Former umpire Springstead dies

Baseball Betting Lines

01/18/2012 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Major League umpire Marty Springstead has passed away at the age of 74.

Springstead served as an umpire in the American League from 1966 to 1985. He worked three All-Star games (1969, 1975, 1982), five ALCS (1970, 1974, 1977, 1981, 1984) and three World Series (1973, 1978, 1983).

"I am deeply saddened by the loss of Marty Springstead, an outstanding baseball man and an esteemed umpire. For a quarter-century, Marty mentored a new generation of our umpires, not only in the Major Leagues but around the world," said commissioner Bud Selig in a statement issued Wednesday.

"On behalf of Major League Baseball and Marty's friends and admirers throughout the game, I extend my deepest condolences to his wife, Linda; his son, Bradley, and Bradley's mother Marlene; and his stepson, Robert."

Following his days on the field, Springstead acted as the Junior Circuit's executive director of umpires from 1986-2000, and as an umpire supervisor for Major League Baseball from 2000-10.

Jzzsports Baseball Betting News

<< Former Alcorn State QB Bridge lands at South Alabama
Mobile, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Some might have considered quarterback Brandon Bridge to be a FBS-level talent when he played on the FCS level at Alcorn State. The Canadian import will be getting an opportunity to play at the higher level.

<< Utah kicks leading scorer off team
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Utah guard Josh Watkins, the leading scorer on the men's basketball team, has been dismissed for an unspecified violation of team rules. Watkins had been suspended earlier this season for "conduc

<< Ilgauskas joins Cavaliers front office
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zydrunas Ilgauskas is back with the Cavaliers, who announced Wednesday that their former long-time center is joining the front office as special assistant to the general manager. Ilgauskas, 3

<< Lille defender Basa to undergo shoulder surgery
Lille, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lille will be without defender Marko Basa for the next three months after he undergoes a shoulder operation set for Thursday. Basa sustained the injury in last Wednesday's Coupe de la Ligue defeat to

<< Banks becomes DC at Illinois
Champaign, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Illinois has named Tim Banks its new defensive coordinator. Banks spent the last five seasons as a co-defensive coordinator -- three at Central Michigan and the last two at Cincinnati. Under h

Eastern Washington faces another tough start in 2012 >>
Cheney, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eastern Washington football refuses to ease into a season. After starting the 2011 season with four straight losses in September, the Eagles will face another difficult schedule in the first month of the 2012 s

Pardo re-signs with Fire >>
Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Fire announced on Wednesday that the club has re-signed midfielder Pavel Pardo. The Mexico international joined the Fire last July and appeared in 14 matches for the club, scoring one goal with

Sounders add forward Cato >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Sounders FC signed forward Cordell Cato on Wednesday. He will be officially added to the Sounders FC roster upon receipt of his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Clearance (ITC). Cato was a memb

Preds D Suter out for Thursday >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Suter pronounced himself out for Thursday's contest in Columbus with an undisclosed injury. Suter made the announcement on Wednesday following a visit to league offic

Titans promote Reinfeldt to COO; name Webster GM >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Titans have made Mike Reinfeldt their chief operating officer and senior executive vice president, among other promotions. Reinfeldt had been the team's general manager for the last five seaso

Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.

MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.