Gearing up for 2009!

As fantasy players gear up for the 2009 seasons, they can also use their sports knowledge to pad their pockets through Sports Betting. The Wall Street Journal estimates that 100 million Americans wager close to $100 billion on sporting events each year. What are you missing out on? Here are a few tips:

The First Step – Find a Place To Wager

Online Betting has revolutionized the way sports fans watch sports and has made it extremely easy to earn revenue online. Find a website and start earning profit immediately!

The Second Step – Manage Your Money

Many novice betters don’t even think about money management. Success in online betting is determined by your ability to manage your money!

The Last Step – Make Your Wager

You now have the knowledge you need to make your bet. Football Betting is a great place to start. Make your wager and start earning now!

It’s that easy! Get out there and earn some money! But, before you start, here are some terms you should know:

Betting Straight Up - Winning straight-up means simply winning on the scoreboard without any regard to the point spread. Betting straight-up would be to take a side or a team and bet on them to win outright.

ATS or “Against the Spread,” – Betting with a point spread or line instead of on the straight-up result. Taking points on an underdog or giving points on a favorite.

Side – Like betting straight-up, a side bet is a wager on a particular team, or side to win a contest.

Betting the totals/over/under - The line on a given contest, representing the combined number of points/goals scored by the two teams; see over/under. Betting the over/under is a bet on whether the combined total of the points or goals scored by the two teams will exceed or be less than a specified number.

Half time total – Betting on a team or total in the first half of the game only.

With these terms and advice, you’re on your way to lining your pockets with extra cash!

Temporary Hiatus

Dear MLB Front Office Rotonomic's readers,

As you may have noticed, Rotonomics will be taking a temporary hiatus at the conclusion of this season. The blog will return to normal activity soon. Please stay with us during this short break and be sure to continue reading the other weekly columns at MLB Front Office.

If you have suggestions for content you would like to see covered when Rotonomics comes back, please leave those in the comments section.

From the front office to your office,

Brad Stewart
Executive Editor - MLB Front Office

The Day in Review

 It was an excellent weekend of football. I'm transitioning - part of being from Pittsburgh is you're usually done with baseball well before September.

Injury News

• Remember when we were freaking out in spring training about Pujols' elbow? Well, he's looking pretty seriously at Tommy John surgery. The Cards aren't out of it but without their big hitter they're not in the race - if you own him, root for a string of Cardinal victories so he puts off the surgery a bit longer.
• BJ Upton is day-to-day with a sore quad.

Notable Performances

• Aubrey Huff and Adam Jones had matching 4 RBI nights, including a homer for each, as Baltimore put up 14 against Cleveland.
• Gary Sheffield had 2 HR and 5 RBI and Miguel Cabrera hit another HR as his torrid pace continued last night; Detroit dropped 14 on Oakland. 
• The Angels only scored 12 against the Yanks, led by Vlad's 3-RBI night, and dropped their magic number to 2 games.
• Edinson Volquez struck out 10 in only 5 2/3 innings. Any thoughts on him heading into next year?
• Jimmy Rollins stole 3 bases, bringing his total for the year to 41.
• Jon Lester won his 14th, striking out 9 in 7 2/3 shutout innings. Tim Lincecum was a little better, striking out 9 in 8 1/3 innings, though he did allow 2 R (1 earned). 

And in my favorite story of the day, Houston pinch hitter Mark Saccomanno hit the first major league pitch he saw into the bleachers for a HR. Seinfeld fans, I am not making that name up. That's what you need to know about the day. 

The Day in Review

No comment (Kerry Wood).

Injury News:

• Billy Wagner is likely out for the remainder of the season. Hopefully you weren't counting on him.
• McClouth is day-to-day after getting cut above the eye.

Notable Performances:

• Chris Young took a complete game into the eighth, but ended up settling for the complete game after one of the two hits he gave up went over the fence. He should be valued highly next season, but hope that your league lends you a post-injury discount.
• Max Scherzer struck out eleven in just five innings.
• Carlos Delgado hit two homers, bringing his unlikely total to 33. Jose Lopez also launched two.
• Cliff Lee won his 21st, striking out five over seven innings of one-run ball.

That's what you need to know about the day.

Strategic Spot Starters: Early Edition

Hopefully today is early enough for those of you in weekly leagues to stack your lineups for the week. I'm a bit annoyed that I got back to my dorm just in time to see the Cubs blow a save in the ninth, but at least I have Reggie Bush and Michael Turner going for the first time this week. Anyway, let's see who's available...

Monday: Joe Blanton is yet to play Florida this season, and with how bad the fish have been as of late, he's worth a look. Later in the week he plays Milwaukee, and I'd probably shy away from that matchup given its in Philadelphia. Another guy in a similar situation is Greg Maddux, who I like at Petco on Monday but would not start at Coors later in the week. The third is Dave Bush, who gets Cinci at home but then goes to Philly. The Brewers might not even pitch him away from Miller Park due to his road woes. Garrett Olsen is a risky start against Cleveland, but as a two-start starter he's going to see Minnesota later on.

Tuesday: Nick Blackburn should be owned, but he gets KC and later on Baltimore. Vicente Padilla is probably available, and he sees Seattle at Safeco and then Oakland in Oakland.

Wednesday: Derek Lowe with Petco behind him is a great start, since I can't even name the entire Padres lineup. Kevin Slowey gets KC, who he's dominated to the tune of a 1.23 ERA.

Thursday: There's one guy, but I don't usually mention him because he's a FA in only the shallowest leagues: Ublado Jimenez at Atlanta. Other than that I can't recommend anything.

The Day in Review

The Cubs win the Cubs win! Granted I wish it would have been 11-to-1 instead of 14-9, but I'll take a three-homer night from Soriano anytime. I had to change my whole outfit in order to wear his jersey as an homage...

