As revenue goes it barely registers on the books. The NBA probably gets more from the contract with its frozen daiquiri vendor than it does the new deal it inked with casino giant MGM Resorts International.

With good reason. The deal announced with such fanfare Tuesday is arguably little more than a branding exercise 鈥?at least for now 鈥?and a chance to take baby steps into a sports betting partnership that would have been almost scandalous only a few years ago.

Still [url=http://www.giantscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-b.j.-hill-jersey]Authentic B.J. Hill Jersey[/url] , the NBA is now officially all in on sports betting. Other leagues will soon, undoubtedly, follow.

And sports may never be the same again.

Forget the image of a shadowy figure in a back room somewhere taking bets over the phone. Indeed, if the bookie you've used to make illegal bets over the years hasn't made plans yet to get into another profession, you might suggest that it's time.

Things figure to change in Las Vegas, too, if not all that much. Books in this gambling city have already expanded their offerings in recent years to include the in-game betting that the NBA believes will prove the need for its official data.

But the official seal of approval apparently means something, at least to MGM. So, too, might the official data the league provides at some point in the future.

And now that MGM has a deal with the NBA, surely the NFL and Major League Baseball are going to want in on the action.

Credit NBA commissioner Adam Silver for inking a deal he called "a leap of faith on both sides." Silver realized early on that legalized sports betting was an opportunity for the league, not something to fear.

And when his idea of an "integrity fee" paid to the leagues out of sports betting revenue failed to gain traction in the early adopting states, Silver pivoted to find another way to get a piece of what figures to be a huge revenue stream.

He quickly found the perfect partner in MGM, which might have some ulterior motives of its own. The company wants an NBA team for its new arena on the Las Vegas Strip [url=http://www.pantherscheapshop.com]Panthers Cheap Jerseys[/url] , and there's no better way to curry favor with the NBA than ink a deal with the league.

According to Silver and MGM officials, the casino company is buying data. And the party line is that it's important, despite the fact Vegas bookies have prospered for decades without any need for official league statistics.

"I know the value of data," MGM chairman and CEO James Murren said at a New York press conference with Silver. "To be able to have the official NBA data for sports bettors around the world is very valuable. I was willing to, and I've paid for that."

The money MGM paid isn't much in the grand scheme of things, a few million a year over three years, according to reports. But if the NBA can convince other sports betting operations to sign up it could turn into a steady chunk of extra income for the league.

Not exactly the 1 percent of gross income the NBA was seeking from states considering legalizing sports betting, but that effort was going nowhere. In signing a deal to provide unspecified data to casinos, the league gets to profit from betting without getting hands terribly soiled with the actual messiness of it.

And new money is new money.

"This is a whole new world for us," Silver said.

It's hard to imagine that it was just a dozen or so years ago when the NFL refused to run an ad promoting Las Vegas on the Super Bowl, using the farcical argument that any association with gambling could ruin the league.

With the Supreme Court decision in May opening the door for legalized sports betting across the country, though, all bets are off. Instead of treating sports books like threats, the leagues are looking at them to boost profits.

What they see should have been apparent years ago: Americans want to be able to place a wager or two on their favorite teams [url=http://www.arizonadiamondbacksteamshop.com/authentic-paul-goldschmidt-jersey]Paul Goldschmidt Jersey[/url] , and they don't feel there's anything immoral about it.

In a perfect world, the bookies would go at it alone. They wouldn't partner with the leagues that spent years trying to destroy them.

But for MGM, at least, it's a marriage of convenience. The casino giant is betting the NBA will help spread its brand, and maybe even pave the way for an NBA team in Las Vegas in the near future.

And that's a bet that just might pay off.

Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org or ://timdahlberg


PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks were not expecting perfection from closer Brad Boxberger, even though members of their front office had seen exactly that several years before.

Boxberger, back in the closer’s role, converted his 21st save opportunity in Arizona’s 3-1 victory over San Diego in the second game of a four-game series Friday. He is fifth in the league in saves, and his 84 percent conversion rate ranks near the top among his peers.

He came to Arizona after an eye-popping eyeball test. Boxberger is having the sort of success that general manager Mike Hazen and manager Torey Lovullo might have envisioned when they acquired him in a deal with Tampa Bay over the winter.

It is the sort of work they saw first-hand while in Boston during Boxberger’s 41-save season with the Rays in 2015. Boxberger faced the Red Sox 11 times that season and was just about flawless. He did not allow a run while going 2-0 with six saves. He gave up five hits, all singles, and three walks while striking out 17 in 10 1/3 innings. Opposing hitters’ slash line: .143/.143/.211.

The D-backs felt they acquired him at just the right time this offseason, after he spent the previous two seasons working through adductor, oblique and flexor muscle injuries.

“We felt he was on the up elevator when it came to health,” said Lovullo [url=http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/aaron-rodgers-jersey]Aaron Rodgers Packers Jersey[/url] , the bench coach in Boston from 2013-16. “We knew a healthy Brad Boxberger is going to be a very, very good closer for us.”

Like Fernando Rodney last season, Boxberger has a fastball/changeup repertoire, a combination that has enabled him to log 41 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings. Unlike Rodney, there is less drama.

“I’ve seen it very good,” Lovullo said, “and I’ve seen it in live action on major league fields and I’ve heard major league hitters come back to the dugout talking about it. I know it creates a lot of discomfort for hitters.”

Arizona left-hander Robbie Ray is scheduled to oppose San Diego right-hander Tyson Ross in the third game of the series Saturday night.

“There is nothing like those last three outs in the game,” Boxberger said “There is a lot of stuff that can happen. It is just a matter of being able to control that situation. Whatever happens, to be able to control it and shut the game down.

“The more time you do something, the more comfortable you get at it. Pitching in any back-end situation is going to have its high leverage and stress situations. It is just a matter of keeping a level head and manage your ability to get the hitter out.”

San Diego won the first game of the series with Wil Myers getting two hits and driving in two runs, but Myers was given a start off Friday after playing 13 consecutive games following his return from the disabled list June 21. He missed 47 games with a strained muscle in his side.

Myers is hitting .261 with a homer and eight RBIs since his return, and he has four two-hit games in his last eight. He homered last Saturday, tripled Thursday and also has three walks in the last four games.

“He’s getting more and more comfortable,” San Diego manager Andy Green said. “The 3-2 walks he had (in Oakland on Wednesday) were really good signs. They were battle at-bats [url=http://www.chiefsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-breeland-speaks-jersey]Chiefs Breeland Speaks Jersey[/url] , and the confidence to take close borderline pitches, that they are balls. I think when guys see the ball well, they eventually start hitting the ball well. He’s had good swings periodically. He hasn’t been in his groove or his rhythm. He’s been solid. We are waiting for him to be spectacular.”

Ray, 3-1 with a 4.89 ERA, will make his third start since returning from an oblique injury. He gave up six runs and nine hits in five innings to St. Louis in his only loss Monday. The Cardinals scored four runs in the first inning.

“They were swinging early,” said Ray, who hinted that he might have been tipping his pitches. “I don’t know if they had something that they saw. I just have to do a better job.”

Ray is 4-4 with a 3.98 ERA in nine career starts against the Padres.

Ross (5-6, 3.78 ERA) took a no-hitter into the eighth inning of his start April 20 at Chase Field, a game the Padres won but in which he did not receive a decision. He is 4-3 with a 2.52 ERA in 14 career appearances, including 13 starts, against Arizona.

.
[img]http://www.sndpic.com//nike_nfl_jerseys/nike_seattle_seahawks/nike_seahawks_362.jpg[/img]