Red Sox activate Cora

Baseball Betting Lines

05/12/2008 - Minneapolis, MN (Baseball Betting) - The Red Sox activated infielder Alex Cora off the 15-day disabled list prior to Sunday's 9-8 loss to the Twins.

Cora, who had been out since April 9 with a sore right elbow, had three hits and started at shortstop Sunday night, making him 6-for-7 in four games this season.

In a corresponding move, the Red Sox optioned infielder Jed Lowrie to Triple-A Pawtucket.

Wcdnow Baseball Betting News

<< Talbot's goal carries Pens to 2-0 series lead on Flyers
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Maxime Talbot scored the go-ahead goal 8:51 into the third period, as the Pittsburgh Penguins topped the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-2, in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. Talbot returned to the

<< Duncan shines as Spurs crush Hornets to even series
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Duncan had a dominating performance with 22 points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots, as the Spurs throttled the New Orleans Hornets, 100-80, evening their Western Conference semifinal series after f

<< Phantom goal helps Finland edge USA at Worlds
Halifax, Nova Scotia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Finland scored three times in the third period, including what turned out to be a phantom goal, to upend the United States with a contentious 3-2 victory at the 2008 World Hockey Champio

<< NBA Playoff Capsules
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -Andrei Kirilenko blocked Kobe Bryant twice in overtime and converted a three-point play with 35 seconds remaining as the Utah Jazz beat the Los Angeles Lakers 123-115 on Sunday, tying the Western Conference semifinals at 2-2.The

<< Sunday's NBA Playoff Boxes
L.A. LAKERS (115)Radmanovic 1-6 0-0 2, Odom 10-18 5-10 26, Gasol 11-16 1-2 23, Fisher 5-8 1-1 15, Bryant 13-33 6-10 33, Farmar 0-2 0-0 0, Walton 2-6 1-2 5, Turiaf 0-2 0-0 0, Vujacic 4-6 0-0 11, Mbenga 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 46-97 14-25 115.UTAH (123)Kiri

Twins hold on to beat Red Sox in homer-filled game >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Craig Monroe clubbed a pair of homers and drove in four runs, and Minnesota held on for a 9-8 victory over the Boston Red Sox, in the third installment of a four-game series. Justin Morneau had three

Uggla leads Marlins to sweep of Nationals >>
Dan Uggla and the Florida Marlins will sure be sorry to have to leave Washington. Who can blame them? They've been there twice this season and haven't lost yet.Uggla hit two homers Sunday to help the Marlins complete another three-game sweep of the

Red Wings' Franzen out for Game 3 >>
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Red Wings forward Johan Franzen is still experiencing concussion-like symptoms and will not be available to play in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Stars on Monday. Franzen

LeBron, Cavs host Garnett, Celtics in Game 4 of East semis >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers attempt to knot their Eastern Conference semifinal series at two games apiece with the Boston Celtics tonight at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavaliers made it a 2-1 series with a big victory on Saturd

Oswalt, Zito square off at AT&T Park >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National League's hottest team during the month of May invades San Francisco's AT&T Park for the opener of a four-game series, as the Houston Astros attempt to keep up their torrid stretch in tonight's matchup with t


How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?

The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.

While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.

For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.

1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.

2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.

How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.

Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.

Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.

How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).

Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.

Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.