Niemi awarded hefty increase in arbitration

Hockey Betting Lines

07/31/2010 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Antii Niemi has reportedly been awarded $2.75 million for next season from an arbitrator on Saturday.

The Chicago Tribune is reporting a significant increase from the $800,000 he made last season as he helped Chicago to its first Stanley Cup championship in 49 years in a six-game victory over Philadelphia.

The 26-year-old went 26-7-4 with a 2.25 goals against average and a .912 save percentage with seven shutouts over 39 games in the regular season as he won over the top spot held by Cristobal Huet during the campaign.

In the Stanley Cup run, he went 16-6 with a 2.63 GAA and two shutouts.

What remains to be seen is if the salary cap-strapped Blackhawks will accept the deal or trade his rights. Chicago has had eight players from last season's roster leave through trade or free agency.

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Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mexican captain Rafael Marquez ended his seven-year stint at Barcelona on Saturday when he was released by the Spanish club. Marquez, a teammate of Thierry Henry's at Barcelona, is reported to be on hi

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Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Liverpool re-signed Brazilian defender Fabio Aurelio, who left the club two months ago when his contract expired, to a two-year contract on Saturday. New Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson offered Aurelio

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Commerce City, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Julien Baudet's own goal helped FC Dallas extend its road and overall undefeated streaks to eight matches with a 1-1 tie Saturday against the Colorado Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Baudet deflecte

<< Bayne wins third consecutive Nationwide pole
Newton, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trevor Bayne captured his third straight pole in Nationwide Series after winning Saturday's qualifying for the U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway. Bayne's qualifying lap of 133.266 m.p.h. not only made him th

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Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers have reinstated pitcher Rich Harden from the 15-day disabled list to start Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Harden was placed on the DL June 12, one day after

St. Johnstone adds Haber on loan from West Brom >>
Perth, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Johnstone acquired striker Marcus Haber on loan from English club West Brom on Saturday. Haber, a 21-year-old Canadian, has yet to make a first-team appearance at West Brom. He spent parts of last seaso

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East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Giants have reportedly agreed to terms on a contract with defensive tackle Linval Joseph. Joseph was selected 45th overall by the Giants in this year's draft. The Star- Ledger reports t

Sunderland signs Richardson to extension >>
Sunderland, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunderland signed midfielder Kieran Richardson to a contract extension through the 2012-13 season on Saturday. Richardson, 25, joined Sunderland from Manchester United in 2007 and has made 85 appea

A Little Warm is hot horse in Jim Dandy Stakes >>
Saratoga Springs, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A Little Warm, ridden by John Velazquez, took the lead in mid-stretch on his way to winning Saturday's $500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. The 1 1/8-mile contest is the

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Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Hanigan delivered the tie-breaking two- run double in the seventh inning, and Bronson Arroyo tossed seven sturdy frames in Cincinnati's 5-2 win over Atlanta in the middle tilt of a three-game set.

MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect

LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.

Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.

Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.

2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

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