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POKER BETTING LIFESTYLE

SwEET NOvEmBERA preview of the Breeders' Cup

wPT LONdON CLaSSiCAll the action you missed

NOvEmBER 9A look at the WSOP final table

4

OCTOBER 2010

fiRsT up06 editorial

10 news

12 sports month in review

See Some of the Moments You Might Have Missed

18 lets get it on MLB Playoffs

spORTs BETTing32 sweet november A Glance at the Breeders’ Cup

36 walking the tightrope

Inside the Cowboys’ Early Struggles

40 not quite the fight

The Boxing Match You Didn’t Expect

44 bsn nfl betting tips

The Best Tips to Win You Money

50 fantasy fix Bye Week Fillers

18

32

contents

5

40

pOkER54 wpt London Classic Review

62 wpt tournament map

A Look at Were The Action is Headed

64 world series of poker

November Nine Preview

70 luck of the draw Just What is a Poker Machine?

lifEsTylE76 movie review Machete

78 the month ahead A Look into What’s on This

Month

82 madness & musings The Bronx Is Burning

54

70

76

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EditorDerek Gould

derek@gxglobalmedia.com

Art EditorBen Stone

ben@gxglobalmedia.com

Creative DirectorIsabel Ferrer

ContributorsSam O’MalleyDavid MitchellAlex HammondBrian Kelly

Melissa Bauer-HerzogBSN Sports

Rodney Brazeau

Sport ImagesAction Images

Web EditorMichael Gales

michaelg@gxglobalmedia.com

Commercial Directors Natalie Kenneally

natalie@gxglobalmedia.com

Nathan Bermannathan@gxglobalmedia.com

Business DevelopmentAlex Soro

Online MarketingAlbert Vellvé

albert@gxglobalmedia.com

Web DeveloperJohn Davison

johnd@gxglobalmedia.com

Carlos Perezcarlos@gxglobalmedia.com

ISSN 2043-0388

RUNNERS & WRITERS

A DIFFERENT TYPE OFWORLD SERIESFive hours. I was staring at a five hour time difference when moving from Boston toLondon. At the time, I hadn’t truly understood the type of turbulent headaches thatlay ahead as an editor of a magazine from abroad.

With the United Kingdom’s time zone ahead of the East Coast’s time zone in theUnited States, it’s been a tough adjustment through the process of keeping up withthe on-goings of America plus five hours, but with the Internet what it is today and

the ability to access rapid information, this little hiccup posed no serious threat.

What was killing me softly was difficulties of following my Boston sports teams by reading about them orcatching the 40-second “plays of the night” video clips each morning. At first it wasn’t a big deal. It was aminor problem that I just swept under the rug. After all, the Red Sox’ season had been a wash as they wereclearly having another reminiscent end-of-the-season meltdown. But as the days turned into weeks, I foundmy patience and empathy for this sports debacle begin to erode over time.

The fact of the matter was: I was missing masterpiece moments in sports where I’d have to pull all-nightersin order to catch any American sports in London. Not exactly my idea of fun. I’ve always said that the singlebest thing about sports is the unknown. Since being in London, I had taken that theory of “the unknown”to a whole new level. As I sat writing my MLB Playoff preview (p.20) I began to seriously consider how Iwas going to watch the World Series. Even if I used MLB.com, playoff games in baseball give a newmeaning to the words “elongated,” which translates into many sleepless nights.

Was I really going to miss my first Fall Classic? Miss my first World Series? – It appeared so.

After removing the glasses that had been blinding me with 20/20 tunnel vision, I accepted the fate ofmissing the culmination of America’s pastime and decided to step outside of my comfort zone, pull a JackieRobinson and break the American-sports-traditionalist barrier by trying something new this fall.

To my amazement it looked as if I wasn’t going to miss out on the World Series after all. The World Seriesof Poker Europe was just a stone’s throw away form where I was staying in London. And with all-accesspasses to all of the poker action at the Casino at the Empire in Leicester Square, I was able to experienceall of the intangibles that I would’ve experienced at baseball’s World Series: celebrities, millionaire players,competition, excitement and drama. What more could I ask for?

