Critical Notes

The puppet whispered, "Terry Fator, you just won a million bucks for being a douchebag!" (Courtesy NBC)

The night started like any other on "America’s Got Talent"… douchebags dancing around sining "Celebrate" including the likes of the Glamazons, the von Crapp family (see: the Duttons), Julienne Irwin and a guy with a puppet. Then, things went real bad. In order to fill the allotted 2-hours, the show brought back the Top 10 contestants and for the final "fuck you," we were "treated" to a performance from The Hoff.

The highlight of the night was when ventriloquist Terry Fator sang with Kermit the Frog. Not because Fator was good or anything, in fact, although the impersonation was good, his lips moved. Isn’t the point of ventriloquism not to move your lips? Anyway, the best part was when the judges were replaced by the muppets, a breath of fresh air. The Swedish Chef was way better than Piers Morgan.

Julienne Irwin performed with Taylor Swift, who, it turns out, is a rising 17-year-old country star with so-so talent. The Beat’s favorite-to-win, Cas Haley sang "Red Red Wine" with UB40 and Butterscotch performed with Sean Kingston.

There was then a vomit-inducing performance from all the rejects, who were slightly less talented than the "talent." They sang "We are the Champions" while the audience laughed and clapped as the schizophrenics and delusional performers sang their creepy little hearts out. Right after, and just as delusional, the Hoff, with forehead vein throbbing, sang with first-degree aggravated cheesiness.

At the end of the train wreck NBC calls a show, it was down to singer Cas Haley and Terry Fator. And the winner of "America’s Got Talent" is… Terry Fator! Fator’s career began when he found a book on ventriloquism when was just 10-years-old. He trained his voice in high school and picked up the talent of mimicking any singer he wanted. Evs. The Beat wishes this guy would have won.

"America’s Got Talent" emcee slash ass kisser Jerry Springer told Fator that one of his dreams of playing in Las Vegas was going to come true. Fator will play at Bally’s in Las Vegas.

• 1st place: Terry Fator
• 2nd place: Cas Haley
• 3rd place: Butterscotch
• 4th place: Julienne Irwin

So… it’s over. Months of crap along with the accumulating slash marks on the wrists of your Beat writer have all come down to this. The end. With obnoxious enthusiasm and a throbbing forehead vein — the Hoff took this shit show home.

Thank you. And goodnight.

Big Brother contestants Daniele Donato (left) and Amber Tomcavage got really close this week. (Photo courtesy of CBS.com)

Amber Tomcavage isn’t the brightest bulb in the Big Brother 8 mansion, which is saying a lot in this low-wattage household. She was up to be evicted this week and when approached with an offer to stave off her elimination from the popular CBS show, she not only leaped to grab it, she gave up more than necessary. Although Amber survives for one more week - not really a good thing when you consider the kind of personal damage she’s done to herself on national TV - she pretty much guarantees she won’t win the game and one of her arch-rvials in the competition will.

In Tuesday’s episode, Daniele Donato, who won the Head of Household competition last week, also won the Power of Veto contest, which earned her both a trip to New York to appear on the CBS show Power of 10 and the opportunity to change one of her nominations for eviction. What transpired led to Amber being taken off the eviction block and Jen Johnson being put on. Daniele, upset with Jen’s attitude and distrustfulness, wanted to make a switch and approached Amber to make a deal. Amber caved, agreeing to not nominate Daniele for eviction next week or any other and to vote any way Daniele wished. Pretty weak, since Daniele only initially asked for her alliance for this week in order to oust Jen.

So, more than likely, Jen will be gone on Thursday’s episode and Amber will be a pawn to the Donatos, Daniele and her father, Dick, who have managed to run the show in Season 8 of the program. Jameka Cameron, who is also up for eviction, is ineligible to be Head of Household for another three weeks, meaning she’s not much of a threat to the seven others remaining in the game.

All wasn’t bad for Amber. Because she was second in the veto contest she joins Daniele in New York. She also has reason to justify her faith since her prayers for survival were answered.

For the latest Big Brother odds on who will win Season 8 of the hit CBS show, visit the Bodog Sportsbook, where you will find reality TV odds on your favorite shows and celebrity betting odds on the hottest stars.

Carlos Beltran had five RBIs as the Mets beat the Padres. (AI Wire photo)

The New York Mets helped themselves and their chief division rivals at the same time.

A single by Luis Castillo in the ninth lifted New York to a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres at Shea Stadium on Tuesday night. With the win, the Mets allowed the Philadelphia Phillies to move into a tie with the Padres for the National League wild-card lead and kept the Atlanta Braves from losing ground.

They also handed Trevor Hoffman, the career leader in saves, his fourth blown save in 35 chances. Billy Wagner (2-1) blew the lead when he gave up a run in the top of the ninth, but the Mets rallied, starting with a single by Lastings Milledge. He was bunted up to second then Marlon Anderson drove him home with a single. Jose Reyes followed with a base hit before Castillo delivered the winning single.

Carlos Beltran hit a two-run shot off Chris Young and finished with five RBIs for the Mets, who paid -107 on the moneyline (meaning a winning wager of $107 would net a $100 profit).

Philadelphia 5, Los Angeles Dodgers 4: Aaron Rowand’s 21st home run helped lift the Phillies to a home win that paid -155. Philadelphia learned it may lose ace Cole Hamels for an extended period of time. Hamels will miss his scheduled start Wednesday because of a strained left elbow, which will be re-evaluated this week. The Phillies moved into a tie with San Diego for first-place in the NL wild-card race.

Cincinnati 8, Atlanta 7: Brandon Phillips was 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs to lead the Reds at home. Cincinnati paid +108 as Atlanta blew three leads.

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

Eli Manning shot back at Tiki Barber on Tuesday. (AI Wire photo)

What is it about the Mannings getting dissed by their teammates? Remember when Idiot Kicker, aka Mike Vanderjagt, said the Colts could never win with Peyton? Now, Tiki Barber rips into Eli, saying on national TV that the New York Giants’ quarterback doesn’t have strong leadership abilities.

Well, Eli’s fighting back. The younger Manning responded Tuesday with a criticism of Barber, now retired, that seemed somehow therapeutic for him.

“I guess I’m just happy for Tiki that he’s making a smooth transition into the TV world,” Manning said. “You know, I’ll be interested to see if he has anything to say [about a team] besides the Giants, and what his comments will be on that.”

Barber announced early last season that he would be retiring, which caused a distraction for the Giants throughout the year and also left the former running back free to publicly criticize coach Tom Coughlin without fear of any detrimental impact to his career. During halftime of NBC’s telecast of the Giants-Ravens NFL preseason game on Sunday, Barber said Manning tried to lead an offensive meeting late last season and the result was “comical”. Manning’s response was harsh.
“It’s just one of those deals. I’m not going to lose any sleep about what Tiki has to say,” Manning said. “I guess I could have questioned his leadership skills last year with calling out the coach and having articles about him retiring in the middle of the season, and he’s lost the heart [to play].

“As a quarterback you’re reading that your running back has lost the heart to play the game and it’s about the 10th week,” Manning said. “I can see that a little bit at times. But I’m not going to get concerned. I’m going to go out there and play ball.”

The Giants face their Big Apple rivals, the Jets, on Saturday in Week 3 of the NFL preseason. The Jets are favored by 3 points against the spread. The Giants hold Super Bowl odds of 30/1. Visit the Bodog Sportsbook for the latest NFL odds.

Although Alex Rodriguez hit his 40th home run, the Yankees lost 7-6 in extra innings. (AI Wire photo)

When guys wearing uniform Nos. 47 and 48 combine to deliver victory you know you’ve witnessed a rarity.

Ryan Budde, who had been hitting .097, doubled off Sean Henn, driving in Howie Kendrick with the winning run as the Los Angeles Angels beat the New York Yankees, 7-6, in 10 innings in Anaheim, Calif., on Monday night.

A seldom-used catcher, Budde (No. 48) came off the bench to notch his first career RBI in his 12th at-bat for the Angels. Kendrick, a second baseman, started the rally with a one-out, ground-rule double against Henn (2-1).

The Angels were +134 home underdogs on the moneyline (meaning a winning wager of $100 would net a +134 profit).

The Yankees lost despite Alex Rodriguez’s 40th home run, a two-run shot in the sixth that gave New York a 4-3 lead. L.A. answered with three runs in the seventh to take a 6-4 advantage, but Jorge Posada knotted the game with a two-run shot off Justin Speier in the eighth.

New York fell five games behind Boston in the American League East race and 1.5 games behind Seattle in the AL wild-card chase.

In other AL action on Monday:

Boston 6, Tampa Bay 0: Tim Wakefield (15-10) scattered four hits in seven innings of work as he combined with the Red Sox bullpen to blank the host Devil Rays. Wakefield is 19-2 in his career vs. Tampa Bay, including 9-0 at Tropicana Field. The knuckleballer fanned five D-Rays as Boston paid -112 straight up. Manny Ramirez continues his strong second half. He had two RBIs and has driven in 39 runs in 38 games since the All-Star break.

Seattle 9, Minnesota 4: Raul Ibanez belted two homers and Richie Sexson and Kenji Johjima each went deep once to lead the Mariners to a road win that paid their backers a solid +147. Seattle, which leads the AL wild-card race, has won four in a row.

Oakland 6, Toronto 4: Jack Hannahan hit his first career homer - a three-run blast in the third inning - to lead the visiting Athletics, who paid +135. Joe Blanton (11-8) pitched seven innings for the win.

Chicago White Sox 4, Kansas City 3: Bobby Jenks’ streak of consecutive batters retired ended at 41, tying Jim Barr’s 35-year-old mark, as the White Sox beat the visiting Royals. Jenks allowed a single to Joey Gathright in the ninth, but still managed to save his 34th game. Chicago paid -152.

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

Tennis fans will watch as Roger Federer chases the record books again. (AI Wire photo)

Roger Federer stared down history two months ago when he won his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title, tying Bjorn Borg’s record. The Swiss sensation takes aim at another all-time mark next week when he begins defense of his U.S. Open crown. Federer has won tennis’ fourth grand slam event the past three years and could become the first man to win it four years in a row since the 1920s, when Bill Tilden accomplished the feat as an amateur.

As he was at Wimbledon, Federer is a massive favorite. His U.S. Open odds are at 2/5 as he seeks his 12th grand slam title. The tournament starts Monday in New York.

Along with the world’s No. 1-ranked player, the field will feature the game’s best, including No. 2 Rafael Nadal and No. 5 Andy Roddick, last year’s runner-up and the 2003 champion. Nadal is 6/1 and Roddick is 20/1. Emerging star Novak Djokovic, the third seed, is also 6/1.

On the women’s side, defending champion Maria Sharapova is seeded second to world No. 1 Justine Henin, who is the 7/4 betting favorite. Serena Williams is the 7/2 second choice while Sharapova holds 5/1 U.S. Open odds. Venus Williams, the Wimbledon champ, is 10/1.

The Bodog Sportsbook has complete U.S. Open odds and all your tennis betting options.

Tim Hudson is making his case for the Cy Young Award. (AI Wire photo)

Tim Hudson may be unbeatable and Mark Teixeira may be unstoppable. Together, the dynamic duo make the Atlanta Braves a squad to be fearful of heading down the stretch.

Hudson became the first pitcher in the National League to win 15 games on Monday night when he propelled Atlanta to a 14-4 whipping of the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark. The hard-throwing righthander allowed three earned runs and seven hits in six innings as he lowered his ERA to 3.07 and improved to 15-5 on the year. He is 9-0 in his last 11 starts.

He got support from Teixeira, who showed no ill effects from a virus that had sapped his energy the previous day. The slugger whacked two home runs and finished 3-for-4 with six RBIs. Teixeira has 22 homers on the year. The Braves also got big flies from Brian McCann, who ripped a grand slam in the top of the first inning, and Andruw Jones, who had a two-run blast.

A monster favorite, Atlanta paid -225 on the moneyline (meaning a winning wager of $225 would net a $100 profit). The Braves remain tied with Philadelphia for second place in both the NL East and the NL wild-card race.

In other early action in the senior circuit on Monday:

St. Louis 6, Chicago Cubs 4: Albert Pujols and Rick Ankiel homered to lead the Cardinals at Wrigley Field, where they were +134 underdogs.

San Francisco 8, Florida 7: Bengie Molina was 4-for-5 with three RBIs as the Giants completed a four-game sweep in Miami and paid their backers a healthy +166 straight up.

Washington 7, Houston 0: Tim Redding didn’t allow a run in seven inning as he beat his old team and improved to 3-3. Dmitri Young had a three-run homer as the Nationals paid +113 on the road.

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

Rex Grossman continues to play himself out of the Bears’ QB job. (AI Wire photo)

Are the days of Rex Grossman as the Chicago Bears’ starting quarterback numbered?

You know that will be the topic of conversation in the Windy City after his dismal performance in Monday night’s Super Bowl rematch with the Indianapolis Colts. Grossman fumbled three times, losing one, and threw an interception before he left the NFL preseason game. He finished 9-for-11 for 59 yards.

Brian Griese came in and was impressive, leading the Bears to a 27-24 win at the RCA Dome. He threw one touchdown and was 10-for-13 passing for 131 yards. Indianapolis was sharp under Peyton Manning, taking a 7-0 lead into the second quarter. Once the first-team offense departed, the Colts weren’t as effective. Indy is 1-11 in its past 12 preseason games.

The game was a push as Chicago was a three-point favorite against the spread. The Colts scored a late touchdown to disappoint Bears backers. The betting total was all but academic at the half, with the score tied at 17. It went over the 37.5 number in the third quarter when backup running back Adrian Peterson gave the Bears the lead for good with a one-yard TD.

The Colts hold Super Bowl odds of 7/1 to repeat as champions while the Bears are 14/1, a number that could move depending on the outcome of their quarterback situation.

For complete NFL exhibition odds and Super Bowl odds, visit the Bodog Sportsbook. Also, read about NFL betting tips, and be sure to check out the popular online magazine Bodog Nation for the latest betting analysis and NFL feature articles heading into the start of the 2007 regular season. Published on Monday is “The New Gold Rush” - a look at the San Francisco 49ers’ trio of young stars, Alex Smith, Frank Gore and Vernon Davis.

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New York Giants defenders bring down Baltimore Ravens running back Willis McGahee during the first quarter of a preseason football game Sunday. (AP Images)

In a penalty-laden preseason game, the New York Giants beat the Baltimore Ravens 13-12 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore Sunday night.  

Eli Manning led the Giants, going 10-for-13 for 114 yards in five series. He connected with rookie wide receiver Steve Smith for the game’s only touchdown, a 10-yard pass early in the second quarter for a 7-3 lead.  

Manning also hit tight end Jeremy Shockey for 18 yards in the eight-play, 80-yard drive. Smith suffered a concussion on the touchdown catch, just one of the injuries that riddled the Giants.  

Wide receiver Michael Jennings ruptured an Achilles tendon and is gone for the season. He was starting in place of Plaxico Burress, who did not play. Free safety Will Demps dislocated an elbow and is expected to be out three to four weeks, while cornerback Sam Madison pulled a hamstring.  

Ravens quarterback Steve McNair was 5-for-8 for 29 yards in the first quarter and backup running back Mike Anderson was the Ravens’ only running threat in the first half, rushing for 37 yards in only three carries.  

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