Big Hurt returns to White Sox as team ambassador

Baseball Betting Lines

07/27/2010 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two-time American League MVP Frank Thomas, who announced his retirement last winter, will rejoin the Chicago White Sox as a team ambassador.

Thomas, who played 19 seasons in the majors, will have his uniform No. 35 retired by the White Sox on August 29.

In his new role, Thomas will make appearances on behalf of the White Sox and will serve as a team representative in the community and in the majors.

"Frank Thomas is one of the greatest offensive players in Major League Baseball history and, without question, one of the greatest players in our franchise's long history," said White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. "It is with great pleasure that we formally welcome Frank back to the White Sox family."

Thomas, who will become eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014, had a contentious relationship with the White Sox after the team bought out the option on his contract. That came after the 2005 season when the White Sox won the World Series. That prompted White Sox general manager Ken Williams to call Thomas "an idiot" and "selfish."

A five-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger Award winner, Thomas spent 16 seasons with the White Sox (1990-2005) before finishing up in Toronto and Oakland. He won back-to-back AL MVP honors in 1993 and '94.

Casino-online-betting Baseball Betting News

<< Dolphins sign veteran DE Douglas
Davie, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Dolphins signed veteran defensive end Marques Douglas to an undisclosed contract on Tuesday. Douglas has spent each of the past three seasons with a different club, playing in all 16 regular se

<< Braves send McLouth to minors
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves have sent slumping outfielder Nate McLouth to Triple-A Gwinnett. In 62 games this season, the sixth-year pro was hitting just .168 and missed more than a month with concussion-l

<< Aaron Glenn, 15-year NFL veteran, finally announces retirement
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aaron Glenn will sign a one-day contract with the Houston Texans on Wednesday and then announce his retirement after 15 years in the NFL. Glenn, a first-round draft pick by the New York Jets in 1994 out

<< Pac-10 announces future name change
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pac-10 Conference will officially undergo a name change once two new schools join the grouping. The announcement was made on Tuesday, as conference commissioner Larry Scott unveiled new branding

<< Wolves' Flynn has hip surgery
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jonny Flynn underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair a labral tear and remove extra bone from his left hip. The Wolves have already planned for Flynn's absence, signing f

Caps sign Fleischmann for one year >>
Arlington, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Capitals inked forward Tomas Fleischmann to a one-year contract on Tuesday. The 26-year-old native of the Czech Republic notched career-highs with 23 goals, 28 assists and 51 points in

Broncos sign draft picks Beadles, Decker >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos came to terms with their second and third-round draft picks, offensive lineman Zane Beadles and wide receiver Eric Decker, the team announced on Tuesday. Terms of the deals were not di

No Strasburg, no problem: Nationals shut out Braves >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miguel Batista, thrust into emergency duty after the late scratch to phenom Stephen Strasburg, hurled five scoreless frames as Washington downed Atlanta, 3-0, in the first of three games at Nationa

Tomlin shines in MLB debut; A-Rod held homerless on birthday >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Tomlin pitched into the eighth inning in his major league debut and Matt LaPorta provided enough support with two RBI, as Cleveland downed the Yankees, 4-1, in the continuation of a four-game series

Bautista powers Blue Jays over Orioles >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Bautista went 4-for-4 with a pair of home runs and knocked in five, as the Toronto Blue Jays downed the Baltimore Orioles, 8-2, in the second of a three-game series at Rogers Centre. Vernon Wells

Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game

How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.

Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.

The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).

Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.

The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).

Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

To visit this online sports book got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.

Sportsbooks to bet on football

Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.

He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.

"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.

He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.

Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.

Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.

Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.

Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.

With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.

Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).

And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)

The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.

While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.

Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.

One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.

Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.

What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.

That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.

MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.

"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.

"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."

So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.

In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.

MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.

The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.

Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.

MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.

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