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08/28/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With each loss, each mounting injury, the odds against the Chicago White Sox overtaking the American League Central crown grow increasingly longer.
At the moment, the White Sox are 3 1/2 games behind division-leading Minnesota, and they haven't been able to close the gap. The White Sox couldn't take advantage of three straight losses by the Twins this week, instead losing seven of their last 10 games entering Thursday's series finale against Baltimore.
Relievers J.J. Putz (right knee patella tendinitis) and Matt Thornton (left elbow inflammation) were placed on the disabled list on Wednesday, leaving manager Ozzie Guillen thin on bullpen options. Closer Bobby Jenks recently overcame a bout with back soreness, which had been hindering his performance.
"I believe our inconsistencies of late in the bullpen have been due to some injuries, starting with Bobby (Jenks) and spreading to both Matt and J.J.," pitching coach Don Cooper said. "It is what it is. We are down. You are talking about two of the main cogs and one of the starters being down when Jake Peavy left."
So, where exactly do the White Sox go from here? One potential scenario that has been generating a lot of buzz would be luring right-handed slugger Manny Ramirez back to the American League.
On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers placed Ramirez on waivers. According to the Los Angeles Times, the two sides have discussed a deal that would send Ramirez to Chicago for a combination of players and money. The Chicago Sun- Times has reported that Manny has, in fact, been claimed by Chicago, and that Ramirez is weighing removing his no-trade clause to make the deal happen. Other outlets have reported that Manny, who was not in the lineup Thursday, has told friends he would indeed waive his no-trade clause to join the South Siders.
Of course, a team with a worse record could also put in a claim and have priority. And White Sox general manager Kenny Williams hasn't made any kind of comment publicly, though it's tough to imagine any scenario where he wouldn't try to land Ramirez, who still knows how to produce runs at age 38. In 64 games, he is hitting .313 with eight homers and 40 RBI despite battling multiple ailments. He is scheduled to make about $4.25 million for the remainder of the season.
"He's probably one of the top five hitters ever," said left fielder Juan Pierre, who played with Manny in L.A. "He can hit when healthy. I don't know how healthy he is. When healthy, he can help any ballclub. He's fine in the clubhouse. He puts on a show for the media for a little bit, but he's a great guy, and a great teammate."
One thing is clear; the momentum from Chicago's 28-8 run between June and July has officially faded. Now, it's up to the White Sox to come up with an answer, either on the field or in the front office.
TWINS' BAKER, LIRIANO SHOWING IMPROVEMENT
Amidst growing concerns about a dead arm, left-hander Francisco Liriano was given two extra days off leading into Thursday night's start. The rest paid off, as Liriano yielded two runs in seven innings against Texas, striking out six. He attacked the strike zone and worked ahead in the count, and the result was his 12th win of the season, tying his career-high set in 2006.
Since the All-Star break, Liriano is 6-0 with a 2.47 ERA. He said the biggest difference has been his health.
"I feel way, way better," Liriano told the Star Tribune. "I think when you feel better, you go out there and not think that you're not feeling great. Feeling better is a good thing."
Meanwhile, fellow starter Nick Blackburn has also turned a corner since the All-Star break, posting a 4-1 record in seven starts. Scott Baker tossed seven scoreless innings against the Angels on August 22, allowing only five hits and displaying top-notch command. He then allowed two runs in 6 2/3 frames Friday night at Seattle. Carl Pavano has been a horse all season long, with 15 wins, a 3.56 ERA and six complete games.
If those three continue to form the 1-2-3 punch that they have been the last few times through the rotation, the Twins will be tough to catch in the AL Central race.
PERALTA MORE THAN A RENTAL?
When the Detroit Tigers acquired shortstop Jhonny Peralta from Cleveland a month ago, the hope was that he'd help spark a playoff push. Peralta has certainly provided a spark, hitting .242 with six homers and 18 RBI in just 26 games with Detroit. However, the Tigers have continued to struggle in other areas and have fallen 10 games off the pace in the division.
Peralta has a $7 million option for next season, which he obviously hopes the club will pick up. For his part, Peralta said he loves it in Detroit and wants nothing more than to stick around, at least through the end of the 2011 season. Of course, outfielder Johnny Damon recently expressed similar sentiments when he declined a possible trade to Boston in order to stay in Detroit.
