Burnett Backs Friday At Dodgers

Baseball Betting Lines

New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees have officially traded right-handed pitcher A.J. Burnett to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a pair of minor leaguers -- relief pitcher Diego Moreno and outfielder Exicardo Cayones. The trade was first reported on Friday and was pending a physical and approval by Major League Baseball.

 

But unlike Sabathia, who is 59-23 with the Yankees, Burnett struggled to produce in the rotation and finished three seasons for New York with a 34-35 mark.

 

"A.J. Burnett is a solid veteran starting pitcher with an above average pitch repertoire and potential to provide us with significant quality innings from our starting rotation," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said.

 

Moreno, 24, went 2-4 with five saves and a 3.63 ERA in 41 games between Class- A and Double-A ball last season. Cayones, 20, hit .228 with 12 RBI in 38 total games with State College and the GCL Pirates in 2011.

 

The 39-year-old Ibanez will fill a need for a lefty-swinging designated hitter and will add depth to the team's outfield that will be manned by Brett Gardner, Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher.

 

Ibanez appeared in 144 games last season, including 134 in left field, for the Phillies and batted .245 with 20 homers and 84 runs batted in. He spent three seasons in Philadelphia, driving in at least 80 runs each year.

 

In 1,817 games over 16 seasons with Seattle, Kansas City and Philadelphia, Ibanez has 252 homers, 1,054 runs batted in and a .280 batting average. He was an All-Star for the first and only time with the Phillies in 2009.

 

The Brewers also signed pitcher Mark Rogers and catcher Martin Maldonado.

 

Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Veteran slugger Manny Ramirez is reportedly set to join the Oakland Athletics. Various reports, including MLB.com, have indicated that Ramirez has agreed to a minor league contract worth $500,000.

 

Ramirez, a 12-time All-Star who will turn 40 years old on May 30, previously served a 50-game ban in 2009 as a member of the Dodgers for his first drug violation.

 

In 19 seasons with the Indians, Red Sox, Dodgers, White Sox and Rays, Ramirez has batted .312 with 555 home runs and 1,831 RBI. He won World Series titles with Boston in 2004 and 2007, capturing MVP honors in the 2004 sweep of St. Louis.

 

In December, Ramirez applied for reinstatement. The Office of the Commissioner and the Players Association then decided that Ramirez must first serve a 50- game suspension.

 

In 19 seasons with the Indians, Red Sox, Dodgers, White Sox and Rays, Ramirez has batted .312 with 555 home runs and 1,831 RBI. He won World Series titles with Boston in 2004 and 2007, capturing MVP honors in the 2004 sweep of St. Louis.

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How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?

The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.

While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.

For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.

1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.

2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.

How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.

Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.

Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.

How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).

Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.

Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

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