MLB Series Wagering- Cardinals at Reds

This is the time of the year when baseball really starts to get fun because there is attractive matchups like this one that has meaningful significance to the pennant races. Almost the entire season, the echoes have reverberated San Diego and Cincinnati (64-48, +13.7 units) were a great baseball story, but eventually they would come back to earth and be the mediocre teams most expected back in March. With eight weeks to go in the regular season, barring a Sands hotel-like collapse, the first place Reds aren’t going anywhere.

Cincinnati’s unemployment rate is hovering at 10 percent, but for the first time in years, the baseball team is providing a positive distraction, in a town known as a great baseball community. The Reds return home off a 5-1 divisional road trip and lead St. Louis (61- 49, -6.1) by one game in the loss column and are 11-4 since July 23, including winning nine of last 11, in which they’ve outscored the opposition 70-33. “It’s time,” manager Dusty Baker said. “They (the players) had been wanting us to focus on it but we had to focus on the Cubs. To come in here and get a sweep in Chicago (first time in five years) is big for us.”

The Cardinals are top heavy and manager Tony LaRussa knows it. If St. Louis is going to repeat as division champions, they have to play better on the road (23-31) and get more out of the back end of the rotation. For this series in the Queen City, St. Louis come fully prepared with Chris Carpenter, Jamie Garcia and Adam Wainwright as the scheduled pitchers for the Redbirds. This terrific trio is 45-24 in games they’ve started, the best in baseball.

Carpenter (12-3, 2.91 ERA) will look to get St. Louis off to a good start in the series and he has been on top of his game. The right-hander is 3-0 in last five starts (all Cardinals’ wins), with undersized ERA of 1.64. Carpenter has three wins already this season against the Reds and is 10-3 with 1.96 ERA lifetime against Cincy. Sportsbooks have St. Louis as -133 money line favorites with total Ov7.5 for this ESPN 7:10 Eastern telecast and Carpenter and the Cards are is 9-1 OVER as a favorite of -125 to -175 this season, winning by two runs per contest.

The Reds counter with their rookie Mike Leake (7-3, 3.86), who after a sensational start, might be tiring, having lost last two starts and been hit hard. His earned run average in those defeats is 7.94 and Cincinnati is 6-15 at home after a win by win six runs or more, like yesterday’s 11-4 crushing of the Cubs. That number overlaps Baker teams that frankly were not very good and this Reds bunch is 24-11 after allowing four runs or less three straight games this year.

Game 1 Edge: St. Louis

The second game of the series brings elements relating to both clubs. St. Louis knows it can leave town atop the NL Central with a sweep and might not have to look back in doing so. The task is fundamentally difficult since Cincinnati has not been swept at Great American Ball Park in more than a year, falling to Colorado over three days in late July over early August.

Granted, Albert Pujols hits against everybody, but coming into this series he’s hot even by his own standards, having gone 16 for 32 with five homers and 11 RBIs in the last seven contests. Against Cincy this campaign he’s hitting .381 with three homers and 12 RBIs. Left-hander Jamie Garcia (9-5, 2.53) got two extra days off between starts after his worst outing of the season (8 runs and 10 hits over five innings) and manager LaRussa hopes that is the right tonic to get the young pitcher back to form. The Cards are 5-1 in Garcia’s last six starts against winning squads.

Cincinnati has been battering lefties of late with 16-5 mark. Reds starter Johnny Cueto (11-2, 3.24) has been devastating with 5-1 record and 1.55 ERA over his past nine starts. Don’t expect St. Louis to load up with LH hitters, as they are only batting .221 against Cueto, compared to RH batters who hitting .274. The Reds are 6-1 in previous seven Game 2’s outings and have won all five in that exact same situation in which Cueto was the starting pitcher.

Game 2 Edge: Cincinnati

The final contest of the series is a day time affair, with Adam Wainwright trading pitches with Bronson Arroyo. Wainwright (16-6, 2.07) often is the second fiddle of the St. Louis staff, but know this, he’s only the second hurler in the Cardinals storied history to have 16 victories and an ERA that low in 24 starts to begin a season. The other is Hall of Fame great Bob Gibson. The Redbirds are 21-18 in day games and if they are favored by -200 or less with Wainwright the pitcher, the Cards are 8-0.

Arroyo (12-6. 3.83) is in the Top 20 of units won at +6.4 in baseball. His career shows a pitcher who runs like a Moet faucet, hot or cold. He’s being scalding with 2.62 ERA in previous 10 starts and has not given up a run in consecutive starts. His changing speeds on his curveball has been wicked, with batters hitting a meek .177 against him. He and the Reds are 6-2 as underdogs and 22-18 under natural light.

Game 3 Edge: Cincinnati

Had my string of five series wins in a row snapped last week; however I feel I get back on track here. The Cardinals have the pitching edge with their exceptional starters, yet they 2-7 in road series since May and are 9-17 in traveling gray uniforms. The play here is the excited home underdog with a lot to prove and Cincinnati builds on lead by Wednesday evening.

