Mariners name pitching, bullpen coaches

Baseball Betting Lines

12/03/2008 - Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners Wednesday named Rick Adair pitching coach and John Wetteland bullpen coach.

The two additions to new manager Don Wakamatsu's 2009 staff join bench coach Ty Van Burkleo and first base coach Lee Tinsley, with the third base coach and hitting coach slots still undetermined.

Adair, 50, joins the Mariners after serving the last four seasons as the minor league pitching coordinator for the Texas Rangers. Adair had two previous stints as a major league pitching coach, working for the Cleveland Indians in 1992 and 1993 and the Detroit Tigers from September 12, 1996 through the 1999 campaign.

Wetteland, 42, was the Washington Nationals bullpen coach in 2006. Wetteland amassed a 48-45 record with 330 saves and 2.93 earned run average in 618 career games with the Dodgers, Expos, Yankees and Rangers.

Seattle finished the 2008 campaign 61-101, the worst record in the AL. The Mariners were the first club in major league history with a payroll of at least $100 million to lose 100 games.

Wcdnow Baseball Betting News

<< Rice accepts bid for Texas Bowl
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rice University accepted a bid to the Texas Bowl on Wednesday. The Owls finished the 2008 season with a 9-3 mark, including a 7-1 record in Conference USA. It is the second bowl selection for the s

<< Raptors fire coach Mitchell; Triano to take over
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors fired head coach Sam Mitchell on Wednesday, as announced by team president and general manager Bryan Colangelo. "This is a difficult but necessary step the franchise must

<< Colts LB Brackett sidelined with leg injury
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Indianapolis Colts linebacker and defensive captain Gary Brackett will miss at least a couple of weeks with a fibula injury to his right leg, head coach Tony Dungy said Wednesday. Brackett, wh

<< Udinese through to next round with win over Zagreb
Udine, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Udinese remained perfect in Group D play in the UEFA Cup as the Italian side booked a spot in the next round with a 2-1 win over Dinamo Zagreb at the Stadio Friuli on Wednesday. Fabio Quagliarella put

<< Jags CB Mathis out for season
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Rashean Mathis will miss the rest of the season after injuring his knee. Mathis, who leads the team with four interceptions, sprained his medial collateral ligame

Wie five back after first round of Q School >>
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shiho Oyama, ranked 42nd in the Rolex Rankings, fired an eight-under 64 on Wednesday to take the first-round lead of the 90-hole LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament. Amateur Mika Miyazato shot a six-unde

Report: Tuberville era ends at Auburn >>
Birmingham, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tommy Tuberville will reportedly no longer be roaming the sideline for the Auburn Tigers football team. The report, from the Birmingham News on Wednesday, did not indicate whether the longtime coach w

Vikings sign DT Kennedy >>
Eden Prairie, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One day after defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams were among six players suspended four games for a violation of the league's policy on anabolic steroids and related substances, the Min

Clemson accepts invite to Gator Bowl >>
Clemson, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Clemson accepted an invitation to the Gator Bowl on Wednesday, having parlayed a strong end of the season into a New Year's Day appearance. The Tigers went 4-1 over the final five games of the season,

Rays P Percival undergoes back surgery >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay Rays closer Troy Percival underwent back surgery this week and is expected to be ready by opening day for the American League champions. The procedure was performed by Dr. Robert Watkin


Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .








Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.