07/03/2008 - St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays placed shortstop Jason Bartlett on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with a right knee sprain suffered in Wednesday's 7-6 victory over Boston.
The 28-year-old Bartlett is batting .256 with 20 RBI and 18 steals in 77 games this season, his first with the Rays.
Tampa Bay also recalled infielder Ben Zobrist and selected shortstop Reid Brignac from Triple-A Durham. To make room on the roster, the club optioned pitcher Mitch Talbot to Durham.
It marks the first time Brignac, 22, has been called up to the majors. Named the Rays Minor League Player of the Year and California League MVP in 2006, Brignac was batting .265 with seven homers and 38 RBI in 78 games for the Bulls at the time of his promotion. He also led the International League in doubles with 24.
<< Red Sox searching for relief on rocky road trip
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In the hearts of the fans -- and especially the minds of
the television network executives -- the Boston Red Sox' most important
regular-season games will always be those played against the New York Yankees.
That notion ma
<< Cubs activate Johnson
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs activated outfielder
Reed Johnson from the 15-day disabled list on Thursday.
The 31-year-old went on the shelf on June 24, retroactive to June 18, due to
lower back spasms.
In 5
<< Avs add Tjarnqvist to defensive mix
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche signed free-agent
defenseman Daniel Tjarnqvist to a one-year contract, the club announced
Thursday.
Tjarnqvist, 31, returns to the NHL after playing last season in the Ru
<< Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" race at Monmouth Park
Oceanport, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of "Win and You're In" Breeders'
Cup preview races that guarantee the winners automatic entry into the World
Championships are on tap Saturday at Monmouth Park.
The $750,000 United Nations H
Panthers sign Fitzpatrick, three others >>
Sunrise, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Panthers signed four players on
Thursday, including defenseman Rory Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick, 33, who signed a two-year contract, appeared in 19 games with the
Philadelphia Flyers last season an
Blueshirts bring in Naslund, Kalinin >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Rangers have agreed to terms
with unrestricted free agent forward Markus Naslund, the team announced on
Thursday.
TSN of Canada is reporting the Swedish winger has signed a two-year con
Laraque leaves Penguins for Montreal >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Canadiens signed forward
Georges Laraque to a three-year contract on Thursday.
Financial terms of the deal for the 31-year-old were not disclosed.
Laraque played in 71 games last seas
Phoenix signs D Jones >>
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Coyotes signed defenseman Matt
Jones to a two-year contract on Thursday. Per club policy, financial terms of
the deal were not disclosed.
Jones, 24, played 45 games last season with the Coyote
MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?
Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite. Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight. With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites. As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).
Midwest
#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler
The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April. Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT. After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games. Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season. As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers. Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS). Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field. With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.
#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV
As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year. If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season. As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well. This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons. Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late. There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games. It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.
East
#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown
“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season. Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU. They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games. With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field. Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense. Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc. The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range. Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.
#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC
The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country. Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times. Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter. UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen. UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS. An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games. This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS. USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types. An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough. USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS. They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12. When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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