Sportsbooks series odds: St. Louis -135, Cincinnati +105

3Daily Winners Pick: Cincinnati

Dressed for Sunday success and special note

As promised we did come right back with winning day, raising record to 145-88, 62.2 percent. Have an awesome System (91.6%) and equally impressive Top Trend at14-1 running today. Steve of the Left Coast Connection is glowing (not literally) with his recent MLB wagers and has another Best Bet. Good Luck

What I’m letting you know today – From Elias Sports: J.P. Arencibia had four hits and two home runs in his major league debut for the Blue Jays on Saturday afternoon. Arencibia is the second player in major-league history to have four hits and two homers in his first major league game. Charlie Reilly did it for Columbus, an American Association team, on October 9, 1889. (The American Association was a major league from 1882 to 1891.)

Special Notice-This blog might be down for a period of time on Monday, due to updates. It will be up again as soon as humanly possible.

The GUARANTEED Plays have a Guaranteed Sunday Smackdown, with top notch information that places us in 91.6 percent winning situation. Need a winner, grab it Now!

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Free Baseball System -1) Play Against road underdogs with a money line of +175 to +250 like the Metropolitans, with a NL starting pitcher whose ERA is 3.00 or better on the season. Roy Halladay is the biggest reason for this and this system is 22-2 the past five years.

Free Baseball Trend –2) The New York Mets are 1-14 in road games vs. an NL starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.150 or better over the last two seasons.

Free Baseball Pick -3) Steve is 9-1 the last three days and prefers his Sox White this Sunday afternoon.

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NFL Preseason Opening Betting -Cincinnati vs Dallas

Think about this for a minute; say you gave up drinking beer for a month. You are used to Guinness or some of the other heavier brews on the market. You dropped a few pounds and decided to treat yourself, but not go crazy and thought a Michelob Ultra is the way to ease back in. That accurately describes the NFL Hall of Fame Game, not overly satisfying after months of no football, but it beats the heck out of watching the World Cup.

Cincinnati and Dallas are defending division champions and each will try to use that as a springboard to bigger and better things in 2010.

The Bengals were one of the more conservative offensive teams in the NFL last season (26th is passing yards) in putting together 10-6 (6-10 ATS) campaign. The front office tried to rectify that situation by giving quarterback Carson Palmer more weapons.

Cincinnati drafted tight end Jermaine Gresham from Oklahoma and added former Tampa Bay wideout Antonio Bryant. In the past couple of weeks, they also brought Terrell Owens on board to shore up the position, suggesting there will be no shortage of commentary with T.O. and Chad Ochocinco.

Coach Marvin Lewis is 15-13 ATS in exhibition contests in his tenure at Cincinnati.

Neither the Bengals nor Dallas is expected to have the regulars play more than a series or two.

The Cowboys were 11-5 (9-7 ATS) in the regular season a year ago and are definitely looking to put the playoff disaster in Minneapolis (34-3) behind them as quickly as possible. Most feel this is a critical year for Tony Romo and coach Wade Phillips, both needing to move to the next level.

The Cowboys brass is disappointed rookie receiver Dez Bryant won’t be available for this tilt, having suffered a high ankle sprain in practice last week. Bryant was the star of camp to that point. Otherwise, Dallas is a mostly veteran team and places little stock in games like this as 5-20 ATS record in the first two weeks of the preseason proves.

Oddsmakers had Dallas as three-point favorites in Canton and they've been flipped to a field goal underdog, with the total at 32.5. The Cowboys are 1-4 ATS in last five as preseason underdogs, while Cincinnati is 11-20 ATS as favorites.

This is the first ever meeting between these teams before the regular season.

NFL Preseason Football Wagering Strategy

For years I never followed the NFL in the month of August, thought it was a waste of time and absolutely had nothing to do with the regular season. The latter point is still true, just not the first one. Over the last seven years I made more money in the preseason then I would have guessed betting football online.

The beauty of exhibition games (NFL hates that term) is their simplicity. I’ve been very fortunate to honestly hit over 63% (44-25) of these plays the last seven years and now I’ll share with you how it happened. Please understand, in hitting a percentage like this, you have to be very selective and really choose your spots. I’ve made a grand total of 69 plays in seven seasons, that is less than three per week. This can be a challenge for those eager to get started and end up making a significant hole before the regular season actually starts.

Pre-Pre Season

Just like in the regular season, it is important to know your teams. Not talking about reading hours of information about every given team, rather to know the coaches and the tendencies of the teams. Coaching blunders and superior game plans can alter the outcomes of contests during the regular season. Still a missed tackle by the opposition or unexpected turnovers can change the ultimate final score, no matter what a coach does. In the preseason, a coach can directly impact the scoreboard by substitution patterns and what his goal is for the team beforehand.

