Critical Notes

Nick Starcevic and Daniele Donato are a Big Brother item, can you tell? (Image courtesy of CBS.com)

Big Brother should have a new motto. Something like, “breaking up relationships for seven seasons and counting”. Eight seems like a done deal too. Among the many intimate moments shown on Thursday’s elimination episode was the night-vision scene of Hooters waitress Daniele Donato under the covers with mustachioed housemate Nick Starcevic.

Viewers of the CBS reality show were also introduced to Daniele’s boyfriend, who is on the outside thinking his girl’s going to be faithful while sequestered in the Big Brother mansion (silly boy).

While that relationship is kaput, so were the hopes of Mike Dutz, the roommate who was evicted by a house vote. Mike and Kail Harbick were nominated by head of household Dick Donato (Daniele’s dad), and Mike surprisingly was kicked out, leaving 11 contestants remaining for the $500,00 prize. The current betting favorite is Eric Stein, who is also the first America’s Player in the series (meaning he does as the audience wishes). He has reality TV odds of 6/1 each.

Dustin Erikstrup won the head of household competition and can nominate two people for eviction next week.

Here are the latest Big Brother odds on who will win Season 8 of the hit CBS show:

Jen Johnson - 10/1

Eric Stein - 6/1

Kail Harbick - 15/2

Dustin Erikstrup -19/2

Jameka Cameron - 9/1

Zach Swerdzewski - 9/1

Daniele Donato - 7/1

Jessica Hughbanks - 11/1

Nick Starcevic - 19/2

Amber Tomcavage - 12/1

Dick Donato - 11/1

For reality TV odds on your favorite shows and celebrity betting odds on the hottest stars, visit the Bodog Sportsbook’s entertainment section.

Kameron Bink and Jaimie Goodwin were eliminated Thursday from So You Think You Can Dance, the Fox TV reality show. Live voting and the judges’ commentary factored in the decision that brought the field of remaining contestants down to eight - four men and four women. They are vying for the grand prize of a regular gig with a dance troupe in Las Vegas.

This week, the contestants each performed a same choreographed routine set to the music of John Mayer. Noted choreographer Wade Robson put together the routine.

Reality TV bettors can wager on who will wind up on top after the voting and judging is complete. They can also wager on the gender of the winner, with “male” currently the betting favorite with reality TV odds of -175 on the moneyline (meaning a winning wager of $175 would net a $100 profit) while “female” is getting odds of +135 (meaning a winning wager of $100 would net a $135 profit).

For complete reality TV odds on your favorite shows and celebrity betting wagers, visit the Bodog Sportsbook.

PHOTO: Jaimie Goodwin was eliminated from So You Think You Can Dance on Thursday. (Courtesy of Fox.com)

With 14,101 rushing yards, Curtis Martin wound up fourth all-time among NFL running backs. (AI Wire photo)

New York Jets running back Curtis Martin, fourth on the NFL’s career rushing list, announced his retirement Thursday - 19 months after playing his final game.

The five-time Pro Bowl selection acknowledged in January that he had probably played his last game because of a bone-on-bone right knee injury suffered during the 2005 season. Martin made the long-anticipated decision official - after months of rehabbing and deliberating - a day before the Jets begin training camp practices.

“I don’t see this as a sad time,” Martin said at a small, 45-minute news conference at the team’s Manhattan offices, one of several stops on a whirlwind media tour. “Someone was just asking me if there’s any moment in particular that sticks out as the best moment of my career, and I told them, ‘Right now.”‘

Martin finished with 14,101 yards rushing in 11 active seasons, ranking behind only Emmitt Smith (18,355), Walter Payton (16,726) and Barry Sanders (15,269). His 3,518 carries are third on the NFL’s career list, and his 90 rushing touchdowns rank him tied for 12th with Eric Dickerson. Martin was also a versatile offensive weapon throughout his career, catching 484 passes for 3,329 yards and 10 touchdowns.

“I’ve seen myself have one focus and maintained that focus, and at the end of the day, things turned out better than what I had even intended from the beginning,” Martin said.

The Jets will honor Martin in a special ceremony before the beginning of the regular season. There is also growing sentiment that the team should retire Martin’s No. 28 jersey.

“I think that would be great,” Martin said with a big smile. “If that were to happen, I would like that.”

