Ankiel returns to Cardinals, with a different kind of power

Baseball Betting Lines

08/10/2007 - St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Rick Ankiel made his return to the club on Thursday, as the team purchased his contract from Triple-A Memphis. Ankiel then belted a three-run homer in the seventh inning, part of St. Louis' 5-0 win over the San Diego Padres.

Ankiel had been plagued by injuries and control problems since breaking into the majors as a pitcher in 1999, but he resurfaced as a power-hitting outfielder. He started in right field and hit second in the lineup, finishing the game 1-for-4 with the big blast in the seventh inning.

Ankiel was leading the Pacific Coast League with 32 home runs at time of purchase and was tied for second with 89 RBI. He won 11 games and finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2000, but retired as a pitcher in March, 2005 due to control problems and then missed the entire 2006 season due to left knee surgery. However, he returned to the majors with a vengeance on Thursday and even got a curtain call after clubbing his third career major league homer.

Over a four-year major-league career as a starter, he pitched in only 51 games, including 41 starts, compiling a 13-10 mark with a 3.90 ERA.

He was selected by St. Louis in the second round of the June 1997 Free Agent Draft and made his major league debut on August 23, 1999.

The 28-year-old spent the majority of the 2004 campaign on the disabled list recovering from Tommy John surgery performed on his left elbow on July 16, 2003. He appeared in five games out of the bullpen late in the year for the Cardinals and posted a 1-0 mark with a 5.40 ERA. His victory over Milwaukee on October 1 was his first since April 8, 2001.

However, an inability to focus his control on the mound forced him to re- evaluate his career. Ankiel retired as a pitcher in March, 2005, and was reborn as a power-hitting outfielder. A further setback occurred the following season, when a left knee injury suffered in spring training derailed his comeback.

Hitting as a lefty this season, Ankiel is batting .267 with a Pacific Coast League-best 32 home runs in 102 games for the Memphis Redbirds, and he is also tied for second best in the PCL with 89 RBI.

The team opened a roster spot for Ankiel by placing infielder Scott Spiezio on Major League Baseball's restricted list due to an apparent substance abuse problem.

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2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

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