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02/14/2007 -
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) -Barry Zito wandered into his new spring training clubhouse carrying an Oakland Athletics duffel bag and plopped into Barry Bonds' chair.
Oops!
``I probably don't know better yet,'' Zito said, chuckling.
It might have been a first in San Francisco franchise history. Zito requested that he dress next to the slugger back home this season, too.
``Barry and I have a good relationship,'' Zito said. ``If I can somehow lighten the load off of him, so you guys can just take a hard right when you're going to his locker and start talking to me.''
Zito reported to the Giants' spring training complex at Scottsdale Stadium on Wednesday sporting his signature relaxed style - jeans and a T-shirt. He looked the same, save for the 10 extra pounds of muscle he says he added to his lower body this winter.
A new $126 million, seven-year contract apparently hasn't affected the left-hander's ways. And it's clear he already feels part of his new team, even though the Giants' pitchers and catchers don't take the field together for the first time until Thursday.
``It's been pretty seamless,'' he said of the adjustment. ``It feels good. It feels natural. I feel like I know most of the people in the clubhouse just because I've played against them and played with a couple of them or at least know some off the field.''
Zito played some light catch with reliever Steve Kline, who was wearing a bushy beard he will soon lose before it really warms up in the desert. Kline's welcome was interesting: The nameplate above his locker read ``Rich Kline,'' a mistake that happened because his spot is right next to infielder Rich Aurilia's.
``I like it,'' Kline said. ``I want to keep it.''
Kline also likes Zito, and tried to make the new ace feel at home right away.
``I was nervous,'' Kline said. ``I thought if I hit him in the kneecap, I'd get released. I talked to him and tried to make him feel welcome. Coming to a new team is always hard. He's a big part of our team.''
The 28-year-old Zito will be almost as popular a topic as Bonds this spring.
``Ever since the press conference I've been just wearing my Giants hat around everywhere in L.A., just getting used to it and preparing myself to have it be natural,'' Zito said. ``I would just wear it my car, not going out.''
Bonds' arrival day at spring training is unclear, though position players are due to report to camp Monday. He typically holds his state-of-Barry address the first or second day, but his contract remains unresolved. He could sign after spring training starts.
``I'd expect that he'd be here on reporting day,'' said general manager Brian Sabean, who noted that the two Barrys together in the clubhouse is ``interesting, but I don't know if it's a big deal.''
The seven-time NL MVP begins his 22nd major league season 22 homers shy of breaking Hank Aaron's career record of 755. The Giants have differing views of certain language in his $15.8 million, one-year deal and Bonds has yet to sign a revised version.
``Hmm, just details,'' Zito said. ``I saw him at UCLA a few times working out. We caught up there and kind of shot the breeze a little bit. He looks amazing. He's ready to go.''
Zito hopes he is ready to go at the plate now that he'll be batting every fifth day in the National League. He has been working with good friend Brady Anderson on his hitting and baserunning for about a month.
He has a .034 - 2-for-52 - career batting average during seven seasons with Oakland.
``I just haven't ever taken it seriously. I may get criticized or whatever but it's not something I had any integrity of doing,'' Zito said. ``There was no reason to take time out of my day to get five at-bats a year. Now, I can make a difference in every game I'm in.''
The Giants insisted when they signed Zito to such a long, expensive contract that his track record for staying healthy - he's never missed a start - and his relatively young age were big pluses to making such a financial commitment.
Zito, the 2002 AL Cy Young award winner, underwent a rigorous, 10-week program this offseason that featured weight lifting and stability exercises that helped him add muscle to his legs and core.
``There's no reason to impress you guys with biceps,'' he said.
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.
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While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.
Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.
The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.
What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.
These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.
College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.
Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.
Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.
Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.
I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.
Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.
It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.
As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.
Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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