02/06/2012 -
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Liverpool and Tottenham played to a 0-0
draw at Anfield on Monday, doing little to improve the ambitions of either
side.
The result leaves Tottenham seven points back of leaders Manchester City,
while Liverpool failed to make up any ground on fourth-place Chelsea as both
sides collected a point this weekend, leaving the Reds four points adrift.
The lone chance of note for either side in the first half came in the 34th
minute when Liverpool's Steven Gerrard laid a ball off for Jay Spearing, whose
first-time effort from 20 yards curled just past the post.
Tottenham seemed content to hold out for a point as the match went on and was
fortunate to remain on level terms when Andy Carroll brought the ball down but
fired it well over the net from 12 yards in the 74th minute.
For all the defending that Spurs did, they nearly stole all three points in
the final five minutes when Gareth Bale got behind the Liverpool defense but
shot straight at goalkeeper Pepe Reina, squandering the best chance of the
match.
<< Missouri State to visit Kansas State, Louisville
Springfield, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Missouri State football will open the 2012
season by visiting two FBS opponents and play five home games as part of an
11-game schedule announced Monday.
Seventh-year head coach Terry Allen and the Bears wi
<< Lawrie, Stanley soar in world rankings
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Lawrie claimed a four-shot win in
Qatar, while Kyle Stanley erased an eight-shot deficit to come from behind and
win the Phoenix Open on Sunday. With those victories, both players made big
moves i
<< Boeljon moves into top 50 in women's rankings
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Christel Boeljon came from three strokes
back to win the Australian Ladies Masters on Sunday and that helped her jump
16 spots in this week's women's world rankings.
Boeljon, who played in her first
<< Rangers give Conor Jackson, Beimel minor league deals
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers have signed left-handed
pitcher Joe Beimel and first baseman/outfielder Conor Jackson to minor league
contracts with invitations to spring training.
Beimel went 1-1 with a 5.33 earned r
<< Super Bowl hangover: Catching you up on college hoops
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Perhaps the AFC needs some new blood.
That was my prevailing thought after last night's highly entertaining Super
Bowl, the New York Giants' second with Eli Manning under center in the last
five seasons. P
Alcohol led to Presbyterian player's death >>
Clinton, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An autopsy has determined the death of a
Presbyterian College football player on Sunday was brought on by alcohol
intoxication.
The Laurens County Coroner's office said Monday that the death of 21-year-old
Kyl
Cubs designate DeWitt for assigmnent >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs designated infielder Blake
DeWitt for assignment on Monday.
The 26-year-old batted .265 with five home runs, 11 doubles and 26 RBI in 121
games during his first full season with the Cubs i
Granada edges Malaga to emerge from drop zone >>
Granada, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Granada climbed out of the relegation zone
on Monday with a 2-1 win over Malaga at Los Carmenes.
With its second-straight La Liga victory, Granada improves to 25 points on the
year to sit tied with Rayo Va
Crosby skates with team >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby
skated with the team on Monday, but did not participate in full team practice
and his status has not changed.
Crosby has been out since December 5 due to concu
BU downs Harvard, gains Beanpot final >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kieran Millan stopped 29 shots and Wade Megan
tallied twice as Boston University took a 3-1 decision over Harvard in the
first semifinal matchup of the 60th annual Beanpot from TD Garden.
Matt Nieto als
FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million
Football Betting
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
NFL Betting Lines
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