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07/22/2010 - Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rodriguez hit home run No. 599 and drove in four runs total, and the Yankees defeated the Royals, 10-4, in the start to a four-game series at Yankee Stadium.
Rodriguez hit his 16th homer of the season and second in four games for the Yankees, who have won 12 of 15 overall. Derek Jeter added his second career inside-the-park home run, while Nick Swisher hit a two-run double in the win.
CC Sabathia (13-3) won for the ninth time in 10 starts after laboring through 6 1/3 frames, giving up four runs (three earned) on 11 hits and four walks while fanning nine.
Willie Bloomquist registered three hits, while Wilson Betemit and Scott Podsednik each had two hits and an RBI for the Royals, who have lost eight of 10. Mike Aviles had two hits and scored a run, and Billy Butler recorded two hits in defeat.
Bruce Chen (5-4) yielded five runs on nine hits and two walks in six frames to take the loss.
After a questionable call cost the Royals a run in the top of the fifth, the Yankees went ahead for good in the home half.
Robinson Cano singled with one away and raced all the way around to score on Jorge Posada's double. Posada scampered to third on a wild pitch to Marcus Thames, who then lofted a sacrifice fly to left for a 5-3 advantage.
A wacky play allowed the Royals to creep to within one in the sixth. With a runner on third and one out, Yuniesky Betancourt swung over a pitch in the dirt. Because of the dropped third strike, Betancourt took off for first. Posada inexplicably fired it toward third in an attempt to retire that runner, but his throw sailed into left field, allowing a run to score and Betancourt to advance to second.
Rodriguez, though, restored the Yankees' two-run lead with a one-out blast to right off Robinson Tejeda in the seventh inning.
The Royals loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth off Joba Chamberlain, but Jose Guillen grounded into a fielder's choice to end the inning.
Swisher gave New York some insurance in the home half with a two-run double, which was followed by Mark Teixeira's RBI single for a 9-4 lead. The base hit gave Rodriguez an opportunity to hit his 600th career home run, but he settled for an RBI double that increased the Yanks' lead to six.
A one-out single by Jason Kendall and a two-out base hit by Butler in the opening inning put runners on the corners for Guillen, whose double to left plated a run.
Betemit followed with a single to left, scoring Butler easily. Betemit attempted to stretch the play into a double, but was thrown out at second just ahead of Guillen scoring. Guillen, who was not running particularly hard, had his potential run wiped off the scoreboard.
The Yankees came right back to tie the game on Rodriguez's two-run ground-rule double, but the Royals re-took the lead in the second on Podsednik's run- scoring single.
Jeter opened up the home third with his inside-the-park shot, which was nearly caught by Royals outfielder David DeJesus. DeJesus had the ball in his glove until his wrist slammed into the wall at nearly a 90-degree angle, causing him to drop the ball and crumple down in pain. He left the game after Jeter circled the bases easily, tying the score at three.
The Royals appeared to take the lead in the fifth on a Betemit single, where Butler tried to score from second. Posada appeared to miss tagging Butler at the plate by a wide margin, but home plate umpire Eric Cooper called Butler out to end the inning and keep the game tied.
Game Notes
DeJesus sprained his thumb and will miss the remainder of the series. X-rays were negative...Jeter's other inside-the-park homer came against the Royals on August 2, 1996 -- his rookie season. He is the oldest Yankee (36 years, 26 days) to accomplish the feat since Earle Combs (36 years, 45 days) did it on June 29, 1935...Rodriguez's 499th career home run also came against Kansas City...Teixeira, who had three hits, an RBI and scored twice, reached base for the 38th straight game...The Yankees are 25-24 when allowing the first run of the game...New York added a blank armband to its uniform for the late Ralph Houk...The Yankees honored late owner George Steinbrenner by placing a large mural in the outfield.
<< Notre Dame-Miami to renew rivalry in 2012
Coral Gables, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Miami and the University
of Notre Dame football programs have agreed to play each other in 2012, 22
years after the schools last met.
The game will be played at Soldier Field in Chica
<< Phillies fire hitting coach Thompson
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies, who have
struggled at the plate and are seven games behind NL East-leading Atlanta,
fired hitting coach Milt Thompson Thursday night.
The move came hours after the
<< Milwaukee uses long ball, Gallardo's impressive start to down Pirates
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Yovani Gallardo came off the disabled list
and tossed six scoreless innings, and the Brewers used a pair of home runs to
down the Pirates, 3-2, in the finale of a four-game set.
Prince Fielder and Rickie
<< Lakers sign Theo Ratliff
El Segundo, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Lakers added depth to their
frontcourt on Thursday by signing veteran center Theo Ratliff.
The Los Angeles Times reports it's a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum
of $1.35 million.
Lakers add Barnes, Ratliff >>
El Segundo, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Lakers added depth to their
frontcourt by signing veterans Matt Barnes and Theo Ratliff.
The Thursday move for Barnes to sign with the Lakers came just three days
after he posted a me
Henry scores in New York debut >>
Harrison, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Thierry Henry scored in his debut for Red Bull
New York on Thursday in a 2-1 loss to English Premier League club Tottenham in
the Barclays Challenge at Red Bull Arena.
Henry scored in the 25th minute to hand N
Duval boots 7 FGs as Als rout Hamilton >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montreal kicker Damon Duval tied a career-high
with seven field goals as he helped lead the Alouettes to a commanding 37-14
win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Percival Molson Stadium.
Duval finished the n
Cain, Giants blank Diamondbacks >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Cain fanned nine batters over eight
shutout innings and Buster Posey continued his hot hitting by going 2-for-4
with an RBI as the Giants blanked the Diamondbacks, 3-0, at Chase Field.
Cain (8-8
After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.
Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.
Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.
So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.
In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.
For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.
The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.
The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.
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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.
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