Just when it seemed as though the Boston Red Sox were ready to put the past where it belongs and focus on producing wins, something just had to give once again. This time there was no reason to point the finger in blame, as the culprit came right out and apologized for his comments that created quite a buzz inside and outside of the Red Sox dressing rooms early Monday morning. Boston manager Bobby Valentine told reporters that he had apologized to third basemen Kevin Youkillis for comments that he made about him on Sunday, when he questioned his physical and emotional commitment to the game early on this year. The comments were met with hostility and emotion immediately both in the club house and in the Boston area, and while Valentine was quick to address what he said and apologize, a 1-0 loss to the division rival Tampa Bay Rays certainly didn’t help put an end to the sports betting drama.

If it was Youkillis that had not given his full commitment to the team up until Monday, then the entire Red Sox team must have imitated him against the Rays, a Betonline contest in which they managed just four hits while failing to score a single run. The timing of the Boston loss has to be called in to question since they were on the verge of completing a key sweep at Fenway Park, but then again there was no shortage of players coming forward and sounding off on the traditional Patriots’ Day holiday.

Undoubtedly the most outspoken teammate of Youkillis on the matter, second basemen and former MVP Dustin Pedroia absolutely grilled Valentine with comments that really brought to light what the situation is like in the Boston clubhouse. Pedroia called out Valentine for his comments, before going on to add, “That’s not the way we go about our stuff here. He’ll figure that out. The whole team is behind Youk. We have each other’s backs here. Maybe that works in Japan.” The baseball betting fact that Pedroia spoke up and talked about the Red Sox players being there to support one another would obviously be a very positive sign, but under these circumstances it is hard to overlook that he is undoubtedly undermining any authority that Valentine may have, even if the manager did apologize. By telling reporters openly that isn’t the way things work there, and making references to Valentine’s managing career overseas, Pedroia may have gone too far with his words.

At the end of the day, Valentine’s first loss for Boston at Fenway Park was a fitting one since the entire day was a loss for him both with his team and with the Red Sox faithful that are already calling for his head. There was no shortage of MLB blogs providing insight to what happened and how it will affect the team going forward, and while Valentine did apologize and both sides have agreed to put the incident in the past, this could be just the beginning of another tumultuous baseball season in Boston.

The Texas Rangers are going to try something new on Tuesday when they host the Seattle Mariners. This is an April baseball game that will receive an unusual amount of attention.
Seattle Mariners @ Texas Rangers – Tuesday, April 10
Sports betting line: No line
Why Seattle Will Win
In the process of betting on baseball this season, you will be able to find a number of games that jump out at you as anything but ordinary. Such is the case for this particular game at The Ballpark In Arlington in Arlington, Texas. The Texas Rangers are making a bold move by taking their closer from last season, fireballing Neftali Feliz, and converting him into a starter. On Tuesday night, the two-time defending American League champions will show that they’re willing to leave a comfort zone in search of something more. Despite having won the last two A.L. pennants, the Rangers want to get more innings out of Feliz than just the ninth. They want him to be a starter at the back end of manager Ron Washington’s rotation. This is a risky move, given that Feliz was quite formidable and generally very effective as a closer. Feliz, like any closer, has had to learn to cultivate the attitude, energy and focus of a man whose task is to get three outs in a game on most occasions. Being a closer requires a certain kind of mentality, and now Feliz has to occupy the very different world of a starting pitcher. He needs to get at least 17 to 20 outs, not just three. He needs to pace himself instead of blowing smoke the moment he enters a game. Feliz has to rely more constantly on three pitches, not just his fastball or even just his two-pitch combination, the fastball and the change-up. Feliz will need to add a strong curveball to the mix so that he can bring more out pitches to the table. In April, it’s anything but a sure thing that Feliz will be on his game. In fact, one should expect rust rather than crispness in Feliz’s first start. This will give the Seattle Mariners an excellent chance to win.
Why Texas Will Win
When you do your homework and assess your sports bet on this game, you just have to look at the fact that Texas still has a very complete team with a formidable batting order, one that has very few weaknesses and essentially no easy outs. Even if Seattle scores five runs against Texas, the Rangers’ bats could very well produce six runs. This is a two-time defending league champion for a reason, and it is entirely fair to consider the Rangers the favorite to win the American League yet again in 2012. As long as the Mariners don’t blow Texas away in the first five innings, the Rangers can win the final four innings and ultimately prevail.
Who Will Win
It’s tempting to pick Texas at home because the Rangers are simply a better team, but the transition being experienced by Neftali Feliz is likely to be bumpy at first. Feliz will probably settle in when late May or early June arrive, but he should be very rusty and ineffective in his first regular-season start. Take Seattle.
MLB Baseball Betting Pick: Seattle

So, the online betting season for NBA fans tipped off on Tuesday with a massive matchup between two of the title contenders, Boston and Cleveland. How did these two fare in Game No.1?

The Cavs got off to a quick start in the first quarter before the Celtics’ veteran experience kicked in, and they outscored Cleveland 30-17 in the second quarter. The Boston reserves outscored their counterparts 26-10, thanks in large part to Rasheed Wallace, who notched 12 in his debut. The pickup of Wallace is seen to be a boost to the Celtics’ NBA odds, as he can spell Kevin Garnett, who had 13 points and 10 boards. Paul Pierce has 23 and 11 boards to lead the way for the Celtics.

How about the Cavs, one of the trendy sportsbook picks this year? It was similar to last year. LeBron James had 38 and eight assists, but the next highest Cav was Mo Williams with 12, and he was only 3-of-8 from the field. Shaquille O’Neal had 10 and 10 in his Cleveland debut, and that’s all they really need from him. But they need secondary scoring, preferably from Williams and Anthony Parker.

So, what can we take away from this game? Not much. It’s the first game in a long, long season. All we know is, these two will be there at the end of the season, and this is just a prelude to a rivalry that’s gone from budding to full-on.

PS: I’m going to throw in World Series picks as much as I can. Take the Yankees in Game 1. Sabathia edges Lee in a pitcher’s duel, while Cleveland Indians fans slit their wrists.

Since all is quiet on the online betting front in terms of basketball, let’s turn to the baseball diamond, where the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will meet once again in another edition of baseball’s best rivalry.

I expect the Yankees to continue their solid play by taking two of three at Fenway Park, where they were swept earlier this year. The Yankees lost their first eight meetings of the season against the Red Sox, but gained some revenge with a sweep at Yankees Stadium at the beginning of August. Andy Pettitte and A.J. Burnett should be your MLB picks on Friday and Saturday, but the best matchup of the weekend comes on Sunday, when 14-game winners C.C. Sabathia and Josh Beckett square off. Beckett is coming off a rough outing in Toronto, while Sabathia has given up only three runs in his last 23.2 innings of work. But Beckett gets up for the Yankees every time, going 2-0 in four outings against them in 2009, and there is no way he’ll let the Red Sox, the Northbet Pick, get swept at home, especially by their bitter rivals. He’ll save them from an offshore sportsbook sweep.