11/15/2008 - Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees offered free agent pitcher CC Sabathia a six-year, $140 million contract on Friday.
Yankees co-chairman Hal Steinbrenner confirmed the offer in a story on the team's Web site. The deal would be a record-breaker for a pitcher, surpassing the six-year, $137.5 million contract Johan Santana signed with the Mets last offseason.
The left-handed Sabathia headlines this offseason's pitching class. He won the 2007 American League Cy Young Award after going 19-7 in 34 starts for Cleveland, with a 3.21 earned run average and 209 strikeouts in 241 innings.
Sabathia, 28, got off to a rough start in 2008, going 1-5 in his first seven starts for the Indians with a 7.51 ERA. But after Milwaukee traded for him in July, Sabathia went 11-2 in 17 starts with a 1.65 ERA.
In that span Sabathia notched seven complete games, three shutouts and 128 strikeouts in 130 2/3 innings, and was instrumental in leading Milwaukee to the playoffs.
In eight MLB seasons with the Indians and Brewers, Sabathia is 117-73 in 254 starts with a 3.66 ERA, 26 complete games and 10 shutouts.
Sabathia's potential signing would certainly add a workhorse to the Yankees' rotation, though Steinbrenner also said the Yankees are prepared to make offers to right-handed starter A.J. Burnett and sinkerballer Derek Lowe.
<< Stoudemire's jumper, block help Suns edge Kings in OT
Sacramento, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Amare Stoudemire hit the game-winning jumper
with 4.5 seconds left in overtime and blocked the final shot attempt, and
Shaquille O'Neal recorded 29 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, as the
Phoenix
<< Hamhuis gives Preds overtime win over Ducks
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dan Hamhuis scored with 2:43 remaining in
overtime and the Nashville Predators earned a rare 4-3 road win over the
Anaheim Ducks.
J.P. Dumont, Ryan Jones and Joel Ward also scored for the Pred
<< Harden leads No. 15 Sun Devils past Delta Devils
Tempe, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - James Harden scored a game-high 24 points and
doled out 10 assists to lead No. 15 Arizona State in an 80-64 thrashing of
Mississippi Valley State in the season-opener for both schools.
Ty Abbott added 18
<< Goebel and Bearcats hold off Louisville
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Goebel rushed for 77 yards on 10
carries and scored a touchdown late in the fourth quarter that helped seal
the 22nd-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats' 28-20 victory over the Louisville
Cardina
All in the Family: Rooneys agree to keep ownership of Steelers >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A controlling interest in the Pittsburgh
Steelers will reportedly be sold to current team chairman Dan Rooney and his
son, Art II, the team's president.
According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, fo
Davydenko rolls Murray; Djokovic next in Masters Cup final >>
Shanghai, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andy Murray's sky-high ride to the
lucrative Tennis Masters Cup semifinals came to an abrupt end Saturday, as
Nikolay Davydenko closed strong in both sets to reach the final at the $4.45
million
No. 17 Miami opens season against Florida Southern >>
Coral Gables, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 17th-ranked Miami-Florida Hurricanes
will play host to the Florida Southern Moccasins on Saturday night in Coral
Gables.
While this game represents the season opener for Miami, Florida Southern
alread
No. 10 Gonzaga hosts Montana State-Billings in season opener >>
Spokane, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 10th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs are set to
host the Montana State-Billings Yellowjackets in the season opener for both
teams.
For Montana State-Billings, there is no where to go but up under the guidance
of f
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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