Throughout the internet is interesting fact-based cold data, available for you to learn from. For example, two NFC division foes have shown they could care less about winning in the preseason, instead they are interested in building the team and having it ready for the start of the regular season and often you can find out exactly what the game plan is by going to team websites. The squads that match the criteria are Dallas and Philadelphia, both of whom are 18-31 ATS as favorites over an extended period of time.

Week 1 - Know your Coaches

This is extremely important if you have a desire to have extra money BEFORE the regular season starts. Be assured all the oddsmakers know these numbers, it is your duty as well if you expect to profit. With Mike Shanahan in Washington, expect him to continue the same methods that have made him a great coach. As opposed to many head coaches, Shanahan has always placed a value on winning to set the right tone for his team where he has been in charge, his squads have covered over 63 percent of the time the first two weeks of the preseason.

Another important factor is first year coaches. This year we only have three taskmasters that are taking over new teams. Each has been a head coach at this level in the past and will want to establish how they will be running their programs. After going through grueling training camps, each will want to prove to his players that the work has been worth the trouble. Nothing pays off like winning. Historically, these coaches can bring a nice profit in contests where they don’t meet one another. Undoubtedly, these generals will want to bring in their type of players and it will be reminiscent of what legendary baseball manager Casey Stengel once said, “We’ll win soon, just not with these players.”

One last area to consider is coaches in peril. These fellows know their jobs are in jeopardy and have to deliver wins, even if it has to start in August. Among those that could be a good bet this month are Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville and Lovie Smith in Chicago. Both have the wolves howling at their door and early wins and a good camp would quell the noise, at least for the time being.

Week 2 - Be ready to pounce

This is one of the two weeks online football betting strategists can really take advantage of the lines and make large profits at online sports betting outlets. The most important factors this week are prior performance and motivation. These are largely tied together of which you can take advantage. Last season the Dallas Cowboys barely showed a pulse, let alone putting forth any effort and were humbled by Oakland of all teams 31-10 as two-point underdogs in the opener. This didn’t sit well with Wade Phillips and the coaching staff and they put Cowboys players thru the paces. Training camp is hard enough and the last thing any player wants this month is coaches hollering and screaming about effort. Dallas responded very positively and toppled Tennessee 30-10 as field goal favorites.

Likewise, just the opposite can occur as Tom Coughlin of the New York football Giants found out. In an unusually spirited opening contest, the Giants and Carolina went at it and New York won a hard fought game 24-17 as three-point faves. The very next week Coughlin’s club could do nothing right, especially on offense and were handled easily by Chicago 17-3.

Know this, Philadelphia is 10-1 ATS in week 2 and Dallas is 7-1 ATS.

Week 3 –Dress Rehearsal

This has become the most important week of the preseason, at least for coaches to get a real sense of where the team is and if they were on schedule. Starters will play about two-thirds of the game and a semblance of a game plan will be implemented. Many of the same principles still apply about motivation, with a few variations of note.

The coaches and players place additional importance on this week, thus giving a good showing does matter. In the preseason, situational handicapping has relevance, especially for teams losing by 10 or more points the week before. This is noteworthy, with back-ups playing and the games should be fairly evenly matched. Once again coaches will create further accountability through motivational and psychological tactics. In 2005, New England was humbled by the Saints in week 2, losing 37-27. In reading the Boston papers, Coach Belichick made it quite clear another defensive effort of that nature was not acceptable. The Patriots went to the thawed frozen tundra and laid a whipping on Green Bay 27-3.

How this works to your advantage is maybe the coach feels the team is coming along too fast and wants to dial it back. We all know head coaches are control freaks. They want to build you up to tear you down and vice versa. As mentioned in the preseason, these maniacal masters love to put the team thru grueling practices after a weak effort. Others might feel the club is peeking way to early and let them slack a bit after exceptional performance, while closely monitoring they don’t lose their edge. This is part of the other aspect of analyzing situations, teams off blowout wins or losses.

This is where knowing the personality of a head coach is so important. When Mike Holmgren was in charge, he was famous for taking his team on emotional roller-coaster in August, never letting them feel too good or bad about themselves. Super Bowl winning coach Sean Payton is a noted “go for the jugular” type and he served notice last season, as his team was ready and they were 3-0 SU and ATS, outscoring the opposing teams 100-28 before calling off the dogs.

Week 4 – Pick your spots and be ready for the regular season

The final week of the season is nothing more than final preparation for most teams trying only to avoid injury and making final cuts. The Indianapolis Colts are 2-8 ATS in their final preseason tilt, including five straight spread losses. Be cautious in your plays the last week. If you are having a winning preseason, a game or two that you really are sure of is worth the risk. If you are having a so-so or below average time in picking winners before the start of the regular season, save your money for what you care about. This is what you have been looking forward to anyways.

