Cardinals hope to keep playoff chances alive vs. Astros
Baseball Betting Lines
09/27/2011 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Losing to the worst team in baseball has to be tough to swallow for a Cardinals team trying desperately to make a postseason push.
St. Louis did just that against the Houston Astros in last night's opener of a three-game series and looks to even the set Tuesday at Minute Maid Park. It dropped a 5-4 decision in 10 innings after Brian Bogusevic scored the game- winning run on a bunt single by Angel Sanchez. Bogusevic doubled to lead off the inning and went to third when Cardinals reliever Octavio Dotel misplayed a Jason Bourgeois sacrifice bunt to the mound.
Dotel was strapped with the loss and the Cardinals remained a game behind Atlanta for the Wild Card lead in the National League. The Braves lost to Philadelphia on Monday and the Cardinals couldn't take advantage.
"I look at it like, all it takes is they lose one and we win one," said Cardinals slugger Lance Berkman. "I think we win the next two games we have an excellent shot. I really feel that way."
Berkman drove in two runs and Matt Holliday ended with two hits and an RBI in defeat. Albert Pujols is two RBI shy of extending his Major League record to 11 consecutive seasons of at least 30 homers and 100 runs driven in with a batting average .300 or better.
Jaime Garcia started for St. Louis and did not record a decision, as he surrendered four runs and four hits in four innings. The Cardinals have lost three of five games since a four-game winning streak. Shortstop Rafael Furcal could miss the last two games of this series after he departed Monday's game in the fifth inning with a left hamstring injury.
"He'll miss a couple games," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "He's got a little tug in his hamstring, so I don't see him playing the next two games here."
A loss by St. Louis and a win for Atlanta will decide the NL Wild Card.
Jake Westbrook will try to keep playoff hopes alive when he takes the mound for St. Louis this evening. Westbrook is 12-9 with a 4.48 earned run average in 32 starts this season and has dropped two of his last three decisions. In Thursday's 8-6 loss to the New York Mets, he allowed only one run in six innings for the no-decision.
Westbrook, a right-hander, is 2-2 with a 3.77 ERA in five career starts against the Astros and 8-4 in 16 outings on the road this season.
Houston had dropped two in a row and four of six games before squeezing out a tight win last night. Matt Downs homered and Mark Melancon pitched two scoreless innings of relief for the victory, while starter Wandy Rodriguez held the Cardinals to a pair of runs over 6 1/3 innings. The lefty also knocked in a run at the plate.
Bourgeois and Sanchez each had an RBI before helping the Astros to victory in extra innings.
"It's a fun play to be on the bases," Bourgeois said of the bunt. "It wasn't a suicide [squeeze] so I had to make a read."
Astros rookie Henry Sosa will try to close out the season with back-to-back wins when he takes the ball tonight. He ended a personal three-start losing streak in Thursday's 9-6 victory versus Colorado and gave up three runs over 6 1/3 innings of work.
Sosa is 3-5 in nine starts to go along with a 4.68 earned run average and will face St. Louis for the first time. The righty is 2-1 in four home starts.
St. Louis has won eight of 13 matchups with Houston this season.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves could clinch a playoff berth with a win tonight coupled by a St. Louis loss. Standing in the way of that goal are the Philadelphia Phillies, who look to win this series with a victory Tuesday in the second
<< Vazquez, Marlins try to cool off Nationals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Streaking veteran Javier Vazquez takes the mound amid
organizational shifting for the Florida Marlins tonight when they host the
Washington Nationals in the middle game of a three-game series at Sun Life
Stadium.
On Monda
<< Slumping Red Sox aim to regroup in Baltimore
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox' once comfortable lead atop the American
League wild card standings is now gone. Tonight, the Red Sox try to bounce
back once again when they play the middle test of a three-game series with the
Baltimo
<< Mariners continue series with A's
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An impressive rookie season by Blake Beavan comes to an end
tonight when the Seattle Mariners hurler faces off against the Oakland
Athletics in the middle portion of a three-game series.
Beavan has gone 5-5 with a 3.82 ear
<< Tigers, Indians go at it again at Comerica Park
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers try to continue their recent mastery of
the Cleveland Indians this evening when they play the middle test of their
three-game series at Comerica Park.
The Tigers have dominated this matchup of l
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers are closing in on home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs and look to bounce back from last night's loss versus the Pittsburgh Pirates at Miller Park. The Brewers are a game ahead of A
Diamondbacks send out rookie Parker to face Dodgers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There's still a chance the Arizona Diamondbacks can capture
home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs, but sending Jarrod
Parker to the hill for his major league debut could damage those hopes.
Parker takes t
Bye Bye Big East >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If the greatest event in collegiate
athletics is the men's NCAA basketball tournament, and it's hard to find a
dissenter, a legitimate runner up could very well be the men's Big East
Conference basketball t
Davydenko, Nishikori advance in Kuala Lumpur >>
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former top-five star and 2009
champion Nikolay Davydenko and Japan's Kei Nishikori were among Tuesday's
first-round winners at the $850,000 Malaysian Open, which is part of the Asian
swing o
FCS title game tickets to go on sale >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NCAA will put tickets for the 2012
Football Championship Subdivision title game on sale beginning Friday, Sept.
