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MLB Weather Forecast

July 12th, 2007 · No Comments

fenway park boston vs toronto blue jays weather forecast graffiti tommy mac

Thursday, July 12th

American League

Toronto Blue Jays at Boston Red Sox, 7:05 p.m.

Clear Clear. Winds blowing from left to right field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game Time temperature: Near 80.

Chicago White Sox at Baltimore Orioles, 7:05 p.m.

Clear Clear. Winds blowing in from left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game Time temperature: Around 85.

Detroit Tigers at Seattle Mariners, 10:05 p.m.

Mostly Clear Mostly clear. Winds blowing from left to right field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game Time temperature: Around 80.

National League

Cincinnati Reds at New York Mets, 7:10 p.m.

Clear Clear. Winds blowing from left to right field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game Time temperature: Near 80.

Tags: Sports Weather Forecasts

BoSox vs Jays - Pizza Play - 07:05p.m. est

July 12th, 2007 · No Comments

boston red sox vs toronto blue jays mlb free sports pick baseball freebie graffiti tommy mac

Despite having the best record in the majors and the largest division lead, the Boston Red Sox stumbled into the All-Star break.

The Red Sox look to open the second half with a victory and avoid the same letdown they had after the break last year when they face the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday at Fenway Park .

Boston (53-34) cruised through the first half of the season, opening up a 12-game lead in the AL East on July 5. The Red Sox still own a 10-game lead over the second-place Blue Jays (43-44) and New York Yankees, but they’ve lost eight of their last 13 and were swept in Detroit in their final series before the break.

Last season, the Red Sox had the third-best record in the majors at the All-Star break at 53-33, and led the Yankees by three games. In the second half, though, Boston struggled to a 33-43 mark and finished 11 games behind New York to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

Tim Wakefield (9-8, 4.39 ERA) will look to get the Red Sox back on track and win his third straight start when he takes the mound Thursday.

Wakefield is 4-1 with a 4.78 ERA in his last five starts after going 1-4 with a 7.98 ERA in the previous five outings. He has not won three starts in a row since Aug. 26-Sept. 6, 2005.

In his last outing July 4th, the right-hander departed after 6 1-3 innings with a 7-1 lead, but ended up getting charged with four runs in a 7-5 victory at Fenway. The knuckleballer, who has posted a 3.71 ERA during a four-start home winning streak, hasn’t won five straight starts at Fenway since Aug. 2-Sept. 6, 2005.

Boston has the fourth-best home record in the majors at 28-14 and has won eight of its last 10 at Fenway.

Wakefield is 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA in three starts against the Blue Jays this season, although he gave up four runs in six innings of a 7-3 home loss to them April 23. He’s 14-9 with a save and a 3.75 ERA in 43 games - 33 starts - overall against Toronto, and 7-2 with a 2.72 ERA in nine starts against them since the start of the 2004 season.

The Blue Jays will counter Wakefield with staff ace Roy Halladay (10-3, 4.46), who’s 6-1 with a 4.56 ERA in eight starts since coming off the disabled list May 31 after a bout with appendicitis.

Halladay was shaky his last time out, though, giving up five runs and nine hits in 5 2-3 innings of an 8-6 victory over Cleveland on Friday.

The 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner is 9-8 with a 4.67 ERA in 30 games - 27 starts - against the Red Sox, and 1-1 with a 5.31 ERA in three starts against them this season.

The Blue Jays have won three of their last four and defeated Cleveland 1-0 in their last game Sunday, as All-Star Alex Rios hit an RBI single in the ninth.

Rios, who finished second in Monday’s Home Run Derby, caught the final out of Tuesday’s All-Star game to give the AL a 5-4 victory. He’s batting .409 (9-for-22) with two doubles and eight RBIs during a six-game hitting streak, but is 5-for-24 (.208) with a homer in his career against Wakefield.

The Red Sox have won five of eight against the Blue Jays this season, but lost the only two games played at Fenway.

For Pizza I’m on the Jays +107 & UN 9.5

Good Luck,

Tommy Mac

Bet the Jays +107 & the UN 9.5 HERE with your FREE $50

Tommy Mac’s FREE Baseball Picks - Pizza Plays - are “What I will be watching on TV tonight” as posted on Graffiti Wall blogs and askthebookie.com

Hungry for Pizza while you watch the game tonight? The Pizza is on us!

This FREEBIE Pizza Play Sports Pick is a HANDICAPPED game and is for fun and entertainment purposes only.

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Tags: Free Picks - Tommy Mac

MLB Game Previews & Matchups

July 12th, 2007 · No Comments

Thursday, July 12th (All times eastern)

TORONTO BLUE JAYS (43-44) AT BOSTON RED SOX (53-34), 7:05 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Toronto - Roy Halladay (10-3, 4.46) Boston - Tim Wakefield (9-8, 4.39)

Toronto’s Alex Rios put on a surprising power display in the Home Run Derby. The Blue Jays will now try to surprise the rest of the American League East when they begin a four-game series against the Boston Red Sox tonight at Fenway Park.

Rios reached the final of Monday’s Derby behind 12 second-round homers, a high for that stage, but fell to Vladimir Guerrero in the final. Toronto’s lone All-Star representative then made a brief appearance in the field in the ninth inning of Tuesday’s game, but never got to the plate.

The Blue Jays will begin an eight-game road trip with four games against Boston and another four against the New York Yankees, who are tied with Toronto for second in the AL East. Both clubs trail the first-place Red Sox by 10 games.

Toronto comes into this set off a series win over Cleveland, with Rios’ RBI single in the bottom of the ninth lifting his club to a 1-0 victory in Sunday’s rubber match.

Blue Jays starter Josh Towers was perfect through 5 2/3 frames, setting down the first 17 batters he faced before Josh Barfield’s two-out single in the sixth inning. In all, Towers lasted eight innings and yielded just three hits with four strikeouts and no walks.

Roy Halladay goes for his 11th win of the season when he takes the mound for the Blue Jays tonight. Halladay hasn’t been effective as of late, though, having allowed 13 runs over his last three outings. However, he is 2-1 over that span.

The right-hander, who is 6-1 over his last eight starts, escaped with a win last time out despite allowing five runs over 5 2/3 frames of Toronto’s 8-6 victory over Cleveland on Friday. The outing lifted his earned run average to 4.46.

Halladay is 9-8 with a 4.67 ERA over 30 lifetime games (27 starts) against Boston, and has faced them three times already this year, going 1-1 with a 5.31 ERA. He last faced the Red Sox on May 10 and was hammered for eight runs (seven earned) on 11 hits over just five innings.

He landed on the disabled list the following day due to acute appendicitis.

Boston, meanwhile, lost three straight games to Detroit before the break. The Tigers completed the sweep with a 6-5 victory on Sunday.

Julio Lugo went 3-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored for the Red Sox, who have now dropped six in a row and seven out of their last eight on the road. Luckily, the club will begin the second half of the season with an 11-game homestand.

Daisuke Matsuzaka (10-6) struggled in the loss, surrendering six runs on 10 hits over five innings. The Red Sox right-hander struck out four and walked one.

Boston was well represented in San Francisco on Tuesday, placing six players on the AL roster. Starting first baseman David Ortiz was hitless in two at- bats, while outfielder Manny Ramirez went 0-for-1. Third baseman Mike Lowell had a hit and scored a run in the AL’s 5-4 victory.

On the pitching front, Josh Beckett tossed two innings of one-hit ball and Jonathan Papelbon struck out two and gave up one hit over an inning of work. Hideki Okajima, who won the Final Vote competition to get on the roster, did not pitch.

Boston, meanwhile, will send Tim Wakefield to the hill tonight. Wakefield has won his last two starts to improve to 9-8 with a 4.39 ERA on the season. The right-hander bested Tampa Bay on July 4 in his last start before the All-Star break, allowing four runs on seven hits over 6 1/3 innings.

Wakefield is 14-9 with one save and a 3.75 ERA in 43 lifetime games (33 starts) versus the Blue Jays. The knuckleballer is 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA in three starts against Toronto this year. He last faced them on May 10, tossing seven shutout innings.

Boston has won five of its eight meetings with Toronto this season but was swept by the Blue Jays in two games at Fenway in late April.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX (39-47) AT BALTIMORE ORIOLES (38-49), 7:05 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Chicago - Jon Garland (6-6, 3.92) Baltimore - Jeremy Guthrie (4-2, 2.74)

With one distraction now behind them, the Chicago White Sox will begin the second half of the season with an 11-game road trip that starts tonight with the first of four games against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.

The White Sox went into the All-Star break having split a four-game series with Minnesota. The club was pounded over the first two games of the set by a total score of 32-14, but rebounded to win the next two contests, including a 6-3 victory in the finale on Sunday.

However, the more significant event to take place on Sunday was the club’s agreement with left-hander Mark Buehrle on a four-year extension worth $14 million a year.

Buehrle, who was set to become a free agent at season’s end, had been pitching the last few weeks amid much rumored trade discussion. The lefty, who threw a no-hitter earlier this season, had talks with the White Sox pick up again shortly after it was recently reported that negotiations regarding an extension had broken down.

Now the White Sox and Buehrle can just concentrate on turning around a Chicago club that is 13 games out of first place in the AL Central.

On Sunday, Jim Thome went 3-for-4 with a home run for Chicago, while Javier Vazquez pitched his second straight complete game. Vazquez allowed three runs on eight hits with eight strikeouts and no walks.

Jon Garland will aim to recover from a horrid outing before the break when he starts tonight for the White Sox. On Friday against Minnesota, Garland lasted just 3 1/3 frames and was shelled for 12 runs (11 earned) on 11 hits and three walks. The outing lifted the right-hander?s earned run average almost a point — from 3.15 to 3.92 — and dropped his record to 6-6 on the season.

Garland, who had allowed only three earned runs in his previous three outings before facing the Twins, is 4-2 with a 4.85 ERA in eight games (six starts) lifetime against Baltimore. He won both of his starts against them last year, despite pitching to a 5.11 ERA.

Jeremy Guthrie will start for the Orioles and brings a 4-2 mark with a solid 2.74 ERA into the outing. Guthrie, hasn’t posted a victory since June 20, though, going 0-1 over his previous three starts.

