Critical Notes

Chipper Jones had a home run and a key 13th-inning RBI single to lead the Braves. (AI Wire photo)
This wasn’t how Barry Bonds hoped he would spend his 43rd birthday. First, he learned his ex-mistress, Kimberly Bell, will pose nude for Playboy, news that gave the media a refreshing angle from which to approach the issue of steroids and baseball’s soon-to-be home-run king. Then Bonds worked overtime and had nothing to show for it.

He was 1-for-5 with a walk and without home run No. 754 as the Atlanta Braves defeated the San Francisco Giants, 7-5, in 13 innings at AT&T Park on Tuesday night.

Edgar Renteria hit a two-run double to leftfield off of Giants reliever Jonathan Sanchez in the top of the 13th to make it 6-4. Then Chipper Jones, who had homered in the fifth, added an RBI single for the Braves. Atlanta was a -133 favorite on the moneyline (meaning a winning wager of $133 netted a profit of $100).

The Giants rallied to load the bases in the bottom of the inning, but after one run scored Tyler Yates earned the save by getting Benji Molina to fly out and Fred Lewis to strike out.

Bonds remained two homers behind Hank Aaron’s all-time mark of 755. Bell, whose nude pictorial will hit the newsstands on Oct. 1, previously testified to a grand jury that Bonds had told her of his steroids use.

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

No David Beckham meant not so much support for the L.A. Galaxy. (AP Images)

David Beckham is a one man field of dreams. Put him on the soccer pitch and they will come.

Leave him off and, well, they watch America’s Got Talent …

Without Beckham in the lineup Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Galaxy played in front of many empty seats, a contrast to Saturday night when a sold-out crowd of 27,000 watched the English star’s Major League Soccer debut. In a 2-1 win Tuesday over Pachua, there were many unfilled seats in the announced crowd of 19,317 in Carson, Calif.

Beckham, nursing a left ankle injury, missed the SuperLiga exhibition game against Mexican league champion Pachua. The inaugural SuperLiga involves four MLS teams and four from the Mexican first division in a round-robin tournament. FC Dallas and Chivas played to a 1-1 tie in Texas.

For the Galaxy, Landon Donovan scored in the 81st minute in the Galaxy’s first victory since Beckham joined his new team July 13 in a splashy introduction. They had lost to Tigres - Beckham didn’t play - and Chelsea in his debut. Against Pachua, the only Beckham sightings came on the stadium’s big screen. He didn’t dress for the match.

To bet on soccer and for the latest soccer odds from around the world, visit the Bodog Sportsbook.

Dick Donato is hopping mad on Big Brother. (Photo courtesy of CBS.com)

Maybe the creepiest thing about Big Brother 8 - and there’s lots to be creepy about - is the fact a father and his hot daughter are sharing the house with a bunch of strangers, some of whom are single, straight, good-looking young men. As Nick Starcevic continues to make the moves on Daniele Donato, the feeling that this is just a little too far out of bounds intensifies.

Daniele and her father, Dick, warmly referred to as Evil Dick, argued during Tuesday’s episode over her budding romance with one of the 10 other remaining contestants vying for the $500,000 grand prize. Dick doesn’t seem to care so much about Daniele’s heart, but he is definitely worried about his own backside. He became paranoid that she might be teaming up against him with her new boyfriend. And she was more concerned about his annoying habits that are getting on the nerves of the household rather than any anxiety he may have over watching his daughter flirt with a guy day in and day out.

The rest of the episode had some shenanigans that ranged from funny to inane. Eric Stein, the player who secretly takes orders from the viewers of the CBS show, was commanded to covertly vandalize Jen Johnson’s personal property. He chose to spray mustard on one of her shirts. She was irate and suspicious of just about everyone, but because she has a good relationship with Eric never questioned him.

There was also a dumb tea party set to an Alice in Wonderland theme with members of the house dressing up like rabbits and the Mad Hatter. The one twist came when Dick, a man prone to snap at a moment’s notice, intentionally gave himself up during the Power of Veto ceremony, allowing Jen to win.

Dick, as the Head of Household for the week, had nominated Jen and Kail Harbick for eviction last week, but he had a sudden change of his evil heart during Tuesday’s episode. Dick hates Kail and he hated the fact Mike Dutz was being nice to her, so he let Jen win the veto, allowing her to save herself from eviction, and then nominated Mike in Jen’s place, meaning one of Mike or Kail will go home on Thursday’s eviction episode.

