07/24/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Baseball's non-waiver trade deadline is a week away, and we are already starting to hear the rumors. Actually we have been hearing the rumors for a while now, but as we get closer to 3 p.m. (EDT) on July 31, they start to take on more credibility.
That said, I am not expecting a whole lot of action next Thursday. Maybe a spare part here and a spare part there, but for those of you waiting for that Matt Holliday blockbuster that was talked about last week, you are going to be disappointed.
The big-name starting pitchers have already been dealt. You will probably see a few moves in that area, but there are no CC Sabathias and Rich Hardens left on the market.
The Yankees are going to add a pitcher. Their recent run has them right back in the mix of things and if you think they are going to make a push with Darrell Rasner and Sidney Ponson going every fourth and fifth day, you are sadly mistaken. It won't be a big move, though. Maybe Seattle's Jarrod Washburn or Cincinnati's Bronson Arroyo. Someone along those lines.
I wouldn't count on the Atlanta Braves dealing Mark Teixeira either. The Braves are not going to get anything in return for a two-month rental that will match the two primo draft picks they will receive when he leaves as a free agent.
The Braves could get screwed, though. If Teixeira leaves for a team like Baltimore, which has been rumored, the Braves will miss out on the Orioles' top pick, since it will likely be a top-15 selection, which is protected.
Still, there are some bats available like Cincinnati's Adam Dunn, Pittsburgh's Jason Bay and Xavier Nady and Seattle's Raul Ibanez.
How many teams would trade for Ryan Howard if the Phillies made him available? Just about all of them, right? Well, then why hasn't a team pulled the trigger on Adam Dunn yet? Dunn is essentially Howard without the benefit of a great lineup. You put Adam Dunn on the Phillies and he would be leading the league in RBI too. Yes he strikes out a lot, but who cares? The last time I checked, wins and losses are determined by who scores the most.
Every team that is looking for a corner outfielder has called Pittsburgh general manager Neal Huntington about Nady and Bay. I understand the affection for Bay, who next year will only cost a team $7 million or so, but what is the attraction to Nady? Sure he is having a fine season, but if you are the New York Mets do you want to deal top prospect Fernando Martinez - which apparently is the asking price - for Xavier Nady?
Pittsburgh's asking prices are apparently out of control, and not just for the outfielders, either. The Pirates are supposedly looking for at least two top of the line prospects for left-handed reliever Damaso Marte.
Left-handed relievers are like gold at this time of the year. You would think Brian Fuentes was the second coming of Mariano Rivera with what Colorado has apparently been asking for in return for his services.
The guy that I think has the best chance of being moved, though, is Ibanez. Trust me, if you are looking for a corner outfielder with a little pop, you could do a lot worse than him. Plus he is not going to cost you a heck of a lot - certainly less than Nady, which is amazing to me.
If I am Ibanez, I would start searching for apartments near Shea Stadium.
The talk leading up to the deadline is what makes the MLB trade deadline so exciting. Rarely does it live up to anything, though, and this year will be no exception.
IS MUSSINA A HALL OF FAMER?
Mike Mussina won his 13th game of the season - two more than he won all of last season - and the 263rd contest of his career on Wednesday.
Last year, and early on this season, it looked as if the 39-year-old Mussina was done. Now it appears he could be headed towards the first 20-win season of his career, and him pitching somewhere in the league at least next year seems almost a certainty.
So, I am asking the question...when it is all said and done, will Mussina be a Hall of Famer?
Here are the things working against him. Mussina has never been the best pitcher in the league at any point in his career, but he has been real close. He's also never won 20 games in a season, something every starting pitcher elected to the Hall has done.
But, if you want to make a case for Mussina, he has pitched in the hitter- friendly AL East his entire career, in the steroid era no less (which, by the way he is the first to point out). And he is going to finish very close to 300 wins and finish his career more than 100 games above .500.
While there has never been a Hall of Fame starter without a 20-win season under his belt, there has also never been a starter snubbed with a winning percentage as high as Mussina's.
I never really thought of Mussina as a Hall of Fame pitcher. If there was a Hall of Very Good, he would be a five-year lock. But there are a lot of pitchers in the Hall with credentials far worse than Mussina's.
It will be an interesting debate, though, when the time comes.
CARDS COLLPSING?
Baseball is a funny sport. I was all prepared to write a column this week on what a great job the St. Louis Cardinals were doing. Even though the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers both acquired bona fide front-of-the-line starters, making it a foregone conclusion in some people's eyes that they would be the teams fighting it out for a division title, here were the Cardinals still hanging around in the NL Central.
I was ready to wax poetic on this maybe being the best job Tony La Russa has ever done, how Albert Pujols is on his way to an MVP Award and how everyone missed the boat on Kyle Lohse.
So what do the Cardinals do? They go out and lose the first three games of their four-game series at home with the Brewers. Thanks.
As I write this, the Cards are still just two games back in the Wild Card and three games behind the NL Central-leading Cubs, but the "greatness of La Russa" piece is on hold.
Something I really don't mind, by the way.
<< Senna pledges future to Villarreal
Villarreal, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Spain midfielder Marcos Senna has again
pledged his future to Villarreal, having been the subject of an approach from
Turkish side Fenerbahce.
The 32-year-old has also spurned offers from England thi
<< Four share lead in Russia
Moscow, Russia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joakim Backstrom opened with a seven-under
65 Thursday to grab a share of the lead after one round of the Russian Open
Golf Championship at Le Meridien Moscow Country Club.
Backstrom was joined atop t
<< Line of Scrimmage: Hester Situation Another Bad Sign for Bears
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When your best offensive hope is a wide
receiver with 20 career catches, you've got a problem.
When that figure threatens to sit out the season, your problem has become a
crisis.
Bears all-purpose maven
<< Liverpool's Leto to join Olympiacos on loan
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Liverpool's Argentinian midfielder
Sebastian Leto is set to spend next season out on loan with Greek side
Olympiacos.
The 21-year-old made four appearances for the Reds last season an
Villa's O'Neill getting tired of Barry saga >>
Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has
admitted that he not sure where his club stand in the long-running saga of
Gareth Barry's proposed move to Liverpool.
Villa have so far resisted the Reds
Phillies' Rollins late scratch from lineup >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins was a
late scratch from Thursday's series finale against the New York Mets with an
undisclosed ailment.
Eric Bruntlett started at short and batted leadoff in place of Rollins,
Toronto tops Baltimore in rain-suspended conclusion >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lyle Overbay went 2-for-4 with a run batted
in, and Toronto pitching racked up 11 strikeouts as the Blue Jays topped the
Baltimore Orioles, 5-1, in the conclusion of a game that was suspended in the
sixth i
Ortiz to make return Friday >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, who has been
sidelined since the end of May due to a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist,
is slated to make his return to the lineup on Friday.
The announcement came Thursda
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
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