A's rally to slip past Royals

Baseball Betting Lines

07/17/2010 - Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adam Rosales drove in the go-ahead run with a single in the top of the ninth inning, as the Oakland Athletics rallied past the Kansas City Royals, 6-5, in the second test of a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium.

Rosales finished 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored for the Athletics, who have won four in a row. Kevin Kouzmanoff knocked in three runs and scored once for the victors.

Craig Breslow (4-2) tossed a scoreless eighth to pick up the win. Andrew Bailey recorded his 19th save of the year.

Yuniesky Betancourt hit a grand slam for the Royals, who have dropped five straight games.

Wwwcelebritybabes Baseball Betting News

<< Hart and Fielder lead Brewers over Braves
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Corey Hart's three-run double punctuated a five-run seventh inning, as the Milwaukee Brewers doubled up the Atlanta Braves, 6-3, in the third test of a four-game series at Turner Field. Prince Field

<< Bautista's homer pushes Blue Jays over Orioles
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Bautista hit a two-run homer in the top of the eighth inning, lifting the Toronto Blue Jays over the Baltimore Orioles, 3-2, in the second test of a three-game set at Camden Yards. Fred Lewis h

<< Pavano tosses another complete game in Twins' win over ChiSox
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carl Pavano threw his fourth complete game of the season, outpitching Mark Buehrle to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Target Field. Pavano (11-6), who had ne

<< Johnson, Paulino lift Marlins in shutout of Nats
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ronny Paulino hit a two-run single in the bottom of the second inning, and the Florida Marlins posted a 2-0 victory over Washington in the second test of a three-game series at Sun Life Stadium. Florida

<< Chicago signs Mexican striker Castillo as DP
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Fire announced Saturday night they have signed 26-year-old Mexican forward Nery Castillo as a Designated Player. Chicago announced the signing after its 1-0 loss to the New England Revolution in th

Wambach leads U.S. women over Sweden >>
East Hartford, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Abby Wambach scored two goals to lead the United States women's national team to a 3-0 win over Sweden on Saturday night in a friendly at Rentschler Field. Megan Rapinoe opened the scoring in the 34th min

Youkilis' sac fly lifts Red Sox over Rangers in 11th >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Youkilis' sacrifice fly in the 11th inning gave the Boston Red Sox a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers in the third contest of a four-game set from Fenway Park. With Alexi Ogando (3-1) on the mo

One More Laugh captures Meadowlands Pace >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One More Laugh, driven by Tim Tetrick, turned the tables on Rock N Roll Heaven to win Saturday's $1 million Meadowlands Pace at The Meadowlands. The three-year-old gelding covered the mile in

Volquez solid in return to mound; Reds rout Rockies >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Edinson Volquez made a triumphant return to the mound in his first start in more than a year and was backed by four home runs, as the Reds crushed the Rockies, 8-1, at Great American Ball Park. Volqu

Covello still leads suspended Players Cup >>
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vince Covello is one-over through 11 holes, but is still in the first during Saturday's suspended third round of The Players Cup. Covello is nine-under par for the championship and one shot ahead

Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).

Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.

A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.

Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.

"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.

De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.

The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.

The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.

De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.

Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.

But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.