Padres extend manager Black's contract

Baseball Betting Lines

07/19/2010 - San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres announced Monday that they have extended manager Bud Black's contract through the 2013 season with club options for the 2014 and 2015 campaigns.

"I am really happy to announce that the Padres have reached an agreement on a well-deserved contract extension for Bud Black," said Padres general manager Jed Hoyer. "This news comes at time when the team is playing well, but my faith in Bud goes far beyond wins and losses. He and his staff are exceptionally well prepared, he embraces the challenge of teaching young players and, most importantly, the players compete for him every night."

San Diego currently resides atop the National League West with the best record in the circuit at 54-37 and holds a four-game lead on the Colorado Rockies.

The 53-year-old Black took over the Padres in 2007 and steered the team to an 89-74 mark in a season that ended with a dramatic, 9-8, 13-inning loss to the Rockies in a one-game playoff to decide the National League wild card. The 89 wins were the most for the team since a franchise-record 98-victory campaign in 1998 that resulted in a division title and World Series appearance.

During his three-plus seasons at the helm, Black has led San Diego to an overall mark of 281-297.

He had spent seven seasons as the pitching coach for the Angels, including the 2002 World Series championship year, before earning his first shot at a managerial job. Black had also spent three seasons (1996-97, 1999) as a special assistant to then-Cleveland Indians general manager John Hart.

Black posted a 121-116 record with a 3.84 ERA in 398 games (296 starts) over a 15-year career with Seattle, Kansas City, Cleveland, Toronto and San Francisco. The left-hander was also a member of the Kansas City Royals' 1985 World Series title team.

Wwwmaxim Baseball Betting News

<< Liverpool wins race to sign Joe Cole
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole has agreed to sign a four-year contract with Liverpool, the club announced on Monday. The 28-year-old Cole left the Blues last month after he was not offered a

<< Kovalchuk heading back to New Jersey
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ilya Kovalchuk is heading back to New Jersey and will re-sign with the Devils. According to the team's website, the Devils will hold a Tuesday afternoon press conference at the Prudential Center to make it

<< AP Source: Rich Cho named new Blazers GM
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -A person with knowledge of the hiring process says the Trail Blazers have named Oklahoma City assistant GM Rich Cho as Portland's new general manager.The person spoke to The Associated Press on Monday on condition of anonymity b

<< Mainz seals Fuchs loan deal
Mainz, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mainz have completed the one-year loan signing of Christian Fuchs from Bochum. The Austrian midfielder has the option of making the deal permanent next year following Bochum's relegation from the Bun

<< Barbosa key to Raptors' team concept
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors are moving in a new direction, the focus no longer on the talents of Chris Bosh, but on a collective approach to playing the game. Bosh recently joined LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in

Celtics re-sign Nate Robinson >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics have re-signed guard Nate Robinson. Terms of the deal were not released, but the Boston Herald reported last week that the diminutive guard agreed to a two-year, $8 million pact. Bosto

Wrong year for Life At Ten to be so good >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When the two leading thoroughbreds in training are also the top female racehorses in the country, it becomes difficult for any other filly or mare to get recognized. This is the situation that confronts fi

Hurricanes sign C Nash >>
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes have signed center Riley Nash to a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal will pay Nash $550,000 in 2010-11, $600,000 in 2011-12 and $700,000 in 2012-13 at the NHL level. H

NL West: Injuries piling up in LA >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Imagine the San Diego Padres trying to stay atop the NL West standings without Adrian Gonzalez, Chase Headley and Yorvit Torrealba. The Los Angeles Dodgers would certainly enjoy seeing that happen, but they're the one

Zenyatta continues in first, Life At Ten enters NTRA Poll >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - As the 2010 thoroughbred racing season enters the heart of the summer programs, Zenyatta remains the leader in the NTRA National Poll for week 20. The top 10 features one new addition with five- year-ol

MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards

About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.