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07/15/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves have done everything possible in this season's first half to potentially make Bobby Cox's last year as manager a special one.
Seeking to give their manager one more championship before he retires at season's end, first-place Atlanta will hope to get its second half off to a good start this evening in the opener of a four-game series versus the disappointing Milwaukee Brewers at Turner Field.
The Braves own the top home record in baseball (30-10), currently lead the National League East by four games over the New York Mets and are 4 1/2 games up on the three-time defending division champion Philadelphia Phillies. They have won 15 of their last 23 games and had won four in a row before suffering a loss to the Mets on Sunday.
Atlanta also helped secure the NL home-field advantage in the World Series in Tuesday's All-Star Game, as catcher Brian McCann's three-run double with two outs in the seventh inning helped lift the Senior Circuit to a 3-1 victory, its first over the AL since 1996.
"It'd be big for any NL team that gets there," McCann said of home-field advantage. "Being in first place at the break, we've had a lot of guys on our team step up and play big. It was nice just to come out here and be a part of this All-Star Game."
McCann, who hit .267 with 10 homers and 37 RBI in the first half, became the first Braves player to earn All-Star Game MVP honors since Fred McGriff in 1994. He was joined in Anaheim by teammates Martin Prado, Omar Infante, Jason Heyward and Tim Hudson.
Prado, who started at second base due to an injury to Philadelphia's Chase Utley, went 0-for-3, while Infante and Hudson did not get into the game. Heyward missed the game due to an injured left thumb, and the Braves hope the rookie can still flash his power when he returns some time in the second half. He hit 11 homers and drove in 45 runs in 71 first-half games.
Atlanta added some power on Wednesday, when it swapped Yunel Escobar to Toronto for fellow shortstop Alex Gonzalez in a five-player trade. The Braves also dealt pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes to the Blue Jays while getting back a pair of minor leaguers.
The 33-year-old Gonzalez is hitting .259 with 17 homers, six off his career high, and 50 RBI in 85 games this year. Escobar, meanwhile, was hitting just .238 with zero homers and 19 RBI.
Atlanta should also get a boost with the healthy return of Jair Jurrjens, who makes his third start tonight since missing two months of action due to a hamstring injury.
The 24-year-old made his return on June 30 and beat Washington with five innings of one-run ball, then got a no-decision versus Philadelphia on July 6 after yielding three runs on two hits and three walks over six innings. Jurrjens is 1-3 with a 5.40 earned run average on the season, but 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA in three starts at home.
Jurrjens has faced Milwaukee just once before, getting a loss to them on June 5, 2009 after the right-hander allowed four runs on nine hits over seven frames.
The Brewers counter with the red-hot Dave Bush, who has won three of his last four decisions and hasn't allowed more than two runs in any of his past five outings. He closed out the first half with a victory over the Pittsburgh on Saturday, yielding two runs on six hits and striking out five over 6 1/3 innings, while improving to 4-6 with a 4.14 ERA this year.
"My last month or so, I've had good command...I'm feeling stronger and gotten in decent rhythm," said Bush after the game.
The 30-year-old righty lost to the Braves on May 11, getting charged with three runs on seven hits over six innings of an 11-3 setback. Bush fell to 1-1 with a 2.33 ERA in four career starts versus Atlanta.
Bush's win over the Pirates was part of a three-game sweep for the Brewers to close out the first half and followed five straight losses. Still, Milwaukee is 8 1/2 games back of first place in the NL Central and begins an eight-game road trip tonight.
"It's nice to come back and sweep and go into the break with some momentum," said All-Star Corey Hart, who hit a game-winning two-run homer in the ninth inning of Sunday's 6-5 finale.
Hart started Tuesday's All-Star Game in right field, while teammate Ryan Braun was in left. However, the duo combined to go 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, though Hart finished third in Monday's Home Run Derby.
Braun went 6-for-12 with two homers, three RBI and five runs scored in the Pittsburgh series, while Hart is tied for the NL lead with 65 RBI and comes out of the break with a five-game hitting streak.
The Braves have won four straight and six of their last seven versus the Brewers, including a three-game sweep at Milwaukee from May 10-12.
<< Giants, Lincecum welcome a returning Beltran to the Bay Area
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Lincecum didn't help the National League break its
lengthy losing streak in the All-Star Game, but the New York Mets may have
wished he had.
The rested two-time NL Cy Young Award honoree will take the mound when the Sa
<< Szavay stays hot; Dulgheru pulls out in Prague
Prague, Czech Republic (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Last week's Budapest titlist
Agnes Szavay was among Thursday's second-round winners, while second-seeded
Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania pulled out of the draw at the $220,000 Prague
Open te
<< Angels hope to get second half off to good start vs. Mariners
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - No team was happier to see the All-Star break than the Los
Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Hopefully recharged, the Angels get their second
half started with the opener of a four-game set with the Seattle Mariners at
Angel Stadium
<< White Sox put win streak on the line versus rival Twins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An eight-game winning streak propelled the Chicago White
Sox to the top of the American League Central at the All-Star break. Tonight,
they put that streak on the line against a division foe, as they open a four-
game set wit
Top hurlers to clash in Dodgers-Cardinals opener >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw pitched well
enough to be an All-Star, but ultimately did not join four of his teammates in
Anaheim for the Mid-Summer Classic.
Despite the snub, Kershaw will look to get his sec
Blue Jackets re-sign Sesito >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets have re-signed
forward Tom Sesito to a one-year contract.
Financial terms of the two-way deal were not disclosed.
Sesito appeared in three games for the Blue Jackets last se
Celtic for life: Pierce inks deal with Boston >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics and forward Paul Pierce have
reached an agreement on a new contract.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the Boston Herald reported last week
the two sides agreed to a deal for four y
Montana adds four transfers >>
Missoula, MT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Head coach Robin Pflugrad of the University of
Montana Grizzlies has announced the addition of four transfers to the roster
this season.
The players are Andrew Badger, Tyrone Duncan, Houston Roots and Antwon
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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Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value
If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture. Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).
For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot. The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.
TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.
"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,' it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."
"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.
Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash. Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win.
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