Devils acquire Walter from Islanders
Hockey Betting Lines
06/30/2009 - Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils acquired center Ben Walter, and future considerations, from the New York Islanders in exchange for the rights to center Tony Romano on Tuesday.
The 25-year-old Walter, who was selected by Boston with the 160th overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, tallied 20 goals and 30 assists in 65 games with Bridgeport (AHL) last season. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound forward played in four games with the Islanders last year.
Romano, the 178th overall pick of the Devils in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, spent last season with Peterborough (OHL).
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Just one day before the start of free agency, the Montreal Canadiens acquired forward Scott Gomez and two other players from the New York Rangers in exchange for forward Christopher Higgins and three defense
<< New Motherwell boss ready to make changes
Motherwell, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jim Gannon hopes to bring up to six new
players to Fir Park after being confirmed as Mark McGhee's successor as manager
of Motherwell.
The 40-year-old takes on the post just two months after being axed
<< Grafite extends Wolves contract
Wolfsburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wolfsburg's Brazilian striker Grafite has
signed a new one-year contract extension with the Bundesliga champions.
The 30-year-old struck up a deadly partnership with Edin Dzeko last term and
new coac
<< Sol's Marta wins WPS Player of Week
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles forward Marta was selected Women's
Professional Soccer Player of the Week for Week 14 on Tuesday after scoring
three goals to lead the WPS-leading Sol to wins over the Saint Louis Athletica
and
<< Pirates get Milledge, Hanrahan from Nats in four-player deal
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired outfielder
Lastings Milledge and right-handed pitcher Joel Hanrahan from Washington in a
four-player deal on Tuesday.
In return, the Pirates gave up outfielder Nyjer Mor
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers extended qualifying offers to guard Jarrett Jack and forward Josh McRoberts on Tuesday, making them both restricted free agents come July 1. After three productive seasons in P
This Week in Auto Racing July 3 - 5 >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR returns to "The World Center of
Racing," while the IndyCar Series visits the "Finger Lakes" region in upstate
New York this Fourth of July weekend.
NASCAR
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More Booze in Utah: All-Star forward exercises option >>
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Boozer announced on Tuesday he
will exercise his player option and remain with the Utah Jazz for the 2009-10
campaign.
Boozer missed a majority of the 2008-09 season after undergoing arthros
Blackhawks give Bolland five-year deal >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks re-signed center Dave
Bolland to a five-year deal on Tuesday.
Bolland, Chicago's 32nd overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, appeared in
81 of the Blackhawks' 82 games last season,
Lions acquire WR Northcutt from Jags >>
Allen Park, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Lions acquired wide receiver
Dennis Northcutt from the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for safety Gerald
Alexander on Tuesday.
The 31-year-old Northcutt, who spent the last two seasons
SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting
NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.
That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.
A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."
It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.
The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.
So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."
Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.
Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.
Seriously.
The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.
The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.
Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."
The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.
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