Phils' Utley, Feliz need surgery

Baseball Betting Lines

11/20/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies announced Thursday that half of its starting infield -- All- Star second baseman Chase Utley and third baseman Pedro Feliz -- will undergo surgery.

Utley will have surgery on his right hip next week. The 29-year-old was rumored to have problems with the hip most of the season, as his offensive numbers dipped considerably after the All-Star break. Utley still finished with a .292 batting average, a career-high 33 home runs, and 104 RBI.

After a poor performance at the plate early in the playoffs for the Phillies, Utley rebounded to hit .353 with a homer and three RBI in Philadelphia's five- game win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. He only batted .167 in the World Series, but hit a two-run homer in the first inning of Philadelphia's Game 1 win over Tampa Bay. The Phillies went on to defeat the Rays in five games for their first World Series title since 1980.

The UCLA product will undergo an arthroscopic evaluation with treatment of any labral or bony injury, according to a release issued by the Phillies on Thursday. The recovery will allow for the initiation of baseball activities between three and four months, however, the total recovery time may require four to six months, which could sideline Utley for the first few months of the 2009 season.

Feliz, 33, is scheduled to have low back surgery on Thursday. He was on the disabled list for 26 days this past season because of a lower back injury. The procedure, a lumbar disectomy, will be performed by Dr. Robert Watkins in Los Angeles, and Feliz will need two to three months to recover.

The ninth-year veteran batted .249 with 14 homers and 58 RBI for the Phillies in 2008, his first season with the club after eight years in San Francisco. Feliz hit .333 in the World Series, and his RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning of Game 5 providing the go-ahead run in Philadelphia's 4-3, series-clinching win.

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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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