Wattiors Basketball Betting News

<< Mets-Dodgers postponed, doubleheader scheduled for Tuesday
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Monday's game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets has been postponed due to rain. The game, which was to be the opener of a three-game set, has been rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on Tues

<< NASCAR got it right at Talladega this time
Talladega, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunday's Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway was as good as it gets for NASCAR. A record 88 lead changes among 29 drivers, three green-white-checkered attempts that led to an extra 32 miles, a winning pass

<< Obama welcomes Yankees to White House
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Members of the 2009 World Series champion New York Yankees were honored by President Barack Obama on Monday during a visit to the White House. Obama addressed the Yankees' rich tradition and the fra

<< Mavs C Dampier fined $35,000 for criticizing refs
DALLAS (AP) -Mavericks center Erick Dampier has been fined $35,000 for publicly criticizing game officials.Dampier's punishment, announced Monday, was for comments he made following a 94-90 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night.NBA commissio

Florida's Meyer hits DL, Sanches reinstated >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Marlins reinstated pitcher Brian Sanches from the 15-day disabled list Monday and placed pitcher Dan Meyer on the 15-day DL. Sanches, a right-hander, was shelved in spring training with a stra

Krejci and Bruins send Sabres packing >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Krejci tallied twice and Miroslav Satan notched the game-winner late in the third period, as the Boston Bruins closed out their series with the Buffalo Sabres with a 4-3 decision in Game 6 of this Eastern

Halak's 53-save effort helps Canadiens down Caps, force Game 7 >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jaroslav Halak made 53 saves and Michael Cammalleri netted two first-period goals, as the Montreal Canadiens staved off elimination with a 4-1 win over Washington in Game 6 of their Eastern Confere

Johnson's gem helps Marlins rout Padres >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Johnson struck out a career-high 12 batters in a superb three-hit, complete game and helped himself with three hits and three RBI, as Florida hammered the Padres, 10-1, in the opener to a three-game series.

FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million

Football Betting

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.

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.