08/21/2008 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Zambrano was brilliant on the hill and helped his own cause with a home run as Chicago edged Cincinnati, 3-2, in the rubber match of a three-game set at Wrigley Field.
Zambrano (13-5) allowed just one run on six hits in seven innings for the NL Central-leading Cubs, who have won three of their last four games and eight of 10.
"(Zambrano) threw well," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "His command could have been a little better but he pitched seven innings of one-run ball and hit a home run. That's a pretty good day."
Mark DeRosa added a homer and Ryan Theriot finished 2-for-4 for Chicago.
Jay Bruce and Joey Votto both homered for the Reds, who have dropped four of their past six encounters.
Josh Fogg (2-6) surrendered three runs on four hits in four innings en route to the loss and is now in the midst of a six-outing winless skid.
The Cubs grabbed the early lead with a run in the first. Alfonso Soriano led off with a walk and quickly went to third on Theriot's single before crossing the plate when Derrek Lee grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.
Chicago added a run in the second after DeRosa turned on a Fogg fastball and crushed it over the wall in left for a solo homer, his 15th of the year.
Zambrano made it a 3-0 game in the third by leading off the frame with his fourth homer of the season.
The Reds finally got to Zambrano in the sixth after Bruce belted a one-out solo homer to right-center, his 13th on the year.
Votto tightened things up even further with two outs in the eighth when he crushed a Carlos Marmol offering onto Sheffield Avenue to make it a one-run game, 3-2.
After Marmol managed to get Edwin Encarnacion to line out to end the eighth, Kerry Wood came on to record a 1-2-3 ninth to secure things and pick up his 26th save for the Cubs.
Game Notes
Seven of Votto's 15 home runs this season have come against the Cubs...Marmol was working on a 16-inning scoreless streak when he gave up the homer to Votto...Zambrano set the Cubs franchise record for most home runs in a season by a pitcher with four...Zambrano is 7-1 at Wrigley this year and is 14-9 against the Reds in his career...The Cubs have now won seven consecutive series.
<< Benesova, Suarez Navarro reach Forest Hills semis
Forest Hills, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Third-seeded Czech Iveta Benesova
and fourth-seeded Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro were a pair of quarterfinal
winners Thursday at the $74,800 Forest Hills Tennis Classic, a final U.S.
Open tune-up.
<< Sizemore's big day gives Tribe sweep of Royals
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Grady Sizemore had a career-high seven runs
driven in and Cliff Lee became the first 18-game winner in the AL as the
Cleveland Indians pounded the Kansas City Royals, 10-3, to complete a three-
game sw
<< Royals' Gordon leaves game against Tribe
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas City Royals third baseman Alex Gordon
left Thursday's 10-3 loss against the Cleveland Indians with tightness in his
right quadriceps.
Gordon, who has been hampered by a lingering lower back injur
<< Yankees' Pavano to pitch Saturday
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The oft-injured Carl Pavano is scheduled to
start for the New York Yankees on Saturday in Baltimore, according to the
Newark Star Ledger.
"He worked extremely hard to put himself in this position,
Heat re-sign Wright >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat re-signed guard/forward Dorell
Wright to an undisclosed contract Thursday.
Wright, who originally signed with the Heat after being drafted in the first
round in the 2004 NBA Draft, has app
Lowe, Loney lead Dodgers past Rockies >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - James Loney was 2-for-3 with a home run and
two RBI and Derek Lowe silenced the recently resurgent Rockies to help the
Dodgers to a 3-1 victory over Colorado in the series finale of a three-game
set.
Toronto FC acquires Ruiz from Galaxy >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Toronto FC acquired forward Carlos Ruiz from
the Los Angeles Galaxy in exchange for first and second-round picks in the
2009 Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft and salary budget considerations,
the tea
American Univ. gives head men's hoops coach new contract >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - American University rewarded head men's
basketball coach Jeff Jones with a new contract on Thursday.
Jones led the Eagles to a Patriot League title in 2007-08 along with a berth
in the NCAA Tournament
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.
Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament odds
As of February 9, MySportsbook.com has released its coveted 2007 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament betting odds. “March Madness betting ” only a month away, the top ranked Florida Gators are favorite at 7-2 to win it all. The defending champs have not disappointed at all this season and currently have a 22-2 record and are undefeated (9-0) in SEC play. The Gators’ thrive off of their extremely balanced, experienced and versatile attack. All five starters started in last seasons National Championship game. What is most impressive with this group is their balance; the five starters all average between 10.7 and 13.6 PPG. The Gators have been on an absolute roll having won 15 straight by an average of 16.4 PPG.
Right behind the Gators are the 5th ranked UNC Tar Heels at 9-2. The Heels (21-3, 7-2) are absolutely loaded with top notch talent and are as deep as any team in the country. A concern for the Tar Heels might be inexperience. Of their top four scorers/ minute earners, three are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. The rest of the regular season, the Tar Heels play only one team that is currently ranked (Duke). Their remaining opponents do combine for an impressive 107-58 record though.
Other teams that the MySportsbook.com members seem to believe will win it all include the west coasts’ top team #2 UCLA (6-1), #3 OSU behind man-child Greg Oden (8-1), and #4 Wisconsin (10-1) behind their defense which has given up 70+ points only three times all season.
Below is a list of some of the favorites to win the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship lines. For the full list of teams and March Madness odds be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com. If you want to use your credit card to bet on college hoops or any other event, MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.
Arizona 20-1
Butler 20-1
Duke 30-1
Florida 7-2
Georgetown 30-1
Indiana 35-1
Kansas 15-1
Marquette 25-1
Maryland 40-1
Memphis 50-1
Nevada 50-1
UNC 9-2
OSU 8-1
Oregon 30-1
Pittsburgh 15-1
Texas 30-1
Texas A&M 18-1
UCLA 6-1
Wisconsin 10-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook betting needs.
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