Clebelandbrowns Baseball Betting News

<< Phillips leaves Wednesday's game
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips left Wednesday's game against the Giants in the sixth inning after getting hit by a pitch in the previous frame. Santiago Casilla had ju

<< Bulls to honor Pippen with statue
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seven-time All-Star, six-time World Champion and 2010 NBA Hall of Fame inductee Scottie Pippen will be honored by the Chicago Bulls with a statue outside the United Center next season, the team announc

<< Marlins SS Ramirez dyes hair, drops to No. 3 spot
NEW YORK (AP) -Hanley Ramirez has a new hairstyle - and a familiar spot in the batting order.Florida's star shortstop tried to dye his dark hair blonde before Wednesday night's game against the New York Mets, but it didn't quite turn out that way. R

<< Dibble takes time off, had criticized Strasburg
WASHINGTON (AP) -Washington Nationals announcer Rob Dibble will take some time off two days after making comments critical of rookie pitcher Stephen Strasburg.MASN spokesman Todd Webster said Dibble would not work Wednesday night's game against the

Napoli's career game powers Angels in rout of Rays >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Napoli hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high six runs as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim crowned Tampa Bay, 12-3, in the finale of a three-game set at Angel Stadium. Howie Kendrick posted h

Saints make several roster moves >>
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans cut down their roster considerably on Wednesday, including the release of wide receiver Mark Bradley and linebacker Troy Evans. Bradley was trying to catch on with the 53-man rost

Bills WR Hardy practices for first time in 2 weeks >>
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) - Buffalo Bills receiver James Hardy has returned to practice after missing 15 days with an undisclosed injury.Hardy was on the field Wednesday night taking part in all receivers drills during the portion of practice open to

Yanks' Johnson season over with wrist injury >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oft-injured Yankees designated hitter Nick Johnson will miss the remainder of the 2010 season after having a procedure scheduled to fix a tendon in his right wrist. Johnson has been out since May with

Betting Football

Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.