11/18/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baseball Writers' Association of America will hand out their final postseason award on Monday, as the American League's Most Valuable Player will be announced.
But unlike most of the awards that have already been handed out, there is no clear-cut favorite here. Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia seems to have a slight edge, but it is wide open.
The 25-year-old Pedroia batted .326 with 17 home runs, 83 RBI and 118 runs scored. He also ranked first in the AL in doubles (54), fourth in total bases (322) and was the only player who had at least 175 hits, 75 runs scored, 75 RBI, 15 home runs, and 20 stolen bases while winning the Gold Glove.
Pedroia's teammate Kevin Youkilis also figures to get some votes, along with Minnesota's Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Texas' Josh Hamilton could also be in the running, as will Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim closer Francisco Rodriguez.
Youkilis, who batted everywhere from first to seventh this season, batted .312 this season and hit 29 home runs and knocked in a team- high 115 runs. He was also sixth in on-base percentage (.390), third in slugging (.569), and fourth in OPS (.958).
Morneau, the 2006 winner of this award, knocked in 144 runs for the Twins this season - 44 more than any of his teammates. He also hit .300 with 23 home runs. Mauer, meanwhile, led the AL with a .328 average.
Hamilton continued his amazing return from the depths of drug abuse this season, as he led the league with 130 runs scored. Hamilton was incredible in the first half of the year, driving in 95 runs with 21 homers in just 93 games.
However, he slowed down considerably in the second half, knocking in just 35 runs over his final 63 games.
Then there's Rodriguez, who set the single-season saves mark with 62. The Angels won 63 games by one or two runs and Rodriguez saved 51 of them, while picking up the victory in two others.
And don't forget Chicago's Carlos Quentin, who seemed like a lock for this award before a wrist injury shut him down in September. Despite that he still finished second in the league with 36 home runs.
The winner will be announced at 2 p.m. (EST).
<< Memphis crushes UMass to give Calipari coaching record
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Antonio Anderson scored 15 points and grabbed
12 rebounds, and 13th-ranked Memphis ripped Massachusetts, 80-58, to make John
Calipari the winningest coach in program history.
The win was Calipari's 221st a
<< Mason's three puts Spurs past flailing Clips
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roger Mason scored 21 points, including the
go-ahead three-pointer with 8.4 seconds left in the game, to lead the
streaking San Antonio Spurs in an 86-83 victory over the struggling Los
Angeles
<< Griffin leads Sooners over Miss. Valley State
Norman, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Blake Griffin finished with 20 points, 19
rebounds and six steals, and 12th-ranked Oklahoma cruised past Mississippi
Valley State, 94-53, in the first round of the NIT Season Tip-Off.
The Sooners (2-
<< Dawson wins battle of kickers; Browns edge Bills
Orchard Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phil Dawson's 56-yard field goal gave the
Browns the lead with 1:39 to play, and Rian Lindell pushed his 45-yard attempt
wide right in the final minute as the Cleveland Browns held on for a 29-27 win
over th
Bobcats shoot for first win in franchise history vs. Mavs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Mavericks will shoot for back-to-back wins for
the first time this season when they resume a three-game road trip tonight
against the Charlotte Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena.
Dallas ended a five-game losing
Red-hot Cavs hit road to take on Nets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will take their
winning ways to the road for two games, starting with the New Jersey Nets
tonight from the Izod Center.
The Cavaliers have won seven in a row to improve to 8-2 on th
Lakers try to rebound vs. Bulls >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Lakers attempt to rebound from their first
loss of the 2008-09 campaign, while the Chicago Bulls will try and win for the
first time on the road this season as the two teams meet at Staples Center.
Detroit
Warriors host Blazers in Oakland >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers conclude a five-game road trip
Tuesday by traveling to Oakland to face the Golden State Warriors.
The Blazers improved to 3-1 on the trek Saturday when Brandon Roy led the way
with 24 points
MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect
LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.
Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.
Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
American Idol odds : Blake Lewis the Early Standout
An important American Idol betting lines recap from February 20 Guys episode. The 12 men came out flat overall with Blake Lewis appearing to have the early edge after the first hour and a half.
Rudy - was quite good singing "Free Ride" to start off. Randy was not impressed though. Paula thought he started off fantastic. "Never had anyone stop off so lively" said Paula but Simon (who does not like Rudy) does not feel he has a distinct voice and was not impressed either.
Brandon was a little pitchy according to Randy and Paula agreed. Simon said he was a good singer but the song was "too safe" and he needs to make an impact. He was listed at +1200 odds or $1200 paid out on a $100 bet should he win the competition.
Big favorite Sundance came in with a flat version of "Knights in White Satin" and the judges let him have it, including Paula. Randy claimed the song was out of pitch throughout.
Korean American - and a Jenny Woo favorite - Paul Kim was up next. Another pitchy flat one but Randy said he still liked his potential. Kim at +3000 odds was said to have sung a "third rate version of that (George Michael) song" according to Simon Cowell. He sang "Careless Whisper".
22 year old Chris Richardson was up next. He was listed with +1100 odds coming in. He got the best response from the judges though Simon did not believe the vocal was that great.
Nick was boring and pitchy. Simon didn't think he was that bad though and predicted he would be back next week. Nick Pedro was a big +3000 dog coming into this competition.
Beat boxer Blake Lewis was listed with early +1000 odds or $1000 payout on a $100 bet if he were to become the next American Idol winner odds . These of course were the early odds. He was considered original for picking an "odd song". He did not beat box and the judges felt it was the best vocal of the night.
Sanjaya came in as the second biggest favorite after Chris Sligh but his performance Tuesday night was not very good.
Chris Sleigh was the early favorite at +450 odds. Great voice and a great sense of humor. He's a real standout. Randy felt it was on point but maybe ahead of the chorus a little bit. Simon Cowell said he felt like he was in some "sort of weird student gig".
Jared Cotter followed. He was listed with +2000 odds early on to win the competition. The judges felt he needs to take more risks but looked good.
22-year old AJ Talbado, who has tried out for American Idol five times, was up next. "Kind of a theme park performance" said Simon. Though the judges felt he performed okay. Simon did feel AJ might be better than he originally thought.
Phil - this season's military favorite - came into this competition with +1200 odds to win the competition. He was the last to perform. He was certainly strong enough to get through this stage of the competition and perhaps the best one after a shaky start.
Tomorrow night, the ladies perform and I sure hope they do a better job than the boys. Check out all the American Idol betting odds here.
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