09/13/2008 - Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins activated outfielder Michael Cuddyer from the 15-day disabled list on Saturday.
Cuddyer was originally placed on the DL on June 30 with a strained tendon in his left index finger. He suffered a fracture of the second metatarsal in his left foot on August 8 after being struck by a line drive while running the bases during a rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester.
In 62 games this season, Cuddyer is batting .252 with three home runs and 35 RBI.
<< Report: Ike damages Reliant roof, Ravens-Texans to be postponed
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hurricane Ike has reportedly damaged Reliant
Stadium, and it will not be repaired in time for the game between the Houston
Texans and Baltimore Ravens slated for Monday night.
The NFL had already pushed
<< Red Sox pick up option on Okajima
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox announced Saturday that
they have picked up the option on relief pitcher Hideki Okajima's contract for
2009.
The Japanese hurler's two-year, $2.5 million contract included a $1.75 millio
<< Yankees recall Hughes, Robertson
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees recalled pitchers Phil
Hughes and David Robertson on Saturday.
The moves were necessary with the day-night doubleheader with the Tampa Bay
Rays taking place at Yankee Stadium.
The
<< Yanks 3B Rodriguez scratched from game
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez was
scratched Saturday from the opening contest of a day-night doubleheader
against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium.
The slugger is sidelined with a stiff
Maryland survives late rally to upset No. 23 California >>
College Park, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Turner had two touchdown passes,
Da'Rel Scott ran for two more, and the Maryland Terrapins held off a late
charge for a 35-27 upset of No. 23 California.
Turner completed 15-of-19 passes f
Chicago/Detroit doubleheader rained out >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Saturday's day/night doubleheader between
the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field has been
postponed due to rain.
The teams will attempt to play a doubleheader on Sunday, b
Jenkins joins Eaks in lead at Rock Barn >>
Conover, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tom Jenkins fired a seven-under 65 on Saturday
to join overnight leader and defending champion R.W. Eaks atop the leaderboard
after two rounds of the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn.
Jenkins matched Eaks
Ballardini celebrates winning start at Palermo >>
Palermo, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Davide Ballardini made quite a first
impression in his debut as Palermo manager as he watched his side grab a 3-1
win over Roma at Renzo Barbera on Saturday.
Fabrizio Miccoli scored two times af
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.
MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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