Shaq signs with Celtics
Basketball Betting Lines
08/04/2010 - Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics have added center Shaquille O'Neal, announcing Wednesday the signing of the veteran big man.
O'Neal joins a Boston team that returns its core from last season, when the Celtics went to the NBA Finals before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games.
O'Neal, 38, will provide frontcourt help for Boston, which already added Jermaine O'Neal this offseason. While terms of the deal were not disclosed, the Boston Globe reported it is a one-year deal.
Shaq spent last season with Cleveland, averaging 12.0 points and 6.7 rebounds in 53 games but came up empty in his quest to bring a title to the city along with now-departed LeBron James.
"It is not every day that you can add a player of Shaquille's caliber to your team," said Danny Ainge, Celtics president of basketball operations. "His past experience speaks for itself and we believe that he is a great fit for our roster."
O'Neal is a 15-time All-Star and was the NBA Finals MVP from 2000-02 as he led the Lakers to three consecutive titles. O'Neal was also the league's MVP in 2000.
In addition to the three Lakers championships, O'Neal won an NBA title with Miami in 2006 alongside Dwyane Wade.
Since being selected as the top overall pick in the 1992 draft by Orlando, O'Neal has averaged 24.1 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.3 blocks in 1,170 career games with the Magic, Lakers, Heat, Suns and the Cavaliers.
He also has appeared in 214 career playoff games, averaging 24.5 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks. O'Neal ranks fifth all-time with 28,255 career points, and is 14th all-time in total rebounds 12,921.
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Wade Davis has been selected as the American League's top rookie for the month of July. Davis led all rookies with four wins during July as he went 4-0 with a 3.03 earned run
<< Bruins name former rival Jarvis assistant coach
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins hired Doug Jarvis as an
assistant coach on Wednesday.
Jarvis spent four seasons, from 2005-09, as an assistant with the Montreal
Canadiens, Boston's perennial rival, including par
<< Union host Crew in desperate need of points
Chester, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Crew travel to take on the
expansion Philadelphia Union in a mid-week Major League Soccer fixture at PPL
Park on Thursday night.
Both teams are coming off disappointing league results thi
<< Chicago's Floyd named AL Pitcher of the Month
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago White Sox right-hander Gavin Floyd was
named the American League Pitcher of the Month for July.
Floyd went 3-1 in five July starts with a minuscule 0.80 earned-run average.
Over 33 2/3 innings, Flo
<< Toronto's Bautista, Minnesota's Young share AL monthly award
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista
and Minnesota Twins outfielder Delmon Young each earned American League Player
of the Month honors for July.
Bautista belted an MLB-best 11 homers during the mo
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey has been named the National League Player and Rookie of the Month for July. Posey garnered both awards after leading the NL with 43 hits and finishing third
Diamondbacks call up Rodriguez, send Abreu down >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks have recalled
pitcher Rafael Rodriguez from Triple-A Reno and optioned infielder Tony Abreu
to the same club.
Rodriguez was acquired from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim i
Cuban-Crane make highest bid for Rangers >>
Fort Worth, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The group fronted by Dallas Mavericks owner
Mark Cuban and Houston businessman Jim Crane have apparently made the highest
initial bid to buy the Texas Rangers, according to the team's website.
The U.S. Ba
Pirates claim Resop, Park off waivers >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates claimed relievers
Chris Resop and Chan Ho Park off waivers on Wednesday.
Resop, pitching for Atlanta, allowed five runs on five hits and three walks
with two strikeouts in two
NHL confirms 2011 Heritage Classic >>
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Hockey League confirmed on
Wednesday that a second outdoor game will be played next season, an all-
Canadian matchup between the Montreal Canadiens and Calgary Flames.
The game is sc
Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Odds
Will he or won't he? Now that the Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips, the big question will be: Does Terrell Owens stay with the team.
Jerry Jones continues to suggest that Terrell Owens will remain with the team.
"I've said that he's back, he's here, he's under contract," Jones said. "In the interviews I've just been through (to hire a new coach), it was very clear to me how highly he's thought of and how much of an impact he had on our offensive success."
Just to be sure though, Terrell Owens cleared out his locker and removed his name plate.
Terrell Owens was among the Cowboys most productive players this past season, catching 85 passes for 1,180 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns.
But T.O. is due a $3 million roster bonus in June, then a $5 million salary this season. Cutting him before then would save a lot of money and headaches.
Aside from the questions surrounding Terrell Owens, the oddsmakers at MySportsbook.com have concerns over starting quarterback Tony Romo's state of mind and whether he will remain a starting quarterback. It is also not known how players will adjust to new head coach, Wade Phillips.
Here are the football odds as seen at MySportsbook.com and subject to change after February 10, 2007 if not locked in prior to that date.
Arizona Cardinals 60-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Baltimore Ravens 15-1
Buffalo Bills 50-1
Carolina Panthers 18-1
Chicago Bears 10-1
Cincinnati Bengals 15-1
Cleveland Browns 100-1
Dallas Cowboys 15-1
Denver Broncos 15-1
Detroit Lions 100-1
Green Bay Packers 50-1
Houston Texans 100-1
Indianapolis Colts 6-1
Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1
Kansas City Chiefs 30-1
Miami Dolphins 40-1
Minnesota Vikings 75-1
New England Patriots 10-1
New Orleans Saints 18-1
New York Giants 20-1
New York Jets 30-1
Oakland Raiders 100-1
Philadelphia Eagles 18-1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10-1
Saint Louis Rams 60-1
San Diego Chargers 6-1
San Francisco 49ers 75-1
Seattle Seahawks 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccanneers 75-1
Tennessee Titans 40-1
Washington Redskins 50-1
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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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