11/18/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baseball Writers' Association of America will hand out their final postseason award on Monday, as the American League's Most Valuable Player will be announced.
But unlike most of the awards that have already been handed out, there is no clear-cut favorite here. Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia seems to have a slight edge, but it is wide open.
The 25-year-old Pedroia batted .326 with 17 home runs, 83 RBI and 118 runs scored. He also ranked first in the AL in doubles (54), fourth in total bases (322) and was the only player who had at least 175 hits, 75 runs scored, 75 RBI, 15 home runs, and 20 stolen bases while winning the Gold Glove.
Pedroia's teammate Kevin Youkilis also figures to get some votes, along with Minnesota's Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Texas' Josh Hamilton could also be in the running, as will Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim closer Francisco Rodriguez.
Youkilis, who batted everywhere from first to seventh this season, batted .312 this season and hit 29 home runs and knocked in a team- high 115 runs. He was also sixth in on-base percentage (.390), third in slugging (.569), and fourth in OPS (.958).
Morneau, the 2006 winner of this award, knocked in 144 runs for the Twins this season - 44 more than any of his teammates. He also hit .300 with 23 home runs. Mauer, meanwhile, led the AL with a .328 average.
Hamilton continued his amazing return from the depths of drug abuse this season, as he led the league with 130 runs scored. Hamilton was incredible in the first half of the year, driving in 95 runs with 21 homers in just 93 games.
However, he slowed down considerably in the second half, knocking in just 35 runs over his final 63 games.
Then there's Rodriguez, who set the single-season saves mark with 62. The Angels won 63 games by one or two runs and Rodriguez saved 51 of them, while picking up the victory in two others.
And don't forget Chicago's Carlos Quentin, who seemed like a lock for this award before a wrist injury shut him down in September. Despite that he still finished second in the league with 36 home runs.
The winner will be announced at 2 p.m. (EST).
<< Memphis crushes UMass to give Calipari coaching record
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Antonio Anderson scored 15 points and grabbed
12 rebounds, and 13th-ranked Memphis ripped Massachusetts, 80-58, to make John
Calipari the winningest coach in program history.
The win was Calipari's 221st a
<< Mason's three puts Spurs past flailing Clips
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roger Mason scored 21 points, including the
go-ahead three-pointer with 8.4 seconds left in the game, to lead the
streaking San Antonio Spurs in an 86-83 victory over the struggling Los
Angeles
<< Griffin leads Sooners over Miss. Valley State
Norman, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Blake Griffin finished with 20 points, 19
rebounds and six steals, and 12th-ranked Oklahoma cruised past Mississippi
Valley State, 94-53, in the first round of the NIT Season Tip-Off.
The Sooners (2-
<< Dawson wins battle of kickers; Browns edge Bills
Orchard Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phil Dawson's 56-yard field goal gave the
Browns the lead with 1:39 to play, and Rian Lindell pushed his 45-yard attempt
wide right in the final minute as the Cleveland Browns held on for a 29-27 win
over th
Bobcats shoot for first win in franchise history vs. Mavs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Mavericks will shoot for back-to-back wins for
the first time this season when they resume a three-game road trip tonight
against the Charlotte Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena.
Dallas ended a five-game losing
Red-hot Cavs hit road to take on Nets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will take their
winning ways to the road for two games, starting with the New Jersey Nets
tonight from the Izod Center.
The Cavaliers have won seven in a row to improve to 8-2 on th
Lakers try to rebound vs. Bulls >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Lakers attempt to rebound from their first
loss of the 2008-09 campaign, while the Chicago Bulls will try and win for the
first time on the road this season as the two teams meet at Staples Center.
Detroit
Warriors host Blazers in Oakland >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers conclude a five-game road trip
Tuesday by traveling to Oakland to face the Golden State Warriors.
The Blazers improved to 3-1 on the trek Saturday when Brandon Roy led the way
with 24 points
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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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