When looking back at the experience and looking ahead to what I’m sure to miss, I’d like to think that, thealteration as to which Fall Classic I would experience is a change that would help me grow and broaden myhorizons to different cultures. It has. In fact, it’s helped me more efficiently adjust back and forth betweenmy only two mind-sets: sports and poker. Not that I really needed help in that department, but honestly,who would’ve known there would be two World Series in the same season?

Until next time, peace and good reading!Derek Gould, Editor

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October

S eason 9 of the WPT continues to go from strength to strength. After an incredibly successful inaugural WPT

event in London earlier in September the Tour has flown back over the Atlantic to the Tour’s spiritual home in the USA.The record book was thrown out this weekend as 1,042 players turned out in Atlantic City for the 2010 Borgata Open, 24 runners more than last year’s field, making the $3,500 buy-in tournament the largest ever WPT field.Over 300 players showed up at the Borgata on day 1a and then almost 750 bought in on day 1b to complete the mammoth field.With a first prize of $733,802 and 100 runners finishing in the money, the action was intense on both day 1s, which finally saw Vincenzo Abate lead the field after with 201,000 chips.-Alex Hammond

I n 2005, Southern California’s Reggie Bush rushed for 2,648 yards and 22 touchdowns. He won the Heisman

Award, the NCAA National Championship and was selected as the No. 2 overall pick in the ‘06 NFL Draft. Now because of infractions of NCAA rules and regulations, Bush officially forfeited his Heisman Trophy.Yahoo! Sports pegged Bush as one of the many college football standouts who received money and even cars from agents and other boosters prior to turning pro while at the University of Southern California. Such actions were a direct infringement of NCAA regulations, and such actions deemed the player in question (Bush) ineligible to compete.Since the allegations were not proven until after Bush entered the NFL, penalties to the University of Southern California were laid by the NCAA commission this past summer taking away their 2005 National Championship, banned them from any Bowl games for five years and would control the funding that the University could use for incoming recruits.For the time being Bush remained unscathed. However, over the past three weeks rumors

had been circulating throughout the main stream media, who’d been reporting that the Heisman Trust was going to revoke Reggie Bush’s 2005 Heisman Award.Leading up to the annual Heisman Trust’s meeting in September Reggie Bush openly forfeited his Heisman trophy to the trust and issued a public apology for his actions that had damaged his reputation and USC’s. As for the 2005 Heisman winner, rather than replace the award, the Heisman Trust decided to leave it vacant for that year.September continued to get worse for Bush as he fractured his right fibula on Monday Night Football against the 49ers. The injury will sideline the running back for up to 4-6 weeks.

Bad Month for BuSh

WPt headS hoMe to atlantIc cIty, draWS record croWd

In the neWS

e vent #2 of the WSOPE, London, saw Jeffrey Lisandro capture his 5th WSOP bracelet after the

Italian won the £5,000 PLO tournament held at Casino the Empire. This is the most prestigious WSOPE Event outside of the Main Event and is Lisandro’s first bracelet in PLO. He now joins Dario Alioto (2007), Theo Jorgensen (2008), and Jani Vilmunen (2009) as champions of the tournament which has been held every year, since the WSOPE began.The 2009 WSOP Player of the Year, defeated Joe Serock heads up after a grueling final table which included fellow bracelet winners Willie Tan and Jeff Madsen, taking home £159,000 as a first prize.Lisandro was awarded the 2009 WSOP Player of the year after winning three events at last year’s series and now joins the likes of Stu Ungar and Allen Cunningham with five WSOP bracelets each.Also making the final table was November Niner John Racener who eventually finished 5th.Lisandro was the second Italian to win a WSOPE bracelet this year, after earlier in the week Phil Laak took down his first WSOP title in the 6 max NL Hold’em Event.-Alex Hammond

Jeffery lISandro caPtureS no. 5

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G X Global Media publisher of GX magazine and www.gx-world.com is delighted to announce that it has

agreed to act as a media event partner for World Poker Tour events throughout Europe. GX will provide print, digital and online coverage of every WPT European event in every country

edition of GX, which now includes: UK, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, USA and China, with new editions for Australia and Brazil launching in February 2011. With unique content, on and offline, and on site promotions at every event, GX will provide WPT with unrivalled media coverage.Adam Pliska, President of the World Poker Tour said: “We strongly believe that the added promotion and localized coverage GX will create is another move in the right direction for our brand expansion in Europe. We have found a fantastic match for our media needs both online and offline and we are looking forward to an exciting and mutually beneficial relationship.”

GX MaGazIne & WPt Partner uP

J ust days after Andy Reid flip-flopped on his decision tabbing Michael Vick the starter for the Eagles, Vick has found

himself amid controversy in the Philadelphia newspapers. This time however, it’s not the QB’s fault. When Andy Reid went back on his claim that Kevin Kolb would be his starting quarterback in Week 3 and later announced it would in fact be Michael Vick taking the snaps on Sunday vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Philadelphia Daily News featured on the front cover of September 23’s paper, a photo of Vick - football in hand - next to the headline, “Top Dog.”The headline has been in the spotlight since its release and readers of the paper have been criticizing that the choice of words were unnecessary and tasteless, especially how it ties into Vick’s troubled past of running an illegal dog fighting ring.Daily News Executive Sports Editor Josh Barnett, defended the headline stating that the feature’s coverage was balanced and was focused on Vick’s comeback to the NFL and how he’s lived up to his end of the bargain after serving his time in jail.This isn’t the first instance that the Philadelphia Daily News has been involved with divisive headlines. When the Eagles signed Michael Vick last season, the headline that the Daily News

ran with was, “Hide Your Dogs.” Again it was a headline that stirred and evoked some negative feedback from readers and fans alike.Bloggers in Philadelphia have claimed that the most recent Vick headline is one that will smear the Daily News’ name for their tasteless title of a feature story. Remember though, Philly is known to be a calloused sports town that easily forgives and forgets.

VIck Back In headlIneS after BeInG naMed Starter

t he British leg of the European Poker Tour heads to London on 29th September at the Hilton

Metropole Hotel. London will mark both the third stop for season 7 and the final resting place for the first season of the highly successful UKIPT.The British leg is a particular highlight for the EPT calendar, as it attracts hundreds of players for the festival of poker, with High Roller and Ladies events, as well as a charity tournament and numerous side events.Season 6‘s Main Event attracted a record breaking 730 players and Season 7’s London stop is set to be even more exciting with a wealth of events including the £5,250 Main Event, the £20,000 High Roller and £2,000 European 8-Game Championship.Last season witnessed American Aaron Gustavson, one of 149 players who won their seats on PokerStars, beat former World Champion and Team PokerStars Pro Peter Eastgate in heads-up to win the Main Event for a first prize of £850,000. As always, the festival is being run in conjunction with the Grosvenor Victoria Casino and forms part of the Grosvenor’s annual European Poker Championships event.An additional special charity tournament will be one of the highlights at this year’s EPT London. The event aims to raise money for Cancer Research UK and help one of the world’s leading charities dedicated to beating cancer through research.The fundraiser, with a buy-in of $100 + $10 + $10, will be held at the London Hilton Metropole Hotel from 2-4 October, and features a guaranteed prize pool of $100,000, with $10 of every entry going directly to Cancer Research UK. In addition, PokerStars will match both the $10 charity contribution and additional player donations.-Alex Hammond

ePt lookS to london

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t Jets’ Dustin Keller (C) catches a touchdown pass between

New England Patriots Devin McCourty

t Detroit Lions’ Calvin Johnson lands in the end zone while

playing the Chicago Bears. The call was overturned as officials

stated Johnson did not have possession while landing. The call

cost Detroit the game

t New York Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks catches his

second of three touchdowns

s Texans Andre Johnson catches a 34-yard pass in the end

zone for a touchdown

s Stating he would rush for 2,500 yards in 2010, Tennessee Titans

running back Chris Johnson (28) starts the season right as he runs

away from the Oakland Raiders defense for a 76-yard touchdown

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Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Harrison

