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**pm530** · 10-22-2008, 03:29 AM

Daily Sports Roundup

Wednesday, October 22

The World Series gets underway in Tampa Bay on Wednesday night, with the Rays looking to take Game 1 of the set from the Phillies. Here's your Daily Sports Roundup.

The Gridiron Spotlight

If the Tennessee Titans are going to remain unbeaten on the season they're going to have to knock off the rival Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football this week. The oddsmakers have the Titans listed as 4-point home favorites, with the total at 42 points.

The NFL's two winless teams are also in action this week, with 0-6 Detroit hosting Washington, and 0-7 Cincinnati playing in Houston. The Redskins are 8-point favorites to continue Detroit's woes, while the Texans are 10-point favorites versus the Bengals.

Other Notable Events

The Rays will send Scott Kazmir to the mound in Game 1. Kazmir was up and down in the ALCS against the Red Sox, giving up five earned runs over 4 1-3 innings in his first outing, and then tossing six shutout innings in his second kick at the can. The lefthander won his only start in the ALDS, making him 1-0 with two no-decisions in the postseason.

Cole Hamels will counter for the Phillies. Hamels has rolled in each of his three playoff starts this month. The lefthander blanked the Brewers through eight innings in his only NLDS outing, and he held the Dodgers to three earned runs on 11 hits over 14 innings over two starts in the NLCS. That performance earned MVP honors for the lefthander.

The oddsmakers currently have Hamels and the Phillies pegged as -106 road favorites for Game 1, with the Rays listed at -104. The total for the game is sitting at just 7.5 runs.

The Rest of the Schedule

There are five hockey games on the Wednesday schedule, including the Detroit Red Wings at the St. Louis Blues. The defending champs are 3-1-1 through five games, while the Blues have surprised with a 4-1-0 record. Other NHL games on the slate: Dallas at New Jersey, Florida at Ottawa, San Jose at Philly, and Edmonton at Chicago.

As well, there are six preseason NBA games set for Wednesday: Memphis at Orlando, Cleveland at Detroit, Philly at New Jersey, Chicago at Minnesota, Washington at San Antonio, and Portland at the Clippers. The exhibition schedule will end on Friday night.

News from the Wire

Brett Myers and James Shields are slated to pitch in Game 2 of the World Series on Thursday night, with Jamie Moyer vs. Matt Garza the expected matchup when the set heads to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Saturday . . . the Colts might get running back Joseph Addai back from his hamstring injury for the Monday nighter . . . Canadiens forward Andrei Kostitsyn missed Monday night's win over Florida with his head injury.

A Peek at the Future

The Broncos will sit out Week 8 after getting pounded by the Patriots on Monday night; New England, though, will be back in action on Sunday with a 1:00pm ET game at home against the Rams . . . No. 1 Texas will host No. 7 Oklahoma State in college football action on Saturday. Other ranked matchups include No. 3 Penn State at No. 10 Ohio State, No. 9 Georgia at No. 11 LSU, and also No. 8 Texas Tech at No. 19 Kansas.

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**pm530** · 10-22-2008, 03:29 AM

Six-pack for Wednesday

Some NFL knowledge on first day of the World Series........

-- 49ers are first team in NFL history to block a field goal for a TD in consecutive games.

-- Denver may be 4-3, but they've been outscored, 195-173.

-- East coast teams playing in PST and western teams playing in EST are a combined 3-14 this season.

-- Detroit Lions still haven't scored a first quarter point this season.

-- The Kyle Orton-Chicago Bears lead the NFL in scoring.

-- Spread offenses are having a profound effect on high school ball in Texas; Dallas Morning News did survey that found games had an average of 19 more points a game than similar games 10 years ago.

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**pm530** · 10-22-2008, 03:30 AM

Wednesday's List of 13: World Series odds and ends........

13) First of all, this is going to be a terrific World Series; if you're not at least a little interested in this matchup, you're not a baseball fan. It pits the Phillies (one world title in 126 seasons) against the Rays, the doormat-turned-Cinderella, the greatest turnaround team ever. Vegas people who make odds have Rays at anywhere from -$135/$148.

12) Rays' payroll, as we've talked about often in this space is ranked 29th of 30 big league teams, the lowest of any World Series team in the 33 years since free agency began.

