12/03/2008 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros have signed starting pitcher Mike Hampton to a one-year contract, worth $2 million plus incentives.
"Mike provides an immediate upgrade to our starting rotation," said Houston general manager Ed Wade. "He averaged more than six innings a start over his last nine outings last year, and eight of those starts were quality starts. Mike is a fierce competitor and a great teammate. I suspect that he will be on a mission this season to be out there battling every fifth day. He makes us better."
This will be Hampton's second stint in Houston, where he enjoyed some of the best years of his career. A career-high, 22-win season in 1999 saw him finish second to Randy Johnson in the Cy Young Award voting. A successful six-year stint with the club ended after that season with Hampton joining the Mets for one season.
He went on to pitch for Colorado for two years (2001-02) and then signed with Atlanta, where his career has been racked with injuries. Hampton made 60 starts for the Braves over his first two seasons (2003-04) but has since made just 25 over the past four years.
Hampton, 36, missed the entire 2006 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery and had the 2007 season wiped out due to a strained oblique and torn flexor tendon.
In 388 career games, including 334 starts, for the Mariners, Astros, Mets, Rockies and Braves, the veteran lefty is 141-105 with a 4.01 earned-run average.
<< Hurricanes fire Laviolette; Maurice returns
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes have made a coaching
change, replacing Peter Laviolette with his predecessor, Paul Maurice.
Maurice will return to the job he held for seven full seasons and parts of two
others befor
<< Wingo reunites with McMurray at Roush Fenway Racing
Concord, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roush Fenway Racing has named Donnie Wingo as
Jamie McMurray's crew chief for the 2009 Sprint Cup Series season. Wingo and
McMurray are paired again after working together for three seasons at Chip
Ganassi
<< Ballesteros back in intensive care
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seve Ballesteros returned to intensive care
Wednesday at a Spanish hospital after a fourth brain operation.
A valve was put into the Spaniard's brain to drain fluid and during the
surgery, doctors
<< Buffalo and Ball State meet for MAC title
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 12th-ranked Ball State Cardinals will try
to cap off an already remarkable run this Friday, as they take on the Buffalo
Bulls in the Mid-American Conference Championship game at Ford Field. It has
been a recor
Red Sox sign Pedroia to six-year deal >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox have agreed to terms with AL
MVP Dustin Pedroia on a six-year contract with a club option for 2015.
Financial terms were not disclosed, but numerous media outlets in Boston say
the deal is
Augusta suspends operations >>
Princeton, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The ECHL announced on Wednesday that the
Augusta Lynx have suspended operations, effective immediately, and voluntarily
relinquished their membership back to the third-tier league.
"We are very disappo
Valencia denies bankruptcy claim >>
Valencia, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Valencia have dismissed reports that the
club is on the verge of bankruptcy following a worsening of their financial
situation.
The 2002 and 2004 Spanish champions are reported to be almost $822 mill
Penguins recall Darling from Wheeling >>
Wilkes-Barre, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
recalled goaltender Curtis Darling from the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL, the
American Hockey League team announced on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old Darling will
“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting