Innings Sparks Move Over Series

Baseball Betting Lines

Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs agreed to terms on non-guaranteed split contracts with pitchers Andy Sonnanstine and Manny Corpas on Monday. Both contracts were for the 2012 season.

 

In 2011 Sonnanstine made 15 appearances -- four starts -- with the Rays and posted an 0-2 record with a 5.55 ERA.

 

CARDINALS SURPRISE RUN TO A WORLD SERIES TITLE CAPS LA RUSSA'S CAREER

 

From there they took care of the heavily-favored Phillies in five games to move onto the NLCS, where they upended the NL Central-champion Milwaukee Brewers.

 

After falling behind 3-2 in that set, the Cards were down to their last strike twice in Game 6, but rallied for an extra-inning win to force a seventh game. The Cardinals didn't need any late-inning heroics in that one, though, as series MVP David Freese's two-run double in the first inning set the stage for the team's second title in six years.

 

Few people get the chance to go out as a winner, but Cardinals manager Tony La Russa did just that, as he announced his retirement from the game a mere two days after the franchise celebrated its 11th World Series title in team history.

 

PUJOLS TAKES THE MONEY AND RUNS TO ANAHEIM

 

But some people were skeptical of the reports that the Cardinals had, in fact, gone to 10 years. And let's be honest -- if they had, what was all the fuss? If that were the case, the deal should have been locked up a couple of days ago.

 

As for Pujols? Well, his legacy takes a hit. You always think more of players who stay in one place rather than those who move on, especially those who do it for money. Plus, St. Louis is one of those special franchises where it just means more to stay there your whole career.

 

He'll never be mentioned alongside Stan Musial again, that's for sure.

 

You knew coming into the season that New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter's run to 3,000 hits was going to get a lot of play. HBO announced along the way that it would be putting out a documentary entailing the Yankee captain's pursuit and that was just the tip of the iceberg of endless coverage that was actually delayed when the 37-year-old was sidelined with a calf injury six hits shy.

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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)

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