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06/11/2007 - San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Willie Bloomquist scored the go-ahead run on a Jose Lopez ground out in the ninth inning, as the Seattle Mariners won 4-3 and completed a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres at PETCO Park.
Ichiro Suzuki drove in two runs and Jamie Burke went 3-for-4 with two runs scored for the Mariners, who rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win for the seventh time in eight games.
Mike Cameron and Terrmel Sledge each homered for the Padres, who ended a six- game homestand, 3-3.
With the game tied 3-3 and San Diego's Trevor Hoffman starting the inning on the hill, Bloomquist started the ninth by reaching on a throwing error by third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff. Pinch-hitter Jose Vidro then sacrificed him to second and after Suzuki was intentionally walked, Bloomquist stole third with Lopez at the plate. Then, on a 2-1 pitch, Lopez grounded out to second, scoring Bloomquist for the winning run.
"The last month we've been playing very, very good baseball," said Bloomquist. "Everyone is contributing, doing their jobs and making us a better team...The more we win, the more we want to win."
Hoffman (2-3) suffered the loss, yielding the unearned run in a hitless frame.
"We've had three good games and came up on the short end each time -- that's tough," said San Diego manager Bud Black. "When you lose them late, like today, it's even tougher. I think this team will be fine. We've played so many close games we'll bounce back."
Miguel Batista (7-4) got the win, tossing an inning of one-hit relief. J.J. Putz tossed a perfect ninth, striking out two, for his 18th save in as many chances.
Seattle's Yuniesky Betancourt ended 0-for-4 to see his 20-game hit streak come to an end.
The Mariners got going in the third inning. Burke singled to start the frame, moved to third on a base hit by Bloomquist and scored when Hernandez reached on a bunt.
The Padres answered in the fourth when Cameron hit a solo homer and Sledge connected for a two-run shot.
Seattle, tough, tied the game in the seventh. Richie Sexson started the inning with a single and moved to second when Burke came through with a one-out base hit. After pinch-hitter Ben Broussard was hit by a pitch, Suzuki singled to plate a pair of runners and force San Diego starter Chris Young from the game.
Young was charged with three runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. His counterpart, Felix Hernandez allowed three runs on seven hits in six frames, striking out six and walking one.
Game Notes
Jose Cruz and Khalil Greene each ended 2-for-4 for the Padres...The Mariners are 3-0 on their current 10-game road trip.
<< Woody Austin wins St. Jude
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Woody Austin was so good, it didn't matter what
anyone else did.
The way he played the final round of the Stanford St. Jude Championship, no
one was beating him.
"That was a true round of golf. It was one of
<< Twins top Nats
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Bartlett was 3-for-5 and drove in a
pair of runs as Minnesota doubled up Washington, 6-3, to salvage the finale of
a three-game set at the Metrodome.
Torii Hunter finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and th
<< Royals rout Phillies
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Grudzielanek homered and finished with
five RBI, as the Kansas City Royals pounded the Philadelphia Phillies, 17-5,
in the rubber match of a three-game interleague set at Kauffman Stadium.
Tony Pena
<< Buehrle finally gets 100th win as Sox salvage finale with Astros
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Konerko homered and Mark Buehrle finally
earned his 100th career victory, as the Chicago White Sox defeated the Houston
Astros, 6-3, to salvage the finale of a three-game set at U.S. Cellular Field.
Kone
DiNardo, A's blank Giants, complete sweep >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lenny DiNardo tossed six scoreless
innings and the bullpen did the rest, as the Oakland Athletics completed the
sweep of the San Francisco Giants with a 2-0 win at AT&T Park.
Santiago Casilla (2
Dynamo win 3rd straight as Crew remain winless in six >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A little over a week ago, Major League
Soccer's defending cup holder, Houston, looked like it was heading for a rough
stretch. The Dynamo were preparing for a three-games-in-eight-days stretch
after
Mets' activate Green >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Mets activated outfielder Shawn
Green from the 15-day disabled list following Sunday's 15-7 setback to the
Detroit Tigers.
Green has been out since suffering a chip fracture on the base o
Gordon reigns supreme at Pocono >>
Long Pond, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Letarte made the right calls and got
Jeff Gordon out front when the rains came to capture Sunday's rain-delayed
Pocono 500 at the Pocono Raceway. The No.24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
crossed
Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"
A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."
Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.
In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.
"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."
Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.
But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"
Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.
This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.
Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.
In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.
No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.
And that's all any bettor can ask for.
To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting 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.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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