Flames sign Bouwmeester to multi-year contract
Hockey Betting Lines
06/30/2009 - Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Flames' gamble paid dividends on Tuesday, as the club signed defenseman Jay Bouwmeester to a multi-year contract just hours prior to the start of the NHL free agency period.
Over the weekend during the NHL Entry Draft, the Flames front office acquired the rights to the coveted Bouwmeester, who was set to become an restricted free agent at noon (et) on Wednesday.
Instead the Flames signed him to a deal that averages $6.6 million a season for five years, according to the Calgary Sun.
"Jay is one of the most complete defensemen in the game, and we are very pleased to have reached an agreement that will make him an important component of the Calgary Flames success," said general manager Darryl Sutter. "We identified Jay as the priority player where we were going to focus our money. We wanted an opportunity a few days in advance of the deadline, and that's why we made the move we did."
Calgary sent Jordan Leopold -- who will be a free agent -- to the Panthers in the deal.
Bouwmeester was originally selected third overall in the 2002 draft by Florida. The 25-year-old registered 15 goals and 27 assists with a minus-two rating in 82 games last season. The native of Edmonton has played in all 82 regular season contests in each of the last four seasons and has 53 goals and 150 assists with a minus-27 rating over 471 career games.
"I am happy to have this deal done as Calgary was a team I was very interested in playing for," said Bouwmeester. "I was encouraged by the commitment Calgary showed by acquiring me prior to July 1. We have a strong club that is poised to make the next step in becoming a championship club, and I look forward to contributing to that success."
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Forward Carlos Boozer and center Mehmet Okur both announced they will remain with the Utah Jazz for the 2009-10 campaign. Boozer announced he will exercise his player option and remain with the
<< Suns exercise option on Amundson
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Suns exercised the second-year team
option on the contract of forward Louis Amundson.
Signed by the Suns last August, Amundson saw action in a career-high 76 games
last season and averaged 4.2 poin
<< Utah C Okur to return next season
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Utah Jazz center Mehmet Okur decided
to exercise his player option in his contract and return to the team next
season, the club announced on Tuesday.
Okur, who came to Utah as a free agent i
<< Montana State gives basketball coaches three-year extensions
Bozeman, MT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montana State University has agreed to
three-year contract extensions with head women's basketball coach Tricia
Binford and head men's coach Brad Huse.
Each coach was set to enter the 2009-10
<< Smith to serve as Division I men's basketball chair
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NCAA announced on Tuesday that Gene
Smith, the current associate vice president and athletics director at Ohio
State, has been named chair of the Division I Men's Basketball Committee for
the 201
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Freddy Sanchez doubled and knocked in two runs, and Ross Ohlendorf tossed seven shutout innings, as the Pittsburgh Pirates got by the Chicago Cubs, 3-0, in the second of a three-game set at PNC Park.
Haren pitches, hits D-Backs past Reds >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dan Haren threw seven innings of one-run
ball and added a double and solo home run at the plate to help snap the
Diamondbacks' five-game losing streak with a 6-2 decision over the Reds.
Haren (7-
Braves edge Phils in 10 innings at Turner Field >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gregor Blanco scored the winning run in the
10th inning as part of a three-hit night, and Martin Prado drove him in as
part of a four-RBI evening, as Atlanta used the big bats from two unlikely
sources
Big Unit defeats Carpenter, Giants top Cards >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Edgar Renteria went 3-for-4 with two RBI and
Randy Johnson won the battle of former Cy Young Award winners, as the Giants
pulled out a 6-3 victory over Chris Carpenter and the Cardinals in the second
test of
Santana can't stop Mets' woes in loss to Brewers >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Mets threw the baseball all
around the diamond during Milwaukee's four-run fourth frame, and the Brewers
beat Johan Santana in a 6-3 victory at Miller Park.
Ryan Braun was right in the m
Football Betting
NFL Football Betting OnlineThe San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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