Canadiens without Gill, Spacek makes series debut

Hockey Betting Lines

05/10/2010 - Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Canadiens played without defenseman Hal Gill for Monday's Game 6 against Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Gill was cut by a skate blade on the back of his leg in Game 5 and was considered a game-time decision. He's plus-three with 14 penalty minutes and an assist in 12 games this postseason.

Taking his place in the lineup is defenseman Jaroslav Spacek, who hasn't suited up since Game 3 of the Washington series. He was reportedly dealing with an inner-ear infection. The veteran Czech notched two helpers and was minus-two over the first three contests of Montreal's quarterfinal set.

The Penguins lead the series 3-2.

Wwwguysgonewild Hockey Betting News

<< Stinnett kicked off Creighton basketball team
Omaha, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Creighton basketball coach Greg McDermott has reportedly kicked guard P'Allen Stinnett off the team. Stinnett had been suspended late in January by former head coach Dana Altman for "conduct not accept

<< LPGA golfer Blasberg dead at 25
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LPGA golfer Erica Blasberg has died of unknown causes, according to the Tour and her agent Chase Callahan. Blasberg, 25, was in her sixth season on the LPGA Tour. She turned professional in

<< Tigers' Willis scratched from start
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Tigers pitcher Dontrelle Willis has been scratched from his scheduled start Monday against the New York Yankees because of an illness. Instead, Brad Thomas will start for the Tigers. Thomas also

<< Serena, Venus advance in Madrid
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World No. 1 Serena Williams and her former top-ranked sister Venus highlighted Monday's second-round winners at the $4.5 million Madrid Open, a clay-court French Open tune-up. The reigning Australian Op

<< Lions sign safety Brown
Allen Park, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Lions signed safety C.C. Brown on Monday. Terms of the contract were not disclosed. Brown spent last season with the New York Giants after playing the first four years of his career with the H

Canucks hope to wreck Blackhawks' travel plans >>
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -The Chicago Blackhawks packed for a long road trip, but the Vancouver Canucks would like to send them home early for an unwanted Game 7.The Canucks stayed alive in the Western Conference semifinal series with a 4-1

Ex-Dallas Mavericks owner's company sues club >>
DALLAS (AP) -A company run by former Dallas Mavericks owner Ross Perot Jr. is suing the club, alleging that it's insolvent or verging on insolvency.''According to The Dallas Morning News, Hillwood Investment Properties III Ltd. sued Dallas Basketbal

Flyers G Boucher hurt in 2nd period vs. Bruins >>
BOSTON (AP) -Philadelphia Flyers goalie Brian Boucher (BOO-shay) is out of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series against Boston because of an apparent knee injury.Boucher skated off the ice favoring his left knee with 15:25 left in the s

Flyers' Boucher leaves game >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Brian Boucher left Game 5 of his club's Eastern Conference semifinal series against Boston with an apparent lower-body injury. Boucher was hurt at the 4:35 mark of t

Dodgers place P Haeger on DL >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers placed knuckleball pitcher Charlie Haeger on the 15-day disabled list with plantar fasciitis. The 26-year-old is 0-4 with a 8.49 earned run average in seven games -- five starts -

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.

Barry Bonds Watch: Giants Slugger Says He'll Be Back

With only 21 home runs standing between him and Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds is indeed planning on coming back for more in 2007. At least, that's what his agent told the Los Angeles Times.

"Barry's going to play in 2007," Jeff Borris of Beverly Hills Sports Council told the Times on Tuesday. "I've had many discussions with Barry and he's going to play. My intentions are to see to it he's in a big-league uniform next season. Those are my marching orders."

Contract negotiations could get started as early as next week. Let's see which team has the deeper pockets. Will MLB baseball betting lines despite allegations of steroid use? Bet On It at www.MySportsbook.com .

Get all your baseball betting lines, MLB lines and MLB team props at the My Sportbook.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your baseball sportsbook needs.