11) Chuck Lamar scouted the Rays for the Phillies; he was first GM of the Rays, drafted many of their current stars, but was let go when the new owners bought the club. Think he's fired up about this?

10) An American League team won seven of the last ten World Series.

9) Phillies' spring training site is in Clearwater, just down the road, so there will probably be some red in the crowd Wednesday night.

8) Joe Maddon grew up in Hazleton, PA, 95 miles up the road from Philadelphia: his Baseball-Reference.com page is sponsored by place in Hazleton, Casamato's Restaurant. There will be blue in Philly, too. Maddon has engineered the greatest turnaround since Gary Barnett put Northwestern in the Rose Bowl 15 or so years ago.

7) Charlie Fuqua (yes, his middle name is Fuqua) Manuel hit .198 in 242 big league games with the Twins, Dodgers. In six full seasons as a big league skipper, he's never won less than 85 games (Indians fired him with a 39-47 record in 2002). He is an underrated manager.

6) Unlike most AL teams in the World Series, Rays won't be hurt by not having a DH in Philly- their DH is a peripheral guy anyway. If the Red Sox had made it, what do they do with Ortiz in the NL park?

5) We talked about this yesterday, but Rays' 104 wins are 34 more than they've ever won before!!!! They also had best record in majors in spring training, so they established a culture of winning way back in March-- for a perennial loser, that was significant.

4) Both first base coaches have World Series rings; Davey Lopes won one with the Dodgers, and George Hendrick won two, one for the '72 A's, another with the '82 Cardinals.

3) The All-Star Game decided home field advantage for this series; it was 14-inning game that ended around 2am in the east. Scott Kazmir of the Rays was the winning pitcher, Brad Lidge of Philly the loser.

2) TV guys kept saying Sunday how the Rays' bullpen was spent; I disagree-- think the problem was that since they played 25 games vs Boston this season (went 14-11), Red Sox were just dialed in on all the pitchers they had seen so often, which explained Price's success- they hadn't seen him yet. Their bullpen will be fine here.

1) Prediction: Remember how much better the American League has been for few years now- they've won 100+ more games than the NL teams over the last three seasons of interleague play. Rays play the style suited for postseason play- they pitch and field well. Look for the Rays to survive a long, exciting series, and win it in seven games.

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**pm530** · 10-22-2008, 03:32 AM

This Day in MLB

MLB

Wednesday, October 22

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This day in Baseball….
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On October 22 in Baseball History...

* 1910 - After three straight defeats and trailing the Philadelphia 3-2 in the ninth, the Chicago Cubs tied the score, then won 4-3 in 10 innings for their only victory as the A's won the World Series in five games.

* 1967 - Joe DiMaggio is hired by Charlie Finley as executive vice president of the newly-transplanted Oakland Athletics.

* 1972 - The Oakland A's won their first World Series with a 3-2 triumph over the Cincinnati Reds in Game 7. It was the first championship since 1930 for the franchise, then located in Philadelphia.

* 1975 - A ninth-inning RBI single by Joe Morgan gave the Cincinnati Reds a 4-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox and the World Series title in seven games. It was the first championship for the Reds in 35 years.

* 1985 - Bret Saberhagen gives Kansas City their first-ever World Series victory in Game Three with a complete game 6-1 decision.

* 1986 - Gary Carter's two home runs at Fenway Park gave New York a 6-2 victory and pulled the Mets even with Boston Red Sox in the World Series after four games.

* 1987 - The St. Louis Cardinals won their third straight home game, 4-2 against the Minnesota Twins, and took a 3-2 lead in the World Series.

* 1991 - It takes 12 innings, but the first-ever World Series game in Atlanta goes to the Braves. Mark Lemke singles in David Justice for the 5-4 win.

* 1992 - Plans for a victory parade in Toronto don't pan out. Lonnie Smith's grand slam and a solid outing by John Smoltz in Game Five ensure that the Series will return to Atlanta.

* 1995 - The Braves take a 2-0 World Series lead behind the pitching of Tom Glavine. His batterymate, Javier Lopez, decides the game with his bat. The Atlanta catcher's two-run home run in the sixth inning off Dennis Martinez is the deciding blow in a 4-3 victory over Cleveland.

* 1996 - The Yankees continue to be kings of the road. Jimmy Key holds the Braves at bay and Bernie Williams drives in three runs in a 5-2 win in Game Three in Atlanta.

