Indians have deal in place with 1B Kotchman

Baseball Betting Lines

02/02/2012 - Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians reportedly have a one- year deal in place with free-agent first baseman Casey Kotchman.

The deal is worth $3 million plus incentives, according to MLB.com.

The Indians have not confirmed the signing, but an official announcement could come as early as Friday.

The 28-year-old Kotchman posted a .306 batting average with 10 homers and 48 RBI in 146 games for the Tampa Bay Rays last season.

That was a big improvement from his 2010 campaign with Seattle, where he hit .217 with nine home runs and 51 RBI.

In 791 career games with the Angels, Braves, Red Sox, Mariners and Rays, Kotchman has hit .268 with 59 homers and 332 RBI.

Wgrouplotto Baseball Betting News

<< Bobcats' Henderson out 2-4 weeks
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Charlotte Bobcats guard Gerald Henderson is expected to miss 2-4 weeks after an MRI on Thursday confirmed a right hamstring strain. Henderson suffered the injury during the third quarter of Wedn

<< Gronkowski limited in Thursday's practice
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was a limited participant in Thursday's practice. Gronkowski was on the practice field for the first time since suffering a left ankle injury in the AF

<< Sundhage names U.S. women's training camp roster
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - U.S. women's national team coach Pia Sundhage named 28 players Thursday for an upcoming training camp, including 19 of the 20 players who were on the recent Olympic team roster. Ali Krieger, who tore the AC

<< Blue Jackets activate Carter
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated center Jeff Carter off injured reserve. Carter separated his right shoulder during a game against Anaheim on January 8. He has posted 10 goals and 17 points

<< AZ signs coach Verbeek to two-year extension
Alkmaar, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AZ Alkmaar gave coach Gertjan Verbeek a two-year contract extension on Thursday, locking him up through the 2014-15 season. Verbeek, 49, joined the Dutch side before the 2010-11 season and led the c

Packers promote Clements to offensive coordinator >>
Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Green Bay Packers have promoted Tom Clements from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator, the team announced on Thursday. Former offensive coordinator Joe Philbin left two weeks ago to become

Magic's Howard to start All-Star Game in Orlando >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic was the leading vote-getter with 1,600,390 votes and will start for the Eastern Conference in front of his home crowd at Amway Center in this month's All-Star Game. The star

Padres agree to terms with P Owings >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Micah Owings on a one-year contract. "Micah will compete for a spot on our staff," said executive vice president/general manage

Palmer leads delayed Phoenix Open >>
Scottsdale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Palmer fired a seven-under 65 Thursday to grab a one-stroke lead with the first round of the Phoenix Open suspended due to darkness. Palmer earned his third PGA Tour title at the 2010 Sony Open.

Duke continues dominance over Wake Forest >>
Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Haley Peters had 18 points and 11 rebounds as the fifth-ranked Duke Blue Devils beat Wake Forest for the 37th straight time in a 75-43 victory Thursday night. Elizabeth Williams added 16 points and nine boa

Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.