Final Thoughts

Take the time to review the box scores. Do not do this for the traditional reasons as you might believe. Looking at stats and trying to figure out your fantasy team has nothing to do with the preseason games. What this is for is future reference. This can lead to insights about any team’s depth. Every NFL team is going to have injuries. By reviewing the box scores this time of year, you might find a team that has built up a 17-0 or 20-3 leads with the first team players in two different games and ends up losing both contests in the second half. This could be a red flag that when this team has injuries during the season, the drop off will be precipitous. Most importantly, don’t overanalyze, follow the coaches of the 32 teams and have fun.

Bring on Saturday!

It was a crazy night in baseball Friday and we ended up on the wrong side three times. We’ll look to immediately change that with our Best System that is 82.2 percent. The Top Trend is perfect 13-0 in a NL matchup and Steve of the LCC is hot and offers his top play. Good Luck

What I’m letting you know today – I never thought I would see Tiger Woods look like such a hack on the golf course. Having spent a good portion of my life in the business, I know the game will eventually humble everyone and it has a strong hold on Mr. Woods presently. Nonetheless, sad to watch.

The GUARANTEED Plays hit the big play on Philadelphia, but Houston couldn’t hold 5-2 lead in the ninth and I suffered yet another extra inning loss (8-23 on the season) for a 2-2 day. Today I’m pulling out all the stops and have FIVE BIG PLAYS in baseball for under $10 per selection which is Guaranteed to show a profit.

On Twitter at: http://twitter.com/3Dailywinners

Free Baseball System -1) Play Against road underdogs with a money line of +100 to +150 like Houston, who are bad NL offensive team, scoring 4.1 or less runs a game, against an average starting pitcher (ERA=4.20 to 5.20), with a starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.250 or better on the season. Read that again if you have to, but know this, 37-8 isn’t terrible.

Free Baseball Trend –2) The Phillies and Mets game isn’t on my radar; however hard to overlook Philly is 13-0 at home when the total is 7 to 7.5 over the last three seasons.

Free Baseball Pick -3) Steve is 6-0 the last two days and has Minnesota as his top Play for Saturday.

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Breakaway Friday

A split from Thursday has us at 143-84 and we look to build on this record with an 80 percent system in the AL. Also in the junior circuit, one club is on a long losing streak in a particular situation. Good Luck

What I’m letting you know today – From Elias Sports: James McDonald, who was traded to the Pirates by the Dodgers last week, won his debut with Pittsburgh on Thursday and in the process of doing so became the first starting pitcher to allow no runs and strike out at least eight batters in his first game for the Pirates since 1907, when Nick Maddox threw a shutout with 11 strikeouts in his major-league debut.

The GUARANTEED Plays missed on the Dodgers last night as James Loney left four runners on base in his last two at-bats when the score was still 3-0. Moving ahead to today, I have an Out of the Park Guaranteed Baseball Winner and Twin Pack of MLB Night Time Winners. Join 3Daily Winners and cash in with these Guaranteed Plays.

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Free Baseball System -1) Play Against all underdogs with a money line of +125 to +175 like Cleveland, a weak hitting team with batting average of .260 or less, against a very good AL starting pitcher with ERA of 3.50 or less, whose batting .200 or worse over their last three games. This system just meets our criteria at 56-14, 80 percent.

Free Baseball Trend –2) The Boston Red Sox are 0-11 in road games vs. AL teams scoring 5.2 or more runs a game in the second half of the season over the last two years.

Free Baseball Pick -3) LCC Friday consensus is 5-0 on San Diego over Arizona.

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In search of Thursday layups

After a few not so hot days, came back strong with 3-0 Wednesday, taking record to 142-83. Today we have a Top Trend that is strictly perfection and the LCC has another Free consensus play. Good Luck

What I’m letting you know today – Brett Favre might have other problems on his hands besides playing football, literally. Read here.

The GUARANTEED Plays were absolutely correct with Atlanta last night. Tonight I have another GUARANTEED WINNER on the docket ready to increase your bankroll yet again. This play is packed with winning information and you’ll be in relaxed position early and often.

On Twitter at: http://twitter.com/3Dailywinners

Free Baseball System -1) Not one good system worth anything today.

Free Baseball Trend –2) The L.A. Angels are 12-0 after a game where they had 17 or more hits over the last three seasons.

Free Baseball Pick -3) The LCC has 6-0 consensus on the Philadelphia Phillies in South Florida.

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3DW Line Moves – Crucial Betting Info

A thinner baseball slate has those doing baseball betting fixated on four contests. Two of the games feature side action and the other two hone in on the totals. Take a read and see if you agree or disagree with the wagering public in Thursday’s action.

