Football Betting

Astros sign Hernandez to minor league deal

Baseball Betting Lines

01/31/2012 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros signed veteran pitcher Livan Hernandez to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training Tuesday.

The 36-year-old spent the last season with the Washington Nationals, recording an 8-13 record with a 4.47 ERA in 29 starts.

In 475 appearances -- 474 starts -- with the Marlins, Giants, Expos/Nationals, Diamondbacks, Twins, Rockies and Mets, Hernandez has a career 174-176 record and 4.39 earned run average with 50 complete games and nine shutouts.

The 16-year veteran has not recorded a winning season since 2008, when he finished with a 13-11 mark after splitting the year between Minnesota and Colorado.


<< Arsenal completes deal for Eisfeld
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arsenal completed the signing of midfielder Thomas Eisfeld from German side Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday. Eisfeld, 19, had six goals and six assists for Dortmund's Under-19 squad this season. He has been i

<< Benfica signs forward Djalo
Lisbon, Portugal (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Benfica signed forward Yannick Djalo on a 4 1/2-year deal Tuesday. Djalo, 25, had been out of contract since the summer, but joins the Portuguese leaders for the second half of the season. He played for S

<< FC Porto acquires Lucho, Janko
Porto, Portugal (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FC Porto acquired Lucho Gonzalez and Marc Janko on Tuesday, as the Portuguese giants added a pair of reinforcements just days after its first loss of the season. Lucho, 31, previously spent four seasons a

<< Manning's 1st QB coach hired as Colts OC
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indianapolis Colts have continued the rebuilding of their coaching staff by bringing back Peyton Manning's first NFL quarterbacks coach. Bruce Arians, who coached the Colts' quarterbacks from 1998-200

<< Timbers acquire midfielder Renken
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Timbers acquired midfielder and U.S. youth international Charles Renken off MLS waivers Tuesday. Renken, 18, has been a member of U.S. youth national teams since 2005 and most recently participa

Padres avoid arbitration with Moseley >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres have agreed to a one- year contract with pitcher Dustin Moseley, avoiding arbitration in the process. Moseley, 30, went 3-10 last season with a 3.30 earned run average and 64 s

Blackburn signs defender Orr from QPR >>
Blackburn, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Blackburn beat the deadline Tuesday to make its third January addition, as Bradley Orr was acquired from QPR on a 2 1/2-year deal. Blackburn previously signed Anthony Modeste and Marcus Olsson, and O

West Brom adds Andrews from Blackburn >>
West Bromwich, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - West Bromwich acquired midfielder Keith Andrews from Blackburn on Tuesday on a free transfer and signed him to a deal through the end of the current season. Andrews, 31, made 76 appearances an

Sunderland snaps up Kyrgiakos from Wolfsburg >>
Sunderland, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunderland signed defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos from Wolfsburg on Tuesday on loan for the rest of the season. Kyrgiakos, 32, previously played with Liverpool and made 30 appearances in the Premier Lea

Crosby has soft tissue damage in neck >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has a soft tissue injury in his neck, but an independent specialist found no evidence of a past or present neck fracture, the team said Tuesday. The news came

Sportsbook betting odds favor Europe in Ryder Cup

September 19, – Despite holding a decided edge in the all-time series, with 24 wins, 2 ties and 10 losses, Team USA is the underdog again heading into the Ryder Cup in Kidare, Ireland this weekend, according to MySportsbook.com.  The Europeans have captured four of the past five editions, including their largest victory ever, an 18 ½ to 9 ½ thumping in Michigan in 2004. Current Ryder Cup betting odds favor the Europeans to continue their winning ways; they are a 4-5 bet to take the title, compared to 6-5 for the Americans. 

Despite being knocked out in the first round of World Match play by Shaun Micheel, Tiger Woods is predicted to lead the US charge and be their highest point scorer for the week, with odds listed at 9-4 that he outpoints all other American players, including Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco to  name a  few.  Team USA has four relatively unknown players on the roster but all four are 2007 tournament winners and have posted some of season’s best performances, each earning over $1.5 million on the PGA TOUR.  They include Zach Johnson, Vaughan Taylor, JJ Henry and Brett Wetterich.

The experienced European squad includes the likes of Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Jose Maria Olazabal and Darren Clarke, who’s emotions will be tested after the passing of his wife to a battle with cancer.  Donald and Garcia are in particularly good form and each is a 5-1 bet to lead the European squad in the points race. Donald has proven he can go head to head with Woods at a major event after a run for the $1.2 million purse at the PGA Championship. Garcia’s Ryder Cup credentials prove he’s ready for battle too.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your golf sportsbook needs.

Ryder Cup Odds

Europe
Tie
USA
4-5
10-1
6-5


Ryder Cup Top US point scorer
Tiger Woods
Jim Furyk
Phil Mickelson
Chris DiMarco
David Toms
Stewart Cink
Chad Campbell
Scott Verplank
Zach Johnson
Vaughan Taylor
JJ Henry
Brett Wetterich
9-4
4-1
5-1
7-1
8-1
12-1
15-1
15-1
25-1
30-1
30-1
50-1


Ryder Cup Top European scorer
Sergio Garcia
Luke Donald
Padraig Harrington
Colin Montgomerie
Darren Clarke
David Howell
Lee Westwood
Paul Casey
Henrik Stenson
Jose Maria Olazabal
Paul McGinley
Robert Karlsson
5-1
5-1
6-1
13-2
8-1
9-1
9-1
11-1
12-1
12-1
20-1
25-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com

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.