In his final outing before the All-Star break, the right-hander allowed three runs and five hits over six innings of a no decision at Texas on Friday.

Guthrie has faced the White Sox twice before out of the bullpen and has scattered one hit and four walks over 3 1/3 total scoreless innings.

Baltimore enters the second half having lost three of its last four games, including a 2-1 setback on Sunday to Texas.

Orioles starter Daniel Cabrera (6-10) absorbed the loss after allowing two runs on six hits while fanning eight and walking five. Chris Gomez went 3- for-4 with a double, while Nick Markakis knocked in the lone run of the game for Baltimore.

Brian Roberts went 2-for-4 with a run scored before serving as Baltimore’s lone All-Star representative on Tuesday. It was an exciting day, to say the least, for Roberts.

Roberts went 0-for-2 with a walk in San Francisco, but was also a small part of history. He was on base and scored on Ichiro Suzuki’s inside-the-park home run, the first in All-Star Game history.

The second baseman almost ended the day as the goat, though. With the AL holding a 5-2 lead, Roberts failed to secure Dmitri Young’s two-out grounder in the ninth inning. That allowed Alfonso Soriano to the plate, and the Cubs’ slugger hit a two-run homer to make it a one-run game.

Luckily for Roberts, the AL held on to win the game.

Bobby Jenks was Chicago’s only player on the AL roster, but the closer didn’t get into the game.

The Orioles and White Sox split a four-game set at Chicago from July 2-5. The White Sox, though, have won seven of their last 10 meetings with Baltimore.

NEW YORK YANKEES (42-43) AT TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS (34-53), 7:10 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: New York - Andy Pettitte (4-6, 4.25) Tampa Bay - James Shields (7-4, 3.82)

The New York Yankees will attempt to improve their odds of making another postseason appearance when the Bronx Bombers begin their second half with the first of four straight games against baseball’s current worst team, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, from Tropicana Field.

New York’s string of 12 consecutive playoff berths is presently in jeopardy due to a sluggish first half in which the club compiled a disappointing 42-43 record. The Yankees trail rival Boston by 10 games for first place in the American League East standings and are 8 1/2 back of Cleveland in the wild card race.

The Yankees are under .500 at the All-Star break for the first time since 1995, when they went an impressive 49-29 in the second half to reach the postseason as a wild card that year.

New York is hoping history can repeat itself. The recent schedule appears to be in the team’s favor, as the Yankees will not play a team with a current winning record until they visit the Indians on August 10.

The Yanks did close out the first half strong by posting victories in five of their final seven contests. New York easily handled the AL-West leading Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Sunday, as Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui and Robinson Cano all belted three-run homers in a 12-0 rout.

Rodriguez ended 2-for-5 with four runs batted in and smacked his major-league leading 30th homer of the season during a six-run fourth inning. The All-Star third baseman also tops the majors with 86 RBI.

New York also received a strong performance on the mound from Chien-Ming Wang (9-4), who yielded five hits and a pair of walks over 6 1/3 innings to record his sixth straight winning decision.

While Wang has been sensational as of late, teammate Andy Pettitte is enduring a rough recent stretch. The veteran left-hander, who gets the call for the Yankees this evening, has been rocked in back-to-back starts and is 0-2 with an ugly 10.18 earned run average in four outings since his last victory, a June 14 decision over Arizona.

Pettitte was lit up for eight runs on 10 hits over five innings in a no decision against the Angels last Friday. That was actually a great improvement over his previous start, when he surrendered eight runs (seven earned) and nine hits while lasting only 1 2/3 innings in a July 1 loss to Oakland.

The 35-year-old has dominated the Devil Rays over the course of his career, however. In 18 lifetime games (17 starts) against Tampa Bay, Pettitte is 11-1 with a 3.19 ERA.

The Devil Rays will send out their most consistent pitcher of the first half, James Shields, in tonight’s opener. The second-year hurler leads Tampa Bay with seven victories and owns a solid 3.82 ERA with 116 strikeouts in 18 starts.

Shields won his first six decisions of 2007 before dropping four straight starts from June 15-July 1. The right-hander was able to get back on track in his final appearance before the All-Star break, as he defeated Kansas City on Friday after giving up four runs over 7 2/3 innings.

The 25-year-old faced the Yankees three times as a rookie last season and went 0-2 with a 5.68 ERA in those games.

Shields’ latest win has been Tampa Bay’s only triumph over its last 13 games. The Devil Rays are 5-20 since June 13 and bring a major-league worst 34-53 overall mark into tonight’s tilt.

In its final game prior to the break, Tampa was routed by the Royals by a 12-4 count on Sunday. Jonny Gomes was the lone bright spot for the Rays, as the outfielder went 4-for-4 with a home run and three RBI at the plate.

Scott Kazmir (5-6) allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits through five- plus innings to suffer the loss.

The Devil Rays have taken three of their four 2007 meetings with New York and swept the Yankees in a two-game set at Tropicana Field in late April. The Bronx Bombers won six of nine matchups between the teams in St. Petersburg last season.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS (44-44) AT MINNESOTA TWINS (45-43), 8:10 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Oakland - Chad Gaudin (8-3, 2.88) Minnesota - Scott Baker (3-3, 5.71)

Both the Minnesota Twins and Oakland Athletics made last year’s playoffs on the strength of second-half surges. The clubs are hoping for similar success when they start their post-All Star Game schedules with tonight’s opener of a four-game series at the Metrodome.

