Braves P Hanson named NL Rookie of the Month

Baseball Betting Lines

07/03/2009 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Braves pitcher Tommy Hanson was named National League Rookie of the Month for June on Friday.

The right-hander was a perfect 4-0 to go along with a 2.48 earned run average in five starts during the month. He held opposing hitters to a .222 average in 29 frames.

Hanson, 22, registered his first major league victory on June 12 on the road against the Baltimore Orioles. In that outing, the rookie gave up a pair of runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Others rookies receiving votes were: Milwaukee infielder Casey McGehee (.368 batting average, eight doubles, five homers and 18 RBI); Pittsburgh outfielder Andrew McCutchen (.284 four doubles, five triples, one homer and 18 RBI); and Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann (1-1, 1.90 ERA).

Casinobaccarat Baseball Betting News

<< Lincecum voted NL Pitcher of the Month for June
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - San Francisco Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum was named the National League Pitcher of the Month for June, the league announced on Friday. Lincecum posted a 4-1 mark with a 1.48 ERA during the month,

<< Upton named AL Player of the Month
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay outfielder B.J. Upton was selected as the American League Player of the Month for June. Upton, who garnered his first monthly honor, hit .324 in 26 games during June. He also belted five homers, s

<< M's Hernandez named AL Pitcher of the Month
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez was named the American League's Pitcher of the Month for June. Over six starts, Hernandez went 3-0 with an 0.94 earned run average, allowing only four

<< Falkirk agrees to terms with Finnigan
Falkirk, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Falkirk have agreed to a new contract with free agent striker Carl Finnigan. Finnigan, 22, scored five goals in 19 appearances for the Bairns last season despite missing large portions of the year t

<< Braves' Johnson hits DL with wrist tendinitis
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves have placed second baseman Kelly Johnson on the 15-day disabled with right wrist tendinitis. Johnson has struggled thus far in 2009, hitting just .214 with five home runs, 20 runs b

Pujols honored as NL Player of the Month >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols has been named the National League Player of the Month for June. A seven-time All-Star, Pujols batted .320 with a league-leading 14 homers and 35 RBI duri

O's Reimold selected as AL's top rookie for June >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baltimore Orioles outfielder Nolan Reimold has been selected as the American League Rookie of the Month for June. The 25-year-old hit .320 for the month, leading all Junior Circuit rookies with

Bayern remains hopeful over Bosingwa >>
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich remains hopeful of being able to sign Jose Bosingwa from Chelsea. The German giants revealed their interest in the Portugal right-back last month and chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge stil

Gibbs commits future to Arsenal >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arsenal's England Under-21 international Kieran Gibbs has pledged his long-term future to the club by putting pen to paper on a new contract. The 19-year-old made his debut for the Gunners almost two

NL Central: Astros creating a buzz >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros were one of the National League's premier teams during the early part of this decade, capturing four division titles during a five-year span from 1997-2001. A driving force behind that impressive run was an

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 online football betting 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.

Big East Conference odds

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

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.