Lakers: Kobe will return from knee surgery by camp

Basketball Betting Lines

07/23/2010 -

LOS ANGELES (AP) -The Los Angeles Lakers say Kobe Bryant recently underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

Bryant will be fully recovered well before training camp opens Sept. 25, the Lakers said in a brief statement Friday. The two-time NBA finals MVP underwent surgery last week.

His knee was drained of fluid early in the playoffs, and he played through several additional injuries while leading the Lakers to their second straight title.

The Lakers said last month that Bryant likely would have surgery this summer to clean up his knee. It wasn't considered urgent, and he made a trip to South Africa for the World Cup before getting it done.

The team hasn't announced whether Bryant will have surgery on his injured index finger.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Wwwcasinofortune Basketball Betting News

<< Peters takes truck pole at ORP
Clermont, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Timothy Peters will start on the pole for Friday's AAA Insurance 200 Camping World Truck Series race after topping the qualifying charts at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. Peters turned a lap of

<< Royals' DeJesus out for the year
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas City Royals outfielder David DeJesus is scheduled to undergo season-ending surgery on his right thumb after further examination showed a complete tear of the ulnar collateral ligament. Earlier Frida

<< Bolts sign C Pouliot; add Fleming to coaching staff
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday signed center Marc-Antoine Pouliot to a one-year, two-way contract. The 25-year-old Pouliot registered seven goals and 14 points in 35 games with Edmonton last season. "He

<< Athletics sign Suzuki to new 4-year contract
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -The Oakland Athletics have signed catcher Kurt Suzuki to a new four-year contract that keeps him locked up through his arbitration years.The deal announced Friday supersedes his previous 2010 contract and includes a club option

<< Swisher out of Yanks lineup with sore heel
NEW YORK (AP) -Right fielder Nick Swisher was a late scratch from the New York Yankees' lineup because he woke up with a sore left Achilles' heel.Swisher was initially set to bat second Friday, but when he arrived at Yankee Stadium before the game a

Red Sox activate Beckett for Friday's start >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox activated Josh Beckett to start Friday's game in Seattle after he spent more than two months on the disabled list with a lower back strain. Beckett has been out the last 56 games si

Jays-Tigers postponed; doubleheader slated for Sunday >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second test of a four-game series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park has been postponed due to rain. The game will be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader on Sund

Putnam one clear in Columbus >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Putnam carded a two-under 69 in windy conditions Friday to grab a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational. Putnam, who is in search of his first Nationw

Lakers' Bryant has knee surgery >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Lakers announced Kobe Bryant recently underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. The team released a statement saying the two-time defending Finals MVP had the procedure done l

Selig weighs in on A's stadium issue >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baseball commissioner Bud Selig released a statement Friday saying he was disappointed that San Jose mayor Chuck Reed would ask the city council to put a ballpark measure on the ballot for Novembe

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.

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.