"I want to be here," Peralta said after blasting a three-run homer against Toronto Thursday night. "I hope they pick up the option. But I want to be here. I like everybody here."
The Tigers haven't gotten much offensive production from the shortstop position this season.
ROYALS PROSPECT MOUSTAKAS LIVING UP TO THE HYPE
Baseball prospects are just that; prospects. While some come with much better tools, intangibles and promise than others, ultimately there is no guarantee that a highly regarded prospect will tear through the minors, reach the Major League level and become a perennial All-Star.
But in the case of Kansas City Royals' minor league third baseman Mike Moustakas, so far everything has gone according to plan. The 21-year-old entered Friday hitting a combined .318 with 28 homers and 99 RBI in 106 games between Double-A and Triple-A. As a result, he has been named one of five finalists for the USA Today Minor League Player of the Year award.
Moustakas was the No. 2 overall selection of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft. Upon his promotion to Triple-A in mid-July, Moustakas was leading the Texas League in batting average, home runs and RBI.
In the wake of yet another trying season in Kansas City, Moustakas represents a big ray of light for the organization's future.
SETBACK FOR INDIANS' PITCHING PROSPECT
Like the Kansas City Royals, the Cleveland Indians are an organization with all eyes toward the future. However, the future has become pretty cloudy for a potentially big piece to the team's plans.
Hector Rondon, Cleveland's Minor League Player of the Year in 2009, underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama on Wednesday. Rondon, 22, had been out since mid-May after injuring the elbow early in the season. He had been rehabbing the injury at the team's facility in Goodyear, Arizona, but recently had a setback. As a result, his 2011 season most likely has now been lost.
"It's not good, because he was one of the guys we were counting on for pitching depth down the road," manager Manny Acta told the team's Web site. "If he didn't lose this year of development, we were probably going to take a look at him in September. But he lost this year, and he's probably going to lose another one."
Rondon had struggled this year before being shutdown, though his live fastball had turned enough heads to land him a roster spot on the World Team during the 2008 Futures Game. Despite the setback, Acta is still hopeful for Rondon's future.
"Tommy John surgery is not what it used to be," Acta said. "Every year, guys come back who had it the year before, and a lot of times they come back stronger. But you feel bad for the kid."
<< 2010 World Basketball Championship update - August 28th
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
Group C: Greece vs. China, 9 a.m. (Ankara)
Final: Greece 89 China 81
Group D: New Zealand vs. Lithuania, 9 a.m. (Izmir)
Final: Lithuania 92 New Zealand 79
Group A: Australia vs. Jordan, 9:30 a.m. (Kayseri)
Gro
<< Cards try to make it two straight wins in Washington
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals will try move closer towards a
playoff berth tonight in the third test of a four-game series against the
homestanding Washington Nationals.
The Cardinals are one game off the wild card l
<< First-place Reds aim to continue mastery of Cubs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The first-place Cincinnati Reds can make it 12 wins in 15
games with the Chicago Cubs tonight, when the clubs meet for the second of
three weekend games at Great American Ball Park.
On Friday, Jay Bruce slammed a c
<< Mets, Astros go at it again in New York
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Mets will attempt to make it two straight wins
and improve to 15 games over .500 at home tonight, when they meet the Houston
Astros in the middle test of a three-game series at Citi Field.
The Mets won Frida
F MacArthur signs 1-year deal with Maple Leafs >>
TORONTO (AP) -Forward Clarke MacArthur has signed a one-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.The team announced the deal with the unrestricted free agent Saturday.MacArthur had 16 goals and 19 assists last season between the Buffalo Sabres and
Nebraska's Pelini mum on starting quarterback >>
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -Nebraska coach Bo Pelini has hinted he's picked a starting quarterback, but he isn't saying who got the nod.Pelini said after Saturday's practice that the coaching staff has a plan for the position. But everyone else will have to
Devils submit new Kovalchuk contract >>
Hackensack, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils have reportedly
submitted a new contract with Ilya Kovalchuk to the NHL.
The Bergen Record reported that NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed
Friday that the league is
Miller continues hot start for Rangers >>
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kenny Miller continued his fast start to
the new Scottish Premier League season on Saturday, scoring the decisive goal
11 minutes from time in a 2-1 Rangers win over St Johnstone at the Ibrox
Stadium
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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The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
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