Montero stays hot as Sounders down Earthquakes

Soccer Betting Lines

08/01/2010 - Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fredy Montero headed home the lone goal of the game in the 26th minute as Seattle Sounders FC handed the San Jose Earthquakes a 1-0 defeat at Buck Shaw Stadium on Saturday.

Montero continued his good run of form on Saturday as he scored his fourth goal to go along with five assists in the last eight games, while Seattle has started to find its form as well, winning its third straight match.

The Earthquakes managed to put just one shot on goal over the course of 90 minutes, and they saw their four-game unbeaten run come to an end.

Seattle nearly took the lead inside of 10 minutes when a right-wing cross from Sanna Nyassi was headed on goal from a few yards out by Montero. However, Earthquakes goalkeeper Jon Busch reacted well and got enough of the ball to tip it off the crossbar and keep it out.

Nyassi and Montero teamed up again midway through the first half with Nyassi providing another good cross that Montero got his head to. But this time Busch was unable to keep out the close-range header, giving Montero his seventh goal of the season.

Some good goalkeeping from Busch was all that prevented San Jose from going down two goals in the 63rd minute as he got enough of a low shot from Blaise Nkufo to tip it past the post.

The home side failed to test Seattle goalkeeper Kasey Keller, but he was nearly beaten four minutes from time as Sam Cronin teed up a shot 30 yards from goal that beat Keller but whistled inches past the right post.

Mypoker Soccer Betting News

<< Guerrero's bat, Harden's arm helps Rangers down Angels
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vladimir Guerrero's two-run homer in the fourth inning was enough against his former team as the AL West-leading Rangers edged the Angels, 2-1, in the middle installment of a three-game series. Nelson Cruz ex

<< Titans agree to terms with top pick Morgan
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tennessee Titans have reportedly agreed to terms with defensive end Derrick Morgan, their first-round draft pick. WVLT television in Nashville is reporting that it is a five-year deal for the 16th overal

<< Uggla sets club HR mark in Marlins' win over Padres
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dan Uggla became the Marlins all-time home run leader and Ricky Nolasco was solid in 8 1/3 innings on the mound, as Florida held off San Diego, 6-3, in the second test of a three-game set at Petco P

<< RSL thumps United
Sandy, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-half goals from Robbie Findley and Nelson Gonzalez propelled Real Salt Lake to a 3-0 win over D.C. United at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday. Alvaro Saborio put Salt Lake in front after 13 minutes, while

<< Ten-man Houston ties N.Y. to spoil Henry's debut
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Mullan scored in the 90th minute as 10- man Houston tied Red Bull New York on Saturday, 2-2, to spoil Thierry Henry's two-assist debut in Major League Soccer. Henry assisted on two goals for Juan Pablo

Braun helps Chivas tame Crew >>
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chivas USA rolled to a surprising 3-1 win over the Columbus Crew at The Home Depot Center on Saturday behind a pair of late first-half goals. Justin Braun tallied his seventh goal of the season in the 37th

Murray to face Querrey for Los Angeles title >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending champion Sam Querrey battled back from a set down to defeat sixth-seeded Janko Tipsarevic, while top seed Andy Murray outlasted Feliciano Lopez in the semifinals Saturday at the $700,00

Sharapova to play Azarenka in Stanford final >>
Stanford, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fifth-seeded Maria Sharapova and eighth- seeded Victoria Azarenka both won their semifinal matches on Saturday to set up the final at the $700,000 Bank of the West Classic tennis event. Russia's Sharapova bo

Burris leads Stampeders over Winnipeg >>
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Henry Burris threw for 340 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and the Calgary Stampeders held on to defeat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 23-20, at McMahon Stadium Burris converted 28-of-38 pass attempts and adde

Earl Thomas in fold for Seahawks >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Seahawks have reportedly come to terms with first-round draft pick safety Earl Thomas on a five-year contract. The Seattle Post Intelligencer reported Thomas, the 14th overall pick out of Texas, wil

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.

MySportsbook.com Posts Heisman Trophy Odds

With 3,919 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and a mere seven interceptions last season, combined with a powerful South Bend Heisman legacy, odds makers at MySportsbook.com have given Notre Dame senior quarterback Brady Quinn the best Heisman Trophy odds at 5-2.

Quinn isn’t the only big man on campus this season.  Oklahoma junior running back and 2004 Heisman runner-up Adrian Peterson, listed at 7-2, rushed for a combined 3,033 yards in his first two years as a college player and will give Quinn a run for his money. 

This online sportsbook has also listed Troy Smith, Ohio State senior quarterback, as another strong favorite to win the 72nd Heisman Trophy.  A 7-1 bet, Smith threw for 2,282 yards last season and also led the Buckeyes to a convincing 34-20 victory over Quinn and the Fighting Irish in last season’s Fiesta Bowl.

Current betting odds Heisman trophy are:

Brady Quinn (QB, Notre Dame)
Adrian Peterson (RB, Oklahoma)
Troy Smith (QB, Ohio State)
Michael Bush (RB, Louisville)
Steve Slaton (RB, West Virginia)
Brian Brohm (QB, Louisville)
Chris Leak (QB, Florida)
Mike Hart (RB, Michigan)
Ted Ginn (WR, Ohio State)
Darius Walker (RB, Notre Dame)
Drew Tate (QB, Iowa)
Marshawn Lynch (RB, Cal)
Kenny Irons (RB, Auburn)
Chad Henne (QB, Michigan)
Kyle Wright (QB, Miami)
Drew Stanton (QB, Michigan State)
Kenneth Darby (RB, Alabama)
JaMarcus Russell (QB, LSU)
Drew Weatherford (QB, Florida State)
Blake Mitchell (QB, South Carolina)
Reggie Ball (QB, Georgia Tech)		 5-2
7-2
7-1
10-1
10-1
12-1
12-1
18-1
18-1
20-1
30-1
35-1
35-1
40-1
50-1
50-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
60-1

For complete NCAA Football odds visit MySportsbook.com.