Boston's Buchholz named AL Pitcher of the Month

Baseball Betting Lines

09/02/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz was named the American League Pitcher of the Month for August.

Buchholz was 4-0 with a minuscule 1.03 earned-run average over six August starts. He struck out 28, walked 13 and finished second in the A.L. in ERA, while tying for second in wins.

The 26-year-old's 2.21 ERA leads the majors and his 15-5 record through 23 starts has him tied for third in Junior Circuit wins.

It is Buchholz's first career monthly award.

Also under consideration for the honor were Mariners starter Felix Hernandez, Rangers starter C.J. Wilson, Royals reliever Joakim Soria, White Sox starter Edwin Jackson, Yankees starter CC Sabathia and Tampa Bay Rays reliever Rafael Soriano.

Xportsbook Baseball Betting News

<< Toronto's Bautista wins AL monthly award
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista was named the American League Player of the Month for August. Bautista torrid month-long stretch with the bat saw him lead the A.L. in home runs (12), RBI (24)

<< Wozniacki, Jankovic reach third round in Flushing
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki and former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic were a pair of second-round winners Thursday at the 2010 U.S. Open. The 2009 runner-up Wozniacki double-bageled Taipei's Kai-Chen

<< Hard times hit United after Open Cup setback
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United hit rock bottom Wednesday. The most storied franchise in Major League Soccer history was already on the verge of their worst season in history, and it got even worse with their U.S. Open Cup exit.

<< D'Backs' Hudson named NL Rookie of the Month
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Daniel Hudson was named the National League Rookie of the Month for August. Hudson went 4-1 with a 1.85 earned-run average in six starts during the month. He led all National Le

<< St. Louis' Pujols named NL Player of the Month
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis first baseman Albert Pujols has been named the National League Player of the Month for August. Pujols batted .379 over 26 games in August and led the National League with 11 home runs. He posted a .

Hawks sign C Thomas >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks signed free agent center Etan Thomas on Thursday. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. An eight-year veteran, Thomas spent last season with Oklahoma City and in 23 games a

Braves activate Glaus >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves activated first baseman Troy Glaus from the 15-day disabled list prior to Thursday's game against the Mets. Glaus had been on the DL since August 18 with inflammation in his left knee

Iowa gives Ferentz extension through 2020 >>
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -Iowa says it is extending coach Kirk Ferentz's contract through 2020.Ferentz's current deal runs through 2015 and pays him roughly $2.84 million per season. Ferentz's new deal will total nearly $3.7 million a year.School offici

Portugal coach Queiroz suspended for 6 months >>
Lisbon, Portugal (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz was handed a six-month suspension Thursday by the country's anti-doping agency, ruling that he disrupted anti-doping tests ahead of the World Cup. Queiroz was previously suspe

Marlins C Baker to have elbow surgery >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Florida Marlins catcher John Baker is headed for Tommy John surgery on Friday. The Miami Herald reported Thursday that Baker, who has not played since May 12, will undergo a procedure to repair a damaged

FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million

Football Betting

In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.

And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.

Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.

So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.

Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)

The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.

As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.

The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.

In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.

Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.

And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.

So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.

There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.

So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.

And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.

There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)

Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.

Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.

Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.

So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.

NFL Football Office Pool Printable Schedules
MySportsbook.com , leading online sportsbook, offers free NFL football office pool printable sheets! Run your own NFL Football Office Pool. Create your own pool, invite your friends to join. Compete with your with co-workers, friends or family for bragging rights every week. Exchange some hard hits without risk of injury -- Trash Talk with your fellow co-workers.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football sportsbook needs.