in Chicago. He will get every opportunity to build on those solid numbers with the Leafs, as the organization has him penciled in among the top six forwards heading into training camp.
Where Versteeg will help light the lamp, fellow newcomer Colby Armstrong will be asked to bring a physical brand of hockey that has been lacking in Toronto. The gritty 27-year-old forward signed a three-year, $3 million contract with the Leafs after putting up decent numbers last year with the Atlanta Thrashers, scoring 15 goals and 29 points in 79 games.
His toughness will most likely be utilized on the third line, but through the course of a season his versatility could make him serviceable as a second line winger. Think of Armstrong as this team's version of Darcy Tucker. Burke also signed free agent forward Clarke MacArthur to a one-year, $1.1 million deal to help solidify the top two lines, a relative bargain if he can produce to the level Burke thinks he's capable of.
MacArthur had a career-high 35 points, including 16 goals, last season in splitting time between Buffalo and Atlanta, and sees himself as a premier scorer that hasn't been given the chance to succeed. On the Leafs however, he will be given every chance in the world to prove his worth. Other than these additions, the team will be similar to last year's squad, while young pivots like Tyler Bozak and Nazim Kadri have hopefully matured enough to assume larger roles with the club. Serious questions remain as to whether these young guns have progressed enough to center a group of solid wingers, but only time will tell.
At this point, the closest thing the Leafs have to a proven center is Mikhail Grabovski, who is coming of a disastrous 2009-10 season in which he scored only 10 goals. With a contract posing an annual cap hit of $2.9 million, "Grabo" will need to be much better. Where this Leafs team really has a chance to shine is on the defensive end.
Although the Leafs defense didn't show it last year, on paper they have one of the stronger back ends in the league. With prized acquisition Dion Phaneuf leading a group of proven defenders and Tomas Kaberle back with the club, moving the puck with ease while playing a bruising physical style will define this years' defense corps.
Mike Komisarek, who played only 34 games last year before undergoing season ending shoulder surgery, is healthy and should come closer to resembling the type of player his $4.5 million annual salary suggests.
With no sure bets on the offensive end, the defense will be leaned upon heavily to protect the goaltenders this season.
The improved tandem of J.S. Giguere and Jonas Gustavsson gives the Leafs a solid pair of netminders, something they haven't been able to claim much of the last three campaigns. Giguere, 33, joined the Leafs near the end of last season via trade from the Anaheim Ducks and the former Conn Smythe Trophy winner and Stanley Cup champion was stellar in his 15 starts. In those games, he posted a 2.49 goals-against average with a .916 save percentage to go along with two shutouts, reclaiming some of the form that he showed during his years with the Ducks.
The Leafs are hoping the 6-foot-1, 202-pound Giguere can find that form again, something that would only add to the confidence of this relatively young squad as the season progresses. Giguere will also be expected to mentor the franchise's potential goaltender of the future in Jonas Gustavsson. The 25- year old Swede, who rose to prominence by backstopping his former team Farjestad to a Swedish Elite League title in 2009, had an effective rookie campaign last year with the Leafs. The one they call "The Monster" showed great fortitude during his first NHL season battling a heart condition and two minor heat procedures, while still managing to start 39 games and earn 16 wins.
Gustavsson, who plays a similar style to Giguere's, should progress even further under the tutelage of his older and wiser goaltending partner and renowned goaltending coach Francois Allaire. Even with optimism abound heading into the fall, Leafs fans should still approach this season with tempered expectations.
Improving upon their 30-38-14 record is likely, while challenging for a spot in the postseason may not be. The Eastern Conference is full of offensively superior teams that will have to be leapfrogged in order to gain a chance to compete for the Cup. With that being said, if some of the youngsters up front can break out while helping the team find an offensive groove, the Leafs have the defense and goaltending to take them to the next level.
<< Surging Wizards seek more road success at Union
Chester, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas City coach Peter Vermes said last week's
2-0 win at the Los Angeles Galaxy was "probably our best 90-minute performance
of the whole season," but the surging Wizards still have work to do to qualify
for the
<< Seattle, New England set to meet at Gillette Stadium
Foxborough, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Sounders FC travel to New England to
take on the Revolution, hoping to extend their current unbeaten run in Major
League Soccer play to nine games.
Seattle (9-8-5) have rebounded nicely from an
<< Nationwide to end tour sponsorship in 2012
Dublin, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nationwide Insurance has closed one door and
opened another.
The company said Friday it will no longer sponsor the PGA Tour's developmental
circuit when its contract runs out after the 2012 season. B
<< Penguins sign Mike Comrie
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward
Mike Comrie to a one-year contract worth $500,000.
