McDonald plays role of sage for young Blue Jays

Baseball Betting Lines

03/13/2010 -

DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) -Becoming a coach isn't on John McDonald's radar just yet, but while he's playing he enjoys being a mentor to his fellow Toronto Blue Jays infielders.

``I would hope the younger players would use a player like me as a source of knowledge,'' said the 35-year-old McDonald, primarily a shortstop who has spent parts of 11 major league seasons between Cleveland and Toronto, plus a cup of coffee with Detroit.

He was mentored in Cleveland by 14-time Gold Glove shortstop Omar Vizquel.

``I feel like I've got a lot of knowledge to give back to younger players. You want to not necessarily be a coach on the field, but I would encourage and all the younger infielders to ask as many questions as they can,'' McDonald said.

He has appeared in more than 100 games in only two seasons and isn't often a starter but, manager Cito Gaston said Friday, ``Mac is almost a perfect citizen on this club. A few times last year he almost had me crying because I hadn't played him in so long.

``He'd come in and assure me, `Don't worry about it. I'm OK.' You don't get people around like that a lot. Sometimes they're so upset they're not playing and they don't want to cooperate. He's the opposite of that,'' Gaston said.

When his contract expired after last season, McDonald became a free agent and didn't know whether the Blue Jays would want him back - and although he might have had the opportunity to play on a team more likely to contend for the playoffs, he wasn't certain he wanted to go anywhere else.

``If I go to one of those other teams my playing time could be significantly decreased, or not,'' he said. ``It all depends on injuries (to players) in front of me and how well I play.''

The Blue Jays wanted him back, offering a two-year contract which would give him 10 years of service in the majors.

``I never thought I would get there,'' McDonald said. ``I'm playing well beyond the years that I thought I'd be playing. I think it's great for me and I think it's great for a lot of the younger players. I can talk about thing's that I've learned from players that played 10 years ago.''

This is, he acknowledged, a rebuilding year, particularly with pitching ace Roy Halladay traded to Philadelphia in December.

``These kids, I want to be able to make them better players and come and take my job. I want them to get as good as they can get, and if they're good enough to become everyday players, then that's great for the organization.''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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Football Betting Lines

The 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds have been released and Denver Broncos' running back Knowshon Moreno has been made the opening favorite.

Bet NFL Sports Lines

Moreno was selected in the first round of April's NFL draft and is expected to carry the rushing load for the Broncos this season. And with Jay Cutler now in Chicago, Moreno might be expected to be Denver's entire offense.

Betting Lines from sports betting lines have made Moreno a 5/2 favorite to win this year's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Fellow running back Chris “Beanie” Wells (Arizona Cardinals) is right behind Moreno at 7/2, while Donald Brown (Indianapolis Colts) and receiver Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers) are 5/1 to win. Quarterbacks Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) and Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) are 7/1 and 8/1, respectively.

A couple of players who present some value are Josh Freeman, Shonn Green and Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Freeman needs to beat out Byron Leftwich to become the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but if he does, he has a lot or raw talent and could use the weapons around him (i.e. Kellen Winslow Jr. and Antonio Bryant) to be very successful in his first season.

Green enters a crowded backfield in New York, but considering both Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are unhappy about their contract situations and might holdout, the former Iowa product could become the Jets' primary back.

Everyone was shocked when Al Davis took Heyward-Bey with the eighth overall pick in April's draft, but the kid has a tremendous amount of talent and if quarterback JaMarcus Russell takes the next step this year, the former Maryland product could blossom. Plus, Heyward-Bey will be looking to prove the people wrong who said Oakland should have taken Michael Crabtree with the No. 8 pick.

And if you're looking for a deep sleeper, check out Pat White at 30/1. He enters the Miami Dolphins vaunted “Wild Cat” offense and could be a big time playmaker.

For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds, see below.

2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds to Win

Ramses Barden (NYG) 40/1

Andre Brown (NYG) 20/1

Donald Brown (IND) 5/1

Kenny Britt (TEN) 20/1

Glenn Coffee (SFO) 30/1

Chase Coffman (CIN) 50/1

Michael Crabtree (SFO) 5/1

Josh Freeman (TB) 14/1

Shonn Green (NYJ) 14/1

Percy Harvin (MIN) 10/1

Darrius Heyward-Bay (OAK) 18/1

Juaquan Iglesias (CHI) 30/1

Cornelius Ingram (PHI) 50/1

Rashad Jennings (JAC) 30/1

Johnny Knox (CHI) 40/1

Jeremy Maclin (PHI) 18/1

Mohamed Massaquoi (CLE) 30/1

LeSean McCoy (PHI) 12/1

Knowshon Moreno (DEN) 5/2

Hakeem Nicks (NYG) 18/1

Brandon Pettigrew (DET) 30/1

Brian Robiskie (CLE) 20/1

Mark Sanchez (NYJ) 7/1

Matthew Stafford (DET) 8/1

Jason Smith (STL) 40/1

Mike Thomas (JAC) 25/1

Patrick Turner (MIA) 50/1

Mike Wallace (PIT) 50/1

Chris Wells (ARI) 7/2

Pat White (MIA) 30/1

Field (Any Other Player) 9/1

Betting Line

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