Think you know who will win Big Brother 8? Get the latest Big Brother odds, along with other reality TV odds and celebrity betting options in the Bodog Sportsbook.
Here are the latest Big Brother odds on who will win Season 8 of the hit CBS show:

Jen Johnson - 7/1

Eric Stein - 7/1

Kail Harbick - 15/2

Mike Dutz - 8/1

Dustin Erikstrup -19/2

Jameka Cameron - 9/1

Zach Swerdzewski - 9/1

Daniele Donato - 10/1

Jessica Hughbanks - 10/1

Nick Starcevic - 11/1

Amber Tomcavage - 12/1

Dick Donato - 13/1

Pitcher John Maine connects for a home run that helped his own cause. (AP Images)

John Maine hit a two-run homer and struck out seven to lead the New York Mets to an 8-4 win over the woeful Pittsburgh Pirates at Shea Stadium on Tuesday night.

Maine (11-5) won for the first time since the All-Star break, allowing an RBI double to Xavier Nady, a solo homer to Jason Bay in the fourth, and three other hits in seven innings.

The Mets paid -190 on the moneyline (meaning a winning wager of $190 would net a $100 profit).

Lastings Milledge was 3-for-3, hit a two-run shot in the eighth and drove in three runs for the Mets, who have won eight of 12 since the break and began a seven-game homestand against the Pirates and Nationals, two teams among the worst in baseball.

David Wright, Ruben Gotay and Shawn Green also drove in runs. Aaron Heilman pitched a perfect eighth inning.

Bay also homered in the ninth, a two-run shot off Guillermo Mota that gave him the team lead with 15 and his first multihomer game of the year.

The Mets jumped on Pittsburgh starter Ian Snell early, with back-to-back doubles by Jose Reyes and Gotay to start the game.

Snell (7-8) gave up six runs and 10 hits, including Maine’s first career homer, and lasted only four innings. He lost his third straight start since the All-Star break and has won only two of his past eight decisions.

In other early National League games on Tuesday:

Milwaukee 5, Cincinnati 3: Yovani Gallardo took a shutout into the seventh inning and revived the Brew Crew’s slumping offense with a run-scoring single as Milwaukee paid -134 on the road. Gallardo (3-1) pitched out of a bases-loaded threat in the first inning, then shut down a free-swinging lineup that leads the majors in homers. The rookie righthander limited the Reds to one run and six hits in 6.2 innings. He also had a run-scoring single off Matt Belisle (5-7), who failed to make it out of the fourth inning.

Philadelphia 4, Washington 3: Aaron Rowand’s solo homer in the eighth inning lifted the Phillies, who were -167 favorites at home. Rowand’s 14th homer, a two-out drive off Luis Ayala (0-2), sent the Phillies to their fourth straight. Ryan Madson (2-2) pitched 1.1 scoreless innings for the win, and Antonio Alfonseca worked the ninth for his eighth save in 11 chances.

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

Tarik Glenn has spent most of his 10-year career protecting Peyton Manning’s blind side. (AI Wire photo)

The Indianapolis Colts’ hopes for a Super Bowl repeat took a significant hit Tuesday when one of its key players opted to retire.

Tarik Glenn, a three-time Pro Bowl left tackle, announced he will retire from the NFL because he no longer has the passion he once had for football. The 31-year-old Glenn, a first-round draft pick out of California in 1997, started 154 regular-season games during his 10-year career. A steady blocker on the left side of the offensive line, he was a main reason quarterback Peyton Manning was sacked just 15 times last season and a league-low 176 times since Manning joined the team in 1998.

“Making this decision, I had to step outside that [team] role and see what was good for myself and my family, and that was hard to do,” Glenn said at a news conference at the Colts’ headquarters. “Hearing people talk and players asking me to reconsider and reminding me of some of the things and what I mean to this team, it hurts. It really hurts.

“But I’m real convinced this is what I should do.”

The 6-5, 332-pound Glenn was second to 11-year veteran receiver Marvin Harrison in years of service with the Colts. He reportedly had hinted to teammates he was considering retirement after the Colts’ Super Bowl win over Chicago in February, and Indianapolis took Tony Ugoh, a three-year starter at Arkansas, in the second round of the NFL draft in April.

Even before Glenn’s announcement, NFL gamblers had dropped the Colts down a couple of pegs. Their Super Bowl odds are 7/1, below the San Diego Chargers (5/1) and the favored New England Patriots (8/5). They remain an overwhelming favorite to win the AFC South with NFL odds of 1/3.

