Jays still have a lot to play for
Baseball Betting Lines
09/07/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pride, spoiler status, and individual accolades. That's about all the Toronto Blue Jays have left to play for in the 2010 season. With the Jays now equipped with a 40-man roster at their disposal, youngsters can use this month as a time to showcase their talents and leave a lasting impression in the eyes of the organization.
Some things to watch over the final month of the season:
IMPACTING THE RACE
Toronto will play 16 of its remaining 25 games against teams with playoff aspirations, starting with six straight home games against the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays after defeating the AL-West leading Rangers on Monday. The Jays will also visit the Boston Red Sox for three and host the New York Yankees for another three at the end of the month. Toronto will then end the season in Minnesota for four games against the Twins at Target Field.
A strong finish by the Blue Jays (71-66) may not only have an impact on the AL playoff race, but the team could reach the 80-win plateau for the fifth time in the past six seasons. The 75-87 record the Jays finished with in 2009 was the worst the club has posted since a 67-94 campaign in 2004. The success Toronto has achieved is in large part due to a strong and surprising pitching staff that has proven its worth in the AL East.
The four mainstays of the rotation - Shaun Marcum, Brett Cecil, Ricky Romero and Brandon Morrow - have all strung together career years, going a combined 45-29 on the season.
Shawn Hill will at least temporality fill the void left by Morrow, who was shut down for the season due to an innings limit. Hill is slated to start the series finale against the Rangers on Thursday.
The Jays will round out the rotation with lefty Marc Rzepczynski who, despite his struggles, still remains an intriguing option for the remainder of the year after posting a 3.67 ERA over 11 starts in 2009. Rzepczynski has started consistently since mid-August and has a 1-3 record with a 6.62 ERA on the season.
GETTING ANOTHER LOOK
Catcher J.P. Arencibia and third basemen Jarrett Hoffpauir have both been recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas of the Pacific Coast League. Both players were PCL All-Stars and Arencibia's strong offensive campaign of .301-32-85 earned him PCL MVP honors.
Arencibia is in the long-term plans of the franchise but it's uncertain if that will result in a full-time gig behind the plate starting as early as next season. The current tandem of John Buck and Jose Molina are not guaranteed to be with the club in 2011, forcing management to decide on which, if any, backstop to bring back.
Buck will become a free agent at season's end and the Jays have a club option on Molina worth $1.2 million for 2011. If Toronto is confident enough with Arencibia, Molina will be the likely choice based on the attention that Buck is sure to garner on the open market.
Hoffpauir, meanwhile, will try to prove that at the age of 27 and a career spent almost entirely in the minor leagues, he's capable of filling a need at the major league level. Further, it just so happens that third base is a big question mark the Jays face heading into the 2011 season. His line of .295-16-73 for Las Vegas this year may have earned him a look if the Jays are unable to acquire an impact bat during the off-season.
MILESTONES
Jose Bautista is having a season that will entrench him in the Blue Jays' record books. The All-Star has a legitimate chance at setting the franchise's single-season home run record currently held by George Bell, who clubbed 47 in his MVP season of 1987. Bautista is sitting at 43, which ranks as the fourth- highest total in club history behind Bell, Jose Canseco (46) and Carlos Delgado (44).
The slugger has already surpassed the Jays' single-season total for walks (88) by a right-handed batter, previously held by Dave Winfield (82) in 1992. He's also in good position to set the team's all-time mark for highest slugging percentage and most extra-base hits in a season by a right-handed hitter.
Gregg, on the other hand, is having a career year despite the uncertainty that arises each time he takes to the mound. The 32-year old is likely to collect the most saves of his career and could post his best ERA and K/9 ratio as well. Gregg is two saves shy from his career-high of 32 set with the Florida Marlins in 2007 and his current ERA of 3.28 would be his lowest of any season. In addition, his 9.67 K/9 ratio is surely to pass his previous best of 9.32, also set in '07.
Gregg may not be the closer for the Jays moving forward but he has pitched effectively enough for the club to consider picking up his $4.5 million option for 2011.
With the club inching closer to reaching the next level, the Blue Jays should consider the playoffs a legitimate goal next year for the first time since 1993.
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2007 Academy Award Betting : Oscars odds
The 79th Annual Academy Awards odds , which will air February 25th, is sparking an interest throughout the nation with the announcement of its nominees. As the public chooses their favorites, sportsbooks are creating odds for one of the biggest entertainment betting nights of the year.
Whether its at a “Oscar Party” or in an on line sportsbook, entertainment gambling on award shows represent a huge increase in betting. As the public speculation mounts, MySportsbook.com, the largest and most respected sportsbook on the web, posted odds on who is going home with a “Golden Best Friend.”
“ We see a majority of our entertainment wagers come from the Academy Awards,” said MySportsbook.com spokesperson, Tim Dalton. “This is a competition that applies to everyone. These are the people that entertain us on a daily basis and you want to see them win.”
MySportsbook.com posted the following odds for Academy Awards:
Odds to win the Achievement in Directing:
Alejandro González Iñárritu "Babel": 8/1
Martin Scorsese "The Departed": 2/17
Clint Eastwood "Letters From Iwo Jima: 4/1
Stephen Frears "The Queen": 12/1
Paul Greengrass "United 93": 15/1
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
Leonardo DiCaprio in "Blood Diamond": 11/1
Ryan Gosling in "Half Nelson": 20/1
Peter O’Toole in "Venus": 16/5
Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness": 16/1
Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland": 1/11
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
Penélope Cruz in "Volver": 18/1
Judi Dench in "Notes on a Scandal": 15/1
Helen Mirren in "The Queen": 1/50
Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada": 10/1
Kate Winslet in "Little Children": 20/1
Best Animated Feature Film:
"Cars": 1/3
"Happy Feet": 2/1
"Monster House": 20/1
Best Foreign-Language Film of the Year:
"Water" – Canada: 22/1
"The Lives of Others" – Germany: 7/2
"After the Wedding" - Denmark: 24/1
"Days of Glory (Indigenes)" – Algeria: 23/1
"Pan's Labyrinth" - Mexico: 1/10
Odds to win the Best Live-Action Short Film:
"Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)": 6/5
"Eramos Pocos (One Too Many)": 7/2
"Helmer & Son": 5/2
"The Saviour": 6/1
"West Bank Story": 7/2
Odds to win the Best Original Screenplay:
"Babel": 7/4
"Letters From Iwo Jima": 3/1
"Little Miss Sunshine": 21/20
"Pan's Labyrinth": 11/4
"The Queen": 5/4
Best Motion Picture of the Year:
"Babel": 11/4
"The Departed": 1/2
"Letters from Iwo Jima": 15/2
"Little Miss Sunshine": 17/10
"The Queen": 20/1
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
Alan Arkin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 11/10
Jackie Earle Haley in "Little Children": 10/1
Djimon Hounsou in "Blood Diamond": 9/1
Eddie Murphy in "Dreamgirls": 2/5
Mark Wahlberg in "The Departed": 5/1
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
Adriana Barraza in "Babel": 14/1
Cate Blanchett in "Notes on a Scandal": 11/1
Abigail Breslin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 2/1
Jennifer Hudson in "Dreamgirls": 1/8
Rinko Kikuchi in "Babel": 11/1
Film To Win Most Oscars:
Dreamgirls: 2/3
Pans Labyrinth: 6/5
The Departed: 6/1
The Queen: 11/1
Babel: 15/1
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: 11/1
Little Miss Sunshine: 15/1
Additional sports and entertainment odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.