Bloomquist, Mariners edge Padres

Baseball Betting Lines

06/11/2007 - San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Willie Bloomquist scored the go-ahead run on a Jose Lopez ground out in the ninth inning, as the Seattle Mariners won 4-3 and completed a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres at PETCO Park.

Ichiro Suzuki drove in two runs and Jamie Burke went 3-for-4 with two runs scored for the Mariners, who rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win for the seventh time in eight games.

Mike Cameron and Terrmel Sledge each homered for the Padres, who ended a six- game homestand, 3-3.

With the game tied 3-3 and San Diego's Trevor Hoffman starting the inning on the hill, Bloomquist started the ninth by reaching on a throwing error by third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff. Pinch-hitter Jose Vidro then sacrificed him to second and after Suzuki was intentionally walked, Bloomquist stole third with Lopez at the plate. Then, on a 2-1 pitch, Lopez grounded out to second, scoring Bloomquist for the winning run.

"The last month we've been playing very, very good baseball," said Bloomquist. "Everyone is contributing, doing their jobs and making us a better team...The more we win, the more we want to win."

Hoffman (2-3) suffered the loss, yielding the unearned run in a hitless frame.

"We've had three good games and came up on the short end each time -- that's tough," said San Diego manager Bud Black. "When you lose them late, like today, it's even tougher. I think this team will be fine. We've played so many close games we'll bounce back."

Miguel Batista (7-4) got the win, tossing an inning of one-hit relief. J.J. Putz tossed a perfect ninth, striking out two, for his 18th save in as many chances.

Seattle's Yuniesky Betancourt ended 0-for-4 to see his 20-game hit streak come to an end.

The Mariners got going in the third inning. Burke singled to start the frame, moved to third on a base hit by Bloomquist and scored when Hernandez reached on a bunt.

The Padres answered in the fourth when Cameron hit a solo homer and Sledge connected for a two-run shot.

Seattle, tough, tied the game in the seventh. Richie Sexson started the inning with a single and moved to second when Burke came through with a one-out base hit. After pinch-hitter Ben Broussard was hit by a pitch, Suzuki singled to plate a pair of runners and force San Diego starter Chris Young from the game.

Young was charged with three runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. His counterpart, Felix Hernandez allowed three runs on seven hits in six frames, striking out six and walking one.

Game Notes

Jose Cruz and Khalil Greene each ended 2-for-4 for the Padres...The Mariners are 3-0 on their current 10-game road trip.

Wwwtrenitalia Baseball Betting News

<< Thompson claims first Nationwide win
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Thompson shot a one-under 70 on Sunday to win the Rex Hospital Open, holding off a charging Bob Burns to claim his first Nationwide Tour victory in wire-to-wire fashion. Thompson finished at 16-under 268

<< Woody Austin wins St. Jude
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Woody Austin was so good, it didn't matter what anyone else did. The way he played the final round of the Stanford St. Jude Championship, no one was beating him. "That was a true round of golf. It was one of

<< Twins top Nats
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Bartlett was 3-for-5 and drove in a pair of runs as Minnesota doubled up Washington, 6-3, to salvage the finale of a three-game set at the Metrodome. Torii Hunter finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and th

<< Royals rout Phillies
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Grudzielanek homered and finished with five RBI, as the Kansas City Royals pounded the Philadelphia Phillies, 17-5, in the rubber match of a three-game interleague set at Kauffman Stadium. Tony Pena

<< Buehrle finally gets 100th win as Sox salvage finale with Astros
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Konerko homered and Mark Buehrle finally earned his 100th career victory, as the Chicago White Sox defeated the Houston Astros, 6-3, to salvage the finale of a three-game set at U.S. Cellular Field. Kone

Pettersen wins LPGA Championship >>
Havre de Grace, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Suzann Pettersen waited two months for another chance. This time, she wouldn't let it get away. The intense, long-hitting Norwegian won her first major Sunday by edging out Karrie Webb at the McDonald's

DiNardo, A's blank Giants, complete sweep >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lenny DiNardo tossed six scoreless innings and the bullpen did the rest, as the Oakland Athletics completed the sweep of the San Francisco Giants with a 2-0 win at AT&T Park. Santiago Casilla (2

Dynamo win 3rd straight as Crew remain winless in six >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A little over a week ago, Major League Soccer's defending cup holder, Houston, looked like it was heading for a rough stretch. The Dynamo were preparing for a three-games-in-eight-days stretch after

Mets' activate Green >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Mets activated outfielder Shawn Green from the 15-day disabled list following Sunday's 15-7 setback to the Detroit Tigers. Green has been out since suffering a chip fracture on the base o

Gordon reigns supreme at Pocono >>
Long Pond, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Letarte made the right calls and got Jeff Gordon out front when the rains came to capture Sunday's rain-delayed Pocono 500 at the Pocono Raceway. The No.24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet crossed

Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.


FOOTBALL TRASH TALK

NFL Football Trash Talk

Trash talk has a place in every competitive endeavor (except baseball; those stirrup-wearers are too busy chewing on their sunflower seeds and their supplements to worry about what their opponents are doing).

Fantasy sports is no exception. Any intelligent discussion of the subject would probably start with a thesis statement or a definition of terms. Thankfully, this wont be an intelligent discussion.

Let me just say that I am happy to take a place in this space alongside my talented colleagues, even our commissioner. (You should see how she bleats like a demented paper boy about league fees on our fantasy site).

Trash talking, I would argue, is primarily about amusing your friends, their sheeplike demeanors and sloping foreheads notwithstanding. The best place I have found for football trash talking is at www.SportsAlarm.com.

Beyond the entertainment factor, though, I would recognize that the sophomoric ritual has one advantage, when properly applied. It magnifies your fantasy triumphs and mitigates your fantasy failures by transforming the eventual point total into an afterthought. Winning makes it seem like your opponent really is a truss-owning, lapel-pin-wearing nitwit. And in defeat, trash talk can be the air bag to break the fall from your hyperbolic heights. The plug-necked yahoos on your team, you can say, will be sacking groceries by the end of the season.

The best trash talk, in my view, is layered and nuanced. And it doesnt focus only on your opponents team. It picks apart your opponent. The idea is to create a shock-and-awe-scale blizzard of nonsense, and the goal is to make your opponent drop his hands from his keyboard in exasperation.

What team does your opponent root for? Accuse a Giants fan of having a Joe Namath pillowcase. Wheres your opponent from? Give a look of concern no matter his reply, then say, I'll try to type slower for you next time. Is your opponent into politics? Label everyone a tax-and-spend corporate shill.

Cap all that with a liberal application of irrelevance. For instance, dont just conclude by saying your opponent is a twerp who drafts like my grandmother. Say that your opponent is a sweater-wearing, eyebrow-plucking twerp who drafts his team about as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor gave acceptance speeches at the Oscars. By the time your foe makes sense of that, his starting running back will have had puppies.

But what about you? Hmm? Recall a memorable slam? Have a tried-and-true technique? Know someone who seems impervious to insult? Take a moment and tells us about it. Put together some (fit-for-publication) thoughts. You wont be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, Im sure, to reply.

In addition to the trash talking, the Sports Alarm has a huge gallery of high resolution pictures of beautiful women and models in bikinis. The most popular models are: Lindsay Lohan, Carrie Underwood, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paris Hilton.