Comrie spent last season with Edmonton and registered 13 goals with eight
assists for 21 points in 43
Jimenez shoots 61 for European Masters lead >>
Crans Montana, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Five days after locking down his
Ryder Cup spot, Miguel Angel Jimenez came close to locking down a piece of
golf history.
Jimenez flirted with a 59 Friday during the second round of the European
Report: Broncos' LenDale White out for season >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denver Broncos running back LenDale White is
reportedly out for the season with a torn Achilles tendon.
The Denver Post cited an NFL source in its report on Friday.
White was hurt during the second quarter
Fire forward McBride to retire after season >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Fire forward Brian McBride will retire
at the end of the 2010 season, the Major League Soccer team announced on
Friday.
"Brian's retirement is a bittersweet moment for the Fire, Major League Soc
Clijsters rolls into U.S. Open fourth round >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending champion Kim Clijsters was a
third-round winner Friday at the U.S. Open.
The second-seeded Belgian dropped the first three games of her match against
27th-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova, but
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.
2007 Academy Award Betting : Oscars odds
The 79th Annual Academy Awards odds , which will air February 25th, is sparking an interest throughout the nation with the announcement of its nominees. As the public chooses their favorites, sportsbooks are creating odds for one of the biggest entertainment betting nights of the year.
Whether its at a “Oscar Party” or in an on line sportsbook, entertainment gambling on award shows represent a huge increase in betting. As the public speculation mounts, MySportsbook.com, the largest and most respected sportsbook on the web, posted odds on who is going home with a “Golden Best Friend.”
“ We see a majority of our entertainment wagers come from the Academy Awards,” said MySportsbook.com spokesperson, Tim Dalton. “This is a competition that applies to everyone. These are the people that entertain us on a daily basis and you want to see them win.”
MySportsbook.com posted the following odds for Academy Awards:
Odds to win the Achievement in Directing:
Alejandro González Iñárritu "Babel": 8/1
Martin Scorsese "The Departed": 2/17
Clint Eastwood "Letters From Iwo Jima: 4/1
Stephen Frears "The Queen": 12/1
Paul Greengrass "United 93": 15/1
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
Leonardo DiCaprio in "Blood Diamond": 11/1
Ryan Gosling in "Half Nelson": 20/1
Peter O’Toole in "Venus": 16/5
Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness": 16/1
Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland": 1/11
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
Penélope Cruz in "Volver": 18/1
Judi Dench in "Notes on a Scandal": 15/1
Helen Mirren in "The Queen": 1/50
Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada": 10/1
Kate Winslet in "Little Children": 20/1
Best Animated Feature Film:
"Cars": 1/3
"Happy Feet": 2/1
"Monster House": 20/1
Best Foreign-Language Film of the Year:
"Water" – Canada: 22/1
"The Lives of Others" – Germany: 7/2
"After the Wedding" - Denmark: 24/1
"Days of Glory (Indigenes)" – Algeria: 23/1
"Pan's Labyrinth" - Mexico: 1/10
Odds to win the Best Live-Action Short Film:
"Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)": 6/5
"Eramos Pocos (One Too Many)": 7/2
"Helmer & Son": 5/2
"The Saviour": 6/1
"West Bank Story": 7/2
Odds to win the Best Original Screenplay:
"Babel": 7/4
"Letters From Iwo Jima": 3/1
"Little Miss Sunshine": 21/20
"Pan's Labyrinth": 11/4
"The Queen": 5/4
Best Motion Picture of the Year:
"Babel": 11/4
"The Departed": 1/2
"Letters from Iwo Jima": 15/2
"Little Miss Sunshine": 17/10
"The Queen": 20/1
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
Alan Arkin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 11/10
Jackie Earle Haley in "Little Children": 10/1
Djimon Hounsou in "Blood Diamond": 9/1
Eddie Murphy in "Dreamgirls": 2/5
Mark Wahlberg in "The Departed": 5/1
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
Adriana Barraza in "Babel": 14/1
Cate Blanchett in "Notes on a Scandal": 11/1
Abigail Breslin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 2/1
Jennifer Hudson in "Dreamgirls": 1/8
Rinko Kikuchi in "Babel": 11/1
Film To Win Most Oscars:
Dreamgirls: 2/3
Pans Labyrinth: 6/5
The Departed: 6/1
The Queen: 11/1
Babel: 15/1
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: 11/1
Little Miss Sunshine: 15/1
Additional sports and entertainment odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting