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05/20/2011 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With their disabled list still quite crowded, the Texas Rangers have been able to maintain a slim hold of first place in the American League West by playing .500 ball.
Texas (23-21) has split its last 14 games and entered Friday with a one-game lead over the Oakland Athletics (22-22) and a 1 1/2-game edge over the fading Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. At the moment, the Rangers are merely trying to tread water until they can get some guys back healthy and, they hope, start stringing together some victories.
Already playing with a short deck, closer Neftali Feliz threw another log onto the fire by blowing back-to-back save opportunities this week for the first time in his career. Feliz, normally rock-solid in the final inning, had his streak of 19 consecutive saves come to an end on Wednesday night as he allowed a game-tying leadoff home run to Royals rookie Eric Hosmer in the ninth inning. Teammate Adrian Beltre later bailed him out with a game-winning single in the 11th inning.
After throwing 26 pitches on Wednesday, Feliz was given the ball again Thursday night and allowed a game-tying single to Kansas City's Mike Aviles. His pitch count this time got up to 32, which is cause for concern considering Feliz spent time on the DL from April 21 to May 6 with shoulder inflammation. Still, he informed manager Ron Washington before Thursday's game that he was fine, and the skipper shrugged off his closer's recent struggles as nothing more than a blip on the radar. Feliz gave a similar assessment after the game.
"I feel bad because we lost the game," Feliz said. "But I'm going to try to not go crazy over it, put it behind me and do the best I can the next time I go out there."
Remarkably, Feliz had never even blown a save on the road until the last two nights. Although Feliz has only recently become the culprit, the Rangers have had their share of late-game problems that have spoiled would-be victories. They have lost nine games this season during their opponent's final at-bat, four of which ended in walk-off fashion.
All the while, the Angels have fallen to third place thanks to losses in five straight games and eight of their last 10. The Rangers could certainly use a few healthy bodies to try and create some separation. One of those guys is reigning league MVP Josh Hamilton, who began a minor league rehab assignment this week after suffering a hairline fracture of his right humerus bone on April 12. He will resume his rehab assignment at Triple-A Round Rock Friday night, with a possible reactivation sometime next week.
Right fielder Nelson Cruz (strained right quad) is also in Round Rock this weekend and is nearing a return. Cruz had seven homers through just 30 games this year but has not played a big league game since May 3. A return of Hamilton and Cruz to the lineup would certainly restore some pop, which the Rangers have sorely missed. Their outfield has been sorely depleted with center fielder Julio Borbon also landing on the DL this past weekend with a left hamstring strain. Right fielder Endy Chavez, who entered Thursday with three consecutive multi-hit games, had to exit with tightness in his right hamstring. Chavez was recently called up from Triple-A Round Rock to provide relief for the walking wounded.
With their lineup a moving target from day to day, the Rangers will wrap up their road trip in Philadelphia this weekend before returning to Arlington for a six-game homestand next week. If all goes well on the injury front, the team hopes to have most of its Opening Day starting outfield back in the fold by the end of that homestand.
A'S RIDE SUPERB PITCHING INTO INTERLEAGUE PLAY
When the Oakland Athletics (22-22) begin Interleague play Friday night against the Bay Area-rival San Francisco Giants, they'll send young staff ace Trevor Cahill to the mound for the opener.
Cahill burst onto the scene to earn his first All-Star nod last year as a 22- year-old, and he brings a 6-1 record and a 1.82 ERA into Friday's game. He has been the anchor of an Oakland pitching staff that leads the majors with a collective 2.86 ERA. The A's will face off against the equally pitching- privileged San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park, meaning the pitchers will have to don a bat and helmet and step into the batter's box.
Cahill has one big-league hit on his resume, which puts him one hit above the rest of the rotation.
"He hit a seeing-eye single through the (second base) hole," fellow starter Brett Anderson quipped of his teammate's lone hit, which came back in 2009. "It's weird because he's got the ugliest swing. But he got a hit, so whatever works."
Not having a designated hitter also means Hideki Matsui will likely come off the bench rather than start in the outfield, according to manager Bob Geren. Considering the offense is hitting just .239 as a team even with the DH, the onus is once again on the A's stellar pitching staff to continue putting up zeroes.
ANGELS STUCK IN FREEFALL, LACKING PRODUCTION FROM STARS
For the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (22-23), seemingly everything that could have gone wrong has over this past week. The team has dropped five in a row and eight of its last 10 to lose its grip on first place in the AL West.
The Halos lost to the Seattle Mariners by a 2-1 final Thursday afternoon after a routine fly ball was blotted by the sun and dropped in front of nine-time Gold Glove winner Torii Hunter in the ninth inning, scoring the winning run from third base. Those are the kinds of breaks the team has endured lately, and with each loss the mishaps become magnified.
There are some obvious black holes on the roster, most notably the absence of top run producer Kendrys Morales for the season. Hunter is in the midst of a 1-for-24 slump and has seen his average dip to .218. Leading hitter Howard Kendrick (.322) had to leave in the ninth inning of Thursday's game with cramping in his right hamstring. Kendrick accounted for three of the team's seven hits and broke a 24-inning scoreless streak with a fourth-inning solo home run.
"This is one of the toughest spells I think we've all seen with situational hitting, with hitting with runners in scoring position, with moving runners over," manager Mike Scioscia said. "It takes nine guys for an offense. It's not going to be on two or three guys.
"We're just missing in some of those areas. We have a talented club and we're obviously not bringing it the way we need to, and we're going to look at it closely."
A couple of the team's highest-paid players have contributed next to nothing. Vernon Wells is being paid $26 million this year to hit .183, and he'll make $24 million per year over the next three seasons. Scott Kazmir is earning $12 million this year and has pitched just one full inning due to lower back stiffness. He is still in extended spring training in Arizona, and according to Scioscia, looks to be a long way from rejoining the rotation.
The roster has certainly not come together anywhere near what was intended. Still, starter Dan Haren remained positive after coming away with yet another no-decision on Thursday.
"It feels like we've lost 20 in a row, but we're only a game or so out of first place," Dan Haren told the OC Register. "We're lucky in that respect - no one has really pulled away (in the division). We still play each other 15 times. There's a long, long way to go. We just need to keep pitching like we've been pitching. The offense will come around."
MARINERS' STARTERS GETTING THE JOB DONE
The Seattle Mariners (19-24) have their starting pitching to thank for the fact that they entered Friday just 3 1/2 games off the pace in the AL West despite little to no hitting.
Seattle's offense ranks last in the AL with a .226 team batting average. The starting pitching, on the other hand, trails only Oakland with a collective 3.27 ERA. Reigning Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez has been solid (4-4, 3.23) with two complete games and a team-high 64 strikeouts, but fellow starters Doug Fister (2-4, 2.93) and rookie Michael Pineda (5-2, 2.45) have better ERAs. Then there is Justin Vargas (3-2, 3.39), who is 2-0 with a 0.38 ERA in three May starts and has not allowed a run in his last 16 innings.
"They've been outstanding," Mariners manager Eric Wedge said. "They've stayed humble, stayed consistent. They respect the game. They haven't given in to our offensive struggles. That's all you can ask."
One of the tradeoffs has been a lighter workload for the bullpen. M's starters have gone at least seven innings in 10 of 14 games this month. Oddly enough, closer Brandon League has had a horrid month of May, blowing three saves to go along with a 12.86 ERA. Still, the starting rotation has kept the team afloat while the offense has consistently failed to put runs across the plate. And if the relief corps can hold its weight, Seattle could remain in the thick of things in the tightly-contested AL West.
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Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger
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of a broken toe.
The 26-year-old played the final three matches of the Bundesliga
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Costa del Sol, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lee Westwood and Luke Donald both won
on Friday to advance to the quarterfinals at the Volvo World Match Play
Championship.
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<< Animal Kingdom looks for two-thirds of the Triple Crown
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Dan Johnson for assignment.
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run, including a 3-2 loss t
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In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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