Bloomquist, Mariners edge Padres

Baseball Betting Lines

06/11/2007 - San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Willie Bloomquist scored the go-ahead run on a Jose Lopez ground out in the ninth inning, as the Seattle Mariners won 4-3 and completed a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres at PETCO Park.

Ichiro Suzuki drove in two runs and Jamie Burke went 3-for-4 with two runs scored for the Mariners, who rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win for the seventh time in eight games.

Mike Cameron and Terrmel Sledge each homered for the Padres, who ended a six- game homestand, 3-3.

With the game tied 3-3 and San Diego's Trevor Hoffman starting the inning on the hill, Bloomquist started the ninth by reaching on a throwing error by third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff. Pinch-hitter Jose Vidro then sacrificed him to second and after Suzuki was intentionally walked, Bloomquist stole third with Lopez at the plate. Then, on a 2-1 pitch, Lopez grounded out to second, scoring Bloomquist for the winning run.

"The last month we've been playing very, very good baseball," said Bloomquist. "Everyone is contributing, doing their jobs and making us a better team...The more we win, the more we want to win."

Hoffman (2-3) suffered the loss, yielding the unearned run in a hitless frame.

"We've had three good games and came up on the short end each time -- that's tough," said San Diego manager Bud Black. "When you lose them late, like today, it's even tougher. I think this team will be fine. We've played so many close games we'll bounce back."

Miguel Batista (7-4) got the win, tossing an inning of one-hit relief. J.J. Putz tossed a perfect ninth, striking out two, for his 18th save in as many chances.

Seattle's Yuniesky Betancourt ended 0-for-4 to see his 20-game hit streak come to an end.

The Mariners got going in the third inning. Burke singled to start the frame, moved to third on a base hit by Bloomquist and scored when Hernandez reached on a bunt.

The Padres answered in the fourth when Cameron hit a solo homer and Sledge connected for a two-run shot.

Seattle, tough, tied the game in the seventh. Richie Sexson started the inning with a single and moved to second when Burke came through with a one-out base hit. After pinch-hitter Ben Broussard was hit by a pitch, Suzuki singled to plate a pair of runners and force San Diego starter Chris Young from the game.

Young was charged with three runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. His counterpart, Felix Hernandez allowed three runs on seven hits in six frames, striking out six and walking one.

Game Notes

Jose Cruz and Khalil Greene each ended 2-for-4 for the Padres...The Mariners are 3-0 on their current 10-game road trip.

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SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

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