Without Martin, the Jets will look to newly acquired Thomas Jones, as well as incumbents Leon Washington and Cedric Houston to carry the load in the backfield. The combination hasn’t convinced NFL bettors - the Jets are 45/1 to lead the league in rushing this season. The Jets hold Super Bowl odds of 35/1.

In other NFL training camp news on Thursday:

• The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released Simeon Rice, one of the game’s most prolific pass rushers. The 12th-year pro, whose 121 career sacks rank second among active players behind Michael Strahan, was let go only hours after the team signed his replacement - first-round draft pick Gaines Adams, who will receive a six-year, $46-million contract. General manager Bruce Allen said Rice, who missed much of last season with a shoulder injury, failed a physical when he reported to camp earlier in the day. Rice was scheduled to earn $7.25 million in the final season of a five-year, $41-million contract extension he signed after helping the Bucs win the Super Bowl in 2002.

What team will lead the league in rushing? Check out NFL props in the Bodog Sportsbook, along with NFL odds and Super Bowl odds. And be sure to read Bodog Nation’s Arena Action section for the latest NFL analysis from the popular online magazine’s team of expert writers.

Manny Ramirez was 3-for-4 with two homers as Boston crushed the Tribe. (AI Wire photo)

Manny Ramirez hit the third-longest home run at Jacobs Field, a tree-clearing solo shot, and added a two-run homer as the Boston Red Sox outslugged the Cleveland Indians, 14-9, on Thursday night.

Ramirez’s tape-measure rocket in the second inning off Cliff Lee (5-8), conservatively estimated at 481 feet, set the tone for the Red Sox, who won three of the four games against one of the AL’s other premier teams.

After the Indians closed to 12-9, Ramirez connected again with an eighth-inning drive that barely cleared the wall in center. It was his 49th multihomer game, tying Hall of Famers Mel Ott and Eddie Mathews for 12th on the career list.

Wily Mo Pena hit a three-run homer and had four RBIs, and Jason Varitek and Mike Lowell drove in two runs apiece for Boston.

Ryan Garko hit a three-run shot and Franklin Gutierrez homered for the Indians.

Julian Tavarez (6-8) relieved starter Kason Gabbard in the fifth, working out of a bases-loaded jam. He lasted 2.1 innings.

The Red Sox opened a 9-1 lead with a five-run fifth, putting Gabbard in position to improve to 5-0, but he couldn’t maintain his effective pitching in the bottom half of the inning and was pulled.

Boston paid -114 on the moneyline (meaning a winning wager of $114 would net a $100 profit).

In other early AL action on Thursday:

Chicago White Sox 4, Detroit 3: Scott Podsednik scored from first base on pitcher Zach Miner’s throwing error in the ninth inning, and host Chicago took three of five against the defending AL champions. Podsednik, who came off the disabled list Tuesday after recovering from a strained left rib cage and finishing a five-game rehab stint at Triple-A Charlotte, stole 59 bases for the White Sox in 2005, but has been bothered by a number of injuries since. He has only played in 23 games for Chicago this season. Podsednik led off the ninth with a base hit against Miner (1-3) and Josh Fields sacrificed. Miner bobbled the ball and then made a bad throw to second baseman Placido Polanco, who was covering first base, allowing the winning. The White Sox paid +151.

Baltimore 10, Tampa Bay 7: Brian Roberts hit a three-run homer, walked three times and scored twice, leading the Orioles to a win at Camden Yards that paid their backers -125 straight up. Kevin Millar, Nick Markakis and Chris Gomez had two RBIs apiece for the Orioles, now 9-4 since the All-Star break. Baltimore has won four in a row and is 18-13 under interim manager Dave Trembley.

For complete MLB odds for Friday, visit the Bodog Sportsbook.

Maybe this guy is giving Barry Bonds, but we doubt it. Bonds could use some inspiration, though. He hasn’t homered in five games. (AP Images)

The closest Barry Bonds came to a home run was watching Jeff Francoeur’s drive sail over his head into the leftfield seats.

Dave Roberts hit a tying, two-run double in the fifth inning and scored the go-ahead run on Ray Durham’s single to help the San Francisco Giants beat the Atlanta Braves, 4-2, Thursday. The 43-year-old Bonds went 1-for-4 with a double to left-center and remained at 753 home runs, two shy of tying Hank Aaron’s career record.

