Current Yankees remember Steinbrenner

Baseball Betting Lines

07/13/2010 - Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Yankees manager Joe Girardi spoke about a time in spring training when he and his wife were walking their dog, a white bichon, on the manicured grass when he encountered owner George Steinbrenner.

He expected Steinbrenner to yell, but said Steinbrenner instead sat and talked to them, asking about the dog.

"Totally different expectation than what I had," Girardi said. "It was the first time I realized he wasn't everything he was painted to be...I gotta tell you, one of his athletes walking a little white dog, I was expecting something different."

Steinbrenner was tough and had high expectations, but was fair and revealed a softer side in personal moments. That was the consistent theme when Girardi, along with Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte, third baseman Alex Rodriguez and shortstop Derek Jeter -- who are in Anaheim for the All-Star Game -- spoke about the Yankees owner, who died Tuesday morning.

Steinbrenner could be demanding and had high expectations for his team, which became clear in some anecdotes they told.

Rodriguez, who joined the Yankees in 2004, said within the first two minutes of meeting Steinbrenner, the owner told him multiple times that the Yankees have to win a World Series. Girardi said winning the World Series meant a lot to Steinbrenner, but Steinbrenner didn't take too long to enjoy the accomplishment.

"He was like, 'Okay, how are we going to win next year,'" said Girardi, who won three World Series titles with the Yankees as a player and last year as the manager.

Jeter recalled being yelled at by Steinbrenner for getting doubled off third base early in his career, despite the fact that the Yankees won.

"He was an old football coach," Jeter said. "His way, he'd sort of look at the baseball season like we played 12 games and we have to win every single day. He really expected to win, every night, every day."

But Jeter also remembered getting a call in 2003, saying The Boss wanted to talk to him. Jeter figured he was in trouble again and called Steinbrenner.

"He said how much respect he had for me and he wanted to name me captain and would I accept that role," Jeter said. "I was in Cincinnati, and it's a memory I'll always cherish not only because I thought I was getting in trouble, but because I realized how much that title meant to him and to the organization."

That was the way all four recounted how Steinbrenner revealed his true self to them, through surprising moments that told them he was more than a caricature.

Rodriguez remembered a letter delivered to him in 2004 from Steinbrenner, hand-written. At the end it said "I'm counting on you" in capital letters and with an exclamation point.

"To this day I hold this dear and still feel we're playing for him," Rodriguez said.

Pettitte said Steinbrenner would hand him bible verses before some playoff starts.

"He was tough, but he was always there to support you also," Pettitte said. "I don't think enough is said about the support he'd give you."

In addition to the dog-walking story, Girardi also remembered how Steinbrenner teased him about football. Girardi went to Northwestern, while Steinbrenner was an assistant football coach there in the 1950s.

"He would needle me about Northwestern football, and had a way of making some light moments in some tough times," Girardi said. "I enjoyed it. I never really felt that his expectations were overbearing. I just felt he wanted what we all wanted; to win."

Jeter, who knew Steinbrenner since he was 18, said Steinbrenner was a father figure to anyone in the organization, saying "he really went out of his way to take care of his players."

"He's more than just an owner to me, he's a friend of mine," Jeter said. "He'll be deeply missed."

Wwwmenshealth Baseball Betting News

<< Pittsburgh gets 2013 Frozen Four, Philly in 2014
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh will host the 2013 men's ice hockey Frozen Four, and the 2014 event will be held in Philadelphia. The Consol Energy Center will be the site of the 2013 Frozen Four, and the following year

<< Hornets, Bower part ways
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Hornets announced Tuesday that the club and general manager Jeff Bower have mutually agreed to part ways, effective immediately. "We feel it is in the best interest for us and Je

<< Wizards sign C Armstrong
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Wizards on Tuesday signed center Hilton Armstrong. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced. The 6-foot-11, 235-pounder has averaged 3.4 points and 2.6 rebounds

<< Mavs sign Dominique Jones
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Mavericks signed Dominique Jones on Tuesday. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound guard was originally drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 25th over

<< Chicago's Masar named WPS Player of Week
Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Red Stars forward Ella Masar was named Women's Professional Soccer's Player of the Week for Week 13 on Tuesday after scoring a pair of goals. Masar scored the equalizer in a 1-1 tie against the

Southern Nevada's Bryce Harper wins Golden Spikes Award >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Southern Nevada slugger Bryce Harper, the top overall pick in the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, has won the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award, presented to the top amateur basebal

Griffin ahead at Publinx in second stroke-play round >>
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John-Tyler Griffin of Georgia Tech holds a one-shot lead after playing two rounds of the U.S. Amateur Public Links. Griffin, who is from Wilson, North Carolina, about two hours west of Greensboro

Rahal reunites with Newman/Haas Racing >>
Lincolnshire, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Newman/Haas Racing announced Tuesday that Graham Rahal will rejoin the team and pilot the No. 02 Dallara/Honda/Firestone entry for six of the remaining series races. Five of those races will see Rahal s

Jazz acquire Al Jefferson from Timberwolves >>
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Utah Jazz have acquired center/forward Al Jefferson from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for center Kosta Koufos, the Memphis Grizzlies' protected 2011 first-round pick (obtain

Oilers give Dubnyk two-year contract >>
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Oilers have come to terms with goaltender Devan Dubnyk on a two-year contract. The team also agreed with defenseman Shawn Belle on a one-year deal. The 24-year-old Dubnyk appeared in 19

Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game

How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.

Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.

The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).

Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.

The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).

Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

To visit this online sports book got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.

Sportsbooks to bet on football

Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.

He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.

"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.

He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.

Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.

Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.

Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.

Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.

With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.

Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).

And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)

The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.

While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.

Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.

One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.

Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.

What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.

That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.

MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.

"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.

"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."

So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.

In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.

MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.

The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.

Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.

MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.

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