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Blue Jays grant Ruiz release

Baseball Betting Lines

05/19/2010 - Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - First baseman Randy Ruiz was granted his release from the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday.

Ruiz, who had batted .150 with a home run and one RBI over 13 games this season, has signed a contract with Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan.

To take his place on the roster, the team recalled outfielder Jeremy Reed from Triple-A Las Vegas. He appeared in two games for Toronto earlier in the season and had one hit in four at-bats.

Also, the team activated pitcher Marc Rzepczynski from the 15-day disabled list and optioned him to Las Vegas. He has yet to play this season as he suffered a fracture on his middle finger of his throwing hand in spring training.

<< New York faces Columbus for early East supremacy
Harrison, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Red Bull New York stated the 2010 Major League Soccer season 5-1-0 after finishing dead last in the league in '09. But since the team's last win - a 2-0 decision at D.C. on May 1 - Red Bull has gone 0-2

<< Mets place Niese on DL, recall Dickey
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Mets placed pitcher Jonathon Niese on the 15-day disabled list with a mild right hamstring strain on Wednesday and recalled right-hander R.A. Dickey from Triple-A Buffalo. The move is

<< Marlins place Leroux on the shelf
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Marlins have placed right-hand pitcher Chris Leroux on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 18, with a strained right elbow. Leroux has appeared in 14 games this season,

<< Nets owner says GM Vandeweghe will not return
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New owner of the New Jersey Nets Mikhail Prokhorov has reportedly said that general manager Kiki Vandeweghe will not be with the team for next season. The Newark Star-Ledger stated that Pro

<< Seahawks sign QB Losman
Renton, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Seahawks announced a number of moves Wednesday, including the signing of quarterback J.P. Losman. Losman played in one game for the Raiders last season, and also spent time with the United Footba

Devils sign pair of blueliners >>
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils signed defensemen Eric Gelinas and Dan Kelly, the club announced Wednesday. No terms of the deals were released. Gelinas was the Devils' second round choice, and 54th overall, in the

Galaxy head to Dallas without Donovan, Buddle >>
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Galaxy face their toughest test of the season to date when they travel to take on FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park in Major League Soccer action on Thursday night. The Galaxy will be playing their

World Cup 2010 Preview: Can Ronaldo regain form for Portugal? >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Portugal's maiden voyage into the World Cup in 1966 ended with a third-place finish based largely on the scoring exploits of Eusebio, and to date, it remains the country's best performance. But a

Just as Well pointed to Arlington Million XXVIII >>
Arlington Heights, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off a second-place finish in last Saturday's Dixie Stakes at Pimlico, Just as Well is on the road to this year's Arlington Million at Arlington Park. The 1 1/4-mile race, a furlong more t

Marshall has routine surgery >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Recently acquired Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall underwent surgery on Wednesday that will keep him off the field for an uncertain amount of time. Head coach Tony Sparano stated that Marshall

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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