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
05/14/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After six weeks of play, delving into the Chicago White Sox' laundry list of problems is like opening Pandora's Box.
Chicago (14-20) has not won back-to-back games since the final week of April, a feat the team has accomplished only twice all season. Offensively, the team is hitting a combined .230, which ranks dead last in the American League.
In Wednesday's 3-2 loss to Minnesota, the White Sox did all of their scoring in the first inning and the final 14 batters went down in order. They are now 1-15 in games when they score three runs or less.
And with that, Chicago remains 8 1/2 games behind the division-leading Twins, and the teams won't face off again for another two months. Manager Ozzie Guillen was clearly frustrated while talking to reporters after Wednesday's game.
At least one person is optimistic, and that's the guy who works directly with the hitters day in, day out.
"Right now, to this point, everybody is dwelling on batting average and says we are not hitting for average," hitting coach Greg Walker told the Chicago Tribune. "We are not last in the league in offense. We are middle of the pack scoring runs. Last time I checked, there's no penetration rule or tiebreaker in baseball.
"I don't look at it so much as where we are at. I look at the potential we have. You've never heard me one time say this team is not talented enough to be good."
One of those guys Wilson is counting on to produce is right fielder Carlos Quentin, who is now hitting .180 on the season after going 0-for-8 in two games with the Twins this week. Quentin was expected to be a key cog in the middle of the lineup, though he has not been able to replicate his 2008 season, when he hit .288 with 36 home runs and 100 RBI during his first year in Chicago.
Guillen said this week that Quentin is putting too much pressure on himself, and that needs to just relax and take good at-bats. On Wednesday, he had planned to replace Quentin in the lineup with Andruw Jones -- whose offensive struggles have been well documented -- but that plan changed when Jones was a last-minute lineup scratch with stiffness in his neck.
While Quentin and the offense continue to search for answers, the starting rotation ranks 24th in the majors with a 4.80 ERA. At the same time, Guillen has opened the search for another closer after Bobby Jenks' meltdown in Sunday's 9-7 loss to Toronto. Jenks entered the game with a two-run lead and wound up allowing four runs without retiring a batter. He has now allowed 20 hits in 13 innings this season and has seen his ERA balloon to 6.23.
Jenks did end up closing out Tuesday's 5-2 win at Minnesota, though Guillen has not ruled out the possibility of turning to left-hander Matt Thornton (2-2, 2.20) or right-hander J.J. Putz (0-2, 4.91), who was Seattle's closer from 2006-08 before an injury shortened season with the Mets last year.
END OF THE ROAD FOR HILLMAN IN KANSAS CITY
Nobody told Trey Hillman that managing the Kansas City Royals would be an easy job. On Thursday morning, that reality came to a head when general manager Dayton Moore replaced Hillman with Ned Yost.
Following a seven-game skid that dropped the team's record to 11-23 entering Thursday, Moore decided it was time to make the move to Yost, who managed the Milwaukee Brewers from 2003-08. He had been serving as a special advisor to baseball operations with Kansas City.
Hillman was in the third and final year of his contract. For all of the Royals' misery over the years, they haven't had too much success among their early draft choices. Third baseman Alex Gordon -- the team's 2005 top pick -- was viewed as a future cornerstone, but so far he has crashed and burned. Earlier this year, he was optioned back to the minors and was recently moved to left field. Luke Hochevar -- the top overall selection of the 2006 draft -- is 16-27 with a 5.85 ERA in 55 career starts. And the list goes on.
Brewers' general manager Doug Melvin credited Yost for developing young players in Milwaukee -- namely infielders J.J. Hardy, Ricky Weeks and Prince Fielder -- while also getting top production from mid-level players such as Scott Podsednik.
Ultimately, Moore broke the news to Hillman Thursday morning, and then gave him the option to manage that night's game against Cleveland, which the Royals went on to win, 6-4.
"(Hillman) said, 'I'm not going out losing seven in a row. I'm going to go out a winner today,'" Moore said.
TWINS READY FOR LITMUS TEST WITH YANKEES
The Minnesota Twins have coasted through the early portion of the season, boasting a 22-12 record and opening up a 2 1/2-game lead in the AL Central.
Now, the road is about to get dicey, as the Twins begin a seven-game road trip against AL East foes New York, Toronto and Boston, beginning tonight at Yankee Stadium. There may not be a more daunting venue across the league right now than Yankee Stadium, where the reigning World Series champs are 10-2 thus far.