(35) dives for yardage after being tripped up

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tHe sportsMoNtH iN review

s Chargers wide receiver Malcom Floyd reches the ball into the end zone

s peyton and eli Manning shake hands after their

Sunday Night Football game

s Vikings running back Adrian peterson (L) is pursued by New Orleans Saints

defenders during the first half of their game in New Orleans

s Steelers safety troy polamalu intercepts a pass

from Tennessee Titans quarterback vince Young

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s

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s Texans running back Arian Foster (23) runs past

Indianapolis Colts strong safety Melvin Bullitt (33)

for one of his three touchdowns against the Colts

where he also rushed for 231-yards

Eagles quarterback Michael vick looks to hand off the ball to Lesean McCoy during their decisive win over the Lions

s Chicago Bears wide out Devin Hester makes a one-handed grab in the

endzone

s

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t Colts wide receiver reggie wayne (87) escapes

the grasp of New York Giants defensive back

terrell thomas

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s TJ Houshmandzadeh makes a leaping catch over a

Bengals cornerback

s Panthers wide receier steve smith hauls in a

catch for a touchdown

s Saints wide receiver Devery Henderson (19) scores on a touchdown reception

past Minnesota Vikings safety Asher Allen

s Patriots receiver randy Moss catches a one-handed touchdown pass

from tom Brady in their Week 2 match up against the Jets

s

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s Florida quarterback John Brantley throws a pass

against Miami University during the first quarter

s University of Miami quarterback Jacory Harris looks

for a receiver against Ohio State University

t Ohio State University running back Brandon saine (3) celebrates with Dane

sanzenbacher after scoring a touchdown against Marshall University

t University of Florida’s Jeffrey Demps (2) breaks away from Miami University’s

pat Hinkel to score during the fourth quarter of their game in Gainesville

t Boise State Broncos tight end tommy Gallarda (85) makes a touchdown catch

in front of Virginia Tech Hokies linebacker Davon Morgan

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t Chicago White Sox Manny ramirez waits on

deck to bat during the ninth inning of his first game

in a White Sox uniform

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s Tampa Bay Rays pitcher David price (R) pitches to the Boston Red victor

Martinez in the first inning

s Tampa Bay Rays’ pitcher rafael soriano celebrates

defeating the Toronto Blue Jays

s Joe Mauer (7) hits a line drive to Texas Rangers third baseman

Michael Young

s Cuban defector, Aroldis Chapman pitches from the mound and hits 103-mph on

the radar gun

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Let’s Get It OnThe 162-game Major League Baseball season is the longest in professional sports in America, spanning over the course of three seasons. From the start of the show in the cool month of April, to its culmination in the leaf-strewn month of October, the MLB season is surely one that drags out, but never disappoints. Now, as the leaves begin to turn and the air chills with a slight crisp of autumn aroma, eight teams near the end of a drawn-out road that took them nearly six months to travel. Now, Major League Baseball’s final act is upon us.

By Derek Gould

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When Alex Rodriguez came out of the shell - which he perennially vacated to every October - last year, the New York Yankees received the

most thunderous post-season jolt since Reggie Jackson in ’77. With A-Rod’s consistent hitting throughout the playoffs and Hideki Matusi’s clutch at-bats in the World Series, the Bronx Bombers over took the incumbent Philadelphia Phillies for their 27th World Series title.Though the Yankees didn’t have a monetarily-tumultuous offseason as they had in season’s past in 2009, they did go out and trade for Curtis Granderson to fill the hole left in center field, re-acquired the often-injured Nick Johnson as their primary designated hitter and traded for starting pitcher Javier Vasquez from the Atlanta Braves. Aside from the left field position being the weak spot in the lineup, New York was solid at all nine offensive positions and had a solid corps of pitching.As the primary AL East favorites coming into the season, the Yankees have lived up to their expectations and clung onto the top spot in the toughest division in the MLB while battling back and forth for the best record in baseball all season long. The annual goal for New York is to never settle for second place and look good while doing it – a philosophy instilled by their late owner George Steinbrenner. What’s made the Yankees so great in 2009 and 2010 – besides the depth of their bank account – is the depth in their lineup. With power bats such as Robinson Canó, Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson, Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher and Alex Rodríguez, Joe Girardi has never had to solely rely on his rotation to win tight ball games since he became manager of the team – New York finished with the best offense in the majors in 2010.

