Miller, whose brother Ryan is a goaltender with Buffalo, began last season
with the Tampa Bay Lightning but was claimed off waivers by Detroit in early
November. In 80 combined games with the Bolts and Wings, he posted 10 goals
and 19 points.
The 26-year-old New Jersey native has collected 16 goals and 34 points over
parts of three seasons with Tampa Bay, Anaheim and Detroit. He played three
seasons with Michigan State before being selected by the Ducks in the sixth
round of the 2003 NHL draft.
<< Furcal takes home NL weekly honors
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Rafael
Furcal has been named the National League Player of the Week for the
period ending July 4.
The 32-year-old Dominican native led all of baseball last
<< The brain dictates at Wimbledon
Hatboro, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wimbledon was a case study for psychologists.
The psychological factors that helped, and hurt, some players appeared over
and over again.
Let's start with Roger Federer, the overwhelming favorite who lost in th
<< Six weeks and counting
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In roughly six weeks, the eight automatic
members of the United States Ryder Cup team will be finalized. Two weeks after
that, the nine automatic guys for the European squad will be known.
It's getting do
<< Lightning sign Lundin, Purcell
Tampa Bay, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning re-signed defenseman
Mike Lundin and right wing Teddy Purcell to one-year contracts on Tuesday.
Lundin has appeared in 155 games over his three seasons in the NHL, all with
Tampa Ba
<< Raptors sign first-round pick Davis
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors on Tuesday signed forward
Ed Davis, their first-round pick in the 2010 draft.
Davis, the 13th overall selection, suffered a broken wrist during his second
season at North Carolina las
Sub over Stud? Making the case for Joey Votto >>
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Another MLB All-Star game and another year
of not sending the most deserving players to the Midsummer Classic. Among the
more glaring omissions this year is Canadian Joey Votto, the Cincinnati Reds'
power-hitt
Legends Classic matchups set >>
Princeton, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Legends Classic has announced its lineup
for the upcoming season, with Syracuse, Michigan, Georgia Tech and UTEP each
hosting a pair of regional round games in late November.
The early season tournam
Orioles welcome back Pie; shelve struggling Millwood >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles activated outfielder
Felix Pie from the 60-day disabled list and placed starter Kevin Millwood on
the 15-day DL due to a strained right forearm.
Pie has been sidelined since sufferi
Pistons sign first-round pick Monroe >>
Auburn Hills, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Pistons signed forward Greg
Monroe, the seventh overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft, on Tuesday.
Terms of the deal were not released.
Monroe averaged 16.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.5 b
No charges filed in shooting at Vick party >>
Virginia Beach, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - No charges will be filed in the shooting
incident that occurred outside a local restaurant celebrating Michael Vick's
birthday, according to a statement from the Virginia Beach police on Tuesday.
Vick
NFL Football Betting Online
Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.