NL Notebook: Better late then never for Reds' Rhodes
Baseball Betting Lines
07/12/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There may not be a more random All-Star on this year's
National League squad than left-handed specialist Arthur Rhodes. Then again,
there may not be a more deserving player either.
Forget the moonball he served up to Ryan Howard on Friday in Philadelphia, the
40-year-old Rhodes has been one of the best relievers in baseball this season
for a Cincinnati Reds team that ranks right near the top of the surprises in
the Major Leagues.
Cincinnati, which hasn't been to the postseason since 1995, heads into the
break with a one-game lead on the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League
Central, and Rhodes is a huge reason why.
Rhodes has pitched to a 1.54 earned run average in 41 games this season, going
33 straight scoreless appearances at one point to tie a major league record.
He has only allowed six earned runs on the year, five of which have come
against one of his six former teams - the Philadelphia Phillies - in the past
month.
It has been a long road to All-Stardom for the 19-year veteran, who began his
career as a starter way back in 1991 with the Baltimore Orioles. After years
of languishing in that role, Rhodes moved to the bullpen for the O's in 1995,
becoming a full-fledged reliever in 1997, when the team won the AL East.
Before this year, Rhodes' only other chance at an All-Star Game came in
Seattle in 2001 when with the Mariners he went 5-0 with a 1.95 earned run
average before the break. Rhodes was passed over that season, and has since
become the definition of a journeyman pitcher. Since leaving the Mariners in
2003, Rhodes has been the property of seven different organizations, including
a return to Seattle in 2007. That second tour actually didn't come to fruition
until 2008, as Rhodes sat out the entire '07 campaign recovering from Tommy
John surgery.
Rhodes easily could have packed it in after that, especially given the fact
that he lost his five-year-old son, Jordan, to an undisclosed illness in the
winter of 2008. Rhodes, though, turned that nightmare into motivation and has
been tremendous since the surgery, pitching to a 2.11 earned run average in
168 games for the M's, Marlins and now the Reds.
Rhodes pays tribute to his son by drawing his initials in the back of the
mound before each appearance, and has a pair of angel wings tattooed on his
right calf.
I can't imagine that there were many people in Cincinnati who thought much of
the Reds' two-year, $4 million deal for Rhodes last winter. It very well could
turn out to be the move that propels them to a division title.
And it couldn't have happened to a more deserving guy.
MANUEL GOES WITH JIMENEZ AS HIS STARTER
Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, who will be skippering the
National League for a second straight year at this year's Mid-Summer Classic,
named Colorado's Ubaldo Jimenez as his starter for the contest at a Monday
press conference.
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 named his starting 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.
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MySportsbook.com Favors Fighting Irish to win College Football betting odds
According to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, on January 8, the Fighting Irish faithful may be toasting their 14th national title in Arizona – Notre Dame’s first national championship in close to 20 years.
Although MySportsbook.com has listed Notre Dame as the 5-1 favorite to win thecollege football College Football betting, fans in Columbus do not need to cancel their tickets to Glendale just yet. The Ohio State Buckeyes, listed right behind the Irish at 7-1, are also heavy favorites to win college football’s most coveted prize, while West Virginia, USC and the 2007 National Champion Texas Longhorns - all listed at 8-1 – are strong contenders as well.
MySportsbook.com has also posted gambling odds on the conference championships for the ACC, Big 12 and SEC. In the ACC – it could be anyone’s title, particularly for the two schools from the Sunshine State. Florida State and Miami, both listed at 2-1, are favored to win the ACC Championship Game odds, with the ‘Noles hoping to finish in the nation’s top 10 for the first time in five years, and the ‘Canes looking to avenge their 10-7 loss against FSU in last year’s ACC Championship betting.
Moving west to the Big 12, MySportsbook.com has betting lines listing Texas as 7-5 favorites to repeat as conference champions, even though the Longhorns lost their national championship-winning quarterback Vince Young to the NFL. In the south, the Auburn Tigers – led by Heisman-hopeful senior running back Kenny Irons – have been given the best odds to win the SEC Championship odds at 5-2.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.
ODDS TO WIN THE BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Notre Dame
Ohio State
West Virginia
Texas
USC
Florida
California
Auburn
Oklahoma
Iowa
Louisville
Florida State
Michigan
Miami (FL)
LSU
Penn State
Virginia Tech
Nebraska
Tennessee
Georgia
Arizona State
Oregon
Clemson
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
Alabama
Arkansas
Boston College
Michigan State
Maryland
South Carolina
Colorado
Purdue
Georgia Tech
TCU
UCLA
Arizona
Pittsburgh
Iowa State
Wisconsin
North Carolina State
Virginia
North Carolina
Fresno State
Hawaii
Northwestern
BYU
Oregon State
UNLV
Field (Any Other Team) |
5-1
7-1
8-1
8-1
8-1
12-1
15-1
15-1
18-1
20-1
20-1
20-1
20-1
20-1
25-1
40-1
40-1
50-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
70-1
70-1
100-1
100-1
100-1
100-1
100-1
150-1
200-1
200-1
200-1
200-1
200-1
250-1
250-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
400-1
500-1
500-1
500-1
500-1
1000-1
1000-1
40-1 |
ODDS TO WIN ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Miami (FL)
Florida State
Virginia Tech
Clemson
Georgia Tech
Boston College
Maryland
Virginia
North Carolina State
North Carolina
Wake Forest
Duke |
2-1
2-1
3-1
7-1
15-1
15-1
15-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
50-1
500-1 |
ODDS TO WIN BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Texas
Oklahoma
Nebraska
Texas Tech
Colorado
Iowa State
Texas A&M
Kansas State
Missouri
Kansas
Baylor
Oklahoma State |
7-5
9-5
9-2
12-1
14-1
15-1
15-1
30-1
30-1
35-1
100-1
100-1 |
ODDS TO WIN SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Auburn
Florida
LSU
Georgia
Tennessee
Arkansas
Alabama
Mississippi
South Carolina
Mississippi State
Kentucky
Vanderbilt |
5-2
11-4
4-1
6-1
7-1
7-1
9-1
20-1
28-1
75-1
100-1
300-1 |
For complete NCAA football odds please visit Mysportsbook.com.
MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
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