The month of March is one of the most exciting in the sports world with all kinds of actions, especially with college basketball betting and the March Madness tournament. Sports betting takes all sorts of forms, with picking winners, picking against the spread, and even picking individual players to succeed. As Spring Training nears and end and MLB opening day is in sights, it’s time to look at the season and hand and see which players will be tops this year.

Starting in the AL, the two names at the top of everyone’s list are two players who couldn’t appear more different.  The first is Alex Rodriguez, the polarizing third baseman of the New York Yankees that has finally embraced the spotlight as the highest paid player in baseball and media center of the country.  The other is a hometown hero who finds times to connect with locals and who enjoys being out of the spotlight.  That would be Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer, who grew up mere miles from the Twins new stadium, and who means more to the city than any other athlete.

A-rod looks to continue his stellar season he established last year that began, albeit a month late, with a home run on the very first pitch he faced.  Despite the loss of Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon,  the Yankees will still have strong offensive weapons, and with A-rod healthy, both physically and mentally, there is no reason he can’t duplicate the season he had last year.

Mauer faces a similar problem in that he must stay healthy. He may not have the same supporting cast that A-rod has, but he has consistently shown the ability to carry his team, both offensively and defensive.  He is a natural athlete and because of his play, the Twins are always in contention in the AL Central.

Meanwhile, as the season starts in the N.L. the race is predicated to be between two men who strangely enough have been mentioned in trade rumours.  Earlier in the week, Ryan Howard of the Phillies and Albert Pujols of the Cardinals were mentioned in a straight up trade between the two clubs. Regardless, both players have demonstrated consistent power and home run hitting ability.  Both clubs are expected to contend for a pennant, with the Phillies looking to represent the N.L. in the World series for a third straight year.

Howard struggled at times last year with average, but his power is unparalleled.  The first basemen hit 45 home runs and knocked in 141, which was tied for the N.L best.  He has a great surrounding cast, including newly acquired ace Roy Halladay.  His Cardinals counterpart hit 47 home runs last year and led the league, and had 135 RBIs.

Both men stand to put up similar numbers this season, and with both teams contending for their divisions and a spot in the NLCS, both first basemen will be getting their deserved credit for helping their teams to victory.

There is a lot of sporting action this month with hockey, basketball, college ball, and soccer underway.  Check out some betting tips to keep things organized and maximize your winnings as the month of March nears an end. And don’t forget to bet on March Madness at the NCAA tourney continues.

It’s March and the baseball season is just around the corner. It’s essential to grab a high quality starting pitcher, but you don’t want to reach too early. However, you’ll still need one of these guys if you want to dominate your fantasy baseball league.

1.) TIM LINCECUM

15-7, 2.48 ERA, 261K, 1.05 WHIP

Tim exploded onto the scene in 2008 as an under-the-radar pitcher following a 2007 season which did not woo anyone. Tim is the clear #1 this year after ranking 2nd in strikeouts and 3rd in ERA.

2.) ZACK GRIENKE

16-8, 2.16 ERA, 242K, 1.07 WHIP

This 2009 Cy Young winner was simply dominant in the the first two months of the season before encountering some struggles in June. However, Grienke ended the season strong. This 6th round pick in 2002 is no longer a steal as he is on everyone’s radar this season and will likely be picked up as the #2 pitcher.

3.) FELIX HERNANDEZ

19-5, 2.49 ERA, 217K, 1.17 WHIP

Despite being on a weak Seattle team King Hernandez still managed 19 wins. He’s just a workhorse who ranks 3rd in innings pitched. He’ll deliver on wins, ERA, and strikeouts.

4.) ROY HALLADAY

17-10, 2.79 ERA, 208K, 1.13 WHIP

With a new home in Philadelphia, Halladay should be absolutely dominant in the NL.  If he can manage 17 wins and an ERA below 3.0 in a division with the Yankees and Red Sox, imagine what he can do with the Phillies.

5.) DAN HAREN

14-10, 3.14 ERA, 223K, 1.00 WHIP

You could make the case for Johan Santana or C.C. Sabathia, but I love Dan Haren since he’s on my squad in a keepers league.  Although he didn’t deliver on the wins last season, his team is getting better and his strikeouts and WHIP make up for the lack of wins.

6.) JOHAN SANTANA

13-9, 3.13 ERA, 146K, 1.21 WHIP

Obviously Santana would be in the #2 spot if it wasn’t for his injury. Santana had surgery on the elbow of his throwing arm on September 1.  You’ll want to pay attention to his March 9 spring start to see how he is progressing from the surgery.

7.) C.C. SABATHIA

19-8, 3.37 ERA, 197K, 1.15 WHIP

Many who drafted Sabathia last year were hoping for a better ERA, but he delivered tons of wins and should only be better in his 2nd season under the New York City spotlight.

