White Sox deal for Griffey
Baseball Betting Lines
07/31/2008 -
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox have added a
future Hall of Famer for their stretch run on Thursday, as Ken Griffey Jr.
agreed to leave his hometown Cincinnati for a chance at a championship.
The White Sox acquired the Hall of Fame-bound outfielder and cash
considerations in exchange for right-handed pitcher Nick Masset and second
baseman Danny Richar.
"Our intent is to win the American League Central division and ultimately, to
win another World Series championship," said Ken Williams, White Sox general
manager. "Adding a player the caliber of Ken Griffey Jr. gives us a better
chance to realize those goals.
"Griffey's addition gives (manager) Ozzie (Guillen) more flexibility. Ozzie
has the opportunity to field his best team -- offensively and defensively --
on a day-to-day basis over the next two months, and this gives us the chance
to keep some of our middle of the order hitters fresh and producing down the
stretch. I spoke with Ken, and he is excited to be coming to Chicago to try
and help us reach the postseason."
The 1997 AL MVP and a 13-time All-Star, Griffey has never appeared in a World
Series in his 20 seasons in the majors. Now he may get a chance with the White
Sox, who enter play on Thursday with a 1 1/2-game lead over the Twins for
first place in the AL Central.
Griffey, 38, is hitting .245 with 15 home runs and 53 runs batted in for the
Reds, who, at 51-58, are tied for fourth place in the NL Central, 14 games
behind the Chicago Cubs. He hit his 600th career home run earlier this season,
becoming the sixth player in league history to do so. With 608 homers, Griffey
is one home run shy of tying Sammy Sosa for fifth on the all-time list.
Despite all his achievements, Griffey's productivity has been limited in
recent years due to injuries. It is unclear where the White Sox plan on
playing him, since they have Carlos Quentin and Jermaine Dye playing the
corner outfield positions. Griffey has played primarily in right field over
the last two seasons for the Reds.
Griffey is no longer the fielder who won 10 straight Gold Gloves patrolling
center field for the Mariners, so, unless the White Sox think he can return to
center, perhaps he is headed for some time at first base. Chicago's current
first baseman, Paul Konerko, is hitting .214 with nine homers and 35 runs
batted in this season.
A career .288 hitter with 1,754 runs batted in, Griffey was traded from
Seattle to Cincinnati in February 2000. His productivity declined shortly
thereafter. The 1989 AL Rookie of the Year, Griffey was a unanimous MVP
selection in 1997 after hitting .304 with 56 home runs and 147 runs batted in,
but has only batted over .300 for a season once since, in 2005.
He hasn't won a Gold Glove since leaving Seattle, and has only been an All-
Star three times in his nine seasons with the Reds after 10 selections in 11
years with the Mariners.
Masset was 1-0 with one save and a 4.63 earned-run average in 32 games with
the White Sox in 2008. The 26-year-old right-hander is 3-3 with one save and
a 5.63 ERA in 67 career major league games with Texas and the White Sox.
Richar, 25, is hitting .262 with nine home runs, 39 RBI and 11 stolen bases
with Triple-A Charlotte in 2008. The second baseman batted .230 with six home
runs and 15 RBI in 56 games with the White Sox in 2007.
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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
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