Dodgers activate Manny from DL

Baseball Betting Lines

05/08/2010 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez was activated from the 15-day disabled list Saturday.

He had been on the DL since April 23 after aggravating an existing right calf strain.

The injury originated from the Dodgers' season-opening series in Pittsburgh. He aggravated it in a game against Cincinnati on April 22 and was placed on the DL the next day.

Ramirez has played in 13 games so far this season and holds a .415 average with two home runs and 12 runs batted in.

The Dodgers optioned outfielder Xavier Paul to Triple-A Albuquerque following Friday night's game to open up a roster spot. Paul appeared in nine games for LA, batting .276 with an RBI and eight runs scored.

Mysportsbooj Baseball Betting News

<< Illini's McCamey, Davis to return as seniors
Champaign, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - University of Illinois point guard Demetri McCamey and forward Mike Davis withdrew from the NBA Draft Saturday and will return for their senior seasons. McCamey was a first-team All-Big Ten selection l

<< Sevastova takes Estoril title
Estoril, Portugal (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Latvian Anastasija Sevastova defeated Spaniard Arantxa Parra Santonja in straight sets Saturday to win the title of the $220,000 Estoril Open. Sevastova, ranked 74th, took the 6-2, 7-5 victory in

<< Virginia Tech's Delaney to return for senior year
Blacksburg, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Virginia Tech star guard Malcolm Delaney has withdrawn his name from consideration for June's NBA Draft. "I have decided to come back to Virginia Tech for my senior season," Delaney said. "I learned t

<< Purdue's Johnson, Moore withdraw from NBA Draft
West Lafayette, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Purdue juniors JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore have withdrawn their names from June's NBA Draft and will return for their senior seasons. "We're obviously happy to have two players of the caliber

<< Golf Course Review - TPC San Antonio (Oaks & Canyons Courses)
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FACTS AND STATS: AT&T Oaks Course Architect: Greg Norman, with player consultant Sergio Garcia. Year Opened: January, 2010. Location: San Antonio, Texas. Slope: 148. Rating: 76.5. Par: 72. Yardage: 7,435.

Yanks place Johnson on DL >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees placed infielder Nick Johnson on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left wrist on Saturday. Johnson left midway through Friday's 10-3 New York win over Boston with sorenes

Sunderland close to signing Paraguay's Riveros >>
Sunderland, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunderland coach Steve Bruce confirmed he is close to signing Paraguay international midfielder Cristian Riveros. The 27-year-old currently plays in Mexico with Cruz Azul, but talks about a move to

Wolverhampton's McCarthy hopes to keep Doyle >>
Wolverhampton, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wolverhampton manager Mick McCarthy has admitted that he would struggle to keep hold of striker Kevin Doyle if one of the Premier League's big-hitters came calling. The 26-year-old Republic of Irela

Surging Suns one win from sweeping Spurs >>
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -The Phoenix Suns are saying what every team with a 3-0 lead always does: the series isn't over yet.Even if history plainly says otherwise.The San Antonio Spurs regrouped Saturday on the verge of possibly being swept from the Wester

Beasley make accept pay cut to stay at Rangers >>
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rangers midfielder DaMarcus Beasley is still hoping he can reach agreement which will see him extend his stay at Ibrox beyond the end of the season. The United States international is one of six

College Football Betting Tips From a Pro

While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.

Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.

The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.

What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.

These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.

College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.

Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.

Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.

Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.

I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.

Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.

It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.

As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.

Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

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.