Blazers officially sign G Matthews

Basketball Betting Lines

07/21/2010 - Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers have officially signed restricted free-agent guard Wesley Matthews.

As per club policy, no terms of the deal were announced. However, a report in the Oregonian last week placed the pact at five years and $34 million.

The Blazers signed Matthews to an offer sheet on July 10 which his former team, the Utah Jazz, declined to match.

Matthews was relied on right away as a rookie last season, averaging 9.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 24.7 minutes per game. He played in all 82 games, making 48 starts.

Undrafted after his four-year career at Marquette, Matthews proved himself further by posting 13.2 points, 4.4 boards, 1.7 assists and 1.8 steals in starting all 10 of Utah's playoff games in 2009-10.

"Wesley is a great fit for our team both on and off the court," said new Portland general manager Rich Cho. "As only a first-year player last season, he demonstrated a lot of maturity and ability. He's already one of the best young defenders in the league and offensively he's an emerging threat. He's going to add a lot of versatility to our roster."

Gamblingriverboat Basketball Betting News

<< Rachel to face six in Lady's Secret
Oceanport, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rachel Alexandra, 2009 Horse of the Year, will take on six challengers in Saturday's $400,000 Lady's Secret Stakes at Monmouth Park. The 1 1/8-mile race will be the champion filly's second career start a

<< Tigers bring up Sizemore
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers recalled infielder Scott Sizemore from Triple-A Toledo and optioned pitcher Casey Fien to the Mud Hens. Sizemore was batting .329 with six homers, 13 doubles and 19 RBI in 41 games with

<< Reds option Owings, recall Fisher
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Reds optioned Micah Owings to Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday and recalled pitcher Carlos Fisher from the same club. Owings, in his second season with the Reds, is 3-2 with a 5.40 earn

<< Spurs officially re-sign F Jefferson
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs officially re-signed Richard Jefferson on Wednesday, reportedly to a contract at least three-years in length according to the San Antonio Express-News. Jefferson opted out of the f

<< Warriors sign undrafted free agent Jeremy Lin
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -The Golden State Warriors have signed undrafted free agent guard Jeremy Lin.The team announced the deal with the former Harvard star and Bay Area native on Wednesday.The 21-year-old Lin averaged 16.4 points, 4.5 assists and 4.4

Szczur, Thomas headline All-CAA team >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Villanova and Richmond, the last two FCS champions, lead the way on the Preseason All-CAA Football Team with eight and seven selections, respectively. Villanova senior Matt Szczur was named in two spots, a

Liriano and Twins shut down Tribe and their win streak >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Francisco Liriano pitched seven shutout innings, and the Minnesota Twins avoided their first home sweep of the season with a 6-0 win over the Cleveland Indians. Liriano (8-7) allowed six hits and walk

Longoria, Rays edge O's to take series >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evan Longoria homered, doubled and drove in the game-winning run with a walk, as the Tampa Bay Rays held on for 5-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles in the rubber match of a three-game set at Camden

Padres place Eckstein on DL; reinstate Venable >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres placed infielder David Eckstein on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday and reinstated outfielder Will Venable from the DL. Eckstein suffered a right calf strain and is on the

Bears sign former BYU star Unga >>
Lake Forest, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bears on Tuesday signed running back Harvey Unga, who the team selected in the seventh round of the supplemental draft last week. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the Chica

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.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.

Sportsbook betting odds favor Europe in Ryder Cup

September 19, – Despite holding a decided edge in the all-time series, with 24 wins, 2 ties and 10 losses, Team USA is the underdog again heading into the Ryder Cup in Kidare, Ireland this weekend, according to MySportsbook.com.  The Europeans have captured four of the past five editions, including their largest victory ever, an 18 ½ to 9 ½ thumping in Michigan in 2004. Current Ryder Cup betting odds favor the Europeans to continue their winning ways; they are a 4-5 bet to take the title, compared to 6-5 for the Americans. 

Despite being knocked out in the first round of World Match play by Shaun Micheel, Tiger Woods is predicted to lead the US charge and be their highest point scorer for the week, with odds listed at 9-4 that he outpoints all other American players, including Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco to  name a  few.  Team USA has four relatively unknown players on the roster but all four are 2007 tournament winners and have posted some of season’s best performances, each earning over $1.5 million on the PGA TOUR.  They include Zach Johnson, Vaughan Taylor, JJ Henry and Brett Wetterich.

The experienced European squad includes the likes of Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Jose Maria Olazabal and Darren Clarke, who’s emotions will be tested after the passing of his wife to a battle with cancer.  Donald and Garcia are in particularly good form and each is a 5-1 bet to lead the European squad in the points race. Donald has proven he can go head to head with Woods at a major event after a run for the $1.2 million purse at the PGA Championship. Garcia’s Ryder Cup credentials prove he’s ready for battle too.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your golf sportsbook needs.

Ryder Cup Odds

Europe
Tie
USA		 4-5
10-1
6-5


Ryder Cup Top US point scorer
Tiger Woods
Jim Furyk
Phil Mickelson
Chris DiMarco
David Toms
Stewart Cink
Chad Campbell
Scott Verplank
Zach Johnson
Vaughan Taylor
JJ Henry
Brett Wetterich		 9-4
4-1
5-1
7-1
8-1
12-1
15-1
15-1
25-1
30-1
30-1
50-1


Ryder Cup Top European scorer
Sergio Garcia
Luke Donald
Padraig Harrington
Colin Montgomerie
Darren Clarke
David Howell
Lee Westwood
Paul Casey
Henrik Stenson
Jose Maria Olazabal
Paul McGinley
Robert Karlsson		 5-1
5-1
6-1
13-2
8-1
9-1
9-1
11-1
12-1
12-1
20-1
25-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com