Indians place P Carmona on restricted list
Baseball Betting Lines
01/26/2012 - Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The pitcher formerly known as Fausto Carmona was placed on Major League Baseball's restricted list by the Cleveland Indians on Thursday following his arrest of double identity last week.
Carmona, whose real name is Roberto Hernandez Heredia, is still dealing with ongoing legal and visa issues in his native Dominican Republic. The pitcher's status for the upcoming season remains unclear.
Maximo Baez Aybar, a spokesman for the Dominican National Police, said last week through his Twitter account that Heredia is actually 31 years old, not 28.
Aybar said Heredia was apprehended on January 19 after leaving the American consulate, where he was renewing his visa.
Heredia will be ineligible to receive pay while on the restricted list. If his issues are resolved during the regular season for a return to the United States, the Indians would only have to pay a prorated portion of his contract for the remainder of the year.
A player can remain on the restricted list for two seasons. The move also frees up a spot on Cleveland's 40-man roster.
Heredia has spent his entire six-year big league career with the Indians. He went 19-8 with a 3.06 earned run average in 2007 -- his first season as a full-time starter -- but has struggled to a 33-48 record since. Last season, he went 7-15 with a 5.25 ERA in 32 starts.
The Miami Marlins are in a similar situation with the pitcher formerly known as Leo Nunez. Nunez, whose real name is Juan Carlos Oviedo, is also on the restricted list.
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Earthquakes signed forward Sercan Guvenisik on Thursday, pending receipt of his P-1 visa. Guvenisik, 31, comes to MLS from SC Preussen Muenster of the Bundesliga 3. He scored 14 goals in 56 leagu
<< Yanks sign P Kuroda
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees signed pitcher Hiroki
Kuroda to a one-year contract on Thursday.
Kuroda has spent his entire four years in the majors with the Dodgers and went
13-16 with a 3.07 earned run average ove
<< Pocono track founder Mattioli dies
Long Pond, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dr. Joseph Mattioli, the founder and chairman
of the board of Pocono Raceway, passed away on Thursday at the Lehigh Valley
Hospital Center in Pennsylvania, following a lengthy illness. He was 86.
Known as
<< Earthquakes sign GK Busch to new contract
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Earthquakes signed goalkeeper Jon
Busch to a new contract Thursday.
Busch, 35, joined the Earthquakes in March of 2010 and has 14 shutouts - seven
in each of his two seasons - for the squad. He st
<< NASCAR not making any big changes for 2012 season
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Unlike 2011, NASCAR will not make any major
alterations in its rules for the upcoming season.
Officials from the sanctioning body, including NASCAR chairman and chief
executive officer Brian France
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians signed right-handed pitcher Dan Wheeler to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to the team's spring training. Wheeler spent the 2011 campaign with the Boston Red
Penn State pays tribute to Paterno >>
University Park, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If there was a common thread for
Thursday's public memorial service for Joe Paterno, it's that he was much more
than a football coach.
He might have recorded 409 victories during a 46-year ten
Pagano: It's going to be a great journey >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indianapolis Colts introduced new head
coach Chuck Pagano to the media on Thursday.
It has been a whirlwind week for the former Baltimore Ravens defensive
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Timbers name Knowles an assistant coach >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Timbers named Cameron Knowles as
an assistant coach Thursday.
Knowles, 29, played for seven seasons, including four with the Timbers. During
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Toronto FC signs Ecuadorian defender Caicedo >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Toronto FC announced the signing of Ecuadorian
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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence
Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.
Work left to do:
Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.
Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.
DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...
West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.
Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.
For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com
For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com
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