L.A. Angels at Baltimore 7:05 EDT

Buck Showalter is paying immediate benefits for the Baltimore Orioles, winning his first two games as the skipper. The Orioles offense has come to life scoring 15 total runs in back to back contests, something that has happened only twice since June 25. The O’s will face face Dan Haren (7-10, 4.42) and see if they can orchestrate their third home sweep of the season. The focus for baseball bettors has been on the total, since it began at 8.5 and has been elevated to 9. Granted, Haren was pitching for an awful Arizona club, however his ERA was still lofty 4.86 and he’s 16-7 OVER in 23 starts. While there is a little excitement in the land of crap cakes, the Orioles are 26-11 UNDER at home having won two of their last three.

Colorado at Pittsburgh 7:05 EDT

The Rockies have won five of six and Pittsburgh is playing like Pittsburgh, having lost 10 of 13, so why would online sports betting analysts be favoring the Pirates? The Bucs opened as +161 money line home underdogs and have actually wandered downward to +150 or less at various sportsbooks. The Pittsburgh bullpen was dreadful in 9-4 defeat to Cincinnati and the Pirates are 4-22 after the bullpen was rocked for six or more runs since 2008. The answer my friends is not blowing in the wind, its right here. Did you know Colorado is 4-14 in road encounters after a win and astonishing 0-9 (-9.2 Units) as visitors having won three of their last four games this season? Toss in the fact tonight’s starter Jeff Francis (4-3, 4.44) and Rockies are 0-7 (-9.7 Units) vs. an NL team with an on-base percentage of .315 or worse and just maybe this dog might have some bite.

San Francisco at Atlanta 7:10 EDT

This potential playoff matchup is strictly about perception. Tim Lincecum and the Giants were -121 ML road faves and are now -108 or lower at online sports betting outlets. Atlanta’s Major League best 36-14 home record undoubtedly is a factor, as is 17-5 mark at Turner Field playing against teams with a winning record this season. Yet, it is impossible to ignore San Francisco’s recent 13-3 joy ride on the road for exactly the last month, plus having the knowledge of Lincecum being 6-1 with 2.70 ERA against Atlanta. The outcome could be decided by how the Braves batters hit in the clutch. After batting under .200 with runners in scoring position for a 10-game stretch, Atlanta busted out eight runs in stopping New York yesterday. Taking advantage of similar opportunities probably will determine the Game 1 winner.

Cleveland at Boston 9:40 EDT

The Red Sox are doing their best to field a team with all their injuries. They’ve lost two of three to Cleveland and want to salvage a split with Daisuke Matsuzaka (7-3, 4.22) on the mound. The right-hander is 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA in his last three starts against the Indians. The wagering public was in sell mode for this matchup at total of 8.5, with the new number is 9. Matsuzaka is 33-15 UNDER when the total is 9 to 9.5; however Boston is 10-2-1 OVER after their opponent allowed two or less runs. The Tribe is 12-4-2 UNDER after a win in last 18 outings, but is 6-2 OVER playing a Game 4 of a series.

3DW Bonus Info

Money Line Nugget
The L.A. Angels are 12-0 (+13.3 Units) against the money line after a game where they had 17 or more hits over the last three seasons.

Totals Nugget
San Diego is 14-2 OVER in August road games the last two years with average score of 11.6 total runs.

Run Line Nugget
Florida is 30-11 (+19.2 Units) against the run line vs. teams outscoring opponents by 0.5 or more runs a game in the second half of the season since last year.

3DW Line Moves is copyrighted content of Impact Sports Solutions, Inc and Doug Upstone. All rights reserved.
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Trying to nail Wednesday Winners

Time to turn this blog around and deliver the kind of winners that has helped build a 139-83 record in the last 222 picks. The Best System was a winner on Tuesday and we think we have another at 88.6 percent. The Top Trend is dam close to perfect in the South and the Free Play will be up soon. Good Luck

What I'm letting you know today – Don’t you just love coaches who talk out of both sides of their mouth repeatedly. Houston Nutt of Ole Miss has not struck gold on the recruiting trail and after two successful years of coaching another coach’s players, the Rebels are believed to be at or near the basement in the SEC West.

Noted trouble-maker and talented quarterback Jeremiah Masoli was booted from the Oregon football team after being arrested again. Still needing to complete is college education (wink-wink) and football eligibility, Masoli found the right university of higher learning. Nutt said he would have never considered the troubled young man, but his back-up quarterback suffered injury that will prevent him from playing this upcoming season, thus he needed an experiences second-stringer. RIGHT!

The GUARANTEED Plays lost a tough 3-2 decision with Texas and expect to rebound this evening with Guaranteed selection in the senior circuit that will make us both Winners. This contest has a particular pitcher in Perfect 10-0 situation.

On Twitter at: http://twitter.com/3Dailywinners

Free Baseball System -1) Play Against road underdogs with a money line of +175 to +250 like Houston, with NL a starting pitcher whose ERA is 3.00 or better on the season. This is common sense system since if a team is that big an underdog with what appears to be a descent hurler, they would be expected to struggle. How much you wonder, the underdog is 8-62 in this spot with 0-5 record this year.

