Manny drives in five as Sox-Rays brawl again

Baseball Betting Lines

06/06/2008 - Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manny Ramirez's home run and five runs batted in finished off Boston's three-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays, but those were not the only fireworks in Boston's 7-1 victory that cemented the reigning champions as the team to beat in the American League East.

Rays starter James Shields and Boston's Coco Crisp exchanged glancing blows in the bottom of the second inning after Crisp was hit by a Shields offering on the right thigh. Crisp, who was involved in a questionable take-out slide in Wednesday's contest that riled up both clubs, took exception to the blow and charged the mound while the benches and bullpens both emptied.

After several punches were thrown by members of both teams, Crisp, Shields and Rays' designated hitter Jonny Gomes, who threw several shots at Crisp on the ground, were all ejected by home plate umpire Jeff Kellogg following the melee.

Several others players were plunked throughout the game, but tempers did not flare and Boston cruised to its 13th consecutive victory at Fenway Park.

Jon Lester (4-3) was efficient in earning his first win since tossing a no- hitter against Kansas City on May 19. The young lefty surrendered just one run on eight hits, while walking none and fanning five in his 6 1/3-inning start for Boston, which now owns a 1 1/2 game lead over the up-and-coming Rays in the AL East.

Chris Carter played in his first major league game and tallied two hits and two runs, while Sean Casey added two hits as well in the Red Sox's sixth win in seven games.

Shields (4-4) was saddled with the loss after allowing four runs in one-plus innings before the ejection. The Rays dropped their third straight game following a three-game winning streak, as Gomes recorded their lone RBI.

The Sox got started early by putting a pair of runners in scoring position for Ramirez in the first. In the designated hitter spot due to David Ortiz's wrist injury, Ramirez golfed Shields' 1-0 changeup out of the park in left for a 3-0 Boston lead.

Gomes' two-out RBI single in the second was offset by Dustin Pedroia's sacrifice fly in the home half that followed the bench-clearing fracas.

Boston tacked on a few more in the fourth frame as Rays reliever Grant Balfour was pulled after consecutive one-out singles. J.P. Howell was brought in and allowed back-to-back walks, the last of which to J.D. Drew bringing in a run.

Ramirez pushed Boston ahead, 7-1 with a two-run seeing-eye single on a payoff pitch to left, as Lester and the Boston bullpen took over from there.

Tampa threatened in the eighth, but reliever Mike Timlin fanned Justin Ruggiano on a nine-pitch at-bat with the bases loaded to end the rally.

Game Notes

Thursday marked Boston's second straight home sweep of Tampa Bay after also accomplishing the feat on May 2-4 of this season...Boston's 13-game home winning streak is its longest since winning 14 straight at home from July 19- August 26, 2005...Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury left the game in the fourth inning after injuring his right wrist on a diving catch in center field. X-rays taken after the incident were negative and the injury will be evaluated further on Friday...Ramirez extended his hitting streak to 11 games. He was pulled for a pinch runner in the seventh inning following a walk after seemingly injuring his hamstring during the at-bat...Ruggiano and Willy Aybar each tallied two hits for Tampa Bay...Though the Rays lost, the club added shortstop Tim Beckham from Griffin High School in Georgia with the first overall pick in Thursday's MLB Draft. Boston selected shortstop Casey Kelly from Sarasota High School in Florida with the 30th overall selection...Game time was 3 hours, 40 minutes.

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SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.

Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"

A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."

Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.

In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.

"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."

Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.

But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"

Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.

This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.

Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.

In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.

No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.

And that's all any bettor can ask for.

To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.

Marlins could start season without No. 2 starter Johnson

JUPITER, Fla. -- The Foorida Marlins are preparing for the likelihood that right-hander
Josh Johnson won't be ready when the season starts April 2.

Grapefruit League action starts Wednesday, but Johnson, penciled in as the No. 2 starter, hasn't even thrown off a mound at full speed since September. He's experienced some soreness in his right forearm.

MySportsbook.com have the Marlins listed with baseball betting lines at +800 to win the NL East this season .

''You guys know the math. If he's not on the hill then he becomes an opening day roster issue,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said Saturday. ''We're borderline now.''

Johnson, who finished 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 2007, was supposed to throw on flat ground Saturday. That was canceled when he woke up with pain.

He played catch on Wednesday with no pain but felt discomfort in a throwing session on Thursday. He's expected to try again Sunday.

''Like we always said from the very beginning, we're going to take it easy on him,'' Gonzalez said. ''He didn't feel right, so we shut him down. We're going to take it back to step one and see where we're at.''

Among the candidates to take Johnson's spot in the rotation are left-hander Chris George and right-handers Yusmeiro Petit and Jose Garcia.

Right-hander Sergio Mitre, who missed most of last season with arm and shoulder problems, also is behind.

With Johnson's status doubtful, Gonzalez said right-hander Ricky Nolasco will stay in the rotation and no longer will be considered a candidate for closer.

Additional basbeall odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.