Oakland compiled the best winning percentage in the majors during the 2006 second half, as the A’s went 48-26 following the break to capture the American League West division. Minnesota was just as good, posting a 49-27 ledger to edge Detroit for first place in the AL Central.

Each team has significant ground to make up at the moment, however. The Twins currently sit eight games behind the first-place Tigers in the Central standings and Oakland is nine games in back of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for the top spot in the West.

The Athletics will try to close the gap behind Chad Gaudin, one of the game’s biggest first-half surprises who takes aim at his ninth victory of the season tonight.

Gaudin has picked up wins in each of his last two starts and defeated rival Seattle on June 5 by allowing just two runs over 7 2/3 innings. In his previous outing, the converted reliever yielded only one hit over seven shutout frames to beat the New York Yankees on June 30.

The right-hander enters this evening’s matchup ranked fourth among AL hurlers with a 2.88 earned run average.

Gaudin defeated Minnesota with five innings of two-run ball on June 3, his only previous start against the Twins. He has also faced the club twice in relief and has given up three runs over 6 2/3 total innings versus tonight’s opponent.

Minnesota’s Scott Baker was also a winner last time out, benefiting from an offensive eruption by his teammates in a 20-14 triumph over the White Sox last Friday. The young righty did surrender seven runs and nine hits in just five innings of that game, and looks to improve on that performance when he takes the mound tonight.

Baker put together three straight strong starts before Friday’s contest, including a stellar eight-inning effort against rival Detroit on July 1. He held the Tigers scoreless over the first seven frames before yielding a solo homer to Marcus Thames that accounted for the game’s only run.

The 25-year-old has only faced Oakland one time previously. That came back on September 21, 2005, when Baker allowed three runs in five innings to earn the victory in a 10-4 Minnesota decision.

The Twins begin their second half with a 10-game homestand after playing their final 11 tests prior to the break on the road. Minnesota went 5-6 on the trek which concluded with two straight losses to the White Sox.

In Sunday’s finale in Chicago, Jim Thome went 3-for-4 with a home run and Javier Vazquez went the distance on an eight-hitter to lead the Sox to a 6-3 win.

Twins starter Carlos Silva (6-10) allowed six runs — five earned — over five innings to receive the loss. All-Star first baseman Justin Morneau paced Minnesota’s offense with two hits, a home run and a pair of RBI.

Oakland dropped its final three contests of the first half, all to division- rival Seattle. The Mariners scored four times in the seventh inning to rally for a 7-3 victory in Sunday’s finale of a four-game set.

Joe Blanton (8-5) was charged with six runs (five earned) on 12 hits through six-plus innings of work for the Athletics, who were handed their fifth defeat in seven games.

Oakland took two of three games from the Twins at McAfee Coliseum last month and swept the best-of-five American League Division Series between the teams last October.

DETROIT TIGERS (52-34) AT SEATTLE MARINERS (49-36), 10:05 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Detroit - Andrew Miller (4-2, 3.31) Seattle - Felix Hernandez (5-4, 3.72)

The Detroit Tigers hope to begin their second half the way they ended the first, as the defending American League champions start up a four-game series with the surprising Seattle Mariners tonight at Safeco Field.

Detroit won its final five games before the All-Star break to move one game ahead of Cleveland for first place in the AL Central standings. The Tigers took the last two tests of a key three-game set with the rival Indians before recording an impressive three-game sweep of AL East leader Boston last weekend.

In Sunday’s finale with the Red Sox, Gary Sheffield went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBI and Detroit withstood a late Boston charge to hold on for a 6-5 win.

Sheffield also had a pair of doubles and scored two runs, while Carlos Guillen also finished with two RBI for the Tigers.

Detroit starter Nate Robertson (5-6) worked the first 6 1/3 innings and allowed four runs on four hits. Todd Jones pitched out of a ninth-inning jam to earn his 22nd save of the campaign.

Sheffield’s homer was his third in six games and the slugger is batting .458 (11-for-24) with nine runs scored and six RBI over that span.

The Mariners also closed out their first half in fine fashion, as the club won their final three encounters of a four-game series at Oakland. In Sunday’s finale, Seattle rallied for four seventh-inning runs to come through with a 7-3 victory.

Trailing 3-2, the Mariners loaded the bases on three straight singles by Jason Ellison, Ichiro Suzuki and Jose Lopez. Raul Ibanez then brought all three runners home with a double to deep center field.

Lopez went 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored for the Mariners, who improved to 49-36 overall and moved within 2 1/2 games of the Angels’ lead atop the AL West. Seattle also trails Cleveland by only 1 1/2 games in the wild card race.

Sean Green (2-1) tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief to pick up the win before All-Star closer J.J. Putz preserved the win with a shutout ninth.

Another Mariners’ All-Star, Ichiro, was named MVP of Tuesday’s Midsummer Classic. The Japanese superstar went 3-for-3 and smacked a go-ahead two-run, inside-the-park homer to help the American League post a 5-4 win.

