Ottawa brings back Neil
Hockey Betting Lines
07/01/2009 - Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators announced on Wednesday that they have re-signed right-winger Chris Neil to a four-year contract worth a reported $8 million.
The Ottawa Sun reports Neil chose to stay in Ottawa despite a four-year, $9.2 million offer from the New York Rangers and a three-year, $6.9-million deal from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Last season was Neil's seventh with the Senators and he recorded three goals and seven assists in 60 games. He also missed 21 games with two separate leg injuries and one to the flu.
The 30-year-old Neil has notched 61 goals and 73 assists in 511 career games. He leads the franchise with 1,298 all-time career penalty minutes.
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Johnny Cueto tossed six shutout innings and the Reds bullpen finished the two-hitter from there, as Cincinnati blanked Arizona, 1-0, in the second of three games with the Diamondbacks. Cueto (8-4) surr
<< Butler/Georgetown, Indiana/Pittsburgh comprise Jimmy V Classic
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Butler will face Georgetown, and Indiana will
take on Pittsburgh in the matchups for this year's Jimmy V Classic, to be held
at Madison Square Garden on December 8.
This will be the debut for Georgetown and
<< Cubs grab early lead, top Pirates
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Derrek Lee belted a two-run home run and
Randy Wells tossed seven innings of one-run ball to lead the Chicago Cubs past
the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-1, in the rubber match of a three-game set at PNC
Park.
<< Prado, Braves rough up Hamels, Phillies
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin Prado was at it again, scoring three
runs and driving in two more runs after a four-RBI evening on Tuesday, as
Atlanta poured it on Philadelphia, 11-1, at Turner Field.
Gregor Blanco scored tw
<< Castro, Contreras carry ChiSox over Cleveland
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ramon Castro hit a go-ahead three-run homer
in a four-run sixth inning, and Jose Contreras pitched eight strong frames as
the Chicago White Sox completed a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Indians
with a
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dallas Braden threw seven strong innings, and Jack Cust and Jason Giambi each hit a two-run homer, as the Oakland Athletics defeated Detroit, 5-1, in the rubber match of a three-game series. Braden (6-7) al
Report: Clippers send Randolph to Memphis for Richardson >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers reportedly cleared
some cap space for 2010, sending forward Zach Randolph to Memphis in exchange
for forward/guard Quentin Richardson.
Several media sources are reporting the exch
Argos start season on right foot, blow out Tiger-Cats >>
Hamilton, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kerry Joseph threw for 227 yards and three
touchdowns, as the Toronto Argonauts got the CFL season started with a 30-17
win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a battle of 2008 also-rans.
Joseph completed 1
Rasmus hits HR on second chance as Cards beat Giants in 10 innings >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pablo Sandoval dropped Colby Rasmus' foul pop
up in the 10th frame -- the last of three Giants errors -- then Rasmus slugged
a game-winning home run to right-center, as St. Louis edged San Francisco,
2-1, at
Blalock's HR in ninth lifts Rangers over Angels >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hank Blalock went 3-for-5 with a pair of home
runs, including a two-run blast in the bottom of the ninth inning, to lift the
Rangers past the Angels, 9-7, in the rubber match of a three-game series.
After th
SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting
NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.
That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.
A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."
It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.
The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.
So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."
Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.
Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.
Seriously.
The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.
The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.
Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."
The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.
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