Throughout 2010, New York did have some hurdles to overcome; as does every team throughout a 162-game season. Nick Johnson continued to live up to his notoriety and was sidelined for the year with a wrist injury; Curtis Granderson missed nearly half of the season with groin injury; Andy Petite went down after suffering a strained groin; and then the team was hit with the untimely death of long-time owner George Steinbrenner. What’s amazing is that those losses had no apparent effect on the Yankees. And rather than bring the team down, the Yankees seemed to find inspiration and prosper throughout all of the blows they were dealt in 2010. While it wasn’t the Red Sox that were the thorn in the side of the Bombers this year, it was the Tampa Bay Rays. Joe Maddon’s young, athletic bunch with a nothing-to-lose attitude went the distance with the Yankees in a race that came down to the wire. Rest assured that these teams will cross paths in October. Heading into the postseason, the Yankees have the experience, the offense and the pitching to win No. 28. Their lineup will certainly be able to put runs up on the board – especially if Alex Rodriguez can reclaim the post season magic he displayed last year - but ultimately the pitching will be the determining factor in New York’s playoff run. With C.C. Sabathia displaying a Cy Young-caliber season and Andy Pettitte normally a solid playoff pitcher, A.J. Burnett who has been an 82.5 million dollar mistake (10-13, 5.13 ERA) and an inexperienced Phil Hughes (16-7, 4.26 ERA) will have to hold onto leads throughout their outings. The other area that raises an alarming red flag – and has done so for the past five years - is the eighth inning. With Kerry Wood supplanting Joba Chamberlain in the set-up role, he’ll have to be extremely consistent and become the reliable bridge to Marino Rivera in the ninth if New York is to repeat in 2010.

Current SeaSon oddS:American League Championship: 7/5World Series: 2/1

Lineup:SS: Derek Jeter2B: Robinson Canó1B: Mark Teixeira 3B: Alex RodríguezDH: Lance BerkmanC: Jorge PosadaCF: Curtis GrandersonRF: Nick SwisherLF: Brett Gardner

rotation:C.C. SabathiaA.J. BurnettAndy PettittePhil HughesJavier Vásquez

Key pLayerS:Alex Rodríguez, 3BWith an ailing hip, Rodriguez has had a down year (.278 AVG 28 HR 117 RBI) in 2010. He’ll need to bounce back in October and clobber the ball when it counts as he did in 2009 to keep the Yankees alive in the post season.

Andy Pettitte, SPPettitte will be heavily leaned-on as he’ll likely start the second or third game of each series. We know what Sabathia can do on the mound, but with Burnett struggling mightily, the 41-year-old Pettitte will have to continue his dominance in the postseason despite nagging injuries.

Robinson Canó, 2BCano, arguably one of the best hitters in the lineup, continues to live up to the hype he had when entering the majors. He can hit in clutch situations and with Derek Jeter slumping and A-Rod hurt, the batting-title contender will have to help carry the offense, like it or not.

AL EAST NEW YORK YANKESS

Bronx Bombers have it all: hitting, pitching, defense and A-Rod

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When Joe Nathan went down before the season started, many skeptics believed that the loss of Nathan would be a huge blow to Ron Gardenhire’s

Twins and adversely affect them throughout 2010. Another stone in the shoe of the organization was the contract situation regarding reigning American League MVP, Joe Mauer. With Mauer able to vie for free agency at the end of the season, the Minnesota front office knew that in order to fill the seats of their new stadium they would need Mauer. General Manager Bill Smith also knew that they had some number crunching to do before opening day.After Joe Mauer was signed to an eight-year, $184 million extension, the monkey was off the Twins’ back and they were fully able to get back to focusing on wining the American League Central. The race for the central was tight in 2010 with three well-worthy teams competing for the rights to the division. The Tigers came on strong and then the White Sox headed the pack after the All-Star break. However, the Twins played consistent, quality baseball and have proven that winning 17 of 21 games down the stretch in ’09 to slide into the post season wasn’t mere coincidence.What’s been most impressive this year from the Twins has been their dynamic offense – ranked sixth in the MLB. With power bats from the likes of Joe Mauer, Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, Jim Thome and Delmon Young, the Twins have quietly put up one of the best slugging percentages (.427) and batting averages (.277) in the majors. Minnesota’s pitching staff has also shockingly flown well under the radar in 2010 (ranked 8th in the Majors). The power arms of Francisco Liriano and Kevin Slowey have helped bolster a relatively young Twins pitching staff. After spending time toiling in

