08/27/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In baseball's first half, the Marlins were the biggest fish in the sea when it came to blasting home runs. However, since the break they have become mere minnows in a pond.
Florida led the majors with 135 home runs in 95 games prior to the All-Star break, but have since connected on just 37 over 37 second-half contests. That ranks 11th in the league. And while the club wasn't hitting for average at a torrid pace in the first half -- .256 prior to the break -- its .235 second- half average is tied for the lowest in the National League.
The Marlins trailed the first-place Phillies by 1 1/2 games heading into the All-Star game in the NL East, but are now six games back of Philadelphia heading into play on Wednesday. A 9-14 mark so far in August also has the club 10 games back in the wild card race.
All this from a team that became the first NL squad in the history of baseball of have all four infield players connect on 20-or-more homers in a single season. On the other hand, Florida hasn't won consecutive games since July 30-31.
"We are trying. Those guys in there are busting their butts trying to get that winning streak," Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said after a six-run loss to the Diamondbacks on Saturday. "The pitching has been there, but we have to keep going. No one is going to feel sorry for us."
All-Star second baseman Dan Uggla has been the poster boy for the Marlins slumping second half. Uggla hit .286 through 81 games before the Midsummer Classic, connecting on 23 homers while driving in 59 runs. However, in 36 games since, he is hitting just .190 with four homers and 13 RBI.
Perhaps Uggla has yet to recover from his All-Star gaming showing, in which he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
OPEN LATE
Closer Kevin Gregg has hard a hard time finishing off games as of late. He was tagged for four runs on five hits, getting a loss and a blown save on Tuesday in a 10-9 decision versus the Braves. It marked his third loss in his last six games.
The right-hander is 6-7 on the season with a 3.26 earned run average, and is just one save shy of becoming the second player in club history to post more than one season of 30-plus saves. He had 32 last year and would join Rob Nen (35 saves in 1996 and 1997) as the only hurlers to accomplish the aforementioned feat for Florida.
Gregg, though, has hardly been lights out as he has blown eight saves this year. He knows that the Marlins are starting to run out of time if they are to get back in the postseason race.
"You're running out of games," he told Florida's official Web site after Tuesday's loss. "We've got to win. We've got to win some games; we can't be letting games like that get away."
ROSTER MOVE
The Marlins placed left-hander Renyel Pinto on the disabled list Tuesday, retroactive to August 24, while activating righty Doug Waechter from the 15- day DL. Pinto is sidelined with a left hamstring strain, while Waechter had been out due to right shoulder inflammation.
Waechter is 3-2 with a 3.51 ERA in 39 games this year, while Pinto is 2-5 with a 4.50 ERA over 65 outings.
WHO'S HOT
Ricky Nolasco improved to 13-7 with a win over Arizona on Sunday and has allowed just three walks while fanning 51 over his last six starts. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, since 1961 only six other hurlers have struck out at least 50 batters while issuing no more than three walks in a six-start span.
Those pitchers are Jim Kaat, Ferguson Jenkins (twice), Pedro Martinez, Roy Oswalt, Curt Schilling (twice) and Ben Sheets.
WHO'S NOT
Jeremy Hermida is in the midst of a 4-for-34 (.118) slide, dropping his season average to .252.
ON DECK
The Marlins continue a nine-game road trip on Wednesday with the second part of a three-game series with the Braves. Florida is 3-4 so far on the trek.
Josh Johnson (3-0, 3.51 ERA) goes against Mike Hampton (2-1, 6.47) on Wednesday, while Anibal Sanchez (2-2, 3.99) is slated to toss Thursday's finale versus Charlie Morton (3-8, 6.39).
The Marlins then play six straight at home, starting with three against the Mets on Friday. Chris Volstad (4-3, 3.42) takes on Oliver Perez (9-7, 4.00) in the opener, followed by Nolasco (13-7, 3.62) against Mike Pelfrey (13-8, 3.70) on Saturday and Scott Olsen (6-8, 4.19) versus Pedro Martinez (4-3, 5.22) on Sunday.
<< Merriman to try to play without knee surgery
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Baseball joined its other major sport
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for the rest of the season and the playoffs.
