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07/16/2010 - Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gordon Beckham hit a solo home run and drove in two as the Chicago White Sox took an 8-7 win over the Minnesota Twins to begin the second half of the season.
Juan Pierre went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored while Alex Rios added a pair of sacrifice flies for the White Sox, who are on a nine-game winning streak.
John Danks (9-7) went six innings in the win as he was charged with six runs on nine hits with a pair of walks and five strikeouts.
Since June 8, Chicago has won 26 of its last 31 games to surge into first place in the AL Central, one game ahead of Detroit.
Joe Mauer hit a three-run double and went 3-for-5 with a run scored while Denard Span, J.J. Hardy and Nick Punto each had an RBI and a run scored for the Twins, who have dropped five of their last six.
Kevin Slowey was tagged for five runs on nine hits in just three-plus innings. Alex Burnett (1-2) was tagged the loss for giving up three runs in an inning of work.
Chicago plated two runs in the first inning on sacrifice flies from Rios and Carlos Quentin. The White Sox then doubled their lead in the second as Beckham homered and another sac fly from Rios brought home Juan Pierre for a 4-0 lead.
Minnesota, though, surged ahead in the bottom of the second with a six-run frame. With two outs and two on, Hardy, Punto and Span each hit RBI singles. After Orlando Hudson walked to load the bases, Mauer cleared them with a double to left for a 6-4 lead.
Chicago got one back in the fourth when Alexei Ramirez led off with a double and came home when Beckham followed with a single to make it a 6-5 game.
The White Sox then went back on top in the fifth. With men on first and third, Burnett was called for a balk and Quentin came home. A.J. Pierzynski followed with a double to score Mark Kotsay and later scored on a Pierre groundout for an 8-6 lead.
Minnesota got a leadoff double from Orlando Hudson to start the seventh, but the team was unable to bring him home as the next three batters recorded outs.
The Twins then loaded the bases in the eighth with three consecutive two-out singles, but Bobby Jenks was summoned from the bullpen and struck out Hudson to end the inning.
Mauer doubled off of Jenks to start the ninth and Delmon Young brought him home with a two-out single to make it a one-run game, but Jenks got Jim Thome looking at strike three to pick up his 20th save of the season.
Game Notes
Each team has won three games in the season series thus far...Gavin Floyd takes the mound for Chicago on Friday and will be opposed by Francisco Liriano...Danks improved to 5-6 against the Twins.
<< Carpenter masters Dodgers again
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Carpenter pitched eight strong innings
and remained unbeaten against the Dodgers, and the St. Louis Cardinals started
the post All-Star break with a 7-1 win in the opener of a four-game series.
Carpent
<< Nuggets sign Harrington
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Nuggets have signed free agent
forward Al Harrington. Terms of the deal weren't released, but it's believed
to be a five-year, $34 million contract.
Harrington averaged 17.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1
<< Goldberg leads Canadian Tour's Players Cup
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aaron Goldberg shot a six-under 65 to take the
first-round lead Thursday at The Players Cup.
Goldberg had six birdies in a flawless round on the Pine Ridge course to build
a one-stroke lead over Brady Stockto
<< Rangers use big first inning to beat Red Sox
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bengie Molina's two-run home run capped a six-
run first inning as the Texas Rangers downed the Boston Red Sox, 7-2, to start
the second half of the season.
Nelson Cruz went 3-for-5 with three RBI and a r
Pineiro beats former team, Angels down Mariners >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joel Pineiro threw seven solid innings to win
his seventh straight decision and the Angels got three RBI apiece from Erick
Aybar and Bobby Abreu in a 8-3 win over the Seattle Mariners to start the post
All-Sta
Twins put Morneau on DL >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin
Morneau was put on the 15-day disabled list following Thursday's 8-7 loss to
the White Sox due to a concussion.
The move is retroactive to July 8. Morneau suffered the i
Lincecum blanks Mets >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Lincecum shut out the Mets, becoming
the second-fastest Giants pitcher to win 50 games, as San Francisco posted a
2-0 victory in the opener of a four-game set at AT&T Park.
It took the hard-th
Oosthuizen moves in front at St. Andrews >>
St. Andrews, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - South African Louis Oosthuizen carded
a five-under 67 Friday to move to the top of the leaderboard in the early
stages of the second round at the British Open.
His two-round total of 12-under-pa
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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