the minor leagues, Liriano returned in 2010 and was sporting a 3.44 ERA with 14 wins and 191 strikeouts. Though Slowey had a 4.12 ERA at the end of September, he did accumulate 13 wins on the season and 1.27 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched). Liriano and Slowey have been excellent on the mound, but Carl Pavano has resurrected his career as a starting pitcher and helped solidify the top end of Minnesota’s starting pitching rotation. As the No. 3 hurler for the Twins, Pavano compiled a 17-11 record with a 3.44 ERA and only walked 34 batters as of late September. It’s been a long road for the journeyman throughout his career. After the Yankees paid him boku bucks - a four-year contract worth $39.95 million - for his dominant display with the Marlins, Pavano never could rekindle his excellence on the mound in New York. After being ousted from the Yankees, the right-handed-pitcher landed in Cleveland and then signed with the Twins. He finally found his mojo pitching in Minnesota and continues to do so. He’ll be an anchor in the post season, as he has the most playoff experience of any other pitcher in the rotation.The Twins have the components to at least survive the divisional round and advance to the ALCS. They’ve been the silently dominant and have gone unnoticed for their accomplishments this season. But come October, their performances on the field will be something that is immutable in the American League. Yes, their offense can slug it out with the best offenses in the Majors, however, closing pitcher Matt Capps will need to be as sharp as ever as he gears up for his first playoff run. Minnesota grabbed him to replace Joe Nathan at the trade deadline from Washington to rid themselves of the “closer by committee” situation by picking up Capps (40 saves 2.61 ERA). Still, he needs to hold up his end of the bargain and continue to dominate the ninth inning if the Twins plan to stick around.

Current SeaSon oddS:American League Championship: 7/1 World Series: 15/1

Lineup:CF: Denard Spann2B: Orlando Hudson C: Joe Mauer 1B: Justin Morneau DH: Michael CuddyerLF: Delmon YoungRF: Jason Kubel3B: Danny ValenciaSS: JJ Hardy

rotation:Francisco LirianoKevin SloweyCarl PavanoBrian DuensingScott Baker

Key pLayerS:Justin Morneau, 1BA broken arm in 2009 cut Justin Morneau’s season short, and after starting out 2010 on a monstrous pace, Morneau suffered a concussion in July and hasn’t played since. The Twins have managed to get by without him, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to have a power lefty in the lineup. They’ll need a fresh bat in October.

Francisco Liriano, SPThe left-handed hurler has lived up to the hyperbole that his performance in 2006 set him up for. He’s a power pitcher that can hang with the best in the MLB. Despite his woes before the All-Star break, Liriano can be a difference maker in the playoffs. His fastball-change-up-slider repertoire is that nasty.

Carl Pavano, SPThe change in scenery from New York and Cleveland has done Pavano a great deal of good. Since he’s arrived in Minnesota, The veteran has been a staple in a young rotation and has the playoff experience making him a vital asset. He was among the AL leaders in wins in 2010.

