Report: Harden to miss 2012 season
Baseball Betting Lines
02/09/2012 - San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Free agent pitcher Rich Harden will reportedly miss the entire 2012 season after undergoing shoulder surgery.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Harden had a torn capsule in his right shoulder repaired last week by noted sports surgeon Dr. James Andrews.
The 30-year-old right-hander first had shoulder problems back in 2007 with Oakland when he appeared in just seven games. He told the Chronicle that the injury dates back to an April 15, 2007 game against the Yankees when he was hurt trying to field a comebacker with his bare hand.
Harden returned to Oakland in 2011 after stints with the Cubs and Rangers, and posted a record of 4-4 with a 5.12 earned run average in 15 starts.
In 170 games, all but 10 of which have been starts, Harden owns a career mark of 59-38 with a 3.76 ERA.
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baltimore Orioles pitcher Brad Bergesen lost his arbitration case and will earn a salary of $800,000 for the 2012 season. Bergesen had sought $1.2 million. The right-hander was 2-7 with a 5.70 earned run a
<< High-ankle sprain shelves Pens' Kennedy
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma
revealed Thursday that forward Tyler Kennedy has a high-ankle sprain and will
possibly be sidelined at least a month.
"After a week we'll have a better idea
<< Koivu back in Wild lineup Thursday
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Wild will have captain Mikko
Koivu in the lineup when they host the Northwest Division-leading Vancouver
Canucks on Thursday.
Koivu missed eight games with a shoulder injury suffered
<< Real Madrid's Altintop sustains calf injury
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Madrid's Hamit Altintop has sustained a
muscle tear in his left calf and will likely be sidelined for a few weeks, the
La Liga club announced Thursday.
Although Real Madrid gave no exact timetable for
<< England names Pearce interim coach
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England named Stuart Pearce interim coach
Thursday, one day after Fabio Capello resigned.
Pearce will manage England against Netherlands in a friendly later this month,
while the English FA searches for a
Staten Island, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Fordham head football coach Tom Masella has been named associate head coach at Wagner College, veteran Seahawks head coach Walt Hameline announced Thursday. Masella, a native of Staten Island who p
San Jose signs Wondolowski to new contract >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Earthquakes signed two-time MLS
leading scorer Chris Wondolowski to a new deal Thursday, although per league
and team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Wondolowski has led MLS in
Breen prepares Pants On Fire for return >>
Hallandale Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Saturday marks a big day for trainer
Kelly Breen with the return of his 2011 Belmont Stakes champion Ruler On Ice.
The four-year-old gelding is one of the favorites for the $500,000 Donn
Handica
Houston acquires Kandji from Colorado >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Dynamo have acquired forward
Macoumba Kandji from the Colorado Rapids in exchange for a conditional draft
pick.
Kandji, 26, has played 57 regular season matches over five seasons in MLS. H
Lafayette-Lehigh to play 150 in NYC? >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - As if the 150th meeting between the
Lafayette and Lehigh football teams wasn't special enough ...
How about an extra special venue?
The Express-Times of Easton, Pa., reported Thursday about the concept o
NFL Football Betting
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.