College Football Teams with Something to Prove in 2011
July 26, 2011
Frustration and failure can prove excellent motivating factors in sports. We see quality teams get beaten badly all the time, then bounce back the next game with a terrific performance with an easy win. This can also take place with teams that are off disappointing seasons. Last season Notre Dame had a new coach, a tough schedule and a ton of injuries. Despite this, the Irish rallied around each other and excelled, ending the season on a 4-0 SU/ATS run, including wins as a dog over USC and Miami....
Sports Handicapping: Money Management 101
July 25, 2011
As you gear up for the second half of the baseball season, this is a good time to talk about the importance of money management, which will carry over into football season, too. I recall an old tale about a gambler. A husband accompanied his wife to the hairdresser, which will take just over an hour. The guy goes next door to the casino and plays five dollars at the blackjack table. He proceeds to go on the roll of a lifetime, getting great hand after great hand. In an hour he’s up four-hundred...
New Coaches Hope to Upgrade College Football Programs
July 25, 2011
Football head coaches get all the glory, but top assistants can be extremely important in a team’s success or failure. Offensive and defensive coordinators have great influence on game plans and a unit’s effectiveness. There was no better example than former NY Giants’ defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, now with the Rams. He came over from the Eagles under outstanding DC Jim Johnson and was a key cog in their amazing 2007 Super Bowl run. Notre Dame overachieved and made a bowl...
Baseball Handicapping: Quality Starts
July 25, 2011
One area I pay attention to when analyzing baseball games is quality starts. Sometimes a pitcher may have a rather high ERA, but that’s not all that uncommon today. With expansion over the last decade, starting pitching has become thin and the rarest of commodities. Yes, you will find lousy pitchers throwing in the big leagues simply because there aren’t enough good starting arms, but you will also find guys who give their teams consistent quality starts even if their ERA might be higher...
Baseball: Second Half Surges 2011
July 13, 2011
The first half of the 2011 baseball season is in the books. There were surprising winners, such as the Indians, Marlins, Reds and Brewers, a lack of hitting league-wide, and some surprises such as the defending champion Giants playing close to .500 baseball. With the surprises out of the way, here’s a look at some teams that might be active at the trading deadline and primed to make a second half surge. Mariners: You can make the argument that pitching is the key to a sustained second half...
Most Anticipated Games of the 2011 College Football Season
July 12, 2011
In an early season game we have Florida St. From the ACC taking on the Big 12 Oklahoma Sooners On September 17th. These two prolific teams met last year in Oklahoma and the result was a humiliating one for the Seminoles. They were pasted pretty good by the Sooners 47-17. The Seminoles get Oklahoma at home for the first time in a series where they have lost 5 of 6 all time. The Seminoles have 16 starters back from a 10-4 team and also return 50 lettermen. The Sooners are once again the favorites in...
2011 Tour de France Odds and Betting
July 8, 2011
The Tour de France is underway over in Europe and you might be surprised how much betting interest in the race we’ve had from our players over at Bodog’s online sportsbook. Cycling isn’t a particularly popular sport in North America. It’s had its surges in media exposure, particularly during the heyday of Lance Armstrong, who won the Tour de France seven straight times from 1999 to 2005. But mostly road racing has been a European passion. Perhaps all sports fans in the United States and Canada...
MLB Handicapping: Tips and Advice on Betting Doubleheaders
July 8, 2011
It is not a stretch to say that no one in baseball likes doubleheaders. The players dislike putting forth that much effort in one day. Managers cringe at the thought of having to burn their bullpens. Umpires loathe having to sit out there for a double-dip, especially the guys that have to work the plate in one game and the field in another. The vendors and ballpark employees essentially pull a double-shift with little to nothing to show for it. And studies show that attendance in either game a doubleheader...
Baseball Betting Tips: Overlooked Edge of Speed
July 6, 2011
There’s been a huge emphasis on power in baseball over the last decade. But home runs are down this season, likely because there is so much steroid testing now. And with teams lacking power like they used to, speed can be an extremely important, and often overlooked, aspect of winning baseball. Speed isn’t simply stolen bases, although that’s one part of the equation. Speed is also the ability of a player to go from first to third, or turning a single into a double. And defense...
MLB Betting: Trades and Returning Injured Players
July 5, 2011
So who is ready to win the World Series? Well, relax , folks, it is only the end of June and baseball is a marathon. Patience and consistency are keys to being the best in baseball, the same two qualities that are necessary in the world of sports wagering. After all, it is not the hot teams in May and June that win the World Series, it is the team hottest in October. The 2002 and 2003 Angels and Marlins were great examples, along with the 2004 Red Sox and 2006 Cardinals. One year ago this week the...
