Horse Racing Betting - Big Brown's injury

Triple Crown hopeful Big Brown is responding well to treatment for a quarter crack and could return to the track Wednesday.

Trainer Rick Dutrow announced Sunday morning at Belmont Park that the undefeated colt had not trained since Friday because of a condition foot specialist Ian McKinlay termed "very minor."

Both expressed optimism that the quarter crack ailment could be cleared up within a few days, and in the "best-case scenario" the Kentucky Derby-Preakness winner could return to the track "Wednesday or Thursday."

A quarter crack is a vertical crack in the hoof wall between the toe and heel of the hoof, usually extending into the coronary band, where the hoof meets the skin of the leg. For the most part, the injury is fairly common and not considered serious. Healing time can range from a few days to a few months, depending on the severity of the crack.

Quarter cracks are caused by hard pounding on the track, thin hoof walls or poor conformation. Big Brown suffered a quarter crack and hoof separation on his inner right front hoof last fall and was treated by McKinlay. The horse then suffered a similar injury in December to his inner left front hoof. Big Brown, who is undefeated in five starts, did not race between his debut Sept. 3 and March 5.

Mike Iavarone, Big Brown's majority owner said that this injury is different from the ones that sidelined him previously.McKinlay said the earlier injuries were abscesses, first in his left hoof, and then the right and they caused wall separations. McKinlay said they were mistakenly referred to as quarter cracks.

"If the [Belmont Stakes] were today, the horse would go out and kick butt. It would not bother him," Dutrow said. "I'm not worried that the days of training he'll miss will have any effect on him. We're addressing it, and he'll be fine. We're all concerned, but Ian has got us pretty well relaxed."

The 3-year-old colt is attempting to become the first winner of racing's Triple Crown in 30 years.

"We didn't know until Saturday that it was a quarter crack," said Dutrow. "It scares us this happened, but this has nothing to do with his ability to finish what he started.

"He's been as aggressive as I've seen him. He's really been rank in the afternoon."

McKinlay, who is treating Big Brown with a combination of iodine and alcohol, has repaired more severe injuries. He helped Touch Gold fight off a leg injury from the 1997 Preakness and go on to win the Belmont and spoil Silver Charm's Triple Crown try.

Describing this as a much simpler task, McKinlay said, "This is a very, very minor crack. We'll put a set of wires in, stitch it up and then patch it."

Only Burgoo King (1932) and Bold Venture (1936) won the Derby and the Preakness but were unable to run in the Belmont due to injury.

Bet on the Belmont Stakes at WagerWeb.com

MLB odds: Tigers vs. Angels

The schizophrenic Detroit Tigers try to edge back closer to .500 when they open a three-game series in Los Angeles against the Angels in what many thought might have been a playoff preview before the season began. L.A. is a -127 money line betting favorite (over/under: 9.5) on WagerWeb.com for Monday's opener.

Detroit is a surprising fifth in the AL Central at 21-29. The Tigers rank third in the AL with 246 runs scored and a .270 batting average. But they have been shut out a major-league leading seven times.

They're averaging 8.9 runs in their wins, but just 2.1 in their losses.

"We can't take leaps and bounds every day. We have to just crawl back into it. We can't worry about how far out we are," said manager Jim Leyland. "Just try to get two out of three, two out of three. If you got 5-2, 4-3, you'll make a little progress and we'll be fine."

Placido Polanco, the Tigers' All-Star second baseman, has found his stroke. He hit .407 on a six-game homestand as the Tigers won four of six. He batted .174 in the first 18 games while suffering from an injured nerve in his back.

Pitching has been a big issue for Detroit. Kenny Rogers (4-4, 6.66 ERA) starts tonight. Rogers didn't start in the three-game series with the Angels earlier this season (L.A. won 2 of 3) and didn't face them last year, either. In 2006, he went 1-1 against them with a 1.29 ERA. For his career against the Halos, the 43-year-old has a 17-15 record and 4.07 ERA in 44 starts.

L.A. starts right-hander Jon Garland (5-3, 4.34 ERA), who is 13-6 in 24 career outings against the Tigers with a 4.08 ERA. (but 8-2 with a 3.01 ERA in 12 starts against them since Aug. 24, 2004.) He gave up three runs in six innings -- his fourth consecutive quality start -- as Los Angeles beat Toronto 4-3 on Wednesday.In four starts during the month of May, Garland is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA, not surrendering a home run over that span, which covers 28 total innings.

Detroit outfielder Magglio Ordonez, the reigning AL batting champ who's hitting .478 (11-for-23) with three homers and nine RBIs during a six-game hitting streak, is just 7-for-29 (.241) with two homers and four strikeouts lifetime against Garland.

The Angels come in having won four of six games in Toronto and Chicago despite batting .166 (31 for 187) overall, .184 (seven for 38) with runners in scoring position and scoring 17 runs in six games.

L.A. sparkplug Chone Figgins sat out his fourth consecutive game Sunday because of soreness in his right leg, and though he was able to jog Sunday, the third baseman appears several days away from returning.

"He's getting better," manager Mike Scioscia said, "but he's still not where he needs to be."

Meanwhile, X-rays on outfielder Reggie Willits' right middle finger were negative, but the Angels won't determine until today or Tuesday whether the outfielder, who was spiked in Saturday's game, will be put on the disabled list.

"I'm going to take a day off to see if I can get the swelling out of the joint," said Willits, who needed one stitch to close the deep gash on his finger. "It's a little sore. My biggest concern is it's on one of my throwing fingers."

Betting trends: Tigers are 1-8 in their last 9 road games. . Tigers are 1-4 in Rogers' last 5 starts vs. a team with a winning record. . Angels are 8-1 in their last 9 games vs. a left-handed starter. . Angels are 1-6 in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a losing record. . Over is 7-0-1 in Rogers' last 8 starts overall. . Under is 10-1-1 in Angels' last 12 vs. a team with a losing record. . Under is 4-0 in Garland's last 4 starts. . Over is 8-2-1 in the last 11 meetings.

NHL odds: Penguins vs. Red Wings

What looked to be a very competitive Stanley Cup Finals certainly wasn't the case in Saturday's Game 1, where the Red WingsPens to the tune of a 4-0 victory.

Pittsburgh tries to get the series home even at 1 on Monday night at Joe Louis Arena, with Detroit the -170 money line betting favorite (over/under: 5.5) on WagerWeb.com.

Pens coach Michel Therrien has shaken things up after that Game 1 effort: Pascal Dupuis was dropped from captain Sidney Crosby's line and was replaced by Ryan Malone during Sunday's practice. Dupuis instead skated with Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy.

In addition to the line changes, Therrien is going with 42-year-old Gary Roberts, who was upset about being scratched on Saturday. Roberts has plenty of playoff experience, something Therrien felt his team was lacking in the opener.

Even though he's 42, the Penguins hope to get a boost - both physically and offensively.

"He's going to be a physical presence," said Crosby. "He's a guy that can go out there and really give you momentum with a big hit or creating that energy that you need sometimes."

But probably the player most targeted at getting a spark due to these line chances is Evgeni Malkin. The Russian star has one goal, one assist and is minus-2 over the past five games. His inability to control the puck in front of his own net led to the Wings' second goal in Saturday's 4-0 loss.

"First of all, we still have a lot of confidence in him. He's a world-class player," Therrien said. "He needs to stay focused. He needs to stay on top of his game. He needs to skate. He needs to battle. And if he's doing those things."The plan is to have Malkin line up with Petr Sykora, with whom he has enjoyed great success this spring, and newcomer Max Talbot, a gritty forward with good speed who has toiled mostly on the fourth line but has contributed in key postseason moments with two goals and five assists.