The Giants paid -142 on the moneyline (meaning a winning wager of $142 would net a $100 profit).

Bonds made two nice catches against the wall but extended his homerless stretch to five games and 18 at-bats since connecting twice against the Chicago Cubs on July 19 at Wrigley Field, his 18th and 19th homers this year. Bonds is 3-for-18 since then and 6-for-42 (.143) since singling at Cincinnati on July 5.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig attended his third straight Giants game, hoping to be present for the historic shots.

Bob DuPuy, MLB’s president and chief operating officer, will attend San Francisco’s weekend games against Florida while Selig is in Cooperstown, N.Y., for the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Selig is scheduled to be in Los Angeles starting Tuesday when the Giants face the rival Dodgers.

Back in the starting lineup after a night off, he popped out to third base leading off the second and fouled to the catcher for the second out in the fourth, tossing his bat and catching it in his hand before carrying it in by the barrel.

In other early National League action on Thursday:

Pittsburgh 8, New York Mets 4: Nate McLouth opened the sixth inning with a broken-bat single and pitcher Paul Maholm (7-12) followed with an infield hit, keying a five-run rally that led the Pirates to a road upset that paid their backers +174. Xavier Nady delivered a two-out, two-strike single for two runs, and Josh Phelps followed with a two-run homer in the sixth.

Washington 7, Philadelphia 6: The Phillies lost more than the game. Chase Utley, Philadelphia’s All-Star second baseman, broke his right hand and will miss a significant amount of time for a team in the wild-card hunt. Utley was hit in the fifth inning by John Lannan, who was making his major-league debut. Utley finished the game, going 2-for-4, but X-rays afterward showed he broke a bone in the hand. Utley, batting .336 with 17 homers and 82 RBI, didn’t think he’d be sidelined for a month. The Nationals paid +165 for the road win.

Cincinnati 6, Milwaukee 5: Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 588th homer and the Reds rallied against Milwaukee’s nearly automatic closer for a 10-inning victory at home. Cincinnati paid +106. The Brewers continue to see their lead in the NL Central dwindle as they’ve gone 13-15 since June 13.

Houston 7, San Diego 1: Carlos Lee, Morgan Ensberg and Craig Biggio hit home runs, Wandy Rodriguez (7-9) pitched seven strong innings and the Astros won as -124 home favorites. It was Biggio’s second home run in three games since announcing his retirement.

For complete MLB odds for Friday, visit the Bodog Sportsbook.

It was a light night for Barry Bonds, who rode the pine for the Giants. (AP Images)

Maybe Barry Bonds should ask Bud Selig not to show up. The commissioner was in attendance for the second consecutive night and not only did Bonds not have a home run, he didn’t even see the field.

Rich Aurilia hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth inning, Noah Lowry held Atlanta scoreless after allowing a run in the first and the San Francisco Giants picked up a rare win with Bonds out of the lineup, beating the Braves, 2-1, Wednesday night at AT&T Park.

With Bonds resting after playing 13 innings Tuesday night, the Giants stopped their three-game losing streak behind Lowry (11-7), who allowed one run and seven hits in eight innings.

Aurilia and fill-in cleanup hitter Pedro Feliz provided the offense with Bonds sitting out. Feliz had two hits and an RBI and Aurilia’s solo homer off Chuck James (8-8) gave the Giants a 2-1 lead in the sixth.

Lowry and the bullpen made that stand up, giving the Giants just their sixth win in 19 games with Bonds out of the starting lineup. Brad Hennessey pitched the ninth for his seventh save in nine chances.

Manager Bruce Bochy said there was a “good chance” Bonds would be back in the lineup for Thursday afternoon’s series finale to continue his pursuit of Hank Aaron’s career home run record of 755. Bonds is sitting on 753 career homers.

For complete MLB odds for Thursday, visit the Bodog Sportsbook.

Red-hot Fausto Carmona blanked the BoSox on Wednesday. (AP Images)

Fausto Carmona pitched eight shutout innings against Boston, the team that blasted him when he flopped as a closer last season, leading the Cleveland Indians over the Red Sox, 1-0, on Wednesday night at Jacobs Field.

Carmona (13-4) improved to 5-0 in July, allowing four singles and raising his scoreless innings streak to 18. The hard-throwing righthander was just slightly better than Josh Beckett (13-4), who lost on the road for the first time since last September.

