Buck lifts A's over Jays in 12 innings

Baseball Betting Lines

04/11/2008 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Travis Buck drove in all three Oakland runs, including the game-winning, two-RBI double in the 12th inning, as the Athletics continued to thrive in international territory and outlasted the Toronto Blue Jays, 3-2, to complete a three-game sweep at Rogers Centre.

Alex Rios and Vernon Wells both posted two hits for the Blue Jays, who swept Boston prior to this series but have now lost three straight.

Chris Denorfia led off the top of the 12th with a base hit to center, and was advanced to second after Bobby Crosby's ground out to third. With first base open, Toronto reliever Brandon League (0-1) intentionally walked Jack Hannahan, but then loaded the bases when he plunked Kurt Suzuki.

After Denorfia was out at the plate on an Emil Brown fielder's choice, Buck smacked a double to center, scoring Hannahan and Suzuki. The A's stranded an insurance run at third when Jesse Carlson replaced League on the mound and fanned Daric Barton, but still emerged with a 3-1 advantage.

The Blue Jays threatened in the home half of the 12th, but after Wells knocked in Rios with a single to center and Frank Thomas drew a four-pitch walk, Oakland reliever Keith Foulke induced a 6-4-3 double play to seal the victory.

Foulke notched his first save of the young season.

The contest was low scoring throughout and the visitors grabbed a 1-0 lead in the fifth on Buck's RBI double that plated Ryan Sweeney, who had singled with two outs.

Toronto, though, tied the score with a run in the home eighth. With Alan Embree on the hill, Marco Scutaro ripped a leadoff triple and scored on a one- out fly ball off the bat of Shannon Stewart.

Joey Devine (1-0), who was recalled from Triple-A earlier in the day to earned the win with two scoreless innings of relief.

Game Notes

Dana Eveland started for Oakland and tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings with six strikeouts and three walks...Shaun Marcum tossed seven innings of one-run, six-hit ball with eight Ks...The contest took 3 hours, 54 minutes to complete...Earlier Thursday, the Athletics placed pitcher Rich Harden on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained right shoulder. The move is retroactive to April 3 and marks Harden's sixth trip to the DL in the last four years. He was sidelined with a similar injury for most of the 2007 campaign, appearing in only seven games. The oft-injured righty also had two stints on the DL last season, two in 2006 and one in 2005.

Footvall Baseball Betting News

<< Inglese resigns as Boston College's women's basketball coach
Chestnut Hill, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston College women's basketball coach Cathy Inglese resigned Thursday. "I am forever grateful for the rich and rewarding opportunity that Boston College has afforded me for the past 15 years

<< Pettitte strong as Yankees snap Royals' win streak
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada and Melky Cabrera all homered, and Andy Pettitte pitched into the seventh inning as the New York Yankees salvaged the finale of a three-game series by besting Kansas City, 6

<< Bradley helps Rangers finish sweep of O's
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Milton Bradley went 2-for-4 with two runs batted in, and Michael Young homered, as the Texas Rangers edged Baltimore, 5-4, to sweep a doubleheader with the Orioles. The Rangers won the first game, 3-1

<< Reyes sneaks home on Pagan's single in 12th as Mets edge Phillies
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Angel Pagan's two-out single scored Jose Reyes with the winning run in the bottom of the 12th, as the New York Mets edged the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3, in the rubber match of a three-game set at Shea Stadium

<< Nowitzki's game-winning three-pointer clinches playoff spot for Mavs
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dirk Nowitzki poured in 32 points, including the game-winning three-pointer with less than a second remaining, and the Dallas Mavericks clinched a playoff berth with a thrilling 97-94 victory over the Utah Ja

Davis has successful surgery >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Doug Davis underwent what the club described as successful surgery for thyroid cancer on Thursday. "The surgery that was completed this evening by Dr. Bob Evani was

Nabokov's shutout leads Sharks over Flames; series tied 1-1 >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evgeni Nabokov made 21 saves to pick up his sixth career playoff shutout, as the San Jose Sharks blanked the Calgary Flames, 2-0, to even their best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal series

Boston College, Notre Dame to meet in final >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Calle Ridderwall scored the game-winner 5:44 into overtime, as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish advanced to the first championship game in the program's 40-year history with a 5-4 win over the Michiga

Turco, Stars blank Ducks in series opener >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marty Turco stopped all 23 shots he faced for the fourth shutout of his playoff career and four different Dallas players scored on the power play, as the Stars defeated the Anaheim Ducks, 4-0, in the opener

Correia dazzles Cards >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Correia befuddled Cardinals batters over 7 2/3 scoreless frames, as the San Francisco Giants downed the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-1, at AT&T Park. Correia (1-1) mixed a sharp breaking ball wit

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.

SPORTS BETTING

NFL Football Betting Online

In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.

It is called the "pointspread."

Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.

But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.

A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.

In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.

The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .

Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.

Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook betting credit cards