Brian Giles hangs up his cleats

Baseball Betting Lines

03/11/2010 - Surprise, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Giles, who recently signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, announced his retirement on Thursday.

The 39-year-old outfielder battled an arthritic right knee last season while with San Diego and was limited to 61 games. He went on the disabled list in June with the injury and never returned to action, having batted a career-low .191 with just 23 RBI to that point.

A two-time All-Star while a member of the Pirates, Giles appeared in 1,847 games over 15 seasons of major-league service with Cleveland, Pittsburgh and San Diego.

He had a .291 career average with an on-base percentage of .400, while hitting 287 home runs and totaling 1,078 RBI.

Wwwthirdage Baseball Betting News

<< Kansas topples Texas Tech for milestone win
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sherron Collins scored 19 points and Cole Aldrich chipped in 12 with 18 rebounds, leading top-ranked Kansas to an 80-68 victory over Texas Tech in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. Xavier Henr

<< Blue Bombers ink CB Glover
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers signed four players on Thursday, including defensive back LaVar Glover. Glover has spent the past four years with Winnipeg and in that time has accumulated 116 tackles along

<< Hoyas knock off top-seeded Orange in Big East
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Wright scored 27 points and Greg Monroe contributed 17 with 10 rebounds and seven assists, as 22nd-ranked Georgetown pulled off a 91-84 victory over No. 3 Syracuse in the quarterfinals of the Big East To

<< Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Recaps
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sammy Zeglinski scored a season-high 21 points to lead Virginia to a 68-62 victory over Boston College in the first round of the ACC Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum. Virginia (15-15), seeded ni

<< Hoyas knocked top-seeded Orange in Big East
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Wright scored 27 points and Greg Monroe contributed 17 with 10 rebounds and seven assists, as 22nd-ranked Georgetown pulled off a 91-84 victory over No. 3 Syracuse in the quarterfinals of the Big East To

Despite scoring slump, Tavares building foundation >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie forwards usually take at least a season to develop into consistent performers at the NHL level. Even in the case of No. 1 overall picks, who are expected to be stars, it usually takes a year of adjustment t

New York officially adds midfielder Robinson >>
Secaucus, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Red Bull New York acquired midfielder Carl Robinson from Toronto FC in exchange for a fourth-round selection in the 2011 draft, the Major League Soccer club announced on Thursday. "Carl is a very consis

Report: MLS players set to strike if CBA isn't reached >>
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Soccer players overwhelmingly voted to strike if a new collective bargaining agreement isn't reached with the league by the season opener on March 25, according to a report in The Washing

Onuaku injures knee in Syracuse loss >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Syracuse forward Arinze Onuaku injured his right knee in Thursday's loss to Georgetown in the Big East Tournament. Onuaku was hurt with just over five minutes to play in the 91-84 loss when he tried to

Colts bring in G Alleman >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indianapolis Colts signed guard Andy Alleman on Thursday. Alleman played in nine games with Kansas City in 2009, with three starts. He appeared in 15 games two years ago with the Miami Dolphins.

2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.