8.) CLIFF LEE

14-13, 3.22 ERA, 181K, 1.24 WHIP

As a Philadelphia Phillies fan, it was an absolute pleasure to watch Cliff Lee pitcher after he was traded to the Phillies.  He delivered amazing numbers with the Phils, but is now with the Mariners after the Phillies traded to acquire Roy Halladay.  Lee, the 2008 AL Cy Young winner, should still perform well enough to warrant being in the top 10.

9.) JUSTIN VERLANDER

19-9, 3.45 ERA, 269K, 1.18 WHIP

Following a horrific 2008 season, Verlander is back and he led the MLB in strikeouts.  Whatever his issues were that led to a 4.84 ERA in 2008 have likely been worked out and you can hope for another monster season from Verlander.

10.) JON LESTER

15-8, 3.41 ERA, 225K, 1.23 WHIP

A great young pitcher who will only continue to improve.  He went from 152 K’s in 2008 to 225 K’s in 2009.

ON THE BUBBLE:

11.) MATT CAIN

14-8, 2.89 ERA, 171K, 1.18 WHIP

People were catching onto Matt Cain last season and he was a steal in last year’s draft.  Now that he’s on everyone’s radar, he’s earned a pick in the top 10 amongst pitchers.

12.) COLE HAMELS

10-11, 4.32 ERA, 168K, 1.29 WHIP

Last year’s numbers aren’t very compelling.  I’m confident Hammels will return to his 2008 form when he had 3.09 ERA with 196K’s and a 14-10 record.

13.) ADAM WAINRIGHT

19-8, 2.63 ERA, 212K, 1.21 WHIP

Extremely impressive numbers in 2009, but you’re left wondering whether Wainright is a one year wonder or not.

Online betting players have been watching the MLB offseason news to see if any moves helped their team’s World Series for the upcoming season. It’s been a quiet couple of weeks as teams are beginning to report to spring training. There are a couple of stories worth watching this week, one pertaining to a former Yankee, and one concerning the face of the franchise.

Johnny Damon

Damon didn’t want to take a pay cut to stay in New York after helping the Yankees to the World Series last year, his second ring after winning with the rival Red Sox from Boston in 2004. Damon hit 24 homers, his third time with 20 home runs or more, and he had the second-best slugging percentage of his career, even though he struck more than ever before. But the Yankees weren’t willing to pay the $13 million a year Damon was charging, and apparently, neither did anyone else. So Damon took a pay cut of $5 million for one year in Detroit, a team in need of some veteran leadership. They’re also in need of an outfielder after the Yankees signed Curtis Granderson, their All-Star, and Damon wants to show that he is still an everyday player. He’ll likely bat near the top of the lineup for the Tigers, whose offense struggled last year, and Damon could be the spark they need.

Derek Jeter

US sportsboook odds (US sportsbook reviews) are backing the Yankees to repeat as World Series champions, and if they still have their captain, that’s a good bet. Jeter, who has been with the Yankees his whole career and the captain since 2003, was an MVP candidate, coming in third in batting average, fourth in runs scored, second in hits, and he was 20^th in walks drawn. It’s difficult to imagine Jeter, along with Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada (Andy Pettitte, the last of the “Yankee Four”, went to Houston for a couple of seasons) in anything other than pinstripes, and the Yankees would like to sign their captain to an extension as he enters the final year of a 10-year, $189 million deal. The Yankees have a policy of not discussing new deals until a current contract expires, and Jeter says he has no problem with that, being a student of Yankee traditions. But it’s not going to stop the media from speculating where Jeter will be in 2011, and you have to wonder if it will affect the team, particularly Jeter, who is famous for his ability to focus. We all know the Yankees have no problem paying whatever they have to, so it’s likely that Jeter will retire in pinstripes, meaning the Yankees’ baseball odds are safe for this year.

Some people are already looking for betting tips on baseball even though the season hasn’t even started. Spring training is just around the corner, though, so here are some offseason updates with some of the bigger news in the quiet part of the offseason.

Houston Astros Win Arbitration With Wandy Rodriguez

The Houston Astros don’t have a ton of pitching, which is why it is important that they take care of Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez. On Wednesday, they came to terms with Rodriguez, although they had to go through arbitration to get the job done.

Rodriguez wanted a big deal but the reality is that the 31-year-old lefty only has a couple of good seasons under him and he isn’t exactly very young.

Rodriguez had a fantastic 3.02 ERA last year and his 14-12 record is more indicative of where the Astros were than where he was. He has clearly established himself as the Astros second-best starter and if he has another good year, he’ll get the long term deal he’s looking for either from Houston or elsewhere.

Cliff Lee Shows Up To Mariners Camp With Bandaged Foot

Online betting cappers know that the Seattle Mariners were part of one of the biggest offseason moves when they acquired Cliff Lee and on Wednesday, he arrived to camp. Unfortunately for the Mariners, he wasn’t exactly in tip-top shape.

