11/12/2008 - Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies made it official Wednesday and shipped outfielder Matt Holliday to the Oakland Athletics for reliever Huston Street, starting pitcher Greg Smith and outfield prospect Carlos Gonzalez.
"While it is difficult to have to say goodbye to a player with the skills that Matt possesses we wish him well," said Rockies executive vice president and general manager Dan O'Dowd. "The long-term model for our organization to be successful has always been built around the team dynamic. The three men we acquired from Oakland are talented major league players that are a solid fit for us."
Holliday, a two-time All-Star, hit .321 last season -- his fourth straight .300 campaign -- but saw his power numbers dip, as he hit 25 home runs with 88 runs batted in. It was the first time since 2005 that he failed to top 30 homers and drive in 100 runs.
He had been the runner-up to Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins for the NL MVP Award in 2007 when he set career highs, hitting .340 with 36 home runs and 137 RBI.
Eligible to become a free agent at the end of the 2009 season, Colorado reportedly had offered Holliday $68 million guaranteed over four years (plus a fifth year option that could have taken it to $85 million), but he turned the deal down, instead wanting to hit the open market.
Holliday is a career .319 hitter and has hit 128 home runs, while knocking in 483 runs in his five years with the Rockies. However, he is a .280 hitter away from hitter-friendly Coors Field with 44 homers and 176 RBI in 339 games.
"Improving the offense was clearly our stated priority this offseason," said Billy Beane, the A's vice president and general manager. "Trading for a player of Matt's caliber begins the process of creating an environment in which our young hitters can continue to improve and our young pitchers can continue to develop into one of the best staffs in the league."
Among the three players Oakland will send to Colorado is 2005 American League Rookie of the Year Street, who went 7-5 last season with 18 saves in 25 chances before losing his closer role late in the season.
In four campaigns with the Athletics, the 25-year-old Street is 21-12 with 94 saves and a 2.88 earned run average in 247 appearances.
The left-handed Smith, 24, struggled in his rookie season with the A's, finishing with a 7-16 record and a 4.16 ERA in 32 starts.
Fellow rookie Gonzalez, a highly touted prospect from Venezuela, hit a mere .242 in 85 games with 26 RBI and 31 runs scored. The 23-year-old struck out 81 times in 302 at-bats.
<< Bolton boss Megson eyes new signings in January
Bolton, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bolton manager Gary Megson plans to sign
several new players in the January transfer window in an attempt to bolster
his wafer-thin squad.
Since replacing Sammy Lee in the Reebok Stadium hot-seat j
<< England moves back into top ten in FIFA Rankings
Nyon, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's rankings were
released on Wednesday and they saw England climb four spots to move back into
the top 10, while European champions Spain remained comfortably on top of the
table.
<< Caps shoot for season-high win streak in road test vs. 'Canes
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Capitals will try to extend their winning
streak to a season-high four games tonight, when they visit the Carolina
Hurricanes for a Southeast Division showdown at RBC Center.
The Capitals went 3-0 on their r
<< Devils, Rangers resume rivalry without Brodeur
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When the New York Rangers take the ice at Prudential Center
in New Jersey tonight, it'll be the first time in over three years that Martin
Brodeur isn't starting in goal against them.
Brodeur, who will miss the next three-
Arshavin open to Real switch >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andrei Arshavin has welcomed reports that
Real Madrid are keen to sign him when the transfer window reopens in January.
The star of the Russia side at Euro 2008 saw potential moves to Barcelona and
Totte
Mikoliunas to miss two months for Hearts >>
Edinburgh, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hearts midfielder Saulius Mikoliunas
will be out of action for around two months after damaging knee ligaments.
The 24-year-old Lithuania international suffered a torn lateral ligament
during l
Neuville adds to Monchengladbach injury woes >>
Monchengladbach, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Veteran striker Oliver Neuville
has been added to Monchengladbach's lengthy injury list.
The 35-year-old, who suffered a torn muscle in a reserve team game that will
keep him sidelined for
Lahm set for Bayern return >>
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Germany international Philipp Lahm has
recovered from a foot injury and should be back in the Bayern Munich team for
this weekend's trip to Monchengladbach.
The 25-year-old full-back has been sidel
MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
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