Diamondbacks recall Valdez to start against Astros

Baseball Betting Lines

05/03/2010 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks recalled right-hander Cesar Valdez from Triple-A Reno to make his major league debut in Monday's series opener at Houston.

The 25-year-old Valdez went 1-1 with a 3.80 earned run average in four starts for Reno. He recorded 25 strikeouts against only five walks in 23 2/3 innings.

Arizona's minor league pitcher of the year in 2008, Valdez is taking the place of injured starter Kris Benson, who's on the 15-day disabled list with a shoulder problem.

In a corresponding move, the Diamondbacks optioned reliever Kevin Mulvey to Reno. Mulvey appeared in two games after being recalled last Wednesday.

Jbscasino Baseball Betting News

<< NBA Playoff Preview - Orlando vs. Atlanta
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The well-rested Orlando Magic finally will get back to work on defending their Eastern Conference championship when they kick off the second round of the postseason against their division rival, the Atlanta Hawks. The se

<< Northeastern signs Coen to extension
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Northeastern men's basketball coach Bill Coen has signed a multi-year contract extension. Coen has guided the Huskies to a record of 66-62 during his four-year tenure, which includes postseason appearances

<< ChiSox activate C Castro from DL
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox activated catcher Ramon Castro from the 15-day disabled list on Monday. The 34-year-old Castro began the 2010 campaign on the DL with a bruised right heel. He went 2-for-13 with one

<< Injured Stricker to miss Players Championship
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World No. 3 Steve Stricker has withdrawn from this week's Players Championship due to a right shoulder injury. Stricker last attempted to play two weeks ago at the Zurich Classic,

<< Sonic youth
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rory McIlroy would have to wait two days to properly celebrate the defining round of his young career. Had he been at home in Northern Ireland, he might have popped a cork Sunday night. Standing in the sun in Charlotte, ho

Red Stars grab first win of season >>
Cambridge, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Red Stars claimed their first win of the season on Saturday at Harvard Stadium as Casey Nogueira and Cristiane scored second-half goals in a 2-0 win over the Boston Breakers. Following a score

ISU's Boozer to leave team after arrest >>
AMES, Iowa (AP) -Iowa State reserve guard Charles Boozer says he's leaving the team to seek treatment for unspecified problems.Boozer was arrested over the weekend after a woman told police he slapped and kicked her.Police say Boozer was charged wit

AL West: Mariners' rotation getting healthy, bats still cold >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The imposing starting rotation which Seattle Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik dreamt up this offseason is nearly in place. Former Cy Young winner Cliff Lee, acquired in an offseason trade from Philadelphia, made h

Welsh resigns as Hofstra's hoops coach following arrest >>
Hempstead, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hofstra University announced Monday that Tim Welsh has resigned as head men's basketball coach, just three days after he was arrested for a reported DWI. The school said in a statement that Welsh resign

British Amateur champ Manassero turns pro >>
Turin, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Italy's Matteo Manassero, who became the youngest British Amateur champion ever last year, turned professional on Monday in time to make his pro debut at the BMW Italian Open. After being the you

SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.

Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"

A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."

Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.

In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.

"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."

Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.

But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"

Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.

This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.

Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.

In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.

No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.

And that's all any bettor can ask for.

To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.

MySportsbook.com Posts Heisman Trophy Odds

With 3,919 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and a mere seven interceptions last season, combined with a powerful South Bend Heisman legacy, odds makers at MySportsbook.com have given Notre Dame senior quarterback Brady Quinn the best Heisman Trophy odds at 5-2.

Quinn isn’t the only big man on campus this season.  Oklahoma junior running back and 2004 Heisman runner-up Adrian Peterson, listed at 7-2, rushed for a combined 3,033 yards in his first two years as a college player and will give Quinn a run for his money. 

This online sportsbook has also listed Troy Smith, Ohio State senior quarterback, as another strong favorite to win the 72nd Heisman Trophy.  A 7-1 bet, Smith threw for 2,282 yards last season and also led the Buckeyes to a convincing 34-20 victory over Quinn and the Fighting Irish in last season’s Fiesta Bowl.

Current betting odds Heisman trophy are:

Brady Quinn (QB, Notre Dame)
Adrian Peterson (RB, Oklahoma)
Troy Smith (QB, Ohio State)
Michael Bush (RB, Louisville)
Steve Slaton (RB, West Virginia)
Brian Brohm (QB, Louisville)
Chris Leak (QB, Florida)
Mike Hart (RB, Michigan)
Ted Ginn (WR, Ohio State)
Darius Walker (RB, Notre Dame)
Drew Tate (QB, Iowa)
Marshawn Lynch (RB, Cal)
Kenny Irons (RB, Auburn)
Chad Henne (QB, Michigan)
Kyle Wright (QB, Miami)
Drew Stanton (QB, Michigan State)
Kenneth Darby (RB, Alabama)
JaMarcus Russell (QB, LSU)
Drew Weatherford (QB, Florida State)
Blake Mitchell (QB, South Carolina)
Reggie Ball (QB, Georgia Tech)		 5-2
7-2
7-1
10-1
10-1
12-1
12-1
18-1
18-1
20-1
30-1
35-1
35-1
40-1
50-1
50-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
60-1

For complete NCAA Football odds visit MySportsbook.com.