AL CENTRAL MINNESOTA TWINS

World Series hinges on Morneau return and Liriano dominance

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For past eight years, the Los Angeles Angels have dominated the American League West and have done so in an excruciating fashion to their divisional adversaries. But, the tides have changed

in the division as the Texas Rangers have turned the page, staking their claim as the kings of the Pacific Coast.If there’s been one modus operandi critics and opposing teams have pegged to the Rangers, it’s been their consistent lack of establishing a true ace - a playoff-caliber starter - to take the mound every five days and win 20 games. You can take it one step further, by stating the obvious: the Rangers haven’t established a playoff-caliber pitching rotation, period. That was until Nolan Ryan took over as team president in 2008, where he intended to bring his former team to greatness, especially on the pitching-end of the organization. He helped bring intelligence, skill, strategy and actual baseball know-how to Texas. And it only took a matter of two years for Ryan and the Rangers take off. After bringing up an arsenal of players from the minor leagues, Texas crushed teams from every division this year. Offensively, the Rangers have the best lineup, through and through, in the majors – ranked fifth overall in the MLB. With thumpers like MVP candidate Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler, Michael Young and Nelson Cruz, the power is in a bountiful supply for Texas. The Rangers’ brass also took and inexpensive roll of the dice and signed former Angels slugger Vladimir Guerrero who, most thought had flamed out, has had a career year in 2010 (.305 AVG 27 HR 108 RBI). The speed is there as well for Ron Washington’s gang in the form of Elvis Andrus and Ian Kinsler. When on base, both Andrus and Kinsler can swipe a bag on command. Their starting pitchers might be the only area of the

team that the Rangers have to worry about entering the postseason. After signing Rich Harden to a one-year deal on the offseason, Nolan Ryan knew that he was getting a quality starter, but not a true ace. Harden seemed to think he was the man for the job as the team’s No. 1. Needless to say, Harden missed nearly the entire season as his reputation of being susceptible to injury followed him to the Rangers. However, what was remarkable was how the young arms that came up through the Rangers’ farm system took command and hit the ground running once they made it to the show. Anchored by C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis and Tommy Hunter, the Rangers’ young arms helped compile a stellar 3.96 team ERA in 2010. As the trade deadline approached, Texas made the boldest move trading their prized-prospect first baseman Justin Smoak to the Seattle Mariners for Cy Young-winner Cliff Lee; proving that not only was the team lacking a true No. 1 starting pitcher, but was also committed and ready to make a push for the World Series. The Rangers also added catcher Benjie Molina, shortstop Christian Guzman and first baseman Jorge Cantu to overhaul their offense. Now Nolan’s team has all of the pieces in place for a great chance to make a serious run in the playoffs. With a dangerous lineup that can outslug the best in the MLB, a rotation of young power arms and a closer in Neftali Feliz that can shut the door with any lead using his 100+ mph fastball, the grunt of the work will fall on the arm of Cliff Lee. Just as Philadelphia used him in the playoffs last year, expect the Rangers to follow suit. Lee has been inconsistent since coming to Texas, but we all know what he’s capable of doing. The Cy Young winner from 2008 needs to go out and be dominant if the Rangers want to compete for an ALCS or World Series title.

Current SeaSon oddS:American League Championship: 7/2 World Series: 7/1

Lineup:SS: Elvis Andrus3B: Michael Young2B: Ian KinslerDH: Vladimir Guerrero LF: Josh HamiltonRF: Nelson Cruz1B: Jorge CantuC: Benjie MolinaCF: Julio Borbon

rotation:Cliff LeeC.J. WilsonTimmy HunterRich HardenColby Lewis

Key pLayerS:Cliff Lee, SPLee has been disappointing since coming from Seattle. He has the experience and the stuff - as proved in the 2009 Playoffs – to shut down any lineup. He’ll have to help lead an inexperienced rotation against tough offensively-driven opponents like the Yankees, Twins and Rays.

Vladimir Guerrero, DHBad Vlad has been brought back to life in 2010. With a fresh start in Texas Guerrero has been the second most productive hitter in the lineup. He’s been to the playoffs before and will need to keep his hot bat scorching in October.

Josh Hamilton, LFAn MVP candidate in 2010, Hamilton made a major turnaround from a disappointing ’09 campaign. He is the team’s best hitter and despite a recent rib injury, he will have to put the pain aside and continue killing the ball.

