Benson tears rotator cuff; likely to miss season

Baseball Betting Lines

02/12/2007 -

BALTIMORE (AP) -Orioles pitcher Kris Benson has a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder and will almost certainly miss the 2007 season.

A recent MRI exam revealed a partial tear, Benson's agent, Gregg Clifton said Monday. The injury will require surgery, but the procedure has not yet been scheduled.

``We'd like to get it done as soon as possible so we can start the recovery process,'' Clifton said.

After coming to Baltimore in a January 2006 trade with the New York Mets, Benson went 11-12 with a 4.82 ERA in 30 starts. This season he was supposed to provide experience in a young starting rotation that includes Erik Bedard, Daniel Cabrera and Adam Loewen.

``We're disappointed,'' Orioles executive vice president Mike Flanagan said. ``We'll look at the free-agent market and the trade market, but getting another starter from inside the organization is still a possibility.''

Flanagan did not concede losing Benson for the season, saying only that he expects the right-hander to be sidelined ``at least a couple of months. We won't have him on opening day, that's for sure.''

Rotator cuff tears usually require between eight to 12 months of rehabilitation for pitchers. But Clifton did not rule out the possibility of Benson pitching in 2007.

``No one can accurately predict the duration of recovery. I'm not a doctor,'' he said. ``It's not what I think or what Kris thinks. It's what the doctors think.''

Benson is due $7.5 million this year, the final guaranteed season of a $22.5 million, three-year contract. The Orioles hold a $7.5 million option for 2008 with a $500,000 buyout.

Benson was beginning to increase his offseason workouts when his shoulder became ``stiff and sore,'' according to Flanagan.

``Being around as long as I have, I know this isn't the first time something like this has happened,'' said Flanagan, a former pitcher.

The 32-year-old Benson missed the 2001 season after elbow-ligament transplant surgery and made only 18 starts in 2003 because of tendinitis in his right shoulder.

Benson finished second on the Orioles behind Bedard in wins and starts and was third in inning pitched (183). He had a career-high three completes games, but lost two of them.

In 2005, his first full season with the Mets, Benson allowed three runs or fewer in 19 starts. He was 10-8 with a 4.31 ERA, but New York won 17 of the 28 games in which he appeared.

But the Mets traded Benson for pitchers Jorge Julio and John Maine. There was speculation that the deal was perpetuated by the behavior of Benson's wife, Anna, who has her own Web site and publicly discussed intimate details of their sex life.

Mets general manager Omar Minaya contended that Anna Benson was not a factor in the trade. Anna Benson asked for a divorce in late March last year, but rescinded the request within the week.

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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NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl

NFL Super Bowl Betting

The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.

Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.

The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

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