Callaspo's hit lifts Royals over Blue Jays in 10
Baseball Betting Lines
07/19/2010 - Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Kendall lofted a game-tying sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning and Alberto Callaspo singled home the winning run, as the Kansas City Royals rallied to beat Toronto, 5-4, in the opener of a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium.
The Blue Jays had taken the lead in the top of the 10th against Kyle Farnsworth (3-0) on an RBI single by Jose Bautista. Bautista's base hit placed runners on the corners with nobody out. Vernon Wells hit a one-hopper to third and Yunel Escobar, who reached after being hit on the hand while attempting a bunt, was thrown out at home. Farnsworth fanned Adam Lind and retired Aaron Hill on fly out to keep the damage to one run.
Scott Podsednik spurred the winning rally with a leadoff triple and scored on Kendall's fly ball to center field. Toronto closer Kevin Gregg (0-4) gave up a two-out hit to Billy Butler and then walked Jose Guillen on four pitches. Callaspo followed with a single through the middle to score pinch-runner Chris Getz and halt Kansas City's six-game losing streak.
Yuniesky Betancourt put the Royals on the board with a two-out RBI single in the second. With two outs in the third, Escobar blasted a two-run homer to put the Blue Jays up 2-1.
Three straight singles by Hill, Lyle Overbay and John Buck to start the seventh increased Toronto's lead to 3-1.
Kansas City tied the game in the bottom of the inning. Mike Aviles walked, advanced to third on a Willie Bloomquist double and came home when Betancourt grounded out.
Scott Downs then replaced Toronto starter Brett Cecil and got Podsednik to ground out. Bloomquist took third on the play and scored on Kendall's infield single.
Kansas City closer Joakim Soria escaped a two-on, no-out jam in the top of the ninth.
Game Notes
Cecil gave up three runs on six hits and three walks in 6 1/3 innings...Royals starter Kyle Davies allowed three runs on a season-high 10 hits over seven innings. He remains winless in his last eight outings...Toronto has homered in 12 straight games for the first time since July 25-August 6, 2004...Lind went 1-for-5 to extend his hitting streak to 12 games...The Blue Jays were coming off a three-game sweep of the Orioles in Baltimore.
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rickie Weeks hit a two-run homer and Chris Capuano picked up his first win in over three years, as the Milwaukee Brewers earned a 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of a four-game series
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Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Lee slapped a two-run double to
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from Carlos Silva and beat the Chicago Cubs, 11-5, to begin a three-game set
at Wrig
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Barnes posted on his Twitter account Monday that he will be playing for the
Raptors next season. He thanked the Orla
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Washington, 7-2, to start a four-game series at Great American Ball Park.
Cueto (9
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Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nelson Cruz continued his hot hitting, belting a two-run homer in the 14th inning, lifting the Texas Rangers to an 8-6 win over Detroit in the opener of a three-game series at Comerica Park. Cruz, who had
Indians pound out 20 hits in rout of Twins >>
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Target
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off the Oakland Athletics with a 2-1 victory in the opener of a three-game
series.
Rios' HR helps White Sox get past Mariners >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rios clubbed a two-run homer and added a
sacrifice fly, as the Chicago White Sox defeated Seattle, 6-1, in the opener
of a three-game series at Safeco Field.
Omar Vizquel went 2-for-4 with a walk a
Diamondbacks pummel light-hitting Mets >>
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Chris Young had three hits and scored th
SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting
NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.
That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.
A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."
It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.
The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.
So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."
Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.
Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.
Seriously.
The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.
The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.
Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."
The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.
American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies
It's that time of year folks. Betting on American Idol Season 9. And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below. With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.
No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.
Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.
Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.
Odds to Win
There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.
All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.
A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.
Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.
Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol.
Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.
If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.
Elimination Props
Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.
Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.
Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups
The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.
Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.
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