* 1997 - The snow flurries and 38-degree game time temperature in Cleveland make it the coldest World Series in history, while home runs by Manny Ramirez and Matt Williams make it a long night for the Marlins. Jaret Wright out distances Tony Saunders 10-3 in Game Four in a battle of rookies.

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**pm530** · 10-22-2008, 03:42 AM

MLB - World Series

World Series History

Each year, the primary focus in any professional sport is the race for a championship. Every sport has their pinnacle trophy, but none is as coveted as baseball's World Series; a best of seven contest that celebrates our national pastime. An event as important as any holiday on the calendar, it is as traditional as Thanksgiving, as patriotic as the Fourth of July and as anticipated as Christmas morning. Over the last century, the World Series has been woven into the fabric of America's culture evolving far beyond a mere baseball tournament. It has become the game of all games and has continued to provide us with an endless highlight reel of magical moments evoking childhood memories of agony and ecstasy.

How would one define the World Series? It's Willie Mays catching what can't be caught and Don Larsen being perfect where perfection is simply not possible. It's Babe Ruth telling the fans and media where he is going to deposit the next pitch and a heavily outscored team of Pirates beating the unbeatable Yankees off a ninth inning Bill Mazeroski blast. The World Series is the crushing blow of Fred Snodgrass dropping a routine fly ball and Willie McCovey hitting the final out straight to Bobby Richardson. It's the Curse of the Bambino, when loyal Red Sox fans live their entire lives without witnessing a championship and when Yankees fans witness four in five years...

Although the "Fall Classic" as we know it didn't begin until 1903, Major League Baseball had several versions of a post-season championship series before that. In 1884, the Providence Grays of the National League outplayed the New York Metropolitan Club of the American Association in a three game series for what was originally called "The Championship of the United States." Several newspapers penned the Grays as "World Champions" and the new title stuck. Over the next six years, different variations took place between the National League and American Association pennant-winners, ranging in length from six to fifteen games. The American Association folded unexpectedly after the 1891 season forcing a suspension of the series. The following year, the National League absorbed four of the American Association's former franchises and expanded to twelve teams in an effort to promote the growth of baseball and maintain the public's interest. They played a split season in which the first-half winner played the second-half winner for the league championship. Many fans did not support the new system and the split season was promptly dropped in 1893.

In 1894, Pittsburgh's owner William C. Temple offered a championship trophy to the winner of a best-of-seven-game series between the National League's first and second-place teams. In addition, he stated that the winning franchise would receive 65% of all ticket sales and the losing team would pocket 35%. Temple's novel idea would last for the next three years and helped to build the foundation for baseball's post-season popularity. More changes were on the horizon and in 1901, the American League was established much to the dismay of the senior circuit. Suddenly, baseball found itself engaged in a "civil war" as both rival leagues competed separately for the fan's loyalty and attention. Two years later a truce, previously known as the "National Agreement", was redefined outlining baseball's employment, salary and travel requirements. The 1903 compromise produced the business blueprint for major-league baseball and resulted in a merger that has lasted to this day. Once again Boston and Pittsburgh, the top American and National League teams, found themselves competing against one another in the first official "World Series".

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**pm530** · 10-22-2008, 03:45 AM

Major League Baseball – Notes

MLB

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Welcome, strangers! Rays, Phils reach World Series
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Brad Lidge's only blemish this season came in the All-Star game. Turns out that loss means a lot more now.

Because of that one slip-up, Lidge and the Philadelphia Phillies will open the World Series on the road - against the Tampa Bay Rays, the team with the best home record in the majors this year.

Game 1 is Wednesday night at kooky Tropicana Field. And really, who could've imagined this matchup back in March, when Rays rookie Evan Longoria homered off Cole Hamels in spring training?

One of the oldest franchises in baseball against one of the newest, linked by a single thread - a history of failure.

The Phillies, the losingest team in pro sports history, with only one championship to their name. The Rays, sad sacks since joining the majors with Arizona in 1998, with the worst record in baseball last year.

The Rays capped their turnaround by dethroning the Boston Red Sox 3-1 Sunday night in Game 7 of the AL championship series.

And while Fox TV executives might've hoped for something seemingly more attractive - say, Cubs-Red Sox - the likes of former NL MVPs Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard, along with B.J. Upton, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley and ALCS MVP Matt Garza certainly give fans a fresh look.

