Sports Betting, Sportsbook Blog

I’m All Over the Sports World Today

May 24, 2013 By Marc U.

Yes, Vogel's Pacers are in a 'must-win' situation in game two.

Normally I sit down and try to find a hot-button topic that will center on one specific sport but today I just feel the need to hit on a number of issues. After all, three of the four major US professional sports are in full swing. The National Basketball Association is in the midst of the conference finals while the National Hockey League is in the conference semi-final stages. Major League Baseball is of course cruising right along as usual. I’ll start ranting on hoops first.

Indiana and Miami hook up for game two of the Eastern Conference Final down on South Beach tonight and let’s face it, this game will determine the fate of the Pacers’ season. After a crushing game one defeat by a single point in overtime, the Pacers have to answer. There is no way that this team, let alone any other, will defeat the Heat in four of five remaining games.

I don’t think Roy Hibbert helped things by accusing Shane Battier of “dirty play” in game one. While it’s arguable that Battier went into Hibbert on a drive to the hoop with his knee aimed squarely at Hibbert’s groin, the big man is better off staying quiet. The Heat know they are in his head now. Indiana enters tonight as seven and half point underdogs and I’ll take that action although I think Miami wins another close one.

On the frozen surface, the league’s top team is in trouble. The Chicago Blackhawks who of course started the season with that incredible unbeaten streak are now down to the seventh seeded Red Wings three games to one after being shutout 2-0. Chicago had not lost three straight all season but has now.

The Wings are playing their typical, gritty style which has clearly frustrated the top scorers for the Blackhawks and goalie Jimmy Howard has been spectacular in net.

Out in Los Angeles, the Kings kept serve at home with a 3-0 win over the San Jose Sharks to take a 3-2 lead in that series. Jonathan Quick was solid in goal recording the shutout on 24 saves. Each team has won on their own ice throughout the series and the Sharks will need to keep the string alive on Sunday night in the Shark Tank.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Pittsburgh Penguins who are essentially just 28 seconds from having swept the Ottawa Senators, but will have to return home to Pittsburgh to close out the series. Their 7-3 win in Ottawa two nights ago was exactly the reason they are favored to win the cup.

: Is Cabrera making room for another ‘crown?’

Few teams in the NHL have the ability to explode offensively the way they did. The Pens are far more than just Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as they showed in game four. I have no doubt they’ll close things out in game five.

Around the diamond, the hottest player in the game right now is the Detroit Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera. The reigning MYP and Triple Crown winner is batting .391 and has homered in four straight games. He also has six total home runs over that four game span. Currently, Cabrera is 41 points clear of the second best hitter, trails Baltimore’s Chris Davis by one home run and has an 11 run lead in RBI’s.

Cabrera is clearly on another MVP type pace and the Triple Crown obviously has to be in the discussion as well. The only thing potentially halting Cabrera’s march could be intentional walks. As teams did with Barry Bonds, they often find him less of a threat when he is on base. The cure for that however, is Prince Fielder who came through last night in this exact situation for the game-winning hit. As long as he keeps producing, teams will still need to pitch to Cabrera.

I love the odds on Cabrera winning MVP again, but he’ll need to keep up the power numbers for me to jump back on the Triple Crown bandwagon.

Filed Under: MLB, NBA, News, NHL Tagged With: Chicago Blackhawks, Detorit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, MLB, NBA, NBA betting, NHL, NHL Betting

Miami Hosts Indiana and Vinny is Out in LA.

May 22, 2013 By Marc U.

Will LeBron and Erik Spoelstra have smooth sailing through Indiana?

The Eastern Conference Finals get underway tonight in Miami while the Western Conference Finals seem like they’re almost over. There are very few people picking the Indiana Pacers in this series and that’s quite understandable. The Pacers are an excellent team who seem to be made for the playoffs the way they’ve gone through opponents New York and Atlanta.

The Pacers aren’t flashy. They’re big, long and athletic and they can create serious match-up problems for any team and that may include Miami. I keep hearing about different keys to this series but I really think it will boil down to just a couple of things. First of all, I said earlier this week that I believe the Heat will win this series in seven games, but that doesn’t mean Indiana can’t pull of the upset. Here the keys as I see them…

It’s Not Hibbert, It’s Bosh – Rightfully so, many people feel Pacers’ big man Roy Hibbert is the key to the series as he totally dominated the Knicks and will look to do the same in Miami. There is a major difference between playing the Knicks and playing the Heat however when it comes to the big men.

Chris Bosh is a big man who can play down on the block but he can do the one thing the Knicks’ bigs couldn’t and that’s knock down the outside jump shot. If Bosh can routinely move Hibbert away from the basket by hitting the 10-12 footers then the Heat will have accomplished two things; they get scoring from Bosh and more importantly they get more access to the paint area where Hibbert will have been forced to vacate.

The Most Important Knee in Basketball – A few weeks ago this title belonged to Russell Westbrook but now it belongs to Miami’s Dwyane Wade. If that knee is not 100%, Wade can still be effective, but should it cause him enough problems to where he misses minutes or even a game then that drastically alters the series.