Detroit is hoping for the return of Johan Franzen, tied with teammate Henrik Zetterberg for the NHL lead with 12 playoff goals. He has been out six games with recurring headaches but had his first full-contact practice Sunday.

He's expected to go through a strenuous workout Monday to get his heart rate up. If he doesn't experience any symptoms, he could be back immediately.

The Detroit penalty killers were stellar on Saturday, as they stifled all five Penguins' power plays and came up with a short-handed goal.

In the second and third periods, the Red Wings scored all their goals, and held a 25-7 shot advantage. They also got penalized just once, while the Penguins went to the box four times.

Detroit accomplished those things by matching, and therefore neutralizing, the Penguins' strengths of speed, skill and dedication to defense.

"We knew that we were going to have to play really tight, especially on all their centermen," Detroit defenseman Niklas Kornwall said. "They've got some big bodies that really skate and move the puck at the same time.

Henrik Zetterberg's eight shots were more than all the Penguins generated in the final 40 minutes, and Detroit outshot Pittsburgh 27-10 at even strength.

"I wouldn't change anything," Crosby said. "We had our chances, but we didn't put them in. it was pretty tight.

"I don't think they did a whole lot to shut us down."

Betting trends: Penguins are 24-6 in their last 30 after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game. Penguins are 4-0 in their last 4 games following a loss of 3 or more goals. . Red Wings are 23-3 in their last 26 games as a home favorite of -151 to -200. . Over is 5-0 in Penguins last 5 games as an underdog of +151 to +200. . Over is 6-1-2 in Red Wings last 9 playoff games as a favorite of -151 to -200. .Penguins are 1-4 in the last 5 meetings in Detroit. dominated the visiting

Racing odds: Indianapolis 500

The one IndyCar race that registers on the American sports scene takes place Sunday with the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500.

And all the talk and hype leading into the Great American Race is whether Danica Patrick can win the open-wheel racing's crown jewel. Of course, Danica won in Japan earlier this year for her first career title, which upped the hype machine even more heading into Indy.

But fellow drivers seem to be OK with all the attention she gets.

"To be honest, without Danica in this series, and I hate to say this, but I don't think the series would be what it is right now, and I don't think it would be showing the potential it is right now," Dan Wheldon said. "Danica brings the mainstream media, if not to all the events, a lot of the key events."

Patrick has finished 8th at Indianapolis each of the past two years after finishing fourth in her debut in 2005.

"I'm very confident," said Patrick, who is +950 to win on WagerWeb.com. "There's no reason why I can't win this race at all."

The 26-year-old starts fifth in Sunday's race, but she is only one of three women racing Sunday: Sarah Fisher will start her seventh Indy 500 from the 22 nd position, while Milka Duno will start 27th out of 33 cars.

Tony Kanaan (+485 on WagerWeb.com) is happy to allow teammate Patrick to steal pre-race.

Over the past five years, Kanaan has finished 12th, fifth, eighth, second and third at Indy, and watched teammates Wheldon and Dario Franchitti pull into the winner's circle.

This year Kanaan's starting sixth, the worst qualifying position he's had in seven Indy starts, and will be on the outside of Patrick in the second row.

"Let's put it this way," the 33-year-old Brazilian said. "They can talk to her as much as they want, but following the race, you're going to have to come talk to me."

You have to like "Dancing With The Stars" contestant Helio Castroneves (+500) in this race. Expected to contend throughout, Castroneves will start on the inside of Row 2. With a victory, Castroneves can become just the third man to win three Indy 500s in a single decade (Mauri Rose, 1940s; A.J. Foyt, 1960s).

"I'm ready to go," the current point’s leader said. "We have a great team, we have great people on our side, and with that, obviously, you'll be able to achieve the results."

Castroneves won Indy in his debut race in 2001 and again in 2002, the first to repeat since Al Unser Sr. in 1970-71. He was second in 2003.

Polesitter Scott Dixon (the WagerWeb.com favorite at +250) won the IRL season opener this year, his 11th career win, and after four races is second in points to Castroneves.

Wheldon (+350) won the 2005 Indy 500 after passing Patrick with six laps to go but finished 22nd last year after crashing. He starts in the middle of Row 1.Ryan Briscoe (+950) rounds out Row 1; he was 5th at Indianapolis last year in his only IndyCar start of the season.

RACE LINEUP

1. (9) Scott Dixon, Dallara, 226.366 mph.

2. (10) Dan Wheldon, Dallara, 226.110.

3. (6) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara, 226.080.

Row 2

4. (3) Helio Castroneves, Dallara, 225.733.

5. (7) Danica Patrick, Dallara, 225.197.

6. (11) Tony Kanaan, Dallara, 224.794.

Row 3

7. (26) Marco Andretti, Dallara, 224.417.

8. (4) Vitor Meira, Dallara, 224.346.

9. (27) r-Hideki Mutoh, Dallara, 223.887.

Row 4

10. (20) Ed Carpenter, Dallara, 223.835.

11. (12) Tomas Scheckter, Dallara, 223.496.

12. (99) Townsend Bell, Dallara, 222.539.

Row 5

13. (06) r-Graham Rahal, Dallara, 222.531.

14. (14) Darren Manning, Dallara, 222.430.

15. (18) Bruno Junqueira, Dallara, 222.330.

Row 6

16. (02) r-Justin Wilson, Dallara, 222.267.

17. (15) Buddy Rice, Dallara, 222.101.

18. (22) Davey Hamilton, Dallara, 222.017.

Row 7

19. (16) r-Alex Lloyd, Dallara, 221.788.

20. (17) r-Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara, 221.579.

21. (24) John Andretti, Dallara, 221.550.

Row 8

22. (67) Sarah Fisher, Dallara, 221.246.

23. (8) r-Will Power, Dallara, 221.136.

24. (41) Jeff Simmons, Dallara, 221.103.

Row 9

25. (5) r-Oriol Servia, Dallara, 220.767.

26. (33) r-E.J. Viso, Dallara, 220.356.

27. (23) Milka Duno, Dallara, 220.305.

Row 10

28. (19) r-Mario Moraes, Dallara, 219.716.

29. (36) r-Enrique Bernoldi, Dallara, 219.422.

30. (34) r-Jaime Camara, Dallara, 219.345.

Row 11

31. (2) A.J. Foyt IV, Dallara, 219.184.

32. (91) Buddy Lazier, Dallara, 219.015.

33. (25) Marty Roth, Dallara, 218.965.

NASCAR odds: Coca-Cola 600

The hottest driver in NASCAR is on the pole for Sunday's Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway outside Charlotte, so it might be hard to bet against Kyle Busch, the betting favorite on WagerWeb.com.

Busch turned a lap of 185.4 mph on the 1.5-mile, high-banked oval to earn the first starting spot for Joe Gibbs Racing in NASCAR's longest race. The 23-year-old has already won three of the series' 11 points races this season, including the most recent event at Darlington Raceway two weeks ago. Busch, who leads Jeff Burton by 79 points in the series standings, has finished no worse than 10th in the last five races.

"I hope it doesn't wear off. I just hope this isn't a one-year thing - (that next year) I'm 24 years old and washed up," said Busch, who has won three poles in a row.

However, Busch's record in the 600 isn't good: finishes of 32nd, 25th, 38th and 30th.

Burton finished 24th last year at this race but sixth in 2006. He won the race in 1999 and 2001.

Jimmie Johnson, who called Lowe's Motor Speedway his "house" after winning five times in his first nine starts there, is ready to return to victory lane after a four-race drought at the track that carries his sponsor's name.

"We've learned a lot, really, over the last two weeks," Johnson said. "We learned a lot at Darlington that carried over to the all-star race (in which Johnson finished fourth). We need to get some more rear grip with the car, and I feel that we know how to do that now after the all-star race."

