Cubs hope to prove they are kings of the Hill versus Arizona

Baseball Betting Lines

07/21/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lefty Rich Hill can put a little more distance between himself and a recent tailspin today when the Chicago Cubs host the Arizona Diamondbacks in game two of a three-game weekend set at Wrigley Field.

Hill, a 27-year-old from Boston, allowed four hits and two runs over eight innings in his last start, defeating San Francisco, 3-2, on July 16.

The victory snapped a five-start drought for the former second-round draft choice, who had gone 0-2 with three no-decisions heading toward the All-Star break.

Hill has made three lifetime starts against Arizona, going 1-1 with a 5.00 earned run average.

Rookie right-hander Micah Owings goes for the Diamondbacks in search of his first win since June 20. The 24-year-old has gone 0-4 with a no-decision in his last five starts since a 7-4 defeat of Tampa Bay had lifted his record to 5-1.

In his last outing, on July 16, he gave up four runs and seven hits in six innings, losing a 4-3 decision to Milwaukee.

On Friday, Aramis Ramirez drove in the tying run and scored the go-ahead run in the sixth inning, and later added a three-run homer as the red-hot Cubs defeated the struggling Diamondbacks, 6-2.

Jacque Jones drove in a pair of runs for the Cubs, who have won three straight and continue to put pressure on the NL Central-leading Brewers, now trailing Milwaukee by 2 1/2 games. Mike Fontenot had two hits, scored three runs and stole two bases for Chicago, which has won seven of eight on its 10-game homestand.

Jason Marquis (7-5) started for the Cubs and picked up the win, allowing two runs on four hits over 7 2/3 innings. The right-hander struck out three and walked one to pick up his second win in three starts. He combined with Carlos Marmol and Bob Howry on the four-hitter.

Chris Young hit a two-run homer for the Diamondbacks, who have dropped two straight and five of six on the road.

Arizona starting pitcher Brandon Webb (8-8) was solid, but still suffered his third straight loss over his last four starts. The right-hander allowed three runs -- two earned -- on five hits, striking out four and walking one over seven innings.

Arizona has had recent success against Chicago. It won four of six against the Cubs in 2006, and is 13-7 against them since the start of the 2004 season.

Wwwthesimpsons Baseball Betting News

<< Reds aim to rebound against Marlins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Young left-hander Bobby Livingston goes for his third win of the season, and of his brief big-league career, tonight when the Cincinnati Reds visit Dolphin Stadium for game three of a four-game series with the host Florida Ma

<< Pujols, Cards resume set with Braves
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Albert Pujols is getting hot and will try to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a victory tonight when the club plays the third game of its four-game set with the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. Pujols homered for the fifth t

<< Rockies continue series with Nationals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mexican veteran Rodrigo Lopez goes for a third straight strong start today when the Colorado Rockies visit RFK Stadium in the third of a four-game series with the Washington Nationals. Lopez, who'll be 32 in December, defe

<< Pirates try to stop skid at seven games against Astros
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Southpaw Wandy Rodriguez will try to get back on a winning track tonight when the Houston Astros visit PNC Park in game two of a three- game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates. A 28-year-old Dominican, Rodriguez had won co

<< Padres set to honor Gwynn, battle Phils
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A battle between 44-year-old left-handers is on tap for tonight as Jamie Moyer and the Philadelphia Phillies play the third of four straight games against David Wells and the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. The matchup of

Haren, Athletics set to tangle with Orioles >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A couple of teams fighting for respectability within their own divisions battle it out tonight in the second of a three-game set from McAfee Coliseum, as the Oakland Athletics take on the Baltimore Orioles. Baltimore, whic

Indians, Rangers continue set in Texas >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Slowly creeping up on the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central, the Cleveland Indians shoot for their third straight victory tonight as they take on the Texas Rangers in the third of a four-game set at Rangers Ballpa

Angels try to rebound against Twins >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Now just a game in front in the American League West, the LA Angels of Anaheim try to bounce back tonight as they challenge the Minnesota Twins in the second game of a three-game set at the Metrodome. The Angels, who are a

Devil Rays, Yanks set to play two in the Bronx >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Already 18 1/2 games out of contention in the American League East and just 10-17 versus division foes, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays try to follow up their impressive effort on Friday as they play two versus the New York Yankees

Red-hot Mariners continue series with Blue Jays >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - As one of the hottest teams in baseball, the Seattle Mariners continue their quest for the top spot in the American League West as they contend with the Toronto Blue Jays in the second of a three-game set from the Rogers Cent

MySportsbook.com refunds all bets on Oakland, Green Bay and Tampa Bay from NFL week one.

(September 14) – Week one of NFL action saw three teams go scoreless for the first time since 1977.  Another four were unable to get a touchdown and almost half of the underdogs covered the spread. Those three teams saved bettors at MySportsbook.com from losing out completely, thanks to the company’s unique NFL Shutout Rule -- which ensures that if the team you backed goes scoreless, your wager is refunded.

Sportsbook refunded tens of thousands of dollars to customers who bet on Oakland, Green Bay and Tampa Bay, the three teams that stunk up the field so badly that their fans and backers never had a chance to get up from their couches and cheer.  In the spirit of the low scoring start to the season, odds makers at the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino have set odds on how many total shutouts there will be this season. 

MySportsbook.com has posted updated sports betting lines for week two of the season.  Ben Roethlisberger’s health status is still questionable, so Willie Parker will try to lead Pittsburgh again as they travel to Jacksonville as a one point favorite.  After beating up on his little brother last week, Peyton Manning will look to lead the Colts to victory against Houston. Indianapolis is a whopping 13.5 favorite in the match-up.

Seattle, last year’s highest scoring team, showed the power of their defense with their gritty 9-6 win in Motown over the ravenous Lions.  They take their act back home to the comforts of Qwest Field where they will face the resurgent Arizona Cardinals.  The Seahawks are favored by a touchdown. 

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.

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.