After losing the first two games of the series, the Indians rewarded their backers with a payday of -107 on the moneyline (meaning a winning wager of $107 would net a $100 profit).

The 23-year-old Carmona had not faced the Red Sox since blowing consecutive save chances at Fenway Park last season, two outings three nights apart that rattled the righthander and all but finished the Indians’ experiment with him as their closer. But put back in the rotation this season, Carmona has become one of the AL’s top starters, and one of the major reasons the Indians are back in playoff contention.

After throwing 113 pitches, Carmona was replaced by Joe Borowski, who worked the ninth for his 29th save. Borowski struck out Coco Crisp and Dustin Pedroia to start the ninth before retiring David Ortiz on a soft pop to third. Ortiz returned after missing five games because of a shoulder injury and went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.

The Red Sox had their winning streak stopped at five.

Beckett came in 6-0 with a 1.71 ERA in six starts away from Fenway Park. He nearly matched Carmona pitch for pitch, but gave up a solo homer to Franklin Gutierrez in the third as the Indians duplicated Boston’s 1-0 victory on Tuesday.

In other early American League games on Wednesday:

Los Angeles Angels 7, Oakland 6: Francisco Rodriguez blew a three-run lead in the ninth inning, but the Angels rallied for a winning run in the bottom of the inning. Rodriguez (4-2) took the ball with a 6-3 cushion before Travis Buck ignited the three-run rally with a bloop double and scored on a fielder’s choice grounder by Nick Swisher. Rodriguez forced in another run with a bases-loaded walk to Mark Kotsay and Marco Scutaro tied it with a sacrifice fly. Casey Kotchman singled with one out in the Angels’ ninth, advanced to second on a groundout, took third on a passed ball by Rob Bowen and scored when Maicer Izturis rapped a 2-and-1 pitch to leftfield against Joe Kennedy (3-9). L.A. paid -150.

Toronto 13, Minnesota 1: Gregg Zaun homered and drove in four runs, and the Blue Jays tied a franchise record with an 11-run sixth inning as they completed a three-game sweep at Rogers Centre. Toronto (51-50) has won a season-high five in a row to move over .500 for the first time since June 27, when it was 39-38. Minnesota (51-50) lost its fourth consecutive game, matching a season worst. The Jays paid -155.

Baltimore 6, Tampa Bay 1: Erik Bedard (10-4) allowed one run in six innings to earn his sixth straight victory, and the Orioles paid -220 at home.

For complete MLB odds for Thursday, visit the Bodog Sportsbook.

Another win and the Mets’ Tom Glavine joins the 300 club. (AI Wire photo)

Tom Glavine had no problem protecting a big lead this time.

Glavine pitched six innings to earn career win No. 299 and Paul Lo Duca drove in four runs to lead the New York Mets past the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-3, Wednesday night at Shea Stadium.

Marlon Anderson also had a sacrifice fly for New York, which has won five of six. Anderson was inserted into the lineup when All-Star centerfielder Carlos Beltran strained an abdominal muscle during batting practice.

Glavine (9-6) allowed three runs and eight hits, bouncing back from a difficult outing at Los Angeles. The lefthander failed to make it out of the third inning in his previous start against the Dodgers after the Mets staked him to a 6-0 lead.

Glavine is expected to go for career win No. 300 on Tuesday night in Milwaukee.

Billy Wagner got three outs on his 36th birthday for his 23rd save. It also was career save No. 347, tying him with Randy Myers for seventh on the career list.

The Mets were -142 favorites on the moneyline (meaning a winning wager of $142 netted a $100 profit).

In other early National League games on Wednesday:

Colorado 10, San Diego 2: Aaron Cook (7-6) needed just 74 pitches in his second complete game of the season, leading the Rockies to a convincing win in Denver that paid their backers -142. Matt Holliday tied a career-high with four hits, including a home run and two doubles, and Ryan Spilborghs had a tiebreaking homer and three RBI. Garrett Atkins had three hits and three RBIs.

For complete MLB odds for Thursday, visit the Bodog Sportsbook.

Injured Warrick Dunn may be ready for Week 1 of the NFL regular season. (AI Wire photo)

The Atlanta Falcons have been one of the NFL’s top rushing teams in the past two seasons. Good luck to them keeping up the pace.

