Vobcats Baseball Betting News

<< Blackhawks rally to beat Canucks, even series
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kris Versteeg scored with 1:30 to play, helping Chicago even its conference semifinal series against Vancouver with a 4-2 win in Game 2. Patrick Sharp had tied the game on a short-handed goal early in the thir

<< Phillies P Blanton makes season debut
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Joe Blanton made his season debut on Monday after spending all of April on the disabled list with an oblique strain. Blanton gave up four runs and 10 hits in 6 2/3 inning

<< Yankees' Posada, Rivera nicked up
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada and closer Mariano Rivera are dealing with injuries that leave them temporarily unavailable for game action. Posada is day-to-day with a mild right calf strain, a

<< Ramos continues torrid debut in Twins win over Tigers
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A day after totaling four hits in his major league debut, catcher Wilson Ramos went 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI to lead Minnesota to a 10-4 rout of Detroit, in the opener of a three-game series.

Jimenez goes to 6-0 as Rockies top Padres >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ubaldo Jimenez struck out a career-high 13 batters in seven innings to lead the Colorado Rockies to a 5-2 win over the San Diego Padres in the first of a three-game set at Petco Park. Jimenez (6-0) bec

Three Suns combine for 83 points in Game 1 win over Spurs >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Nash, Jason Richardson and Amare Stoudemire combined for 83 points as the Suns beat San Antonio, 111-102, in the opener of their Western Conference semifinal series. Nash totaled 33 points a

Bulls fire Del Negro >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls have fired head coach Vinny Del Negro and will discuss the move at a noon (et) news conference on Tuesday. Bulls general manager Gar Forman will meet the media at the Berto Center to address t

Hawks, Magic kick off Eastern semis in Orlando >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The well-rested Orlando Magic finally will get back to work on defending their Eastern Conference championship when they kick off the second round of the postseason against their division rival, the Atlanta Hawks. The sec

FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million

Football Betting

In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.

And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.

Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.

So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.

Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)

The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.

As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.

The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.

In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.

Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.

And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.

So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.

There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.

So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.

And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.

There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)

Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.

Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.

Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.

So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.

NFL Betting Lines

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Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

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