Hendrick Chevrolets have won seven of the past 10 races at Lowe's, including four of the past five 600s, so that bodes well for Johnson and perhaps Dale Earnhardt Jr., who in 17 races at Lowe's has eight top 10s but no wins.

Kasey Kahne knows how to win on this track: he took last week's All-Star Challenge here and qualified No. 2 this week. Kahne swept both races at Lowe's 2006 and finished 23rd and eighth last season.

Denny Hamlin has finished ninth in the 600-milers in each of the last two seasons and has seven top-10 finishes in 11 starts this season.

Then there's David Ragan, who has climbed to No. 12 in the points standings. He finished fifth at Darlington, his second top-5 of the season and second in three races.Ragan says his recent success has given him and his team a big boost.

"We've had a lot of confidence on our team that we can be a Chase contender and this shows everybody that we are pretty serious and that we can make good things happen," Ragan said. "I think that just by getting there to that 12th position that everybody will realize that we are a Chase contender and that we can ... contend for top-fives and top-10s, whether it be a superspeedway, short track or a high-speed downforce track"

Race lineup

1. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 185.433 mph.
2. (9) Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 185.300.
3. (83) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 185.249.
4. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 184.970.
5. (6) David Ragan, Ford, 184.470.
6. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 184.439.
7. (8) Mark Martin, Chevrolet, 184.181.
8. (2) Kurt Busch, Dodge, 184.106.
9. (19) Elliott Sadler, Dodge, 183.974.
10. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 183.924.
11. (22) Dave Blaney, Toyota, 183.842.
12. (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 183.780.
13. (66) Scott Riggs, Chevrolet, 183.673.
14. (31) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 183.617.
15. (26) Jamie McMurray, Ford, 183.580.
16. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 183.455.
17. (41) Reed Sorenson, Dodge, 183.443.
18. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 183.436.
19. (29) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 183.430.
20. (77) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, 183.349.
21. (5) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 183.275.
22. (7) Robby Gordon, Dodge, 183.212.
23. (43) Bobby Labonte, Dodge, 183.200.
24. (1) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 183.169.
25. (15) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 183.132.
26. (40) Sterling Marlin, Dodge, 183.057.
27. (84) A.J. Allmendinger, Toyota, 182.852.
28. (44) David Reutimann, Toyota, 182.729.
29. (55) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 182.692.
30. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford, 182.168.
31. (20) Tony Stewart, Toyota, 182.113.
32. (38) David Gilliland, Ford, 182.020.
33. (33) Ken Schrader, Chevrolet, 181.984.
34. (10) Patrick Carpentier, Dodge, 181.867.
35. (96) J.J. Yeley, Toyota, 181.726.
36. (45) Kyle Petty, Dodge, 181.714.
37. (01) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 181.702.
38. (12) Ryan Newman, Dodge, 181.531.
39. (07) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 181.482.
40. (00) Michael McDowell, Toyota, 181.464.
41. (28) Travis Kvapil, Ford, owner points.
42. (42) Juan Pablo Montoya, Dodge, owner points.
43. (70) Johnny Sauter, Chevrolet, 181.446

Bet on NASCAR at WagerWeb.com

NBA odds: Spurs vs. Lakers

The Spurs flat-out blew Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, there's no other way to describe it. Having a 20-point third-quarter lead and not holding on is inexcusable, and now the team has to put the opener behind it and try to win Game 2 tonight in Los Angeles, with the Lakers 6.5-point betting favorites (over/under: 192.5) on WagerWeb.com.

The victory was the largest postseason comeback for the Lakers since they erased a 20-point deficit to defeat the Sacramento Kings in Game 4 of the 2002 Western Conference finals, when Robert Horry, now a reserve with the Spurs, buried a memorable buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

"They're up 1-0. The important thing for us is to not let the game linger," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said.

San Antonio missed 15 of 20 3-pointers, and Manu Ginobili looked tired and beat up, missing 10 of 13 shots, and 4 of 6 3-pointers. Over the final 17 minutes, Ginobili scored just five points on 1-of-5 shooting while committing three turnovers.

"I have a couple issues," he said, "but nothing that bad that can justify the way I played today. I'm upset, but it's over, and now you've got to try and play better next game.

"The hand is all right. That's just a nail. My ankle is bothering me and I've got a couple of little things, but I don't want to talk about that. That's not the reason why I played so bad. I've just got to step up and play better."

The Spurs shot 3-for-21 and committed five turnovers while being outscored 24-13 in the fourth quarter. The Lakers outscored the defending NBA champions 44-20 to finish the game. Kobe Bryant had 23 of those points, including 14 in the final period, when he outscored San Antonio by himself.

Furthermore, the Spurs were 1-for-9 from 3-point range in the quarter and also committed five turnovers.

"You want to be angry about the way we played in the fourth quarter," Popovich said.

The Lakers haven't lost at Staples Center since March 28.

"We're down one game, that's all," said Tim Duncan, who had 30 points, 18 rebounds and four blocked shots in a losing cause. "Our goal is to get to four (wins). A lot of credit goes to them. Obviously, they played excellent. They came back at us. Kobe (Bryant) took it over."

Bryant had only four points at the midpoint of the third quarter but took over from there, finishing with 27 points. The NBA MVP went 10-of-18 in the second half, including a 10-foot jumper for an 87-85 lead with 24 seconds left. He finished with nine assists and five rebounds.

Pau Gasol scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Lakers, who have won nine of 11 in the postseason.

Lakers head coach Phil Jackson is a perfect 40-0 when his teams win the first game of a playoff series.

The Spurs are only 2-5 on the road this postseason while L.A. is 6-0 at home.

Betting trends: Spurs are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games. . Lakers are 9-1-1 ATS in their last 11 games following a S.U. win. . Under is 4-0 in Spurs' last 4 overall. . Spurs are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings. . Under is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings.

Boxing odds: Hatton vs. Lazcano

England's Ricky Hatton puts his world junior welterweight title on the line against Juan Lazcano in Manchester on Saturday night, yet Hatton already seems focused on what lies ahead.

Perhaps that's because Lazcano's best work has come at lightweight. Lazcano was a lightweight for most of his career and has boxed at junior welterweight for the past three years.

In his most recent bout 15 months ago, Lazcano lost by a close but unanimous points decision to Vivian Harris, who went on to lose to Junior Witter.

So Hatton is already dreaming of what may lie ahead: If he beats Lazcano, Hatton will face Paulie Malignaggi later this year. If he is successful in that bout, Hatton hopes to engage Floyd Mayweather in a rematch of a loss five months ago next year in London.

Malignaggi defends his IBF belt on the undercard Saturday against Lovemore N'dou.

Hatton's father, Ray, says Lazcano, a 33-year-old Mexican, is a far tougher challenge than he is being given credit for.

"He does come to fight. He's very dangerous," Ray Hatton said. "A lot of the (American) pundits think that for his comeback fight he (Hatton) has picked too hard an opponent."Hatton believes that he has improved since his first career loss, against Mayweather. It is Hatton's only defeat, albeit a lopsided one, in his 44-fight career.

"People forget that although I lost to Mayweather I didn't lose my status as the number one at 140 lbs," he said. "I lost challenging for another title. Now I'm determined to get back to winning ways. . I'm still the light-welterweight champion of the world."

Lazcano, with four defeats in 42 contests, certainly won't have many of the 55,000 fans on his side Saturday at Manchester Stadium.

