MLB's Rule 5 draft saw Jamie Hoffman and Carlos Monasterios among the top picks. Baseball's Winter Meetings also had the Minnesota Twins trading right-hander Boof Bonser to the Boston Red Sox for a player to be named later or cash. The Red Sox and Rangers may be close to a big deal involving Mike Lowell.
Most football handicappers and still working on the entire week NFL picks week 14 but the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns kick it off on the NFL Network. SportsBook has the Steelers laying 10 points with a total down to 32.5 yet still at 34 at Bodog.
Courtesy of OddsShark.com: Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Wizards play host to the Celtics, the Orangemen meet the Gators, and the Steelers try to stop their skid in Cleveland.
Colliding on the gridiron . . .
It's Pittsburgh at Cleveland in this week's Thursday Night Football matchup, with both teams riding long losing streaks into the contest. The Steelers (6-6 SU, 4-8 ATS) were tagged with their fourth straight loss last week, falling 27-24 at home to the Raiders. Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger threw for 278 yards with two TDs and one INT in that defeat, while Rashard Mendenhall rushed for 103 yards.
The Browns (1-11 SU, 6-6 ATS) lost their seventh straight game last week, falling to San Diego 30-23 at home. Brady Quinn passed for 271 yards for Cleveland in that game, with three touchdown strikes and no interceptions, while Jerome Harrison had two TD catches. Oddsmakers have the Steelers listed as big 10-point road favorites for Thursday night, with the total for the contest at 34 points.
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Tipping off on the hardwood . . .
The NBA has three games on tap for Thursday, with Denver at Detroit, Orlando at Utah, and Boston at Washington. The Wizards will be looking to bounce back from a 98-94 road loss to Detroit on Sunday, which was their second straight defeat. Caron Butler had 20 points in that loss, while Gilbert Arenas was held to just nine points. The Celtics hosted the Bucks on Tuesday night, with Kevin Garnett scoring 25 points in their 98-89 win. Rajon Rondo contributed 13 assists.
As well, there are four ranked teams in action in college basketball on Thursday night, with Oakland at No. 12 Michigan State, Miami-Ohio at No. 19 Cincinnati, and No. 7 Syracuse at No. 10 Florida. The Orangemen and Gators both enter this matchup at a perfect 8-0 on the season; Syracuse got 16 points from Brandon Triche in a 101-55 rout of Maine last time out, while Florida was led by Erving Walker's 18-point effort in their 85-67 victory over Jacksonville last game.
Politics….
The Obama Nobel Prize speech is topping the entertainment and political betting odds. Tiger Woods update: his mistress Jaimee Grubbs said she's deeply sorry for her affair, though Lines-Maker.com Editor Bob Warner is sure she will be happy to tell you how sorry she is for a price.
Taking a trip around the rink . . .
Finally, there are six games on the NHL schedule for Thursday, with Ottawa at Philadelphia, Pittsburgh at Montreal, Columbus at Nashville, Atlanta at Vancouver, Phoenix at Los Angeles, and Toronto at Boston. The Maple Leafs and Bruins met in Boston on Saturday night, with the home team rolling to a 7-2 victory in that contest. Marc Savard had a hat trick for Boston on that night, while Zdeno Chara had a goal and an assist. Tuukka Rask made 31 saves in that win.