Free Baseball Trend –2) The Braves and Kris Medlen are 12-1 vs. teams averaging 2.75 or less extra base hits per game.

Free Baseball Pick -3) The Left Coast Connection has 8-0 consensus on Atlanta tonight.

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The “Big Uglies” can lead to college football profits

The glamour position of football is the quarterback, followed by running backs. These are the players that get all the love (and hate) and pub from the media, fans and football bettors. However, longtime college football announcer Keith Jackson and every football coach that ever walked the sidelines above peewee level knows it all starts up front, as Jackson used to say, with the “Big Uglies”.

An offense line can set the pace of a game, running the ball down opposing teams’ throats by opening chasms Levi Johnson and is temptress could walk thru hand and hand. The same would also be true in the passing game, providing the accomplished quarterback time to answer email, plus update Facebook and Twitter pages.

The opposite could also be true of the college football teams that are rebuilding offensive lines due to graduation or defection. A talented quarterback may be taking his life into his own hands trying to avoid the onslaught of defenders (see Jimmy Clausen tape at Notre Dame), to look downfield to complete a pass. What about the star running back who needs a compass to run north and south, since there are no holes to run thru and becomes accustomed to bouncing everything outside.

In the rest of this article, we’ll look what teams have the most and fewest returning offensive linemen and what impact that could have on their universities upcoming season and for those betting on football.

The best place to start is teams that have all five O-linemen back along with their starting quarterback.

Ball State
Colorado
Florida State
Fresno State
Louisiana Tech
Minnesota
South Florida
Wisconsin

Specifically, the Seminoles and Badgers are expected to be teams not only competing for the top of their respective conferences, but also nationally. Guard Rodney Hudson for Florida State and tackle Gabe Carimi at Wisconsin, are on virtually everyone’s first team All-American list. Wisky’s John Moffitt is believed to be no worse than the third best guard in the country.

Colorado’s offense should be further improved this upcoming campaign and Fresno State’s pounding running game should create more havoc on the WAC.

New coaching staffs are in place in South Florida and Louisiana Tech, which could see the shifting of players up front, making improvement less certain. Ball State and Minnesota might have all these individuals back, but that doesn’t mean they were that good to begin with. Collectively, this entire group is worth following.

The next grouping is five offensive linemen back, with a different starting signal caller.

Georgia
Kansas
Memphis
Northwestern
Oregon
Rice

With this contingent, the head coach and his offensive staff will try to build around these players before heading into conference action. These behemoths are being counted on to open holes and keep the opposition off new quarterbacks. These large fellas actually have a great deal of pressure on them as opponents will game plan to have more defensive players at the line of scrimmage to create chaos with blocking assignments and to confuse new field general or make backs less instinctive when carrying the pigskin.

Memphis and Kansas have new head coaches, lending itself to period of adjustment for new blocking schemes. The rest of the squads will have to set the tone for the makings of a successful season and earn the trust of those following football betting lines.

The next patch is teams with only one lineman having starting experience from a year ago. A smart quarterback’s knowledge of the offense and ability to hit open receivers proficiently can take some of the pressure off until this unit gels.

Vanderbilt, Southern Miss, Kentucky and Hawaii all fit the aforementioned situation, with the Golden Eagles from Hattiesburg, MS having the best opportunity to prosper with the quarterback duo of Austin Davis and Martevious Young being able to chuck the ball to 6’6 DeAndre Brown, C-USA’s finest pure pass catcher. Coach Larry Fedora is offensive-minded and has the best chance for achieving success with somewhat limited options.

Bobby Johnson resigned at Vanderbilt just last month, making a prickly predicament that much worse and Joker Phillips will quickly learn that lacking experience in the offensive line is no joke in the SEC.

That brings us to Air Force and Florida Atlantic, who have no O-Linemen that started the majority of games a year ago. Though hardly ideal, the Air Force and all military universities face a somewhat similar issue most years. Unless a linemen ends up being unusually skilled (which is unlikely since they could go somewhere else and just play football), few underclassman play early in their careers. The zone blocking scheme the Air Force employs is more about cohesiveness than blowing somebody up across the line of scrimmage. Plus, the Flyboys have two good quarterbacks for their offense, each with a different skill set to help offset having five newbies that will block for them. Nonetheless, it might pay to watch this team in September as play against BYU, at Oklahoma and at Wyoming and watch the stats to see if the Falcons come together quickly.

It might be long season for Florida Atlantic. Technically, the Owls don’t have returning starting QB, however senior Jeff Van Camp was forced to play the last five games due to injury of decorated Rusty Smith. However, around him are five fresh faces in the line and five of top six pass catchers have graduated.