The Mariners enter tonight’s showdown with an eight-game home win streak and own an impressive 27-15 record at Safeco Field this season. However, Detroit comes in with a major league-best 27-15 mark on the road.

A pair of emerging young star pitchers will take place in tonight’s opener, as Seattle phenom Felix Hernandez opposes Tigers rookie Andrew Miller.

Hernandez dominated Oakland in his last mound appearance, limiting the Athletics to a mere two hits and no runs over eight innings to lead the Mariners to a 4-0 triumph last Saturday. It was the third time in his last four starts that Hernandez has yielded two or less runs and pitched at least eight innings, and he is 2-0 with a 2.12 earned run average over that span.

The 21-year-old has lost both of his previous career starts against the Tigers despite having surrendered only two earned runs and nine hits over a combined 13 innings in those games.

Miller also turned in an excellent effort his last time out, as the talented southpaw held Boston to a run and three hits over seven innings to earn a victory last Friday. The 22-year-old also matched a career high with six strikeouts.

The 2006 first-round draft choice is 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA in his six starts with the Tigers this season. He faced Seattle in relief last September and was hung with a loss after giving up a run in two innings of work.

Detroit took two of three from the Mariners back in May and is 10-4 in the last 14 meetings between the teams. The Tigers won five of six games against Seattle in Safeco Field a year ago.

CINCINNATI REDS (36-52) AT NEW YORK METS (48-39), 7:10 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Cincinnati - Bronson Arroyo (3-9, 4.84) New York - Orlando Hernandez (4-4, 3.22)

The Cincinnati Reds aim to extend their season-high four- game winning streak this evening, when they kick off an 11-game road trip in New York against the Mets at Shea Stadium.

The Reds have been clicking since ownership dismissed manager Jerry Narron on July 1. Since then, Cincinnati has gone 5-1 under interim manager Pete Mackanin.

The club extended its winning streak with a three-game sweep of Arizona, including Sunday’s 4-3 extra-inning victory. Scott Hatteberg played the hero, smacking a run-scoring single in the 11th frame.

Hatteberg and David Ross each hit home runs for the Reds, who will now play 11 straight road games against National League East opponents. Aaron Harang started for Cincinnati and scattered just six hits and one run through eight innings, striking out eight and walking one. The victory went to Kirk Saarloos (1-4).

Ken Griffey Jr. was the Reds’ lone All-Star representative this season and started in the outfield in Tuesday’s Midsummer Classic. He went 1-for-2 with a pair of RBI, singling home a run in the first inning before lifting a sac fly in the sixth.

Griffey’s next home run will be the 587th of his career, which would move him past Frank Robinson for sole possession of sixth place on the all-time list.

Bronson Arroyo halted a 10-game winless streak (0-7) in his last start before the All-Star break and will shoot for back-to-back wins with tonight’s outing. Arroyo hadn’t posted a victory since May 6 against Colorado before besting San Francisco on July 5 behind 6 2/3 innings of three-run, seven-hit ball. He also struck out four and walked two in the 6-3 win.

The right-hander, who is just 3-9 with a 4.84 earned run average this season, has made four career starts against the Mets and is 2-1 with a 4.40 ERA and two complete games versus New York.

Orlando Hernandez starts tonight for the Mets and is coming off a poor outing on July 4 in Colorado. Against the Rockies, Hernandez was touched for six runs (five earned) on six hits and six walks over just four innings of a 17-7 pounding. The outing dropped the right-hander to 4-4 on the season while lifting his ERA to 3.22.

Hernandez has lost both his career starts against the Reds while pitching to a 7.11 ERA over those outings. Both of those defeats came last year, including a May 7 setback that saw the righty allow eight runs in 5 2/3 innings.

New York entered the break having split a four-game series with Houston. After a 17-inning marathon on Saturday that saw the Mets emerge as 5-3 winners, the club settled for the split with an 8-3 setback on Sunday.

All-Stars Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes had solid games against the Astros. Beltran clubbed a two-run homer and Reyes had a pair of hits, an RBI and two stolen bases. He has now swiped 46 bases on the season for the Mets, who own the top spot in the NL East by two games over the Braves.

Reyes then shined at the All-Star Game, going 3-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base. Fellow starters Beltran and David Wright both went 1-for-3, with Beltran also scoring a run.

Those three were joined in San Francisco by closer Billy Wagner, who had a forgettable day. The left-hander was tagged for two runs in the eighth inning of the NL’s 5-4 setback.

The Mets and Reds are meeting for the first time this season. New York held a slim 4-3 edge in the 2006 season series and split four games with the Reds at home. The Mets have won three of their last four games against Cincinnati.

Tags: Game Previews & Matchups

Crush Shot Betting Odds Alert & Injury Report

July 12th, 2007 · No Comments

streets of hong kong graffiti betting odds tommy mac

MLB 07/12/2007 7:10 PM EDT 901 cincinnati reds (r) arroyo, b 9u15 / 9u20 9u25 +1.5(-145) 902 new york mets (r) hernandez, o -170 -163 /-162/-158 -159 -1.5(+125) CIN (OF) Hamilton Questionable

KEY MOVES BY BETTING PUBLIC TODAY est

Time of Play Game Date Game # Team Line 8:18:49am 2007-07-12 910 MIN -120 8:16:00am 2007-07-12 906 BAL -125

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7:05 PM EDT 903 toronto blue jays (r) halladay, r 9o25 9u1/ 9.5u20 9.5u25 +1.5(-200) 904 boston red sox (r) wakefield, t -120/ -114 -113 -1.5(+170) TOR (2B) Hill OUT, (3B) Glaus Questionable; BOS (C) Varitek NOT expected to start (rest); BOS (DH) Ortiz, (1B) Youkilis Both Questionable

TORONTO - 3B Troy Glaus (ankle) is “?” Thursday vs Boston.