Of course, Twins fans remember all too well last season when Minnesota went 0-10 against the Bronx Bombers, including a swift first-round playoff exit.
Under manager Ron Gardenhire, the Twins have won five of the last eight AL Central titles. Still, when it comes to the Yankees, one can't help but feel there is somewhat of a big brother-little brother complex at work.
The Twins catch a bit of good fortune this weekend, as they won't have to face staff ace C.C. Sabathia or unbeaten Phil Hughes (5-0, 1.38). These teams will face off again at Target Field later this month.
TIGERS SEND MESSAGE TO REST OF AL
While the Twins get set to take on the Yankees this weekend, the Detroit Tigers just wrapped up their early-season test with the champs. And they passed with flying colors, taking three of four from the Bronx Bombers this week to capture their first home series victory over New York since 2007.
With that, Detroit improves to 20-15, entering play Friday 2 1/2 games off the pace in the division, and 5 1/2 games ahead of third-place Chicago. Unless the landscape of the AL Central changes soon, it's looking like we could be headed toward a two-team race in the division.
The Yankees series had a bit of everything. Detroit scratched and clawed its way to a 5-4 win to open the series on Monday night, the same night the organization honored the late Hall of Fame broadcaster Ernie Harwell.
The teams split Wednesday's doubleheader, with the Tigers winning the front end, 2-0, behind seven shutout innings from starter Rick Porcello. In between games, about half the team decided to get mohawk haircuts.
On Thursday, Justin Verlander outdueled Yankees' ace C.C. Sabathia, as he threw 6 2/3 scoreless frames to lead the Tigers in a 6-0 win. The offense was aggressive in that victory, scoring six runs on nine hits off Sabathia. It marked his highest run total allowed in any game this season.
Now, the Tigers move on to face Boston in a three-game set this weekend, followed by two more home games against the White Sox before beginning a seven-game road trip.
TRIBE'S REBUILDING PLAN HITS A ROAD BLOCK
When a team makes the decision to rebuild, very rarely is it a streamlined process with the results steadily improving from one day to the next. When you're talking about young players getting their first extensive taste of the daily grind that is Major League Baseball, there are bound to be some road blocks.
The Cleveland Indians (13-19) are finding that out right now.
Matt LaPorta, acquired as the key piece to the Sabathia deal in July 2008, has seen his playing time cut dramatically as he's struggled with a .218 batting average.
Luis Valbuena, who is viewed as the team's primary second baseman now and in the future, has also been given more and more days off to clear his head. He is hitting just .159.
Manager Manny Acta had a closed-door meeting with young left-hander David Huff following Thursday's 6-4 loss to Kansas City, in which Huff allowed six runs in five innings. Huff is now 1-5 with a 5.34 ERA -- although those numbers would be worse had his last start not been rained out after he allowed seven runs through two innings.
Acta's message was clear: "command the fastball and be aggressive with it."
Acta is sticking behind his young guns because he knows they are the building blocks of the team's future. But still, that doesn't mean he'll always play those youngsters over veterans who are more productive.
"We can't lose track of the big picture," Acta said. "We're trying to find other players to go along with Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner, Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo for the long ride. We're still trying to develop these guys."
<< Reeling Revs hope to right ship vs. San Jose
Foxborough, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Revolution host the San Jose
Earthquakes at Gillette Stadium on Saturday in a battle of two Major League
Soccer clubs heading in opposite directions.
Since the two sides met in a league
<< Lille hopes to hold off Lyon for second place
Lorient, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With Marseille having already clinched the
Ligue 1 title, most of the attention in France turns to the race for Champions
League places on the final day of the season.
Lille is in position to grab second
<< Hillman not to blame in Kansas City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It wasn't a complete shock that the Trey Hillman era ended
in Kansas City on Thursday.
The Royals had taken a step back last year following a promising 2008 that saw
them out of the American League Central cellar for the f
<< Stanley Cup Playoff Preview - San Jose vs. Chicago
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Finally, the San Jose Sharks have turned in a postseason
run that seems worthy of their regular-season success.
But, just because the club has finally made it past the second round doesn't
mean that the pressure is off the
Crew, Chivas clash before losing U.S. players >>
Columbus, Ohio (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Columbus is one of just two undefeated teams
remaining in MLS but, like the unbeaten Los Angeles Galaxy, the Crew are about
to face a spell without some of their top players.
