Hicks will fill the roster spot of the injured Chipper Jones, who was
officially placed on the 15-day disabled list a day after an MRI revealed a
torn ACL in his left knee that will require season-ending surgery.
Hicks is 0-for-5 with five runs scored in 13 at-bats for the Braves this
season. In 75 games for Gwinnett this year, he batted just .216 with 10 stolen
bases, seven homers and 22 RBI.
<< Chitwood takes over as track president at Daytona
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joie Chitwood III has been named
president of Daytona International Speedway, according to a new release from
the track's parent company, International Speedway Corp., on Friday.
Chitwood, 41,
<< Crew aim to end RSL's home streak
Sandy, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Crew travel to take on Real Salt
Lake in the second Major League Soccer meeting between the two clubs this
season.
The Crew earned a 1-0 victory over the defending champs on April 24 at C
<< Lakers sign second-round pick Caracter
El Segundo, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Lakers signed second-
round draft pick Derrick Caracter Friday.
Caracter, taken with the 58th pick in the 2010 draft, spent two seasons at
Louisville before he transferred to Te
<< No seconds: 49ers RB Coffee abruptly retires
Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - San Francisco 49ers running back Glen
Coffee, the team's third-round pick in the 2009 draft, retired from the NFL on
Friday at the age of 23.
Coffee did not attend practice on Thursday and was also
<< White Sox activate Teahen from DL
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox have reinstated
infielder/outfielder Mark Teahen from the 15-day disabled list.
Teahen has been on the DL since June 1 with a fractured right middle finger.
He was hitting .2
Kaiserslautern signs coach Kurz to extension >>
Kaiserslautern, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kaiserslautern signed coach Marco
Kurz to a contract extension through the 2011-12 season on Friday.
Kurz led Kaiserslautern back to the Bundesliga last season, and with his deal
set to expire af
Celtic, Rangers highlight SPL once again >>
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Old Firm rivals Celtic and Rangers have
combined to win the last 25 Scottish Premier League titles, so when the season
kicks off Saturday, the only suspense is which Glasgow club wins this time.
Celtic
Nadal, Murray reach Rogers Cup semis >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two-time winner Rafael Nadal and reigning
champion Andy Murray were a pair of quarterfinal winners Friday at the $2.43
million Rogers Cup, an ATP Masters event.
The world No. 1 Nadal was tested mightily in a
Patriots put DL Warren on IR >>
Foxboro, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Patriots placed starting
defensive lineman Ty Warren on season-ending injured reserve Friday.
The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Warren is suffering from a hip injury that could
require surger
Columbus exercises 2011 option on coach Warzycha >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Crew announced Friday they have
exercised the option on coach Robert Warzycha's contract for the 2011 season.
Following a superlative debut campaign, Warzycha is now in his second full
seaso
NFL Football Betting Online
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.