D.C. United signs Argentine defender Dudar
Soccer Betting Lines
01/25/2012 - Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United announced the signing of Argentine defender Emiliano Dudar on Wednesday, pending the receipt of an International Transfer Certificate and visa.
Dudar, 30, joins D.C. from Swiss side BSC Young Boys on a free transfer, but further details of the move were not disclosed by the club or Major League Soccer.
"Emiliano has terrific experience in Europe and with some of the top teams in South America, and we thrilled to announce his addition to our squad," said D.C. United General Manager Dave Kasper. "He will provide our back line with a big, physical presence, excellent technical ability, and strong leadership qualities."
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks have avoided arbitration with Brad Ziegler, agreeing to terms with the reliever on a one- year contract. Ziegler split the 2011 season with Oakland and Arizona, and went
<< Wigan signs Chile international Beausejour
Wigan, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wigan announced Wednesday that it has signed
Chilean international Jean Beausejour from Birmingham City for an undisclosed
fee.
Beausejour, 27, passed a medical at the DW Stadium and has put pen to paper on
<< Ovechkin's All-Star flair will be missed
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Every time the NHL All-Star Game is played
I can't help but wish that it was an Olympic year instead.
Don't get me wrong there are aspects of All-Star weekend that I enjoy, but it
just pales in comparison
<< Chicago agrees to terms with Dube
Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Fire announced Wednesday that it
has signed Kheli Dube after selecting the Zimbabwean striker in the 2011 MLS
Re-Entry Draft.
Dube, 28, was left unprotected by the New England Revolution
<< Red Bulls ink young American GK
Harrison, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Red Bull New York announced the signing of
goalkeeper Jeremy Vuolo from Finnish first-division side AC Oulu on Wednesday.
Vuolo, a Downingtown, Pennsylvania native, played college soccer at Syracuse
Univ
Macomb, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Western Illinois football is seeking a defensive coordinator again after the recently hired Kevin Corless resigned due to personal reasons. Corless, who spent nine seasons leading the defense at Arkansas State f
Steelers DT Hoke announces retirement >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Chris
Hoke has announced his retirement after 11 seasons in the NFL.
The 35-year-old nose tackle from Brigham Young University had three tackles in
six games this yea
Colts name Pagano head coach >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indianapolis Colts have named former
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano as the team's next head
coach.
The Colts, coming off a 2-14 season, needed a new head coach after getting rid
o
Alouettes sign Boulay, Mims >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Alouettes signed safety Etienne
Boulay and wide receiver Adam Mims to two-year deals on Wednesday.
Boulay only played in four games last season due to a concussion. In six
seasons, all w
Cardinals sign P Motte >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals have avoided
arbitration with Jason Motte, signing the reliever to a one-year contract on
Wednesday.
Motte emerged as the club's closer late last year, recording nine save
SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting
NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.
That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.
A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."
It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.
The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.
So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."
Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.
Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.
Seriously.
The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.
The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.
Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."
The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.
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