The Falcons revealed Wednesday that running back Warrick Dunn will miss three to four weeks after having back surgery. Dunn, who rushed for a team-high 1,140 yards last year, hurt his back during offseason workouts and had the surgery on Saturday. The team held off revealing the news while it dealt with the federal indictment of quarterback Michael Vick on charges related to dogfighting.

Vick, indicted last week, was barred from training camp by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell while the league looks into possible violations of its new personal conduct policy. Meanwhile, the Falcons have another major hole to fill during the preseason while Dunn recovers.

“I felt some discomfort in my back and legs that just never subsided,” Dunn said in a statement released by the team. “After consulting with the medical staff, it was recommended that we have the surgery.”

If the 32-year-old Dunn needs a full month to recover, he would miss all of training camp and the first two preseason games. But he should be back in time for the Sept. 9 opener at Minnesota. Jerious Norwood, who rushed for 633 yards in his rookie season, will move up to the first team while Dunn is out.

Dunn has five 1,000-yard seasons in his 10-year career. He has 9,461 rushing yards, which is third among active NFL backs. While he is still scheduled to start the season, back surgery is not a prosperous sign for an aging back. And without Vick, the best running quarterback in football, the Falcons offense could be in a nosedive this season.

In other NFL training camp news on Wednesday:

• Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs agreed to a one-year, $7.2-million contract as the Chicago Bears’ franchise player. Unhappy when he was initially given the tag, Briggs had threatened to sit out the season but reached an agreement one day before the Bears are to report to training camp. The deal came together after the Bears agreed to not put the franchise tag on Briggs in 2008 and give the linebacker a $1-million advance, agent Drew Rosenhaus said.
• The Philadelphia Eagles signed quarterback Kevin Kolb, their second-round pick, to a four-year deal. Kolb, the Eagles’ first pick in the April draft, threw for 3,809 yards and 30 touchdowns his senior year at Houston, earning Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year honors. He could be a successor to Donovan McNabb. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

For complete NFL odds for the 2007-08, including Super Bowl odds, visit the Bodog Sportsbook, and be sure to read Bodog Nation’s Arena Action section for the latest NFL analysis from the popular online magazine’s team of expert writers.

Carolina Hurricanes star Eric Staal and his brother, Jordan Staal of the Pittsburgh Penguins, were arrested for misdemeanor disorderly conduct and obstructing the legal process at Eric Staal’s bachelor party at a Minnesota resort.

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office said the brothers were among 14 arrested last weekend after authorities received several complaints about “screaming, yelling and playing loud music” at the resort in northeastern Minnesota, about two hours from the Staals’ hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario.

The sheriff said the group was warned multiple times before finally being ordered to leave the Lutsen Resort and Sea Villas in Lutsen, at which point the men gathered on a nearby highway and “began harassing motorists.” That’s when authorities arrested the group, around 4 a.m. Saturday.

“I didn’t expect it would be any more serious than it is - they’re noise violations,” said Rick Curran, the agent for both players.

Eric Staal, 22, is entering his fourth season with the Hurricanes. He is the highest-paid player on the team, making $4.5 million per season, and led the league in postseason scoring with 28 points during Carolina’s run to the Stanley Cup championship in 2006. He had 30 goals and 40 assists in the regular season last season.

Jordan Staal, 18, was also charged with underage drinking. A teammate of Sidney Crosby, he had 29 goals and 42 points and led the league with seven short-handed goals to make the NHL’s all-rookie team last season.

“I think that the incident itself is obviously regrettable and everyone involved is pretty embarrassed, as they should be,” Curran said. “It’s an unfortunate example of what can happen when you get 15, 20 people together and there’s loud noise.”

Curran said the brothers were among several partygoers who went to bed when authorities first gave the group a warning, and when authorities returned to kick the entire party out of the resort, they first had to wake the Staals up.

“What is unfortunate is at the end, the entire group was asked to leave the hotel, including Eric and Jordan and some of the others that had gone to bed when the first warnings came in,” Curran said. “They were asked to go to bed, and they did. … A couple of the kids kept going. That’s what caused the continued disturbance.”

Jordan Staal and the Penguins have Stanley Cup odds of 8/1 for the 2007-08 season; Carolina is a 35/1 long shot. The Bodog Sportsbook is your home for NHL odds.
PHOTO: Jordan Staal was charged with underage drinking at his brother’s bachelor party. (AI Wire photo)