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07/13/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The American League will try to stretch its unbeaten streak to 14 games over the National League when the respective All-Star teams battle Tuesday in the 81st edition of the Mid-Summer Classic at Angel Stadium.
This marks the first All-Star Game in Anaheim since the Big "A" played host in 1989 and the third time overall that the city has housed the event.
A pall though has been cast on the game with the news of the death of New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.
With last year's 4-3 victory in St. Louis, the American League enters tonight's affair with seven straight wins in the All-Star Game and has not lost to the National League since 1996, collecting 12 wins during that stretch, while battling to a 7-7 tie in the 2002 game that was called after 11 innings when both squads ran out of pitchers.
The unbeaten streak for the AL is the longest in the game's history, surpassing the Senior Circuit's 11-game run from 1972-1982. The AL is actually 18-3-1 in the last 22 All-Star Games and has not lost since falling 6-0 at Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium back in 1996.
Oddly enough, though, the American League only has a three-run differential over the NL in the previous 80 contests, 339-336. However since the start of the unbeaten streak, the AL has outscored the NL, 76-48.
The American League's last four wins have all been one-run victories.
This also marks the eighth straight year that the All-Star Game will determine which league gets home-field advantage in the World Series. The AL, of course, has won the previous seven contests.
"I know it only matters for the World Series, but in our home games during the playoffs, we were 7-1, so we understand that home-field advantage is very important to our American League club this year," said AL manager Joe Girardi.
On Monday, Girardi named Tampa Bay lefty David Price as his starter for Tuesday night's Mid-Summer Classic, making the 24-year-old hurler the youngest pitcher to start the game since a 23-year-old Dwight Gooden took the ball for the National League in 1988.
"It's definitely an honor," said Price, who is the youngest AL pitcher to open this game since 23-year-old Brett Saberhagen in 1987. "It hasn't set in yet. I'm very happy to be here."
The top overall pick in the 2007 draft, Price is 12-4 with a 2.42 ERA and 100 strikeouts this season for the Rays. He is one of six pitchers all-time under 25 years of age to reach 12 wins, an ERA below 2.50 and 100 strikeouts heading into the All-Star break, and the first in 25 years since Roger Clemens did so in 1986 (15-2, 2.48 ERA, 146 strikeouts).
He is also the youngest to be leading either the AL or NL in wins and ERA at the All-Star break since 23-year-old Scott Erickson with Minnesota in 1991 (12 wins, 1.83 ERA).
The lineup for the American League will open with Seattle right fielder Ichiro Suzuki, who will be followed by New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and Detroit first baseman Miguel Cabrera, who is replacing the injured Justin Morneau of Minnesota.
Texas center fielder Josh Hamilton will bat cleanup, with his teammate and former Angels star Vladimir Guerrero next as the designated hitter. Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria will hit sixth, followed by Minnesota catcher Joe Mauer, Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano and Rays left fielder Carl Crawford.
"You look at numbers and how guys have performed," said Girardi when asked how he constructed his lineup. "We have quality RBI guys in the middle of the lineup and speed at the top and bottom."
Philadelphia's Charlie Manuel, who will be guiding the National League for the second straight year, tabbed Colorado's Ubaldo Jimenez to be his starter. Jimenez has had an incredible start to the 2010 season with a record of 15-1 and a 2.20 earned run average in 18 starts. He has already matched his victory total from last year and leads the majors in wins.
"It's a huge honor for me just to be here," said Jimenez. "I'm going to cherish the moment tomorrow. It's an honor to be in the clubhouse with all these stars."
The 26-year-old Dominican native threw the season's first no-hitter and the first in Rockies history on April 17 against Atlanta. He last pitched on Thursday against St. Louis and threw eight innings in a 4-2 victory, becoming the first National League pitcher to reach 15 wins before the All-Star break since Greg Maddux in 1988.
"He's a very talented guy," said Manuel, who indicated that Florida ace Josh Johnson was also considered. "We've got some real talented pitchers on the National League squad. He's 15-1 and his record speaks for itself."
Manuel also revealed his lineup for Tuesday's contest. Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez will lead off for the National League and will be followed by Atlanta second baseman Martin Prado, who is starting for the injured Chase Utley of Philadelphia. St. Louis first baseman Albert Pujols will bat third, followed by Philadelphia's Ryan Howard, who was chosen by Manuel as the designated hitter.
New York Mets third baseman David Wright will hit fifth, followed by Milwaukee left fielder Ryan Braun, Dodgers center fielder Andre Ethier and Brewers' right fielder Corey Hart, who is starting in place of injured Atlanta rookie Jason Heyward. Yadier Molina of St. Louis will catch and bat ninth.
Next year's All-Star Game will be contested at Chase Field in Arizona.
<< Report: Steinbrenner suffers heart attack
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner has
reportedly suffered a heart attack.
According to the Tampa Tribune, emergency crews responded to Steinbrenner's
home late Monday night and took him to a hospit
<< Twins stagger into All-Star break in 3rd place
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -With a payroll swelling to nearly $100 million and a spectacular new open-air ballpark, this was supposed to be the season the Minnesota Twins took hold of the AL Central from the start and challenged the New York Yankees for the A
<< AP source: Yankees' George Steinbrenner dies at 80
NEW YORK (AP) -A person close to George Steinbrenner tells The Associated Press that the New York Yankees' owner died Tuesday morning.The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not yet made the announcement.Copyright © 2005
<< NL All-Star Expanded Statistics
BATTERS AVG OBA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS ECatcherMolina, StL .223 .301 265 17 59 10 0 3 33 26 30 6 3 4First BasePujols, StL .308 .416 321 55 99 21 1 21 64 60 44
Taylor pleads not guilty to rape charges >>
New City, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor has
pleaded not guilty to rape charges that were brought against him this past
May.
He pleaded not guilty at a Rockland County courthouse on Tuesday as he was
Steinbrenner's death casts pall over All-Star festivities >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If there was ever a baseball story that could steal the
spotlight from the All-Star Game, this was it.
George Steinbrenner passed away early Tuesday morning following a massive
heart
attack in his Tampa home. The longtime
AL West: Lee deal shakes up AL West >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - We know this much is true about the Texas Rangers: on
paper, they are a better ballclub than they were before Friday.
When the Rangers traded for Seattle Mariners' ace Cliff Lee, they effectively
complemented their potent
Habs sign Lapierre, two others >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Canadiens signed forward Maxim
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Lapierre finished his
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
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