Royals sign 12 players to one-year deals
Baseball Betting Lines
02/10/2012 - Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sean O'Sullivan and Blake Wood have agreed to terms on one-year contracts with the Kansas City Royals.
The pitchers were just two of 12 players to sign a contract with the Royals for the upcoming season.
O'Sullivan went 2-6 with a 7.25 earned run average in 12 games, all but two of which were starts, for Kansas City last year.
Wood made 55 relief appearances for the Royals in 2011, going 5-3 with a save and a 3.75 ERA.
The Royals also inked pitchers Nate Adcock, Kelvin Herrera, Jeremy Jeffress, Everett Teaford and Ryan Verdugo, catcher Manuel Pina, first baseman Clint Robinson and outfielders Jarrod Dyson, David Lough and Derrick Robinson.
Enschede, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Everton scored a goal in each half as Heracles claimed a surprising 3-2 win at Twente on Friday, preventing the home side from joining PSV Eindhoven and AZ Alkmaar at the top of the league. Everton s
<< United and Liverpool renew rivalry
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - English Premier League play resumes
this weekend with the latest installment of one of the country's fiercest
rivalries.
Manchester United and Liverpool meet at Old Trafford on Saturday, and
<< Jiracek's brace lifts Wolfsburg over Freiburg
Wolfsburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Petr Jiracek scored the first and last
goals as Wolfsburg downed Freiburg, 3-2, on Friday at Volkswagen Arena in the
Bundesliga.
Jiracek was one of the many new faces Wolfsburg signed in January, and
<< Lyon warms up for Champions League against Caen
Lyon, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lyon slipped 10 points behind Ligue 1 leader
PSG last weekend, so a visit by Caen on Saturday - ahead of Tuesday's last 16
Champions League match against APOEL - has turned into a must-win match.
Since win
<< Dunfermline out to end dry spell against Rangers
Dunfermline, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dunfermline will try to snap a pair
of negative streaks on Saturday when the club hosts second-place Rangers.
In the last 30 meetings between the two teams, Dunfermline has managed just
one win,
Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco 49ers have extended the contract of general manager Trent Baalke through 2016. 49ers president and CEO Jed York announced the move via his Twitter account on Friday. Baalke, who was
Orioles ink veteran P Ayala >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles signed veteran
reliever Luis Ayala to a one-year contract on Friday.
The right-hander's deal includes a club option for 2013.
Ayala, 34, is familiar with the American Leagu
Pavin grabs early lead in Boca Raton >>
Boca Raton, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Corey Pavin fired an eight-under 64 Friday
to grab a two-stroke lead after the opening round of the Allianz Championship.
Pavin, the 2010 U.S. Ryder Cup captain, is in his third season on the
Champions Tour,
Barcelona hopes to heap pressure on Madrid >>
Navarra, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barcelona, by its high standards, is sailing
in chartered La Liga territory this season.
The Catalans have exhibited a certain level of dominance in Spain's top flight
over the past few seasons, claiming thr
Cardinals sign P Linebrink >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals have signed pitcher
Scott Linebrink to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring
training.
Linebrink pitched for Atlanta last season and went 4-4 with a 3.64 earne
NFL Football Betting
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.