My question is, can George be effective at both ends against Miami?

Can Paul George Be a Factor at Both Ends? – It’s no secret that Paul George will be locked on LeBron James quite a bit throughout this series and the question will be can he play great defense on the league’s best player and still be effective on the offensive end? It might sound like this is something these guys do all the time anyway and it is, but not with the intensity required in the playoffs.

The goal for George isn’t so much to keep LeBron from scoring so much as it is making him work to get those points.

The rest of the factors in this series will work themselves out, but I really believe those are the three key ones to focus on.

So Long Vinny – I can’t say it came as much of a surprise, but Los Angeles Clippers Head Coach Vinny Del Negro has been fired by the team. Pretty amazing considering his Clippers’ team won 56 games this year and the organization’s first Pacific Division title. Most people will point the finger at Chris Paul who may not have been happy with the direction of the Clippers’ offense under Del Negro.

Never mind the fact they were blitzed by Memphis in four straight games after winning the opening two… Obviously the first guy on the short list of replacements is Phil Jackson but let’s remember that the 11-time champion is engaged to be married to Lakers CEO Jeannie Buss. I think the term ‘awkward’ would be useful in this situation.

Filed Under: NBA, News Tagged With: Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, NBA, NBA betting, NBA Playoffs

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Bills’ Manuel Better Live Up to His Own Comments

May 20, 2013 By Marc U.

Manuel had better play well if he thinks the Bills' offense is so easy.

There are times when I sit down at the computer to crank out my daily articles for the site rarely do I find myself without anything to discuss. The National Hockey League Playoffs are in their second round series while the National Basketball Association is already into the conference finals. In case you missed it, the Bruins took a 2-0 lead over the Rangers while on the hardwood, the Spurs sent a very clear message to the Grizzlies with a blowout win in game one of the Western Conference Finals.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators are scoreless through one period up in Canada as I type.

There was one snippet from the weekend that caught my eye and it had to do with a league whose season is still a few months away. The National Football League is in the midst of what they call their “OTA’s” or Official Team Activities and for any organization the number one goal in these practices is to remain healthy first and foremost.

What caught my eye was a statement by the first round pick of the Buffalo Bills. Quarterback E.J. Manuel said in a radio interview from the rookie symposium that “The Bills offense is easier to learn than the one I had at Florida State.” On the surface, it’s rookie making an obscure comment but there really are no such comments in the sports world today.

The fact that the Bills took Manuel as high as they did already puts pressure on the organization and Manuel himself to produce soon. Toss in the fact that this class will no doubt be compared to the rookie quarterback class of last year, but the pressure to produce for long-suffering franchise will be immense. Personally I don’t think its’ fair for Manuel or any other QB to be compared to Andrew Luck, RGIII or Russell Wilson but such is the nature of today’s 24/7 NFL.

Kolb may be on the bench if the Bills choose to go with Manuel.

The issue I see with Manuel’s comment is that all he does by making it is open himself up to criticism should things not go so well for him. Remember, this was seen as a fairly risky pick by the QB-starved Bills because most of the top draft experts and gurus had Manuel going in the second, third or fourth round.

Obviously Manuel has tremendous physical skills and is potentially a big-time quarterback, but the red flags on Manuel go almost hand-in-hand with his comments. While physically gifted, Manuel made a lot of mental errors at Florida State which resulted in poor decisions and turnovers. If Manuel has some real poor games to open the season, assuming he is the starter of course ahead of Kevin Kolb, then this comment will surely come back to haunt him.

New Bills’ coach Doug Marrone will be in an interesting position with regard to his quarterback as the season nears. The Bills signed Kolb with the expectation that he would more than likely be the starter with whomever they would draft waiting in the wings. Of course many thought Marrone would draft his former Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib but that wasn’t the case. Kolb of course comes off a brutal stay in Arizona where he was signed to a big contract following a good showing in Philadelphia.

My guess right now is that there will be a lot of pressure on Marrone to start Manuel and he will if the pre-season determines the two men to be even, but if he isn’t picking up things as well as claims to be, the Kevin Kolb era in Buffalo will be underway.

Filed Under: News, NFL Tagged With: Buffalo Bills, E.J. Manuel, NFL, NFL Betting

Second Leg of the Triple Crown Ready to Go

May 18, 2013 By Marc U.

The Preakness has another small field this year which could mean good things for Orb.

It’s hard to imagine but the Kentucky Derby field of 19 horses has been reduced by more than half for the 138th running of the Preakness Stakes today outside Baltimore, Maryland. Just nine horses are in the field as of this writing and Kentucky Derby winner Orb is an overwhelming favorite to win the second leg of the Triple Crown.

Conditions for the late afternoon start at Pimlico Race Track appear to be ideal. The temperature is predicted to be in the mid seventies with little if any chance for rain. The track conditions are currently listed as fast with the turf conditions stated as firm. For all things “Preakness,” make sure you check out www.preaknessstakesbetting.org after you read my predictions.

Here’s a brief write-up for each of the horses in today’s event. (Starting from the first post position.)