Glenn said the Colts’ long championship season was “emotionally draining,” and in early May he began feeling he was “just going through the motions” during offseason workouts. By the end of last month, he said, he realized his passion for the sport had diminished. “It would not be fair to the team or the game not to give it my all,” he said.

Glenn, who was born in Cleveland but grew up in Oakland, Calif., said he would remain in Indianapolis and work in the community and with a nonprofit charity organization he started in 2001. He said Manning and others tried to talk him out of retiring, but when their efforts failed, wished him well.

“That’s okay,” he said. “I wanted to hear what everybody else’s feelings were, because it was affecting everybody. … I hate the fact I feel like I feel, but I’ve just got to move on.”

The Colts have lost four other starters - cornerbacks Jason David and Nick Harper, former Pro Bowl linebacker Cato June and running back Dominic Rhodes - through free agency. They also released receiver Brandon Stokley and defensive tackle Montae Reagor, starters until they suffered season-ending injuries in 2006.

Indianapolis opens the 2007-08 regular season at home against the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 6.

For complete Super Bowl odds and NFL odds, visit the Bodog Sportsbook. And read Bodog Nation’s NFL training camp preview, which focuses on the Saints’ Reggie Bush, and a fantasy football preview that lets you know what to do about Larry Johnson of the Chiefs.

Chef Gordon Ramsay ran Josh out of Hell’s Kitchen, while Julia was sent home in a difficult elimination. (Courtesy Fox)

Tonight’s episode of Hell’s Kitchen started with a high school cafeteria cook off. Judged by students each of the chefs had to come up with a dish and slop out 100 portions of it.

Here’s what each person decided to cook:

Rock: kobe beef meatloaf

Josh: salmon with pineapple salsa

Jen: chicken pasta with a lemon aioli

Bonnie: green salad with hunk of deep fried goat cheese

Julia: grilled cheese with deep fried onion rings

Who, pray tell… who, gentle reader, could possibly have won this competition? Which of these fine dishes best appeals to the subtle and refined palate of the average teenager?

If you can’t figure it out I’m not telling you.

Then, after a brief interlude we like to call “Adventures with Bidets in Las Vegas”, it was back to Hell’s Kitchen for the dinner service. With the chefs united as one team they managed to pull together to produce a real crap-fest. The leading man in the debacle was Josh.

Josh insisted on precooking all the pasta despite Chef Ramsay repeatedly reminding him that all pasta was to be made-to-order. Then Josh undercooked all of the risottos and Ramsay lost his freaking mind.

“Get your shirt off you useless piece of shit!” he said as he threw Josh out of the kitchen and off the show for good.

But the heat was still on for the four remaining as the pressure caught up to them and Rock started snapping at Jen. Bonnie chipped in and it turned into a giant bitch-fest that once again set Ramsay off. But since he’d blown his load with Josh’s demolition he only yelled once and couldn’t summon the energy to choke anyone to death, as we all know he would’ve liked to.

After service Bonnie was dubbed Chef du Jour and given authority to put two other chefs up for elimination. Since Rock had pissed her off during service he realised he would be a candidate for getting the boot and so he cried on camera. We at the Beat took a poll and were unanimous in labelling Rock a big pussy.

Bonnie’s second nomination was Julia for some B.S. reasons which didn’t include the real reason that she and Jen are buddies.

Despite Rock’s horrible habit of referring to himself in the third person, Julia got the axe. But Ramsay seemed genuinely tortured by the decision and even promised to personally send Julia to culinary school.

“She is the most improved chef here,” Ramsay said, obviously impressed by the short-order cook’s ability to adapt in his demonic kitchen.

Which left the final three Rock, Jen and Bonnie, to battle it out in the next episode to decide who the two finalists will be.

For Big Brother odds, America’s Got Talent odds and So You Think You Can Dance odds, check out the Bodog Sportsbook.

John Smoltz got the best of Barry Bonds on Monday. (AI Wire photo)

On the eve of his 43rd birthday, Barry Bonds would have liked some fireworks. He didn’t get them and the San Francisco fans who came out to see history will have to wait to celebrate

John Smoltz silenced the sellout crowd eager to see another home run, keeping Bonds stuck at 753 in the Atlanta Braves’ 4-2 victory over the Giants at AT&T Park on Monday night.

Bonds returned from a seven-game trip two homers shy of tying Hank Aaron’s record of 755 but was 1-for-3 with a single and a walk. His eighth-inning single up the middle off Rafael Soriano was his first hit since connecting for two homers Thursday against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Commissioner Bud Selig was a no-show for Bonds’ welcome home party on a picture-perfect summer night in the Bay Area, where Bonds faced another one of Hammerin’ Hank’s former teams in the opener of a four-game series. The Giants took two of three in a weekend series at Milwaukee, where Aaron started and finished his career.

