Castro, Contreras carry ChiSox over Cleveland
Baseball Betting Lines
07/01/2009 - Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ramon Castro hit a go-ahead three-run homer in a four-run sixth inning, and Jose Contreras pitched eight strong frames as the Chicago White Sox completed a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Indians with a 6-2 victory.
Castro hit his fifth homer of the year, while Contreras (3-7) allowed only two runs on five hits with a walk and eight strikeouts to earn his third win in five decisions.
Alexei Ramirez went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, and Jim Thome, Paul Konerko and Gordon Beckham each had a pair of hits in the White Sox's fifth straight win.
Shin-Soo Choo and Grady Sizemore each had an RBI, while Jamey Carroll and Victor Martinez scored a run apiece for the Indians, who have lost five in a row. Jeremy Sowers (2-6) yielded five runs on 11 hits with a walk and two strikeouts in six innings of work.
After 2 1/2 scoreless innings, the Indians jumped in front in the third. Carroll started the frame with a single to right and moved to third on Ben Francisco's double. After Asdrubal Cabrera struck out, Sizemore hit an RBI groundout to second.
Ramirez's RBI single in the fifth tied the game and the White Sox stormed ahead with four runs in the sixth.
Thome started the rally with a one-out single, and Konerko followed suit with another base hit. Castro followed by belting an outside pitch over the fence in right for a 4-1 Chicago lead. Jayson Nix made it four hits in a row with a double, and he scored on Beckham's RBI single for a four-run cushion.
Cleveland cut its deficit to three in the home sixth on back-to-back two-out doubles from Martinez and Choo.
However, Chicago restored a four-run lead in the seventh on Konerko's two-out RBI hit.
Contreras lasted through the eighth without giving up another run, and Matt Thornton pitched a scoreless ninth to polish off the win.
Game Notes
The White Sox lead the season series, 5-4...Chicago was 5-for-9 with runners in scoring position, while the Indians were just 1-for-7.
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rodriguez continued his recent power surge, belting the go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning that lifted the New York Yankees to their seventh straight victory, 4-2, over the Seattle Mariner
<< Canadiens sign Gionta, Gill
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Canadiens have signed forward
Brian Gionta to a five-year contract and defenseman Hal Gill to a two-year
deal, the team announced Wednesday.
Financial terms of both deals were not release
<< Flames sign Sjostrom
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Flames signed forward Fredrik
Sjostrom, the club announced on Wednesday. Terms of the deal were not
disclosed.
Sjostrom, who was an original first round pick (11th overall) of the P
<< Rangers give long-term deal to Gaborik
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Rangers made a big splash on the
first day of free agency, inking free agent forward Marian Gaborik to a five-
year contract.
TSN Canada is reporting the deal is worth $7.5 million yearly.
Ga
<< Coyotes ink G LaBarbera to two-year deal
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Coyotes have signed goaltender
Jason LaBarbera to a two-year contract, the team announced Wednesday.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
LaBarbera, 29, split last season between
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin Prado was at it again, scoring three runs and driving in two more runs after a four-RBI evening on Tuesday, as Atlanta poured it on Philadelphia, 11-1, at Turner Field. Gregor Blanco scored tw
Cubs grab early lead, top Pirates >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Derrek Lee belted a two-run home run and
Randy Wells tossed seven innings of one-run ball to lead the Chicago Cubs past
the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-1, in the rubber match of a three-game set at PNC
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Butler/Georgetown, Indiana/Pittsburgh comprise Jimmy V Classic >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Butler will face Georgetown, and Indiana will
take on Pittsburgh in the matchups for this year's Jimmy V Classic, to be held
at Madison Square Garden on December 8.
This will be the debut for Georgetown and
Cueto, Reds blank D'Backs >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Johnny Cueto tossed six shutout innings and
the Reds bullpen finished the two-hitter from there, as Cincinnati blanked
Arizona, 1-0, in the second of three games with the Diamondbacks.
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Ottawa brings back Neil >>
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators announced on Wednesday that
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reported $8 million.
The Ottawa Sun reports Neil chose to stay in Ottawa despite a
American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies
It's that time of year folks. Betting on American Idol Season 9. And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below. With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.
No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.
Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.
Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.
Odds to Win
There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.
All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.
A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.
Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.
Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol.
Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.
If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.
Elimination Props
Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.
Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.
Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups
The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.
Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.