Oh, another theme coming this October: rest vs. rust. The Phillies will have been off a week by the time they play the opener.

''Obviously, winning is the silver lining. We would have been happy to do it in four,'' Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said hours before Game 7.

While Maddon was a coach with the 2002 Angels when they won the World Series, this matchup is full of newcomers. Of all the players involved, the only one with a hit in any previous World Series is Phillies backup outfielder So Taguchi.

Friendly rivals, too. While the teams haven't met in the regular season since 2006 and Rays reliever Trever Miller is the lone Series player who's spent time on both sides, the clubs see a lot of each other every spring.

The Phillies have trained in the Tampa Bay town of Clearwater for more than a half-century and maintain a year-round fan base in the area that includes Phils Hall of Famer Robin Roberts.

Maddon grew up in Hazleton, Pa., about 100 miles from Philadelphia, and admits he didn't root for the Phillies as a kid. Over the past few years, he's become more of a fan.

''Just seeing them in spring training, my impression of them was that they were more like an American League lineup. I thought their offense, they could pound the ball up and down the lineup. I was really impressed with that,'' Maddon said recently.

''I've always been a big fan of their MVP guys, but I liked Victorino also. He made a big impression on me in spring training,'' he said. ''The thing I didn't know about them is how good their pitching was.''

Tampa Bay dropped the ''Devil'' from its nickname this year and played like a different team, led by a rotation of James Shields, Scott Kazmir, Andy Sonnanstine and Garza.

The Rays went 97-65 to win the AL East, breezed past the Chicago White Sox in their first playoff series and held off Boston. Quite a feat for a team that had never won more than 70 games, and had finished last in every season except one, before this remarkable run.

Upton has hit seven home runs this postseason - after hitting only nine all year - and Longoria has homered six times in the playoffs.

That home run Longoria hit in March off Hamels, the NLCS MVP, seems like a long time ago. The Tampa Bay third baseman delivered a much more key hit in July - his eighth-inning double tied the All-Star game, and Kazmir outpitched Lidge in the 15th for a 4-3 win, giving the AL home-field advantage in the Series.

Lidge is 46-for-46 in save chances without a loss this year. That defeat in the All-Star game looms larger now, because the Rays play so well at home. Somehow, they figured out how to play the crazy caroms off the catwalks - some of those balls remain in play. Still, the Trop Shop remains a good candidate for baseball's first postseason replay.

After starting out the season as 200-1 long shots to win the World Series, the Rays have a chance to become the first club to go from worst in the majors to champs in a single year.

Funny thing, the Phils are one team the Rays have handled through the years - Tampa Bay is 10-5 against them overall.

To keep winning, Tampa Bay will have to tame manager Charlie Manuel's well-balanced bunch. Behind Howard, the Phillies led the NL with 214 home runs. Hamels, Brett Myers, 45-year-old Jamie Moyer and midseason addition Joe Blanton anchor the rotation.

Philadelphia went 92-70 to win the NL East, then bopped past Milwaukee and the Los Angeles Dodgers to reach its first World Series since 1993. Next up, a chance to add to the title the Phils won in 1980 with Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton at Veterans Stadium.

It's a city aching for a title - the last one that a major Philly team won came in 1983 by the 76ers.

Citizens Bank Park will host the World Series for the first time a week from Saturday with Game 3, as the Phillies try to reverse a recent run of AL dominance.

The Red Sox swept the World Series in 2004, the White Sox swept the next season and the Red Sox did it last year. St. Louis interrupted the string by defeating Detroit in five games in 2006.

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**pm530** · 10-22-2008, 03:48 AM

Major League Baseball – Reasons to Watch the World Series

MLB

Wednesday, October 22

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Top 10 reasons to watch the World Series
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Call it the Fall Classic conundrum.

Casual fans complain about the same teams getting all the exposure ("Great, another Yankees-Red Sox Sunday night game") or getting deep into the postseason ("Great, another Yankees-Red Sox ALCS).

Then a fresh World Series matchup like Rays-Phillies comes along and they lament the fact Fox is preempting House and Are You Smarter than A Fifth Grader?

Almost as soon as Aki Iwamura stepped on second to dispatch the Red Sox in Game 7 Sunday and clinch the Rays' first World Series trip, the predictions began. Phillies in five. Rays in six. Lowest rated World Series in history.

