Niemi awarded hefty increase in arbitration
Hockey Betting Lines
07/31/2010 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Antii Niemi has reportedly been awarded $2.75 million for next season from an arbitrator on Saturday.
The Chicago Tribune is reporting a significant increase from the $800,000 he made last season as he helped Chicago to its first Stanley Cup championship in 49 years in a six-game victory over Philadelphia.
The 26-year-old went 26-7-4 with a 2.25 goals against average and a .912 save percentage with seven shutouts over 39 games in the regular season as he won over the top spot held by Cristobal Huet during the campaign.
In the Stanley Cup run, he went 16-6 with a 2.63 GAA and two shutouts.
What remains to be seen is if the salary cap-strapped Blackhawks will accept the deal or trade his rights. Chicago has had eight players from last season's roster leave through trade or free agency.
Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mexican captain Rafael Marquez ended his seven-year stint at Barcelona on Saturday when he was released by the Spanish club. Marquez, a teammate of Thierry Henry's at Barcelona, is reported to be on hi
<< Liverpool re-signs Brazilian defender Aurelio
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Liverpool re-signed Brazilian defender
Fabio Aurelio, who left the club two months ago when his contract expired, to
a two-year contract on Saturday.
New Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson offered Aurelio
<< Dallas ties Colorado to extend unbeaten streaks
Commerce City, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Julien Baudet's own goal helped FC Dallas
extend its road and overall undefeated streaks to eight matches with a 1-1 tie
Saturday against the Colorado Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
Baudet deflecte
<< Bayne wins third consecutive Nationwide pole
Newton, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trevor Bayne captured his third straight pole in
Nationwide Series after winning Saturday's qualifying for the U.S. Cellular
250 at Iowa Speedway.
Bayne's qualifying lap of 133.266 m.p.h. not only made him th
<< Harden activated from disabled list
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers have reinstated pitcher
Rich Harden from the 15-day disabled list to start Saturday's game against the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Harden was placed on the DL June 12, one day after
Perth, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Johnstone acquired striker Marcus Haber on loan from English club West Brom on Saturday. Haber, a 21-year-old Canadian, has yet to make a first-team appearance at West Brom. He spent parts of last seaso
Giants agree to terms with second-round pick Joseph >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Giants have reportedly
agreed to terms on a contract with defensive tackle Linval Joseph.
Joseph was selected 45th overall by the Giants in this year's draft. The Star-
Ledger reports t
Sunderland signs Richardson to extension >>
Sunderland, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunderland signed midfielder Kieran
Richardson to a contract extension through the 2012-13 season on Saturday.
Richardson, 25, joined Sunderland from Manchester United in 2007 and has made
85 appea
A Little Warm is hot horse in Jim Dandy Stakes >>
Saratoga Springs, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A Little Warm, ridden by John
Velazquez, took the lead in mid-stretch on his way to winning Saturday's
$500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.
The 1 1/8-mile contest is the
Hanigan, Arroyo lead Reds past Braves >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Hanigan delivered the tie-breaking two-
run double in the seventh inning, and Bronson Arroyo tossed seven sturdy
frames in Cincinnati's 5-2 win over Atlanta in the middle tilt of a three-game
set.
Teams that should be in: Stanford
Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.
Should be in:
Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.
| Southeastern Conference odds | |
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.
Work left to do: Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney. Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson. Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable. Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile. |
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