Cueto, Reds blank D'Backs
Baseball Betting Lines
07/01/2009 - 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.
Cueto (8-4) surrendered one hit and struck out eight, but walked four. However, he kept the Diamondbacks off the scoreboard, and Arthur Rhodes, David Weathers and Francisco Cordero each tossed a scoreless inning of relief as the Reds notched their seventh shutout this season.
Rhodes allowed the only other hit and walked two, while Cordero notched his 19th save this season.
Joey Votto went 2-for-4 and drove in the game's lone run for Cincinnati, which went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position, but held on to win for the third time in its last four games.
Jon Garland (4-8) allowed the one run on six hits in six innings of work for the Diamondbacks, and was dealt the loss. He has not won a start since May 19, going 0-6 in eight outings since then.
Felipe Lopez and Gerardo Parra had a hit each for Arizona, which won the opener of this series on Tuesday, but lost for the ninth time in its last 11 games. The Diamondbacks have not won back-to-back games since defeating Kansas City on June 17 and 18.
The Reds pushed a run across in the sixth, which Chris Dickerson opened with a single. Dickerson went to second on Jerry Hairston Jr.'s groundout, then scored when Votto's blooper fell for a single.
The Diamondbacks had a tremendous chance to score in the next inning, as Parra reached base on a bunt single to lead off. Parra moved to second on Rhodes' wild pitch, and Chris Young followed with a walk.
The runners moved into scoring position on Miguel Montero's sacrifice, but Rhodes struck out pinch-hitter Ryan Roberts. After Rhodes walked pinch-hitter Tony Clark, he got Lopez to fly out to end the threat.
Cincinnati had a scoring opportunity in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with one out. But Clay Zavada, who began the frame in place of Cueto, fanned Dickerson for the second out before Juan Gutierrez entered and ended the inning on a Hairston pop-out.
Weathers worked a 1-2-3 eighth and Cordero tossed a perfect ninth to secure the 1-0 victory.
Game Notes
Cueto improved to 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in four lifetime starts vs. Arizona...Cueto has also had four starts this season in which he did not give up an earned run...Cordero is 19-for-20 in save opportunities this season...Dickerson and Ramon Hernandez each had two hits for the Reds...Each team left seven runners on base...Cueto threw 108 pitches (58 strikes) in his six innings, while Garland needed 71 (50 strikes) to make it through six...The Diamondbacks were shut out for the sixth time this season...Cincinnati recorded its first shutout since May 5.
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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.
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.