Cabrera, Willingham slug Fish past slumping Mets

Baseball Betting Lines

08/12/2007 - Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miguel Cabrera's tie-breaking, two-run single in the eighth inning lifted the Florida Marlins over the New York Mets, 7-5, at Shea Stadium.

Josh Willingham went 3-for-5 with a grand slam and a career-high tying five RBI for the Marlins, who have won each of the first two games of this three- game set in dramatic style. Hanley Ramirez, who ended 2-for-5 with two runs scored and a stolen base, won the opener for Florida on Friday night with a two-run, ninth-inning double off New York closer Billy Wagner.

In this game it wasn't Wagner, but two other relievers who let this one get away for New York, which has dropped three straight and four of five during its six-game homestand. Guillermo Mota let a two-run lead slip away in the seventh and, after the offense rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the inning, Aaron Heilman let Florida regain the momentum in the eighth.

David Wright hit a pair of homers, going 3-for-4, and drove in three runs for the Mets, who had their lead in the NL East fall to 2 1/2 games over Atlanta. The Braves beat the Phillies, 7-5, on Friday night to move back into second place in the division, one-half game ahead of Philadelphia.

Jose Reyes went 2-for-4, but was thrown out at home for the final out of the seventh inning trying to score the go-ahead run on a Wright fly out. The bang- bang play at the plate went in favor of the Marlins and proved costly for the Mets.

The Marlins went ahead for good in their next at-bat. With one out and the game tied at 5-5, Cody Ross, who gunned down Reyes after catching Wright's fly ball in foul territory, worked a walk off Heilman. Pinch-hitter Jeremy Hermida followed by getting hit by a pitch. Ramirez grounded into a fielder's choice, forcing out Hermida at second, but Alejandro De Aza then walked to load the bases for Cabrera, who drove a 1-2 change-up that was right down the middle of the plate into center to score a pair of runs.

Cabrera ended 2-for-3 with a pair of walks.

Taylor Tankersley worked the eighth for Florida and Kevin Gregg tossed the ninth for his 26th save of the season. Facing pinch-hitter Carlos Beltran as the potential tying run, Gregg struck him out to end the game. Beltran struck out looking against Gregg on Friday night.

Justin Miller (4-0) got the win despite blowing a 5-3 lead in the seventh.

Heilman (7-4) suffered the loss, blowing a strong start from starter Tom Glavine.

Glavine, in his first start since picking up the 300th win of his career, received a no-decision. The left-hander allowed two runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out five, as the bullpen again blew a potential win for the veteran.

Wright broke the scoreless deadlock in the bottom of the fourth inning, cracking his first homer of the game, a two-run shot off Florida starting pitcher Scott Olsen.

Then, after Willingham drove in De Aza with a base hit in the sixth, Wright answered with his second homer for a 3-1 cushion.

The Marlins rallied in the seventh as Ross began the inning with a single off Glavine. After pinch-hitter Todd Linden flew out, Glavine was lifted in favor of Mota, who promptly allowed a base hit to Ramirez, struck out De Aza and intentionally walked Cabrera to load the bases for Willingham.

The move backfired as Willingham deposited a 2-0 fastball that was middle-in into the seats in left to give the Marlins a 5-3 lead.

New York, though, tied the game in the bottom of the inning. After consecutive singles to start the inning by Lastings Milledge and Ramon Castro put runners on first and second, Reyes bunted for a base hit and Milledge came all the way around from second to score when Olivo's throw hit Reyes and bounced away.

Reyes eventually stole second with Luis Castillo at the plate and Castro scored when Castillo grounded out to second. Wright then flew out to Ross in foul territory down the rightfield line and Reyes was thrown out at the plate trying to score on the play. The throw was a bit off target, but Olivo lunged back to the plate in time to tag out Reyes in the opinion of home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez.

Replays showed that Reyes might have touched home plate before the tag was applied.

Olsen avoided a decision, yielding three runs on seven hits over six innings.

Game Notes

Beltran did not start the game to rest his oblique muscle. He came off the DL on Friday and hit a homer...Ramirez has a nine-game hit streak...Willingham's grand slam was the first of his career. He has 18 HRs this season...Wright has 22 HRs this year. This was his second two-HR game of the season and ninth of his career.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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NCAA Football Betting : USC's reward: Top spot in Top 25

NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.

No. 1 always seems to fit USC.

Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.

Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.

Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.

"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."

Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.

"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."

The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.

"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."

Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.

"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"

USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.

"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."

While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.

As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.

But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.

Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.

The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.

The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.

The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.

No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.

Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.

Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.

Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.

The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.

South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.

The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.

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