Lazcano has never won a major world title, coming up short in 2004 against Jose Luis Castillo for the WBC lightweight title. In 2006, he had the opportunity of facing Hatton, but did not even start negotiations because of a sore hand. "That was a mistake," he reflects now. |

"But everything is for a reason, and I do feel it is the right time. I have lost before and I know what it takes to come back. Ricky Hatton - who I rate as a great fighter and Mexican in his style - has yet to climb that mountain."

Lazcano had reeled off four straight wins before dropping that contested verdict to Harris.

"I believe I've got what it takes to win no matter who I fight - Ricky, Floyd Mayweather or Oscar De La Hoya," added Lazcano. "I've had a great training camp and I'm ready.

"I'm expecting the best Ricky Hatton in the ring on Saturday night. I can't speculate on how he's going to react to defeat, or if he's past his best. I'm ready to get the victory, and that's the bottom line."

NBA odds: Pistons vs. Celtics

Thursday night's Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals is really pretty simple for the Detroit Pistons: Get Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace on track or expect tonight's game -- and this series -- to be over quickly; the Celtics are 4.5-point favorites (over/under: 172) for Game 2 in Boston.

Billups clearly was still suffering from his hamstring injury, or rust, or both in Game 1's loss. Detroit's point guard and leader was not himself and was badly outplayed by his Boston counterpart, Rajon Rondo.

Billups, the MVP of the 2004 NBA finals, scored nine points with just two assists and two turnovers in his first competition since Game 3 of the Orlando series.

"I needed to play that game," he said. "I don't feel good about the outcome of it, but I feel good having been out there, having seen what it was going to be like in my first game, and I look to make improvements in the second game."

Rondo expects Billups to bounce back tonight.

"Definitely," said Rondo, who had 11 points, seven assists and five steals Tuesday night. "There's a lot of ups and downs in this game, especially in these series. So I'm sure he'll be a lot more aggressive. I've just got to be ready.

"Chauncey may have been hurt, but I wanted to keep him out of the paint and make him take tough shots and keep him off the free throw line."

The one positive for Billups came in the fourth quarter of the opener, when he produced successive field goals on drives to the basket and into the key for a jumper that pushed the Pistons within six points of the Celtics in the final five minutes.

"He wasn't as comfortable coming off screens, looking to shoot it as quick," said Detroit coach Flip Saunders. "He's going to have to be aggressive for us."Meanwhile, one of Boston's stars continues his struggles.

Ray Allen had just nine points in the victory – none of them on outside shots.

From the last game of the first-round series against Atlanta to the first game against Detroit, Allen is averaging nine points on 31 percent shooting.

"I'm not worried about it. I'm really not," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "We're winning games, and Ray's making plays."

Kevin Garnett was a stud in Game 1 for Boston, as Detroit's Wallace was no match.

KG was 11 of 17 from the field for a game-high 26 in the Celtics' Game 1 victory. Wallace? Only 3 of 12 for 11 points. That matchup being that one-sided won't cut it tonight for Detroit, either.

"He was going in the paint more than going away from the paint. That was a point of emphasis not only for Kevin, but overall for our team is that we have to score in the paint," Rivers said.

Betting trends: Pistons are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS loss. . Pistons are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games as an underdog of 0.5-4.5. . Celtics are 12-3 ATS in their last 15 home games. . Under is 13-3 in Pistons last 16 road games. . Under is 4-0 in Celtics last 4 playoff games as a favorite of 0.5-4.5. . Under is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings.

MLB odds: Mets vs. Braves

By far the matchup of the night Thursday in Major League Baseball is in Atlanta, where Johan Santana starts for the Mets against the Braves' Tim Hudson; New York is a -133 money line betting favorite (over/under: 8) on WagerWeb.com.

The Mets need a win big-time, as they have dropped three straight to the Braves in this series and are in danger of falling below .500 for the first time since April 9. Plus there's all the off-field distractions surrounding the club, from manager Willie Randolph's vent against the New York fans and the Mets' TV network to Pedro Martinez's flip-flop on retiring after this year.

However, at least the Mets send out their ace in Santana (5-2, 3.30 ERA). Santana is 4-0 with a 3.43 ERA over his last six starts, and defeated the Yankees in the Bronx on Saturday, holding them to four runs and seven hits in 7 2/3 innings. He did, however, allow three home runs, increasing his season total to 11 in only 60 innings.

Santana is 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA in six road starts this season; he lost to Atlanta on April 6 at Turner Field, allowing just a run and seven hits in seven innings and is 0-2 with a 2.41 ERA in three career starts against the Braves.

Atlanta's Matt Diaz is 7-for-12 with a home run against him, Chipper Jones is 3-for-7, Brian McCann is 2-or-6 with a homer, and Mark Teixeira is 4-for-20 with a homer.Atlanta is 19-5 at home and has won four in a row overall; the Braves are 5-0 vs. the Mets this season at Turner Field.

Braves starter Tim Hudson (6-3, 3.06) will try to regroup from his worst outing of the season and win for the fourth time in five starts. The right-hander was reached for a season-high five runs and gave up two homers in five innings of a 5-4 defeat to Oakland on Sunday after going 3-0 with a 0.78 ERA in his previous three starts.
Hudson has faced the Mets twice this season and is 1-1 with a 7.00 ERA; he is 8-5 with a 3.96 ERA through 14 career appearances against the Mets. Hudson is also 4-1 with a 2.94 earned run average in five road tilts.

The Mets' Carlos Delgado is 17-for-55 (.309) with six homers against Hudson, while Carlos Beltran is 19-for-56 (.339) with three homers. Moises Alou is 7-for-17 with a homer.

The Mets also could get outfielder Ryan Church back tonight. A CT scan of his head revealed no damage from a collision with Braves shortstop Yunel Escobar on the final play of Tuesday's doubleheader.

The Mets still plan on being cautious with Church, but he leads the team in batting average (.311), slugging percentage (.534) and home runs (nine).

"He's going to have to really convince me that he can go," Randolph said.

Meanwhile, the Braves' bullpen could be getting a major boost within the next two weeks. John Smoltz, Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez all could return by then from the DL.

"They're all three pretty close now," manager Bobby aCox said.

Betting trends: Mets are 1-4 in their last 5 games vs. a right-handed starter. . Mets are 6-0 in Santana's last 6 starts. . Braves are 4-0 in their last 4 home games vs. a left-handed starter. . Braves are 1-4 in Hudson's last 5 starts as an underdog. . Under is 21-5-1 in Braves' last 27 games following a win... Under is 10-2 in the last 12 meetings in Atlanta.

Golf odds: Crowne Plaza Invitational

What's mainly notable about this week's PGA Tour stop, the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas, is that it might be the last PGA tournament before Tiger Woods returns.

Woods, recovering from knee surgery, targeted next week's Memorial as his return from the April 15 procedure so he could get his game in shape before the U.S. Open. The deadline to enter the Memorial is Friday, so we'll know soon enough.

As far as the week, world No. 2 Phil Mickelson leads the field at Colonial, the first time he has played this event since 2005.

Mickelson (the +325 betting favorite on WagerWeb.com) won here in 2000 and finished runner-up the following year. He has only missed the cut here once in 11 starts.

The defending champion is Rory Sabbatini (+1100), but it seems unwise to bet on him repeating this week. He finished third at the Buick Invitational early in the season on the California Swing but contracted the flu the following week and hasn't been the same since, including missing two cuts in his last five events.

"By the time I got to the end of the West Coast Swing at the end of the Match Play, I was having a hard time walking 18 holes," said Sabbatini, whose best finish since was a tie for 27th at The Players two weeks ago. "That kind of wiped me out and took away a lot of my energy and focus. Maybe some things just crept into my game that weren't there to start with, and I've just kind of tried to work those bugs back out of the system.

