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05/28/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When your team has the second-worst record in the American League and boasts the lowest attendance totals in all of baseball, you're bound to be the butt of a few jokes.
That seems be the case for the Cleveland Indians, who are just 8-15 in the month of May and are approaching new levels of futility.
According to a recent report (with pictures) on the Dan LeBatard Show, Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen had some fun with a Cleveland fan prior to Tuesday's game. The fan had asked Guillen to sign a ball. Guillen obliged, sort of.
On the one side of the ball, he signed, "Bye Bye Lebron!! LOL." And on the other side, "When are you going to win anything in sports? Please."
For the record, Guillen later said he had signed the ball for a friend of his. Still, when it comes to a fan base as tortured as Cleveland's, Guillen would probably be wise to tap into his sensitivity training from a few years ago. In any case, you at least have to give the guy credit for always knowing how to stir the pot.
All jokes aside, Indians manager Manny Acta is turning over every stone to try and keep his team competitive amidst some major roster turnover. Among those efforts is the 'positive at-bats' channel, which is available to the hitters every day on the in-house monitor in the Progressive Field clubhouse. Essentially, the channel features that day's opposing starting pitcher. But rather than always showing the pitcher's last outing, as most clubs do, the 'positive at-bats' channel shows the last time he got shelled.
"It's positive reinforcement," hitting coach Jon Nunnally said. "It reminds them that they can get the pitch they want to get and have success."
Meanwhile, the front office is also doing its part to accelerate the rebuilding process. However, as general manager Mark Shapiro rolls up his sleeves and immerses himself in that process, he can't help but be reminded of the many failures from the past decade.
As a recent column in The Cleveland Plain Dealer pointed out, of the 28 players the team has drafted in the first and second rounds between 2000-06, Trevor Crowe is the only position player currently in the majors. Jeremy Guthrie (2002), Brian Tallet (2000) and David Huff (2006) represent the only pitchers in the big leagues, although that trio hasn't exactly drawn rave reviews.
But the tide appears to be turning with regard to some of the Tribe's high- profile prospects.
Mitch Talbot, a 2002 second-round pick by the Houston Astros, leads all big league rookies with six wins, and he trails only Tampa Bay's David Price (seven) among all American League hurlers.
Shortstop Jason Donald, a third-round pick by the Philadelphia Phillies who was acquired in the Cliff Lee deal, has started to come along since being called up May 18. Donald is 6-for-15 over the last five games, and on Tuesday he registered his first big league home run off White Sox' starter Jake Peavy. Donald has also turned heads with his smooth glove and high intensity.
Meanwhile, down in Triple-A Columbus, top prospect Carlos Santana is hitting .313 and just belted his 10th home run of the season on Wednesday. The catcher leads the International League in on-base percentage (.447) and walks (35), ranks third in slugging percentage (.573) and OPS (1.020), and is tied for third in homers and fourth in RBI (40).
Of course, Santana was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as a nondrafted free agent in 2004. With this year's draft quickly approaching on June 7, the Indians have the fifth pick. Obviously, they would love to strike gold in the later rounds or even find another nondraftee gem like Santana. But considering the way things have gone for the organization lately, it's almost imperative the team finds a player with that No. 5 pick.
DETROIT HOLDING LEADS
When leading in the seventh inning or later, the Detroit Tigers (25-21) have lost only two games this season, which is tied for the third-best mark in the American League. Now, consider that Detroit's starters are last in the league with 18 quality starts out of 46 games, and the picture becomes clearer as to why the Tigers remain in second place in the division, trailing Minnesota by 1 1/2 games.
Yes, the bullpen deserves most of the early-season kudos. In 11 of the Tigers' 25 wins, the bullpen hasn't allowed a run and has pitched at least three innings, according to the Detroit Free Press. But how long can they keep it up?
If the starters continue to rank last in the league in ERA (5.01) and innings pitched (257), probably not very long, one would figure. On three occasions this season, the Tigers have rallied to win after trailing by five runs in the sixth inning or later. While that may make for good TV, it's no way to go through a 162-game season. Sooner or later, the starters are going to have to hold up their end of the deal in Detroit.