Columbus defender Chad Marshall
Can Super Saver make it two in a Row? >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Only one horse has a chance to win the
Triple Crown and that's Kentucky Derby champion Super Saver. The Todd
Pletcher-trained colt will take the next step towards racing immortality this
Saturda
Serie A title to be decided on final day >>
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Serie A title race has come down to the
final day with defending champions Inter Milan holding a two-point lead on
second-placed Roma.
Inter can secure its fourth successive Scudetto with a win at r
Nebraska extends women's basketball coach Yori through 2015 >>
Lincoln, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nebraska announced on Friday that women's head
basketball coach Connie Yori received a three-year contract extension through
the 2014-15 season.
The National Coach of the Year, Yori led Nebraska to its
Check out all of the NFL football betting promotions at the best online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. At this Sportsbook they provide the best NFL & College Football betting lines, promotions, and free contests.
More Props Equals More Fun
There is quite simply no one else in the World that offers you more proposition and futures wagers than we do. Player Props, Scoring Titles, Scoring by Quarter and by half. Dozens of daily Golf Matchups. Racing Fans will be in heaven with our selection. There is quite simply only one way to show you.
If Win and If Action Sports Betting
On an NFL Sunday there are less than 15 minutes between the morning games and the afternoon games. How do you get your second bet down? We have just the solution for you, If Bets. Its a simple bet in which you wager a fixed amount on one team and if that team wins, then the same amount as your original wager is placed on a different team.
Football Teasers up to 15 Teams
You can tease together up to 15 teams removing as many as 10 points off the spread. We offer 6, 6.5 and 7 point teasers as well as 3 team 10 point teasers. Click here to see our full Payout Table. You can tease NCAA & Pro games together as well.
Football Parlays up to 12 Teams
We offer parlays from 2 to 12 teams, paying up to 1,800 to 1. You can parlay teams from different sports, you can parlay totals and sides and you can even parlay together our huge selection of proposition wagers.
Progressive Parlays - Football betting
We were the first to create Progressive Parlays and now the world has followed. Play an 8 team parlay and if 6, 7, or 8 teams win, you win. Play a 4 team parlay, if 3 or 4 teams win, you win. Even if you dont win all the games in your parlay, you can Still Win!
Double Your Money Mondays NFL Football Betting
Free contest for Members! Double your winnings with our Sportsbook during football season! On specific football games throughout the year, our Sportsbook will have regular contests where you can double your winnings on selected games.
$1,000.00 Weekly Pigskin Payout NFL Football Contest
Make a free football bet on us! We're giving our members a chance to walk away with a part of $1,000.00 in v-chips for free every week this football season. Simply fill out our weekly $1,000 Pigskin Payout entry form and you're eligible to win.
Free NFL Football $10 No Risk Bet
We offer a risk free football prop bet to active members. It is posted on the main page once you login. Make a $10 bet and enjoy the profits if you win and we'll refund the wager if it loses. The refund is credited automatically to your account.
Buy Points - Adjust the spread for Football Betting
We offer you the chance to adjust the odds in your favor. You can now buy up to 3 points off the "spread" and "total" numbers for football and basketball games. Get the advantage in your betting with our Sportsbook.
$100,000 Weekly Football Challenge
As a member you can "log in" and pick 13 teams from our selection of listed games under the heading $100,000 Challenge and when they all win against the spread, you win the ultimate handicapping prize, $100,000.00 CASH.
Football In Game Betting
We are now proud to bring you LIVE In Game Betting odds. Follow the plays and put a wager down as the game goes. Odds will be posted on our site under "In Game Betting" once the game starts and throughout the whole game.
NFL Player to Score First Contest
If our randomly selected player scores the first Touchdown in a selected game, we'll refund the wagers on ALL other players in our "Player to Score First" future.
No Juice College Football Game of the Week
Every Saturday we will pick one afternoon nationally televised game and offer the game at even odds, lay $100 to win $100. No Juice! What better way to kill a Saturday afternoon and make some quick cash.
NFL Football Betting Shutout Refund
We have to be the only place to bet the Money Lines. If your NFL team is shutout, we will refund All Money Line Bets. It's that simple, a shutout means a Full refund!
Free Printable NFL Office Pool Sheets
Run your own NFL Football Office Pool. Create your own pool, invite your friends to join. Compete with your with co-workers, friends or family for bragging rights every week.
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