"We're close, we're getting there. It feels like the ballstriking is there, feel like I'm hitting it well. We've just got to get everything clicking together."

NBA odds: Spurs vs. Lakers

Much like in the East finals, the Western Conference finals pit the two teams most everybody expected to be here when the playoffs began. San Antonio and Los Angeles renew a great playoff rivalry that has been on hiatus since 2004, and the Lakers are 7-point betting favorites (over/under: 196) to win Game 1.

The teams split the regular-season series at 2 (each home team winning twice), but the Lakers won the lone game between the teams after acquiring Pau Gasol.

The Lakers are 6-0 at home in the postseason and winners of 12 straight overall including a 106-85 victory over the Spurs in their next-to-last game of the regular season.

And L.A. is well-rested, having not played since Friday night, while the Spurs are coming off a grueling seven-game series against the Hornets and playing on one day of rest - not to mention the team having to sleep on a grounded plane in New Orleans following Monday's victory.

Thus, the Spurs didn't practice Tuesday.

"We didn't think practice was going to glean a whole lot of improvement, considering everything," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

San Antonio will need more from Tim Duncan than he gave against the Hornets. The Big Fundamental averaged only 15.3 points on 42 percent shooting in that series, but most would say that L.A.'s defense isn't all that great, although Gasol has improved since joining the Lakers. This is one series where L.A. might miss injured big man Andrew Bynum.Spurs swingman Manu Ginobili is averaging 20.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists in the postseason, while point guard Tony Parker, who was the MVP of the 2007 NBA Finals, leads the Spurs in scoring (23.7 ppg) and assists (6.3 apg). Parker is shooting 50.5 percent from the field, including an impressive 46.2 percent from beyond the arc.

Ginobili came off the bench all season but was inserted as a starter late in the Hornets series.

Obviously the Lakers are led by Kobe Bryant, winner of his first MVP award this season. He leads the Lakers in scoring (33.3 ppg) and assists (6.8 apg) in the playoffs and has grabbed 6.3 rebounds per game and is shooting 49.5 percent from the field. He will be hounded all series by uberpest Bruce Bowen.

Bryant averaged 24.3 points vs. the Spurs this season but also had 17 turnovers in the four regular- season games. Bowen is one of the league's top defenders.

Gasol, meanwhile, is averaging 20.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists in the postseason. He is shooting 56.8 percent from the field.

After running up and down with Denver, and standing up to Utah's physicality, the Lakers now get the stinginess of the Spurs.

"They're one of the best defensive teams our league has seen in a long time," point guard Derek Fisher said.

Betting trends: Spurs are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 road games. ... Lakers are 9-0-1 ATS in their last 10 games following a S.U. win. ... Lakers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 home games. ... Lakers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record. ... Over is 4-1 in Lakers last 5 overall. ... Home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings. ... Over is 12-5 in the last 17 meetings in Los Angeles.

MLB odds: Diamondbacks vs. Marlins

Two first-place teams, one somewhat expected (Arizona) and one very surprising (Florida) play Game 2 of their three-game series in Miami on Wednesday night, and all eyes will be on Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Webb.

Webb (9-0, 2.56 ERA) has won nine straight starts to begin 2008 and can become the first pitcher to win 10 straight at the outset of a season since San Diego's Andy Hawkins did so in 1985.

He is 3-3 in six career starts against Florida, posting a 5.05 ERA in 35 2/3 innings. In his last start, at home against Colorado, the right-hander got the win after allowing six hits and three runs in 7 1/3 innings. Webb has pitched at least six innings in each start and given up three or fewer runs in eight of the nine.

Thus it's no surprise Arizona is a -170 money line betting favorite tonight (Florida at +150) with and over/under of 8 on WagerWeb.com.

However, the Diamondbacks have lost four straight road games, including a 3-2 decision to the Marlins on Tuesday night.

"They have a good club, there's no doubt about it," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. "They deserve to be where they are right now."

Arizona averages nearly 7 runs per game in Webb's starts.

"Almost every time that I've been out there this year I've had a lead in the bottom of the first or second nning," said Webb, who is 7-0 in his last seven starts on Wednesday.

But the Diamondbacks have scored only eight runs in their last three games, losing twice. They've managed just 11 runs in their last five road games.Florida, meanwhile, has 64 home runs, which ties them for most in the National League, a surprise given that they traded Miguel Cabrera in the offseason.

Florida continues to be carried offensively by second baseman Dan Uggla, who hit his 14th home run Tuesday. Uggla has hit in 10 straight games, batting .543 with six homers and 12 RBIs over that span. Ten of his home runs have come in his last 16 games.

Star shortstop Hanley Ramirez, however, is 1-for-15 with 10 strikeouts in his last four games.

Florida starts Ricky Nolasco (2-3, 5.18) on Wednesday. The right-hander hasn't pitched more than six innings in a start this season, but he has allowed two or fewer runs in three of his last four outings. Nolasco won his lone career start against Arizona, allowing six hits and three runs in 7 1/3 innings, while striking out four and walking one.

Both teams got injury news this week, one good and one bad.

For Arizona, pitcher Doug Davis will start Friday, little more than one month after having surgery to remove a cancerous thyroid. Davis will take rookie Max Scherzer's spot in the rotation, but Melvin declined to say whether Scherzer would be moved to the bullpen or optioned to Triple-A Tucson.

Meanwhile, Marlins outfielder Josh Willingham could be sidelined another month or more because of a herniated disc that has kept him out since April 27. Willingham, batting .341 with six HRs in 25 games, was told it will be 10 days to three weeks before he can resume baseball activity and surgery has not been ruled out.

Diamondbacks-Marlins betting trends: Diamondbacks are 0-6 in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a winning record. ... Diamondbacks are 6-1 in Webb's Marlins are 1-4 in their last 5 games as a home underdog of +151 to +200. ... Marlins are 0-4 in Nolasco's last 4 home starts. ... Over is 7-1-1 in Diamondbacks' last 9 games following a loss. ... Over is 8-1-2 in Webb's last 11 starts after scoring 2 runs or less in their previous game. ... Over is 10-1 in Marlins' last 11 home games with the total set at 7.0-8.5. ... Diamondbacks are 5-12 in the last 17 meetings in Florida.

Champions League odds: Manchester United-Chelsea

The first all-English final of the UEFA Champions League kicks off Wednesday night in Moscow (2:45 p.m. ET in the U.S.) as Manchester United faces Chelsea, with the Red Devils +130 money line betting favorites
on WagerWeb.com.

Since the competition has allowed multiple entrants from the same country (since 1997-98), Spain and Italy had been the only countries to have managed to field two teams against each other in the final (Real Madrid vs. Valencia in 2000 and A.C. Milan vs. Juventus in 2003).

Manchester United have not played a fellow English team in European competition for more than 40 years, while it's old hat for Chelsea in that regard, but it's the Blues' first Champions League final appearance.

The Red Devils have not conceded a goal in their last five Champions League matches; it's been 486 minutes since Karim Benzema gave Olympique Lyon the lead in the first leg of the knockout round on Feb. 20 in France.

United came out on top in the Premier League title race, but they have not enjoyed much success against Chelsea in recent years (the last time the two met in a final was the 2007 FA Cup, in which the Blues won), and Sir Alex Ferguson is anticipating a difficult test.

He is nevertheless confident in his side's ability and hopeful that United will become European champions for the first time since 1999.

"Since we have won the championship we have had 10 days good preparation," he said.

Ferguson is hoping to claim a second Champions League crown after a dramatic 2-1 victory over Bayern Munich in Barcelona in 1999.Meanwhile, Chelsea defender Ashley Cole suffered an injury scare in training with his teammates at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on Tuesday.