CAUSE FOR CONCERN IN CHI-TOWN?
When it comes to the Chicago White Sox' schedule, there are no easy matchups.
Entering this weekend's four-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays, owners of the best record in all of baseball, Chicago was 14-14 against teams with records of .500 or better, but 6-12 against teams with losing records.
"I guess it's a matter of just gearing up for the big games," reliever Scott Linebrink told the Chicago Tribune. "It's a lesson to us that we need to take the same intensity all the time. There are no pushovers in the league. We've got to play good ball against everybody.
"(Young teams) sometimes are the most dangerous. They've got nothing to lose. They're not playing for anything, and you can tell they're playing relaxed."
In other team news, starting pitcher Jake Peavy clarified some comments he made following Tuesday's start, in which he gave up six earned runs in six innings and was charged with his fourth loss of the year. Multiple reports described Peavy as having arm fatigue after the game.
"I just said I didn't have good stuff and didn't feel that great," he told the team's Web site. "That's part of being a pitcher. You won't make 33 or 34 starts and feel good and have A-plus stuff. Stuff-wise, the ball wasn't crisp out of my hand. That's part of it. There are times where your arm doesn't respond the way you hope it would. The bottom line is I have to find ways to win and keep the team in the game."
Peavy added that he is sometimes honest to a fault, and he didn't mean for his comments to be misconstrued as having a tired arm. For what it's worth, the Chicago Tribune reported that Peavy would likely skip his bullpen session this week, thus giving his arm more rest leading up to Sunday's scheduled start against the Rays.
BLACKBURN, KUBEL SPARKING TWINS
The Minnesota Twins (27-20) will be glad they won't have to face the AL East again for a while, considering they went 5-10 this month against that division. Still, Minnesota remains in first place in the AL Central despite dropping three of four to the New York Yankees this week.
Two players who helped the Twins avoid a sweep against the Yankees, and who have also keyed the team's early-season success, are Jason Kubel and Nick Blackburn. Blackburn picked up the win in Thursday's 8-2 triumph, as he allowed just two runs in seven innings and did not issue a single walk. The win was Blackburn's fifth in as many outings during the month of May. Just a couple of weeks ago, he stifled the Yankees to three runs over seven innings for a 6-3 win in New York.
Ultimately, Kubel was the hero of that game in Yankee Stadium, as he blasted an eighth-inning grand slam off closer Mariano Rivera to seal the win. This time around, Kubel knocked two homers, collected three hits in all, and drove in five of the team's eight runs.
Kubel hasn't gotten off to a picture-perfect start, batting .233 with five homers as he's adjusted to sharing DH duties with Jim Thome. But he has driven in 27 runs, and Yankees manager Joe Girardi pointed to Kubel's performance last year to make the point that he certainly wasn't being overlooked in the series. Last season, Kubel set career-highs by hitting .300 with 28 homers and 103 RBI. Kubel said he is starting to get into a better groove offensively of late.
"I felt great all day," Kubel said following Thursday's victory. "That's something I haven't been doing too much lately, is just seeing the ball. Instead of swinging at everything, I was able to get some pitches to hit and put some good swings on them."
BUTLER CARRYING KANSAS CITY'S OFFENSE
By now, most baseball fans are aware that Justin Morneau is leading the majors in batting average (.377). Raise your hand if you know who is in second place.
That would be Royals first baseman Billy Butler, who would likely be well on his way to breakout stardom if he weren't playing in Kansas City. Butler has hit safely in 14 of his last 16 games and is hitting at a .348 clip on the season. Last year was his coming out party, as he hit .301 with 21 homers and 93 RBI.
"I don't know if it's because I play in Kansas City or something that they don't take any notice, but hopefully we start winning some more ballgames and people take notice of how good we all can hit," Butler told the team's Web site.
Manager Ned Yost credits Butler's approach, day-in and day-out, and his knack for always studying the game.
"If you ask me if I'd finish second in the league in hitting or get in the playoffs, you know which one I'd choose," Butler said.
Kansas City (20-28) has won two straight -- over Texas and Boston -- and is now just a half-game behind Chicago for third place in the division.
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The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.
Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.
The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.
MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.
To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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