09/28/2008 - Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stephen Drew's two-run single capped a three- run eighth inning, as the Arizona Diamondbacks rallied past the Colorado Rockies, 6-4, in the middle installment of a three-game series.
Adam Dunn homered for the D-Backs, who have won five of their last eight contests. Brandon Webb, who captured the 2006 NL Cy Young Award and is making a strong push for a second, came away with a no-decision after he was tagged for four runs on six hits over seven innings of work. He also stroked a two- run double to aid his cause. The right-hander finished the season with a 22-7 record and 3.30 earned run average. Brandon Lyon (3-5) tossed a scoreless eighth to get the win.
"I wish we could have got the win for him (Webb)," said Drew. "It's one of those things that didn't happen, but he pitched well, battled through some things. That's how he has been all year. He has been great for us."
Ryan Spilborghs finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored for Colorado, which has dropped four of its last seven games. Starter Glendon Rusch gave up three runs on six hits in just four innings. Manuel Corpas (3-4) absorbed the loss after he was touched for three runs on four hits in two-thirds of an inning.
The D-Backs erased a 4-3 deficit with a three-run surge in the eighth off Corpas. Dunn had a leadoff double and came around to score on a one-out single by Mark Reynolds. One out later, pinch-hitter Miguel Montero was hit by a pitch and pinch-hitter Jeff Salazar legged out a grounder to deep short for an infield single. It loaded the bases for Drew, who lined a two-run single to right to give the home squad a 6-4 lead.
Chad Qualls pitched a perfect ninth, recording a pair of strikeouts, to notch his ninth save.
"I'm glad he (Webb) got a no decision instead of a loss out of it, but we came back nicely again," said Arizona manager Bob Melvin. "(We) had some quality at-bats there again when we were down."
Brad Hawpe's triple scored Spilborghs in the first, but Dunn homered to center field leading off a three-run fourth. Chris Snyder and David Eckstein stroked consecutive two-out singles, and Webb followed with his fourth double of the year.
Colorado then countered with three runs in the fifth. After Ian Stewart flied out, Webb uncharacteristically plunked Chris Iannetta and Clint Barmes, and Adam Melhuse ripped an RBI double to left. Seth Smith hit a grounder past the drawn-in infield, scoring Barmes, and Spilborghs slapped a run-scoring single to center to give the Rockies a 4-3 lead.
Game Notes
Arizona improved to 14-3 against the Rockies this season...The D-Backs have won six straight at home...Dunn's homer upped his season total to 40...Spilborghs extended his hitting streak to nine games...Arizona left eight men on base, while the Rockies stranded five.
<< No. 17 Utah topples Weber State
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Johnson threw two touchdowns, and
Matt Asiata ran for two more as 17th-ranked Utah defeated Weber State, 37-21,
at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Johnson completed 18-of-22 throws for 194 yards, with a
<< Burris, Calgary roll over Toronto
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Henry Burris collected 256 yards on 18-of-32
passing with one touchdown and an interception, and added 46 yards on the
ground to lead the Calgary Stampeders in a 44-16 rout of the Toronto
Argonau
<< Casey caps off hat trick with 90th minute winner at New York
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Conor Casey scored three goals,
including the dramatic game-winner, as the Colorado Rapids earned a hard-
fought 5-4 victory over the New York Red Bulls at Giants Stadium on Saturday
night.
<< Twins lose to Royals, still lead AL Central
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gil Meche was solid on the hill and
Ryan Shealy drove in a pair of runs, as the Royals slipped a cog into the
Twins' AL Central title hopes with a 4-2 victory.
Despite the loss, Minnesota stil
DeWitt provides the offense for Dodgers in defeat of Giants >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Blake DeWitt homered and drove in the go-
ahead run in the seventh inning, as the Los Angeles Dodgers edged the San
Francisco Giants, 2-1, in the middle test of a three-game series from AT&T
Par
Rangers double up Angels for fourth straight win >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nelson Cruz launched a two-run homer to lead
the Texas Rangers to an 8-4 victory over the LA Angels of Anaheim at Angel
Stadium.
Joaquin Arias went 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI while Chris Davis
O's snap 10-game skid in another shortened game with Toronto >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Bass allowed just three hits and a run
in six innings on the mound, as the Baltimore Orioles snapped a 10-game skid
with a 2-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in the second straight rain-
shorten
LSU topples Mississippi State in Death Valley >>
Baton Rouge, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Charles Scott rushed for 141 yards and two
touchdowns on 27 carries, as the fifth-ranked LSU Tigers came away with a
34-24 victory over the resilient Mississippi State Bulldogs in SEC play.
Jarrett L
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 won’t 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 doesn’t focus only on your opponent’s 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. Where’s 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, don’t 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 won’t be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, I’m 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.
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
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