The England left-back appeared to get a kick on his ankle after a challenge from team-mate Claude Makelele. He stayed down for a long time before being helped off the field by Chelsea staff, although did then gingerly begin running again to try and overcome the problem.

While Chelsea is confident Cole will be fit to play in such a prestigious game, there are fears that the playing surface may not hold up.

The artificial surface at the stadium has been replaced by natural turf on UEFA's instructions. But the first grass surface was so bumpy it was replaced and English groundsman Matthew Frost, called in to create a surface just for this game, had only 15 days to do it.

And the weather may not help the pitch. Actually, it be just like it is often in England: Rain, gusty winds and thunderstorms are expected over Luzhniki Stadium on Wednesday.

The worldwide television audience is expected to reach into the hundreds of millions, with a record 20.6 million predicted in England alone.

Today's game will be the 151st time the teams have played each other. Manchester United has won 65 of the games, Chelsea has won 41, and 44 have ended in a tie.

Champions League record this season: Manchester United - Played 12, Won 9, Drawn 3, Lost 0, Goals for 19, Against 5; Chelsea - Played 12, Won 6, Drawn 5, Lost 1, Goals for 19, Against 7.

Road to the final: Manchester United, winner of the European Cup in 1968 and 1999, had to overcome Sporting Lisbon, AS Roma and Dynamo Kiev in the first round, then got past Olympique Lyon in the round of 16, AS Roma (again) in the quarterfinals and Barcelona in the semifinals. ... Chelsea, which will be playing in its first Champions League final, made its way past Rosenborg, Valencia and Schalke 04 in the initial round, then overcame Olympiakos in the round of 16, Fenerbahce in the quarterfinals and five-time champion Liverpool in the semifinals.

Leading Champions League 2007-'08 scorers: Manchester United - Cristiano Ronaldo 7, Wayne Rooney 4, Carlos Tevez 4, Gerard Pique 2; Chelsea - Didier Drogba 6, Frank Lampard 3, Michael Ballack 2, Joe Cole 2.

NBA odds: Pistons vs. Celtics

The Eastern Conference finals that most everyone wanted - and expected - tips off Tuesday night in Boston when the Celtics host the Pistons, with Detroit a 4.5-point betting underdog (over/under: 174) on WagerWeb.com for Game 1.

The Pistons are also +110 underdogs on the series price at WagerWeb.com, with the Celtics at -140.

The main storyline heading into Game 1 is that Detroit has had six days off after dispatching Orlando, while Boston had a second consecutive seven-game series and played just Sunday.

However, Ray Allen says: "I would rather have the rhythm" of regular competition than extra rest, "because (with) the rhythm you don't have to guess from one day to the next" how you'll play."

Allen needs something: He averaged only 9.3 points on 32.8 percent shooting in the series against the Cavs, far below his regular-season performance.

Still, Detroit coach Flip Saunders has seen enough of Allen to know he is too good a shooter to struggle much longer.

"He can go out and get a game where he's going to go get six out of seven 3s," Saunders said. "So that's why you can't say, 'Well, I'm just not going to guard him.' "

In the regular season, the Pistons shot 38.6 percent against the Celtics, one of the top two defensive teams in the league. The other is Detroit, and the Pistons held the Celtics to an average of 89 points in their three regular-season games.

"We can't shoot 39 percent," Saunders said, "and expect to win or win on the road."The main focus will be on Boston's Big Three (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Allen) and whether it can overtake a balanced Detroit squad that has been playing together longer and boasts one of the league's better cores (Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess).

Yet a key could be Pistons backup point guard Rodney Stuckey. The rookie guard came up big in the Magic series, averaging 9.8 points and 3.4 assists. He got plenty of playing time with Billups (sore hamstring) missing the final two games of the series.

However, Billups says he is 100 percent healthy with all the time off, and he has dominated Boston starter Rajon Rondo during the regular season. He'll frequently look to post up the smaller Rondo. Billups not only is a clutch player, he also wears down the opposition with his physical play.

The Celtics won the season series 2-1, winning the last two games, one at home and one at Auburn Hills. Boston is 8-0 at home in the playoffs, but the Pistons have been the best team in the playoffs on the road, going 3-2.

The last two times the Pistons opened the Eastern Conference finals on the road (in 2004 and 2005), they won and advanced to the NBA Finals. The Pistons are 6-13 on the road against Boston in the playoffs. Their last postseason road win against the Celtics (86-75) came May 7, 1991.

Betting trends: Pistons are 1-11 ATS in their last 12 Conference Finals games. ... Pistons are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games playing on 3 or more days rest. ... Celtics are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 1 days rest. ... Celtics are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 home games vs. a team with a winning road record. ... Under is 10-2 in Pistons' last 12 road games. ... Road team is 7-1 ATS in the last 8 meetings. ... Under is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings.

MLB odds: A-Rod back for Yanks

The sputtering Yankees will get a much-needed boost for tonight's game against Baltimore when Alex Rodriguez returns to the lineup; New York opened as a -145 money line betting favorite (over/under: 9) on WagerWeb.com.

The three-time American League MVP has been in Tampa working in extended spring games testing his strained right quadriceps.

Coming off Sunday's full workout, in which Rodriguez said it was the "best" he's felt since the injury, the third baseman breezed through about five innings on Monday, and overall said he was happy with the work done in Florida.

"I'm excited to get back into Yankee Stadium and play baseball," said Rodriguez. "It's where I belong."

The Yankees are currently last in the AL East and have dropped five of their past six games.

The team went 6-11 with him on the DL. He watched them muster three hits Sunday in the 11-2 loss to the New York Mets. The Yankees, still without catcher Jorge Posada, have scored just 12 runs in their last six games.

Without two of their main offensive cogs, the Yankees are tied with Baltimore for 11th in the AL in runs (179). Only Toronto (177) and Kansas City (165) are worse.

"You can't hang your hat on one player," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "It's going to take 25, and for us, it's taken about 32 or 33 so far. It's going to continue to take that. Obviously, we're getting a great player back, hopefully on Tuesday. But he can't do it alone. Everyone has to contribute."

Rodriguez acknowledged that he had been watching the games, and while he has "no predictions" for what will happen when the club inserts his bat into the lineup, he did note that it has been "tough to [just] watch."Prior to the injury, which occurred running out a grounder vs. the Orioles on April 28, Rodriguez was hitting .286 with a .495 slugging percentage and 11 RBIs in 24 games.

Tonight's opponent, the Orioles, won the first series of the year against the Yankees at Camden Yards and arrived in New York on a minor roll, winning seven of their past nine games and sweeping a two-game set from the first-place Boston Red Sox last week.

In the first game of the series, Daniel Cabrera (4-1, 3.58) will oppose Yankees veteran right-hander Mike Mussina (6-3, 3.99).

Mussina, who is 10-6 with a 4.51 ERA in 23 starts against his former team, has won five straight starts.

Last time out, against the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Mussina logged New York's only victory of the four-game series with a one-run, five-hit performance over 6 1/3 innings. He has not faced the Orioles, his former team, this season.

"Hopefully we can get another strong outing by Moose," Johnny Damon said. "He's been kind of pulling us together of late. Hopefully he goes out and pitches well, and most of all, hopefully our bats go out there and give him some help."

Cabrera beat the Yankees in mid-April and is 4-6 with a 4.81 ERA against them in 14 career outings. He has thrown seven straight quality starts overall, which is the longest streak of his career.

