Pujols not to have surgery this season

Baseball Betting Lines

03/06/2008 - Jupiter, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols will not undergo surgery this season, the team announced on their website Thursday.

The six-time All-Star needs to have a "Tommy John" reconstructive procedure on his chronically injured right elbow, but team physician Dr. George Paletta stated that Pujols would be better off waiting until the end of this season.

Had he opted to undergo the procedure now, it could have sidelined him for the upcoming season.

"I think now our options are really likely down to two," said Paletta. "If his elbow condition can't be successfully managed and gives him significant problems again, then I think the horse is out of the barn and he should probably consider having the whole thing done."

Pujols, 28, has a torn ulnar collateral ligament, bone spurs, arthritis and swelling in his elbow - all results of a minor injury the slugger suffered in 2003.

After visiting with surgeon Dr. James Andrews earlier this year, it was determined that he will eventually need to undergo the operation which will sideline him up to eight months.

Over seven years in the majors, all with St. Louis, he has a .332 average with 282 home runs and 861 runs batted in over 1,091 games. He has reached the 30 home run mark in each season of his career and four times hit the 40-home run mark.

Pujols was named the National League MVP in 2005, when he batted .330 with 41 home runs and 117 RBI.

He had even better numbers the next year to help the Cardinals win the World Series, batting .331 with career highs of 49 homers and 137 RBI despite missing 19 games with an oblique injury.

Last season, though, due to injury, his numbers slipped and he managed just 32 home runs and 103 RBI, both career-lows, in 158 games.

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Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year

Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.

Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.

With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.

Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.

Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.

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