Dawson, Herzog take their spots in Hall of Fame
Baseball Betting Lines
07/25/2010 - Cooperstown, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andre Dawson became the second member of the Baseball Hall of Fame with a Montreal Expos cap on his plaque when he was inducted Sunday afternoon.
Others joining the induction party were former manager Whitey Herzog and ex- umpire Doug Harvey, who went in via the Veterans Committee.
J.G. Taylor Spink Award winner Bill Madden and Giants broadcaster Jon Miller, the 35th recipient of Ford C. Frick Award, were also honored during the ceremonies.
Dawson joins Gary Carter as the only other person to be inducted as an Expo in the Hall. Carter went into the Hall of Fame in 2003.
The National League Rookie of the Year with the Montreal Expos in 1977 and the league's Most Valuable Player with the Chicago Cubs in 1987, Dawson was a .279 career hitter with 438 home runs, 1,591 runs batted in and 314 stolen bases. In addition to the Expos and Cubs, Dawson also spent time with the Boston Red Sox before ending his 21-year career with the Florida Marlins.
An eight-time All-Star, Dawson underwent 12 knee surgeries during his career but ended up with more than 400 home runs and 300 stolen bases, a feat matched by only two other players in history, Willie Mays and Barry Bonds.
Herzog guided the St. Louis Cardinals to the 1982 World Series title and also led the team to the National League pennant in 1985 and 1987. Before joining the Cardinals, he skippered the Kansas City Royals to three straight American League West titles from 1976-78.
Harvey was a National League umpire for 31 seasons and was selected to work the World Series five times. He was also chosen to umpire the All-Star Game on six occasions.
Unable to make his induction speech in person due to a bout with throat cancer, the 80-year-old Harvey, the ninth umpire enshrined in Cooperstown, and the first since 1999, recorded his speech during a previous visit to Cooperstown.
"I've heard you say umpires are a necessary evil," Harvey said. "Well, we are necessary, but we're not evil. We're hard-working and dedicated people, whose primary interest is to make sure the game is played fairly."
Madden, of the New York Daily News, was the paper's Yankees beat writer from 1980-88 before becoming the News' national baseball columnist.
Also Sunday, John Fogerty became the first musician honored at the Hall of Fame induction when his classic, "Centerfield," got inducted into Cooperstown. Fogerty, strumming a baseball bat guitar, sang on stage just prior to the ceremony.
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wes Helms hit a run-scoring single in the bottom of the 11th inning, as the Florida Marlins edged the Atlanta Braves, 5-4, in the rubber match of a three-game series at Sun Life Stadium. Helms ended with two
<< Rodriguez leads Houston in blanking of Reds
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wandy Rodriguez spun seven innings of one-hit
ball and received home run support from Hunter Pence and Chris Johnson, as the
Astros shut down Cincinnati, 4-0, to salvage the last of a three-game set.
Rodrigue
<< Ravens rookie Kindle suffers head injury
Owings Mills, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baltimore Ravens rookie linebacker Sergio
Kindle suffered injuries to his head after it is believed he fell down two
flights of stairs at a private residence in Austin, Texas.
The Ravens released a
<< Kubel's slam powers Twins past O's
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Kubel belted his seventh career grand
slam and Nick Punto had three hits with an RBI as Minnesota blasted Baltimore,
10-4, to conclude a four-game series.
Delmon Young and Jim Thome hit back-to-back
<< Brigman wins in Columbus
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.J. Brigman fired a seven-under 64 on Sunday
to come from behind and win the Children's Hospital Invitational at The Ohio
State University Scarlet Course.
Brigman finished at 10-under 274 and won by a str
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rodriguez left Sunday's game in the eighth inning after being hit in the top of the left hand by a pitch. Rodriguez, still seeking his 600th career home run, came to the plate with the bases loaded and one o
Twins put Hudson on DL >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins have placed second
baseman Orlando Hudson on the 15-day disabled list with a right oblique
strain.
The move is retroactive to July 24. The Twins will recall catcher Jose Mora
Brewers sweep Nats >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Casey McGehee hit a three-run homer and
Rickie Weeks clubbed a two-run shot, as the Milwaukee Brewers completed a
three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals with an 8-3 victory at Miller
Park.
Diamondbacks deal Haren to Angels >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks have traded starting
pitcher Dan Haren to the Angels for starting pitcher Joe Saunders, reliever
Rafael Rodriguez, minor league pitcher Patrick Corbin and a player to be named
later.
Brignac homers as Rays beat Tribe >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reid Brignac hit a three-run homer, as the
Tampa Bay Rays earned a 4-2 decision over the Cleveland Indians in the rubber
match of a three-game series at Progressive Field.
Carl Crawford also knocked in
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.
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