At least that's what Bill Gorman of tvbythenumbers.com suggested. The 757 carrying the Phillies to Florida probably hadn't put the Chesapeake Bay in the rearview mirror before Gorman wrote: "I'm confident we'll see the lowest average viewership of any World Series in the last 40 years (as far back as our data goes)."

That's disappointing, considering it's been that long since baseball had this improbable a pennant winner. A World Series victory for the Rays would be a more impressive achievement and better story than the 1969 Miracle Mets. In their 11th season of existence, the Rays were pitiful three years longer than the Mets, an expansion club that won the Series in season eight.

The Rays probably had a better offense on paper than that Mets club, but these Rays didn't open the season with a 19-game winner (Jerry Koosman) or a two-time 16-game winner (Tom Seaver).

So Manny Ramirez won't return to Boston as a Dodger for the chilliest reception since the British East India Company fleet brought its tea into the harbor. Get over it. Although, it would have been amusing to see Ramirez turned away had he attempted to sneak into the Green Monster for another potty break.

Need a reason to watch the Phillies and Rays? Here are 10:

Storybook ending

If nothing else the Rays are AL champs, but history won't regard them with the full esteem they deserve unless it wins the World Series. Can they write the Hollywood ending?

Star power

The Rays have been touted as having no established stars, but that's not the case with the Phillies. Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins have won the last two NL MVP awards and second baseman Chase Utley could finish his career with more homers than Ryne Sandberg or Jeff Kent.

Hang a left

No one is putting left-handers Cole Hamels and David Price in the Hall of Fame just yet, but 25 years from now captivated grandkids will listen to grandfathers describe the outstanding World Series performances of two budding superstars.

Historic homer

With Howard, Utley and other boppers in the series like Pat Burrell, Carlos Pena, B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria taking cuts in two bandbox ballparks, chances are good someone will hit an unforgettable home run.

Striving for perfection

Including the postseason, Phillies closer Brad Lidge has converted all 47 saves chances this season. Can he stay perfect?

Destination unknown

Interleague play is great, until two teams that met during the regular season face off in the World Series. The Rays and Phillies did not play this season, giving little point of reference for key matchups. Can lefty Scott Kazmir neutralize the Phillies' lefty sluggers? How will Carl Crawford handle Cole Hamels' changeup?

Pain and suffering

Think Chicago Cubs fans have it bad? At least they've celebrated with the Bulls and a couple of good Bears teams. Philadelphia has gone 100 consecutive seasons without a championship from any of its four major sports teams. Of those, the Phillies have been among the biggest losers of all-time. In 2007, the franchise became the first ever in any sport to lose 10,000 games.

Phanatical

With all due respect to the San Diego Chicken, Mr. Met and Bernie Brewer, the Phillies have the best mascot in baseball. The four-wheeling Phanatic is tremendous and gets the edge over the Rays' head cheerleader - superfan Dick Vitale.

Dome, sweet dome

Condemn Tropicana Field if you must, but nothing beats a domed stadium stuffed to capacity. When the Twins reached the World Series in 1987 and 1991, top decibel levels at the Metrodome were around 120, equivalent to sitting in front of the speakers at a rock concert.

It's baseball

Phillies-Rays still not have you fired up? Watch anyway because in two months you'll be so desperate for baseball a Mexican winter league meeting between the Culiacan Tomato Growers and the Hermosillo Orange Growers will feel epic.

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**pm530** · 10-22-2008, 03:50 AM

Major League Baseball – Pitching Matchup

MLB

Wednesday, October 22

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The payoff pitch: Wednesday's World Series mound matchup
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Cole Hamels (Philadelphia Phillies) vs. Scott Kazmir (Tampa Bay Rays)

Cole Hamels LHP (14-10, 3.09 ERA)

The City of Brotherly Love has nothing but that for the Phillies young ace. Hamels is scary good in October, posting a perfect 3-0 record and nearly-perfect ERA of 1.23 in the postseason. The left-handed hurler put the nail in the Dodgers' coffin with a seven-inning gem in Game 5 of the NLCS. He allowed just a solo home run on five hits to send Philadelphia to the World Series.

