Another blow for Cleveland: Sizemore out for season after surgery

Baseball Betting Lines

06/04/2010 - Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore underwent surgery on Friday and will miss the rest of the regular season.

Sizemore was expected to be sidelined 6-to-8 weeks following the procedure, but Dr. Richard Steadman ended up needing to perform microfracture surgery on his left knee, meaning the recovery period will take six to nine months, just in time for spring training next year.

The injury was suffered on May 16 when he dove into second base in a game against the Orioles. It was originally diagnosed as a deep bone bruise.

Sizemore struggled mightily for the second straight season in 2010, though last year inflammation in his left elbow and an unstable abdominal wall on his lower left side curbed his production.

He had surgery in the offseason to correct both injuries, but the career .272 hitter batted a mere .211 with 13 runs batted in and no home runs in 33 games this season.

The three-time All Star, who turns 28 in August, hit 33 home runs and stole 38 bases in 2008.

Wwwlbritishairways Baseball Betting News

<< Staten moves in front in College Park
College Park, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - B.J. Staten fired a seven-under 64 on Friday to move atop the leaderboard after the second round of the Melwood Prince George's County Open. Staten finished 36 holes at 11-under 131 and is one cl

<< Italy's Pirlo suffers calf injury
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo injured his calf in Thursday's friendly against Mexico and could miss the World Cup. Pirlo could miss up to three weeks with the injury and Italy starts defense of its World Cup t

<< Oakland's Anderson lands back on DL
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics placed left-hander Brett Anderson on the 15-day disabled list for the second time this season Friday. Anderson was previously on the DL from April 25 to May 28 with left elbow inflam

<< Red Stars sign Washington, Weber
Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Red Stars signed midfielder Nikki Washington and defender Elise Weber on Friday. Washington and Weber were available following the dissolution of Saint Louis Athletica last week. Chicago

<< After statement win, Revs head to Seattle
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Revolution snapped a seven game winless streak in their last Major League Soccer fixture, and they are hoping it is something to build on against the Seattle Sounders FC in their next one. "Thi

Briscoe edges Franchitti for Texas pole >>
Fort Worth, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Briscoe won Friday's qualifying for the Firestone 500k IZOD IndyCar Series race after beating Dario Franchitti by the slimmest of margins at Texas Motor Speedway. Briscoe from Team Penske earned his s

Ladd, Boynton in for Game 4 >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Blackhawks forward Andrew Ladd and defenseman Nick Boynton are in the lineup for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Ladd had missed the first three games of the series with an upper body inj

Carcillo out, van Riemsdyk in for Philly for Game 4 >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers benched forward Dan Carcillo and replaced him with forward James van Riemsdyk for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Carcillo played the previous two games and was a minus-o

Wooden continues to rest in hospital >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Legendary basketball coach John Wooden is still resting comfortably at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, according to a release from the UCLA athletics department Friday afternoon. Earlier Friday,

Braves disable Saito >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves have placed reliever Takashi Saito on the 15-day disabled list with a left hamstring injury. Saito felt tightness while pitching in the ninth inning of Atlanta's 4-3 win against th

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.