05/09/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Citizens of San Diego may be renowned for their laid-back and easy-going approach to life, but the patience of the hometown Padres' brass has got to be wearing thin with the way the team has performed over the past three weeks.
After being swept by the Atlanta Braves to conclude a miserable nine-game road trip, the Padres have now lost 17 times in their last 21 outings. That unwanted record is the franchise's worst over that span of games since San Diego also went 4-17 during a portion of the 2003 season, when the club placed at the bottom of the National League standings with a 64-98 overall mark.
The Padres seem on their way to a similar horrid showing in 2008. Entering Friday's play, San Diego holds the worst record in the majors at 12-23 and hasn't strung together back-to-backs wins since April 13-15.
With each passing loss, it's become increasingly evident that some segment of change is going to be necessary if the Padres still have aspirations of competing with the likes of Arizona and Los Angeles in the rugged NL West. While San Diego's never been an offensive juggernaut since moving into spacious Petco Park in 2004, the team usually compensated for its lineup shortcomings with exceptional pitching depth. That no longer appears to be the case, as the rotation members have struggled to find consistency behind ace Jake Peavy and a once-bulletproof bullpen has shown a number of chinks in the armor over the season's first month.
Manager Bud Black took one step towards finding a solution this past week, when the second-year skipper bumped Justin Germano from a starting role and into the bullpen and inserted long reliever Wil Ledezma into the rotation. The initial results were encouraging, as Ledezma limited Atlanta to one unearned run over four innings in his first season start on Thursday.
The Padres' biggest problems still remain on offense, as the team ranks last in the majors in both batting average (.232) and on-base percentage (.304) and is tied with San Francisco for the fewest runs (117) in baseball.
The weakest link on the league's weakest unit has been aging center fielder Jim Edmonds, who's batting a paltry .178 with one home run in 90 at-bats. A possible sign of the coaching staff's waning confidence in the injury-prone 37-year-old came during Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Braves, when Edmonds was lifted in favor of Rule 5 draftee Callix Crabbe to bat in the ninth inning.
Edmonds' startling lack of production has lent to speculation that the Padres may soon cut ties with the eight-time Gold Glove winner, although the organization would have to eat nearly $5 million in guaranteed salary if Edmonds is released. San Diego does have a veteran alternative at the position in Jody Gerut, who's batting .308 with five home runs at Triple-A Portland.
Another possible answer could come from top prospect Chase Headley, a 24-year- old switch-hitting outfielder who's been tearing up Pacific Coast League pitching as of late. A second-round selection in the 2005 draft, Headley has batted .463 (19-for-41) over his last 10 games with Portland to raise his season average to .304.
WELCOME BACK
Pitcher Shawn Estes made his first major league appearance in more than two years when the oft-injured left-hander took over for Ledezma in Thursday's game. Estes worked 1 2/3 innings and was charged with allowing two runs, both of which were unearned due to a costly error by Crabbe at second base.
Estes last pitched in the majors on April 5, 2006 and made just one start for the Padres that year before having to undergo Tommy John surgery on his elbow. The 35-year-old returned to competitive action in June of last season, compiling an 0-2 record and a 4.45 earned run average over 28 1/3 innings pitched at three stops in the minors.
The veteran hurler was brought back by San Diego on a minor-league deal during the offseason but failed to win a roster spot in spring training. Estes pitched well at Triple-A Portland, where he went 4-2 with a 3.67 ERA in six starts, and was promoted to the big club when the Padres placed reliever Kevin Cameron on the disabled list Thursday.
"It was exciting," Estes told the team's official site when asked about his long-awaited return to the majors. "I had the adrenaline going. I don't think I felt my legs for six pitches,"
Estes broke into the big leagues with San Francisco in 1995 and had his best season with the Giants in 1997, when he amassed a 19-5 record and a 3.18 ERA and earned a spot on the NL All-Star team. He owns a 99-90 all-time mark over 275 career appearances (273 starts) while playing for seven different teams.
STILL STUCK ON 349
Career victory No. 350 for Greg Maddux remains an elusive milestone for the legendary Padres pitcher, who failed on his fourth attempt to record the feat during Sunday' 10-3 loss at Florida. The four-time NL Cy Young winner was tagged for five runs (4 earned) and 11 hits by the upstart Marlins in 5 2/3 innings of work.
Since registering his 349th career win at Los Angeles on April 13, Maddux has gone 0-3 with a 5.54 ERA in four starts. The 42-year-old's next attempt at the benchmark victory will come on Saturday against Colorado.
Only eight pitchers in major league history have amassed 350 all-time wins, with Roger Clemens the last to accomplish the feat on July 2, 2007. The embattled Clemens ended his career with 354 victories.
WHO'S HOT
First baseman Adrian Gonzalez is one of the few Padres swinging a hot bat. The left-handed slugger hit safely in all nine games of the road trip and batted .375 (15-for-40) with four home runs and eight RBI over the course of the trek. He leads San Diego with a .307 average, eight homers and 25 RBI for the season.
WHO'S NOT
Left-handed relief specialist Joe Thatcher fell to 0-4 on the year after giving up the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning in Thursday's 5-4 loss to Atlanta. The Indiana State alum has surrendered 13 runs in 17 1/3 innings over his 16 appearances in 2008, while opposing batters have hit .357 against him so far this season.
Shortstop Khalil Greene went just 5-for-30 (.167) on the recent road trip, dropping his season average to an anemic .209. The defensive whiz also has just one homer in 129 at-bats after slugging a career-high 27 a year ago.
ON DECK
The Padres will square off against an old nemesis when they return home on Friday, as the division-rival Colorado Rockies visit Petco Park for a three- game weekend set. Colorado has won seven of its last encounters with San Diego, including that memorable 9-8, 13-inning thriller at Coors Field last October that propelled the Rockies into the 2007 postseason.
Peavy (4-1, 2.22) will go head-to-head with Aaron Cook (5-1, 2.40) in a battle of aces in the series opener, with Maddux (2-3, 4.09) opposing youngster Ubaldo Jimenez (1-2, 5.82) on Saturday. Greg Reynolds is slated to make his major league debut for the Rockies in Sunday's finale, while Chris Young (2-3, 4.31) takes the mound for the home team.
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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.
Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends
We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS. Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned. For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go. As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190). Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet. For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction. On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later. Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick. Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com
New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors
Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season.
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls
Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times.
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons
Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season.
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers
In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS.
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”. With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit. Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.
About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.
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