Blackhawks sweep Sharks, gain first Cup finals since 1992

Hockey Betting Lines

05/23/2010 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dustin Byfuglien and Kris Versteeg scored late in the third period as the Chicago Blackhawks reached the championship round for the first time since 1992 after rallying from a two-goal deficit to post a 4-2 decision over the San Jose Sharks in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.

Brent Seabrook and Dave Bolland also tallied for the Blackhawks, who completed the four-game sweep in dramatic fashion and await their opponent in the Stanley Cup Finals. Philadelphia can lock up a berth in the title round with a win on Monday, as it holds a 3-1 series lead over Montreal.

Antti Niemi shook off some early rust and stopped 16-of-18 shots for Chicago, which holds the NHL's longest current Cup drought, having come up short every season since a 1961 win over Detroit.

Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau lit the lamp for the Sharks, who suffered another in a long line of disappointing playoff setbacks.

San Jose, which has reached the 100-point plateau in each of the last four seasons, overhauled its roster in the wake of a shocking first-round loss to Anaheim a year ago. Despite once again being a favorite to contend for the Cup and reaching its first conference finals since 2004, the Sharks failed to win even one game in the series.

Evgeni Nabokov allowed three goals on 26 shots in defeat.

Wwwplayrio Hockey Betting News

<< Jaso knocks in four as Rays down Astros
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Jaso hit a two-run home run and a two-run triple as the Tampa Bay Rays took a 10-6 decision over the Houston Astros in the finale of a three-game interleague series. Ben Zobrist went 3-for-6 with a sol

<< Cardinals edge Angels in extras
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Felipe Lopez singled home the game-winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning to carry the Cardinals to a 6-5 come- from-behind win over the Angels in the rubber match of a three-game set at Busch S

<< NASCAR HoF inducts its inaugural class
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The maiden five-member class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame was inducted in a special ceremony Sunday at the Charlotte Convention Center, located next to the new $195 million HoF. Bill France Sr., Richard

<< Astros' Bourn serves one-game suspension Sunday
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Astros center fielder Michael Bourn served a one-game suspension Sunday in a 10-6 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in the finale of a three-game interleague set. Bourn was initially suspended for two

<< Yeste set to leave Athletic Bilbao
Bilbao, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Midfielder Fran Yeste will leave Athletic Bilbao this summer after more than a decade of service with the Basque club. The 30-year-old will exit the Sam Mames after talks over a new contract failed to co

Astros activate Byrdak from DL >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros activated left-handed pitcher Tim Byrdak from the 15-day disabled list Sunday. He had been on the DL since May 4 with a strained right hamstring. He is 1-0 with a 5.23 ERA over 13 ga

Day survives to earn first win at Byron Nelson >>
Irving, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Day landed in the water on the 18th for the third time this week, but he managed to get up and down for bogey and that was good enough to give him the win Sunday at the Byron Nelson Championship. Day close

Columbus extends unbeaten streak, edges K.C. >>
Kansas City, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Emilio Renteria scored the only goal of the game as the Columbus Crew earned a 1-0 victory over the Kansas City Wizards in Major League Soccer action at CommunityAmerica Ballpark on Sunday evening. With th

Ordonez, Cabrera homer in Tigers' win over Dodgers >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera homered and drove in two runs each to help Detroit capture a 6-2 win and avoid a three-game sweep in an interleague series with the Dodgers from Chavez Ravine. Rick

Latos, Padres handle Mariners >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mat Latos threw six-plus strong innings to help the San Diego Padres take an 8-1 win over the Seattle Mariners in the finale of a three-game interleague set. Latos (4-3) gave up just one run on four hit

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.

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.