According to TNT analyst David Aldridge, the deal could pay the veteran up to
$4 million if he is able to reach incentive clauses.
The Wizards acquired Howard from Dallas in February as part of a seven-player
deal that sent forward Caron Butler to the Mavericks.
He suffered a torn ACL in his left knee a week after he was traded and missed
the remainder of the season after playing in only four games for the Wizards.
Cleveland, Boston and Chicago reportedly had expressed interest in Howard, who
had his rights renounced by Washington earlier this month to make the Kirk
Hinrich trade possible.
Howard averaged 12.7 points and 3.6 rebounds in 35 games last season for the
Mavs and Wizards.
Over his seven-year career, with those two teams, he has posted per game
averages of 15.3 points and six boards in 435 contests, 371 as a starter.
<< Cahill helps Oakland down Texas
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trevor Cahill allowed two hits over eight
innings in a dominant performance, and Kurt Suzuki homered and knocked in two
runs to guide Oakland in 3-1 win over the Texas Rangers in the middle contest
of a th
<< Giants' Torres caps big game with winning hit in 10th
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andres Torres capped his four-hit day
with a deep bases-loaded single in the 10th inning, lifting the Giants to a
10-9 win over the Florida Marlins at AT&T Park.
Torres added a two-run homer
<< Thrashers sign F Eager
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Thrashers signed forward Ben Eager
on Wednesday. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Eager spent last season with the Blackhawks and posted seven goals and nine
assists with 1
<< Longoria leads Rays to fifth straight win
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evan Longoria homered and Jeff Niemann
battled through six innings to lead Tampa Bay to a 7-4 triumph over Detroit in
the third installment of a four-game set.
Longoria finished 3-for-4 with a walk, tw
<< Jones, Hudson lead Atlanta past Washington
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chipper Jones drove in two runs and Tim
Hudson was solid in 7 2/3 innings on the mound, as the Atlanta Braves took
down the Washington Nationals, 3-1, in the second test of a three-game set at
Nationa
United dominates MLS All-Stars in front of record crowd >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Major League Soccer All-Stars fell to
English Premier League powerhouse Manchester United, 5-2, on Wednesday night
in front of 70,728 fans at Reliant Stadium - the fourth-largest crowd to
witness
White Sox edge Mariners for 10th straight home win >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rios singled home the go-ahead run in the
bottom of the seventh inning, and the Chicago White Sox came away with a 6-5
victory over Seattle in the third test of a four-game series at U.S. Cellular
Field.
Yankees rough up Carmona, Tribe >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Teixeira and Brett Gardner each had two
hits and two runs batted in, as the New York Yankees roughed up Fausto Carmona
in an 8-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians.
Robinson Cano doubled and slugged
Cardinals edge Mets in 13 innings >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Albert Pujols drove in the go-ahead run with a
single in the top of the 13th inning, as the St. Louis Cardinals snuck past
the New York Mets, 8-7, in the second test of a three-game series from Citi
Field.
Jones homers twice as Pirates down Rockies >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Garrett Jones homered twice as part of a four-
hit night and drove in three runs as the Pirates overcame an early injury to
pitcher Ross Ohlendorf to beat the Colorado Rockies, 6-2, at Coors Field.
Neil Walk
Online Sportsbook Football Betting
Colts give the ‘D’ its due
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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