11/13/2008 - Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez picked up his 10th Silver Slugger Award on Thursday, highlighting a relatively new cast of players to receive the honor given to the top offensive performers at their respective positions.
Rodriguez tied Mike Piazza for second-most Silver Sluggers all-time. Only Barry Bonds, with 12, has more.
Of the American League winners, Minnesota first baseman Justin Morneau, Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia and Baltimore designated hitter Aubrey Huff were first-time honorees. The entire AL outfield -- the Rangers' Josh Hamilton, Cleveland's Grady Sizemore and the White Sox's Carlos Quentin -- won for the first time.
Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter picked up his third straight award, while Twins catcher Joe Mauer won his second.
By contrast, only three National League players won for the first time -- Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun, St. Louis outfielder Ryan Ludwick and Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez.
Outfielder Matt Holliday -- who played for Colorado in 2008 but was traded to Oakland on Wednesday -- won his third in a row, as did Philadelphia second baseman Chase Utley.
Other NL winners of the Silver Slugger were St. Louis first baseman Albert Pujols; Mets third baseman David Wright; Atlanta catcher Brian McCann; and Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano. Pujols won his fourth, while Wright, McCann and Zambrano each won his second.
Selections for the Louisville Silver Slugger Award were based on a combination of offensive statistics including batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, as well as the coaches' and managers' general impressions of a player's overall offensive value.
<< Yankees get Swisher from White Sox for three players
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees announced on Thursday that
they have acquired Nick Swisher and pitcher Kanekoa Texeira from the Chicago
White Sox in exchange for infielder Wilson Betemit and two minor league
hurlers
<< Thompson replaces deceased dad as Dundee chairman
Dundee, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stephen Thompson is set to be confirmed as
the new chairman of Dundee United.
Thompson, who is currently the chief executive of the Terrors, will replace his
late father in the role. Eddie Thompson los
<< Phillies add Perlozzo to coaching staff
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies hired
former Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo to their coaching staff on Thursday.
Perlozzo has not yet been assigned a specific coaching position, though the
club said
<< Wild activate Nolan off IR
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Wild activated right wing Owen
Nolan off injured reserve on Thursday. He had been sidelined since November 3
with a lower body injury.
Nolan is in his first season with Minnesota and entered T
Rams' Jackson out of practice again >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson
did not participate in Thursday's practice in advance of Sunday's game at San
Francisco.
"Steven didn't work today," said Rams head coach Jim Haslett. "I
Caps sign D Carlson >>
Arlington, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Capitals signed defenseman
John Carlson to a three-year entry level contract on Thursday.
Carlson, 18, was one of Washington's two first-round selections in the 2008
draft and was taken
Juve tops Genoa to climb to second in Serie A >>
Turin, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zdenek Grygera, Amauri and Vincenzo Iaquinta
scored to help Juventus open a three-goal lead and roll to a 4-1 win over Genoa
on Thursday and into second place in Serie A.
Juventus, which allowed a penalty k
Portis questionable for Cowboys game >>
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis
did not practice on Thursday, putting his status for Sunday night's big NFC
East clash with Dallas in question.
Portis is dealing with a knee sprain he inc
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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