Brian McCann hit a three-run double in the first to stake Smoltz (10-5) to a quick lead. Smoltz has surrendered eight home runs to Bonds but none since giving up two on Aug. 9, 1998.

On this night, pinch-hitter Mark Sweeney received a curtain call - not Bonds, who reportedly failed an amphetamines test in 2006 and attributed it to something he took from Sweeney’s locker. Bonds issued a public apology that Sweeney became involved.

Sweeney’s pinch-hit double leading off the seventh tied Bonds with Manny Mota for second place with 150 pinch hits, trailing only Lenny Harris (212).

The Braves paid -123 on the moneyline (meaning a winning wager of $123 would net a $100 profit).

In other games in the National League on Monday:

Los Angeles Dodgers 10, Houston 2: Chad Billingsley threw a five-hitter for his first complete game, and Jeff Kent had four hits and a pair of RBIs to lead the Dodgers, -119 favorites on the road. Luis Gonzalez and James Loney had three RBI seach for the NL West-leading Dodgers.

Cinicinnati 2, Milwaukee 1: Aaron Harang returned from his grandfather’s funeral and pitched 10 innings, setting up the host Reds for a 12-inning victory. Cincinnati was a -131 favorite. Despite his grandfather’s passing, Harang pitched on schedule because he figured it was a fitting tribute.

Colorado 7, San Diego 5: Matt Holliday and Brad Hawpe delivered their best shots as the Rockies rallied from a three-run eighth-inning deficit against San Diego’s stellar bullpen to beat the Padres in Denver. Greg Maddux was in line for his 341st career win until Holliday erased a 5-2 deficit with a no-doubt, 446-foot, three-run homer off righthander Scott Linebrink (3-3). Colorado paid -140.

Arizona 4, Florida 3: Dontrelle Willis (7-10) allowed four runs, including Orlando Hudson’s two-run homer, and lost his career-high seventh straight decision as the Diamondbacks beat the visiting Marlins. Arizona was a -112 favorite.

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

Having overcome cancer, Jon Lester trumped the Indians in his return to the majors. (AP Images)

Jon Lester made a triumphant return to the big leagues Monday night.

The Boston Red Sox starter who was diagnosed with cancer last year defeated the Cleveland Indians, 6-2, at Jacobs Field. Lester, 23, was recalled Sunday from Triple-A Pawtucket to make his first appearance in the majors since last August, when he learned he had anaplastic large cell lymphoma.

In December, he was ruled cancer-free and the dream of a big-league career was revived. As a rookie, he went 7-2 with a 4.76 ERA in 2006. On Monday, he pitched six innings, allowing two earned runs and five hits. He struck out six and walked three. He allowed a two-run home run to Grady Sizemore in the third inning.

Lester was replacing the ineffective Julian Tavarez in the Red Sox rotation. He figures to stay with Boston until injured Curt Schilling returns from the disabled list.

In a rare game as an underdog, the Red Sox paid +117 on the moneyline (meaning a winning wager of $100 would net a $117 profit). Manny Ramirez went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the win and Coco Crisp was 4-for-5 and scored three times.
In-game wagering was available for the contest through BodogLIVE.

In other early American League games on Monday:

Toronto 6, Minnesota 2: The troubles for Johan Santana continued. Frank Thomas homered twice to raise his total to 503 and pull within one of Eddie Murray for 20th place as the host Blue Jays sent Santana (11-8) to a rare second-half loss. Reed Johnson and Alex Rios added solo shots off Santana, who allowed four home runs in a game for the first time in 163 starts. The reigning AL Cy Young winner dropped to 41-6 following the All-Star game since the 2003 break. He allowed six runs and seven hits in five innings, matching his shortest start this season.

Thomas hit a two-run homer in the second that put the Blue Jays ahead 3-0 and another two-run drive in the fifth that made it 6-3. It was his 30th multihomer game, his first this year. The Jays paid +137 as a home underdog.

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

Although he made his Galaxy debut on Saturday, David Beckham may not be able to go Tuesday. (AP Images)

David Beckham missed another training session with the Los Angeles Galaxy on Monday because of a nagging left ankle injury that left him doubtful for the team’s opening game in the SuperLiga. The inaugural tournament, featuring four Major League Soccer teams and four teams from Mexico’s first division, opens on Tuesday with the Galaxy hosting defending Mexican champion Pachuca and Chivas visiting FC Dallas.

Beckham had been scheduled to attend Monday’s news conference in Hollywood, but he stayed away to continue treatment. He has yet to participate in full training since joining the team on July 13.

“We can’t keep running him around, dragging him to press conferences and events,” MLS commissioner Don Garber said. “We just want him to get better.”

However, the injury didn’t prevent the former Real Madrid star and wife, Victoria, from attending a celebrity-studded Welcome the Beckhams to L.A. party on Sunday at a downtown Los Angeles museum. The bash, hosted by Tom Cruise and Will Smith, lasted into the early morning hours.

“He is a very professional guy,” Garber said. “He’s not going to do anything that he doesn’t think is going to support his ability to get better.”

The English superstar played 16 minutes, including four minutes of stoppage time, in a 1-0 loss to Chelsea in his Galaxy debut on Saturday. The highlight was a corner kick he took near the end of the game.

Garber said ESPN’s high TV ratings, the sold-out attendance of 27,000, and domestic and international media interest was more than MLS had expected.

“It shows that people have a real desire to see the sport get a lot of attention,” he said. “If you deliver the right things - good players, high-quality competition, some interesting side stories - then we have a chance to really break out of some of the clutter that exists in pro sports.”

To bet on soccer and for the latest soccer odds from around the world, visit the Bodog Sportsbook.

Hillary Clinton is flanked by John Edwards and Barack Obama during Monday’s Democratic presidential debate. (AP Images)

A new era of political debate began Monday night when the eight Democratic presidential candidates faced questions posted by citizens on YouTube. In the debate held at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., and hosted by CNN???s Anderson Cooper, candidates faced a range of questions on subjects such as personal ethics, health care, gay rights, aid for Africa, education, global warming and the most compelling topic, what to do about Iraq.

The spectrum of questioners was also broad, ranging from college students to a Baptist minister to a lesbian couple looking to get married to parents of military members to a pair of rednecks from Tennessee, among others. Cooper said about 3,000 questions were uploaded to the user-generated site.

A YouTube user named Chris from Portland started the debate with an instruction rather than a question. He urged the candidates to “not beat around the Bush” and give straight answers that addressed each question. Cooper, who preceded the first question by saying he was “not sure exactly how it???s going to work”, did his best to keep the candidates on topic, but as the debate progressed it turned out much like any other, with the politicians doing whatever they could with the time given to promote their records. There was little chance for any rebuttal or protracted discourse on any single topic because of the number of topics that needed to be touched on and the large number of candidates on stage.

The most interesting moments centered on the three candidates best known to the public: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards.

When one viewer asked if she would describe herself as a “liberal”, Clinton said she would not, preferring the term “modern progressive”. She said she hoped to “find ways to help those who may not have all the advantages in life to get the tools they need to lead a more productive life”. Clinton, whose 2/1 odds to be the next U.S. president place her as the favorite according to the Bodog Sportsbook, was also asked if she has concerns about her gender would be received by leaders around the world. Her response earned applause from the audience when she said she is determined “to break that hardest of glass ceilings”.

Obama earned rousing applause when he said South Carolina needs more money for its schools, calling one district in Florence, S.C., a “corridor of shame.” When asked to address criticism that he is not “black enough”, Obama deadpanned, “When I???m catching a cab in Manhattan in the past, I???ve given my credentials.”

Edwards had the most difficult time, facing strong questions about his stances against gay marriage, as well as the only question not directed by the viewers. Cooper asked him about his wife???s assertion in the press that he and not Clinton was the best candidate for women???s rights. Edwards said he has fought for women???s health care and to raise the minimum wage. On gay marriage, he said he has “enormous personal conflict on this issue”, because his faith tells him one thing and his libertarian political views lean another way.

In the end, Clinton best demonstrated the hallmark qualities of a leader, detailing the difficulties of diplomacy with world leaders who are not allies and of the not-so-easy fix of troop withdrawal from Iraq.

The YouTube/CNN partnership will happen again in September when Republican candidates debate.

Odds to win the Democratic nomination to represent the party for the 2008 presidential election:

Hillary Clinton - 5/9

Barack Obama - 2/1

Al Gore - 5/1 (not present at debate and has not declared his candidacy)

John Edwards - 8/1

Dennis Kucinich - 20/1

Joe Biden - 30/1

Chris Dodd - 40/1

Mike Gravel - 40/1

Bill Richardson - 40/1

Field (any other candidate) - 50/1

For complete political odds related to the 2008 presidential race, visit the Bodog Sportsbook.