And I, for one, applaud it. It is something that s
Sharks sign D Vlasic to four-year extension >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks signed defenseman Marc-
Edouard Vlasic to a four-year contract extension, the team announced on
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March Madness odds and printable March Madness brackets
With the field of 64/65 set, MySportsbook.com has the Florida Gators as the 4-1 favorite to successfully defend their National Championship. Men’s Division-1 College Basketball has not seen a team repeat as National Champions since Duke won back to back championships in ’91 & ‘92. After losing three out of four late in the season, the Gators are full of momentum as they won their last four games by an average of 18 points. Not surprisingly, right behind the Gators are the other three top seeds: Kansas 5-1, UNC 6-1, and Ohio State 7-1. Many consider Kansas to be the hottest team in the country, having won 11 straight. With Kansas, it is hard to ignore all of the early exits from the “dance” in recent years. With an impressive ACC Tournament, UNC ensured themselves the other top seed. UNC has about as much talent as any other team in the tournament but with a team that’s best players are primarily freshman and sophomores, could youth be a concern. Behind freshman sensation, Greg Oden, OSU will look to do what their football team failed to do just a few months earlier. OSU seems to have peeked at the right time, as they currently have a 17 game winning streak. Since the tournament field was expanded in 1985, there has never been an instance where all four #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. It is obvious that each of the top seeds have the talent to make it through to Atlanta. But as everyone knows, when makes the NCAA Tournament so special are all of the spoilers and “Cinderella” stories that knock off the favorites on a daily basis.
Be sure to logon to MySportsbook.com to see check out all of the early lines and “March Madness” props. Also be sure to enter the “$10,000,000 Perfect Bracket Contest”. If someone has the skills to predict every winner, they will be set for life and walk away with $10,000,000. Even if no one can cash in on the Grand Prize, with a $35,000 guaranteed prize pool and a Mazda RX-8 to the first prize winner, Sportsbook.com’s bracket is a must for all “March Madness” fans.
MySportsbook.com’s odds to win the Championship and Regions:
| EAST | National Championship | Region |
| Arkansas | 300-1 | 50-1 |
| Belmont | 1000-1 | |
| Boston College | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Eastern KY | 1000-1 | |
| George Washington | 75-1 | |
| Georgetown | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| Marquette | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Michigan State | 100-1 | 25-1 |
| New Mexico St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| UNC | 6-1 | 6-5 |
| Oral Roberts | 500-1 | |
| Texas | 15-1 | 5-1 |
| Texas Tech | 200-1 | 5-1 |
| USC | 75-1 | 20-1 |
| Vanderbilt | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Washington State | 40-1 | 15-1 |
| WEST | ||
| Duke | 50-1 | 10-1 |
| Florida A&M | 1000-1 | |
| Gonzaga | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Holy Cross | 300-1 | |
| Illinois | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Indiana | 75-1 | 40-1 |
| Kansas | 5-1 | 13-10 |
| Kentucky | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Niagara | 1000-1 | |
| Pittsburgh | 40-1 | 8-1 |
| Southern Ill. | 50-1 | 12-1 |
| UCLA | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| VCU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Villanova | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| VA Tech | 50-1 | 15-1 |
| Weber St | 1000-1 | |
| Wright St | 1000-1 | 300-1 |
| MIDWEST | ||
| Arizona | 50-1 | 30-1 |
| Butler | 40-1 | 30-1 |
| Davidson | 300-1 | |
| Florida | 4-1 | 4-5 |
| Georgia Tech | 75-1 | 25-1 |
| Jackson State | 1000-1 | |
| Maryland | 30-1 | 6-1 |
| Miami-OH | 300-1 | |
| Notre Dame | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| ODU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Oregon | 40-1 | 6-1 |
| Purdue | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Texas A&M CC | 1000-1 | |
| UNLV | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Winthrop | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Wisconsin | 15-1 | 7-2 |
| SOUTH | ||
| Albany | 200-1 | |
| BYU | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Central CT St. | 1000-1 | |
| Creighton | 100-1 | 35-1 |
| Long Beach St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| Louisville | 40-1 | 10-1 |
| Memphis | 30-1 | 4-1 |
| Nevada | 75-1 | 35-1 |
| North Texas | 500-1 | |
| Ohio State | 7-1 | 6-5 |
| Penn | 500-1 | |
| Stanford | 200-1 | 50-1 |
| Tennessee | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| Texas A&M | 12-1 | 11-5 |
| Virginia | 75-1 | 18-1 |
| Xavier | 100-1 | 40-1 |
About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.
