Smoltz joining TBS as broadcaster, will not retire

Baseball Betting Lines

03/16/2010 - Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Smoltz is joining TBS as a broadcaster for Atlanta Braves games and will serve as an analyst for Turner Broadcasting on its slate of nationally televised Sunday games.

Despite the move, Smoltz did not say he was retiring, and has reportedly informed friends he plans on staying in shape should a new opportunity to pitch with a Major League team arise. He previously worked for the network in 2007 and 2008 as an analyst during the postseason.

"Joining Turner Sports' Major League Baseball coverage is a great opportunity for me to stay immersed in the game that I love and I'm really looking forward to this experience. Having worked with TBS and Peachtree TV before, I am thrilled about the start of the 2010 season," Smoltz said through a release from the network.

The eight-time All-Star is best known for his time in Atlanta from 1988-2008 where he helped the Braves to a World Series title in 1995 as well as NL pennants in 1991, '92, '96 and '99.

Smoltz is is the only player in MLB history to have over 200 wins and 150 saves and just the second pitcher in baseball annals to have a 20-win season and a 50-save season. The 42-year-old owns a career mark of 213-155 with a 3.33 ERA and has 154 saves. In addition, Smoltz is the winningest pitcher in postseason history with a record of 15-4.

After 20 years with Atlanta, including his Cy Young-winning season in 1996, Smoltz signed a one-year deal with Boston for the 2009 season, was released after making eight starts and was signed by St. Louis for the remainder of the year.

He finished last season with a combined 3-8 record and 6.35 ERA in 15 starts.

Musportsbook Baseball Betting News

<< Golf still the biggest priority for Tiger
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When people find out you're a golf writer, in the last few months, the inevitable question varies in form, but mostly sounds like this: "What's up with Tiger?" Hard to answer, but the smarter fans alway

<< Real's Valdano vows to keep Higuain
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Argentina international Gonzalo Higuain could be handed the opportunity to spend the rest of his career with Real Madrid. General director Jorge Valdano has revealed that preliminary negotiati

<< Lightning F Malone has surgery
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning announced on Tuesday that forward Ryan Malone underwent a minor procedure on his left knee. Malone, who has compiled 21 goals and 44 points in 65 games for the Bolts, is slated to m

<< Stoke's Pulis OK with Tuncay's angry exit
Stoke-on-Trent, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stoke City manager Tony Pulis has drawn a line under the new controversy surrounding Tuncay's angry reaction to being substituted in the goalless draw with Aston Villa on Saturday. The Turkey fo

<< Hertha plans to stick with Funkel
Berlin, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hertha Berlin President Werner Gegenbauer has no plans to fire under-pressure coach Friedhelm Funkel. Hertha are five points adrift at the foot of the Bundesliga after the weekend defeat to Nurnberg afte

Bayern's Ribery puts contract talks on hold >>
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The future of France international Franck Ribery is once again a matter of conjecture after he told Bayern Munich that he was unwilling to open new contract talks with the club until the end of the season.

Portsmouth could exit administration soon >>
Portsmouth, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Portsmouth's administrator, Andrew Andronikou, believes the troubled club could come out of administration within eight weeks. Andronikou has revealed his hopes for a swift a takeover at Frat

AC Milan hopes to have Beckham again next season >>
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan Vice President Adriano Galliani hopes David Beckham returns to the San Siro for a third spell next season, even though the England international ruptured his Achilles tendon during the Rossone

Falcons release CB Hill, add S Giordano >>
Flowery Branch, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Falcons have signed safety Matt Giordano and released cornerback Tye Hill. Hill, a former first-round pick of Rams in 2006, had seven tackles and an interception in eight games for

Dodgers' Wade out three months >>
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Cory Wade will have shoulder surgery on Wednesday and be sidelined for at least the next three months. The team announced on Tuesday that Wade, 26, was feeling discomfo

MySportsbook.com is one of the most efficient and professional online sportsbook today. While some sportsbooks only excel during the busiest seasons, MySportsbook is an excellent choice for the player who wants year-round quality. From their baseball true dime line to their interactive wagering, MySportsbook makes sure their clients would miss them if they went elsewhere.

Players won’t find any novelties at this sportsbook. The site is clean and simple and most importantly, fast. Customer Service handles matters in an expedient manner and accounting does everything possible to assure players that they have full control of their funds. The online banking center is open 24/7 in which time Neteller payouts are processed.

Management’s background and understanding of sports gambling has helped make them pioneers in the online betting market. MySportsbook was the first betting site to offer sports wagering in the best form. Interactive wagering was first offered in 1997. Players who don’t stop wagering when the game begins consider this sportsbook a true asset.

Players who are looking for outstanding value, extensive wagering options and inexpensive payouts will appreciate what MySportsbook.com offers. Those who are looking for perks and high bonuses would be best suited in a sportsbook geared towards the regular player.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your sports betting needs.

Sportsbooks to bet on football

Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.

He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.

"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.

He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.

Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.

Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.

Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.

Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.

With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.

Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).

And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)

The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.

While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.

Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.

One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.

Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.

What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.

That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.

MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.

"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.

"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."

So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.

In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.

MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.

The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.

Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.

MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.

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