Yankees hire former Padres GM Towers

Baseball Betting Lines

03/16/2010 - Tampa, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Towers was named a special assignment scout for the New York Yankees Tuesday after spending the last 15 years as the general manager of the San Diego Padres.

Towers spent 26 seasons total with the Padres, guiding the team to a National League title in 1998. The team went to the playoffs four times during his tenure with the club but had won just 75 and 63 games, respectively, in the past two seasons.

Before his firing during the offseason, Towers was the game's most tenured general manager.

Wsbgglobal Baseball Betting News


<< Eagles acquire DE Tapp from Seattle
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Eagles acquired defensive end Darryl Tapp from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for defensive end Chris Clemons and a 2010 fourth-round draft pick. Tapp had re-signed with Seattle on Mond

<< Oregon ousts hoops coach Kent
Eugene, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oregon Ducks have terminated the contract of men's head basketball coach Ernie Kent after 13 years guiding the program. Kent had two years remaining on his contract but had been rumored to be out follo

<< Bears sign CB Jennings, release FB McKie
Lake Forest, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bears made a pair of moves Tuesday, signing cornerback Tim Jennings to a two-year contract while releasing fullback Jason McKie. Jennings spent the first four years of his NFL care

<< Special win: Inter eliminates Chelsea
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Samuel Eto'o scored late in the second half and Inter Milan beat Chelsea 1-0 on Tuesday at Stamford Bridge to seal its 3-1 aggregate win and a spot in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Inter coach

<< Teams test bigger plate, new spoiler at Talladega
Talladega, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Twenty-five Sprint Cup Series teams participated in a one-day test session at Talladega Superspeedway to determine the potential size of carburetor restrictor-plate openings and familiarize drivers

Packers ink P Bryan >>
Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Green Bay Packers on Tuesday signed punter Chris Bryan. Bryan played four seasons in the Australian Football League from 2005-2008. The 6-foot-5, 210-pounder will wear No. 9 for the Packers. T

Jets re-sign FB Richardson >>
Florham Park, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Jets have agreed in principle on a contract with fullback Tony Richardson for the 2010 season. Richardson returns for a 16th NFL season and for a third year in New York. Last ye

Argonauts sign QB Brannagan >>
Mississauga, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Argonauts signed quarterback Danny Brannagan to a three-year contract on Tuesday. Brannagan, a native of Burlington, Ontario, played at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, where last

Flyers goaltender Leighton injured against Nashville >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Michael Leighton left Tuesday's game against the Nashville Predators with a high ankle sprain. The 28-year-old Leighton is considered day-to-day. During the first peri

Wizards F Howard out at least six months following surgery >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Wizards forward Josh Howard underwent successful surgery to repair a torn left ACL, the club announced on Tuesday. Howard, who sustained the injury in a game against the Bulls on February

NFL Football Betting


BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES

It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.

BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES

All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.

COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES

Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.

TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES

Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.

RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES

Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.

PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES

Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.

JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES

Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.

SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES

I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.

VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES

Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.

DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES

Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.

SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES

I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.

BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES

Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.

BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES

Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.

RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES

A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.

PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers

Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.