Giambi lifts Yankees over Devil Rays

Baseball Betting Lines

04/02/2007 - Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Giambi's third RBI of the game scored Alex Rodriguez with the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, as the New York Yankees went on to a 9-5 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Giambi finished 2-for-5 and Rodriguez added a two-run homer in the victory. Jorge Posada also homered and Derek Jeter contributed a two-run single for New York, which has won 10 straight openers at Yankee Stadium.

Carl Crawford had two hits, a run scored and an RBI for the Devil Rays, while Elijah Dukes belted his first major league homer.

The Yankees trailed 5-3 before a two-run single by Jeter in the sixth tied it. Rodriguez then led off the seventh against Brian Stokes (0-1) with a hot shot that skipped past shortstop Ben Zobrist for a single. He then stole second and scored the go-ahead run on a single to right by Giambi.

Luis Vizcaino (1-0), who pitched a perfect seventh inning, notched the victory and Kyle Farnsworth tossed a scoreless eighth.

The Yankees tacked on three in the home eighth to break it open. Doug Mientkiewicz singled, advanced to second on a bunt and scored on a two-out base hit by Bobby Abreu. Rodriguez then connected for his first homer to account for the final margin.

Carl Pavano, the surprise Opening Day starter for New York after a hamstring injury to Chien-Ming Wang, went the first 4 1/3 innings and allowed five runs -- four earned -- on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Pavano missed the entire 2006 season and had not pitched in the majors since June of 2005 because of an assortment of injuries.

Mariano Rivera struck out the side for the Yankees in the ninth.

Scott Kazmir pitched five-plus innings for Tampa Bay and was charged with five runs on six hits and four walks with five strikeouts.

The Yankees jumped on Kazmir for a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. Johnny Damon led off with a base hit and Abreu singled with one out. The runners pulled off a double steal as Rodriguez fanned for the second out and both scored on Giambi's clutch single to center.

Tampa Bay got one run back in the second thanks to one of three Yankee errors in the contest. Akinori Iwamura hit a one-out grounder to short but reached second when Jeter bounced a throw past first base, then scored on a two-out base hit by B.J. Upton.

Posada led off the bottom of the fourth with a homer to increase the Yankee lead to 3-1, but Tampa Bay knocked Pavano out of the game in the fifth.

Dukes led off the inning with a blast over the center field wall and Upton followed with a single. Upton then stole second and scored the tying run on a base hit by Crawford, who took second when first baseman Josh Phelps cut the throw toward home and threw the ball into center field. Rocco Baldelli then singled home Crawford with the go-ahead run, chasing Pavano from the contest.

Brian Bruney took over for New York and struck out Ty Wigginton, but Baldelli stole second and scored on a base hit by Delmon Young to give the Devil Rays a 5-3 edge.

Posada and Robinson Cano started the home sixth with singles, ending Kazmir's day and Mientkiewicz advanced the runners with a sacrifice against Shawn Camp. Melky Cabrera, who took over for an injured Damon, was then hit by a pitch to load the bases and Jeter followed with a base hit up the middle to score two runs.

Game Notes

Damon left the contest after five innings because of cramping in his hamstring...Rodriguez committed New York's first error when he overran a foul pop up along the third base line...The widow and son of former Yankee pitcher Cory Lidle threw out the ceremonial first pitches. Lidle was killed in a plane crash last October.

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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.

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MySportsbook.com week 1 NFL lines


Now that the 2008 NFL schedule is finally out, it is only matter-of-course for lines on “Week 1” to follow.  Of course MySportsbook.com is the first to churn out odds for the NFL’s inaugural week for the upcoming season.   Expect a lot of fireworks the first Thursday night of the season as the defending champion Indianapolis Colts face off against the surprise of the 2008 season, the New Orleans Saints.  These teams were ranked #1 and #3 in the NFL respectively a season ago so a high scoring affair could be in order.  As of now, the Colts will be giving 6 points to the Saints; keep in mind the Saints were one of the better road teams last season going 6-3 SU and 7-2 ATS.  The first Monday night of the season will again provide a “double feature”. Coming off a disappointing season, the Cincinnati Bengals will look to get back to playoffs and improve their public image as they take on the AFC North favorite Baltimore Ravens.  The second game features a couple of teams that haven’t had too much success recently but each could make some noise if the NFC is as weak as it was last year as the San Francisco 49ers host the Arizona Cardinals. The most interesting game of the opening week will feature the NFC champion Bears as they hit the road to take on the NFL’s top team during last year’s regular season, the San Diego Chargers.

MySportsbook.com Week 1 odds:

Saints +6 @ Colts -6

Falcons @ Vikings (pick ‘em)

Panthers @ Rams (pick ‘em)

Broncos -3.5 @ Bills +3.5

Chiefs -1 @ Texans +1

Dolphins +3 @ Redskins -3

Patriots -5 @ Jets +5

Eagles -3.5 @ Packers +3.5

Steelers -4 @ Browns +4

Titans +6 @ Jaguars -6

Bears +6 @ Chargers -6

Lions +3 @ Raiders -3

Bucs +6.5 @ Seahawks -6.5

Giants +4 @ Cowboys -4

Ravens +3 @ Bengals -3

Cardinals +3 @ 49ers -3

 Super Bowl line (2008)

NFC +6.5 vs. AFC -6.5

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