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09/05/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs try to continue their resurgence under interim manager Mike Quade this afternoon when they go for a sweep in their three-game series with the New York Mets at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs improved to 8-3 under Quade on Saturday, as rookie Starlin Castro notched his sixth consecutive multi-hit game and Carlos Zambrano allowed two runs in seven strong innings, helping Chicago to a 5-3 victory.
"They deserve a lot of credit," Quade said of the Cubs' players. "They seem to have committed to getting after it this last month. I don't think they'll quit -- I know they won't quit. Whether it will result in a fine record, I don't know. But the kind of effort that people want to see and hopefully improvement, that I expect."
Zambrano (7-6) struck out eight and walked two while allowing four hits for the Cubs, who made Quade the first Chicago manager with eight wins in his first 11 games since Jim Essian in 1991.
"We know he's emotionally driven, but that can go too far and get him in trouble," Quade said of Big Z. "He has to pitch with passion and emotion. But in his last several starts, he's calmly gone about his business and made pitches.
In six starts since coming off the restricted list due to anger management issues, Zambrano is 4-0 with a 1.98 earned run average.
Castro, whose 76 hits since July 10 lead the majors, is 13-for-26 with three doubles, two RBI and eight runs during his impressive streak, which is the longest for a Cubs' rookie since Don Johnson did it from May 21-28, 1944.
Jenrry Mejia (0-3) made his first career start for the Mets and yielded four runs, eight hits and two walks while fanning two in five frames. The 20-year- old became the youngest starter in team history since Dwight Gooden debuted as a 19-year-old in 1984.
"I thought he did OK, but there are some things he needs to take command of to become what you'd consider to be a solid, solid player," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said.
Ike Davis hit his 16th homer for New York, which fell to a dreadful 1-15-4 in NL road series this season.
Hoping to deliver the Cubs their fourth straight win will be righty Ryan Dempster, who is coming off a dreadful outing his last time out. Dempster absorbed the loss on Tuesday against Pittsburgh, as he lasted just three innings and was hammered for seven runs and seven hits to fall to 12-9 on the year, while raising his earned run average to 3.71.
Dempster, who is one win shy of 100 for his career and 50 with the Cubs, is 9-4 lifetime against the Mets with a 5.57 ERA in 24 games, 13 of which have been starts.
New York, meanwhile, will counter with Jonathon Niese, who is 8-7 with a 3.70. Niese lost his second straight start on Tuesday in Atlanta, as he allowed eight runs - just three earned - and 10 hits in 4 3/4 innings.
Niese did not get a decision the last time he faced the Cubs, despite giving up just an unearned run in 5 1/3 innings, and is 0-1 in two starts against them with a 6.23 ERA.
With a win today the Cubs would claim their first series sweep over the Mets since turning the trick from April 23-25, 2004 at Wrigley.
<< Cellar-dwellers wrap up set at PNC Park
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of struggling one-win pitchers square off today at
PNC Park when the host Pittsburgh Pirates and visiting Washington Nationals
meet in the rubber game of a three-game weekend series.
The Nationals dropped Friday's o
<< Minor shoots for fourth straight win in rubber match with Marlins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie Mike Minor goes for a fourth straight win this
afternoon when the Atlanta Braves play the rubber match of their three-game
series against the Florida Marlins at Sun Life Stadium.
After getting a no-decision in his b
<< Yanks should have A-Rod back for finale with Jays
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees have put together their longest
winning streak of the season without the presence of Alex Rodriguez in their
lineup. The All-Star third baseman hopes to provide the American League East
leaders a further
<< White Sox target rare sweep at Fenway
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After putting what could be the final nail in the coffin
in regards to the Boston Red Sox' playoff hopes with Saturday's performance,
the Chicago White Sox now set their sights on earning their first series sweep
in Fenway Pa
Jimenez holds off Molinari to win European Masters >>
Crans Montana, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After nearly coughing up a six-
stroke lead, Miguel Angel Jimenez birdied the 17th hole Sunday to fend off
Ryder Cup teammate Edoardo Molinari and win the European Masters.
Jimenez closed w
Wilson, Rangers hope to avoid sweep in Minnesota >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hoping to avoid a series sweep at the hands of the
Minnesota Twins, the Texas Rangers may have the right pitcher on the mound
today to accomplish that goal.
C.J. Wilson will attempt to register his eighth consecutive winni
Giants, Dodgers play rubber match at Chavez Ravine >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hiroki Kuroda nearly threw a no-hitter in his last trip to
the hill. Tonight, the Los Angeles Dodgers will settle for a win, as they
play the rubber match of their three-game set against the San Francisco Giants
at Dodgers St
Rockies try to pin 10th straight loss on reeling Padres >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres try to avoid their worst losing streak
in more than 16 years this afternoon when they play the finale of their three-
game series with the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park.
San Diego has been baseball's
Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.
NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."
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MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
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