Astros ink Duke to minor league deal

Baseball Betting Lines

01/27/2012 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros on Friday agreed to terms with left-handed pitcher Zach Duke on a minor league contract that includes an invitation to spring training.

Duke spent the 2011 campaign with the Arizona Diamondbacks, compiling a 3-4 record and a 4.93 earned run average in 21 appearances (nine starts). Duke started the season, his first one with the Diamondbacks, on the disabled list with a fractured pitching hand.

The Texas native was a 2001 draft pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates, with whom he spent his first six pro seasons. Duke was selected to the All-Star game in 2009 while with the Pirates.

In 181 games (168 starts), Duke has compiled a record of 48-74 with a 4.56 ERA and 537 strikeouts.

Onlinecadino Baseball Betting News

<< Ruler On Ice targets Donn Handicap
Hallandale Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Breeders' Cup Classic third-place finisher Ruler On Ice is on target to begin his 2012 racing campaign in next month's 1 1/8-mile Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park. The four-year-old has been tr

<< Western Carolina to face Marshall, Alabama in 2012
Cullowhee, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Speir's first season as Western Carolina's head football coach will include games against FBS opponents Marshall and Alabama. Western Carolina also will play five home games in a schedule announced Frid

<< Larranaga receives three-year extension
Coral Gables, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miami-Florida men's basketball coach Jim Larranaga has agreed to a three-year contract extension that will keep him with the Hurricanes through the 2018-19 season. Larranaga is in his first year with

<< Brady's promise weighs about seven pounds
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After what Tom Brady thought would be a private moment with owner Robert Kraft became public, the world is now aware that the New England Patriots quarterback vows to play better in Super Bowl XLVI. Brady admitted on the c

<< No longer doubted, Giants' Thomas finds niche on special teams
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Devin Thomas always believed he'd be an impact player in the National Football League, albeit with another team and in a far different role than the one he currently occupies with the New York Giants. Four years ago, the p

Former Bengals QB Cook dies >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Greg Cook, whose brief career was cut short by injury, died on Thursday night from an undisclosed illness. He was 65. "I've lost a good friend," Bengals president

Rangers hope to close the gap on Celtic >>
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rangers welcome Hibernian to Ibrox in Scottish Premier League play on Saturday with an opportunity to place some additional pressure on first-place Celtic. The Hoops lead the league with 59 point

Manning and Irsay say no hard feelings >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and team owner Jim Irsay issued a joint statement Friday to dispel any notion that the two are at odds. Manning and Irsay both made comments through

Rays sign Keppinger to minor league deal >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays signed veteran infielder Jeff Keppinger to a one-year deal on Friday. The 31-year-old hit .277 with six home runs and 35 runs batted in over 99 games as he split time w

NHL's best get together for annual Skills Competition >>
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Ovechkin has owned the Breakaway Challenge since the event's inception a few years ago, but with the Washington Capitals star pulling out of the league's All-Star Game, some new faces will get a chance at the

Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .

Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament odds  
As of February 9, MySportsbook.com has released its coveted 2007 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament betting odds. “March Madness betting ” only a month away, the top ranked Florida Gators are favorite at 7-2 to win it all. The defending champs have not disappointed at all this season and currently have a 22-2 record and are undefeated (9-0) in SEC play. The Gators’ thrive off of their extremely balanced, experienced and versatile attack. All five starters started in last seasons National Championship game. What is most impressive with this group is their balance; the five starters all average between 10.7 and 13.6 PPG. The Gators have been on an absolute roll having won 15 straight by an average of 16.4 PPG.

Right behind the Gators are the 5th ranked UNC Tar Heels at 9-2. The Heels (21-3, 7-2) are absolutely loaded with top notch talent and are as deep as any team in the country. A concern for the Tar Heels might be inexperience. Of their top four scorers/ minute earners, three are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. The rest of the regular season, the Tar Heels play only one team that is currently ranked (Duke). Their remaining opponents do combine for an impressive 107-58 record though.

Other teams that the MySportsbook.com members seem to believe will win it all include the west coasts’ top team #2 UCLA (6-1), #3 OSU behind man-child Greg Oden (8-1), and #4 Wisconsin (10-1) behind their defense which has given up 70+ points only three times all season.

Below is a list of some of the favorites to win the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship lines. For the full list of teams and March Madness odds be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com. If you want to use your credit card to bet on college hoops or any other event, MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.

Arizona 20-1

Butler 20-1

Duke 30-1

Florida 7-2

Georgetown 30-1

Indiana 35-1

Kansas 15-1

Marquette 25-1

Maryland 40-1

Memphis 50-1

Nevada 50-1

UNC 9-2

OSU 8-1

Oregon 30-1

Pittsburgh 15-1

Texas 30-1

Texas A&M 18-1

UCLA 6-1

Wisconsin 10-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook betting needs.