08/28/2008 - Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer in the seventh inning to tie the game and singled home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth, as the New York Yankees salvaged the finale of a three- game series against the Boston Red Sox with a 3-2 victory in what was likely the last meeting between these storied rivals at Yankee Stadium.
Not only did the Yankees manage to avoid a sweep, but they likely saved their season. A loss would have left New York eight games behind Boston in the AL wild card race, but the victory enabled the Yankees to pull within six games with 29 to play. The teams will also meet for three games at Fenway Park to conclude the season in September.
Boston starter Jon Lester cruised into the seventh inning with a four-hitter and a 2-0 lead. He retired the first two batters of the inning before Cody Ransom's double into the left field corner ended the lefty's day. Hideki Okajima took the mound for Boston and Giambi, pinch hitting for Jose Molina, clubbed an 0-1 pitch over the center field wall for his 27th homer to tie the game.
The Red Sox stranded a runner at second base in the top of the ninth against Mariano Rivera (5-5) and the Yankees pulled off their eighth walkoff win in the bottom of the inning.
Xavier Nady led off the home ninth against Justin Masterson (4-4) with a single up the middle. After Robinson Cano failed to bunt and lined out to third, pinch runner Brett Gardner stole second and Hideki Matsui was given an intentional walk. Ivan Rodriguez drew another free pass to load the bases for Giambi, who greeted closer Jonathan Papelbon with a single to center on an 0-2 pitch to plate Gardner with the winning run.
Lester was brilliant for Boston, charged with one run and five hits over 6 2/3 innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out eight.
Mike Mussina started for New York and left after seven solid innings. He yielded two runs on five hits with two walks and six strikeouts.
New York finished with a regular-season record of 484-285-4 against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. The only way these teams will meet in the postseason is if the first-place Tampa Bay Rays completely collapse and the Yankees and Red Sox both pass them to earn playoff berths, then each win a first-round series and meet in the ALCS.
The Red Sox broke the stalemate in the fifth with a pair of runs. Jed Lowrie singled with one out and Alex Cora appeared to lean into a 1-2 pitch to put runners on first and second. Jason Varitek then singled into right field to plate Lowrie with the game's first run. Cora raced to third on the play and scored when Jacoby Ellsbury beat the relay on a potential double-play grounder.
Boston threatened in the sixth after Dustin Pedroia led off with a single and Kevin Youkilis was hit by a pitch with one out. Jason Bay followed with a slow bouncer toward third and Alex Rodriguez missed the advancing Pedroia, who appeared to run onto the infield grass and out of the baseline to elude the tag. Rodriguez still got the out at first, and with two runners in scoring position, Mussina fanned Mark Kotsay to end the inning.
The Yankees also came away empty in the sixth after their first two batters reached base. Johnny Damon was hit by a pitch to start the inning and Derek Jeter followed with a single. Bobby Abreu then flied to deep center, allowing Damon to reach third, but Rodriguez fouled out behind the plate and Nady flied to shallow center field.
Rodriguez was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and also failed in a big spot in the first inning. After Jeter and Abreu each singled with one out, Rodriguez struck out before Nady grounded to third.
Game Notes
Giambi homered in consecutive at-bats, having also homered in the ninth inning of Wednesday's 11-3 setback...Jeter was 3-for-4 and is 11 hits shy of Lou Gehrig's record of 1,269 hits at Yankee Stadium...The Yankees earned their 39th come-from-behind win of the season, most in the majors...Kotsay, in his first game with the Red Sox after being acquired from Atlanta, was 1-for-4 with a double...Boston leads the season series, 8-7...The Red Sox were the Yankees' first opponent in Yankee Stadium, as Babe Ruth christened the new ballpark with a home run in New York's 4-1 triumph on April 18, 1923...Before the game, the Yankees optioned pitcher David Robertson to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and recalled pitcher Alfredo Aceves from the minor league affiliate...The Yankees will host Toronto for a three-game series this weekend, while the Red Sox head home for the weekend to take on the Chicago White Sox.
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In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere.
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
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