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04/22/2009 - Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pitching duel between Atlanta's Jair Jurrjens and Washington's John Lannan was decided by the Nationals' bullpen, as Garrett Mock and Mike Hinckley loaded the bases in the top of the ninth inning, with the latter walking Kelly Johnson to force in the game's only run in a 1-0 Braves victory.
Jurrjens went 7 2/3 frames without giving up a run, scattering six hits and two walks while fanning four. Lannan had an almost identical line, giving up five hits and a pair of free passes, fanning four in seven scoreless innings.
Neither factored in the decision, as Mock (0-1) took the loss and Atlanta's Mike Gonzalez (1-0) got the win for recording the final out of the eighth.
Rafael Soriano closed the door with a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his second save of the season, snapping the Nationals' two-game winning streak and giving Atlanta its second win in nine games.
Matt Diaz's one-out single back up the middle got the Braves started in the ninth. Mock got Casey Kotchman to ground into a fielder's choice for the second out, but walked Jordan Schafer.
Washington then called upon Hinckley, who walked pinch-hitter Martin Prado before Johnson worked a five-pitch free pass to force in the only run.
Julian Tavarez came in from the bullpen and struck out Yunel Escobar to end the threat, but Soriano ended things with a perfect bottom half.
The Braves threatened to score first in the fourth, but Lannan fanned his counterpart with the bases loaded to end the inning.
The Nationals put a pair of runners on base in the fifth, but Alex Cintron grounded into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.
The hosts also wasted a leadoff double from Josh Willingham in the seventh. Ronnie Belliard moved the runner to third on a sacrifice bunt, but Chipper Jones made a diving stop before throwing out Jesus Flores, and Austin Kearns followed with a pop out to short to end the frame.
Game Notes
Washington had won nine of its last 11 at home versus Atlanta...Washington's Nick Johnson and Atlanta's Jeff Francoeur each had of their respective teams' six hits...Both teams went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
<< Lee helps Magic top Sixers, even series
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Courtney Lee was the catalyst for Orlando, as
the rookie recorded a team-high 24 points to help the Magic even their Eastern
Conference quarterfinal series against the Philadelphia 76ers with a 96-87
Game 2
<< Lundqvist the difference as Rangers grab 3-1 series lead
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Henrik Lundqvist made 38 saves to lead the New
York Rangers over the Washington Capitals, 2-1, in Game 4 of an Eastern
Conference quarterfinal series at Madison Square Garden.
Paul Mara and Chris Drur
<< Red Hot Ryder: Ex-Canadien stokes Bruins' victory, sweep of Habs
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Ryder registered two goals and an
assist, as the Boston Bruins came away with a convincing 4-1 victory over the
Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre, sweeping their Eastern Conference
quarter
<< Giants bolster O-line with T Carnahan
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Giants acquired tackle
Andrew Carnahan off waivers from the Kansas City Chiefs on Wednesday.
Carnahan, 25, was originally a seventh-round selection out of Arizona State by
the Jaguars
Brewers edge Phils >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - J.J. Hardy went 2-for-3 with a solo home
run, as the Milwaukee Brewers hung on to beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-1,
in the middle installment of a three-game set at Citizens Bank Park.
Mike Cameron
Bannister helps Royals shut out Indians >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Bannister threw six strong innings to
lead the Kansas City Royals in a 2-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians in the
middle installment of a three-game set at Progressive Field.
Bannister (1-0), makin
Blackhawks RW Kane returns to action >>
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick
Kane, who missed Game 3 of the club's Western Conference quarterfinal
series against Calgary on Monday because of the flu, returned to action for
Game 4 on Wednesday.
Wizards, Red Bulls renew Eastern rivalry >>
Kansas City, KA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Wizards are coming off a
dramatic come-from-behind 2-2 draw at Chicago after scoring two goals in the
final 12 minutes last weekend.
The New York Red Bulls are coming off their first w
Michael Vick is back, Brett Favre isn't and the NFC East remains the best division in the NFC, maybe in all of football.
As players start to gather for the start of another season, some things change and some stay the same in the world of the NFL.
The NFC East has been the dominant division in the National Conference for a while, despite limited playoff success, save for the New York Giants surprise Super Bowl win two seasons ago.
Hell, there's a generation of kids in Texas who have never seen the Cowboys win a playoff game (last win was in 1996).
But collectively, the Giants, Eagles, Cowboys and Redskins (well, maybe not so much the Redskins) are as good as a division gets in an NFC conference that has struggled to stay competitive with the AFC side.
Sports bettors have both acknowledged the NFC East's dominance, as one glance at the NFL future odds menu will show.
Looking over the NFL betting odds at online sports book MySportsbook.com we see the top three teams listed to win the NFC Championship are all from the NFC East:
Dallas Cowboys - 7 - 1
Philadelphia Eagles - 13 - 2
New York Giants - 9 - 2
Slotting in behind these three are two teams from the NFC North: the Minnesota Vikings (15-2) and the Chicago Bears (10-1).
Again, despite the lack of recent playoff success, the Dallas Cowboys are popular with the sports betting community, as they hold 14% of all the money wagered on who will win the NFC Championship.
So far, the New York Giants are the bettors' favorite to represent their conference in the Super Bowl, as they have 24% of the overall NFC Championship betting volume.
And what about the Philadelphia Eagles? For the most part, the Eagles had a very productive offseason, the kind that could bring them back to the top.
They had a good draft adding the likes of WR Jeremy Maclin and RB LeSean McCoy.
Unfortunately, the team received a blow when long-time defensive coordinator Jim Johnson passed away on Tuesday.
But this team will make a real run at the division title this year. Going into the regular season, Philly is listed at +240 to win the division.
Last season the Eagles were 9-6-1 SU and 10-6 ATS.
Teams from the NFC East will play teams from the AFC West in the regular season and the Eagles haven't really been a good bet in the last 20 games against the likes of San Diego, Oakland, K.C. and Denver, only going 8-12 ATS.
Two seasons removed from that Super Bowl title, the New York Giants see themselves listed as the odds-on favorite in NFC East championship futures at +162.
Plaxico Burress is gone and with him all the bad publicity surrounding the gun in the sweatpants incident, but can they replace him in the offense?
Last season the Giants were a very reliable bet going 12-4 ATS.
In the Giants' last 20 games against fellow teams from the NFC East; they are 13-7 ATS.
Dallas is listed at +240 to win the division.
Dallas went 9-7 SU and 7-9 ATS last season and with the amount of talent the Cowboys have, a similar performance won't do.
The Cowboys have been atrocious against divisional rivals, going 6-14 ATS in their last 20.
The Washington Redskins are longshots to win the division at +550.
Visit MySportsbook.com for free sportsbook odds RSS feeds go to MySportsbook.com for all your betting football needs.
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.
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