Delgado, Mets outlast Dodgers

Baseball Betting Lines

07/20/2007 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Delgado hit one of three New York home runs, and the Mets overcame 19 Los Angeles hits to beat the Dodgers, 13-9, in the opener of a four-game series.

Delgado and Ramon Castro hit consecutive homers in the sixth inning, and Carlos Beltran also went deep, but Tom Glavine failed to get career win No. 299.

Both starting pitchers exited early, as the teams combined for 15 runs over the first three innings. The Mets scored six times in the first inning and made that lead stand up.

Glavine was battered for 10 hits and six runs over two-plus frames before being lifted. Aaron Sele (3-0) threw three innings to get the victory.

"Did we win that game?" Mets manager Willie Randolph asked. "It's not fun to manage a game like this. Tom struggled. We were hoping to get him his 299th. Aaron pitched well. We knew they'd come back, so we hung in there and kept fighting."

Ruben Gotay had three hits with an RBI and scored twice for the NL East- leading Mets, who won for the fourth time in six games. The Mets totaled 16 hits and benefited from the Dodgers leaving 13 men on base.

Derek Lowe (8-9) was pounded for 10 hits and nine runs -- eight earned-- with three walks over three innings to remain winless in his last five outings.

"We dug ourselves a hole early," Lowe said. "I made countless mistakes with my pitches and they hit my mistakes."

Matt Kemp belted a two-run homer and Jeff Kent added a solo shot for Los Angeles, which had won six of seven, but are now one percentage point behind the Padres for the lead in the NL West.

Beltran homered to left field off Mark Hendrickson leading off the eighth, boosting the lead to 13-8.

James Loney singled in a run in the bottom of the inning, but the Dodgers left runners at the corners when Kemp grounded out. The Dodgers had two runners on again in the ninth, but couldn't score.

The Mets sent 11 men to the plate in the opening inning. David Wright doubled in two runs, Castro stroked an RBI single, as did Shawn Green and Gotay. Another run scored on an error by Kemp in center field.

Luis Gonzalez singled in two runs in the bottom of the inning, but Kent was thrown out trying to go to third base on the hit, and Nomar Garciaparra grounded out to end the inning.

Kemp homered in the second inning, but the Mets expanded their lead to 9-4 in the third on an RBI groundout by Jose Reyes and a two-run single by Marlon Anderson.

Kent led off the bottom of the inning with a homer, and pinch-hitter Olmedo Saenz hit a sacrifice fly later in the inning, but Garciaparra was thrown out trying to advance to third to cap the frame.

Reyes singled in a run in the fifth, but the Dodgers countered with pinch- hitter Wilson Betemit's RBI hit, leaving the score at 10-7 going into the sixth.

Delgado homered to center off Rudy Seanez with one out in the sixth, and Castro followed with a blast to left.

Rafael Furcal doubled in Kemp in the seventh for a 12-8 margin.

Game Notes

The Dodgers swept the Mets in a three-game set in LA from June 11-13...Juan Pierre extended his hitting streak to 12 games for the Dodgers...The Mets committed three errors.

Wcasinoonnet Baseball Betting News

<< Blake survives to reach Countrywide quarterfinals
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second seed James Blake needed three sets to oust fellow American Paul Goldstein in the second round of the Countrywide Classic on Thursday. After Blake cruised to an easy first set win, Goldstein

<< Pierzynski, White Sox edge Red Sox
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A.J. Pierzynski had three hits and knocked in three runs, and Paul Konerko homered, as the White Sox topped the Boston Red Sox, 4-2, in a game that started nearly two hours late due to rain. Javier Vazquez

<< Sabathia gets win No. 13 as Indians edge Rangers
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Grady Sizemore homered and drove in a pair of runs, and C.C. Sabathia picked up his major league leading 13th win as Cleveland bested Texas, 7-5, in the opener of a four-game set. Trot Nixon and Ben

<< MLS All-Stars top Scottish champions 2-0
Commerce City, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two of Major League's Soccer's newest stars, Colombians Juan Pablo Angel and Juan Toja, each scored first half goals against Scottish Premier League Power, Celtic FC, to lead the North American league'

<< Bard's suspension reduced to two games
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - San Diego Padres catcher Josh Bard had his three-game suspension reduced to two games on Thursday. Bard received the initial suspension after he made contact with umpire Ed Rapauno in the 11th innin

Lions stay unbeaten; Ticats winless; Smith hurt >>
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Third-string quarterback Jarious Jackson's short touchdown run in the fourth quarter gave British Columbia the lead, as the Lions held off Hamilton, 22-18, to remain unbeaten. Ryan Phillips picked off

Young pitches Padres past Phils >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Young outdueled fellow All-Star Cole Hamels with seven shutout innings as San Diego edged Philadelphia, 1-0, in the opener of a four-game set. Young (9-3) gave up just two hits while striking out

Garcia two ahead at British Open; Woods seven back >>
Carnoustie, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Spain's Sergio Garcia played a very steady round of golf on Friday with an even-par 71 and is still on top after the second round of the British Open Championship at Carnoustie. He finished 36 ho

Valencia inks Real Madrid's Helguera >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Valencia agreed to terms with former Real Madrid defender Ivan Helguera on Friday, signing Helguera to a three-year deal. The Spanish center back has been at Real Madrid since 1999, capturing three L

Oakland sputtering into second half of season >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics are in dire straights right now, having lost nine of their last 10 games. The A's are a pathetic 1-6 since the All-Star break and now trail the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim by 11 1/2 games in the Americ

MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


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.

How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?

The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.

While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.

For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.

1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.

2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.

How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.

Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.

Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.

How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).

Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.

Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.