Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
08/05/2007 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eric Byrnes homered and drove in three runs, and the Arizona Diamondbacks edged Los Angeles, 8-7, in the second of three games at Dodger Stadium.
Miguel Montero also homered for the surging Diamondbacks, who nearly lost a seven-run lead, but held on. They've won four of their last five games and 12 of 14 overall.
Livan Hernandez (7-7) allowed two runs -- one earned -- and five hits in six innings while striking out four. It was the first time in his last 13 starts that he did not allow a home run, and he also picked up his first road win since May 17.
Nomar Garciaparra and Andre Ethier homered for the Dodgers, who have lost three straight games and 11 of 15.
Derek Lowe (8-10) allowed six runs -- four earned -- and four hits over five innings. The right-hander, who allowed a walk and struck out four, was making his first start in 10 days after irritation in his left hip forced him to miss his last scheduled outing for the first time in 211 career starts.
Montero struck for a two-run homer in the sixth off reliever D.J. Houlton, but the Dodgers cut it to 8-2 in the home half of the frame on a sac fly by Ethier.
A four-run rally followed in the seventh off right-hander Juan Cruz.
Rafael Furcal and Juan Pierre hit consecutive singles, and Russell Martin reached on Justin Upton's fielding error to load the bases. A sac fly by Luis Gonzalez made it a five-run game, and Garciaparra followed by crushing an 0-1 pitch well over the wall in left to make it an 8-6 contest.
Ethier's shot in the eighth made it 8-7, but the Dodgers were shut down by Jose Valverde in the ninth as he earned his 33rd save.
The Diamondbacks took the early lead, as Orlando Hudson drew a one-out walk in the first and Byrnes followed by drilling a two-run homer to left.
The Dodgers finally broke through in the fourth. Pierre hit a leadoff single, advanced to second on a balk, and after Martin grounded out, Gonzalez was hit by a pitch. Garciaparra also grounded out, but a walk to James Loney loaded the bases, and a free pass to Ramon Martinez forced in a run.
Los Angeles was snake-bitten at that point, however, as the Diamondbacks scored four times in the fifth inning.
Mark Reynolds ignited the rally by legging out an infield single, and Upton followed with a base hit off Garciaparra's glove. Montero reached on Loney's throwing error, scoring Reynolds, and a fielder's choice by Hernandez allowed Upton to scamper home. Chris Young then struck out, but Hudson's single to center plated Montero to make it 6-1.
Game Notes
Upton finished with two hits, the first and second of his major league career...Pinch-hitter Delwyn Young also collected his first career hit for the Dodgers...Lowe has lost his last four decisions. He also fell to 2-6 lifetime against Arizona...Hernandez won for just the second time in his last 12 starts...Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent missed his fifth straight game with a strained left hamstring.
<< Sharapova to face Schnyder in San Diego final
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded and defending champion Maria
Sharapova moved into the final at the $1.34 million Acura Classic with a two-
set victory over fellow Russian Anna Chakvetadze on Saturday.
Sharapova, the 2006
<< Real Salt Lake ends Houston's 11-game unbeaten streak
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robbie Findley scored unassisted in the
84th minute as Real Salt Lake ended its four-game losing streak and Houston's
11-game unbeaten streak with a surprising 1-0 win Saturday night.
It was Real Salt
<< DeAngelis' FG carries Calgary over Edmonton
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sandro DeAngelis capped a near-perfect day by
drilling a 33-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the Calgary Stampeders
over the Edmonton Eskimos, 34-32, at Commonwealth Stadium.
DeAngelis finished the
<< CFL Game Summary - Calgary at Edmonton
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sandro DeAngelis capped a near-perfect day by
drilling a 33-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the Calgary Stampeders
over the Edmonton Eskimos, 34-32, at Commonwealth Stadium.
DeAngelis finished the
Giants drop extra-inning affair on Bonds' historical night >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barry Bonds tied one of the most coveted
records in sports, belting his 755th career homer, equaling the all-time mark
set by Hank Aaron in the Giants' 3-2, 12-inning loss to the San Diego Padres.
The
Johansson claims first win in 10 years >>
Moscow, Russia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Per-Ulrik Johansson cruised to his first
victory in a decade on Sunday, closing with a five-under 67 in the final round
of the Russian Open Golf Championship to win by six shots.
Johansson posted four
Robredo routs Acasuso for Sopot title >>
Sopot, Poland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tommy Robredo of Spain rolled to a straight-
set victory over Argentina's Jose Acasuso for the title at the Orange Prokom
Open.
The second-seeded Robredo notched a 7-5, 6-0 triumph for his first ATP single
Radwanska rolls to Stockholm crown >>
Stockholm, Sweden (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland became the
latest first-time WTA Tour singles winner with a dominant victory over
Russia's Vera Dushevina in the final at the Nordic Light Open.
The second-seeded
NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.
Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.
There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.
Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.
The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.
No. 1 always seems to fit USC.
Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.
Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.
Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.
"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."
Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.
"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."
The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.
"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."
Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.
"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"
USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.
"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."
While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.
As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.
But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.
Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.
The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.
The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.
The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.
No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.
Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.
Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.
Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.
The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.
South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.
The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.
Get free Sports Betting lines RSS feeds from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting