Aggies' WR coach Kragthorpe resigns to tend to family issues
NCAA Football Betting Lines
07/26/2010 - College Station, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas A&M wide receivers coach Steve Kragthorpe has resigned to tend to family medical issues, the school announced Monday.
Kragthorpe joined the Texas A&M staff in February after head coaching stints at Tulsa (2003-06) and Louisville (2007-09), which fired him after a 4-8 season.
However, Kragthorpe will leave to give his attention to the unspecified issue.
"My family is dealing with some medical issues and they need me at home," Kragthorpe said. "The timing could not be helped and I hate to leave Coach [Mike] Sherman and the guys at this time. My group of receivers worked extremely hard this spring and they were a lot of fun to work with."
Sherman said he sat down with Kragthorpe and tried to create a situation where Kragthorpe could return once the issues were resolved.
"Ultimately, he felt his wife Cynthia, and his three boys, required his undivided attention and I respect him for that," Sherman said. "Steve is not only an excellent coach, but he is an even better person. We will keep him and his family in our prayers."
To replace Kragthorpe, Sherman named Troy Walters wide receivers coach. Walters was the 1999 Biletnikoff Award winner for Stanford and spent eight seasons in the NFL. He spent the 2009 season as the offensive coordinator at Indiana State, while also coaching quarterbacks and wide receivers.
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota native Mardy Fish is currently enjoying the best stretch of his tennis career since joining the pro ranks 10 years ago. Don't look now, but the 28-year-old American has now won his last two tour
<< Zakuani claims MLS POW award with brace against Rapids
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Zakuani of Seattle Sounders FC was
voted Major League Soccer Player of the Week for Week 17 of the 2010 MLS
season on Monday.
Zakuani scored both of Seattle's goals in a 2-1 win over the Co
<< Hornets GM says Paul did not ask for trade at meeting
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Three-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul
met with Hornets management Monday, and new general manager Dell Demps
reportedly said Paul did not ask to be traded.
According to The Times-Picayune, D
<< Rachel Alexandra gains spot in poll after Monmouth victory
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reigning Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra
moved into third in the latest NTRA National Thoroughbred Poll. The four-year-
old filly advanced one position following a win Saturday at Monmouth Park.
Owned b
<< Vick cleared to play by NFL
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Vick is clear to play this season,
the NFL announced Monday.
Posting on his Twitter account, league spokesman Greg Aiello said in regard to
Vick, "there has been no change in his playing status. Be
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dan Haren will make his Angels debut Monday night, one day after being acquired in a blockbuster trade from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Haren will take the hill for the Halos in the series opener at Ange
Orioles' Scott earns AL weekly honor >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baltimore Orioles outfielder Luke Scott has
been named the American League Player of the Week for the period ending July
25.
Scott hit an AL-leading four home runs and added three doubles and eight runs
Cubs' Ramirez earns NL weekly honors >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez has
been named the National League Player of the Week for the period ending July
25.
The 32-year-old slugger hit .360 and his four home runs tied for the lead in
Schiavone opener suspended in Istanbul >>
Istanbul, Turkey (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - French Open champion Francesca Schiavone
will have to wait until Tuesday to complete her opening-round match at the
$220,000 Istanbul Cup tennis event.
The top-seeded Schiavone was leading Brit Anne
OVC still trying to leap playoff hurdle >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There is so much for cornerback CJ James to
bask in regarding Eastern Illinois' football 2009 season.
From playing before 104,000 fans at Penn State to winning on the road at rival
Jacksonville State to havin
FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million
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.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook
Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds. The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.
Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.
Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).
Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.
World Series odds
Adam Dunn 15-1
Albert Pujols 5-1
Alex Rodriguez 12-1
Alfonso Soriano 15-1
Andruw Jones 25-1
Barry Bonds 50-1
Carlos Delgado 40-1
David Ortiz 8-1
Jermaine Dye 40-1
Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1
Lance Berkman 40-1
Manny Ramirez 20-1
Richie Sexson 40-1
Ryan Howard 6-1
Travis Hafner 20-1
Vladimir Guerrero 40-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.