10/14/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - I have gone out of my way to defend Joe Torre in this space the last couple of years. I could never understand why some people, especially Yankee fans, would say that those four World Series championships and 12 straight playoff appearances were all accomplished in spite of Torre, not because of him.
With that said, though, even I, the most ardent Torre supporter, cannot defend Torre for some of his moves in Los Angeles' Game 4 loss on Monday to Philadelphia. I will even go as far as to say that if the Dodgers go on to lose this series, you can squarely place the blame on Torre.
I had no problem with Torre starting Derek Lowe on three-days' rest. He is the team's ace and has been a horse, especially in the postseason. He and Philly's Brett Myers are probably the only ones that would even ask for the ball on short rest in this series.
Lowe got off to a rough start in the first inning, surrendering two runs, but settled down, tossing four scoreless innings after that. He sent the Phillies down 1-2-3 in the fifth, but was told after the frame that that was it for him, despite throwing just 75 pitches and coming off his best inning of the game.
"I was fine," Lowe said. "That [the fifth] was the inning I was looking for, an easy, 1-2-3 inning. I went down the stairs to the men's room, but when I came back, they said that's it. That's all I can give you [the media]. I wish I had more. I was in the game."
The Dodgers managed to go ahead in the home half of the fifth, but Torre still opted for 20-year-old Clayton Kershaw in the sixth, instead of Lowe.
"I thought at that point, especially when we took the lead, because it just looked like he was fighting his emotions the whole game," Torre said. "He said he felt fine. We were probably going to get only one more inning out of him anyway pitch-count-wise, and I just decided to make the move there."
Fighting his emotions? Lowe fights his emotions on a regular basis. I can't remember watching a Lowe start where he didn't fight his emotions. Now I know, had Torre let Lowe pitch the sixth and he unraveled like he did in Game 1, people would question why he left him in there too long, but he was getting stronger as the game went on.
Lowe wanted the ball, and Torre should have given it to him. This was a chance for the Dodgers - for the first time in this series - to really apply some pressure. Lowe could have gone another inning, at least. Stick with your ace, not a guy who has 1 2/3 innings of playoff experience under his belt. The situation did not call for it, not yet.
"He's the manager, he's made the decisions all year long," said Lowe. "What am I going to do at that point? Joe does what's best for the team. He didn't take me out because he thought the lead would be given up. He's a great manager who's made great decisions his whole career."
Kershaw, of course, put the first two runners on and after a sacrifice bunt put them both in scoring position, was lifted in favor of Chan Ho Park, who promptly uncorked a wild pitch, allowing the tying run to score.
After the Dodgers pushed two across in the home half of the sixth, Torre tried to mix and match his way to his closer, Jonathan Broxton. Again, Torre failed, as Cory Wade allowed a two-run homer to Shane Victorino to tie the game for Philly.
Torre then went to his closer, but with a man on first, Broxton served up a go-ahead two-run home run that to journeyman Matt Stairs that I am not quite sure has landed yet.
Forget the Lowe move for a second, had Broxton done his job and got to the ninth, Torre would have had to face the heart of the Phillies order - left- handed hitting Chase Utley and Ryan Howard - without a lefty reliever at his disposal, having already used Kershaw, Joe Beimel and Hong-Chih Kuo.
Again, I give Torre as much credit as anyone for the success his New York Yankees had, but he gets all the blame should the Dodgers lose this series. His trademark in New York was that he was always cool as a cucumber. On Monday, he seemed to panic.
By the way, if Dodgers fans need any encouragement, look no further than last year's Boston Red Sox, who rallied back from a 3-1 deficit to the Cleveland Indians in last year's ALCS on their way to a World Series championship. But, unlike the Red Sox, the Dodgers won't have the luxury of playing Games 6 and 7 in front of their home fans.
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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards
MySportsbook.com Posts Heisman Trophy Odds
With 3,919 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and a mere seven interceptions last season, combined with a powerful South Bend Heisman legacy, odds makers at MySportsbook.com have given Notre Dame senior quarterback Brady Quinn the best Heisman Trophy odds at 5-2.
Quinn isn’t the only big man on campus this season. Oklahoma junior running back and 2004 Heisman runner-up Adrian Peterson, listed at 7-2, rushed for a combined 3,033 yards in his first two years as a college player and will give Quinn a run for his money.
This online sportsbook has also listed Troy Smith, Ohio State senior quarterback, as another strong favorite to win the 72nd Heisman Trophy. A 7-1 bet, Smith threw for 2,282 yards last season and also led the Buckeyes to a convincing 34-20 victory over Quinn and the Fighting Irish in last season’s Fiesta Bowl.
Current betting odds Heisman trophy are:
| Brady Quinn (QB, Notre Dame) Adrian Peterson (RB, Oklahoma) Troy Smith (QB, Ohio State) Michael Bush (RB, Louisville) Steve Slaton (RB, West Virginia) Brian Brohm (QB, Louisville) Chris Leak (QB, Florida) Mike Hart (RB, Michigan) Ted Ginn (WR, Ohio State) Darius Walker (RB, Notre Dame) Drew Tate (QB, Iowa) Marshawn Lynch (RB, Cal) Kenny Irons (RB, Auburn) Chad Henne (QB, Michigan) Kyle Wright (QB, Miami) Drew Stanton (QB, Michigan State) Kenneth Darby (RB, Alabama) JaMarcus Russell (QB, LSU) Drew Weatherford (QB, Florida State) Blake Mitchell (QB, South Carolina) Reggie Ball (QB, Georgia Tech) |
5-2 7-2 7-1 10-1 10-1 12-1 12-1 18-1 18-1 20-1 30-1 35-1 35-1 40-1 50-1 50-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 |
For complete NCAA Football odds visit MySportsbook.com.
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