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01/24/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Say what you want about super agent Scott Boras, but in the end he always gets his man his money.
The latest example came on Tuesday when Prince Fielder, who some suggested over the weekend may have to settle for a one-year deal, agreed to a monster nine-year, $214 million deal with the Detroit Tigers, a team never mentioned in any kind of talks for the slugger, but one that was always close to his heart.
Detroit, of course, was home for six-plus years to Prince's father Cecil, who swatted 51 home runs for the Tigers in 1990. As a kid, Prince actually hit the ball out of Tiger Stadium when, according to most, father and son were inseparable.
The relationship between the two has soured since and some had even speculated this offseason that the younger Fielder wouldn't even entertain offers from any team his father once played for.
Nine-figure contracts, though, change a lot of people's minds and mend a lot of relationships. The deal is actually the most expensive handed out this late in the process, plus the fourth richest in baseball history behind Alex Rodriguez' two deals and the one Albert Pujols signed earlier this offseason.
Give credit to Detroit general manager Dave Dombrowski and owner Mike Illitch for being so aggressive in the pursuit of Prince Fielder following the devastating news last week that designated hitter Victor Martinez would be lost for the season with a torn ACL.
Also never invite Dombrowski to your poker game. Just last week at the team's winter caravan after the Martinez news broke Dombrowski said Fielder was "probably not a good fit".
Washington had been rumored to be the front runner all along with teams like Texas and Seattle lurking, but in the end it was a team out of nowhere that emerged, similar to the way Philadelphia plucked Cliff Lee last offseason.
Fielder was terrific this past season for the National League Central champion Milwaukee Brewers, belting 38 home runs with 120 RBI. He's also never hurt. Last year he was the only player in the majors to play in all 162 games and despite his bulky presence, he has averaged 160 games in his six full seasons in the league.
It also creates a nice little dilemma for Tigers manager Jim Leyland, who now must decide who to pencil in at first base, Fielder or Miguel Cabrera.
How many managers wouldn't mind losing sleep over that little quandary, huh?
Leyland could also toy with the idea of moving Cabrera back across the diamond to third base, but he wasn't exactly Brooks Robinson when he played there for the Marlins and may actually be a bit to bulky to handle it these days anyway.
Either way they will both be in the lineup every day, meaning teams in the American League Central should probably be thanking their lucky stars that there is an extra wild card team this season.
<< Report: Tigers win Prince Fielder sweepstakes
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers have reportedly reeled in the biggest
remaining free agent on the market: Prince Fielder.
Multiple media outlets are reporting the first baseman agreed to a nine-year,
$214 million contract with the
<< Milwaukee's Bennett named MISL Player of Week
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Milwaukee Wave forward Ian Bennett was named the
Major Indoor Soccer League's Player of the Week on Tuesday for Week 12.
Bennett recorded 15 points in three games as the Wave maintained their lead in
the MISL Ce
<< PSG's Pastore to miss 3-4 weeks
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PSG playmaker Javier Pastore suffered a thigh
muscle tear in Friday's Coupe de France win over Sable-sur-Sarthe and will be
out of action three to four weeks, the French club said Tuesday.
Pastore, 22, was t
<< A's agree to terms on one-year deal with Colon
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics agreed to terms on a one-
year contract with pitcher Bartolo Colon on Tuesday.
After not pitching in the majors in 2010, the 38-year-old former Cy Young
winner returned last season w
Cincinnati extends Jones for three years >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Head football coach Butch Jones received
a three-year contract extension from Cincinnati on Tuesday.
The extension runs through the 2017 season.
"I have tremendous faith in Coach Jones and his ability
La Russa to manage 2012 NL All-Star team >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The retired Tony La Russa will serve as the
manager of the National League All-Star team for the 2012 Midsummer Classic at
Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City on July 10th.
The longtime manager of the St. Lo
Bobcats' Augustin to miss 4 games >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Charlotte Bobcats guard D.J. Augustin will
miss four games due to an inflammatory condition of the sesmoid bones that lie
in the flexor tendons on his right big toe.
Augustin was seen by Charlotte orthoped
Rays bring back Pena >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays signed first baseman
Carlos Pena to a one-year, $7.25 million contract on Tuesday.
Pena, 33, played for the Rays from 2007-10 before joining the Chicago Cubs
last season. He bat
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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