Twins closer Nathan to undergo tests on elbow

Baseball Betting Lines

03/07/2010 - Fort Myers, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Twins closer Joe Nathan traveled back to Minnesota on Sunday to undergo an MRI and CT scan on his surgically repaired right elbow.

Nathan felt tightness in the elbow on Saturday against Boston after facing one batter and exited the game. The Twins have not given a timetable for his return.

The 35-year-old Nathan is coming off a franchise-record 47-save season in 2009. He threw to a 2.10 ERA in 70 appearances but had to have bone spurs and loose bodies removed in his right elbow following the season.

He has appeared in at least 64 games and averaged over a strikeout per inning in each of the past seven seasons, the last six coming in Minnesota.

Over his 10-year career, Nathan has compiled 247 saves to go with a 2.75 earned-run average in 533 games -- 29 starts.

Ecasino-online Baseball Betting News

<< BC Lions extend QB Printers
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The BC Lions announced Sunday that the team has signed quarterback Casey Printers to a contract extension. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. "Casey has demonstrated that he's not only a gifted and ex

<< Montreal rallies late, downs Ducks in SO
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tomas Plekanec fired the game-winning wrister in the shootout, and the Montreal Canadiens used a late surge in regulation and a controversial goal in the shootout to edge the Anaheim Ducks, 4-3, at Honda C

<< Gray, Gonzaga advance to WCC tourney final
Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steven Gray scored a game-high 18 points to go along with seven assists and six rebounds, as No. 18 Gonzaga posted a 77-62 victory over Loyola Marymount in the semifinals of the West Coast Conference tournam

<< Allen's late heroics leads Boston over Washington
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ray Allen hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 17.1 seconds left in regulation to lift Boston to an 86-83 comeback victory over Washington at TD Garden. Allen ended with a game-high 25 points, while Paul Pi

<< Deslauriers, Oilers blank Devils
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers made 22 saves for his third shutout of the season to help the Edmonton Oilers take a 2-0 win over the New Jersey Devils at Rexall Place. Gilbert Brule and Marc Pouliot each had a

Patriot League Tournament Recaps >>
Easton, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jared Mintz hit the go-ahead jumper with 35 seconds left and finished with 14 points, as Lafayette held on for a 66-63 win over Holy Cross in the Patriot League semifinal. Jim Mower had a team-high 17 poi

Durant, Thunder drop Kings >>
Sacramento, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Durant scored 27 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists, and the Oklahoma City Thunder stayed hot with a 108-102 win over the Sacramento Kings. Russell Westbrook added 21 points a

Trail Blazers-Nuggets, Box >>
PORTLAND (106)Batum 2-7 0-0 4, Aldridge 6-14 4-5 16, Howard 4-6 0-2 8, Miller 7-15 5-6 19, Roy 3-14 5-6 12, Fernandez 5-9 0-0 14, Pendergraph 0-0 0-0 0, Bayless 6-10 9-11 24, Webster 1-6 1-2 4, Cunningham 1-1 3-4 5. Totals 35-82 27-36 106.DENVER

WTA renews partnership with Sony >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The WTA Tour and Sony Ericsson announced a two-year extension of their existing partnership on Sunday. The deal will now keep Sony as the lead global sponsor for the tour through to the end of 2012. "

Blazers C Przybilla to undergo surgery again >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers announced center Joel Przybilla will undergo surgery on his right patella tendon after he slipped in the shower at his home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Przybilla first ruptur

Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard