A's reinstate Wuertz from DL

Baseball Betting Lines

05/03/2010 - Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics reinstated reliever Michael Wuertz from the 15-day disabled list Monday.

He had been on the DL since the start of the season with tendinitis in his right shoulder. He had six rehab assignments between Triple-A Sacramento and Single-A Stockton and over 7 2/3 innings did not give up a run.

Last season, his first with Oakland and sixth in the majors, he appeared in 74 games and went 6-1 with a 2.63 earned run average. His 102 strikeouts led all relievers in the AL and was second in the majors.

To open the roster spot for Wuertz, the team optioned lefty Brad Kilby to Sacramento. He appeared in five games out of the bullpen and gave up just two runs over 8 1/3 innings.

Mscauslot Baseball Betting News

<< Duke and Butler to play rematch in December
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Duke and Butler, this past season's NCAA Tournament finalists, will play in a rematch of their championship game in December. Duke beat Butler, 61-59, on April 5 to capture its fourth national title

<< Saints re-sign S Sharper to one-year deal
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Saints re-signed safety Darren Sharper to a one-year contract on Monday. Financial terms of the deal were not announced. Sharper, 34, spent last season with the Saints and helped t

<< Rockies' Jimenez voted NL Pitcher of the Month
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies' Ubaldo Jimenez has been named the National League Pitcher of the Month for April. The highlight of Jimenez's month was the no-hitter he threw April 17 against the Atlanta Braves. He wa

<< Minnesota's Liriano named AL Pitcher of the Month
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Twins left-hander Francisco Liriano was named the American League Pitcher of the Month for April. Liriano posted a 3-0 record with a 0.93 earned run average in four outings during the first mont

<< Diamondbacks' 2B Johnson named NL Player of the Month
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Kelly Johnson has been named the National League Player of the Month for April. Johnson led the National League with nine home runs and a .750 slugging percentag

Reds OF Dickerson has hand/wrist surgery >>
CINCINNATI (AP) -Reds outfielder Chris Dickerson will be out four to six weeks following surgery on his right hand and wrist.Dickerson had part of the hamate bone in his hand removed on Monday. Doctors also cleaned out his wrist, which has been both

Red Sox 1B Youkilis back in lineup >>
BOSTON (AP) -Boston Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis was back in the lineup for the struggling team Monday night after missing a game with a strained left groin.Youkilis, the club's cleanup hitter, is hitting .277 with four homers and 14 RBIs.He

Sharks dismiss history at Joe Louis before Game 3 >>
ROMULUS, Mich. (AP) -The San Jose Sharks traditionally fare poorly at Joe Louis Arena.San Jose has won three of nine playoff games in Detroit, losing the last two in the 2007 Western Conference semifinals, and just five of 35 matchups during the reg

LSU's Hebert suspended from football team after arrest >>
Baton Rouge, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LSU center T-Bob Hebert has been suspended from the football team following his arrest Friday night, head coach Les Miles announced Monday. The school did not specify why Hebert was arrested, but The Time

Report: Bulls set to fire Del Negro >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls are reportedly ready to fire head coach Vinny Del Negro, calling a press conference for Tuesday to make the announcement. According to the Chicago Tribune, Del Negro will be fired with one s

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.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.