The finale of the three-game series between the Yankees and Red Sox pits C.C. Sabathia against Josh Beckett. Sabathia has not worked as an underdog this season, while Beckett has not been favored just twice - a pair of road starts against the Yankees.
The early line had both aces at -104. Beckett moved to -110 late Saturday, making Sabathia an underdog for the first time this year.
Dallas do-overs
Are there going to be longer and better punt returns in Dallas Cowboys' home games? It's possible.
The Cowboys played their first game at their new stadium Friday, and in the third quarter Tennessee's A.J. Trapasso hit the monstrous scoreboard that hangs 90 feet above the field with one of his punts. The rule is that any punt hitting the 60-yard wide scoreboard is ruled dead and the down is replayed.
Obviously, only the best punts have a chance of hitting the scoreboard. But Trapasso is Tennessee's second-string punter and said he hit it three times in practice. Starter Craig Hentrich hit it a dozen times. If a punter keeps hitting the scoreboard with his kicks and creating down replays, the coverage team gets tired and eventually the punter has to kick the ball lower, which allows for better returns.
The scoreboard can be raised, although Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says he does not intend to raise it for football. But Titans coach Jeff Fisher, who is on the competition committee, says it is an issue that needs to be addressed because officials are watching for illegal blocks and not whether a punt hits a hanging structure.
Sweet Lou not through
Lou Piniella, who walked away from his last two managerial jobs in Seattle and Tampa Bay, said he will return to manage the Chicago Cubs in 2010. Piniella's announcement could have a positive effect on the rest of the season as the players know they do not have a lame-duck manager and will be expected to perform.
The Cubs are still on the fringes of the National League Central Division and Wild Card races, trailing each by five games in the loss column with about a quarter of the season remaining. They are struggling on their West Coast trip but return home Monday for a nine-game homestand vs. Washington, the New York Mets and Houston. They are +800 to win the Wild Card.
Elite Eighty
Through Friday, the Minnesota Lynx were 10-4 straight up when scoring at least 80 points and 1-10 when scoring less than 80.
Against the spread, the numbers are almost the same - 9-5 ATS when scoring 80 or more and 2-9 ATS when held below 80.
Vote for Pedro
Pedro Martinez will be back in New York for the first time since September, when he went winless in four starts and contributed to the Mets' collapse.
It will be interesting to see what kind of reaction Mets fans have for Martinez, who is -175 even though he has needed extensive bullpen help in both of his starts for Philadelphia.
No bull: New York can't score
Red Bull New York is hosting Dallas FC and looking to end a pair of long scoring droughts. New York hasn't scored vs. Dallas at home in 262 minutes since May 24, 2006. And it hasn't scored at all in its last two-plus matches.
Since a 4-1 victory at San Jose May 8, New York has led for five minutes in its last 13 matches.
Vlad the Impacter
Designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero had a hot streak that saw him bat .444 (12-for-27) with four homers and eight RBI as the Angels went 5-1. Over the next three games, he was 1-for-12 as the Angels lost twice.
On Saturday, Guerrero snapped out of it with two hits, including a homer, when the Angels beat the Blue Jays. They are +116 at Toronto Sunday.
Roger, over and out
Roger Federer ended a surprising four-match losing streak to Andy Murray with a straight-sets victory as a -125 favorite in the semifinals of the ATP Masters tournament in Cincinnati, improving to just 3-6 in the all-time series.
In the final, Federer will face either Novak Djokovic or nemesis Rafael Nadal, who are playing in Saturday night's semifinal.
Djokovic is +140 and Nadal is -180 in the semifinal.
Federer is 7-4 all-time vs. Djokovic but has lost both matchups this year and four of the last seven. Federer is just 7-13 vs. Nadal, who appears to be working his way through the knee tendinitis that forced him to miss Wimbledon.
Federer ended a five-match losing streak to Nadal by beating him on clay in Madrid earlier this year. He figures to be a slight favorite over Nadal and a bigger favorite over Djokovic.
Sergio needs a surge
Favorite Sergio Garcia is well within striking distance through three rounds of the PGA Tour's Wyndham Championship, but most of the other top picks have fallen off the pace.
Garcia is +1000 to win the tournament, which many top players skipped after last week's PGA Championship. Chris Riley, who is part of the even-money field, is the leader. Justin Rose also is in the hunt at a relatively short +3000.
U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover (+1200) has dropped back, David Toms (+2000) has no chance and K.J. Choi (+2000) missed the cut.
Helpful notes for Sunday 8/23
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