Another Cardinals meltdown; Rox win in ninth on Iannetta's HR
Baseball Betting Lines
07/08/2010 -
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Iannetta smacked a lead-off homer off
major league newcomer Evan MacLane in the ninth inning and the Colorado Rockies earned an 8-7 win over the Cardinals, picking up their second straight
magical comeback win.
Tuesday night, Seth Smith capped an improbable nine-run rally in the ninth
inning in Colorado's 12-9 triumph. That was the greatest ninth-inning comeback
in baseball's modern era.
Dexter Fowler tied Wednesday's game with a three-run homer in the bottom of
the eighth inning.
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa elected to go with MacLane for the start of
the ninth. MacLane, who was called up from Triple-A Memphis earlier in the day
when Adam Ottavino went on the 15-day disabled list, threw just six pitches in
his major league debut. Iannetta crushed a 3-2 offering over the wall in left
field, giving the Rockies their 10th win in the last 11 meetings against the
Cardinals.
Colorado trailed 5-0 going to the bottom of the fifth inning, but posted its
third straight win in its final at-bat. On Sunday, Todd Helton lofted a
sacrifice fly to left field in the bottom of the 15th inning, and the Rockies
beat San Francisco, 4-3.
<< Lee, Astros use long ball to double up Pirates
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Lee slugged a two-run shot as Houston
hit a season-high four home runs en route to a 6-3 decision over Pittsburgh in
the middle test of a three game set from Minute Maid Park.
Jeff Keppinger, Lance B
<< Blazers sign first-round pick Elliot Williams
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers have signed rookie
guard Elliot Williams, who was chosen 22nd overall in this year's NBA Draft.
The 21-year-old Williams compiled averages of 17.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.8
assist
<< Rangers edge Indians to take series
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Julio Borbon went 2-for-3 and singled in the
go-ahead run in the sixth inning, as the Rangers nipped the Indians, 4-3, to
take the rubber match of their three-game series.
Michael Young blasted a two-run
<< Rays stay hot, complete sweep of BoSox
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Price pitched into the eighth
inning and Evan Longoria homered as Tampa Bay got by Boston, 6-4, in
the finale of a three-game series from Tropicana Field.
Carl Crawford, Carlos Pen
<< Bautista, Jays outlast Twins
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Bautista hit an inside-the-park homer and
scored the go-ahead run on Vernon Wells' double in the seventh inning, as
Toronto outlasted Minnesota, 6-5, in a roller-coaster affair at Rogers Centre.
Alex
Posey busts out as Giants crush Brewers >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Buster Posey hit a grand slam and recorded a
number of firsts in a huge performance, and Tim Lincecum was dominant on the
mound as the San Francisco Giants routed the Milwaukee Brewers, 15-2, in the
continu
Cubs finish sweep of D'Backs >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Dempster beat Arizona for the first time
in nearly 10 years and Aramis Ramirez clubbed a three-run homer, as the
Chicago Cubs completed their first three-game sweep at Chase Field with an 8-3
win ove
Johnson dominant as Marlins shut out Dodgers >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Johnson was his normal dominant self,
pitching eight shutout frames as Florida took the rubber match of a three-game
series from Los Angeles, 4-0, at Chavez Ravine.
Johnson (9-3), who lowered his
Burnett, Yankees sweep Athletics >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Teixeira belted a three-run homer during
New York's five-run fourth inning and A.J. Burnett picked up his first win in
over a month as the Yankees downed the Athletics, 6-2, to complete a three-
game sw
Royals complete rare road sweep in Seattle >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alberto Callaspo and Mitch Maier hit home runs
in the eighth inning, as the Kansas City Royals rallied past Seattle, 7-3, to
complete their first road sweep of the Mariners in 15 years.
Callaspo's three-run
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.
Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook
Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds. The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.
Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.
Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).
Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.
World Series odds
Adam Dunn 15-1
Albert Pujols 5-1
Alex Rodriguez 12-1
Alfonso Soriano 15-1
Andruw Jones 25-1
Barry Bonds 50-1
Carlos Delgado 40-1
David Ortiz 8-1
Jermaine Dye 40-1
Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1
Lance Berkman 40-1
Manny Ramirez 20-1
Richie Sexson 40-1
Ryan Howard 6-1
Travis Hafner 20-1
Vladimir Guerrero 40-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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