Hamels has faced the Ray only once in his short career. He pitched just under four innings, giving up five earned runs on seven hits as a rookie during interleague play in 2006. The 10-4 loss came during a rough patch for Hamels that year after he dominated in his first few starts of the season.

A lot has changed since 2006. Hamels could be considered the finest arm in the game. He was 7-3 in 16 road starts with a 3.19 ERA this season. He was 2-1 versus American League foes with a 3.85 ERA in interleague games.

Scott Kazmir LHP (12-8, 3.49 ERA)

Kazmir is the likely starter for Game 1 Wednesday. However, Rays manager Joe Maddon could have one of his now-famous changes of heart, which almost cost him in the ALCS. The left hander is coming off a six-inning shutout versus Boston in Game 5, a game Tampa Bay lost 8-7 in the late innings.

Kazmir has just one win to show for his three postseason performances. He post an ERA just over 4.00 and a strikeout-to-walk count of 13-to-8. He has also allowed three home runs in October.

He has only face the Phillies once during interleague action in 2006. Kazmir threw five innings and allowed just two runs, both home runs, on six hits. Against National League teams this season, he was 1-1 with a 5.06 ERA. He is 8-2 in 14 starts at Tropicana Field with a homefield ERA of 2.90 this year.

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**pm530** · 10-22-2008, 03:55 AM

Major League Baseball – Long Sheet

MLB
Long Sheet

2008 World Series - Game 1

Wednesday, October 22

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PHILADELPHIA (99 - 72) at TAMPA BAY (104 - 69) - 8:35 PM
COLE HAMELS (L) vs. SCOTT KAZMIR (L)
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 4-11 (-9.2 Units) against the money line in an inter-league game this season.
TAMPA BAY is 104-69 (+31.0 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
TAMPA BAY is 61-26 (+28.6 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
TAMPA BAY is 61-27 (+27.3 Units) against the money line in games played in a dome this season.
TAMPA BAY is 67-47 (+18.7 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
TAMPA BAY is 65-32 (+26.6 Units) against the money line in games played on artificial turf this season.
TAMPA BAY is 62-41 (+16.4 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
TAMPA BAY is 58-39 (+19.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
KAZMIR is 40-24 (+14.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
KAZMIR is 14-2 (+10.7 Units) against the money line in home games this season. (Team's Record)
KAZMIR is 14-2 (+10.7 Units) against the money line in games played in a dome this season. (Team's Record)
KAZMIR is 16-4 (+11.8 Units) against the money line in night games this season. (Team's Record)
KAZMIR is 14-2 (+10.7 Units) against the money line in games played on artificial turf this season. (Team's Record)
KAZMIR is 37-18 (+23.6 Units) against the money line after a win since 1997. (Team's Record)
KAZMIR is 23-10 (+15.5 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
PHILADELPHIA is 99-72 (+8.8 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 72-48 (+11.0 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 95-80 (+11.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 30-18 (+9.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

COLE HAMELS vs. TAMPA BAY since 1997
HAMELS is 0-1 when starting against TAMPA BAY with an ERA of 12.26 and a WHIP of 2.180.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.9 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-1. (-1.0 units)

SCOTT KAZMIR vs. PHILADELPHIA since 1997
KAZMIR is 1-0 when starting against PHILADELPHIA with an ERA of 3.60 and a WHIP of 1.800.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-1. (-1.0 units)

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**pm530** · 10-22-2008, 03:57 AM

Major League Baseball - Short Sheet

MLB
Short Sheet

Wednesday, October 22

World Series
Best of Seven
Game One
Series Tied, 0-0
TV: FOX
Boston at Tampa Bay, 8:05 ET
Cole Hamels (L) vs. Scott Kazmir (L)

Hamels:
Philadelphia 4-11 vs. American League
Philadelphia 25-16 Over when the total is 7 to 8.5

Kazmir:
14-2 TSR in home starts
TB 9-2 as home underdog

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**pm530** · 10-22-2008, 03:58 AM

Major League Baseball – Write up

MLB
Write-up

Wednesday, October 22

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Rays are favored to win series, but this game is tossup- Hamels allowed three runs in his 22 postseason IP. Neither pitcher faced the other team either this year or last, so we have two teams largely unfamiliar with the other. Rays were just 25-24 vs lefty starters this year, Philly was 32-22 vs southpaw starters. Kazmir pitched well in his last start, but bullpen blew Game 5 lead for him. Rays are 13-2 in his home starts in 2008.

