Di Natale rumors quieted
Soccer Betting Lines
12/10/2008 -
Udine, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The agent of Udinese striker Antonio Di Natale
has dismissed rumors linking his client with a move to Manchester City.
The 31-year-old Italy international is under contract with Udine until the
summer of 2013, but that has not stopped reports in Italy suggesting that
Bruno Carpeggiani had been in England to broker a deal for his client.
However, Carpeggiani commented: "I have been to England, but that was with my
family for personal reasons.
"All the stories are false and the people who wrote them will have to admit
that.
"There are absolutely no grounds to the speculation. Di Natale extended his
contract with Udinese and there has been no contact with any other club."
Di Natale moved to the Friuli from Empoli in the summer of 2004 and has scored
55 goals in just over 150 appearances for the Serie A club to date.
(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)
<< Broncos sign TE Putzier
Englewood, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos signed free agent
tight end Jeb Putzier on Wednesday.
Putzier started his NFL career with the Broncos in 2002 and played four
seasons in Denver before joining the Houston
<< Bayern reveals interest in Olic
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz
Rummenigge has revealed that his club are keen to try and sign Hamburg
striker Ivica Olic in the January transfer window.
The 29-year-old Croatia intern
<< Gekas set for Bayer exit
Leverkusen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayer Leverkusen have cleared the way
for Greek striker Theofanis Gekas to leave the club in search of regular
first-team football.
The 28-year-old has not made a single start for the Bunde
<< Baggies recall Beattie
West Bromwich, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - West Bromwich Albion have recalled
striker Craig Beattie from his loan spell with Crystal Palace due to the knee
injury suffered by Ishmael Miller at the weekend.
Beattie had impressed in scoring
<< Gattuso already eyeing early return
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso is
determined to fight back from a knee injury which is set to see him sidelined
for the rest of the season.
The 30-year-old Italy international suffered a seri
Chivas defender Burling out 6-8 weeks following ankle surgery >>
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chivas USA defender Bobby Burling underwent
successful ankle surgery last week at the Southern California Orthopedic
Institute in Van Nuys, and is expected to be out 6-8 weeks while recovering.
The p
Colorado's Sakic out three months >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colorado Avalanche center Joe Sakic will miss
the next three months after undergoing surgery Tuesday night to repair
three broken fingers and tendon damage, the team announced on Wednesday.
Sakic, al
Schmid declines new Columbus deal >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Crew and head coach Sigi Schmid
have parted ways after the coach turned down a new deal from the Major League
Soccer champions.
"Sigi Schmid has formally declined our last contract offer an
Cavs' Gibson out two weeks with sprained toe >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson
will likely miss the next two weeks after spraining his left big toe in
Tuesday's game against the Toronto Raptors.
Gibson was injured early in the second
Jags place FB Jones on IR >>
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Jacksonville Jaguars placed fullback
Greg Jones on the injured reserve list on Wednesday due to an ankle injury.
Jones ended his streak of 28 consecutive games played on Sunday due to the
injury.
Super Bowl XLIV Odds
Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.
Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.
That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.
Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.
After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.
The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).
To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.
NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV
New England Patriots 8/1
Dallas Cowboys 9/1
New York Giants 10/1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1
Indianapolis Colts 12/1
San Diego Chargers 12/1
Baltimore Ravens 14/1
Tennessee Titans 16/1
Carolina Panthers 18/1
Philadelphia Eagles 18/1
New Orleans Saints 20/1
Atlanta Falcons 25/1
Denver Broncos 25/1
Green Bay Packers 25/1
Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1
Minnesota Vikings 25/1
New York Jets 25/1
Arizona Cardinals 30/1
Chicago BearS 30/1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1
Buffalo Bills 35/1
Houston TexaNS 35/1
Miami Dolphins 35/1
Washington Redskins 35/1
Seattle SeahawkS 50/1
Cleveland Browns 55/1
Cincinnati Bengals 60/1
San Francisco 49ers 60/1
Oakland Raiders 75/1
St. Louis Rams 75/1
Detroit Lions 100/1
Kansas City Chiefs 100/1
Odds as of: 2/2/09
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
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
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
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