Brewers take aim at third straight win in middle tilt with Rangers

Baseball Betting Lines

06/12/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers push for their third straight win tonight as they again host the Texas Rangers in the second of a three-game interleague set at Miller Field.

On Friday night the Brewers blasted four home runs against Texas starter Rich Harden, en route to a convincing 6-2 victory, the team's fifth win in six tries. But despite the triumph, Milwaukee still finds itself nine games under .500 on the season and a mere 11-17 at home in 2010.

Corey Hart, Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun and Casey McGehee all had home runs for the home team, while starting pitcher Chris Narveson cruised through seven innings, giving up just two earned runs on six hits for his fifth win of the campaign.

"He kept the ball down, spotted his fastball and his changeup was really working," said Milwaukee manager Ken Macha about his starter's efforts on the hill. "The turnaround was the sixth when (Michael) Young led off with a double and didn't score."

Young recorded a pair of doubles in the loss for Texas, leaders in the American League West despite the setback. Vladimir Guerrero connected on his team-leading 14th home run of the season and Josh Hamilton hit safely in his eighth straight game, although his string of knocking in a run in consecutive games was halted at seven in a row.

Suffering the loss for the Rangers was starter Rich Harden, touched for four home runs for the first time in his career. Harden, who has surrendered the second-most home runs (14) in the AL this season, allowed a total of seven hits and walked three batters over six innings of action.

Making his first-ever appearance against the Brewers tonight, Texas has right- hander Scott Feldman scheduled to take the mound in Milwaukee. Feldman, who has a career mark of 27-27 at the moment, has watched his team alternate wins and losses over the course of his last seven contests. On Monday the six-year man made it through 5 2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on nine hits, while striking out four in a 4-2 loss to Seattle at home.

Like Feldman, also making his first career appearance against the opposition tonight is Milwaukee left-hander Manny Parra. Now in his fourth year with the Brewers, Parra has started only a handful of games for his club thus far, the last of those coming on Sunday when he made it through 5 1/3 innings to pick up the win against St. Louis on the road. In that outing Parra permitted a pair of runs on two home runs and four hits, not to mention four walks, but he also fanned a season-high 10 batters.

Over the last seven games the Rangers have outscored the opposition by a combined 53-26 margin, thanks in large part to Hamilton and Guerrero. The former has plated a total of 13 and with his four home runs in 25 at-bats has a slugging percentage of 1.040 over the span. Guerrero has not only chipped in with nine RBI, he has also scored seven runs of his own for the club.

Not to be overlooked for the Rangers is Ian Kinsler who, despite being credited with only six total bases in his last 22 at-bats, has scored a team- best 10 runs in seven games.

Hart has given the Milwaukee offense a serious boost in the last six games, connecting on three home runs and forcing in six, while scoring five runs himself. McGehee and Braun have both knocked in five runs in the last six games however, during that same span Fielder has but one RBI for a team that is batting a collective .214.

Both clubs lost two of three in interleague play back in late May. The Rangers are 113-121 all-time versus the NL, while the Brewers are 86-102 in interleague play.

Waskjeeves Baseball Betting News

<< Braves try to hold onto first place in Minnesota
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Division leaders clash in the second of a three-game interleague set tonight as the Atlanta Braves take on the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. The Braves, still five games under .500 on the road (16-21), have the best h

<< Zito faces former team at AT&T Park
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barry Zito tries for his first win in five starts this evening when the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics resume their three-game series at AT&T Park. Zito won his first five decisions, but is just 1-2 his six

<< Mariners hope Cliff Lee can slow down Padres
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners try to snap the longest current losing streak in the American League as they face off against the San Diego Padres in the second of a three-game interleague set at Petco Park tonight. On Friday night t

<< Rockies, Jays try to play nine innings in Colorado
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays and Colorado Rockies try to make it through an entire nine innings tonight as the two clubs clash in the second of a three-game interleague set at Coors Field. Despite the rain-shortened contest last

<< Angels, Dodgers square off at Chavez Ravine
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Kazmir goes after his third straight win this evening when the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim continue their three-game Freeway Series with the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Kazmir won for the third time in his last four

Sunshine State foes resume set at the Trop >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Sunshine State warms up with the second of a three-game interleague set between the Florida Marlins and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field tonight. Despite being just three games over .500 at home so far this season

Sharapova to play Li for Birmingham crown >>
Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Maria Sharapova and Li Na were semifinal winners Saturday and will meet for the title of the Aegon Classic on Sunday. The second-seeded Sharapova advanced first with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 victory o

Argentina holds off Nigeria >>
Johannesburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gabriel Heinz's goal in the sixth minute was enough to lead Argentina to a 1-0 win over Nigeria at Ellis Park Stadium on Saturday in Group B play. Heinz headed home the lone goal from

Federer continues Halle dominance, Hewitt up next >>
Halle, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roger Federer moved a step closer to his sixth title at the Gerry Webber Open with a straight-set semifinal win over Germany's Philipp Petzschner, and will next face Lleyton Hewitt in Sunday's final.

Dillon takes Michigan truck pole >>
Brooklyn, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie Austin Dillon captured his second straight pole in the Camping World Truck Series after posting a lap of 176.488 m.p.h. in qualifying for Saturday's VFW 200 at Michigan International Speedwa

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.

Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament odds  
As of February 9, MySportsbook.com has released its coveted 2007 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament betting odds. “March Madness betting ” only a month away, the top ranked Florida Gators are favorite at 7-2 to win it all. The defending champs have not disappointed at all this season and currently have a 22-2 record and are undefeated (9-0) in SEC play. The Gators’ thrive off of their extremely balanced, experienced and versatile attack. All five starters started in last seasons National Championship game. What is most impressive with this group is their balance; the five starters all average between 10.7 and 13.6 PPG. The Gators have been on an absolute roll having won 15 straight by an average of 16.4 PPG.

Right behind the Gators are the 5th ranked UNC Tar Heels at 9-2. The Heels (21-3, 7-2) are absolutely loaded with top notch talent and are as deep as any team in the country. A concern for the Tar Heels might be inexperience. Of their top four scorers/ minute earners, three are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. The rest of the regular season, the Tar Heels play only one team that is currently ranked (Duke). Their remaining opponents do combine for an impressive 107-58 record though.

Other teams that the MySportsbook.com members seem to believe will win it all include the west coasts’ top team #2 UCLA (6-1), #3 OSU behind man-child Greg Oden (8-1), and #4 Wisconsin (10-1) behind their defense which has given up 70+ points only three times all season.

Below is a list of some of the favorites to win the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship lines. For the full list of teams and March Madness odds be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com. If you want to use your credit card to bet on college hoops or any other event, MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.

Arizona 20-1

Butler 20-1

Duke 30-1

Florida 7-2

Georgetown 30-1

Indiana 35-1

Kansas 15-1

Marquette 25-1

Maryland 40-1

Memphis 50-1

Nevada 50-1

UNC 9-2

OSU 8-1

Oregon 30-1

Pittsburgh 15-1

Texas 30-1

Texas A&M 18-1

UCLA 6-1

Wisconsin 10-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook betting needs.