Burke cutting it close with Kaberle

Hockey Betting Lines

08/13/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Burke is currently engaging in a risky waiting game with his most valuable trading commodity, All-Star defenseman Tomas Kaberle.

Burke has less than three days remaining to decide what to do with his most proven defender, before Kaberle's no trade clause is re-enacted on August 15th at midnight.

The Toronto Maple Leafs front office has a difficult dilemma to deal with in regards to Kaberle, who is currently the team's longest serving member and is entering the final year of his contract at a very modest rate of $4.25 million per season.

There has been a significant amount of speculation recently that as many as six to 10 teams have showed serious interest in acquiring Kaberle, with several teams already having tabled substantial offers.

There is no doubt that Burke's club could desperately use another young and highly skilled top-six forward to play alongside talented sniper Phil Kessel and Burke's prized blue chip prospect, Nazem Kadri.

However, Burke, Toronto's President and GM, has consistently stated over the past several months that unless other NHL general managers are willing to meet his asking price, then he has no problem holding on to Kaberle for the upcoming season.

By waiting until the final days, hours or even minutes up to the deadline, it is apparent that Burke is attempting to drive up the price for Kaberle, in hopes of creating a bidding war amongst his suitors.

This waiting game could potentially leave the Leafs in a precarious position, one in which they may not acquire any assets in exchange for Kaberle, only to watch him walk away at the end of the upcoming campaign.

Look no further than the local Toronto Raptors as an example of the potential impact this type of scenario can have on the direction of a young team. Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment's other "Brian", Bryan Colangelo, can certainly attest to the magnitude of the decision facing the Maple Leafs, and after the recent Chris Bosh exodus from T.O., he most definitely does not envy the position that Burke currently finds himself in.

It is fair to say that Burke's abrasive style and aggressive tactics have proven to be successful for his clubs in the past. However, at this point, it is also quite fair to question whether or not this type of risky waiting game will eventually pay dividends for the team.

Other general managers around the NHL are obviously quite aware of the August 15th deadline, and may not be willing to increase their offers in order to concede to the demands that Burke has laid out to acquire Kaberle's services.

With only one year remaining on Kaberle's current contract, he essentially becomes an extended rental player at a bargain price, unless a team is able to negotiate a contract extension before he becomes an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the upcoming season.

This makes Kaberle both an appealing commodity for teams feeling the squeeze of the NHL salary cap, as well as a high risk acquisition for others, since the asking price will surely be steep, involving a combination of young talented players and/or draft picks.

As Sunday evening quickly approaches, there is no doubt that the forecast for Toronto this weekend calls for a flurry of speculation and rumors surrounding the Leafs, and more specifically Kaberle.

The decisions that Burke makes over the next couple of days could have a profound impact on the landscape of the franchise for many years. Burke has a tremendous opportunity to fast track the development of his hockey club from a perennial non-playoff team to an up-and-coming group with a talented young core that could potentially lead the Leafs towards success for the next decade.

Through all of the uncertainty with regards to what may transpire with Kaberle, the one thing we know for sure is that Leafs fans won't have to wait long to see how this story unfolds. As Sunday's upcoming deadline approaches, it seems inevitable that one of two scenarios will play out, with either Kaberle's trading window or his career with Toronto likely closing for good.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

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

MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds

With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season.  What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season.  Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all.  Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13).  Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two.  Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury.  Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven.  Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury.  Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season.

In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons (32-19) are the favorites to win it all at 6-1. The addition of Chris Webber seems to have been a good move for the Pistons.  Since coming over from the 76ers, Webber has averaged 13.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG and the Pistons are 11-4.  Even though the defending champion Heat are currently on the playoff making cusp, they are the Eastern Conference team that is getting the most action to win it all (9-1).  The fact that Shaquille O’Neal is back in the starting lineup after missing 39 games probably has something to do with this.  No doubt, Shaq makes a difference when in the lineup as their winning six out of their last seven would indicate.

Just because it is the All-Star break doesn’t mean that you can’t bet on NBA hoops this weekend.  Be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com to bet on who you think will cut down the nets this July. Also, be sure to check out all of the lines and props for All-Star weekend.  With the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry, there are plenty of ways to cash in on the NBA this weekend.

MySportsbook.com’s NBA Championship odds:

Atlanta Hawks 1000-1

Boston Celtics 5000-1

Charlotte Bobcats 5000-1

Chicago Bulls 20-1

Cleveland Cavaliers 20-1

Dallas Mavericks 2-1

Denver Nuggets 25-1

Detroit Pistons 6-1

Golden State Warriors 250-1

Houston Rockets 12-1

Indiana Pacers 60-1

Los Angeles Clippers 45-1

Memphis Grizzlies 5000-1

Miami Heat 9-1

Milwaukee Bucks 1000-1

Minnesota T-Wolves 200-1

New Jersey Nets 50-1

New Orleans Hornets 150-1

New York Knicks 150-1

Orlando Magic 75-1

Philadelphia 76ers 1000-1

Phoenix Suns 5-2

Portland TrailBlazers 1000-1

Sacramento Kings 250-1

San Antonio Spurs 9-1

Seattle Sonics 5000-1

Toronto Raptors 35-1

Utah Jazz 20-1

Washington Wizards 25-1

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