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03/17/2010 - Surprise, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington released an apologetic statement Wednesday regarding his cocaine use during the 2009 season.
Washington, 57, just finished his third season with the Rangers and led the team to an 87-75 finish in 2009, the club's first winning campaign since 2004.
"I am truly sorry for my careless, dangerous, and frankly, stupid, behavior last year," Washington said. "I am not here to make excuses. There are none. I fully understand that I disappointed a lot of people -- my family, my players, coaches, as well as the team's leadership, especially (president) Nolan Ryan and (general manager) Jon Daniels, as well as young people who may have looked up to me."
Washington also detailed his offering of a resignation letter following the drug test in which he tested positive.
"Shortly after I (used cocaine), MLB notified me that I would have a routine drug test," Washington said. "Before even taking the test, I notified the league about the drug use. Right after that test, I told Jon Daniels and Nolan Ryan about my shameful behavior. I offered them my resignation.
"They asked a lot of difficult questions. Remarkably, these two men, after a lot of thought and prayer, allowed me to stay here through last season. However, they also directed me to immediately begin MLB's drug treatment program, which is a thorough and exhaustive process, and it includes the administration of drug tests at least three times a week."
Washington added that he completed the drug treatment program. He also stated that his usage was an isolated incident as opposed to a continuing problem.
An earlier SI.com report said that under MLB, Washington was considered a first-time offender and went through counseling that's mandatory for non- players who fail a test or admit to drug use. MLB policy mandates managers and coaches be subject to random testing once a year. But while the report said Washington was cleared to have his testing scaled back to that level, he voluntarily will continue the increased testing.
Washington was hired as the Rangers' manager in November 2006. In three seasons with him at the helm, Texas has gone 241-245.
<< Kansas City brings Diop back to MLS
Kansas City, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Wizards signed Senegalese
midfielder Birahim Diop, the Major League Soccer club announced on Wednesday.
"Birahim is a guy who brings a physical presence to the field," Wizards
Manag
<< Spoiler replaces rear wing starting with Martinsville
Concord, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR will replace the rear wing with the
spoiler on the current Sprint Cup Series cars, beginning with next week's race
at Martinsville Speedway.
During a news conference held on Wednesday at Charl
<< Bears release CB Vasher
Lake Forest, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bears released long-time
cornerback Nathan Vasher on Wednesday.
Vasher, who was a fourth-round pick by the Bears in 2004, has spent the last
six seasons in Chicago. He signed a cont
<< DE Edwards reaches 4-year deal with Bills
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -Free agent defensive end Dwan Edwards has signed a four-year contract with the Buffalo Bills.The team announced the deal Wednesday.A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press early Wednesday morning tha
Chargers bring back DL Ian Scott >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Chargers re-signed veteran
defensive lineman Ian Scott to a one-year deal.
The terms of the contract have not been released.
Scott appeared in the final 13 games for the Chargers last s
Seahawks sign LB McCoy for one year >>
Kirkland, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Seahawks announced the signing of
linebacker Matt McCoy to a one-year contract on Wednesday.
McCoy, 27, spent the last two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2009,
McCoy appeared in 12 gam
Browns re-sign three >>
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Browns announced the re-signing of
linebacker Marcus Benard, linebacker Blake Costanzo and running back Chris
Jennings on Wednesday.
All three had been exclusive rights players, meaning they
Niners add CB Paymah >>
Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco 49ers agreed to terms
with cornerback Karl Paymah on a one-year contract on Wednesday. Financial
terms were not disclosed.
The 27-year-old spent the 2009 season with Minnesot
American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies
It's that time of year folks. Betting on American Idol Season 9. And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below. With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.
No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.
Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.
Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.
Odds to Win
There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.
All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.
A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.
Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.
Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol.
Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.
If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.
Elimination Props
Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.
Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.
Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups
The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.
Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.
MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.
To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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