Santana outshines Carpenter as Mets edge Cards
Baseball Betting Lines
06/25/2009 - Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Johan Santana was solid on the mound, and Nick Evans' two-run double in the fourth inning was the difference, as the Mets edged St. Louis, 3-2, in the finale of a four-game set at Citi Field.
Fernando Tatis drove in the other run for New York, which took three of four from the Cardinals. Santana (9-5) allowed seven hits, two runs -- one earned -- three walks and struck out three over seven innings before handing the ball to the bullpen.
Pedro Feliciano worked around a leadoff single in the eighth, and Francisco Rodriguez overcame a rocky ninth to record his 20th save of the season.
After striking out the first two batters, Rodriguez issued back-to-back walks to Albert Pujols and Ryan Ludwick before getting Yadier Molina to line out to left field to end the game.
Molina finished 2-for-5 and knocked in a run for St. Louis, which had won five of six entering this series with the Mets. Joe Thurston added a run-scoring single in defeat.
Chris Carpenter (5-2) tossed seven strong innings with only one hiccup when he was touched for three runs in the fourth. The right-hander scattered just four hits, fanned five and did not walk a batter.
St. Louis scratched out a run in the first on a two-out, bloop single to center by Molina and appeared primed for more offense in the second, but Santana got Pujols to fly out to escape a bases-loaded jam.
The Mets pushed three runs across in the fourth to seize the lead. Carpenter had yet to allow a hit through the first three frames, but Luis Castillo and David Wright started the inning with consecutive singles. Tatis stroked a base hit two batters later to put New York on the board, and Evans took a pitch the opposite way to right field for a two-run double.
Thurston muscled a two-out single to center in the sixth, scoring Rick Ankiel, who led off the inning with a double.
Game Notes
Pujols went 1-for-4 and walked...Santana had lost three of his last four starts...St. Louis finished 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on base.
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich President Franz Beckenbauer has categorically dismissed rumors linking Lucio with a departure from the Allianz Arena. The Brazil defender's future in Germany has been thrown into do
<< Ordonez, Santiago power Tigers to sweep of Cubs
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Armando Galarraga got his first win in nearly
two months and the Detroit Tigers completed a three-game sweep of the Chicago
Cubs with a 6-5 win at Comerica Park.
Galarraga (4-7) threw six innings and gave u
<< USGA announces sites for two Women's Amateurs
Far Hills, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The United States Golf Association has
announced the sites of two upcoming U.S. Women's Amateur Championships.
Rhode Island Country Club in Barrington, R.I., will host the 2011 U.S. Women's
Amateur; a
<< City leading chase for Tevez
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kia Joorabchian claims Manchester City
is Carlos Tevez's likely destination with a deal expected to be confirmed
within the next 10 days.
Joorabchian, who is Tevez's advisor and controls the
<< Loovens not leaving Celtic this summer
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defender Glenn Loovens has ruled out the
possibility of leaving Celtic this summer.
The Dutch centre-half started just 13 SPL games in his first season at Parkhead
and has been linked with a return sout
Catania, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Argentinian goalkeeper Mariano Andujar has returned to Serie A after joining Catania. The 25-year-old former Palermo shot-stopper has joined Rossazzurri from Estudiantes. Andujar made 21 appearanc
Pirates send Snell to minors >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates optioned struggling
pitcher Ian Snell to Indianapolis of the International League on Thursday.
Snell has made 15 starts this season, compiling a 2-8 record with a 5.36
earned r
United fails to lure Brazilian starlet >>
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gremio has rejected a request from
Manchester United to take rising star Douglas Costa on trial.
The 18-year-old attacking midfielder is one of the brightest talents in South
American football a
Winnpeg Blue Bombers (CFL) >>
Released defensive backs Patrick Body, Ronyell Whitaker, Jasper Johnson and Nick Kordic, wide receiver Terry Firr, offensive linemen Jean-Francois Morin-Robeerge, Matt O'Meara and Thaddeus Coleman, running back Joe Smith, defensive linemen Monte
San Jose waives Denton, Gray >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Earthquakes placed defender Eric
Denton and midfielder Kelly Gray on waivers Thursday.
Denton appeared in 10 matches this season and had an assist. In 2008 he started
26 games at left back.
G
Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).
Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.
A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.
Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.
"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.
De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.
The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.
The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.
De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.
Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.
But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.
SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting
NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.
That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.
A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."
It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.
The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.
So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."
Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.
Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.
Seriously.
The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.
The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.
Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."
The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.