Rangers-Caps, 4 NBA Playoff Games Headline Tuesday Betting

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Bulls try to get ahead of the Celtics, the Capitals try to finish off the Rangers, and the Twins continue to take on the Rays.

Arlen Specter switching parties good for gambling rights…

Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter is switching parties, going from a left-leaning Republican to the Democratic Party. Because Democrats have actually positioned themselves to the right of the Republican Party when it comes to personal responsibility and creating additional forms of revenue, this is good news for those who want to lift Prohibition II, the war on gambling rights.

Tipping off on the hardwood  . . .

Top sportsbooks are taking wagers on Geelong AFL, NBA playoff odds, NHL odds and MLB odds.   

There are two NBA playoff games in each of the conferences on the Tuesday night schedule, with the East featuring Chicago at Boston and Philadelphia at Orlando, and the West giving us Dallas at San Antonio and Houston at Portland.

The two East series are knotted up at two games apiece. In Boston the Celtics will be looking to bounce back from a 121-118 road overtime loss on Sunday, as Derrick Rose led the Bulls' attack with 23 points and 11 boards. Oddsmakers like Boston in Game 5 on Tuesday, as they're pegged as 7-point home favorites. The Sixers got back into their series on Sunday as well, edging the Magic 84-81 in Philadelphia. Andre Miller led a balanced Sixers offense with 17 points in the win.

In the West both series could end on Tuesday night, as Dallas and Houston both hold 3-1 edges in the sets. The Mavericks rolled past the Spurs 99-90 at home in Game 4 on the weekend, as Josh Howard poured in 28 points in the victory. Still, San Antonio is favored by 5.5 points in Game 5. The Rockets got 21 points and 12 rebounds from Yao Ming in their 89-88 home win over the Trail Blazers in Game 4 Sunday. Brandon Roy tossed in 31 points in a losing cause for Portland.

Sports headlines…

A day after signing the top undrafted free agent, California University of PA Vulcan QB Brian McCabe, the Pittsburgh Steelers have cut linebacker Larry Foote. McCabe will be the best player who was overlooked in the 2009 NFL draft says OffshoreInsiders.com  CEO Joe Duffy. The fact Duffy graduated from Cal PA is a mere coincidence.

Sports picks…

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Meeting up on the diamond . . .

Francisco Liriano will be looking to shake off his early-season struggles on Tuesday night when his Twins play host to the Rays in American League action. The lefthander has started the season 0-4 with an ugly 7.06 ERA, and he gave up seven earned runs over four innings vs. the Red Sox last time out. The Rays will counter with James Shields; the righthander is 2-2 with a 3.67 ERA this year.

Also on the Junior Circuit slate for Tuesday: the Angels at Baltimore, Boston at Cleveland, the Yankees at Detroit, Oakland at Texas, Toronto at Kansas City, and a doubleheader between Seattle and the White Sox in Chicago. Projected M's starter Felix Hernandez is undefeated at 3-0 so far this year, posting a 3.12 ERA over his 26 innings of work.

Meanwhile, the National League schedule for Tuesday includes Florida at the Mets, Houston at Cincinnati, St. Louis at Atlanta, Pittsburgh at Milwaukee, San Diego at Colorado, the Cubs at Arizona, the Dodgers at San Francisco, and Washington at Philadelphia. The Nats will have to contend with Phillies ace Cole Hamels in that one, although the lefthander is just 0-2 with a 9.69 ERA this year.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

The National Hockey League offers up a pair of Game 7's on Tuesday night, with the Rangers and Washington and Carolina at New Jersey. The Capitals tied up their first-round series at three games apiece on Sunday, blowing past New York 5-3. Tom Poti had a goal and three assists in that win, and Simeon Varlamov made 29 saves. Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist allowed five goals on 20 shots.

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes forced a deciding game in their series with the Devils by blanking New Jersey 4-0 on Sunday. Cam Ward made 28 stops for the shutout in that contest, while Ray Whitney scored a goal and added three assists to pace Carolina's attack. Eric Staal had two markers for the Canes. Martin Brodeur took the loss in nets for the Devils, stopping just 33 of 37 Carolina shots.