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07/12/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For those of you still wrapped up in Strasburg- mania, I have to regretfully inform you that he's not the pitcher referred to in the above headline. As impressive as the Nationals' rookie has been, and as much as I love his stuff, you just can't make the All-Star game with seven starts under your belt.
The rookie pitcher who got the snub and has fallen under the national radar for most of the season happens to pitch in the same city where Strasburg made his name in college - San Diego. The Padres' surprising run to the top of the National League West has been helped in great part by the right arm of twenty- two year old Mat Latos. His mid-90's fastball, which explodes through the zone to complement a plus curveball and slider, has made him awfully tough to hit. After struggling in April, Latos has been nothing less than dominant, putting up a 1.44 ERA over his last thirteen starts.
When you compare his numbers to Tim Lincecum and Yovani Gallardo, two of the pitchers who were named to the National League squad, it's clear that Latos deserved the nod.
Latos......10-4...2.45 ERA...0.97 WHIP....193 BAA
Lincecum....9-4...3.16 ERA...1.29 WHIP....232 BAA
Gallardo....8-4...2.58 ERA...1.26 WHIP....224 BAA
There's no doubt that Lincecum, with his back-to-back Cy Young awards, is the more attractive selection for the mid-summer classic. But, based on the numbers Latos was obviously the more deserving choice.
SECOND-HALF OUTLOOK
AL EAST: The Yankees are primed to eventually pull away from the Rays and Red Sox. Boston has too many injuries and not enough production from the back end of its rotation. And speaking of starting pitching, Tampa is not getting the kind of production from James Shields, Matt Garza, and Wade Davis it needs to stay in contention. The Rays must pitch well to stay within striking distance of the Yankees, because their offense is nowhere near as good as New York's is.
AL CENTRAL: I think this will eventually turn into a two-team race between the Tigers and White Sox. Outside of Carl Pavano, the Twins don't have a reliable starter at this point. The White Sox suffered a tough blow by losing Jake Peavy for the season, but Gavin Floyd, John Danks, Mark Buehrle, and Freddy Garcia give Chicago the best rotation in the division. The Tigers' lineup, led by triple-crown threat Miguel Cabrera and rookie sensation Brennan Boesch, is a big reason why they trail the Sox by just a half game, but there are major question marks in the starting rotation after Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman, and Max Scherzer.
AL WEST: The Rangers were clearly better than the Angels before the acquisition of Cliff Lee, and following his addition should run away the with the division.
NL EAST: The Braves' pitching staff sets Atlanta apart from the rest of the division. With quality throughout the starting rotation and Billy Wagner in the pen to close games, the Braves have a decided advantage over the Phillies and Mets. After Roy Halladay, Philadelphia doesn't have a reliable starter, while the Mets are banking on a lot of unproven arms and have to have concerns over Mike Pelfrey's recent struggles.
NL CENTRAL: The Reds have been one of the major surprises this season as they take a one game lead over the highly-favored Cardinals into the break. I think whatever team gets the better pitching at the back end of its rotation will end up on top.
NL WEST: It's a four-team race heading into the second half. The Padres are atop the division on the strength of great starting pitching and a very strong bullpen, headed by All-Star closer Heath Bell. If San Diego's pitching holds up, I have to give them the edge in the division, although it wouldn't hurt to add a quality bat to its anemic lineup. The Rockies should provide the stiffest competition, but it's hard to imagine Ubaldo Jimenez duplicating his first-half performance after the break.
<< Woods to play with Rose in first two rounds of British Open
St. Andrews, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tiger Woods and Justin Rose, the
world's top-ranked player and one of the hottest players in golf,
respectively, will be paired together for the first two rounds of the 2010
British
<< Report: Suns close to acquiring Turkoglu, Childress
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Suns are reportedly close to
replacing Amare Stoudemire with a combination of Hedo Turkoglu and Josh
Childress, according to The Arizona Republic.
The report states that the Suns wo
<< Ferreira equalizer forces Seattle to share points with Dallas
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FC Dallas got a late goal from Colombian
midfielder David Ferreira to earn a 1-1 draw vs. the Seattle Sounders FC in
Major League Soccer action in front of over 36,000 fans at Qwest Field on
Sunday
<< Cuban: NBA should examine how Heat got Big 3
LAS VEGAS (AP) -Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says the NBA should examine how free agents LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade all ended up with the Miami Heat.Cuban tells a group of reporters at the NBA's summer league in Las Vegas that he
139th British Open Championship Preview >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Golf's most historic championship heads to
its most historic venue for the 139th playing of the British Open
Championship.
The championship is celebrating its 150th anniversary -- it was no
American League mid-term grades >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There have been plenty of storylines to
keep us busy during the first half of the American League schedule, and a
number of surprising ones at that.
From the travels of Cliff Lee to the exploits of Robinso
National League mid-term grades >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In the National League, those preseason
predictions are little more than a distant memory. A pair of surprising teams
have emerged -- the Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres -- at the top of the
class, while
Blackhawks re-sign assistant coach Haviland; add Kitchen to staff >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Blackhawks on Monday re-signed assistant
coach Mike Haviland and named Mike Kitchen an assistant coach.
"Adding Mike Kitchen and bringing back Mike Haviland bolster what is already a
tremendous coaching
“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?
Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite. Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight. With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites. As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).
Midwest
#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler
The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April. Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT. After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games. Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season. As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers. Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS). Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field. With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.
#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV
As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year. If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season. As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well. This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons. Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late. There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games. It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.
East
#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown
“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season. Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU. They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games. With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field. Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense. Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc. The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range. Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.
#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC
The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country. Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times. Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter. UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen. UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS. An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games. This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS. USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types. An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough. USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS. They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12. When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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