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MLB Stadium Profiles: Yankee Stadium

Location: Bronx, New York
Capacity: 52,325
Tenants: New York Yankees and the Pinstripe Bowl game for the NCAA

Baseball fans betting on the New York Yankees have come to enjoy the luxuries of Yankee Stadium, one of the biggest buildings in the world for sports. Bettors betting on the Yankees also know that when they are at home, they have been one of the best teams in all of baseball. From 1923 to 2008, the Yankees experienced much success at the old Yankee Stadium, located across the street from their current home ground.

Over the teams 85 year tenure in the house that Ruth built, the team enjoyed much success capturing 26 World Series titles. However, prior to moving into the new Yankee Stadium, the team began to feel as cursed as the rival Boston Red Sox, as before last year's World Series win to christen the new Yankee Stadium, the Bronx Bombers had not won a championship in nine years. Conversely, although still playing at Fenway Park, the Red Sox were deemed as cursed for 86 years as prior to the team's 2004 World Series victory, they had not won a championship since trading Ruth to the Yankees after the 1918 season.

Although finally switching to a new stadium last season in 2009, talk of building a new Yankee Stadium, has been around since the 1980s. Yankee owner George Steinbrenner claimed in the 80s that the old Yankee Stadium was not safe, and that he would consider moving the team to New Jersey, to reside in the West Side Stadium which was being built on behalf of the NFL's New York Jets. However, near the end of former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's tenure in office, he supposedly reached agreements with both the Yankees and interstate rival the New York Mets on building a new stadium.

On the contrary, the next Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg created an opt out clause for the city to get out of funding the creation of both stadiums via tax payer money. As a result, construction on the new Yankee Stadium did not commence until 2006 and would not open until April 2 ^nd 2009.

Strasburg Named National League Player Of The Week

The MLB betting rookie sensation Stephen Strasburg can now add another accomplishment to his opening week repertoire: National League Player of the Week honors. The 21-year old right-hander was named the NL Player of the Week on Monday after opening his career with consecutive wins over the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Indians, in which he struck out 22 while allowing just three earned runs combined. Rarely in the online sports betting world does a rookie live up to such high expectations as were placed on Strasburg, especially in baseball, but the San Diego State product has exceeded all expectations, and looked absolutely dominant in his first two appearances.

Strasburg's 22 strikeouts for the Washington Nationals were the most for any pitcher in the majors last week, becoming the first rookie to accomplish that feat since Karl Spooner did it in 1954 with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Not only has he boosted the outlook of his own team, but as any major sports star, Strasburg's name has made its way throughout the league, and after his initial start, ticket sales in Cleveland went up by nearly 3000 in anticipation of the young pitcher starting against the Indians. That kind of star power is something the Nationals have lacked since the team arrived in Washington from Montreal. Strasburg is expected to make his third start this Friday against the Chicago White Sox.

Red Sox Season Ends On Yankees’ Bats

The sports betting world is full of all sorts of opportunities for every fan. The NHL and NBA are in playoff mood, while MLB is almost two months in the books. With baseball betting, however, it is wise to stay on top of the latest news, as the season is a marathon and teams can hit peaks or suffer major blows at any time.

The Boston Red Sox have been one of the biggest surprises of the season, and not in a good way. They have been trailing in the very competitive AL East all season, save for opening day, and though the season is young, it seems their championship hopes have been hanging in the balance for weeks.

After last night's game against the New York Yankees, it is safe to say that the Red Sox playoff hopes have officially ended. They can give up on 2010, and start preparing for 2011. And while it is only May and there is still about 120 games left to play, it is not premature.

Alex Rodriguez hit a game tying two run home run in the bottom of the ninth in Yankee Stadium last night. Later that inning, Marcus Thames ended the game and capped the Yanks comeback with a two run shot of his own as the Yankees prevailed 11-9 in a while finish in the Bronx. With the loss, the Sox fell to 19-20 and eight and half games behind first place Tampa Bay. They trail the Yankees by six and a half games; the Yanks and Rays look to battle it out for the division, with the loser earning the Wild Card spot.

There are plenty of games remaining, but the Sox simply don't have the talent. A team built on pitching has allowed the most runs in the AL. The teams ahead of them simply won't falter. Look for them to start making big changes, as they look to 2011.

Blue Jays Teasing Fans with Early Season Success

Annually since Joe Carter's World Series winning home run in 1993, the Blue Jays have been teasing their fans with early season success. This year MLB betting fans, beware as the Jays appear to have turned a corner. Year after year, the team starts out hot against the Central and West divisions, however by the end of May when they start facing the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays the team falls on its face before heading to the division's basement. Prior to the Rays recent success starting in 2008, the Jays were always a distant third. Similar to a distant cousin at a wedding, the Jays would become irrelevant by the beginning of June. This year was supposed to be another year in which they were done by June, after the team traded staff ace Roy Halladay. However, the MLB betting Gods, elected for this year to be the year that center fielder Vernon Wells finally got off to a strong start and the offense which has been anemic since 2006, would appear stronger than ever.

When placing a bet on MLB teams such as the Toronto Blue Jays, wagers have become common on betting against the team. Conversely with such a strong May in which the team set a franchise record with 54 home runs in one month, the team seems to be headed on the upswing rather than a fall from grace. For now, the pitching and batting are complimenting one another and through that, the team sits three and a half games out of first place in the division rather than 12 and a half games. Utility man Jose Bautista has been strong all year and this year's team has excelled rather than flopped under pressure. After the first two months of the season, and although still in third place, the team is having great success, however could they be teasing their fans worse than before? Last year the Jays got off to a strong start, before faltering in the month of May. After last night's victory in the series opener against the first place Rays, the team looks great and fans may be seeing the playoffs sooner rather then later.

MLB Betting – Rays Soaring Out Of The Gate

If you're going to bet on MLB, you always have to be wary about Tampa Bay, and they're showing why as they had the best record in the majors as of Tuesday. Here's why the New York Yankees have to beware of the Rays this year.

Offense

Right now, the Rays are leading the AL in runs scored, and outside of Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena, Tampa Bay doesn't have anyone you would consistently call a slugger. But they're great on the bases, which allows them to generate runs. The Rays have stolen 25 bases on 38 tries, and four of the times they've been caught came in one game.

Pitching

The Rays also pace the league in ERA, and Matt Garza is off to a flying start. James Shields hasn't been great, but he hasn't been bad, either. Jeff Niemann and Wade Davis have taken care of business in the middle to bottom of the rotation, but the X-factor is David Price, who may be ready to break out this season. The former No.1 overall pick was up and down in his first full year in the big leagues last season, but he could be a star by the end of 2010.

Revenge

The Rays may have been a bit overconfident after their run to the World Series in 2008, and they learned quickly that you can't afford to be complacent in the American League East with the Yankees and Red Sox. The Rays look hungry again, and we all know they have the talent to win, so you have to factor revenge in their online sports betting odds.