Critical Notes

A sexy bartender is a good bartender. (Bodog Beat Image)

Are we shallow for preferring to be in an environment filled with beautiful women? Whatever, we’re too busy waxing our eyebrows to listen to you anyway.

Bodog Nation has taken the liberty of compiling the hot beds of hotties in the City of Sin for those who care, which we’re guessing is roughly half of you.

For the Nations’ compilation of the hottest bartenders, the hottest waitresses, the hottest strippers, the hottest performers in Vegas and few extra shout-outs to selective Las Vegas beauties, check out the full article, “ Hottest Women of Vegas.”

Pete Carroll’s stacked squad is the runaway favorite to win a national championship. (AI Wire photo)

USC Trojans Preview

The 2007 USC Trojans "may be the best team in the history of college football."

Those were the strong words of new Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, and they created quite a stir in NCAA circles.

The best team ever? Bodog Nation isn’t quite sure of that.

But the Trojans sure are good.

Oddsmakers are giving USC 5/2 odds to win the BCS National Championship. The next heaviest favorites are Michigan at 7/1 and LSU and Florida, both at 8/1.

The Trojans’ odds to win the Pac-10 are 1/3, followed by Cal at 3/1.

Read "Trojan Horses" to find out why.

Like quitting time on a Friday evening, we’re drunk with excitement for our casino winners!

• Dhamyanti S.of CT made a wish and cashed in! He made $12,340 on the Aladdin’s Wishes online slot machine.
• Dalene M. of CT did a rain dance and made money! She made $11,800!
• Brenda K. was no joker at poker, she made $9,990 on the Joker Poker slot machine.
• Blackjack was a popular game last night. Gary L., Bryan Q., Had M., and Jeffrey V. made $8,649, $5,406, $5,110, and $4,912.
• Honey to the bizee in the hiz-ous! This time Toni N. made money off the slot, he made $7,290!
• Michael F. of OH went into an Enchanted Garden and struck gold. He made $6,495 off the slot.

Want to be a big winner too? Play these games yourself at Bodog’s online casino.

Damn, she looks hot in a wig. Britney Spears graced the September issue of Allure magazine, but failed to give an interview. (Courtesy Allure Magazine)

Donning a brown wig and winning attitude, Britney Spears put on a good show for the good people over at Allure magazine.

"Britney showed up for Allure’s cover shoot on time and ready to work," editor-in-chief Linda Wells wrote in an a letter for the issue, on newsstands Tuesday.

"She was entirely unself-conscious: She took off her wig and then stripped down to the waist, for no apparent reason, before sitting for hair and makeup," Wells said. "She was agreeable and cooperative on the shoot and left at the end of the day, followed by a trail of paparazzi."

However, for the reporter Judith Newman, the interview was a bust as Spears missed four appointments. Newman ended up writing a first-person essay about her experience trying to track down Spears. Good times.

How much will Nicole Richie and Joel Madden’s baby weigh at birth? Get your celebrity odds in the Bodog Sportsbook.

Dancing just four years, underdog Sabra Johnson takes home the $250,000 prize on "So You Think You Can Dance." (Courtesy Fox)

Dressed in a pink flamingo monstrosity, host Cat Deeley opened the "So You Think You Can Dance" finale with a promise she couldn’t keep. She promised the two-hour show would have no padding. Chaa. Thus, your Beat writer was forced to sit through 120 grueling minutes of dancing, commercials, dancing, yawn, commercials, dancing… (you get the picture) just to find out who took the top prize. That said, it does take a hell of a lot to wow this reality TV vet. Perhaps a dose of Danny Bonaduce or some Vern Troyer peeing in the corner to get this party started? Bah, not on this feel-good show.

Winner Sabra Johnson was vying for the title of America’s favorite dancer against frontrunner and Beat favorite Danny Tidwell, Neil Haskell and the sister of last year’s winner (Benji Schwimmer), Lacey Schwimmer. Highlights of the finale saw Jamie Goodwin and Hok Konishi dancing the Wade Robson routine to “The Chairman’s Waltz” from the "Memoirs of a Geisha" soundtrack. Sabra Johson and Neil Haskell danced to “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” by the Eurythmics. But alas, after they finished dancing, Cat revealed that Neil Haskell had been eliminated from the competition. Ouch.  

The best moments of the season? Wade Robson’s routines by far. Check it:

Sabra’s best dance? Her Paso Doble with Neil Haskell. Check it out:

The final two of Sabra and Danny joined Cat on center stage. Cat revealed that the winner of "So You Think You Can Dance" was Sabra Johnson. Danny swooped Sabra into his arms and held her. Bless his cute little heart.

Although the "So You Think You Can Dance" hot tamale train has pulled into it’s proverbial station for this season — never fear fans — as Nigel Lythoge has bragged, it has been picked up for yet another season. And reality TV bettors, don’t be down, there are still places for you to throw your money around. Mosey on over to the Bodog Sportsbook for the reality TV odds on your favorite shows, including "America’s Got Talent," "Big Brother" and more. Can’t get enough reality TV? Check out Bodog Nation’s prop culture for all the juice.

He’s not gone yet. Dick Donato eludes the boot from Big Brother. (Photo courtesy of CBS.com)

With the help of America, Dick Donato survived eviction from Big Brother 8. In a shocking outcome, Evel Dick remains in the running for the $500,000 grand prize on the CBS reality TV show while Dustin Erikstrup goes home.

The turning point in the eviction process came when Eric Stein, “America???s Player”, followed the orders of the show???s fans and cast his vote to oust Dustin, who was so certain the household would boot Dick that he said he wasn???t at risk at all.

In the post-eviction interview with Julie Chen, Dustin said he was stunned. When the houseguests??? goodbye messages to Dustin were shown, Dick said, “If you???re seeing this Dustin, it means I???ve pulled off the biggest coup in Big Brother history.”

He just may be right.

Eric said he probably would have voted to evict Dick had the nation not instructed him otherwise. In that case, the eviction vote would have been 3-3 and Head of Household Jessica Hughbanks would have had to cast the tiebreaking vote. She likely would have voted to eliminate Dick.

Now, the Head of Household belongs to Daniele Donato, Dick???s daughter, who won the competition to make decisions effecting the eight remaining contestants for the coming 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 - 4/1

Jameka Cameron - 6/1

Zach Swerdzewski - 9/1

Daniele Donato - 9/2

Jessica Hughbanks - 6/1

Amber Tomcavage - 8/1

Dick Donato - 7/1

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

It may have been Trent Green’s night, but Ronnie Brown was the Dolphin worth watching. (AI Wire photo)

A few boos were mixed in with a healthy amount of applause as Kansas City fans welcomed Trent Green back to Arrowhead Stadium. While the Chiefs’ faithful acknowledged what the quarterback had done for them in the past, the Dolphins were keen to see what he might bring to their future.

Green didn’t disappoint. He was 4-for-7 passing for 41 yards as he led Miami’s first two possessions in a 11-10 victory over the Chiefs on Thursday night. The Dolphins failed to score on a fourth-and-1 on the three-yard line in their second series before Green exited. While Green was sharp as expected, running back Ronnie Brown looked like the first-rounder the Dolphins hoped for when they drafted him two years ago.

Brown totaled 57 yards on 13 carries and his 22-yard burst in the second quarter set up a Jay Feely field goal. Miami didn’t score again until late in the fourth quarter when rookie QB John Beck led the game-winning drive. With 4:30 to play, Patrick Cobb scored on a 7-yard run that capped a seven-play, 73-yard possession. Beck then ran in the two-point conversion.

The Dolphins beat the point spread, which favored Kansas City by three points. The betting total was well under 33.5.

While the Dolphins looked like they are rounding into form, the Chiefs clearly have issues. Larry Johnson is holding out, so the running back by committee is being employed by coach Herm Edwards and not to any positive effect. Michael Bennett and rookie Kolby Smith, who are both vying for the starting job with Johnson out, combined for 11 yards on 14 carries. The Chiefs also have issues at place kicker, where fifth-round draft pick Justin Medlock missed two of his three field-goal attempts.

For more Super Bowl odds and NFL exhibition odds, check out the Bodog Sportsbook, and be sure to read Bodog Nation for the latest NFL feature articles, NFL betting analysis and fantasy football predictions.

Carlos Guillen blasted a grand slam that led the Tigers to a win. (AI Wire photo)

The Tigers entered Yankee Stadium for a four-game series knowing the outcome could determine their postseason fate.

Carlos Guillen sent the message that the defending American League champs intend to stick around to the end. Guillen belted a grand slam in the first inning and the Tigers got six runs off Mike Mussina (8-8) then held on for an 8-5 win in the Bronx on Thursday night.

With the win, the Tigers (67-54) moved a half-game ahead of idle Cleveland for the AL Central lead and tied wild-card leaders New York and Seattle. They also paid +138 on the moneyline for the upset (meaning a $100 wager would net a $138 profit).

Justin Verlander (13-4) allowed three earned runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings for Detroit and Ivan Rodriguez hit a solo homer in the seventh off Ron Villone.

Bobby Abreu hit a two-run shot off Verlander in the third as the Yankees tried to rally from the early 6-0 deficit. They scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth off closer Todd Jones, but couldn’t get any closer as they fell 5.5 games behind AL East-leading Boston. Hideki Matsui was 3-for-5 with a run and two RBIs in the loss.

In other early action in the AL on Thursday:

Oakland 8, Chicago White Sox 5: Turns out Ichiro isn’t the only Suzuki in the AL West capable of doing damage with his bat. Kurt Suzuki, who’s unrelated to the Mariners’ star, homered to left-centerfield in the top of the 10th inning, sending the Athletics to victory. The A’s paid -138. Suzuki, a catcher, has only been a regular in Oakland since July 16, when Jason Kendall was traded to the Cubs. It was his second homer in as many days and fourth overall.

Los Angeles Angels 4, Toronto 3: Kelvim Escobar (13-6) beat his old team as he allowed one run on five hits over seven innings, leading the Angels to a road win that paid their backers -123. Gary Matthews Jr. homered and L.A. reached 70 wins on the year.

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

Jose Valverde closed out another victory for the Diamondbacks on Thursday. (AI Wire photo)

The Arizona Diamondbacks have done it with pitching, with hitting and with resilence.

The National League leaders won their 19th game in 24 attempts on Thursday night as they beat the Florida Marlins, 5-4, in Miami. Livan Hernandez (9-7) struggled early but settled down to pitch seven innings, allowing four runs on nine hits as the Diamondbacks took two out of three from the Marlins. Arizona has won nine of its 10 series since the All-Star break.

Hernandez also had two hits and scored once to help his cause. Chris Young homered leading off the game as Arizona took a 2-0 lead, but Florida scored three times in the bottom of the frame to claim an advantage. The D-backs scored two more times in the second then Mark Reynolds hit his 10th homer, providing what would be the winning RBI.

Jose Valverde, who has been a revelation this season, notched his 37th save with a scoreless ninth. With over a month to go, 50 saves is within reach for Valverde, who saved 18 games last year.

Arizona paid +104 on the moneyline (meaning a winning wager of $100 would net a $104 profit).

In other early NL action on Thursday:

Pittsburgh 10, New York Mets 7: The host Pirates rallied from a five-run deficit and took the lead with two runs in the seventh and three in the eighth to pull the upset, which paid +122.

Philadelphia 4, Washington 2: Cole Hamels improved to 14-5 with 6.2 innings of shutout ball as the Phillies bounced back into a tie with the Braves for second place in the NL East and NL wild-card race. Philadelphia was a -167 favorite on the road.

San Francisco 9, Atlanta 3: The Giants homered in each of the first four innings and throttled the Braves at Turner Field, paying out +122. Barry Bonds didn’t play.

St. Louis 8, Milwaukee 0: Light-hitting Yadier Molina homered twice and Adam Wainwright (11-9) combined with two relievers on a four-hit shutout at Miller Park. The Cardinals paid -110.

Chicago Cubs 12, Cincinnati 4: Mark DeRosa was 5-for-5 with four RBIs to lead the Cubs at Wrigley Field, where they were -161 favorites. The Cubs had a season-high 20 hits.

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