Orioles-Yanks betting trends: Orioles are 6-1 in their last 7 during Game 1 of a series. ... Orioles are 5-1 in their last 6 games vs. a right-handed starter. ... Yankees are 2-10 in their last 12 games as a favorite... Yankees are 5-0 in Mussina's last 5 starts. ... Under is 6-0-1 in Cabrera's last 7 starts overall. ... Under is 11-2 in Yankees' last 13 after scoring 2 runs or less in their previous game. ... Over is 6-1-1 in Mussina's last 8 starts vs. Orioles. ... Over is 5-1 in Cabrera's last 6 starts vs. Yankees.

Champions League Odds: Last hurrah for Chelsea's Grant?

Despite leading Chelsea into its first-ever Champions League final, manager Avram Grant was not able to gain a vote of confidence of returning next year from club owner Roman Abramovich in a recent meeting.

The Israeli was appointed in September to succeed Jose Mourinho after his surprising departure, and he has guided the Blues to Wednesday's Champions League final against the team that edged them for the Premier League title, Manchester United; the Red Devils are +125 money line betting favorites on WagerWeb.com for Wednesday's match in Moscow.

"It's obvious that I have something to prove in the final," Grant said. "Even if I won 10 titles in 10 years I'd still have something to prove. Its what I always tell my players, the second you think you don't have anything to prove, you're in trouble. That's sports."

A number of figures including Frank Rijkaard, Sven-Goran Eriksson, Guus Hiddink and Roberto Mancini have all been linked with the Chelsea job for next season.

Grant admits there may be changes following the final and said: "If the club is not happy with me, no problem. If I'm not happy with them and I want to leave, I don't think they will make any problems, either."

With Jose Bosingwa already recruited from Porto, Chelsea's is likely to undergo an expensive remodeling this summer as Abramovich insists on more attacking, creative football. Didier Drogba is expected to play his last game for the club on Wednesday, while several other players could leave including Frank Lampard.Grant will not be cast adrift by friend and boss Abramovich, but a replacement coach is still being sought with Grant likely to revert to the director of football role he occupied before Mourinho's departure. Grant had never managed outside Israel and it was suggested he only got the job because of his friendship with Abramovich.

Mancini, fresh from leading Inter Milan to a third consecutive Serie A title, already reportedly has made it clear that he would like to be considered for the job.

Grant believes that it will take something extraordinary in the Champions League final to change his fate.

"At this club, at Chelsea, every draw is a tragedy," Grant said. "You need to win every game. It's good, for sure, to want to be the best and to have that pressure. You know when you're at a top club. We won nine games in a row, which was a record, and then drew - and it was a disaster.

"We'll talk about next year after the final."

Meanwhile, UEFA has announced that that Slovakian referee Lubos Michel will take charge of the Champions League final.

Michel was the referee who awarded a highly controversial goal to Liverpool against Chelsea in the semifinals of the competition in 2005.

Then Chelsea manager Mourinho always insisted the shot from Luis Garcia had never crossed the line.

Michel is one of the top referees in the world, however, and is highly experienced having officiated at both Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, including the Germany-Argentina game in the first knockout round.

Tennis odds: Roddick out of French Open

The best American hope to win the French Open, which begins Sunday in Paris, has pulled out of tennis' second major of the season.

Andy Roddick, ranked No. 6 in the world but not a super clay player, withdrew due to a right shoulder injury.

Roddick, who lost in the first round at Roland Garros the last two years, retired from the semifinals of the Rome Masters on May 10. He then skipped the Hamburg Masters but had been expected to play this week at the World Team Cup in Duesseldorf.

However, Roddick has star power, having won the 2003 U.S. Open and reaching three other Grand Slam finals, losing twice to Roger Federer at Wimbledon and once to him at the U.S. Open.

Roddick was hurt earlier this month in the Italian Masters when he was forced to retire in the first set of a semifinal match against Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka.

"He (Roddick) is still struggling with his shoulder injury," said John Roddick, Andy's brother who is captaining the United States team at this week's World Team Cup. "It's a real pity, because Andy was playing his best ever tennis on the clay. He is really disappointed.

"Last Friday, the pain came back, he went to see his specialist and after being looked at, he decided to withdraw."

Roddick, a two-time winner on the ATP tour this year, is hoping to be back in action at Queen's Club for the major warm-up tournament for Wimbledon."He needs to take a good 10 days, 12 days, just rest," John Roddick said.

The third round is as far as Roddick has progressed at Roland Garros, in his debut in 2001, with second-round exits coming in 2004 and 2005.

Meanwhile, Australia's best player, Lleyton Hewitt, said he'll practice at Roland Garros this week before deciding whether to take part in the tournament.

The world No. 26 player and former U.S. Open and Wimbledon champ has been suffering from a hip injury. Hewitt sustained the injury at the Masters Series tournament in Indian Wells in March and already withdrew from the clay-court tournaments in Rome and Hamburg.

"I thought it best to go to Paris and start my originally planned preparation, in the hope that the hip will be OK for me to compete,' Hewitt said. "I am being optimistic about playing the French and also the grass-court season, especially Wimbledon.'

The former world No. 1 last year failed to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal for the first time since 1999. His best results came at the French Open and Wimbledon, where he made the fourth round. He has an 11-7 record this year.Of course, the French Open already is without former women's world No. 1 Justine Henin, who shockingly announced her immediate retirement from tennis last week. She is the three-time reigning champion of this event.

Bet on the French Open at WagerWeb.com

NHL odds: Red Wings vs. Stars

That the Detroit Red Wings are even in a Game 6 on Monday night against the Dallas Stars would have been unfathomable a few games ago when the Stars had even yet to lead in the series and were down 3-0.

But now the pressure is on the Wings after dropping the past two games. In fact, Wings coach Mike Babcock said he might make lineup changes for Game 6, in which Detroit is a -135 money line betting favorite (over/under: 5) on WagerWeb.com.

"Right at game time, you're going to know," Babcock said.

One change Babcock would like to make is to get forward Johan Franzen back in the lineup. Detroit won its first two games in this series without the "Mule," who has been sidelined with concussion-like symptoms, to extend its playoff winning streak to a franchise-record nine games.

But not having Franzen, the playoffs' top goal scorer, finally may be taking a toll as Detroit has only managed a goal in each of the past two games.

In addition, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, the Red Wings' two leading scorers during the regular season, were shut down in Games 4 and 5.

Datsyuk has not scored since his hat trick in the Red Wings' 5-2 victory in Game 3, and Zetterberg had a three-game goal streak snapped Saturday.

Detroit likely will again have to find a way to win without Franzen. Babcock said Sunday that Franzen no longer has persistent headaches, but has not been cleared to practice.

That still leaves Daniel Cleary, Valtteri Filppula and Mikael Samuelsson to man the second line. But from Game 2 on, the three have produced just one assist."This game can't be won with just Pav and Hank," center Kris Draper said. "Everyone has to realize that. We need everybody going. We need some other guys to step up. Put pressure on myself to score, Kirk Maltby to score, Dan Cleary, Filppula. Guys like that have to step up and take a little bit of pressure off Pav and Hank. Those guys are playing unbelievable, they're creating a lot of opportunities and it didn't go in."

And now the Stars are confident they can finish what would be a historic comeback.

"I think that's crept into all of us a little bit," Dallas captain Brenden Morrow said. "It's building. We're getting a little more of that feeling. None of us will be content just to make a series out of it. We want to win this thing."

Detroit, however, has lost four straight games only once all season.

"We still have to stay loose as a group," Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom said. "I think the experience really helps when you're in a situation like this."

Dallas is the 13th team out of 153 to turn a 3-0 deficit into a 3-2 series. Only five have forced a deciding game, and only two have come all the way back to win the series. Toronto did it in 1942. The New York Islanders did it 33 years later, in 1975.

The Stars are the fifth team in the past 20 years to force a Game 6 after being three games down. All four previous teams (San Jose this year, Colorado in 2004, Carolina in 2001 and Hartford in 1988) have each been eliminated in Game 6.

