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Gibbons, Lilly scuffle near Blue Jays dugoutBaseball Betting Lines08/22/2006 - TORONTO (AP) -John Gibbons and Ted Lilly exchanged words on the mound during a pitching change. A few minutes later, the conversation between the Toronto Blue Jays manager and pitcher turned physical. Gibbons wound up with a bloody nose after scrapping with Lilly near Toronto's dugout in the third inning of the Oakland Athletics' 12-10 victory Monday night. Gibbons and Lilly said no punches were thrown. ``We were on the verge of something regrettable happening,'' Lilly said. We were yelling at each other face to face,'' Lilly said. Bobby Kielty homered and drove in four runs for the AL West-leading A's, who tied an Oakland record for the biggest comeback. The Blue Jays had an 8-0 lead, but Lilly was pulled in the third inning when the Athletics scored seven runs. Gibbons chewed out his pitcher, who refused to give him the ball. When Lilly left the mound for the clubhouse, Gibbons followed him. A team trainer and a number of players then ran down the stairs. Cameramen near the dugout saw Gibbons push Lilly first. Canadian Press photographer Aaron Harris, one of a handful of photographers to witness the skirmish, said Lilly was waiting for Gibbons in the tunnel leading to the clubhouse. ``Gibbons just went at him,'' Harris said. ``It looked like Gibbons grabbed him and they disappeared. Then the whole dugout emptied back there. It was mayhem down in the tunnel.'' A television camera later showed Gibbons and the trainer wipe the manager's nose with a towel. ``He thought he should have been left in the game,'' Gibbons said of Lilly. ``I didn't think so.'' Gibbons met with Lilly after the game. ``We hashed it out. Everything is fine now,'' Gibbons said. Gibbons said Lilly will continue to pitch for him. In July, Gibbons challenged Shea Hillenbrand to a fight after the infielder wrote on the clubhouse bulletin board that the ``ship was sinking.'' Hillenbrand declined to fight, and was later traded to San Francisco. ``Who knows how long I have left here,'' said Lilly, who's eligible for free agency after this season. ``Maybe a month. Maybe longer. It was a bad day. I embarrassed the organization.'' Team president Paul Godfrey didn't think Gibbons or Lilly needed discipline. General manager J.P. Ricciardi didn't make himself available. ``My opinion is that it's a one-night skirmish,'' Godfrey said. ``I don't see any need for discipline. Ted and the manager worked it out between them.'' Hillenbrand had only kind words about Lilly when asked about the altercation after the Giants' 5-0 win over Arizona in San Francisco. ``Ted Lilly's a great guy. Ted Lilly's an intense competitor,'' Hillenbrand said. ``He was a great teammate when I was over there. So I'm surprised that confrontation happened with Ted Lilly.'' He added: ``Stuff like that's been going on all season over there. I had my issues with the manager. ... They say I'm the cancer of the team and things are still happening, so I don't know how you can make that assumption or that statement. Things like that begin to come out when times get tough.'' Dan Haren (12-9) set an Oakland record by getting the victory despite allowing nine runs. He gave up 11 hits in 5 2-3 innings. ``It's amazing how that stuff happens,'' Haren said. ``Momentum is an incredible thing.'' Alex Rios and Troy Glaus homered for the Blue Jays. Jason Kendall had a two-run double, and Kielty and Milton Bradley hit consecutive homers off Lilly in the third. Frank Thomas followed with a double and Jay Payton later singled, prompting an angry Gibbons to replace Lilly. ``It's a little strange to seen that happen,'' Oakland's Eric Chavez said of the skirmish. ``I liked Ted. He was a good teammate when he was here.'' Toronto reliever Jason Frasor's run-scoring wild pitch and Eric Chavez's RBI double cut it to 8-7. Oakland scored four times in the sixth on Kielty's two-run double off Brandon League (0-1) and RBI grounders by Bradley and Thomas. Vernon Wells' RBI double cut Oakland's lead to 11-10 in the bottom half. Payton homered in the ninth to make it 12-10. Justin Duchscherer closed for his fourth save. --- AP Sports Writer Janie McCauley in San Francisco contributed to this story.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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Super Bowl 2009 BettingSuper Bowl 2009 Betting propositionsUnderdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder. Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while. Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books. If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl. Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX. By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI. In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite. So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs. While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl. There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog. In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl: SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots. XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired. XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers. Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard |
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