30 at 11 a.m. ET.
The championship game is scheduled for 23,500-seat Pizza Hut Park in Fr
March Madness odds and printable March Madness brackets
With the field of 64/65 set, MySportsbook.com has the Florida Gators as the 4-1 favorite to successfully defend their National Championship. Men’s Division-1 College Basketball has not seen a team repeat as National Champions since Duke won back to back championships in ’91 & ‘92. After losing three out of four late in the season, the Gators are full of momentum as they won their last four games by an average of 18 points. Not surprisingly, right behind the Gators are the other three top seeds: Kansas 5-1, UNC 6-1, and Ohio State 7-1. Many consider Kansas to be the hottest team in the country, having won 11 straight. With Kansas, it is hard to ignore all of the early exits from the “dance” in recent years. With an impressive ACC Tournament, UNC ensured themselves the other top seed. UNC has about as much talent as any other team in the tournament but with a team that’s best players are primarily freshman and sophomores, could youth be a concern. Behind freshman sensation, Greg Oden, OSU will look to do what their football team failed to do just a few months earlier. OSU seems to have peeked at the right time, as they currently have a 17 game winning streak. Since the tournament field was expanded in 1985, there has never been an instance where all four #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. It is obvious that each of the top seeds have the talent to make it through to Atlanta. But as everyone knows, when makes the NCAA Tournament so special are all of the spoilers and “Cinderella” stories that knock off the favorites on a daily basis.
Be sure to logon to MySportsbook.com to see check out all of the early lines and “March Madness” props. Also be sure to enter the “$10,000,000 Perfect Bracket Contest”. If someone has the skills to predict every winner, they will be set for life and walk away with $10,000,000. Even if no one can cash in on the Grand Prize, with a $35,000 guaranteed prize pool and a Mazda RX-8 to the first prize winner, Sportsbook.com’s bracket is a must for all “March Madness” fans.
MySportsbook.com’s odds to win the Championship and Regions:
| EAST | National Championship | Region |
| Arkansas | 300-1 | 50-1 |
| Belmont | 1000-1 | |
| Boston College | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Eastern KY | 1000-1 | |
| George Washington | 75-1 | |
| Georgetown | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| Marquette | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Michigan State | 100-1 | 25-1 |
| New Mexico St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| UNC | 6-1 | 6-5 |
| Oral Roberts | 500-1 | |
| Texas | 15-1 | 5-1 |
| Texas Tech | 200-1 | 5-1 |
| USC | 75-1 | 20-1 |
| Vanderbilt | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Washington State | 40-1 | 15-1 |
| WEST | ||
| Duke | 50-1 | 10-1 |
| Florida A&M | 1000-1 | |
| Gonzaga | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Holy Cross | 300-1 | |
| Illinois | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Indiana | 75-1 | 40-1 |
| Kansas | 5-1 | 13-10 |
| Kentucky | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Niagara | 1000-1 | |
| Pittsburgh | 40-1 | 8-1 |
| Southern Ill. | 50-1 | 12-1 |
| UCLA | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| VCU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Villanova | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| VA Tech | 50-1 | 15-1 |
| Weber St | 1000-1 | |
| Wright St | 1000-1 | 300-1 |
| MIDWEST | ||
| Arizona | 50-1 | 30-1 |
| Butler | 40-1 | 30-1 |
| Davidson | 300-1 | |
| Florida | 4-1 | 4-5 |
| Georgia Tech | 75-1 | 25-1 |
| Jackson State | 1000-1 | |
| Maryland | 30-1 | 6-1 |
| Miami-OH | 300-1 | |
| Notre Dame | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| ODU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Oregon | 40-1 | 6-1 |
| Purdue | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Texas A&M CC | 1000-1 | |
| UNLV | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Winthrop | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Wisconsin | 15-1 | 7-2 |
| SOUTH | ||
| Albany | 200-1 | |
| BYU | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Central CT St. | 1000-1 | |
| Creighton | 100-1 | 35-1 |
| Long Beach St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| Louisville | 40-1 | 10-1 |
| Memphis | 30-1 | 4-1 |
| Nevada | 75-1 | 35-1 |
| North Texas | 500-1 | |
| Ohio State | 7-1 | 6-5 |
| Penn | 500-1 | |
| Stanford | 200-1 | 50-1 |
| Tennessee | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| Texas A&M | 12-1 | 11-5 |
| Virginia | 75-1 | 18-1 |
| Xavier | 100-1 | 40-1 |
Field 100-1
About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.
Police report: Terrell Owens hospitalized after attempt
Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.
The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.
Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.
NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.
"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.
The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.
But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.
The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.
Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.
The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.
The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.
The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.
Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.
Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."
Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.
"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."
Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.
It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.
"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."
Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.
"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."
At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.
According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.
Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.
Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.
When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.
He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.
Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.
Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.
Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.
While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.
"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.
Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.
Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your VISA Sportsbook needs.