05/15/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Aaron Cook is responsible for 40 percent of his team's wins this season. Now raise your hand if you thought that would be the circumstance by mid-May.
If you did raise your hand then you're a liar because odds are Jeff Francis would have been the easy favorite. But that's not the case, at least so far this season, since last year's ace has yet to sniff a victory in the new campaign. Instead of Francis racking up the wins and breaking records early in the 2008 campaign, it has been Cook reveling in success.
Cook is 6-0 with a 1.90 earned run average in his last six trips to the mound. The six victories in six straight starts is a Colorado record, while Bill Swift, Pedro Astacio, Brian Bohanon and Jason Jennings each won five straight starts. Cook is 6-1 with a 2.26 ERA in eight total outings this season, and has pitched no less than six innings in each of those starts.
The right-hander certainly has caught the National League by surprise, especially after going 8-7 with a 4.12 earned run average in 25 appearances during the Rockies' run to the World Series in 2007.
"He's staying in a real good place in the game," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said of Cook. "Obviously, the string is most impressive and might be as impressive as anybody we had here."
Colorado (15-25) hasn't had many aces come through the organization, but the sentiments from Hurdle are very flattering for the aforementioned pitcher. Cook will face his biggest test of the season on Thursday against Arizona Diamondbacks ace Brandon Webb. Webb is an impressive 8-0 through his first eight starts of the season.
Even though the team has struggled mightily this season, Cook has been much like Andy Dufresne from the movie 'The Shawshank Redemption.' Dufresne crawled through 500 yards of sewage to get away, sort of how Cook escapes the reality of losing on the mound for his ballclub. Dufresne came out clean as a whistle, which conveys exactly how Cook looks this year for a beleaguered ballclub that has lost four straight and 17 of its last 23 contests.
To stay on that losing note, Francis is sporting an 0-4 mark and a 6.27 earned run average in eight outings this season. He is 0-2 with a 6.52 ERA over his last five starts, including a terrible performance the previous time out on May 13 at Arizona. Francis lasted a season-low 4 2/3 innings and gave up a season-high eight runs and 13 hits in an 8-4 loss to the Diamondbacks. He began his career with a 7-1 record against Arizona, but has dropped his last four regular-season starts against the D'Backs.
The left-handed Francis is scheduled to take the mound again on May 18 versus the Minnesota Twins. Francis went 17-9 with a 4.22 earned run average in 34 starts during Colorado's run to glory a year ago.
ROCKIES MAKE A FEW ROSTER MOVES
The struggling Rockies have placed pitcher Ryan Speier on the 15-day disabled list because of a right shoulder contusion. The move is retroactive to May 12.
Speier, a right-hander, was injured on May 11 when he was struck by a line drive off the bat of San Diego's Tadahito Iguchi. He has a record of 1-1 with a 3.38 earned run average in 15 games this season.
Colorado then recalled lefty Josh Newman from Triple-A Colorado Springs to fill the vacant roster spot. Newman appeared in four games for the Rockies from April 25 through May 3, recording a 3.86 ERA with no record.
WHO'S HOT
Besides starter Cook, Rockies third baseman Garrett Atkins is riding a 12-game hitting streak in which he is batting .383 with a home run, five RBI and five multi-hit games. Atkins leads the ballclub with a .337 batting average, seven home runs and 26 RBI this season.
WHO'S NOT
Francis is an easy choice for this category, but so is first baseman Todd Helton. Despite his .305 batting average over the last 10 games, Helton has just 11 hits with no homers and two RBI over that span.
ON DECK
The Rockies are 10 games below the .500 mark for the first time since the end of the 2006 campaign. After it wraps up a six-game road trip on Thursday at Arizona, Colorado will open a nine-game homestand at Coors Field versus Minnesota, San Francisco and the New York Mets.
Colorado is 7-10 as the host in 2008, while toting an 8-15 road ledger.
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Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Odds
Will he or won't he? Now that the Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips, the big question will be: Does Terrell Owens stay with the team.
Jerry Jones continues to suggest that Terrell Owens will remain with the team.
"I've said that he's back, he's here, he's under contract," Jones said. "In the interviews I've just been through (to hire a new coach), it was very clear to me how highly he's thought of and how much of an impact he had on our offensive success."
Just to be sure though, Terrell Owens cleared out his locker and removed his name plate.
Terrell Owens was among the Cowboys most productive players this past season, catching 85 passes for 1,180 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns.
But T.O. is due a $3 million roster bonus in June, then a $5 million salary this season. Cutting him before then would save a lot of money and headaches.
Aside from the questions surrounding Terrell Owens, the oddsmakers at MySportsbook.com have concerns over starting quarterback Tony Romo's state of mind and whether he will remain a starting quarterback. It is also not known how players will adjust to new head coach, Wade Phillips.
Here are the football odds as seen at MySportsbook.com and subject to change after February 10, 2007 if not locked in prior to that date.
Arizona Cardinals 60-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Baltimore Ravens 15-1
Buffalo Bills 50-1
Carolina Panthers 18-1
Chicago Bears 10-1
Cincinnati Bengals 15-1
Cleveland Browns 100-1
Dallas Cowboys 15-1
Denver Broncos 15-1
Detroit Lions 100-1
Green Bay Packers 50-1
Houston Texans 100-1
Indianapolis Colts 6-1
Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1
Kansas City Chiefs 30-1
Miami Dolphins 40-1
Minnesota Vikings 75-1
New England Patriots 10-1
New Orleans Saints 18-1
New York Giants 20-1
New York Jets 30-1
Oakland Raiders 100-1
Philadelphia Eagles 18-1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10-1
Saint Louis Rams 60-1
San Diego Chargers 6-1
San Francisco 49ers 75-1
Seattle Seahawks 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccanneers 75-1
Tennessee Titans 40-1
Washington Redskins 50-1
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