Injury News:

• Ben Sheets isn't hurt. I'll explain why later.
• Joe Crede will be out the rest of the year. It's likely Fields will see regular time at third, so play him in deep leagues. That said, if Crede was your third basemen, you probably aren't paying attention anymore.

Notable Performances:

• Jack Cust had two homers and is quietly having a decent season (27 homers). 
  
• Brandon Webb is stuck at nineteen wins, and his loss today allowed the Dodgers to take over the West. Billingsley was the winner of the decision, and struck out nine over 6.1 innings.
• Ben Sheets threw a complete-game shutout of the Padres, while Roy Oswalt threw a one-hitter against the Rockies in Colorado.
• Shaun Marcum struck out seven Rays and gave up zero runs. If he is unowned, pick him up because his schedule gets easier.
• Elijah Dukes had two homers as the Nats beat the Braves.

That's what you need to know about the day.

The Day in Review

I don't really have anything witty to start you guys off with tonight, so here are the facts...

Injury News

• Carlos Quentin had wrist surgery Monday and is probably finished for the season, at least fantasy-wise.
• Takashi Saito is trying to come back September 12; if you held him this long, maybe you'll get some cheap stats in the championship.

Notable Performances

• Alex Rios hit 2 HR and drove in 3 for Toronto, helping Roy Halladay get a win as part of a 7-strikeout night.
• Brett Myers struck 10 in 8 shutout innings for Philadelphia, I wish he had been this good all season.
• Joey Votto hit a 3-run HR and Jay Bruce a grand slam for the Reds tonight, so I guess Zach's wrong about Cincinnati's future.
• Mike Lowell helped Josh Beckett's return with a 4-RBI night.
• CC Sabathia struck out 9 tonight, but didn't get a complete game for Milwaukee.
• Justin Morneau hit a grand slam, strengthening his bid for a second-half MVP.

This looks to me like a solid round-up of the day in baseball - That's what you need to know about the day.

The Day in Review

It appears the only way the Cubs are going to gain any space in the Central is by not playing at all. I guess I'll take it. By the way I've been reading Moneyball, and for those who haven't had the opportunity yet it's a great read that I'd really recommend.

Injury News:

• Zambrano will take a week off to let the inflammation in his rotator cuff subside. I really think the Cubs are going to be cautious with their ace, so I wouldn't count on the one week timetable suggested on Rotoworld.

Notable Performances:

• Votto and Bruce both had solo shots, giving a glimpse of the future of the Reds (yes, even the fact that no one was on for those dingers). With Phillips, Encarnacion, Votto, and Bruce around to belt the ball, Dusty Baker just needs some good ol' fashioned OBP to clog the basepaths.
• I don't like to exaggerate Torii Hunter's talent (he does it enough himself) but his twentieth homer calls into question why he's valued so much lower than guys such as Beltran, Hart, Markakis, or Pence. Some of those guys went after him last year, but considering how little hype he gets, I think he will be a steal next season.
• Jesse Litsch threw a complete game shutout, so hopefully you spot started him. Wells had his sixteenth homer in an abbreviated season, so add him to the list of toolsy guys who are never spoken about. 
• Prince Fielder stole a base. That makes three on the season. I want to see it.

That's what you need to know about the day.

Strategic Spot Starters: Weekend Edition

A little late in the day for this one, but I'll make it up to you with a Sunday edition for next week. Hopefully everyone's playoff dreams are going well, and I'm holding out for Zambrano's health and the Cubs' success.

Friday: Lowe gets Arizona, and since it's in Dodgers Stadium I think the underrated future "great pickup" will give the Dodgers a game in the NL West. Andy Sonnanstine at Toronto is the only other add of interest, though he's mostly a desperation pick up.

Saturday: Oakland and Baltimore have a double-header, so I think the best add you can make is picking up a hitter from either team. Guthrie facing them in the second game of the series is a nice opportunity for their "ace" to do service to the title. He will be facing Duchscherer, who might be a bit rusty after his DL stint.

Sunday: Greg Maddux is clutch, and while he isn't a safe bet, I think he will hold the Diamondbacks to three runs or less. Manny Parra is starting to wear down, but a home game against the Padres should give him a nice start amongst a rough couple weeks.

The Day in Review

Today's biggest news was administrative: CC Sabathia was denied an appeal that would've turned his recent shutout into a no-hitter, and A-Rod was the target of the first ever instant replay of a home run.

Injury News

• None, really. Carlos Zambrano is having his arm checked out and Rich Harden is getting some extra time off for the Cubs, but there have been no specifics given for either player. The Cubs don't quite have the playoffs locked up and this is strange if neither player is injured.

Notable Performances

• Ryan Church drove in 4 tonight for the Mets, en route to a 9-2 victory over the Brewers.
• Mark Teixeira and Placido Polanco each had 3 hits and 3 RBI for the Angels and Tigers, respectively. Miguel Cabrera did not hit a homer, ending his streak at 3 straight games. He's no Marcus Thames.
• Did I mention A-Rod drove in 4 runs? Bobby Abreu also stole 2 bases tonight for the Yanks.
• Edinson Volquez struck out 13 Pirates in 7 innings, but somehow managed to give up 4 ER in a tough loss. Nate McLouth stole 2 bases, bringing his season total to only 17 - there's a surprise, if you can remember preseason predictions for the guy you would expect that number to be much higher.
• Ryan Howard added a pair of HR and 4 RBI, but Philly still managed to lose 9-7 to Washington.
• Randy Wolf threw a nice CG shutout of the Cubs - I'm sure Zach is upset. But at least Milwaukee lost...

That's what you need to know about the day.