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09/12/2008 - Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams desperate for points square off at Arrowhead Stadium when the Kansas City Wizards host the Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer action on Saturday.
"This is my first visit to Kansas City and I'm looking forward to what's sure to be a great atmosphere at the stadium," Galaxy midfielder David Beckham said.
With seven games to go in the regular season, the teams are level with 6-9-8 records, good for last place in their respective conferences. The Wizards are 12 points from a guaranteed playoff spot in the East, but only six points back in the wildcard, while the Galaxy are just four points back of a guaranteed spot in the West.
"We know that this is the first game of many at home during this stretch run, and this first time out is vital to our playoff hopes," Wizards defender Jimmy Conrad said.
"I'm looking forward to the game against Kansas City on Saturday," Beckham said. "With only seven games left in the season it's important for us to come in and try to get a positive result."
The Galaxy are desperate for a positive result, especially after stretching their winless streak to 11 games after a 2-2 draw vs. Real Salt lake last week.
"We went into the game with some issues in terms of the roster and trying to fit some of the pieces together," Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said of missing some key players because of national team duty. "It was a challenge, but I think we have to give a lot of credit to our team. Salt Lake threw everything they had at us in the first half. They are a good team and it showed. I think it took our guys 30 minutes to figure some things out, but as for the second half we played pretty well for the most part. Given some of our limitations, I'm really pleased with the effort and the result."
The Wizards are coming off a 3-1 loss at Houston, which was the team's third loss in the last four league fixtures. The team, which has just one road win the season, plays five of its final seven games at home, giving the team a shot.
"I'm disappointed but I can't worry about this," Wizards coach Kurt Onalfo said of his team's latest setback. "We have to worry about the next games - we have five of our last seven games at home and we have to make the most of that."
<< One Day Later, Texans Try to Take Down Ravens
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The show will go on for the Houston Texans and Baltimore
Ravens in Week 1, but it won't take place on Sunday.
The threat of Hurricane Ike prompted the NFL's decision to move the game from
its originally scheduled date late
<< 2-0 Awaits Either Panthers or Bears
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Panthers opened their 2008 season with an eye-
opening road victory over one of the AFC's most highly-regarded teams this
past Sunday. Later on in the day, the Chicago Bears matched Carolina's hand
with a bold-ty
<< Marseille hopes to break curse at Bordeaux
Bordeaux, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bordeaux midfielder Yoann Gourcuff, on loan
from AC Milan for the season, sparkled in his first start for France this week.
Gourcuff, 22, helped set up Nicolas Anelka's game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory
o
<< Rodgers, Packers Visit Motor City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers can only hope
the first formal road experience of his career as an NFL starter goes as well
as did home game number one.
Rodgers, who will lead his team into battle against the D
Cavs ink West to multi-year deal >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers announced the signing
of guard Delonte West to a multi-year contract on Friday. Per team policy,
terms of the deal were not disclosed.
West, 25, was acquired by the Cavaliers on
PSV aims to build on positive opener >>
Eindhoven, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PSV Eindhoven will be expecting to
wrap up three more points on Saturday when the team hosts Sparta after they
opened defense of their league title with a resounding 5-1 win against
Utrecht
Schalke visits Dortmund in battle of unbeatens >>
Dortmund, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Schalke has been impressive through three
weeks in the Bundesliga, but will be without its top two goalies Saturday when
it visits Borussia Dortmund in a battle of unbeatens.
Schalke's top choice, Manue
Devils re-sign C Pelley >>
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils re-signed center Rod
Pelley to a new contract on Friday. Per club policy, terms of the deal were
not disclosed.
Pelley, 24, split the 2007-08 season between the NHL and AHL Devi
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting