Cubs agree with C Soto, 5 others

Baseball Betting Lines

01/17/2012 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs agreed to terms on one-year contracts with six salary arbitration-eligible players, including catcher Geovany Soto.

The announcement, made Tuesday, didn't include salary figures for Soto or the other five players: right-handed pitchers Chris Volstad and Randy Wells; and infielders Blake DeWitt, Jeff Baker and Ian Stewart.

Soto also signed a one-year deal last January to avoid arbitration and played on a $3 million contract, hitting .228 with 17 homers, 54 runs knocked in and a .310 on-base percentage.

The soon-to-be 29-year-old catcher has played parts of seven major league seasons for the Cubs and is three years removed from belting 23 home runs with 86 RBI and a .285 average to win NL Rookie of the Year in 2008.

Volstad, who was acquired from the Marlins earlier this month, was 5-13 with a 4.89 earned run average in 29 starts for Florida last season. He spent his first four years with the team.

Wells has a 27-30 record in 86 major league appearances, most of them starts and all but one of them coming with the Cubs. He was 7-6 with a 4.99 ERA in 23 starts for Chicago last season.

DeWitt batted .265 in 121 games for the Cubs last season, splitting time in the infield and outfield.

Baker has played the last two-plus seasons in Chicago and batted .269 last year while playing mostly the infield, and Stewart joined the Cubs in a trade with Colorado last month. He batted .156 in 48 games for the Rockies in 2011.

Roolingstone Baseball Betting News

<< Giants give 3B Sandoval a 3-year deal
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco Giants on Tuesday signed third baseman Pablo Sandoval to a three-year contract. Sandoval, 25, batted a robust .315 with 23 home runs and 70 RBI last season for the Giants, who

<< Twins reach agreements with P Liriano, Perkins
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins agreed on Tuesday to one-year contracts with left-handed pitchers Francisco Liriano and Glen Perkins, avoiding arbitration. Liriano, 29, posted a 9-10 record with a 5.09

<< Boca Juniors signs Uruguayan forward Silva
Buenos Aires, Argentina (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boca Juniors inked forward Santiago Silva from Italian side Fiorentina on Tuesday, but the Uruguayan will not be eligible to play in the upcoming Clausura season. Silva, 31, will be eligible for C

<< Giants agree to terms with Schierholtz
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco Giants have avoided arbitration with Nate Schierholtz, signing the outfielder to a one- year contract. Schierholtz hit .278 with nine home runs and 41 RBI in 115 game

<< Lille signs striker Roux from Brest
Lille, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lille acquired striker Nolan Roux from Brest on Tuesday for $10 million, and signed him to a 4 1/2-year contract. Roux, 23, has scored 25 times in 80 matches in all competitions for Brest. He had four goals

Oilers' Hall injured in warmups vs. Columbus >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Edmonton Oilers second-year forward Taylor Hall was injured in pregame warmups on Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Hall was injured when he took a tumble in the right corner and was cut in

Reds reach deals with Bailey, Janish >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Reds have signed pitchers Bill Bray and Homer Bailey and shortstop Paul Janish to one-year contracts. Bailey achieved career highs in innings pitched (132), wins (nine), strikeouts (106)

Rangers agree to terms with P Harrison >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers agreed to terms with pitcher Matt Harrison on a one-year contract Tuesday, avoiding arbitration. Harrison went 14-9 with a 3.39 earned run average in 31 appearances -- 30 starts

Louisville's Buckles out for year with torn ACL >>
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Louisville junior forward Rakeem Buckles will miss the remainder of season and all of next season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Monday's game at Marquet

No. 2 Notre Dame rips Pitt >>
South Bend, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Devereaux Peters scored 20 points and Natalie Achonwa added 19 points and seven rebounds as No. 2 Notre Dame cruised to a 120-44 win over Pittsburgh on Tuesday. Kaila Turner netted 14 points and S

SPORTS BETTING

NFL Football Betting Online

In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.

It is called the "pointspread."

Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.

But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.

A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.

In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.

The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .

Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.

Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook betting credit cards