Smoltz activated from DL, makes season debut
Baseball Betting Lines
06/25/2009 - Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Right-handed pitcher John Smoltz was activated from the 15-day disabled list on Thursday in time to make his season and Red Sox debut.
It was not a successful one for the 42-year-old, who was charged with seven hits and five runs over five innings in the Sox' 9-3 loss to the Washington Nationals.
The veteran hurler signed a one-year deal with Boston back in January, ending a run of more than two decades with the Atlanta Braves. However, he had not pitched since June 2, 2008 and shortly thereafter had a procedure to repair the labrum in his right shoulder.
Smoltz did become the 41st pitcher in major-league history to appear in 21 different seasons, fourth most among active pitchers. Only Jamie Moyer, Randy Johnson and Tom Glavine have toed the rubber in more years.
To make room on the roster, Boston optioned catcher Dusty Brown to Triple-A Pawtucket after Tuesday's game.
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andrew McCutchen singled in Jack Wilson with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning to boost Pittsburgh over Cleveland, 3-2, in the rubber match of a three-game series. McCutchen, playing in
<< Votto helps Reds down Jays
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joey Votto went 4-for-5 with a double, homer
and three runs batted in as the Cincinnati Reds edged the Toronto Blue Jays,
7-5, in the finale of a three-game interleague series at Rogers Centre.
Jay Bruce
<< Smoltz struggles in Red Sox debut as Nationals cruise to win
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Willie Harris and Josh Bard each finished
with three hits and drove in a pair of runs as Washington spoiled the Red Sox
debut of John Smoltz with a 9-3 thrashing in the finale of a three-game
interle
<< Ramirez slams Marlins past Orioles
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hanley Ramirez went 3-for-5 with a grand slam and
five total runs batted in, as the Florida Marlins completed a three-game sweep
of Baltimore with an 11-3 victory.
Rookie Sean West (3-2) tossed six shutout inni
<< Gal leads suspended Wegmans LPGA
Rochester, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sandra Gal fired an eight-under 64 and held a
one-shot lead Thursday when the rain-delayed first round of the Wegmans LPGA
was suspended due to darkness.
Jiyai Shin stood alone in second place at seven-un
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks acquired the draft rights of Florida State shooting guard Toney Douglas from the Los Angeles Lakers. The Knicks sent the Lakers 2011 second-round draft choice and cash considerations. Do
Knicks send Richardson to Memphis for Milicic >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks sent veteran swingman
Quentin Richardson and cash to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for forward
Darko Milicic.
The 29-year-old Richardson is coming off a season in which he averaged 10.2
A-Rod reaches Reggie, Yankees outslug Braves >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rodriguez moved into a tie for 11th place
on the all-time home run list and finished with four runs batted in to lead
the New York Yankees to an 11-7 win over the Atlanta Braves in the rubber
match o
Crowded leaderboard at ATB Financial Classic >>
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stuart Anderson and Tom Stankowski, both former
Canadian Tour Championship winners, carded rounds of five-under 67 and shared
the lead with two other players Thursday after the first round of the ATB
Financi
Nuggets get Lawson from Timberwolves >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Nuggets acquired the rights to
draft pick Ty Lawson from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for a future
protected first-round selection.
Lawson, a point guard from the University of North Carol
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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