BOSTON - DH David Ortiz (knee) is “?” Thursday vs Toronto. Ortiz yesterday said that surgery will probably be necessary to correct soreness in his right knee. Ortiz is expected to have an MRI on his knee Thursday to determine the cause of his soreness. Ortiz told the newspaper that he believes the issue goes back to last season. He also described the problem as “minor.” Ortiz speculated that surgery would probably be necessary after this season has ended.

7:05 PM EDT 905 chicago white sox (r) garland, j 8.5o15/8.5u15 8.5u20 +1.5(-175) 906 baltimore orioles (r) guthrie, j -125-131 /-136 / -138 -140 -1.5(+155)

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7:10 PM EDT 907 new york yankees (l) pettitte, a -140/-147/-142/-141 -140 -1.5(+110) 908 tampa bay devil rays(r) shields, j 9u1 / 9.5u15 9.5u20 +1.5(-130)

8:10 PM EDT 909 oakland athletics (r) gaudin, c 9 / 9u15 9u20 +1.5(-190) 910 minnesota twins (r) baker, s -115 -126 / -125 / -123 -122 -1.5(+165)

10:05 PM EDT 911 detroit tigers (l) miller, a 8 / 8.5 8.5o15 +1.5(-175) 912 seattle mariners (r) hernandez, f -140 -131 / -133 -135 -1.5(+155) DET (2B) Polanco Probable

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MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL - Jul 12

NATIONAL LEAGUE - THURSDAY Jul 12 901 CIN B ARROYO -R +150 o9+105 +1½-145 7:10 PM 902 NYM O HERNANDZ-R -170 u9-125 -1½+125

AMERICAN LEAGUE - THURSDAY Jul 12 903 TOR R HALLADAY-R -105 o9½+105 +1½-215 7:05 PM 904 BOS WAKEFIELD -R -115 u9½-125 -1½+175 Jul 12 905 CWS J GARLAND -R +120 o8½-105 +1½-180 7:05 PM 906 BAL J GUTHRIE -R -140 u8½-115 -1½+160 Jul 12 907 NYY A PETTITTE-L -150 o9½+110 -1½+110 7:10 PM 908 TAM J SHIELDS -R +130 u9½-130 +1½-130 Jul 12 909 OAK C GAUDIN -R +105 o9+105 +1½-180 8:10 PM 910 MIN S BAKER -R -125 u9-125 -1½+160 Jul 12 911 DET A MILLER -L +115 o8½-110 +1½-175 10:05 PM 912 SEA F HERNANDZ-R -135 u8½-110 -1½+155

GRAND SALAMI

NO LISTED PITCHERS - ALL GAMES MUST GO 8.5 INNINGS Jul 12 945 AWAY RUNS +115 +1½-110 7:05 PM 946 HOME RUNS -135 -1½-110 Jul 12 947 OVER RUNS o56-110 7:05 PM 948 UNDER RUNS u56-110

1ST HALF - 5 INNINGS First Half Lines - Jul 12

NATIONAL LEAGUE Jul 12 1901 1H CIN B ARROYO -R +140 o4½-110 7:10 PM 1902 1H NYM O HERNANDZ-R -160 u4½-110

AMERICAN LEAGUE Jul 12 1903 1H TOR R HALLADAY-R EV 7:05 PM 1904 1H BOS WAKEFIELD -R -120 Jul 12 1905 1H CWS J GARLAND -R +120 7:05 PM 1906 1H BAL J GUTHRIE -R -140 Jul 12 1907 1H NYY A PETTITTE-L -140 7:10 PM 1908 1H TAM J SHIELDS -R +120 Jul 12 1909 1H OAK C GAUDIN -R +110 8:10 PM 1910 1H MIN S BAKER -R -130 Jul 12 1911 1H DET A MILLER -L +115 10:05 PM 1912 1H SEA F HERNANDZ-R -135

CANADIAN FOOTBALL Line From: Jul 12 - 03:47 PM

WEEK 3 THURSDAY Jul 12 451 CALGARY +3½-110 o47-110 7:00 PM 452 TORONTO -3½-110 u47-110

BOXING - Jul 14

***KERMIT CINTRON VS WALTER DARIO MATTHYSSE*** Jul 14 1101 Kermit Cintron -465 5:00 PM 1102 Walter Dario Matthysse +365

KERMIT CINTRON VS WALTER D MATTHYSSE TOTAL ROUNDS Jul 14 1103 Over 9½ rounds +165 5:00 PM 1104 Under 9½ rounds -200