AL WEST TEXAS RANGERS

Hamilton and Guerrero’s resurgence will spark Rangers in the postseason

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In baseball, after spending enough time on the bottom, the only place left to go is up. This is true in two cases for Joe Maddon’s Tampa Bay Rays: 1. The worse the record, the higher the pick in the MLB Draft; and

2. A young group of the best prospects can spell trouble for the rest of the league.Since Tampa Bay’s improbable run to the World Series in 2008, the Rays were tabbed as a team that rode the good fortunes of having all of the stars aligned at the perfect time. In actuality, Tampa Bay was a damn good team.Playing in the American League East naturally put the Rays behind the Yankees and Red Sox in the preseason predictions of the division entering the season. Aside from their splash in ‘08, the (Devil) Rays were, simply put, irrelevant throughout their existence in the MLB. People pointed fingers at their youth, inexperience and financially-inept organization as proof to why they would never win anything in the majors. However, time heals all wounds. This was especially true in Tampa Bay’s case. In 2008 the league saw a boon in top- five prospects from the Rays farm system come up and make immediate impacts. Since most of these players came up together in (AA) and (AAA) ball, Tampa Bay has a chemistry that can’t be rivaled. To be honest, the solidarity that the highly-regarded group of young stars possesses has never been seen before in the MLB. This “Tampa trend” of unveiling impact-making rookies continued in 2009 and 2010.Throughout the 2010 season, the Rays were on a torrid pace embarrassing teams each night, whether home or away. After losing in 2008 and missing the playoffs in 2009, the Rays didn’t want buzz, they wanted competence. What remains the most intriguing note through the 2010 season was

the 180° spin that Tampa made this year. In 2008 the Rays pitching finished top ten in the MLB, while their offense remained in the middle of the pack. Now, in 2010, the Rays are sporting the third-best offense, while their pitching staff has fallen to the median in the MLB. Like it or not, the role reversal has worked for Joe Maddon and his Rays. Though his offense has one of the worst batting averages in the league, they have found a way to steal bases and drive in runs. Maddon’s young pitching staff featuring Cy Young-candidate David Price, Matt Garza, James Shields and Jeff Niemann have been dominant throughout the course of the season as well. What has hurt the Rays the most for the past three or four years hasn’t been their offense or pitching rotation. Instead, it’s been the vacancy left in the ninth-inning. In 2008, Tampa Bay never had a real closer; there was a plethora of arms ready for the set-up role, but no adrenaline-junky closer. This past offseason, the only big move made by the Tampa Bay organization – and perhaps the best acquisition in all of baseball - was signing free agent Rafael Soriano to come in as their closer in the ninth inning. The move has obviously paid off exponentially as Soriano lead the American League in saves.As Tampa Bay gears up for the playoffs, they hold a big scarlett “O” over their heads - the “O” meaning offense. Will the all of the bats continue to hit during the playoffs? With a good enough pitching staff, Tampa can be a great team if the offense continues to hit as it did during the regular season. Teams only get three games in the first round and four in the next two series to get the job done. The big bats of Evan Longoria, BJ Upton, Ben Zobrist, Carlos Pena and Carl Crawford need to come out swinging for the fences in October.

Current SeaSon oddS:American League Championship: 12/5World Series: 9/2

Lineup:CF: B.J. UptonSS: Jason BartlettLF: Carl Crawford3B: Evan LongoriaRF: Ben Zobrist1B: Carlos Pena2B: Sean RodriguezC: Kelly Shoppach

rotation:David Price Matt Garza James Shields Jeff NiemannWade Davis

Key pLayerS:Evan Longoria, 3BLongoria is the best offensive player on the team and with on base-machine Carl Crawford hitting ahead of him, it will be the third baseman’s job to drive in runs. The Rays’ World Series hopes rest in his bat.

David Price, SPPrice will get a chance to show that he can continue his regular-season success into the playoffs. He’s the one pitcher the Rays have that’s able to stymie any opposing offense. They’ll need him against the hard-hitting (Rangers/Twins/Yankees)

Rafael Soriano, CPWhether it’s 20-19 or 2-1, close games are inevitable. The ball will certainly be turned over to Soriano in the late innings of tight games. He’s shown he can do it during the 162-game schedule, but can he handle the pressures of the post season?

AL WILD CARD TAMPA BAY RAYS

Proving ’08 wasn’t a fluke Tampa’s playoff hopes rests in the hands of David Price

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sports betting

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