Arbitrator rules that Kovalchuk is a free agent

Hockey Betting Lines

08/09/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An arbitrator has ruled in favor of the NHL in regard to Ilya Kovalchuk's contract with the New Jersey Devils.

The Devils signed the free agent sniper to a 17-year, $102 million contract in mid-July and the league subsequently rejected the deal on grounds that it circumvented the salary cap. The NHL Players Association quickly filed a grievance, saying the contract conformed to the current collective bargaining agreement.

Monday's announcement by arbitrator Richard Bloch means the deal becomes void and Kovalchuk again becomes an unrestricted free agent. The Devils and the Russian superstar's agent, though, can try to tweak the parameters of the deal and re-submit it to the NHL.

As a result of the decision, and under the terms of the current collective bargaining agreement, the league can fine the Devils up to $5 million and eliminate future draft picks.

More to follow.

Wwhitbox Hockey Betting News

<< Tigers activate Guillen, option Rhymes
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers recalled infielder Carlos Guillen from his rehab assignment with Single-A West Michigan and activated him from the 15-day disabled list on Monday. The move comes just prior to the s

<< Cowboys TE Phillips out for year with torn ACL
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dallas Cowboys tight end John Phillips will miss the entire 2010 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. He will have surgery when the team returns from Oxnard, CA, where it wi

<< Ilitches to make bid to purchase Pistons
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike and Marian Ilitch, who already own the Tigers and Red Wings, announced their intention to make a formal bid to buy the Detroit Pistons. The Detroit Free Press revealed on Monday that the Ilitch

<< Brewers' Braun earns NL weekly honors
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun was named NL Player of the Week for the seven-day period ending August 8. Braun led the majors with a .538 batting average (14-for-26) and a .586 on- base percent

<< Athletics' Cahill takes AL weekly honors
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oakland Athletics pitcher Trevor Cahill has been named the Player of the Week for the American League for the period ending August 8. It was Cahill's first-career weekly honor. The right-hander wo

Red Sox earn split with Yankees in the Bronx >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bill Hall had an RBI single and scored a run, and Jon Lester worked 6 1/3 effective innings, as the Boston Red Sox held on for a 2-1 win over the American League East-leading New York Yankees in the finale of a fo

Mariners place SS Wilson on disabled list >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners have placed shortstop Jack Wilson on the 15-day disabled list with a fractured fifth metacarpal in his right hand. The veteran middle infielder suffered the injury in an accident

Astros promote P Melancon, demote Wright >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros recalled pitcher Mark Melancon from Triple-A Round Rock and sent left-hander Wesley Wright to the same club on Monday. The 25-year-old Melancon came to Houston in a July 31 t

A's call up Larish, Carter to majors >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics made several moves on Monday, most notably recalling infielders Chris Carter and Jeff Larish from Triple-A Sacramento. The team also optioned outfielder Matt Carson to Sacrame

Devil Rays put Jeff Niemann on DL >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays placed right-handed pitcher Jeff Niemann on the 15-day disabled list due to a right shoulder strain. Niemann, who is 10-3 with a 3.12 ERA in 22 games this season, was scratched from his s

Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

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

Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook

Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds.  The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.

Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.

Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).

Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.

World Series odds

Adam Dunn 15-1

Albert Pujols 5-1

Alex Rodriguez 12-1

Alfonso Soriano 15-1

Andruw Jones 25-1

Barry Bonds 50-1

Carlos Delgado 40-1

David Ortiz 8-1

Jermaine Dye 40-1

Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1

Lance Berkman 40-1

Manny Ramirez 20-1

Richie Sexson 40-1

Ryan Howard 6-1

Travis Hafner 20-1

Vladimir Guerrero 40-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.