11/12/2008 - Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies made it official Wednesday and shipped outfielder Matt Holliday to the Oakland Athletics for reliever Huston Street, starting pitcher Greg Smith and outfield prospect Carlos Gonzalez.
"While it is difficult to have to say goodbye to a player with the skills that Matt possesses we wish him well," said Rockies executive vice president and general manager Dan O'Dowd. "The long-term model for our organization to be successful has always been built around the team dynamic. The three men we acquired from Oakland are talented major league players that are a solid fit for us."
Holliday, a two-time All-Star, hit .321 last season -- his fourth straight .300 campaign -- but saw his power numbers dip, as he hit 25 home runs with 88 runs batted in. It was the first time since 2005 that he failed to top 30 homers and drive in 100 runs.
He had been the runner-up to Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins for the NL MVP Award in 2007 when he set career highs, hitting .340 with 36 home runs and 137 RBI.
Eligible to become a free agent at the end of the 2009 season, Colorado reportedly had offered Holliday $68 million guaranteed over four years (plus a fifth year option that could have taken it to $85 million), but he turned the deal down, instead wanting to hit the open market.
Holliday is a career .319 hitter and has hit 128 home runs, while knocking in 483 runs in his five years with the Rockies. However, he is a .280 hitter away from hitter-friendly Coors Field with 44 homers and 176 RBI in 339 games.
"Improving the offense was clearly our stated priority this offseason," said Billy Beane, the A's vice president and general manager. "Trading for a player of Matt's caliber begins the process of creating an environment in which our young hitters can continue to improve and our young pitchers can continue to develop into one of the best staffs in the league."
Among the three players Oakland will send to Colorado is 2005 American League Rookie of the Year Street, who went 7-5 last season with 18 saves in 25 chances before losing his closer role late in the season.
In four campaigns with the Athletics, the 25-year-old Street is 21-12 with 94 saves and a 2.88 earned run average in 247 appearances.
The left-handed Smith, 24, struggled in his rookie season with the A's, finishing with a 7-16 record and a 4.16 ERA in 32 starts.
Fellow rookie Gonzalez, a highly touted prospect from Venezuela, hit a mere .242 in 85 games with 26 RBI and 31 runs scored. The 23-year-old struck out 81 times in 302 at-bats.
<< Bolton boss Megson eyes new signings in January
Bolton, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bolton manager Gary Megson plans to sign
several new players in the January transfer window in an attempt to bolster
his wafer-thin squad.
Since replacing Sammy Lee in the Reebok Stadium hot-seat j
<< England moves back into top ten in FIFA Rankings
Nyon, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's rankings were
released on Wednesday and they saw England climb four spots to move back into
the top 10, while European champions Spain remained comfortably on top of the
table.
<< Caps shoot for season-high win streak in road test vs. 'Canes
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Capitals will try to extend their winning
streak to a season-high four games tonight, when they visit the Carolina
Hurricanes for a Southeast Division showdown at RBC Center.
The Capitals went 3-0 on their r
<< Devils, Rangers resume rivalry without Brodeur
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When the New York Rangers take the ice at Prudential Center
in New Jersey tonight, it'll be the first time in over three years that Martin
Brodeur isn't starting in goal against them.
Brodeur, who will miss the next three-
Arshavin open to Real switch >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andrei Arshavin has welcomed reports that
Real Madrid are keen to sign him when the transfer window reopens in January.
The star of the Russia side at Euro 2008 saw potential moves to Barcelona and
Totte
Mikoliunas to miss two months for Hearts >>
Edinburgh, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hearts midfielder Saulius Mikoliunas
will be out of action for around two months after damaging knee ligaments.
The 24-year-old Lithuania international suffered a torn lateral ligament
during l
Neuville adds to Monchengladbach injury woes >>
Monchengladbach, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Veteran striker Oliver Neuville
has been added to Monchengladbach's lengthy injury list.
The 35-year-old, who suffered a torn muscle in a reserve team game that will
keep him sidelined for
Lahm set for Bayern return >>
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Germany international Philipp Lahm has
recovered from a foot injury and should be back in the Bayern Munich team for
this weekend's trip to Monchengladbach.
The 25-year-old full-back has been sidel
Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch
Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.
Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.
"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."
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Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year
Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.
Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.
With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.
Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.
Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.
Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to bet on the NBA. With the regular season about to hit the homestretch, it is important to point out that MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.
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