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01/24/2012 - Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Saying he could never play for another team, veteran catcher Jorge Posada officially retired Tuesday after 17 years with the New York Yankees.
Posada was one of the cogs that helped the storied franchise to its most recent run of five World Series championships since 1996.
The 40-year-old native of Puerto Rico made his big league debut with New York in 1995 and became a regular part of the lineup in 1998 when the Yankees won the first of three straight World Series titles. He was also the catcher for New York's 2009 championship.
"Every time I stepped through the Yankees Stadium doors I quoted Joe DiMaggio, 'I want to thank the good Lord for making me a Yankee,'" Posada said during his news conference Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.
"I was able to live my dream to play baseball for the best sports franchise... the New York Yankees," Posada added in his opening comments. "Playing for the New York Yankees has been an honor. I could never play for another team. I will forever be a Yankee."
Posada became emotional while thanking his family, teammates, coaches, front office personnel and fans.
"Hopefully, you won't miss me that much," he said with a nod toward longtime teammate Derek Jeter, who was among those in attendance. Mariano Rivera and CC Sabathia were also seated in the audience, along with former teammate and manager Joe Girardi and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman.
Posada was a five-time All-Star during his career, in which he batted .273 in 1,829 games with 275 homers and 1,065 runs batted in.
However, he was relegated to designated hitter duties in 2011 and struggled in that role. He hit just .235 with 14 homers and 44 runs batted in.
In May, Posada asked out of the lineup before a game against the Boston Red Sox when Girardi dropped him to ninth in the batting order. He apologized the next day.
Selected by the Yankees in the 24th round of the 1990 draft as an infielder, Posada made the switch to catcher in the minors and is among the top 15 in franchise history in numerous offensive categories. He is eighth in games and home runs, seventh in doubles with 379, 11th in RBI and 14th in hits with 1,664.
Posada appeared in 125 career postseason games and batted .248 with 11 homers and 42 runs batted in. He was the team's top hitter during the 2011 ALDS against Detroit, batting .429 with six hits in 14 at-bats.
Only Hall of Famers Bill Dickey (1,708) and Yogi Berra (1,695) have caught more games for the Yankees than the 1,574 by Posada, who also matched Hall of Famer Johnny Bench's mark of catching at least one game in 17 consecutive seasons with the same team.
Posada also joined Bench, Gary Carter, Carlton Fisk and Ivan Rodriguez as the only players to record at least 1,500 hits, 350 doubles, 275 homers and 1,000 RBI while playing at least half of his games as a catcher.
<< Gotze out for six to eight weeks
Dortmund, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Borussia Dortmund confirmed Tuesday that
young attacking starlet Mario Gotze has been ruled out for six to eight weeks
as it was determined that the midfielder's groin injury is more serious than
first t
<< Salo set to return as Canucks host Oilers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault feels his team is better
with defenseman Sami Salo in the lineup. He'll put that theory to the test
when the blueliner makes his return to the ice this evening against the
Edmonton Oilers.
<< Wild aim for consecutive wins in road test at Colorado
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Wild haven't shown many flashes of hope over their last
18 games, but a confidence-building effort over the weekend could help to turn
things around.
Minnesota looks to win consecutive games for the first time since mi
<< Resurgent Ducks visit sliding Stars
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Their longest point streak in over three years has the
Ducks making up some ground in the Western Conference. In fact, it might not
be too long until they pass the struggling Stars.
Anaheim aims for a sixth straight victor
Kirovski retires, takes coaching job with L.A. >>
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jovan Kirovski has ended his 20-year career and
accepted a position as assistant coach with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Kirovski, 35, spent five years in a Galaxy uniform, including the final three
years when he
Great Scott: Hartnell headed to All-Star Game for Toews >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Hartnell has
been added to the roster for this weekend's NHL All-Star Game in Ottawa.
Hartnell is replacing Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, who was
placed on
PPL Park to host 2012 MLS All-Star Game >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Soccer announced Tuesday that the
2012 All-Star Game will be played at PPL Park, the home of the Philadelphia
Union, on July 25 with the opponent yet to be revealed.
It is the first time in a
Panthers D Kulikov has knee surgery >>
Sunrise, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon
announced that defenseman Dmitry Kulikov underwent knee surgery on Monday.
The Miami Herald reported the third-year blueliner will be sidelined for 6-
to-8 wee
The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.
Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.
The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).
The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.
"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."
Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.
"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."
When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:
CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.
DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.
PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.
You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.
"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."
Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.
(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)
Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."
But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."
Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."
Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."
All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.
In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.
"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."
To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.
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