Diamondbacks sign P Benson to minor league deal

Baseball Betting Lines

03/17/2010 - Tucson, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed veteran pitcher Kris Benson to a minor league contract, the team announced Wednesday.

The 35-year-old appeared in eight games (two starts) in 2009 with the Texas Rangers and went 1-1 with an 8.46 earned run average.

The first overall pick in the 1996 draft by Pittsburgh, Benson has struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness the last two years. He missed the entire 2007 campaign after undergoing rotator cuff surgery on his pitching shoulder.

Benson then signed with Philadelphia in February 2008 and made 11 starts at Triple-A Lehigh Valley before getting released that August.

In 203 games -- 197 starts -- Benson has compiled a 69-74 record with a 4.41 ERA over eight big league seasons with the Pirates, New York Mets, Baltimore and Texas.

Bigno Baseball Betting News

<< Report: Seton Hall fires hoops coach Gonzalez
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seton Hall has reportedly fired head men's basketball coach Bobby Gonzalez. The Star-Ledger reported that on Wednesday, the school forced out Gonzalez, who was in his fourth season with the team. The

<< Kiessling commits future to Leverkusen
Leverkusen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayer Leverkusen have secured the future of Germany international Stefan Kiessling until the summer of 2015 with a new contract. Kiessling has been rewarded with a new long-term deal on the back

<< Penn out as Portland's VP of basketball operations
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -The Portland Trail Blazers have dismissed Tom Penn as vice president of basketball operations.The team issued a statement that said Penn was dismissed Tuesday for ``philosophical differences.'' No details were offered.Penn, who

<< Bridge out one month for City
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester City left-back Wayne Bridge has been ruled out for around a month after being forced to undergo surgery to correct a hernia problem. The 29-year-old, who recently retired from international

<< Dowie confirmed as new Hull manager
Hull, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Iain Dowie has been confirmed as the new manager of Premier League strugglers Hull City, following the sacking of Phil Brown earlier in the week. Dowie has been handed the task of trying to keep the

Van Bommel inks Bayern extension >>
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich captain Mark van Bommel has agreed to a contract extension that will keep him at the club through the end of next season. Van Bommel's contract was set to expire at the end of the curren

NBA board approves sale of Bobcats to Jordan >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NBA Board of Governors made it official on Wednesday by unanimously approving Michael Jordan's acquisition of a controlling interest of the Charlotte Bobcats. Jordan and MJ Basketball Holdings,

March Madness: NBA style >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When watching the NCAA Tournament, I'm not holding my breath waiting for Cinderella to appear like most of America. Nope, I'm all about the next level and trying to project which players have the athletic

NASCAR's March Madness begins with Bristol >>
Bristol, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup. Date: Sunday, March 21. Race: Food City 500. Site: Bristol Motor Speedway. Track: .533-mile oval. Start time: 1:00 p.m. (et). Laps: 500. Miles: 266.5. 2009 winner: Kyle Busch. Television

Harvick looking for another win at Bristol >>
Bristol, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Nationwide. Date: Saturday, March 20. Race: Scotts Turf Builder 300. Site: Bristol Motor Speedway. Track: .533-mile oval. Start time: 2:30 p.m. (et). Laps: 300. Miles: 159.9. 2009 winner: Kevin Harv

MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.