Manny continues to be Manny as Dodgers dodge Red Birds' brooms

Baseball Betting Lines

08/07/2008 - St. Louis, MO (Baseball Betting) - Manny Ramirez belted a two-run home run, and Clayton Kershaw threw seven brilliant innings as Los Angeles downed St, Louis, 4-1, to avoid a sweep in the finale of a three-game set at Busch Stadium.

Kershaw (2-3) allowed just one run on three hits while walking four and fanning seven for the Dodgers, who have won three of their last five games and reached .500 (57-57) on the season.

Jeff Kent finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored for Los Angeles.

Cesar Izturis was 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Cardinals, who fell six games behind the idle Chicago Cubs in the NL Central.

Kyle Lohse (13-4) allowed four runs on seven hits in seven innings en route to the loss.

The Dodgers jumped on top with a run in the first. Kent slapped a two-out, ground-rule double to right and, after Ramirez walked, James Loney came through with a run-scoring single to left.

Los Angles added a pair of runs in the third when Kent got on with a one-out single and Ramirez followed by depositing his fourth home run as a Dodger over the wall in left.

Juan Pierre made it a 4-0 game in the fourth when his two-out triple drove in Danny Ardoin.

The Cards finally broke through off Kershaw in the fifth when Aaron Miles got on with a two-out infield single, swiped second on a wild pitch and scored on Izturis' single to right.

Things settled down from there until St. Louis threatened off Jonathan Broxton in the ninth. Ryan Ludwick led off the frame with a single to right and quickly advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Troy Glaus chased Ludwick to third by chopping out to the right side, Felipe Lopez drew a walk to put runners on the corners and bring the tying run to the plate.

Broxton continued to struggle, allowing Lopez to steal second and going 3-2 to pinch hitter Rick Ankiel before punching the former pitcher out on what would have been ball four. Skip Schumaker, another pinch hitter, followed by striking out to end the game as Broxton earned his sixth save of the season.

Game Notes

Ramirez has a total of 24 homers on the season...Kershaw made his big league debut against the Cardinals at Dodger Stadium on May 25 and was impressive. The 20-year-old allowed two runs in a six-inning no-decision...St. Louis is 4-2 against the Dodgers this season...Los Angeles is just 3-11 in regular- season play at Busch Stadium since the start of the 2005 campaign.

Gamblimg Baseball Betting News

<< Phils acquire veteran P Eyre
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired veteran reliever Scott Eyre from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for minor league pitcher Brian Schlitter. The left-handed Eyre, 36, had appeared in only 19 game

<< West Ham's Bellamy will miss start of season
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - West Ham United striker Craig Bellamy will miss the opening weeks of the new Premier League season due to a hamstring injury. The 29-year-old Wales international suffered renewed injury problems

<< Wright's walk-off blast propels Mets past Padres
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Wright's two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning pushed the New York Mets over San Diego, 5-3, in the finale of a three-game set from Shea Stadium. Nick Evans knocked in a pair o

<< Karlsson and Jeev Milkha Singh share early PGA lead
Bloomfield Hills Township, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robert Karlsson of Sweden and India's Jeev Milkha Singh are the co-leaders after the early wave of players during the first round of the 90th PGA Championship. Karlsson and Singh both pos

<< Kilmarnock signs Italian midfielder Pascali
Kilmarnock, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kilmarnock has completed the signing of Italian midfielder Manuel Pascali on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee from Parma. The 26-year-old had impressed while on trial at Rugby

Mutu signs extension with Fiorentina >>
Florence, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fiorentina striker Adrian Mutu is delighted to have pledged his long-term future to the Italian club, having been linked with a move away from Florence this summer. The 29-year-old was a target for bo

Pennington released by Jets >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Jets have released quarterback Chad Pennington on Thursday in the wake of the team signing future Hall of Fame signal-caller Brett Favre late Wednesday night. "I appreciate everyth

Volstad, Marlins blank Phils to take series >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Volstad combined with four relievers on a four-hit shutout as Florida blanked Philadelphia, 3-0, in the rubber match of a three-game set at Citizens Bank Park. Matt Treanor, Josh Willingham an

R-E-S-P-E-C-T, that's what Cooper needs from FCD >>
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - According to Kenny Cooper Sr. - Major League Soccer star forward Kenny Cooper's father and advisor - it's all about respect. It's about knowing what you're worth and getting it. It's about MLS respec

NHL promotes Collins to COO >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Hockey League announced Thursday that John Collins has been promoted to chief operating officer. In addition to overseeing business and media operations, Collins will now also be respons


Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting

So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.

Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?

If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)

Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).

In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.

Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.

The Bubble Breakdown
CONFERENCE LOCKS SHOULD BE INS AT-LARGES TAKEN
(assuming no auto bid outlier)
ACC Betting Odds 6 0 5
Big East Betting Odds 5 0 4
Big Ten Betting Odds 2 2 3
Big 12 Betting Odds 3 0 2
Pac-10 Betting Odds 5 1 5
SEC Betting Odds 4 0 3
MVC Betting Odds 1 1 1
MWC Betting Odds 2 1 2
TOTAL 28 5 25

As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.

(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)

If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech

The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.

 

Work left to do:

Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.

Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).

Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional basketball lines can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.




Online Sportsbook Football Betting

Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smith and Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running back Deuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards