10/10/2008 - St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox made one change to their roster for the American League Championship Series against Tampa Bay, adding pitcher Mike Timlin in place of infielder Gil Velazquez.
Timlin, left off the Division Series roster against the Angels, has the most postseason appearances for a Boston pitcher with 26. He's also made 44 career postseason appearances, fourth all-time behind Mariano Rivera (76), Jeff Nelson (55) and Mike Stanton (53).
The veteran right-hander was 4-4 with one save and a 5.66 earned run average in 47 games this season. He is 0-2 with a 3.94 ERA in postseason play.
Velazquez was a late addition to the Division Series roster, replacing injured third baseman Mike Lowell before Game 4 against the Angels. Lowell, bothered by a hip injury, is ineligible for the ALCS, but could return to the active roster if the Red Sox reach the World Series.
<< Eagles' Westbrook out for Sunday's game
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian
Westbrook will not play on Sunday at San Francisco.
Westbrook, who has been hampered by a sprained ankle he suffered in the Week 3
victory over Pittsburgh, fra
<< Davis Cup final will be held in Mar del Plata
Buenos Aires, Argentina (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 2008 Davis Cup final between
host Argentina and Spain will be held at the Islas Malvinas Stadium in Mar del
Plata.
The best-of-five tie will be staged on an indoor hardcourt from Novemb
<< Jankovic, Safina, Dementieva reach Moscow semis
Moscow, Russia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Three of the world's top-four female
stars, including No. 1 Jelena Jankovic, posted quarterfinal wins Friday at the
$1.34 million Kremlin Cup.
The red-hot Jankovic is seeking her third title in
<< CFL Previews - Week 16 (October 10-13)
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (4-10) AT WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (5-9)
DATE & TIME: Friday, October 10th, 7:30 p.m. (et).
GAME NOTES: This is a crucial game for both teams.
Heading into this contest, Winnipeg hol
Chelsea hopes to recover transfer fee for Mikel >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chelsea has launched a $27.2 million High
Court claim against Lyn Oslo and its former chief executive Morgan Andersen
over the transfer of John Obi Mikel.
The Stamford Bridge club are seeking the
Boro still unsure over Huth >>
Middlesbrough, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Middlesbrough is still waiting to
discover the extent of an ankle injury suffered by Robert Huth after revealing
Friday the defender is set to see a specialist next week.
Huth, 24, missed last
Hannover, German goalie Enke out 12 weeks >>
Hannover, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hannover goalkeeper Robert Enke has been
ruled out for 12 weeks after undergoing surgery on a broken hand Friday.
The 31-year-old Germany international returned to Hannover for surgery after
picking
Senators' Alfredsson to have surgery >>
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ottawa Senators center Daniel Alfredsson will
undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, the team announced on Friday.
The surgery, which is scheduled for later on Friday, will remove a bone chip
in t
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers SPORTS TRASH TALK
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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