Chargers ink Gates through 2015 season

Football Betting Lines

07/28/2010 - San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chargers and six-time Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates agreed to terms Wednesday on a contract that will keep him in San Diego through the 2015 season.

Gates, who is one of the best at his position, played in all 16 games for the Chargers last season, leading the team with 79 catches for a career-best 1,157 yards. The 6-foot-4, 260-pound Gates also scored eight touchdowns. His 14.6 yards per catch average was the highest in the NFL among tight ends.

"Antonio is a special player and person. He is everything we are looking for in a Chargers player," said general manager A.J. Smith. "His talent and contributions to our team speak for themselves. His work ethic and desire to be the best are unmatched. He has been a major part of the success we have had over the past several years, and we are thrilled he will continue to be with us for years to come."

In 109 career games with San Diego, Gates has caught 479 passes for 6,223 yards and 59 touchdowns. Gates has led the Chargers in catches each of the last six seasons (2004-09).

"I've been blessed my whole career to be with one team." Gates said. "It's always good to get [the contract] out of the way. The goal is to win a championship. We all are human and it becomes a distraction even though you might not want it to be. It's always great to be able to go ahead and do what you need to do and get it out of the way."

Gamingfrenzi Football Betting News

<< Scutaro's grand slam helps Red Sox complete sweep of Angels
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marco Scutaro's grand slam in the eighth inning helped the Boston Red Sox to a three-game sweep of the LA Angels of Anaheim with a 7-3 win in the finale. Kevin Youkilis, Adrian Beltre and Bill Hall each hi

<< Strasburg unsure if he'll make next start
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Nationals rookie Stephen Strasburg said on Wednesday he's not sure if he'll make his scheduled start Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies. Strasburg was scratched from his sched

<< Rays OF Upton to miss a few days
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay Rays center fielder B.J. Upton was not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against Detroit and is expected to miss two-to-three days with a sprained left ankle. He suffered the injury in Tuesda

<< Tribe send INF Peralta to Tigers
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers have acquired infielder Jhonny Peralta and cash considerations from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for left-handed pitcher Giovanni Soto. Peralta hit .246 with seven home runs a

<< Angels' Pineiro out 6-to-8 weeks
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitcher Joel Pineiro will miss the next 6-to-8 weeks after straining a muscle. Pineiro suffered the injury to his left side while warming up for a start against the Boston Red Sox

Chiefs sign second round picks >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Chiefs have signed second round draft choices Dexter McCluster and Javier Arenas. Terms of the deals were not disclosed. McCluster was the 36th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft out of

Rays' Zobrist leaves game >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay Rays infielder/outfielder Ben Zobrist left Wednesday's game against Detroit with lower back stiffness. His availability is being listed as day-to-day. The five-year veteran, playing cen

Ohlendorf hit by line drive, leaves game >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Ross Ohlendorf left Wednesday's game against the Rockies after being struck by a line drive off the bat of Troy Tulowitzki in the first inning. With a runner at t

Dodgers acquire Podsednik from Royals >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers made a move to bolster their outfield by acquiring former All-Star Scott Podsednik from the Kansas City Royals for two minor league players - catcher Lucas May and pitcher

A's lose Sheets for the season >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oakland Athletics pitcher Ben Sheets will miss the remainder of the 2010 season with a torn flexor tendon in his right elbow. Sheets was placed on the disabled list Saturday, retroactive to July 20, wi

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.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.

Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).

Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.

A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.

Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.

"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.

De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.

The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.

The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.

De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.

Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.

But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.