American Idol Betting Odds: Season 6
The online gambling websites are in the process of deciphering each American Idol contestant and his or her chances of winning Season 6 to come up with the early American Idol betting lines.
Tim Dalton of MySportsbook.com has been locked away in a soundproof room coming up with all the latest tallies, we are told. "American Idol has become one of the most significant betting events of the year," claims Jack Black of MySportsbook.com. "Last year, millions were bet during the season across the globe, not just in America.It's tough early on since we really do not have a glimpse as to how well each of these individuals will perform solo on a week-to-week basis. It's like Week 1 of the NFL. Pre-season means nada!
We do know the 24 finalists however.
Sanjaya Malakar is the young man whose sister failed to make it into the Top 24. He's very low key but - unless he totally flubs - will probably win over the young girlie vote for a few weeks anyway. He's too young to go all the way, according to Payton O'Brien.
Brandon Rogers - Who?
Phil Stacy is the military guy who missed his daughter's birth because of the Memphis audition. He should go a good distance.
Chris Sligh - He's got the humor and in many ways he's the Anti-American Idol much like last year's winner Taylor Hicks was. And this is why he'll probably get pretty far in this competition. He's chubby, white with a big curly afro....but more importantly, a great voice! People love "real", not "real cute" to go all the way.
"Blake Lewis should go far because of his uniqueness and looks. He's the boy next store with a twist - he beat boxes. But on top of this, he's a great singer, and I adore him," Payton O'Brien relayed.
A talented beat-boxer Blake Lewis was a hit during the group sing in Hollywood but Simon explained that this is a singing contest just before he told him he was “in.”
Paul Kim has caught our own roving reporter, Jenny Woo's eyes.
"I love the fact that there is a Korean American on the show and he is bound to get more Asians tuning into the show," Woo said from her Miami Beach estate. "There has never been a major presence of Asian-Americans on American Idol in the past. He's a hottie with a nice voice so that should help to take him far. Expect heavy betting action from the Asian community."
Sundance Head - He's not perfect, but he's got the personality that will take him through a few weeks, plus he's got the lineage (son of Roy Head - whose 1965 single, "Treat Her Right," hit No. 5 in the charts)
And the others:
Rudy Cardinas
AJ Tabaldo - the 5th time is the charm
Nicolas Pedro
Chris Richardson
Jared Cotter
The girls
"Melinda Doolittle has one of the best voices," says MySportsbook.com Reporter and an acclaimed dancer in her own right, Destiney Lewis. "It is great to see a back up singer step out like she has. The girl needs to gain more confidence but that can also be a positive. I think she will go far."
Alena Alexander - Those tears (she never seems to stop bawling) should get her far.
"Single mom Lakisha Jones I suspect will be a pretty big favorite entering Week 1 of the competition," says Destiny Williams. Jones is an excellent singer and down to earth. "She'll have a wide appeal," echoed O'Brien.
Nicole Trellis - Seems to exert confidence.
Amy Krebs - a powerful singer.
Antonella Barba
Gina Glocksen
Hailey Scanardo
Jordan Sparks
Stephanie Edwards
Leslie Hunt
Sabrina Sloan
MySportsbook.com is offering a 20% signup bonus with an initial deposit (i.e. open your American Idol betting account with $300, receive another $60 in which to bet with).
Last two contestants will be?
1 Male/1 Female +100 (a $10 bet pays $10 plus your initial $10)
2 Males +170 (a $10 bet pays $17 plus your initial $17)
2 Females +130 (a $10 bet pays $13 plus your initial $10)
MySportsbook.com is an online sportsbook accepts Visa Credit Cards and online sportsbook accepts Mastercard Credit Cards for easy American Idol betting lines.
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