Lee showed up to camp with a bandaged foot following surgery on February 5^th to remove a bone spur. The 31-year-old lefty should be fine by the time the real action starts and he is in pretty good shape as is.

Combined with Felix Hernandez, the Mariners will be in very good shape to be a contender in the American League in 2010.

Pressure Is Off The Yankees?

Baseball betting fans know that the New York Yankees are heading into 2010 with far less pressure than they had in 2009. Their manager is no longer on the hot seat, their big bat Alex Rodriguez isn’t being questioned about performance enhancing drugs and their owner isn’t wondering when the big expenses will finally come down.

The Yankees should have plenty of fun in the early part of 2010, which is something they didn’t do early in 2009 and they could get off to a much better start. They are the team to beat once again as we head into the season.

Anyone who gives betting tips on baseball is watching the free-agent market during the offseason, and there are a few big names still figuring things out before the players head to spring training in the next month or so.

Tim Lincecum

“The Freak” is still under contract with the San Francisco Giants until 2013, but this was his first year that he could apply for arbitration, and the two-time reigning Cy Young winner has done just that. Lincecum is a absolute steal at $650,000 right now, and the Giants know they’re going to have to pay if they want to keep him. Lincecum wants $13 million a season, while the Giants want to give only $8 million, and all the while, contract talks for a long-term deal are still going on. This is similar to the Ryan Howard saga, as Howard was awarded $10 million from Philadelphia, who had offered him $7 million in arbitration after he had been making $900,000 as the National League MVP. Howard eventually signed a three-year deal, and the Giants would do well to do the same with Lincecum, because someone will pay him, and the Giants’ betting odds would be as good as an online super casino.

Chien-Ming Wang

Wang is still on the market after five years with the Yankees, but after two straight 19-win seasons, the right-hander suffered various injuries over the last couple of seasons and was not offered a new contract in New York. Reportedly, Washington, the Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers are all interested in the 29-year-old, who has yet to throw off a mound. A healthy Wang would be a big boost to any team’s sportsbook odds, as he has proven to be very effective. However, he was very reliant on his sinker and many people think that teams simply caught on to him. First, he has to prove his health.

Johnny Damon

Damon was also booted out of New York after refusing to take a salary less than the $13 million he was making, and Detroit, Tampa Bay and Atlanta have all made offers to the 36-year-old. The biggest offer has come from the Tigers, who are offering a year at $7 million, and you have to wonder if Damon is worth that big of an investment at this stage in his career. He was a very good teammate in New York and made some big plays during the Yankees’ World Series run, but there was no way he was ever making double digits in millions anymore, especially when teams aren’t sure he’s even an everyday player anymore. He definitely won’t be one of the top fantasy baseball picks, either.

Even though the 2010 Super Bowl odds are the hot play of the week, it still pays to watch out for what’s happening in the baseball offseason. This week, Justin Verlander re-ups with Detroit, while the Chicago Cubs get their bullpen situation sorted out.

Verlander re-signed with the Detroit Tigers in a five-year, $80 million deal, and this was a move the Tigers needed to make after trading Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson away. After a poor 2008 in which some thought Verlander had lost it, the right-hander came back with a vengenance, posting a 19-9 record in 35 starts with a 3.45 ERA and three complete games. He led the American League in strikeouts while pitching a career-high 240 innings, which also paced the American League. In Verlander, the Tigers have a bonafide ace and a possible 20-win guy who will be among the favorites to win the Cy Young award, and he also seems to be smart enough not to blow this massive contract in a super casino. With second-year pitcher Rick Porcello coming on, the Tigers should have a great one-two punch at the top of the rotation.

Kevin Gregg wasn’t all that successful with the Chicago Cubs, finishing 5-6 with a 4.72 ERA and 23 saves, and he left the Windy City to head north to Toronto, where he signed a deal for one year and $2.75 million. Gregg will be trying to take over the closer’s role in Toronto, a spot that was filled by platoon since B.J. Ryan was let go by the team.  Scott Downs and Jason Frasor are the main competition for Gregg, who is used to having to fight for his role. Gregg battled with Carlos Marmol last year, and Marmol came away with the job, going 2-4 with 15 saves and a 3.41 ERA.  Those don’t look like good numbers, but Marmol was a perfect 11-of-11 in save opportunities after he was given the closer’s job. The Cubs rewarded him with a one-year deal at $2.125 million, and the 27-year-old is heading into the prime of his career, while Gregg is 31 years old and at the tail end of his. The Cubs struggled badly in the bullpen until Marmol came along and took the job away from Gregg, which can’t be encouraging news for Toronto, but he has to be an improvement over a bullpen that couldn’t hold a lead to save its life in 2009.  Players may look to Marmol in their fantasy baseball guide this year.

12 Team Head-to-Head Draft