Uggets Baseball Betting News

<< Primus gets new deal from Pompey
Portsmouth, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defender Linvoy Primus will extend his nine-year association with Portsmouth after agreeing to a new 12-month contract. The 35-year-old defender has been at Fratton Park since 2000 and has

<< Pens bring back Fedotenko for one more year
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins signed forward Ruslan Fedotenko to a one-year contract on Friday. The 30-year-old tallied 16 times with 39 points in 65 regular-season games for Pittsburgh last season a

<< Jackson announces return to Lakers bench
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson, fresh off a record 10th NBA Championship as a coach, announced on Friday he will return to the bench next year for a 10th season in LA and 19th as an N

<< Diao close to signing new Stoke deal
Stoke-on-Trent, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stoke City midfielder Salif Diao is close to agreeing a new contract to remain at the Britannia Stadium. The 32-year-old Senegal international is out of contract and had been interesting se

M's Hernandez named AL Pitcher of the Month >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez was named the American League's Pitcher of the Month for June. Over six starts, Hernandez went 3-0 with an 0.94 earned run average, allowing only four

Upton named AL Player of the Month >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay outfielder B.J. Upton was selected as the American League Player of the Month for June. Upton, who garnered his first monthly honor, hit .324 in 26 games during June. He also belted five homers, s

Lincecum voted NL Pitcher of the Month for June >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - San Francisco Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum was named the National League Pitcher of the Month for June, the league announced on Friday. Lincecum posted a 4-1 mark with a 1.48 ERA during the month,

Braves P Hanson named NL Rookie of the Month >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Braves pitcher Tommy Hanson was named National League Rookie of the Month for June on Friday. The right-hander was a perfect 4-0 to go along with a 2.48 earned run average in five starts during the m

Betting Football

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.

Huskers' Lucky hospitalized for undisclosed reason

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky was hospitalized Monday for undisclosed reasons after Lincoln police responded to a call at his residence.

The Nebraska athletic department said in a release Monday that Lucky was admitted Sunday night.

MySportsbook.com has the Cornhuskers listed at +2500 to win the BCS National Championship odds.

A nursing supervisor at the hospital said all questions about Lucky were being referred to the athletic department. The athletic department said there would be no further comment from the department or Lucky's family.

A Lincoln Police spokesman said officers responded to a call at Lucky's residence 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The spokesman said he didn't know Lucky's condition at the time he was taken to the hospital.

Lucky, from North Hollywood, Calif., started six games last season as a sophomore and was the team's second-leading rusher, with 728 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 383 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.

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