11/18/2008 - Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik has reportedly settled on a new manager, and he has apparently raided the coaching staff of a division rival in the process.
The Seattle Times reported Tuesday night that Zduriencik has picked Don Wakamatsu to be Seattle's next manager, and the announcement will be made on Wednesday. Wakamatsu, 45, just completed his first season as bench coach for the Oakland Athletics after spending five seasons on the coaching staff of the Texas Rangers.
Zduriencik tabbed Wakamatsu out of a group of seven candidates -- White Sox third base coach Joey Cora, Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills, Diamondbacks third base coach Chip Hale, Triple-A Portland manager Randy Ready, Red Sox third base coach DeMarlo Hale and Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo -- none of whom had major league managerial experience.
A former catcher, Wakamatsu's playing career spanned 12 seasons with seven organizations. His only stint in the majors came in 1991, when he played in 18 games with the Chicago White Sox, batting .226 with no homers or runs batted in.
Born in Hood River, Oregon, Wakamatsu grew up in Hayward, California, and played collegiately at Arizona State before the Cincinnati Reds selected him in the 11th round of the 1985 amateur draft.
Prior to joining the Rangers coaching staff, Wakamatsu spent three years in the Angels organization, managing in the Arizona League, and for Single-A High Desert, Double-A Erie, and Double-A El Paso. He compiled a managerial record of 215-248.
Wakamatsu will take over for interim manager Jim Riggleman, who had been the bench coach when manager John McLaren was fired in June, after less than a year at the helm. McLaren was shown the door after the Mariners, a team expected to contend in the AL West, started the season 25-47. Seattle finished the campaign 61-101, the worst record in the AL.
McLaren's dismissal came three days after upper management fired general manager Bill Bavasi. The Mariners hired former Brewers executive Zduriencik as their new GM in October.
<< Arshavin's 'dream' to play at Bayern Munich
St. Petersburg, Russia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andrei Arshavin's potential move to
one of Europe's major leagues has taken another twist after the Russia star
claimed it would be "a dream" to join Bayern Munich.
The 27-year-old midfielder
<< Ex-Inter boss Mancini named top coach in Serie A
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Inter Milan boss Roberto Mancini has
been named the Serie A coach of the year for last season.
Mancini, 43, was dumped by Inter in favor of Jose Mourinho during the summer
despite leading the clu
<< Portsmouth's Diarra likely to miss several weeks
Portsmouth, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Portsmouth boss Tony Adams fears that
key midfielder Lassana Diarra may be sidelined for several weeks with the ankle
injury he suffered in the goalless draw at West Ham United.
The 23-year-old form
<< NFC West: Real test begins for the Cardinals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With a four-game lead in the NFC West after Sunday's
26-20 victory over Seattle -- the club that has won the last four division
titles -- the Arizona Cardinals appear a lock to win their first division
crown since claiming th
Purdue crushes Loyola-Chicago >>
West Lafayette, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - E'Twaun Moore netted 14 points and
grabbed seven rebounds as the No. 11 Purdue Boilermakers routed Loyola-
Chicago, 78-46, in the north regional finals of the NIT Season Tip-Off at
Mackey
Williams stars as Volunteers rout UT-Martin >>
Knoxville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Williams hit 8-of-10 from the floor
while recording 21 points and 12 rebounds as the 14th-ranked Tennessee
Volunteers cruised to a 91-64 victory over Tennessee-Martin.
The blowout was Tenne
Wade leads Heat past Wizards >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwyane Wade scored 19 points and doled out
10 assists to lead the Miami Heat in a 94-87 victory over the Washington
Wizards.
Mario Chalmers added 15 points and six helpers for the Heat, who
Nowitzki, Dallas cruise past Bobcats >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dirk Nowitzki poured in 32 points and
grabbed nine rebounds, and the Dallas Mavericks remained perfect all-time
against the Bobcats with a 100-83 win over Charlotte.
Josh Howard scored 21 point
MySportsbook.com Week 1 odds:
Saints +6 @ Colts -6
Falcons @ Vikings (pick ‘em)
Panthers @ Rams (pick ‘em)
Broncos -3.5 @ Bills +3.5
Chiefs -1 @ Texans +1
Dolphins +3 @ Redskins -3
Patriots -5 @ Jets +5
Eagles -3.5 @ Packers +3.5
Steelers -4 @ Browns +4
Titans +6 @ Jaguars -6
Bears +6 @ Chargers -6
Lions +3 @ Raiders -3
Bucs +6.5 @ Seahawks -6.5
Giants +4 @ Cowboys -4
Ravens +3 @ Bengals -3
Cardinals +3 @ 49ers -3
Super Bowl line (2008)
NFC +6.5 vs. AFC -6.5
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While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.
Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.
The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.
What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.
These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.
College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.
Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.
Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.
Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.
I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.
Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.
It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.
As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.
Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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