McEnroe to step down as U.S. Davis Cup captain

Tennis Betting Lines

09/06/2010 - White Plains, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Patrick McEnroe announced that he will resign as United States Davis Cup captain immediately following the World Group playoff against Colombia next week.

The U.S. and host Colombia will square off from September 17-19 in Bogota.

In his 10th year as captain, McEnroe is the longest-tenured captain in U.S. Davis Cup history. He led the Americans to their record 32nd Davis Cup title in 2007, their first title since 1995 -- ending the longest drought in U.S. Davis Cup history. He has compiled a 16-9 record, and his 16 victories are second all-time in U.S. history behind Tom Gorman (18).

"It is with a heavy heart that I am resigning as Davis Cup captain, but it is a decision I felt was best for the team and myself right now," McEnroe said. "Davis Cup is a significant time commitment and this decision will allow me to focus more energy on my family and to the USTA Player Development program."

Next week will mark the first time since 2005, and just the fifth time since the World Group was instituted in 1981, that the U.S. has had to compete in the playoff round. The Americans are 3-1 in their World Group playoffs.

The U.S. lost to Serbia in the opening round in the World Group this year.

Wagering-casino Tennis Betting News

<< Report: Ravens sign WR Houshmandzadeh
Culver City, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Ravens added depth to the wide receiver position by reportedly agreeing to a one-year contract with T.J. Houshmandzadeh on Monday. The NFL Network, among others, are reporting the signi

<< Burke helping turn over new Leaf
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In the past 12 months, the Toronto Maple Leafs have advocated change more than a campaigning politician. Like a political party during election season, the Leafs are under constant scrutiny. And whe

<< Rangers scratch Lee from Tuesday start
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers have scratched lefty Cliff Lee from his scheduled start Tuesday against the Blue Jays because of a strained muscle in his lower back. Lee was given an injection to deal with disc

<< Underwhelming Madrid need special touch
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When Jose Mourinho left Inter Milan this summer for the bright lights of the Bernabeu, he took a calculated risk. After all, Inter had just come off a season where they won both the domestic league and cu

<< Santana scratched from Tuesday start
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Mets ace Johan Santana will miss his next scheduled start Tuesday versus Washington with a strained pectoral muscle. Santana was forced to leave his last assignment against the Braves Thurs

Montana ascends to No. 1 >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The move was only one spot, but it was a big one for the University of Montana football team as the Grizzlies advanced to No. 1 in The Sportsbook Betting Lines/Fathead.com FCS Top 25 on Monday. Montana was selected

Rangers promote INF German, designate Cora >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers purchased the contract of infielder Esteban German from Triple-A Oklahoma City and designated infielder Alex Cora for assignment on Monday. The 32-year-old German has been with Oklahoma

Kuznetsova exits the Open >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova was a fourth-round upset victim Monday at the U.S. Open. Talented Slovak Dominika Cibulkova cut down the 11th-seeded Kuznetsova 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) at the USTA Billie

Washington fails to clinch playoff spot >>
Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Freedom failed to clinch the final playoff spot in Women's Professional Soccer on Sunday as they suffered a 2-1 defeat to the Chicago Red Stars. The Freedom entered Sunday's game needing a

Saints ink LB Clark >>
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Saints have reportedly signed linebacker Danny Clark on Monday. According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Clark was signed to add depth to a linebacker corps that has lost Jonatha

FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million

Football Betting

In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.

And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.

Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.

So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.

Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)

The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.

As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.

The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.

In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.

Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.

And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.

So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.

There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.

So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.

And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.

There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)

Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.

Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.

Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.

So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.