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08/29/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie left-hander Travis Wood steps into Edinson Volquez's spot in the Cincinnati starting rotation today, when the first-place Reds close out a three-game weekend series with the visiting Chicago Cubs at Great American Ball Park.
Wood, a second-round draft choice in 2005, has made 10 starts, while plugging in various holes on the mound for the Reds, who were without Volquez and Aaron Harang due to injuries and lost Johnny Cueto because of a week-long suspension earlier this month.
Volquez was scheduled to start against the Cubs but was sent to the bullpen by manager Dusty Baker after retiring just two batters in an 11-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Monday.
Wood dropped a 1-0 verdict to Colorado in his first big-league decision on July 18, but rallied with consecutive wins at Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, the Cubs and Arizona before a loss to the Giants on Tuesday by the Bay.
In 10 starts, he's allowed 43 hits and struck out 49 batters in 61 1/3 innings. He gave up four hits and three earned runs in the Aug. 8 win over Chicago at Wrigley Field, tossing 6 1/3 innings.
The Reds, who won Friday's series opener, dropped a 3-2 verdict in game two Saturday when Chicago's Kosuke Fukudome hit the game-winning two-run home run and Randy Wells spun six solid frames.
Fukudome finished 2-for-3 and Xavier Nady also went deep for the Cubs, who have won four of their last five.
Wells (6-12) allowed two runs on six hits while walking two and fanning four and Carlos Marmol closed the door in the ninth by retiring the side in order to earn his 24th save.
Bronson Arroyo (14-8) suffered the loss after he yielded three runs on five hits and did not walk a batter, while striking out five for the Reds.
In spite of the loss, Cincinnati maintained its four-game lead over St. Louis in the National League's Central Division after the Cardinals fell, 14-5, at Washington.
For the Cubs, fellow rookie Casey Coleman makes his third career start and seeks a second consecutive win.
The 23-year-old product of Florida Gulf Coast University made four relief appearances between Aug. 2-13 before starting for the first time on Aug. 18 in a 5-1 loss to San Diego.
He bounced back for win No. 1 five days later in Washington, where he gave up three hits and a run in 6 1/3 innings of a 9-1 triumph.
Coleman was touched for two hits and two runs in three innings of relief in Chicago's 11-4 loss to the Reds on Aug. 8 at Wrigley.
He's allowed three hits and a run in 9 1/3 road innings.
The Reds are 11-4 against the Cubs this season.
<< Braves go for a series win over Marlins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National League East-leading Atlanta Braves were able
to end their four-game slide with last night's win versus the Florida Marlins.
This afternoon they'll try for a series victory over their division rivals in
the fin
<< Brewers' Bush takes on Pirates at Miller Park
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh native Dave Bush faces his hometown team for the
16th time today, when the Milwaukee Brewers close out a three-game weekend set
with the visiting Pirates at Miller Park.
A 30-year-old product of Wake Forest, B
<< LA sends Lilly to mound in Colorado
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ted Lilly will try to stay unbeaten in Dodger blue this
afternoon, as he takes the hill in the finale of a three-game series against
the NL West-rival Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
Lilly has won all five starts
<< Giants wrap up series vs. D'Backs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Giants rookie Buster Posey is a big reason for the club's
success, but a forearm strain has been bothering the young catcher lately. He
is expected to be back in today's lineup versus the Arizona Diamondbacks in
the fin
Richard, Padres aim to salvage set with Phils >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Padres left-hander Clayton Richard will try to keep his
unbeaten streak intact and pull San Diego to victory this afternoon against
the Philadelphia Phillies in the finale of a three-game series at Petco Park.
Richa
Twins have brooms ready for Mariners >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins will attempt to complete a three-game
road sweep of the lowly Seattle Mariners today at Safeco Field.
Carl Pavano, one of the majors' most surprising performers in 2010, will take
the ball for Minn
Orioles shoot for sweep of Angels >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles have an opportunity to earn a rare
sweep today as they visit the LA Angels of Anaheim in the final of three
weekend games.
Baltimore will give the ball to Jeremy Guthrie, and like the vast m
White Sox, Yankees close out series in Windy City >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - U.S. Cellular Field is the site of this afternoon's rubber
match of a three-game series between the hometown White Sox and visiting New
York Yankees.
Ivan Nova will make his second Major League start today against Chi
Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.
NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
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.
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