***KASSIM OUMA VS ISHE SMITH*** Jul 14 1201 Kassim Ouma -645 9:30 AM 1202 Ishe Smith +445

KASSIM OUMA VS ISHE SMITH TOTAL ROUNDS Jul 14 1203 Over 9½ rounds -340 9:30 AM 1204 Under 9½ rounds +260

***ANTONIO MARGARITO VS PAUL WILLIAMS*** Jul 14 1211 Antonio Margarito -160 10:00 PM 1212 Paul Williams +130

ANTONIO MARGARITO VS PAUL WILLIAMS TOTAL ROUNDS Jul 14 1213 Over 11½ rounds -105 10:00 PM 1214 Under 11½ rounds -125

***ARTURO GATTI VS ALFONSO GOMEZ*** Jul 14 1231 Arturo Gatti -180 11:00 PM 1232 Alfonso Gomez +150

ARTURO GATTI VS ALFONSO GOMEZ TOTAL ROUNDS Jul 14 1233 Over 9½ rounds -275 11:00 PM 1234 Under 9½ rounds +225

BOXING - Jul 21 THURSDAY

***HOPKINS VS WRIGHT*** Jul 21 1001 Bernard Hopkins +110 10:50 PM 1002 Ronald Wright -140

BERNARD HOPKINS VS RONALD WRIGHT TOTAL ROUNDS Jul 21 1003 Over 11½ rounds -565 10:50 PM 1004 Under 11½ rounds +415

Tags: Betting Odds

Big Al Smackdown of Gov Online Gambling Regulation

July 12th, 2007 · No Comments

Alfonse D'Amado online gambling government regulation repeal graffiti tommy mac

Alfonse D’Amato, the popular one time New York Senator, now serves as chairman and chief lobbyist for the Poker Players Alliance. Since coming on board, D’Amato has made a tremendous impact and he’s far from shy about getting the word out in regard to legalized online poker.

Former (R-NY) Sen. Alfonse D’Amato and Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) brought their fight to repeal the UIGEA and legalize Internet poker to the World Series of Poker Monday.

Casino City reports that D’Amato and Wexler were both greeted by a cheering crowd.

“Why should Americans not be able to play poker online when they can bet on the ponies online?” D’Amato asked the riled up crowd before he kicked off Day 1D play by yelling “Shuffle up and deal’em.”

Later that afternoon, the large field of competitors paused to hear Wexler talk about returning online poker to American players.

“A few months ago, the government made a big mistake,” Wexler said, referring to the passage of Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. “They butted into the lives of Americans told them they couldn’t play poker.” “Poker is as much our pastime as baseball,” Wexler told the audience. “It’s a game of skill,” Wexler said as the crowd cheered. Then he urged the players to write their representatives and support his proposed legislation allows Americans to gamble on skill games, including poker.

The crowd roared its approval, and Wexler and D’Amato continued their tour of the WSOP floor.

D’Amato and Wexler also made time to sit down with Casino City today to discuss repealing the UIGEA and creating a skill game UIGEA exception for poker.

“I’m fighting for the disenfranchised poker player,” D’Amato told Casino City Press. “They’ve lost the right to play on the Internet. They should have the right to play on the Internet the same way Americans have the rights to bet on the ponies on the Internet. They’ve disenfranchised us. They’ve disenfranchised the poor poker player. That’s why I’ve joined this crusade. They’ve made us second class citizens. They’ve made us thieves. That’s the implication (of the UIGEA). We’re a country of fairness.”

Casino City, ironically, had filed a lawsuit against the US Justice Department some years ago in an effort to prevent them from affecting that company’s sponsorship deals, much of which are online casino affiliate-related. Casino City has long played a major role in the online gambling sector.

D’Amato also touched on what Graffiti Wall reported earlier about how the World Series of Poker has been severely stymied by the UIGEA and fears that followed its passage.

“Imagine how much greater and more spectacular it would be if you had players playing on the Internet,” D’Amato said. “What a competition that would be. That’s the kind of thing that this can eventually be. But the legislation that was surreptitiously attached to the Safe Ports Act, the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act prevents that. It’s one of the most hypocritical pieces of legislation ever passed and it was done in a duplicitous way. It says you’re engaged in a criminal act if you’re playing poker, but it’s ok to bet on horses, or lotteries, which is every bit the gambling – if not more than poker.”

The UIGEA was authored and attached to the unrelated port security act by (open boarders illegal amnesty supporter) Republican Jon Kyl of Arizona.

Tags: Rumor Monger · Poker

Roberts Eliminates Harrell

July 12th, 2007 · No Comments

andy roberts top us golf amature betting odds graffiti tommy mac

Harrell eliminated at Amateur Public Links

Wheaton, IL - Andy Roberts eliminated stroke-play medalist Mark Harrell, 3 & 2, in the first round of match play at the 2007 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.

Due to weather problems the first two days of the event, there was a backlog of matches and the first round of match play didn’t start until Wednesday afternoon. That’s because 126 players had to complete the second round of stroke play earlier in the day before the low 64 scores were determined to set up the match play portion.

Darkness halted play on Wednesday, meaning a total of 17 of the 32 first-round matches have to be finished on Thursday.

Defending champion Casey Watabu is entrenched in a battle with Brent Paladino, as the duo is square through eight holes.

