Yanks sting Devil Rays in first game of doubleheader

Baseball Betting Lines

07/21/2007 - Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hideki Matsui and Shelley Duncan each hit two- run homers as the New York Yankees defeated the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 7-3, in the first game of a doubleheader.

Robinson Cano went 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored for the Yankees, who avoided losing three straight. Bobby Abreu and Andy Phillips each had two hits in the victory.

New York starter Kei Igawa pitched five frames, allowing two runs on seven hits. Igawa also fanned six and walked three. Luis Vizcaino (7-2) was credited with the victory after pitching a scoreless sixth.

Jason Hammel came out of the bullpen to start for Tampa Bay and pitched just four innings, giving up two runs on three hits. He was then optioned down to Triple-A Durham after the game.

"Today I felt real good," said Hammel. "My rhythm was good and everything just felt real good on the mound. It was a great line-up (to face) and I thought I did pretty well. I felt like I had a few more (innings) in me, but I don't want to get hurt on something silly. Definitely, I'd like to be a starter but I'll take any role if I can help the club. It's bittersweet (being sent to the minors), but hopefully I'll be back real soon."

Jae Kuk Ryu (1-2) absorbed the loss after allowing five runs on four hits in only 1 2/3 innings.

B.J. Upton, Ty Wigginton and Raul Casanova all hit solo home runs for the Devil Rays, who have lost two of their last three games.

With the game tied at 2-2, the Yankees plated five runs with two outs in the sixth to take control. Abreu singled to start things and Alex Rodriguez was hit by a pitch. Matsui and Jorge Posada followed with strikeouts before Cano picked them up and singled home Abreu. A base hit by Phillips brought two more runs in and Duncan's two-run homer made it 7-2.

"It was a changeup, and the ball started in my zone and I committed to it," said Duncan, who was pushed from the dugout by his Yankee teammates in response to a curtain call from the fans. "I just really made sure I wanted to stay on it, because the at-bat before I came off (the pitch), and I struck out. I wasn't going to let that happen again."

"It was really a special game," Duncan added. "I never really expected (the standing ovation). It was probably one of the coolest things I've ever been a part of."

Tampa Bay made it a four-run game in the eighth after Casanova hit a home run off Scott Proctor.

The D-Rays loaded the bases in the ninth with two outs, but Mariano Rivera struck out Jonny Gomes to end the game.

Home runs by Upton in the first inning and Wigginton in the second gave the Devil Rays an early 2-0 lead.

The score remained tied until Matsui launched a two-run homer in the fourth frame to even the score. Rodriguez walked with one out before Matsui belted his 15th homer of the season.

Game Notes

Duncan's home run was the first of his career...Tampa Bay outfielder Carl Crawford left the game in the fifth inning with a sprained left ankle and will not play in the second game of the doubleheader...Scheduled starting pitchers for the night cap of the doubleheader are Matt DeSalvo for the Yankees and J.P. Howell for the Devil Rays.

Wwwintelihealth Baseball Betting News

<< Ortiz day-to-day with shoulder injury
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz underwent an MRI Saturday on his strained left shoulder. The MRI, taken at Massachusetts General Hospital, revealed no structural damage and Ortiz, who was out of th

<< Local favorite Francella bounced from Match Play
New Rochelle, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With no big names left entering the quarterfinal round, a local favorite breathed life into the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship. But not for long. Meaghan Francella's run as the 33rd

<< Power wins Champ Car pole in Edmonton
Edmonton, AB Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Will Power won Saturday's final qualifying session for the Rexall Grand Prix Edmonton at the Rexall Speedway. The No.5 Team Australia driver circled the 1.973-mile, 14-turn,temporary course

<< Beckham not expected to start for Galaxy
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Beckham is not expected to start for Los Angeles on Saturday night when the Galaxy host English Premiership power Chelsea in a friendly at The Home Depot Center. The international superstar has be

<< Drew, Diamondbacks edge Cubs
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stephen Drew hit a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning and the Arizona Diamondbacks held on to beat the Chicago Cubs, 3-2, in the middle contest of a three-game set at Wrigley Field. Orlando Hudson we

Wimmer a pole winner at Gateway >>
Madison, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Wimmer captured the pole for Saturday night's Gateway 250 Busch Series race at the Gateway International Raceway. The No.29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet driver circled the 1.25-mile oval in a

Photo-finish decides Virginia Derby >>
New Kent, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Long-shot Red Giant caught Strike the Deal at the wire to capture Saturday's 10th edition of the $1 million Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs. The time for the 1 1/4 miles on the turf was 1:59.62, a new track r

Bacsik, Nats shutout Rockies >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Bacsik combined with three Washington relievers on a three-hitter as the Nationals blanked the Colorado Rockies, 3-0, in the third of a four-game series at RFK Stadium. Bacsik (3-6) went

Bonds goes 0-for-2; Lincecum, leads Giants past Brewers >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barry Bonds went 0-for-2, failing to move any closer to Hank Aaron's all-time home run record, but his teammates provided enough offense to power San Francisco past the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-0, in the second

Penny struggles, still leads Dodgers past Mets >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Kemp crushed a three-run home run in a five-run fourth inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers recovered from a shaky outing by Brad Penny to beat the New York Mets, 8-6, at Dodger Stadium. Penny (12-

NFL Football Office Pool Printable Schedules
MySportsbook.com , leading online sportsbook, offers free NFL football office pool printable sheets! Run your own NFL Football Office Pool. Create your own pool, invite your friends to join. Compete with your with co-workers, friends or family for bragging rights every week. Exchange some hard hits without risk of injury -- Trash Talk with your fellow co-workers.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football sportsbook needs.

Police report: Terrell Owens hospitalized after attempt

Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.

The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"

Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.

Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.

NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.

"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.

The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.

But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.

The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"

When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.

Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.

The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.

The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.

The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.

Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.

Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."

Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.

"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."

Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.

It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.

"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."

Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.

"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."

At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.

According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.

Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.

Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.

When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.

He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.

Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.

Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.

Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.

Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.

While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.

"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.

Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.

Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your VISA Sportsbook needs.