Angels get Dan Haren and a tree falls in the forest

Baseball Betting Lines

07/26/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Yawn.

That is exactly the first thought that went through my head when my I-Phone beeped on Sunday night with the news that the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim had acquired Dan Haren from the Arizona Diamondbacks for Joe Saunders and a few other guys that (trust me) you will never, ever hear from.

I don't understand this deal from either team's standpoint.

I guess if you try hard you can convince me that the Angels are attempting to keep pace with the American League West-leading Texas Rangers, who, of course, picked up stud Cliff Lee two weeks ago. But, Haren is nowhere near as good as Lee, and may not be all that much better than the one they gave up in Saunders, forgetting for a second the other extra pieces they had to give up.

In case you were wondering. Saunders is a year younger than Haren and also has two more wins than then him since the start of the 2008 season. And, by the way, does not earn $25.5 million over the next two seasons.

Saunders was viewed as an untouchable last summer and last winter when the Angels were engaging in talks with Toronto for Roy Halladay. Why did Anaheim pull the plug now? Did they covet Haren more than Halladay? I am sorry, but this move reeks of desperation from a team that is seven games back of the Rangers at the moment.

Maybe it's just me, but I am not a big Dan Haren guy. If he is that good, how come he is now going to be pitching for his fourth different organization since being drafted in 2001?

Aren't franchises supposed to build their teams around pitchers like Haren? Why is it that he is always the guy who gets dealt?

As bad as the Kansas City Royals are, how come Zack Greinke is off limits? Why do the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are heading towards their 18th straight losing season, not entertain offers for someone like Paul Maholm?

And yes, I would rather have Paul Maholm than Haren. For that matter, I would rather have Maholm than Roy Oswalt, but maybe that is why I am not in a front office at the moment.

I don't get the fascination with Oswalt either. I hate the fact that you have to convince players on a losing team to play for a winner. I hope Roy Oswalt, his no-trade clause and the $40 million coming to him all remain in Houston for the rest of his career, without a title.

We will see if Oswalt gets moved later this week.

People have said to me in the past week that in both the cases of Haren and Oswalt, it must be hard to get up every fifth day knowing you pitch for Arizona and Houston. Really? That raises more of a red flag for me. That means they have some quit in them. Cliff Lee seemed to do well in Seattle and I don't think I ever noticed Halladay struggling in Toronto.

I'm sorry, if you are moved around as often as Haren, I don't think that much of you. Minnesota dealt Johan Santana only when they had to. Cleveland dealt CC Sabathia and Lee when they had to. There was no reason for Arizona to move Haren, unless, of course, they don't think much of him either.

As little as I think of Haren, I would rather have him than Joe Saunders at the moment. But, if Arizona had already resigned itself to the fact that it had to deal him, couldn't they have found a better package than the one Anaheim gave up? Other than Saunders, the best prospect in the deal is 19 years old.

You have to think that due to his shoulder concerns, Brandon Webb re-signs in Arizona this offseason. With him, Haren, Ian Kennedy and even Edwin Jackson in the fold, that is a pretty solid rotation heading into 2011. Not to mention young offensive stars like Justin Upton, Chris Young and Mark Reynolds.

The Diamondbacks are not as far away as their record may indicate. This, though, probably isn't the only move they will make. I am guessing Jackson is the next to go.

I just don't get it. If this is the move that new general manager Jerry DiPoto is willing to start his legacy with, then good luck. And if this was a salary dump, then how long until the team sells off Justin Upton?

Bottom line, Anaheim is probably better off today than it was when the sun rose on Sunday, but in the grand scheme of things this is a move that will have little or zero impact on the American League West standings.

As far as Arizona goes, well, I guess it's back to the drawing board ... again.

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Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.


MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds

With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season.  What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season.  Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all.  Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13).  Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two.  Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury.  Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven.  Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury.  Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season.

In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons (32-19) are the favorites to win it all at 6-1. The addition of Chris Webber seems to have been a good move for the Pistons.  Since coming over from the 76ers, Webber has averaged 13.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG and the Pistons are 11-4.  Even though the defending champion Heat are currently on the playoff making cusp, they are the Eastern Conference team that is getting the most action to win it all (9-1).  The fact that Shaquille O’Neal is back in the starting lineup after missing 39 games probably has something to do with this.  No doubt, Shaq makes a difference when in the lineup as their winning six out of their last seven would indicate.

Just because it is the All-Star break doesn’t mean that you can’t bet on NBA hoops this weekend.  Be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com to bet on who you think will cut down the nets this July. Also, be sure to check out all of the lines and props for All-Star weekend.  With the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry, there are plenty of ways to cash in on the NBA this weekend.

MySportsbook.com’s NBA Championship odds:

Atlanta Hawks 1000-1

Boston Celtics 5000-1

Charlotte Bobcats 5000-1

Chicago Bulls 20-1

Cleveland Cavaliers 20-1

Dallas Mavericks 2-1

Denver Nuggets 25-1

Detroit Pistons 6-1

Golden State Warriors 250-1

Houston Rockets 12-1

Indiana Pacers 60-1

Los Angeles Clippers 45-1

Memphis Grizzlies 5000-1

Miami Heat 9-1

Milwaukee Bucks 1000-1

Minnesota T-Wolves 200-1

New Jersey Nets 50-1

New Orleans Hornets 150-1

New York Knicks 150-1

Orlando Magic 75-1

Philadelphia 76ers 1000-1

Phoenix Suns 5-2

Portland TrailBlazers 1000-1

Sacramento Kings 250-1

San Antonio Spurs 9-1

Seattle Sonics 5000-1

Toronto Raptors 35-1

Utah Jazz 20-1

Washington Wizards 25-1

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