When the bowl season comes around, invariably the talk of commentators will turn to “the offensive line carried this team for much of the year” or “this club failed to meet expectations because the offensive line didn’t block as presumed”. Use this information as a good starting point for the upcoming college football season.

The end of the line for Favre?

Well Brett Favre has reportedly retired again. I like most have had about as much as this as I have of Snookie (gosh where would they ever find another one like her in New Jersey, except maybe by crossing the street).

It’s really a challenge to give him the benefit of the doubt since he’s had more retirements than Cher. All these antics have left me without the warm and fuzzy feeling I used to have for FAV-RE having attended his first game coming off the bench for Don “Magic Man” Majkowski on Sept.27 1992. Now 285 consecutive regular season starts later, it might be over.

Internet reports have oddsmakers scrambling to adjust odds on the Vikings and the poor folks that had Minnesota Over 9.5 for season win total, well find another Futures wager to hopefully break even.

No matter your feelings, he was one of the all-time great quarterbacks and to do what he did last year is incomprehensible at 40. If this is truly it, time will heal all wounds and he will be celebrated again in Wisconsin and throughout football.

I still have to wonder however, if Minnesota starts 2-2 or 1-3, does Commissioner Gordon, aka Brad Childress, launch the Batman signal in the sky (likely a large No. 4), with Dallas, at Green Bay and at New England the next three games to save Metropolis or Minnesota?

Sunday Night Baseball Preview

Carlos Guillen’s return from the disabled list might be the spark the Detroit Tigers need to help them remain on top of the AL Central. The first-place Tigers look to stay perfect with Guillen back and complete their first four-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox in almost 21 years Sunday night at Comerica Park. These division rivals entered this series tied atop the AL Central, but after Detroit (52-44, +5.3 units) swept a doubleheader Friday and rallied for a 4-3, 10-inning victory Saturday, the Tigers have a three-game lead over the second-place White Sox.

Guillen’s return has helped put the Tigers on the verge of their first four-game sweep of the White Sox (50-48, +2.4 units) since Aug. 18-21, 1988.

After missing over 2 1/2 months with a shoulder injury, Guillen went 3 for 7 with a homer Friday and 2 for 5 with two RBIs, including the game-winning single Saturday to help the Tigers to a third straight victory after losing five of six. “I’m excited to be back, and I’m happy that I’m helping us win,” said Guillen, a lifetime .330 hitter against the White Sox.


While Detroit has struggled to consistently produce at the plate, the presence of a veteran like Guillen should make opposing pitchers a bit more careful when facing a lineup that also features All-Stars Miguel Cabrera, Brandon Inge and Curtis Granderson and the Tigers are 17-6 with an on base percentage of .310 or worse over their last 20 games this season.


“He (Guillen) makes the whole offense different,” shortstop Ramon Santiago told the Tigers’ official Web site.


Granderson’s double off Chicago closer Bobby Jenks with two outs in the ninth tied the game Saturday. Jenks, who has failed to convert his last two save chances, has a 9.45 ERA in his last six appearances.


“I’m not even mad,” Jenks said another shaky outing. “The way things had gone in the last week, we had worked on stuff mechanically, and we got the little kinks worked out. (Saturday), everything was sharp.”


A.J. Pierzynski homered for one of his four hits and Scott Podsednik added three hits with an RBI for the White Sox, who haven’t been able to carry over the momentum from Mark Buehrle’s perfect game against Tampa Bay on Thursday and they have fallen to 8-21 in road games vs. AL teams allowing 4.7 or less runs a game in the second half of the season over the last two seasons.


“When he pitched his last no-hitter in 2007, we lost five in a row, and now we’ve lost three,” manager Ozzie Guillen said. “Mark Buehrle, this is all your fault.”


Podsednik is 7 for 17 (.412) in his last four games, while Pierzynski is 6 for 9 in this series. Chicago looks to bounce back while facing Detroit rookie Rick Porcello (9-6, 4.40 ERA) for the first time and they have lost seven contests against right-handed hurlers.


Looking to lighten the 20-year-old’s workload, Porcello made his first start since July 5, and allowed five runs and nine hits in five innings of a 9-7 win over Seattle on Tuesday. The right-hander is 1-2 with a 9.45 ERA in his last three starts.


“I just have to stay sharp physically and mentally,” Porcello told the Tigers’ official Web site. Porcello should benefit from his Tiger teammates being 18-6 at home against teams with winning record.


The White Sox counter with Clayton Richard (3-3, 5.00), who allowed one run and four hits in eight innings, but didn’t factor in the decision of a 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday after Jenks couldn’t hold a one-run lead in the ninth. Despite the outcome, it was a step in the right direction for Richard, whose 0-2 with a 7.82 ERA in his last three starts. In his only start versus Detroit, the left-hander allowed three runs while walking five in 4 2/3 innings, but left without a decision in a 5-4 loss to Detroit on June 8.


