05/09/2008 -
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -Royals manager Trey Hillman shook up his batting order again Friday night against the Baltimore Orioles.
Hillman dropped Mark Grudzielanek, who had batted only in the second slot, to fifth and Mark Teahen took over the second spot. Miguel Olivo, who was tied for the club lead with four home runs in limited action, batted cleanup for the first time this year. It was only the second time in his career he has batted fourth.
Alberto Callaspo, who was hitting .318 in 17 games, replaced Tony Pena Jr., who has a .167 average, at shortstop.
The Royals entered the game ranked last in the American League with 120 runs and a .355 slugging percentage, and next-to-last with a .307 on-base percentage, 18 home runs and 407 total bases. The Royals scored four or fewer runs in 23 of their first 34 games, and two or less in 13 games.
``We're lacking a consistency of run production,'' Hillman said. ``I've changed a lot of slots. I'm just going to change it up and see where it sits. We've got to do something. I'm going to keep massaging it and keep changing it until hopefully we can get some consistency.''
The Royals have received minimal production from the No. 3 and cleanup slots. In the first 34 games, the Royals No. 3 hitters were batting .218 with four home runs and 12 RBIs, with 36 strikeouts and 16 walks. The cleanup hitters were hitting a combined .187 with three home runs and 19 RBIs.
Jose Guillen, who signed a $36 million, three-year contract with the Royals during the offseason to beef up the middle of the lineup, was hitting .159 in the cleanup slot and has been dropped to sixth.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Yankees' Farnsworth suspension reduced
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Yankees reliever Kyle Farnsworth had
his suspension reduced from three games to one by Major League Baseball,
following an appeal.
Farnsworth was originally suspended three games and fined
<< Packers release WR Robinson
Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Green Bay Packers released wide
receiver Koren Robinson on Friday.
Robinson, who signed as a free-agent in September 2006, served a year-long
suspension for violating the NFL's substance a
<< Stars snag free agent forward Brunnstrom
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Stars inked free agent forward Fabian
Brunnstrom to a two-year entry-level contract on Friday.
"We are very excited to get the caliber of player that Fabian is under
contract for the next two
<< Short-handed Blue Jays sign OF Wilkerson
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays agreed to terms with
free-agent outfielder Brad Wilkerson on Friday. Terms of the contract were not
disclosed.
Wilkerson, who signed with Seattle in January after two seasons with
Timonen rejoins Flyers, resigned to not playing >>
PITTSBURGH (AP) -Kimmo Timonen wasn't in the Philadelphia Flyers' lineup Friday night, sidelined by a blood clot on his left ankle that is all but certain to keep him out the rest of the playoffs. It didn't keep him out of their dressing room.Timone
Mets activate Castro from DL >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Mets activated catcher Ramon
Castro from the 15-day disabled list Friday.
The 32-year-old Castro was placed on the DL on March 30th, retroactive to
March 21st, with a right hamstring inj
Phillies activate Rollins from DL >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies activated
reigning National League MVP Jimmy Rollins from the 15-day disabled list on
Friday.
The switch-hitting shortstop will bat in his familiar leadoff position in
Biffle sets record in winning pole at Darlington >>
Darlington, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Greg Biffle won the pole for Saturday
night's Dodge Challenger 500 at the Darlington Raceway. The No.16 Roush Fenway
Racing Ford driver circled the newly-paved "Lady in Black" in a record-setting
27.405
“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies
It's that time of year folks. Betting on American Idol Season 9. And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below. With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.
No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.
Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.
Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.
Odds to Win
There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.
All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.
A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.
Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.
Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol.
Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.
If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.
Elimination Props
Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.
Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.
Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups
The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.
Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.
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