Dallas will be without Jere Lehtinen (groin injury), Stu Barnes (concussion-like symptoms), Mark Fistric (mono) and Philippe Boucher (hip strain) for Game 6.

Betting trends: Red Wings are 7-1 in their last 8 when their opponent allows 2 goals or less in their previous game. ... Stars are 1-4 in their last 5 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game. ... Over is 5-1-1 in Red Wings' ½ last 7 road games. ... Under is 6-1-2 in Stars� last 9 overall. ... Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Dallas. ... Red Wings are 12-4-3 in the last 19 meetings in Dallas.

MLB odds: Rays vs. A's

If the baseball season ended today (it doesn't), the Tampa Bay Rays

So is this club for real? At home, it appears yes, as the Rays are 16-8 at Tropicana Field.

However, the team is 9-11 away from home, dropping two of three in St. Louis over the weekend, and begins a three-game series in Oakland on Monday night – with the Rays slight -118 money line betting favorites (over/under: 7.5) on WagerWeb.com for the opener.

Two good young pitchers face off tonight, although both have been finding wins hard to come by lately.

Tampa Bay's James Shields (4-3, 3.05 ERA) looks to avoid a third straight losing decision on the road. The right-hander allowed two runs and six hits in 7 1-3 innings, but took the loss as Tampa Bay fell 2-1 to the visiting New York Yankees on Wednesday.

Shields are 1-2 with a 6.10 ERA away from home, but 2-1 with a 4.05 ERA against Oakland. In his lone career start at McAfee Coliseum, he yielded just one run and four hits while racking up nine strikeouts to beat Oakland on April 27 of the 2007 season.

Oakland starts Joe Blanton (2-6, 3.69). The right-hander gave up a pair of solo home runs and two other hits in seven innings of Oakland's 2-0 loss at Cleveland on Wednesday. He has allowed no more than two earned runs in each of his last four starts.

Blanton is 2-3 with a 6.06 ERA in seven starts against Tampa Bay but 0-5 with a 3.66 ERA this year in his seven starts at the Coliseum.

Tampa Bay went 6-4 against the A's in 2007, winning two of three at Oakland last April.

Historically, Oakland has been the toughest opposing city to play in for the Rays, evidenced by their 10-35 franchise record at McAfee Coliseum. In 15 visits to Oakland, they have won only two series.Additionally, the Rays' overall record against the A's is 31-63 (.330), the second-worst mark against an opponent, ahead of only their 26-55 (.321) mark against the Indians.

Rays-A's betting trends: Rays are 8-2 in Shields' last 10 starts as a favorite. ... Rays are 1-10 in Shields' last 11 road starts vs. a team with a winning record. ... Athletics are 12-3 in their last 15 after allowing 5 runs or more in their previous game. ... Athletics are 1-6 in Blanton's last 7 starts during game 1 of a series. ... Under is 13-3 in Rays' last 16 games as a favorite of -110 to -150. ... Under is 13-3 in Blanton's last 16 home starts with the total set at 7.0-8.5. ... Under is 6-1-2 in the last 9 meetings in Oakland.

HALLADAY PUSHED BACK: Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay made a relief appearance in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Phillies. That's fairly notable since it was his first since July 2, 2001.

He went 2 1/3 innings, giving up one hit and no runs, striking out two. However, his scheduled start Tuesday now will be pushed all the way back to Saturday.

"Just after it started raining, I told them that I'd be ready if they wanted me," said Halladay. "I just figured it was a numbers thing. It was different. It wasn't like a scramble to get ready. There were only two guys in the 'pen when I got there. I don't want to do it again, but it was fun."

The Jays are playing some of their best baseball, winning six of their past seven after taking two of three from the Phillies over the weekend.

"I like the way we're playing right now," Toronto catcher Gregg Zaun said. "All that counts at this level is that you win - no excuses. We've been a little banged up, but our starting pitchMLB odds: Rays vs. A's

If the baseball season ended today (it doesn't), the Tampa Bay Rays would be your American League wild card team.

So is this club for real? At home, it appears yes, as the Rays are 16-8 at Tropicana Field.

However, the team is 9-11 away from home, dropping two of three in St. Louis over the weekend, and begins a three-game series in Oakland on Monday night – with the Rays slight -118 money line betting favorites (over/under: 7.5) on WagerWeb.com for the opener.

Two good young pitchers face off tonight, although both have been finding wins hard to come by lately.

Tampa Bay's James Shields (4-3, 3.05 ERA) looks to avoid a third straight losing decision on the road. The right-hander allowed two runs and six hits in 7 1-3 innings, but took the loss as Tampa Bay fell 2-1 to the visiting New York Yankees on Wednesday.

Shields are 1-2 with a 6.10 ERA away from home, but 2-1 with a 4.05 ERA against Oakland. In his lone career start at McAfee Coliseum, he yielded just one run and four hits while racking up nine strikeouts to beat Oakland on April 27 of the 2007 season.

Oakland starts Joe Blanton (2-6, 3.69). The right-hander gave up a pair of solo home runs and two other hits in seven innings of Oakland's 2-0 loss at Cleveland on Wednesday. He has allowed no more than two earned runs in each of his last four starts.

Blanton is 2-3 with a 6.06 ERA in seven starts against Tampa Bay but 0-5 with a 3.66 ERA this year in his seven starts at the Coliseum.

Tampa Bay went 6-4 against the A's in 2007, winning two of three at Oakland last April.

Historically, Oakland has been the toughest opposing city to play in for the Rays, evidenced by their 10-35 franchise record at McAfee Coliseum. In 15 visits to Oakland, they have won only two series.

Additionally, the Rays' overall record against the A's is 31-63 (.330), the second-worst mark against an opponent, ahead of only their 26-55 (.321) mark against the Indians.

Rays-A's betting trends: Rays are 8-2 in Shields' last 10 starts as a favorite. ... Rays are 1-10 in Shields' last 11 road starts vs. a team with a winning record. ... Athletics are 12-3 in their last 15 after allowing 5 runs or more in their previous game. ... Athletics are 1-6 in Blanton's last 7 starts during game 1 of a series. ... Under is 13-3 in Rays' last 16 games as a favorite of -110 to -150. ... Under is 13-3 in Blanton's last 16 home starts with the total set at 7.0-8.5. ... Under is 6-1-2 in the last 9 meetings in Oakland.

HALLADAY PUSHED BACK: Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay made a relief appearance in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Phillies. That's fairly notable since it was his first since July 2, 2001.

He went 2 1/3 innings, giving up one hit and no runs, striking out two. However, his scheduled start Tuesday now will be pushed all the way back to Saturday.

"Just after it started raining, I told them that I'd be ready if they wanted me," said Halladay. "I just figured it was a numbers thing. It was different. It wasn't like a scramble to get ready. There were only two guys in the 'pen when I got there. I don't want to do it again, but it was fun."

The Jays are playing some of their best baseball, winning six of their past seven after taking two of three from the Phillies over the weekend.

"I like the way we're playing right now," Toronto catcher Gregg Zaun said. "All that counts at this level is that you win - no excuses. We've been a little banged up, but our starting pitching will keep us in any game."

In addition, shortstop David Eckstein, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list May 8 with a strained right hip flexor, is expected back Thursday, when the Blue Jays host the Angels.

Bet on the Angels-Jays series at WagerWeb.com ing will keep us in any game."

In addition, shortstop David Eckstein, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list May 8 with a strained right hip flexor, is expected back Thursday, when the Blue Jays host the Angels.

Bet on the Angels-Jays series at WagerWeb.com would be your American League wild card team.