DiamondSportsbook.com has Detroit as -140 money line favorites, with the total listed at Un9.5. The Tigers are 12-2 at Comerica Park versus left-hand starters and 16-5 UNDER after three consecutive games versus a division rival this year. The White are 19-39 as road underdogs of +150 or less and are 19-8 UNDER vs teams who strand 6.9 or less runners on base per game.

First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 Eastern on ESPN and manager Jim Leyland’s club is 9-0 in home games vs. an average bullpen whose ERA is 3.75 to 4.50 in 2009.




Jeff Mezydlo, STATS Senior writer and Doug Upstone contributed to this article.

Super Bowl XLIII Props Debate –Part 2

In part one of the 2-part Super Bowl XLIII Scuffle, Doug & Steve reviewed the overall betting lines and team props for Sunday's game. They are back today to conclude the series by looking at some of the Individual Player Props available at Bookmaker.com and other wagering outlets. Read on as they deliver analysis on Ben Roethlisberger, Larry Fitzgerald, and many others.

BEN ROETHLISBERGER - TOTAL PASSING YARDS
OVER 230.5 (-115)
UNDER 230.5 (-115)

Steve: OVER. I think Pittsburgh needs Big Ben to come up big here, but an OVER in passing yards for him in no way guarantees success against the spread on Sunday. In fact, six of the last seven losing Super Bowl teams passed for 230 yards or more.
Doug: The Steelers have averaged 10.8 yards per completion and Arizona has surrendered 10.7 YPC. The oddsmakers are saying suggesting 17.5 completions for Big Ben, which is well Under this listed total doing the math.

BEN ROETHLISBERGER - TOTAL COMPLETIONS
OVER 17.5 (-115)
UNDER 17.5 (-115)

Doug: OVER. On the season, Pittsburgh has averaged 19 completions and should make that number again.
Steve: UNDER. Roethlisberger surpassed the 17-completion mark just five times during the 18-game season. His completion percentage of 59.9% doesn’t warrant it either.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Super Bowl XLIII Props Debate

The “Super Bowl Scuffle” has become as big of a tradition as parties, commercials, and gambling when it comes to Super Bowl Sunday. Well, not really, but readers do seem to like it and this piece has been picked up more each year by different websites and publications. This year will mark the fourth edition of the Super Bowl Scuffle, in which Steve Makinen and Doug Upstone debate the wide array of betting options available on Sunday. So sit back and enjoy. Perhaps the guys can help you uncover a golden nugget buried underneath the excessive options and vigorish.

The various props and odds have been taken from Bookmaker.com and other wagering outlets. All odds are considered (-110) unless noted.

Moderator: Hello everybody, and welcome back to another edition of the Super Bowl Scuffle, the fourth edition of the popular props debate between Steve Makinen and Doug Upstone. Steve performs a variety of services for StatFox, writing, editing and Managing Editor for other publications. Doug is the lead writer for StatFox.com and is an experienced sports handicapper. So, without further ado, I welcome in our distinguished contributors. Good day guys, hope you’re both getting ready for the big game!

Steve: Hey everyone, hello Douglas, my man, I trust your local Scottsdale stores are keeping the shelves stocked with Arizona Super Bowl gear (and sunscreen)? Up here in frigid Wisconsin I’m just happy I took the plunge and got myself a new snowthrower. Trust me; it’s been put to good use. Nothing breaks the winter up better than Super Bowl Sunday though. I am pumped and ready to roll…I’m sure you’re suffering from Scarlet Fever, so I hope you can take an unbiased look at this year’s game.

Doug: Steve, it has been hotter than a "cougar convention" at one of the local Scottsdale beverage establishments. While you poor folks in the Midwest and East have suffered with bitterly cold temperatures, we have people here complaining it's too hot already, with temps 75-80 for weeks. Things have really heated up with the Bird Fever. While much of the country suffered the affects of a recession, being in the Arizona Cardinals jersey and t-shirts business takes away any feelings of a bad economy.

Moderator: Wow, yes, it’s easy to forget that Doug resides in Cardinal Country. We trust Doug will put aside any personal feeling he harbors in the pursuit of gambling happiness on Super Bowl Sunday. So let’s get to it, I’ll list the props, you guys simply tell which option you prefer and why. Best of luck to both of you.

GAME POINTSPREAD
PITTSBURGH -7
ARIZONA +7

Doug: I believe this was a very astute line by the oddsmakers. I can see Arizona leading into the second half, before Pittsburgh starts to rattle Kurt Warner and slow down the Cardinals offense. Though I can see Pittsburgh covering, I’ll say Arizona needs two scores, kicks the field goal to trail by six and doesn’t recover onside kick to lose.

Steve: Pittsburgh’s shortcomings offensively, and the fact that the better seeds have covered only one Super Bowl in the last 13 years has me leaning toward underdog Arizona here.

To read the rest of this article, click here.