White Sox deal for Griffey
Baseball Betting Lines
07/31/2008 -
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox have added a
future Hall of Famer for their stretch run on Thursday, as Ken Griffey Jr.
agreed to leave his hometown Cincinnati for a chance at a championship.
The White Sox acquired the Hall of Fame-bound outfielder and cash
considerations in exchange for right-handed pitcher Nick Masset and second
baseman Danny Richar.
"Our intent is to win the American League Central division and ultimately, to
win another World Series championship," said Ken Williams, White Sox general
manager. "Adding a player the caliber of Ken Griffey Jr. gives us a better
chance to realize those goals.
"Griffey's addition gives (manager) Ozzie (Guillen) more flexibility. Ozzie
has the opportunity to field his best team -- offensively and defensively --
on a day-to-day basis over the next two months, and this gives us the chance
to keep some of our middle of the order hitters fresh and producing down the
stretch. I spoke with Ken, and he is excited to be coming to Chicago to try
and help us reach the postseason."
The 1997 AL MVP and a 13-time All-Star, Griffey has never appeared in a World
Series in his 20 seasons in the majors. Now he may get a chance with the White
Sox, who enter play on Thursday with a 1 1/2-game lead over the Twins for
first place in the AL Central.
Griffey, 38, is hitting .245 with 15 home runs and 53 runs batted in for the
Reds, who, at 51-58, are tied for fourth place in the NL Central, 14 games
behind the Chicago Cubs. He hit his 600th career home run earlier this season,
becoming the sixth player in league history to do so. With 608 homers, Griffey
is one home run shy of tying Sammy Sosa for fifth on the all-time list.
Despite all his achievements, Griffey's productivity has been limited in
recent years due to injuries. It is unclear where the White Sox plan on
playing him, since they have Carlos Quentin and Jermaine Dye playing the
corner outfield positions. Griffey has played primarily in right field over
the last two seasons for the Reds.
Griffey is no longer the fielder who won 10 straight Gold Gloves patrolling
center field for the Mariners, so, unless the White Sox think he can return to
center, perhaps he is headed for some time at first base. Chicago's current
first baseman, Paul Konerko, is hitting .214 with nine homers and 35 runs
batted in this season.
A career .288 hitter with 1,754 runs batted in, Griffey was traded from
Seattle to Cincinnati in February 2000. His productivity declined shortly
thereafter. The 1989 AL Rookie of the Year, Griffey was a unanimous MVP
selection in 1997 after hitting .304 with 56 home runs and 147 runs batted in,
but has only batted over .300 for a season once since, in 2005.
He hasn't won a Gold Glove since leaving Seattle, and has only been an All-
Star three times in his nine seasons with the Reds after 10 selections in 11
years with the Mariners.
Masset was 1-0 with one save and a 4.63 earned-run average in 32 games with
the White Sox in 2008. The 26-year-old right-hander is 3-3 with one save and
a 5.63 ERA in 67 career major league games with Texas and the White Sox.
Richar, 25, is hitting .262 with nine home runs, 39 RBI and 11 stolen bases
with Triple-A Charlotte in 2008. The second baseman batted .230 with six home
runs and 15 RBI in 56 games with the White Sox in 2007.
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Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year
Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.
Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.
With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.
Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.
Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.
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