05/15/2008 - Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers have signed outfielder Ryan Braun to a record-setting eight-year contract that sets the bar for players with three years or less of major league experience.
The deal, worth a reported $45 million, covers the 2007 NL Rookie of the Year's arbitration years and his first two seasons of free agency. It includes the 2008 campaign and runs through 2015.
"I was drafted by the Brewers and although my career is just beginning, I know that the long-term future of this franchise is very promising," Braun said. "I hope that today's announcement is indicative of how much wearing this uniform means to me."
The pact exceeds the six-year, $31 million contract signed by Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who would have been eligible for arbitration the year before Braun. Rays third baseman Evan Longoria got a six-year, $17.5 million deal that was the previous standard for players like Braun that fall into the "zero-plus" category of service time.
"It's a very good contract for both the ballclub and Ryan," Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said.
Braun, just 24 years old, also received the largest contract in franchise history, surpassing the four-year, $42 million dollar deal the Brewers signed pitcher Jeff Suppan to before the 2007 season.
"We've always been looked upon as a small-market team, but we try not to have that attitude," Melvin added.
Braun captured the league's top rookie honor last year despite playing only 113 games. He batted .324 with 34 home runs and 97 runs batted in. His major league-best .634 slugging percentage surpassed the all-time rookie record of .621 set in 1930 by George Watkins of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Entering Thursday's action, Braun leads the Brewers with 29 runs batted in and is batting .287 with nine homers. He is also tied for second in the National League with 14 doubles.
Because Braun was not called up to the majors until May 2007, Braun would not have been eligible for arbitration until after the 2010 season, and would not have hit the free agent market until the end of the 2013 season.
<< Cubs aim to continue Wrigley success in finale with Pads
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wrigley Field has been a win factory this season for the
Chicago Cubs and will be today's site for the finale of a four-game series
versus the San Diego Padres.
Chicago has won two of the first three meetings wi
<< Arizona's Webb tries to stay hot vs. Colorado
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Webb will try to put together the best start to a
season in franchise history tonight, as he leads the Arizona Diamondbacks
against the Colorado Rockies in the finale of a three-game set at Chase Field.
Webb
<< Jays hope to sweep away Twins at Metrodome
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays shoot for their first three-game
sweep of the Twins in Minnesota in more than five years today, as the two
clubs end a three-game series at the Metrodome.
Toronto has taken the first two
<< Rolling Astros face tough test in Giants' Lincecum
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros haven't had much trouble scoring runs
lately, but the red-hot club may have trouble keeping up that pace when it
takes on San Francisco Giants star Tim Lincecum in this afternoon's finale of
a four-game ser
Nationals' Johnson heads to DL again >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals have placed oft-
injured first baseman Nick Johnson on the 15-day disabled list with a torn
tendon in his right wrist, the team announced Thursday.
Johnson, who missed the
U.S. announces World Cup semifinal home sites >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The United States men's national team will play
World Cup semifinal round qualifying matches in Bridgeview, Ill., Washington,
D.C. and Commerce City, Colo., if it defeats Barbados in the second round.
The Unit
Around FCS: The Perils of Perrilloux >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - EX-LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux is in
search of team. And Jacksonville State is in need of a quarterback.
So who cares about the suspensions, legal issues and failed drug tests in this
mercurial athlete
AFL approves instant replay for 2008 playoffs >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arena Football League approved the use of
instant replay for this year's playoffs.
The league's Board of Directors unanimously approved the change, marking the
first time in the AFL's 22-season history
The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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