Bonds may sit as Giants resume set with Brewers

Baseball Betting Lines

07/21/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With the MLB commissioner looking on, Barry Bonds will again try to inch closer to Hank Aaron's all-time home run record this afternoon when the San Francisco Giants play the middle portion of their three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.

One day removed from a two-homer performance against the Cubs on Thursday that gave Bonds 753 career long balls, just two shy of equaling Aaron's mark, the slugger went 0-for-4 in his team's series-opening 8-4 victory yesterday.

Also of note was the attendance of commissioner Bud Selig, who plans to attend the rest of the series in his hometown of Milwaukee. Whether or not Selig should or will be there when Bonds breaks Aaron's record has been a running subplot all season.

Not only is Milwaukee the home of Selig, but it is also where Aaron played from 1954-65 with the Milwaukee Braves and then in 1975-76 with the Brewers. Coincidentally, Aaron blasted the 755th homer of his career on July 20, 1976 in Milwaukee.

There is a chance that Bonds will not be in the starting lineup due to today's 3:55 p.m. (et) start time. The two teams squared off in a night contest yesterday and Bonds recently sat out the first three games of a four-game set with the Cubs to rest his legs.

Should he start though, Bonds will face a pitcher in Dave Bush who he is just 1-for-6 against lifetime with two strikeouts and no homers.

If Bonds doesn't play, the Giants will hope his teammates can pick up him like they did in the series opener on Friday. Guillermo Rodriguez knocked in three runs in yesterday's victory, while Dave Roberts had three hits and an RBI.

Noah Lowry (10-7) allowed four runs -- three earned -- in six innings of work to take the win, just the Giants second in nine games.

Jeff Suppan started for Milwaukee and yielded three runs over five innings for the Brewers, who have lost two of three. Carlos Villanueva (6-2) coughed up a Milwaukee lead late in the game to take the loss.

J.J. Hardy had two RBI as the Brewers fell to 5-3 on a 10-game homestand, but more importantly, have seen their lead in the National League Central dip to just 2 1/2 games over the second-place Cubs.

Bush toes the rubber for Milwaukee and is 5-1 over his last six starts. He is coming off consecutive victories, besting Washington behind seven innings of one-run ball on July 6 before downing Arizona on Monday. Against the Diamondbacks, Bush scattered three runs on three homers and five hits over six innings, improving to 8-7 on the year with a 4.84 earned run average.

The right-hander is 1-1 in three games (two starts) lifetime versus the Giants with a 3.71 ERA. All three of those outings came last year.

Tim Lincecum will try to extend his stretch of impressive outings when he starts for the Giants. The rookie hurler posted back-to-back wins on July 1 and 7, allowing just three runs over 13 total innings, and then received a no- decision in his first start after the All-Star break on July 16 versus Chicago.

Against the Cubs, Lincecum allowed only one run and two hits, but also walked five over 6 1/3 innings of his club's 3-2 setback. He struck out eight on the day, however, and is 4-2 with a 4.37 ERA this year.

The 23-year-old right-hander faced Milwaukee for the first time in his career on June 19 and was roughed up for six runs over four innings in the loss.

The Brewers had won seven straight -- all at home -- versus the Giants until yesterday's loss. That included a three-game sweep this year in Milwaukee from June 18-20.

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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.

Huskers' Lucky hospitalized for undisclosed reason

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky was hospitalized Monday for undisclosed reasons after Lincoln police responded to a call at his residence.

The Nebraska athletic department said in a release Monday that Lucky was admitted Sunday night.

MySportsbook.com has the Cornhuskers listed at +2500 to win the BCS National Championship odds.

A nursing supervisor at the hospital said all questions about Lucky were being referred to the athletic department. The athletic department said there would be no further comment from the department or Lucky's family.

A Lincoln Police spokesman said officers responded to a call at Lucky's residence 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The spokesman said he didn't know Lucky's condition at the time he was taken to the hospital.

Lucky, from North Hollywood, Calif., started six games last season as a sophomore and was the team's second-leading rusher, with 728 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 383 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.