In other complete first-round action, Nathan Pistacchio beat Steven Wilson, 6 & 4; Philip Arouca downed Danny Sorgini, 4 & 3; William Mitchell topped. Nathan Stamey, 2 & 1; Seung Yul Noh beat Jonathon Schram, 3 & 2; Ty Sanders got past Thomas Timby, 1-up (20 holes); Samuel Cyr defeated Daniel Woltman, 4 & 2; Corey Nagy edged Garrett Jones, 1-up; Clayton Rask upended Alan Hill, 2 & 1; Michael Bielawski advanced past Timothy Madigan, 2 & 1; Andrew Rauscher eliminated Junhak Lee, 2 & 1; Colt Knost beat Troy Merritt, 2 & 1; Danny Lee squeezed by Troy Johnson, 1-up; Christian Raynor downed Chris Baker, 2 & 1; and Cameron Knight ran past Brent Long, 3 & 2.

Quarterfinal and semifinal matches are scheduled to be played on Friday, followed by the 36-hole final match on Saturday.

Tags: This Week In Golf

Online Gambling Update: UIGEA Hearing Set for September 4

July 12th, 2007 · No Comments

UIGEA online gambling hearing congress washington D.C. betting odds graffiti tommy mac

A Federal Judge in the state of New Jersey has assigned a hearing date for its lawsuit against U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales that seeks to have a new online gambling law, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) overturned.

Graffiti Wall has learned that the hearing date is set for September 4. Judge Mary L. Cooper of the US District Court in Trenton, NJ will hear the matter.

The group, the Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association (iMEGA), has a good shot, according to Cassimir Medford who has been covering the online gambling legal climate for Red Herring

iMEGA’s goal is to get the court to declare the UIGEA unconstitutional and unenforceable, according to Medford. That’s because the group says the act violates the First Amendment’s rights to freedom of speech and commercial association as well as the Tenth Amendment’s protections of states’ rights to regulate online gambling.

“We think the law infringes on the First Amendment and Tenth Amendment rights of our members,” Edward Leyden, iMEGA’s president, told Red Herring last month. “And we also believe the government has exceeded its authority in its WTO dispute with Antigua and that too has harmed our clients.”

Joe Brennan, Jr., iMEGA founder and a former executive of AOL, gave a brief statement on Wednesday evening.

“The UIGEA can still be enforced prior to the September 4 date,” he said. “But we feel confident that the judge will prevent that from happening.”

Brennan went on to explain how enforcement of the UIGEA would only serve to make the judge’s job more cumbersome.

“She (the judge) will then have to wade through all the rules and regulations in addition to reviewing our complaint.”

The honorable Judge Cooper will review the briefs submitted by iMEGA and the defendants (US DoJ, FTC and Federal Reserve) to determine if she will grant iMEGA’s request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) preventing the enforcement of UIGEA.

Judge Cooper can decide whether she will rule on the TRO request based on the submitted briefs, or can order a separate hearing to hear oral arguments and testimony before making a ruling.

iMEGA waited less than a day after the submission of their brief in support of their request for an injunction preventing the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) from taking effect for a Federal Circuit Court judge to order a hearing in the matter.

“We’re very happy that the Court has set a date for hearing our case. We’re confident that once the Act is given an impartial examination, the Court will see the problems it creates and the kind of slippery-slope precedent we’ll be left with if the law stands.

“We’ve laid out our argument on the merits of granting a TRO for the enforcement of UIGEA for the Court,” Brennan said Tuesday. “From iMEGA’s standpoint, we did not want the defendants (US Dept. of Justice, Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Reserve) to use the allowed 60 days in their summonses in order to stall and give themselves more time to promulgate the regulations for UIGEA.”

Tags: Rumor Monger

Shea Hillenbrand officially released by Angels

July 12th, 2007 · No Comments

shea hilldenbrand traded anahiem angles betting odds graffiti tommy mac

Anaheim, CA - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim officially released Shea Hillenbrand on Wednesday after the designated hitter cleared unconditional release waivers.

Hillenbrand was designated for assignment on June 29 after hitting .254 with three homers and 22 RBI this season, and was placed on waivers July 9.

After a tumultuous 2006 season, Hillenbrand landed in Anaheim with a one-year contract that included a club option for 2008.

Hillenbrand started last year with Toronto before blasting the Blue Jays organization and forcing the club to trade him to San Francisco. After taking three days off to complete the adoption of a baby girl, Hillenbrand ripped Blue Jays officials for not putting him in the starting lineup.

He also was upset about not being congratulated by the team’s front office on the adoption while Blue Jays manager John Gibbons reportedly challenged Hillenbrand to a fight during a closed-door meeting.

Hillenbrand batted .301 with 12 home runs and 39 RBI in 81 games with Toronto before the Blue Jays designated him for assignment.

Playing time was apparently the bone of contention for Hillenbrand in Anaheim too. He’s appeared in 53 games this season.

The Angels also requested unconditional release waivers on veteran relief pitcher Hector Carrasco, who was designated for assignment on July 3.

The 37-year-old Carrasco went 2-1 with a 6.57 earned run average in 29 games this season.

Carrasco was originally signed by the Angels as a free agent in 2005.

Tags: Rumor Monger