Dodgers extend ace Kershaw for 2 years
Baseball Betting Lines
02/07/2012 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers avoided arbitration with All-Star pitcher Clayton Kershaw on Tuesday, agreeing to a two-year contract with their ace lefty.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Kershaw, 23, won the NL Triple Crown in the 2011 campaign, by virtue of his league-best wins (21), strikeouts (248) and earned run average (2.28) in 33 starts. He was named the 2011 NL Cy Young Award winner for his efforts.
In addition to his pitching excellence, Kershaw aided his teammates in the field, netting him a Gold Glove award for the league's best defensive pitcher.
During his four years in the major leagues, all with the Dodgers, Kershaw has posted a 47-28 record with a 2.88 ERA in 118 games (116 starts). In five postseason appearances over two seasons, 2008 and 2009, the southpaw is 0-1 with a 5.87 ERA.
Kershaw was drafted 7th overall by the Dodgers in the 2006 MLB draft.
Lancaster, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A former major league outfielder died after being shot at his home and an acquaintance has turned himself in to police. Danny Clyburn Jr. was found dead in the front yard of his home by police after being
<< Dunfermline salvages home point against Killie
Dunfermline, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dunfermline battled back after
surrendering the opening goal Tuesday night at East End Park as the Pars
played to a 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock.
James Fowler piled on the misery for last-pla
<< Marist to play five home games in 2012
Poughkeepsie, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Marist football team will play five
home games as part of an 11-game schedule announced on Tuesday.
The Red Foxes are coming off a 4-7 season under veteran head coach Jim Parady.
Marist will open its
<< Prosecutors: Sandusky should stay inside
Harrisburg, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Prosecutors want the conditions of Jerry
Sandusky's bail to be modified to prevent the former Penn State assistant
coach from leaving the walls of his house unless it is to receive medical
treatme
<< Western Illinois tabs Ward as defensive coordinator
Macomb, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Ward has been named Western Illinois'
new defensive coordinator, head football coach Mark Hendrickson announced
Tuesday.
Ward was Drake University's defensive coordinator last season when the
Bulldogs pos
Lexington, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - VMI football will visit the Naval Academy for the first time in nine seasons and play six home games at part of a 2012 schedule announced on Tuesday. The home schedule is the largest since the Keydets last pl
Portland State to face Washington, host five games >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Portland State's football team will travel to
the University of Washington and play five home games as part of a 2012
schedule announced Tuesday.
The Vikings will face a Pac-12 school for the eighth time since
Owen Nolan announces retirement >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former San Jose captain Owen Nolan officially
announced his retirement on Tuesday.
Nolan disclosed his decision during a press conference at HP Pavilion, the
home of the Sharks, the team for which he spen
Wichita's Perez named MISL Player of Week >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wichita Wings midfielder Bryan Perez was named
the Major Indoor Soccer League's Player of the Week on Tuesday for Week 14.
Perez scored the match-winning goal in overtime to cap a five-point night, as
Wichita
Owen Nolan announces his retirement >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former San Jose captain Owen Nolan officially
announced his retirement on Tuesday.
Nolan disclosed his decision during a press conference at HP Pavilion, the
home of the Sharks, the team for which he spen
NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl
The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.
Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.
The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
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NCAA Football Betting : USC's reward: Top spot in Top 25NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.
No. 1 always seems to fit USC.
Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.
Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.
Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.
"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."
Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.
"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."
The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.
"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."
Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.
"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"
USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.
"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."
While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.
As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.
But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.
Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.
The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.
The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.
The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.
No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.
Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.
Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.
Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.
The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.
South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.
The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.
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