'Canes bring back Corvo with two-year deal

Hockey Betting Lines

07/07/2010 - Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes have brought back defenseman Joe Corvo with a two-year contract.

The pact will pay Corvo $2 million in 2010-11 and $2.5 million in 2011-12. The veteran blueliner was dealt to the Capitals at last year's trade deadline for defenseman Brian Pothier, forward Oskar Osala and a 2011 second-round draft pick.

Corvo spent the equivalent of nearly two seasons in Carolina after being acquired from Ottawa late in the 2007-08 season. During that time he racked up 25 goals and 46 assists while posting a minus-three rating over 138 games.

"Joe has been a really good player for us over the last three seasons, and we feel that this solidifies our defense," said Carolina president and general manager Jim Rutherford. "We appreciate him working with us to get this deal done. He said that he really wanted to stay in Carolina and this commitment confirms that."

Corvo potted two goals and added four assists for the Caps in 18 regular- season games after the trade, then recorded a goal and an assist in the playoffs as Washington was eliminated in seven games in the first round by Montreal.

The Oak Park, Illinois native totaled six goals and 12 assists in 52 regular- season games in 2009-10, missing 28 games from December to February after being cut on the right leg by a skate in a game on November 30.

The 33-year-old has skated in 486 career NHL contests, registering 68 goals and 150 assists with a plus-39 rating for the Kings, Senators, Hurricanes and Capitals.

Gamblingg Hockey Betting News


<< Padres P Bell named to All-Star team
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - San Diego Padres closer Heath Bell has been named to the National League All-Star team as a replacement for injured Milwaukee starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo. Bell was the choice of manager Charlie

<< Rose, Fowler, Watson in...Kim and Toms out at British Open
St. Andrews, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off his second PGA Tour win of the season at the AT&T National, Justin Rose earned a spot in the 150th staging of the Open Championship at the Old Course at St. Andrews. Rose, who b

<< Tough times continue at Turfway Park
Florence, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In an effort to maintain daily purses equal to last year's, Turfway Park president Robert N. Elliston announced Wednesday that the track has asked the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to approve a request

<< In the FCS Huddle: Bucknell's Susan making up for lost time
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - That Bucknell's football team is undergoing change with a new head coach basically coincides with the clock in the Bison's locker room, which is counting down the days, hours, minutes and seconds to their sea

<< 2010 FBS Positional Analysis: Wide Receivers
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - They are often the brashest of players, but it seems these days those who play with a swagger elevate their game and by nature their teams to new heights. Whether they go by wide receiver, flanker or any othe

Fish rolls; Querrey, Ram upset in Newport >>
Newport, RI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fifth-seeded American Mardy Fish booked a spot in the quarterfinals, while top-seeded 2009 runner-up Sam Querrey and defending champion Rajeev Ram were second-round upset victims Wednesday at the Hall of Fame Te

Report: Former Sharks G Nabokov heading to Russia >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Multiple media outlets are reporting that former San Jose Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov has signed to play in Russia. TSN.ca is reporting Nabokov signed with SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hock

Pirates acquire P Gallagher from Padres >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired reliever Sean Gallagher from the San Diego Padres on Wednesday for cash considerations. The right-handed Gallagher has spent four seasons in the majors and in the 2010 cam

Puyol's header powers Spain past Germany and into final >>
Durban, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carles Puyol's 73rd-minute header was enough for Spain to claim a 1-0 win over Germany at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Wednesday in a FIFA World Cup semifinal. The win allows Spain to reach its first

White Sox put Peavy on DL >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox have placed right-hander Jake Peavy on the 15-day disabled list with a detached latissimus dorsi muscle in his right posterior shoulder. Peavy came down with the injury during Tuesday

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.

El Duque expected to throw Tuesday

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.

Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.

El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.

MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds

Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.

New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.

Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''

Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.