Cubs should stop pretending they're contenders

Baseball Betting Lines

07/15/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's been a typical summer along the North Side of Chicago. The sun is shining, the bleachers and rooftops that surround the incomparable Wrigley Field are packed to the gills, and the beer pours endlessly from the watering holes neighboring one of the grand spectacles in all of baseball.

October's going to have a familiar feeling for Cubs fans as well, with their beloved and star-crossed club in the midst of yet another season of unmet expectations. After losing three of four games to the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend, Chicago limps into the All-Star break with a 39-50 record completely unfitting of a team carrying the highest payroll in the National League.

This current outfit, now 9 1/2 games back of the resurgent Cincinnati Reds for first place in the NL Central, also bears little resemblance to the budding juggernaut that won a league-best 97 times during the 2008 regular season. It hasn't even been able to match the (under) achievements of last year's toxic group that went 83-79 as the prohibitive favorites to repeat as division champs.

A lack of clubhouse chemistry helped sabotage the 2009 squad, and this year's Cubs have yet to find the right combination as well even after weeding out the bad seeds -- namely combustible outfielder Milton Bradley -- during an offseason house cleaning. Chicago has looked both lifeless and in decline for the better part of the past 2 1/2 months, either too old or too disinterested to make the run necessary to challenge the Reds and St. Louis for division supremacy.

Even manager Lou Piniella, renowned for his intensity and passion to succeed, seems to have lost some of his trademark fire. Makes you wonder if the longtime skipper, who's in the final year of his contract, is ready to trade in the grueling road trips and draining summer days of July and August for the golf courses and shuffleboard tables many soon-to-be 67-year-olds are enjoying these days.

Piniella may not be the only member of the organization with numbered days. This season's performance has clearly put much-maligned general manager Jim Hendry's fanny on the hot seat, especially since he wasn't hired by first-year owner Tom Ricketts, while a host of high-priced veterans could be jettisoned by the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline if the new regime chooses to slash payroll and commit to a more youth-oriented movement.

For what it's worth, Ricketts did issue a public declaration of confidence for his GM last week, just as the record should show that Hendry's two main offseason moves have each paid off handsomely so far. He unloaded the controversial Bradley to Seattle in exchange for pitcher Carlos Silva, who's emerged as the club's most dependable starter, while free-agent acquisition Marlon Byrd ranks among the NL's leading hitters and garnered his first career All-Star selection with a terrific first half.

"I'm not going to assign blame to anyone or anything," Ricketts recently stated. "The fact is when we came into the season, we had what appeared to be a pretty strong lineup. It hasn't worked out for whatever reason."

Ricketts has a point. A powerful Chicago offense that topped the NL in runs scored during the 2008 campaign no longer strikes fear in the hearts of opposing pitchers, even with several core players still on the roster. The Cubs entered the break 14th in the Senior Circuit in scoring and 13th in on- base percentage, and were shut out for the sixth time in the past 22 games after a 7-0 setback to the Dodgers on Sunday.

While the decision to become sellers should be an easy one, unloading some of Chicago's pricey players figures to be a greater challenge. First baseman Derrek Lee and third baseman Aramis Ramirez, both of whom have struggled mightily as the expected middle-of-the-order anchors, will be tough to deal due to hefty contracts that don't reflect their eroding skills. Same goes for outfielder Kosuke Fukudome, one of Hendry's personnel missteps who's lost substantial playing time to promising rookie Tyler Colvin in recent weeks.

Then there's the curious case of Carlos Zambrano, the Cubs' one-time ace presently serving a team-issued suspension for a dugout blowup in late June. The team would likely be thrilled to rid itself of the volatile right-hander, but chances are the market's pretty dry for a pitcher with a 5.66 ERA and obvious maturity issues who's still owed nearly $38 million over the next two years.

Even Chicago's most attractive trade chip, left-hander Ted Lilly, has seen his value plummet after getting roughed up for 16 runs and serving up five homers in his final two starts before the All-Star break.

Laying the groundwork for a transition phase won't be an easy task for the Cubs, nor will contending with a frustrated fan base that's endured a lifetime's worth of heartache. But the last 1 1/2 years have proved that the status quo simply isn't good enough for baseball's unluckiest franchise, and a shakeup seems to be the only real recourse.

Gamblingh Baseball Betting News

<< Warriors sold for record price
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Golden State Warriors have been sold to Joseph Lacob for a record price of $450 million, according to a report Thursday from the Oakland Tribune. Chris Cohan, who had owned the team since 19

<< Verdasco, Robredo ease into Bastad quarters
Bastad, Sweden (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco and two-time champion Tommy Robredo of Spain were among Thursday's second- round winners at the Swedish Open. Fourth-seeded Nicolas Almagro was also a Spanish

<< Ex-Bearcats coach Minter among five new Indiana State assistants
Terre Haute, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former University of Cincinnati football coach Rick Minter has joined third-year Indiana State coach Trent Miles' staff as one of five new assistants. The 55-year-old Minter was named linebackers coach. In

<< Miller joins Heat
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Miller has become the latest player to join the Miami Heat. Miller said the transaction was official on his personal website. "It's official," Miller tweeted. "Thanks to the Miami Heat organization, Mr.

<< Red Wings re-sign D Meech
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings re-signed defenseman Derek Meech to a one-year contract on Thursday. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Meech appeared in 49 games last season for Detroit and logge

Hurricanes to retire Brind'Amour's number >>
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rod Brind'Amour will have his No. 17 jersey retired by the Carolina Hurricanes prior to a February 18, 2011 contest against the Philadelphia flyers. Brind'Amour announced his retirement after a 20

Davydenko ousted in Stuttgart >>
Stuttgart, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko came up a second-round loser Thursday at the Mercedes Cup tennis event. Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver upended the speedy world No. 6 Russian star in 7-6 (9-7), 2-6, 6-1

Nets ink first-round picks Favors, James >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Nets signed 2010 first- round draft picks Derrick Favors and Damion James on Thursday. The Nets selected Favors with the third overall pick after the 6-foot-10, 246- pound forward aver

Blue Jackets re-sign Sestito >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets have re-signed forward Tom Sestito to a one-year contract. Financial terms of the two-way deal were not disclosed. Sestito appeared in three games for the Blue Jackets last s

Oilers sign D Peckham >>
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Oilers have signed defenseman Theo Peckham to a one-year contract. Peckham, 22, has played in 31 career NHL games with the Oilers, including a 15-game stint during the 2009-10 campaign.

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.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.

Huskers' Lucky hospitalized for undisclosed reason

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky was hospitalized Monday for undisclosed reasons after Lincoln police responded to a call at his residence.

The Nebraska athletic department said in a release Monday that Lucky was admitted Sunday night.

MySportsbook.com has the Cornhuskers listed at +2500 to win the BCS National Championship odds.

A nursing supervisor at the hospital said all questions about Lucky were being referred to the athletic department. The athletic department said there would be no further comment from the department or Lucky's family.

A Lincoln Police spokesman said officers responded to a call at Lucky's residence 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The spokesman said he didn't know Lucky's condition at the time he was taken to the hospital.

Lucky, from North Hollywood, Calif., started six games last season as a sophomore and was the team's second-leading rusher, with 728 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 383 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.