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03/11/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - As the boys of summer prepare for the upcoming MLB season, the ones north of the border are sure to get some extra attention.
Tracking some of Canada's top players for the MLB 2010 season:
HITTERS
JUSTIN MORNEAU, MINNESOTA TWINS
2009: .274 AVG, 30 HR, 100 RBI, 85 R, .878 OPS
2010 Outlook: The 2006 AL MVP suffered a stress fracture in his back late in the '09 season that forced the first baseman to miss the team's final 21 games. Despite playing in his fewest games since 2004, the three-time All-Star topped 30-100 for the third time in four years. With a healthy Twins lineup, featuring newly-acquired Orlando Hudson and MLB batting champ Joe Mauer, Morneau is poised for another MVP-type season.
Stat fact: Morneau has the fourth-highest RBI total in baseball since 2006.
JASON BAY, NEW YORK METS
2009: .267 AVG, 36 HR, 119 RBI, 103 R, .921 OPS
2010 Outlook: Bay returns to the NL after posting career-highs in HR and RBI in his first full season as a member of the Boston Red Sox. The three-time All- Star signed an $80 million contract to take his act to the Big Apple, where the outfielder should add solid production and durability to a talented yet injury-plagued ballclub. Although Bay's home run total is likely to take a hit in the spacious Citi Field, his peripheral numbers should stay similar to years' past given the potential of the Mets lineup.
Stat fact: Bay's 2009 RBI and HR totals ranked second and third respectively in the AL.
JOEY VOTTO, CINCINNATI REDS
2009: .322 AVG, 25 HR, 84 RBI, .414 OBP, .567 SLG, .981 OPS
2010 Outlook: An inner-ear infection and subsequent battle with depression poured cold water on the banner year the Reds first baseman was putting together. The 26-year-old was hitting .370 through early May before the infection gave way to headaches and dizziness. Votto ended up missing 31 games but still managed to lead the Reds in several offensive categories and finished among the NL top five in batting, slugging and on-base percentage. Healthy and looking to put his past behind him, Votto should continue to solidify himself among the elite hitters in the game.
Stat fact: Votto hit .300 or higher in six consecutive months from August '08 to July '09, including hitting .374 last September.
PITCHERS
ERIK BEDARD, SEATTLE MARINERS
2009: 5-3, 2.82 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 90 SO, 83 IP
2010 Outlook: The six-foot-one, 200-pound southpaw is coming off shoulder surgery and is expected to miss the first couple months of the season. However, the Mariners signed the injury-prone 31-year-old to a low-risk, high-reward one-year deal worth $1.5 million plus incentives, given his age and high strikeout-to-walk ratio when healthy. If he can stay on the mound, Bedard could provide exceptional depth in the middle of a rotation headlined by Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee.
Stat fact: Erik Bedard's 10.93 strikeouts per nine innings in 2007 stands as the highest K/9 ratio in the MLB since Oliver Perez in 2004.
RYAN DEMPSTER, CHICAGO CUBS
2009: 11-9, 3.65 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 172 SO, 200 IP
2010 Outlook: The starter-turned-closer-back-to-starter had another solid season in '09, pitching 200 innings for the second-straight year, although he failed to duplicate an impressive '08 campaign (17-6, 2.96 ERA). Regardless, the 32-year-old right hander should continue to turn out quality starts as the No. 3 pitcher for the Cubs.
Stat fact: Since the beginning of 2008, Dempster ranks in the NL top 10 in wins, ERA, games started, innings pitched, and strikeouts.
RICH HARDEN, TEXAS RANGERS
2009: 9-9, 4.09 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 171 SO, 141 IP
2010 Outlook: Similar to Bedard, the 28-year-old right-hander has been somewhat of an enigma, among the most talented arms in the game when he's not on the disabled list. After spending a little more than a year in Chicago, the Victoria, B.C.-native signed with the Rangers in the hopes of returning to his dominant form. Although Harden gave up a career-high 23 home runs in '09, his 26 starts were the most he's made in a season since 2004 with Oakland.
Stat fact: Injuries have prevented Harden from qualifying for most categories, but his 9.35 K/9 since 2003 would rank him seventh in all of baseball.
LOOKING TO BOUNCE BACK
LHP JEFF FRANCIS, COLORADO ROCKIES
The six-foot-five lanky southpaw is looking to put the past two seasons behind him.
After helping guide the Rockies to the World Series with a 17-9 record over 215 innings in '07, Francis went 4-10 with an ERA over five in '08 and missed all of 2009 following shoulder surgery.
A healthy Francis will look to regain the old form that saw him go 44-32 over three seasons (2005-2007).
C RUSSELL MARTIN, LOS ANGELES DODGERS
By all accounts, Martin's 2009 season was a disappointment. Unable to build on three productive years in Dodger blue, the 27-year-old put up career-lows across the board (.250 AVG, 7 HR, 53 RBI).
The two-time All-Star arrived in 2010 training camp claiming to have put on 25 pounds of muscle over the offseason, determined to reclaim his status as one of the top young catchers in the game.
However, Martin pulled his groin early in camp and will miss four-to-six weeks, including the beginning of the regular season. When healthy, Martin is a multi- tool catcher, providing power, speed and durability at a position where a combination of those skills is rare.
AROUND THE BASES
3B Mark Teahen, CWS: Former utility man for the Royals, Teahen is penciled in as the starting third baseman for the White Sox this coming season. The 28- year-old had 12 HR, 50 RBI, and 34 2B in 144 games for Kansas City last year.
RF Matt Stairs, SD: At 42, Stairs will assume the role as the power-hitting pinch-hitter off San Diego's bench. After considering retirement, Stairs reportedly checked into training camp 32 pounds lighter than he was at the end of the '09 season. The left-handed slugger ranks second all-time behind Larry Walker for home runs by a Canadian MLB player with 259.
