Habs D Markov has knee surgery

Hockey Betting Lines

05/19/2010 - Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montreal Canadiens defenseman Andrei Markov underwent surgery Wednesday to repair a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee.

Markov, who suffered his injury during the first period of the opening game of the playoff series against Pittsburgh, is expected to need six months of recovery time.

The 31-year-old Markov had six goals and 28 assists during 45 regular season games for the Canadiens this season. He missed 35 games due to a cut foot, which he suffered during the season-opener against Toronto.

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<< Rays P Howell has season-ending surgery
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay Rays reliever J.P. Howell will miss the entire season after having surgery on his left shoulder, the team announced on Wednesday. The operation was performed Wednesday by Dr. James Andrews in Birmi

<< Indians' Sizemore put on DL; Cabrera has surgery
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians have placed center fielder Grady Sizemore on the 15-day disabled list with a deep bone bruise on his left knee. The team also announced that infielder Asdrubal Cabrera underwent s

<< Red Sox put Beckett on DL
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Josh Beckett has been put on the 15-day disabled list due to a lower back strain. DETAILS TO FOLLOW...

<< Wilson Chandler charged with marijuana possession
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Knicks forward Wilson Chandler was charged with fifth-degree criminal possession of marijuana after the drug was found in the car he was driving Tuesday night. A spokeswoman for Queens District

<< Cubs place P Caridad on DL
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the second time this season, Chicago Cubs pitcher Esmailin Caridad has been placed on the 15-day disabled list. He spent his first stint on the DL from April 12 through May 8 with a right forearm

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Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas has been named the new conditioner for 2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird. Owners Leonard Blach and Mark Allen announced the decision on Wednesday. The move

Sallie to forego remaining eligibility >>
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Memphis junior guard Roburt Sallie announced he will forego his remaining eligibility and will explore playing opportunities elsewhere. Sallie is due to graduate this summer. Even though he has a year of p

Piszczek seals Dortmund switch >>
Dortmund, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Poland international Lukas Piszczek has moved from relegated Hertha Berlin to Borussia Dortmund. The 24-year-old has signed a contract that will keep him in Dortmund for three seasons. Head coach Ju

Gekas joins Eintracht on two-year deal >>
Frankfurt, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Greece international Theofanis Gekas has completed his transfer from Bayer Leverkusen to Eintracht Frankfurt. The 29-year-old striker has penned a two-year contract with Eintracht who finished 10th

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Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks recalled outfielder Gerardo Parra from Triple-A Reno and sent outfielder Cole Gillespie to the same club on Wednesday. The 23-year-old Parra appeared in 26 games and hit .247

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

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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

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