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
08/03/2010 -
NEW YORK (AP) -The numbers on the specially marked balls for Alex Rodriguez's at-bats must be getting up there - perhaps, uhm, close to say 600.
The Yankees slugger's quest - and by now it is one - for membership in the exclusive 600-homer club extended into its 11th game Monday with an 0-for-5 night against the Toronto Blue Jays.
``I thought I swung the bat better today. I had some pretty good pitches to hit,'' Rodriguez said after the Yankees' 8-6 loss. ``The difference between 0 for 5 and 2 for 5 is small.''
A-Rod's drive to become the youngest player and seventh overall to reach the milestone began after he homered off Kansas City reliever Robinson Tejeda on July 22 and has gone on for 48 plate appearances against four teams in three cities.
He's hitless in his last 14 at-bats and is 9 for 43 overall with eight RBIs during the drought. The closest he has come to the homer is a couple of long fly balls that were caught in front of the warning track.
Most of the 47,034 fans remained in their seats Monday for one more chance to see him bat in the ninth, and they got it. But Rodriguez grounded to shortstop against Kevin Gregg to end the game.
``The way I'm swinging, it's probably going to take a while. Everybody get comfortable,'' Rodriguez said, smiling on Sunday.
Rodriguez began the search for 600 by saying that he isn't going to feel the pressure the same way he did when he was going for No. 500 in 2007, a wait of 10 days and 28 at-bats. He even playfully checked out the marked balls that are switched in before he steps to the plate in one of his first at-bats, way back on July 23.
His manager says Rodriguez can't possibly ignore the significance of the pending homer.
``With the flashbulbs going off all the time and changing the ball, I don't know how you don't think about it,'' Joe Girardi said.
Nearly a week past his 35th birthday, the three-time MVP appeared loose before Monday's game, hitting many balls over the wall in batting practice, including a rare shot that banged off the black glass of a sports bar in center field - way beyond the 408-foot sign and above monument park.
While Rodriguez needed 41 at-bats to hit his first homer this season and has just 16 home runs this year, a stretch like this while approaching 600 is unusual. Babe Ruth separated 599 and 600 with one at-bat, Hank Aaron two. Barry Bonds' spell was eight, Sammy Sosa's was 13 and Ken Griffey Jr.'s 17, according to STATS LLC. Willie Mays went 21 homerless at-bats before his milestone shot.
Girardi said he hasn't seen the frustration growing, but he did keep his clean-up hitter out of the starting lineup against Tampa Bay on Sunday. Rodriguez struck out looking as a pinch-hitter in his lone at-bat.
``Nothing told me that he didn't have good at-bats or wasn't being patient,'' Girardi said Monday. ``He just didn't get any hits.''
In his first game back at Yankee Stadium after a fruitless seven-game road trip to Tampa Bay and Cleveland, Rodriguez was greeted with loud cheers. But fans only in seats beyond the walls in right and left field are standing now with every pitch.
Thousands of camera flashes still burst in a brilliant sparkle with each pitch - think of all the wasted photos - and fans roared when the count turned to Rodriguez's favor in the third. The groans were just as loud when he struck out on a 96 mph pitch from Brandon Morrow.
Rodriguez joked that he doesn't notice the flashes, saying, ``I'm used to it; it's been about a month.''
Morrow said he noticed the flashes once, but it would be a lot easier to forget that being part of history was one pitch away if it wasn't stamped on the baseballs.
``It's a lot easier to put it out of your mind if they didn't give you a new ball everytime he was up,'' he said.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Report: Modano to join Red Wings
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Modano is reportedly set to sign with the
Detroit Red Wings later this week.
The Livonia, Michigan native said in a text message to the Detroit Free Press
that he will make a "Big announcement" on Thu
<< Padres dig reeling Dodgers deeper hole in NL West
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chase Headley and Will Venable each hit a
three-run homer, as the San Diego Padres took a 10-5 win over the Los Angeles
Dodgers in the opener of a four-game series.
Headley finished 4-for-5 for the NL We
<< Indycar
Fined Helio Castroneves $60,000 and placed him on probation for the remainder of the year for his actions during the July 25 race at Edmonton.
<< Safina moves on in California
Carlsbad, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Russian Dinara Safina was a straight-set
winner in first-round play Monday at the $700,000 Mercury Insurance Open.
Safina cruised in the first set before prevailing in a tough second set,
beating
James thanks hometown fans in Ohio in newspaper ad >>
AKRON, Ohio (AP) -LeBron James is showing appreciation to his Ohio hometown fans with a full-page newspaper ad as he leaves to play basketball in Miami.James thanks Akron residents for their love and support in the ad in Tuesday's Akron Beacon Journ
Charlotte gets final OK to start football program >>
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -Charlotte has cleared its final hurdle to start a football program in 2013.North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue has signed a capital projects bill this week that includes funding for the 49ers' stadium construction. It was the la
Haynesworth skips conditioning test again >>
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Redskins defensive tackle Albert
Haynesworth did not take the team's conditioning test on Tuesday.
Haynesworth has yet to practice since training camp began last week because he
has been unable
Former Miss. player pleads guilty in assault case >>
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) -Former Mississippi football signee Jamar Hornsby and two others have pleaded guilty to misdemeanor simple assault in a 2009 attack on a man at a McDonald's restaurant in Starkville.The three - Hornsby, Darrell Cartez Simmons
MySportsbook.com is the best at processing US credit cards for deposits. Welcome to the most player friendly online sportsbook on the planet!
The principals behind MySportsbook are obviously a management group that understands the players needs as evidenced by their commitment to provide easy depositing with their high credit card acceptance rate and free weekly $10 bets they offer to clients with active betting accounts.
The perks don't end there! MySportsbook offers casino, poker and horses as well. Twice named Best Sportsbook by eGaming Review, this place is rock solid financially so you don't ever have to sweat the payout as you may with some other online bookies operating with less betting volume and client base.
Sign up today and grab your share of a 10% bonus that is added instantly to your betting account. Enjoy 52 risk free bets throughout the year as well!
Reasons to Play There: You have to see their no hitter, cycle hitter and slaughter rule promos for baseball. Worth a laugh and probably a few bucks throughout the MLB season. They offer supersized bonuses of 15% if you up your minimum deposit to $500 or more. Lay -105 on Friday NBA! Contests during the NFL football season!
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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