TOP PROSPECTS
Baseball America recently named three Canadians in their annual Top 100 Prospects list, led by Michael Saunders (ranked 30th) of the Seattle Mariners. The 23-year-old outfielder hit .221 in 122 AB last year with the Mariners and could find his way back up to the big club should injuries strike.
Brett Lawrie (59th) became the earliest Canadian position player ever selected in the MLB draft when the Milwaukee Brewers took him 16th overall in 2008. The 20-year-old second baseman hit .274 with 13 HR and 65 RBI in 118 games split between the Brewers' Class-A and Double-A affiliates. Lawrie is expected to spend the '10 season in the minor leagues.
Phillippe Aumont (93rd) was a key component of the three-way deal involving Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. The 21-year-old six-foot-seven right hander will start the season in Double-A for the Philadelphia Phillies, and has an outside chance at making a late-season appearance on the big league roster.
<< Chiefs sign Urban
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Chiefs have signed wide
receiver Jerheme Urban.
Urban spent the past three seasons with Arizona after playing his first three
years in the NFL with Seattle. He has 87 career recepti
<< Reyes to rest after additional tests on thyroid
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Mets said shortstop Jose Reyes
will not participate in any baseball activities until his thyroid levels
return to normal.
Reyes underwent additional blood tests this week after being diag
<< Tank Johnson re-signs with Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Bengals have re-signed
defensive tackle Tank Johnson.
Johnson originally signed with Cincinnati last offseason and recorded two
sacks and 29 tackles in 14 games last season.
"Si
<< Report: Woods working with Fleischer on return
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tiger Woods may be returning to the PGA Tour in
two weeks at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, according to a report
in the New York Post.
In a story Thursday, the Post credits "two sources in the gol
Patriots re-sign RB Faulk >>
Foxboro, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Patriots re-signed running back
Kevin Faulk on Thursday. Details of the contract were not disclosed.
The all-purpose back, who has been with the Patriots since being selected in
the second r
Lookin at Lucky highlights Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn >>
Hot Springs, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Champion colt Lookin at Lucky tops a field
of seven three-year-olds in Saturday's $300,000 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
The 2009 champion two-year-old will be making his first start of the year in
the 1 1
Puerto Rico Open washed out by heavy rain >>
Rio Grande, Puerto Rico (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The first round of the Puerto Rico
Open was washed out Thursday by another round of heavy rain that left the
Trump International course unplayable.
Only 18 players in a full PGA Tour field tee
Real's Pellegrini given vote of confidence >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Madrid Technical Director Jorge Valdano
has handed the dreaded vote of confidence to coach Manuel Pellegrini after the
Spanish giants were knocked out of the Champions League by Lyon on Wednesday.
Real
Michael Vick is back, Brett Favre isn't and the NFC East remains the best division in the NFC, maybe in all of football.
As players start to gather for the start of another season, some things change and some stay the same in the world of the NFL.
The NFC East has been the dominant division in the National Conference for a while, despite limited playoff success, save for the New York Giants surprise Super Bowl win two seasons ago.
Hell, there's a generation of kids in Texas who have never seen the Cowboys win a playoff game (last win was in 1996).
But collectively, the Giants, Eagles, Cowboys and Redskins (well, maybe not so much the Redskins) are as good as a division gets in an NFC conference that has struggled to stay competitive with the AFC side.
Sports bettors have both acknowledged the NFC East's dominance, as one glance at the NFL future odds menu will show.
Looking over the NFL betting odds at online sports book MySportsbook.com we see the top three teams listed to win the NFC Championship are all from the NFC East:
Dallas Cowboys - 7 - 1
Philadelphia Eagles - 13 - 2
New York Giants - 9 - 2
Slotting in behind these three are two teams from the NFC North: the Minnesota Vikings (15-2) and the Chicago Bears (10-1).
Again, despite the lack of recent playoff success, the Dallas Cowboys are popular with the sports betting community, as they hold 14% of all the money wagered on who will win the NFC Championship.
So far, the New York Giants are the bettors' favorite to represent their conference in the Super Bowl, as they have 24% of the overall NFC Championship betting volume.
And what about the Philadelphia Eagles? For the most part, the Eagles had a very productive offseason, the kind that could bring them back to the top.
They had a good draft adding the likes of WR Jeremy Maclin and RB LeSean McCoy.
Unfortunately, the team received a blow when long-time defensive coordinator Jim Johnson passed away on Tuesday.
But this team will make a real run at the division title this year. Going into the regular season, Philly is listed at +240 to win the division.
Last season the Eagles were 9-6-1 SU and 10-6 ATS.
Teams from the NFC East will play teams from the AFC West in the regular season and the Eagles haven't really been a good bet in the last 20 games against the likes of San Diego, Oakland, K.C. and Denver, only going 8-12 ATS.
Two seasons removed from that Super Bowl title, the New York Giants see themselves listed as the odds-on favorite in NFC East championship futures at +162.
Plaxico Burress is gone and with him all the bad publicity surrounding the gun in the sweatpants incident, but can they replace him in the offense?
Last season the Giants were a very reliable bet going 12-4 ATS.
In the Giants' last 20 games against fellow teams from the NFC East; they are 13-7 ATS.
Dallas is listed at +240 to win the division.
Dallas went 9-7 SU and 7-9 ATS last season and with the amount of talent the Cowboys have, a similar performance won't do.
The Cowboys have been atrocious against divisional rivals, going 6-14 ATS in their last 20.
The Washington Redskins are longshots to win the division at +550.
Visit MySportsbook.com for free sportsbook odds RSS feeds go to MySportsbook.com for all your betting football needs.
Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
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