I'm not sure if this matters one bit, but the Phillies didn't play on carpet this season. The only three artificial turf fields left in big leagues are in the domes at Toronto, Minnesota and St Pete. FieldTurf isn't as bouncy as old artificial turf, but it still is different than natural grass. Warning tracks are the same exact surface, just a different color.

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**pm530** · 10-22-2008, 04:00 AM

Major League Baseball – Trend Sheet

MLB

Wednesday, October 22

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Trend Sheet
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8:00 PM PHILADELPHIA vs. TAMPA BAY
Philadelphia is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Philadelphia's last 9 games
Tampa Bay is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Philadelphia
Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Philadelphia

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**pm530** · 10-22-2008, 04:02 AM

Major League Baseball - Tips & Trends

MLB

Wednesday, October 22

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Tips and Trends
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Philadelphia Phillies at Tampa Bay Rays [FOX | 8:35 PM ET]

Phillies:.Cole Hamels has been sensational during the postseason, going 3-0 and allowing just three runs over 22 innings of work while striking out 22 batters. Hamels was very good on the road this season, going 7-3 with a strong 3.19 ERA. Hamels has only one career start versus the Rays but it didn’t go well. He allowed seven hits and six runs in just 3.2 innings of work.

Phillies are 13-3 in their last 16 games following an off day.
Phillies are 5-1 in their last 6 playoff games.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 2 (UNDER - Total Play of the Day)

Rays (-105, O/U 7.5): Scott Kazmir had a tremendous outing in Game 5 against the Red Sox, shutting out Boston for six innings but the Rays bullpen blew a 7-0 lead. Kazmir was close to unbeatable at Tropicana Field this year, going 8-2 with a stellar 2.90 ERA. In his one career start against the Phillies, Kazmir is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA.

Rays are 7-1 in their last 8 vs. NL East.
Rays are 5-1 in their last 6 interleague games.

Key Injuries - RP Troy Percival (back) is OUT.

PROJECTED SCORE: 3

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**pm530** · 10-22-2008, 04:17 AM

Major League Baseball – Series Preview & Pick

MLB

Wednesday, October 22

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Phillies vs. Rays: World Series preview and pick
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(+134) Philadelphia Phillies at Tampa Bay Rays (-144)

Tampa Bay comes into the World Series with just two days rest after their classic battle with the Red Sox in the ALCS. Meanwhile, the Phillies will be a full week removed from their pennant clinching victory in Game 5 of the NLCS. A lot of attention will probably be paid to this, but you should pretty much ignore it. If the Rays win, the media will say the long layoff hurt the Phillies; if Philadelphia wins, they will say it’s because the Rays were exhausted from the Red Sox series. Neither are necessarily false, but neither are necessarily true either; notice how nobody is making either of these statements with much confidence right now.

As for the actual games on the field, the Game 1 line is very telling, with the Phillies, on the road, actually being a slight favorite. With Hamels essentially cancelling out Tampa’s home-field advantage, both for the game and for the series, the Rays would have to have a huge advantage in their other three home games to justify laying -144. They do an edge in all three games, with Myers vs. Shields twice, and then Matt Garza potentially pitching another Game 7 against Jamie Moyer. But the Phillies have three home games themselves. They’ll be big favorites when Hamels pitches in Citizen’s Bank Park, and will likely also be favored with Joe Blanton on the hill in Game 5. I don’t know if it’s because the books are trying to hedge against all the preseason Rays futures, but the value here seems to lie in the plus money with Philadelphia.

One slight area of concern there would be the apparent huge gap between the two leagues. The AL’s All-Star Game and World Series dominance is nice anecdotal evidence, but here’s what really matters: there were 252 interleague games played this year, and the AL won 59.1 percent of them. This was no fluke either; the NL didn’t do much better from 2005-2007, winning just 43.5 percent.

Verdict: There’s no question that the AL is the superior league, and Tampa just emerged from the toughest division in that league. But I still don’t think that justifies laying this much chalk against a very strong Phillies team, so I’m going Philadelphia in seven.

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Wednesday Trends and Indexes 10/22 (World Series, NHL, Misc.)

Wednesday Trends and Indexes 10/22 (World Series, NHL, Misc.)

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