Hillman dismissed as Royals manager; Greinke gets first win
Baseball Betting Lines
05/13/2010 - Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alberto Callaspo hit a three-run homer and Zack Greinke threw six effective innings to pick up his first win of the season, as the Kansas City Royals snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 6-4 victory over the Cleveland Indians in the finale of a three-game set at Kauffman Stadium.
The win, however, wasn't enough to save manager Trey Hillman's job, as the skipper was notified prior to the game he would be dismissed, but insisted on managing the series finale. He was replaced with former big league manager Ned Yost.
"He (Hillman) said, I'm not going out losing seven in a row. I'm going out a winner today and obviously he wore that all day, but during that game didn't share his emotions with anybody else and went out there and managed a baseball game." Royals general manager Dayton Moore said.
Hillman had a 151-207 mark in two-plus seasons with the club, but the Royals still sit at 12-23 and just one game ahead of Baltimore for the worst record in the majors.
"Sometimes a different face, a different voice is a good thing," Hillman said. "I can look back on this experience and say that I know definitively having only 12 wins so far on May 13th, that's not what you're looking for."
Yost, 55, had been in the Royals front office, serving as a special advisor to baseball operations, a position he was appointed to in January. Yost spent 2003-2008 with Milwaukee and managed the Brewers to a 457-502 record, but was fired in September of 2008.
David DeJesus went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Yuniesky Betancourt doubled twice, knocked in a run and scored one for Kansas City, which managed to salvage a win in the series and won for only the second time in its last 11 games overall.
Greinke (1-4) allowed three runs on eight hits, walked two and struck out eight to pick up his first win on the season in his eighth start. Joakim Soria locked the game down in the ninth to record his eighth save of the season.
Asdrubal Cabrera contributed three hits, an RBI and run scored for the Indians, who had a three-game winning streak halted. Jhonny Peralta and Matt LaPorta each added two hits and an RBI in defeat.
David Huff (1-5) was tagged with the loss after getting roughed up for nine hits and six runs in 5 2/3 innings. The left-hander walked one and fanned one.
"I think David couldn't match up with what we wanted, which was match him (Greinke) up after five innings and then we'll go from there, but couldn't hold the lead," Indians manager Manny Acta said.
Cleveland opened the scoring in the third, plating three two-out runs against Greinke. With runners on first and second, RBI singles by Austin Kearns and Peralta and a run-scoring double from LaPorta gave the Tribe the early edge.
Kansas City came back to put up five runs over the fourth and fifth innings. DeJesus singled and Jose Guillen walked to get the fourth started before Callaspo hammered a three-run shot to tie things.
Then in the fifth Betancourt doubled leading off and after the next two batters were retired, an RBI base hit by DeJesus and run-scoring double by Billy Butler put the Royals in front 5-3. Betancourt added an RBI two-bagger in the sixth for a three-run cushion.
Robinson Tejeda pitched a scoreless seventh, before giving up a two-out RBI single to Cabrera in the eighth. Dusty Hughes came on with runners on the corners and got Grady Sizemore to pop up to third to prevent further damage.
In the top of the ninth, Soria allowed a two-out walk to Kearns, but Peralta lined out back to the mound to end the game.
Game Notes
Cleveland took 10 of its 18 matchups with the Royals a year ago...Greinke improved to 7-8 in 24 career appearances -- 19 starts -- against Cleveland...Huff has now lost his last four starts...The Indians went 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11, while Kansas City finished 2-for-9 with RISP and left six.
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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.
Football Betting Lines
The 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds have been released and Denver Broncos' running back Knowshon Moreno has been made the opening favorite.
Moreno was selected in the first round of April's NFL draft and is expected to carry the rushing load for the Broncos this season. And with Jay Cutler now in Chicago, Moreno might be expected to be Denver's entire offense.
Betting Lines from sports betting lines have made Moreno a 5/2 favorite to win this year's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Fellow running back Chris “Beanie” Wells (Arizona Cardinals) is right behind Moreno at 7/2, while Donald Brown (Indianapolis Colts) and receiver Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers) are 5/1 to win. Quarterbacks Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) and Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) are 7/1 and 8/1, respectively.
A couple of players who present some value are Josh Freeman, Shonn Green and Darrius Heyward-Bey.
Freeman needs to beat out Byron Leftwich to become the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but if he does, he has a lot or raw talent and could use the weapons around him (i.e. Kellen Winslow Jr. and Antonio Bryant) to be very successful in his first season.
Green enters a crowded backfield in New York, but considering both Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are unhappy about their contract situations and might holdout, the former Iowa product could become the Jets' primary back.
Everyone was shocked when Al Davis took Heyward-Bey with the eighth overall pick in April's draft, but the kid has a tremendous amount of talent and if quarterback JaMarcus Russell takes the next step this year, the former Maryland product could blossom. Plus, Heyward-Bey will be looking to prove the people wrong who said Oakland should have taken Michael Crabtree with the No. 8 pick.
And if you're looking for a deep sleeper, check out Pat White at 30/1. He enters the Miami Dolphins vaunted “Wild Cat” offense and could be a big time playmaker.
For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds, see below.
2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds to Win
Ramses Barden (NYG) 40/1
Andre Brown (NYG) 20/1
Donald Brown (IND) 5/1
Kenny Britt (TEN) 20/1
Glenn Coffee (SFO) 30/1
Chase Coffman (CIN) 50/1
Michael Crabtree (SFO) 5/1
Josh Freeman (TB) 14/1
Shonn Green (NYJ) 14/1
Percy Harvin (MIN) 10/1
Darrius Heyward-Bay (OAK) 18/1
Juaquan Iglesias (CHI) 30/1
Cornelius Ingram (PHI) 50/1
Rashad Jennings (JAC) 30/1
Johnny Knox (CHI) 40/1
Jeremy Maclin (PHI) 18/1
Mohamed Massaquoi (CLE) 30/1
LeSean McCoy (PHI) 12/1
Knowshon Moreno (DEN) 5/2
Hakeem Nicks (NYG) 18/1
Brandon Pettigrew (DET) 30/1
Brian Robiskie (CLE) 20/1
Mark Sanchez (NYJ) 7/1
Matthew Stafford (DET) 8/1
Jason Smith (STL) 40/1
Mike Thomas (JAC) 25/1
Patrick Turner (MIA) 50/1
Mike Wallace (PIT) 50/1
Chris Wells (ARI) 7/2
Pat White (MIA) 30/1
Field (Any Other Player) 9/1
To visit this sports betting site go to BettingExpress.com for all your football betting lines needs.
For sports betting with credit cards site go to BettingExpress.com as well.