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.
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
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
2007 NFL Football Betting Preview
“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.