AL Notebook: Cano finally starting to 'get it' with Yankees

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07/12/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It wasn't long ago that there were some people inside the New York Yankees organization who wanted to deal Robinson Cano.

Some felt he was too lazy in the field. Others didn't like his approach at the plate. His harshest critics noted that his poor starts were likely the result of being unprepared as the season started.

Not helping matters any was a lackadaisical approach to it all. It often looked as if Cano would rather be out at the clubs with his buddy Melky Cabrera than at second base for the most famous franchise in sports.

Things reached rock-bottom for Cano in Anaheim on an August Sunday in 2008. The Yankees were on the verge of being swept by the Angels and manager Joe Girardi called him out, basically saying he needed a better effort from Cano following a ground ball that got past him, leading to a blown save for Mariano Rivera.

A lot of people thought that may have been the final straw for the Yankees and Cano. Even with a strong second half, there were whispers that he was on the block, and that the big finish to the year only enhanced his trade value.

Cano heard the rumors and got the message loud and clear. Cano spent the offseason working with hitting coach Kevin Long and the work paid off, as he started 2009 red-hot, hitting .366 in April, or more than 100 points better than his 2008 start.

Cano had his finest all-around year as a pro last season, hitting .320 with 25 home runs and 85 RBI, while playing a magnificent second base for the World Series Champions. Still, though, there were skeptics. People pointed to his abysmal .207 average with runners in scoring position, that was even worse in similar situations with two outs (.204).

Again, Cano got the message and responded with one of his own.

Following another winter's worth of work with Long, there wasn't a better player in the American League through the first two months of the season than Robinson Cano. He's been the MVP of the best team in baseball in the first half of the year, and that's saying something given the wealth of talent on this team.

Cano hit a blistering .400 in April with eight home runs, coming through time and time again for the Yankees in every spot possible. He has hit .340 with RISP this season, while for the most part carrying a Yankees offense that up until recently was getting nothing from Alex Rodriguez or Mark Teixeira.

People have said that Cano is a batting champion waiting to happen. Often compared to seven-time hitting champion Rod Carew, Cano led the majors in batting for most of the first half. He is 10 points back of Texas' Josh Hamilton as we head into the break, but Cano has always been a second-half player. Don't be shocked if batting title No. 1 comes this year.

If that happens, I am not sure what negative point his critics will try to make this offseason. I am quite certain, though, that Cano will respond accordingly.

GIRARDI TABS TAMPA'S DAVID PRICE TO START

American League manager Joe Girardi named Tampa Bay lefty David Price as his starter for Tuesday night's Mid-Summer Classic, making the 24-year-old hurler the youngest pitcher to start the game since a 23-year-old Dwight Gooden took the ball for the National League in 1988.

"It's a definitely an honor," Price stated. "It hasn't set in yet. I'm very happy to be here."

The top overall pick in the 2007 draft, Price is 12-4 with a 2.42 ERA and 100 strikeouts this season for the Rays. He is one of six pitchers all-time under 25 years of age to reach 12 wins, an ERA below 2.50 and 100 strikeouts heading into the All-Star break, and the first in 25 years since Roger Clemens did so in 1986 (15-2, 2.48 ERA, 146 strikeouts).

He is also the youngest to be leading either the AL or NL in wins and ERA at the All-Star break since 23-year-old Scott Erickson with Minnesota in 1991 (12 wins, 1.83 ERA).

The lineup for the American League will open with Seattle right fielder Ichiro Suzuki, who will be followed by New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and Detroit first baseman Miguel Cabrera, who is replacing the injured Justin Morneau of Minnesota.

Texas center fielder Josh Hamilton will bat cleanup, with Rangers slugger and former Angels star Vladimir Guerrero next as the designated hitter. Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria will hit sixth, followed by Minnesota catcher Joe Mauer, Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano and Rays left fielder Carl Crawford.

"You look at numbers and how guys have performed," said Girardi when asked how he constructed his lineup. "We have quality RBI guys in the middle of the lineup and speed at the top and bottom."

ADRIAN BELTRE REPLACED BY MICHAEL YOUNG?

It seemed like a innocent comment at the time when Girardi announced that Boston third baseman Adrian Beltre would be replaced on the roster by Texas' Michael Young.

The only problem was that it appears to be news to Beltre, who is dealing with a hamstring issue. I am guessing Beltre will try to give it a go and see how Tuesday's workout goes. Should he not be able to play, I imagine Young would get the nod.

By the way if Beltre does in fact sit the game out, he would be the fourth of the six Red Sox All-Stars replaced because of injury with lefty Jon Lester and designated hitter David Ortiz ranking as the only ones left to suit up.

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NFL Football Sports Betting

Two playoff teams from 2007 take center stage on the NFL Network Sunday night in a Week 2 NFL betting match-up when the (0-1) New England Patriots betting head south to Florida for a contest with the (1-0) Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

New England HC Bill Belichick couldn’t care less about the way his team plays in the preseason. With a chance to tie last week’s game with the Baltimore Ravens betting, He elected to go for the two-point conversion and outright victory. The conversion failed, and the Pats ended up falling to the Ravens by a 16-15 final count.

New England rolled off twelve unanswered points to give it a chance at securing the victory, but it never threatened to cover the 3.5-point spread. NFL bettors saw this one coming, as they bet the Ravens down from +6 to +3.5 as the week progressed. QB Tom Brady didn’t take part in the Patriots first preseason clash, but could see action this weekend.

His three replacements all put up embarrassing numbers. They went a combined 17 for 33, and threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. The New England defense was encouraging, as they held the Ravens to 2/12 third down conversions and surrendered just ten first downs. That ‘D’ should be bolstered with the addition of former Bucs and Denver Broncos betting safety John Lynch, who could make his Patriots debut on Sunday against his former mates.

HC Jon Gruden had to be impressed with the way his Bucs played on both sides of the ball in their dominating 17-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1’s NFL pre-season betting action. Bucs bettors were quite happy with the effort, as they made a mockery of the fact that they were underdogs in the game.

The logjam at the quarterback position didn’t get any easier to separate for Gruden, as all four of his QBs had positive experiences in the first exhibition of 2008. The four combined to complete 28 of their 40 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, and that was without starting QB Jeff Garcia in the lineup.

RB Michael Bennett had 19 carries and four receptions, totaling 90 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see more of Bennett, Kenneth Darby, and Earnest Graham, as they all compete for playing time with Warrick Dunn in the backfield this season. Defensively, the Bucs recorded four sacks and held the Fins offense in check all day.

First round draft pick Aqib Talib was impressive in the secondary, recording a tackle and two pass defenses in his debut. Don’t be surprised to see Talib in the starting lineup opposite Ronde Barber for the Bucs in ’08.

The betting trends suggest that NFL bettors should be backing the Bucs in this intra-conference exhibition.

These two teams hooked up last year in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs winning that game 13-10. The Buccaneers have only lost one preseason game at home dating back to the beginning of the ’05 preseason. The Patriots have had a mixed bag of results in their recent exhibitions. They have gone 2-2 ATS and SU each of the last three years.

New England currently sits as modest 1-point favorites in this preseason showdown with the ‘total’ now sitting at 34.5.

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