Orb 1/1 - The Kentucky Derby champion is the clear-cut favorite with Joel Rosario once again on board. Common sense would have to tell you that if Orb ran as well as he did in the Derby in those cool, rainy and muddy conditions then he should do even better here. The biggest difference for Orb and Rosario is that they are on the inside whereas they came from the 16th position at Churchill Downs.

Goldencents 8/1 – The Rick Pitino co-owned horse was extremely disappointing in the Kentucky Derby finishing 17th. I had he and jockey Kevin Krigger picked to take third so I wasn’t the only one they let down. The good news is that Goldencents will certainly do better than 17th, but my confidence in him shaken right now.

Titletown Five should be easy to pick out today at the Preakness.

Titletown Five 30/1 – The longest shot of any of the nine horses in the field, Titletown Five will be a sentimental favorite for any Green Bay Packers’ fans out there betting the ponies this weekend. Co-owned by Paul Hornung and Willie Davis, jockey Julien Leparoux will be wearing the colors of green and gold while on the mount. In three races this year, the horse has finishes of fourth, ninth and second. His last four races in 2012 were first, second, fourth and third.

Departing 6/1 – This horse’s last five races have finished with four firsts and one third place. While this will be a greater test for the horse in terms of length, it’s hard to ignore those credentials. His third place finish came behind Mylute and Revolutionary who both are in the field and had strong Derby finishes as well.

Mylute 5/1 – Rosie Napravnik is coming off a great run in the Derby aboard Mylute as she finished fifth. This horse has raced ten times in the last calendar year and has two wins, two second-places and two third-places among those. This is Napravnik’s first ever go in the Preakness but she should be able to handle the attention.

Oxbow 15/1 - Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens takes the mount on Oxbow who has been a very busy horse this year. This will be Oxbow’s sixth race of the 2013 year and is one of trainer D. Wayne Lukas’ three entries in the field. Stevens has twice won this event and is no stranger to the pressures of the Triple Crown events which should help ease Oxbow.

Will Take Charge 12/1 - Another Lukas-trained horse and another hall of fame jockey in the saddle in 47-year old Mike Smith as Will Take Charge looks to follow an interesting pattern in his last four races. Eighth, first, sixth and first are the orders of finish for this horse in his last four events. If you like trends, here’s one to jump on.

Governor Charlie 12/1 – Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, Governor Charlie has three races under his belt and that’s it. His finishes however are impressive as he earned two wins and a runner-up finish.

It’s My Lucky Day 10/1 – In 11 events dating back to June of 2012, this horse had five wins in those races. His lowest finish was a sixth place showing until the Kentucky Derby happened. Clearly the conditions and the distance affect the horse as he struggled to a 15th place finish.

Prediction: Orb, Mylute, Will Take Charge

Filed Under: Horse Racing, News Tagged With: Horse Racing, Orb, Preakness odds, Preakness Stakes

Is It Orb and Everyone Else in the Preakness?

May 16, 2013 By Marc U.

Can Orb repeat his Kentucky Derby win with a victory in the Preakness?

The 138^th Preakness Stakes will be off and running this Saturday in Baltimore at Pimlico Race Track with just nine entries as of this posting. That is down significantly from the 19 that ran at Churchill Downs in the Kentucky Derby.

Derby winner Orb enters as the favorite. After looking more like just another ‘also-ran’ through the first portion of the race, Orb came on strong and passed then-leader Normandy Invasion as if the horse were standing still. Orb ended up winning the roses by three lengths ahead of Golden Soul. Revolutionary took third place.

Obviously the big question entering the second of the three Triple Crown races is “Can Orb take the next step towards a Triple Crown?”

My immediate thought is “why not?” This horse showed the ability travel a long ways and then still have the stamina at the end. The horse also is streaking too. Orb has won five straight races now and is unbeaten in the 2013 year.

Jockey Joel Rosario is a veteran with over 1,000 wins but has only raced in the Preakness Stakes on one other occasion. Is that enough to scare off some potential wagers in Orb’s direction? Personally I don’t think it is. This guy just pulled off an expected, yet big win in the slop and cool temperatures of Lousiville two weeks ago and now will run for the Preakness title in very favorable conditions of 75 degrees and partly cloudy.

With just eight other contenders on the track, Orb will have much less traffic to deal with and will obviously not have to come all the way from the 16th post position as he did in the Derby. While Orb will no doubt be a significant favorite heading to the gate Saturday afternoon that doesn’t mean that other horses are just going to stop along the rails and beg for apples.

: Legendary D. Wayne Lukas has three horses competing in the Preakness.

Legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas has three horses entered in the Preakness including Oxbow who finished 6th at Churchill Downs. Oxbow was actually right with Normandy Invasion about the time Orb came crusing past on his way to the win. Veteran jockey Gary Stevens will be aboard Oxbow and he is no stranger to success at Pimlico as he has two wins and two second place finishes as well.

Will Take Charge is another Lukas horse and stablemate of Oxbow who finished 8th in the Derby. If you look at his list of most recent events you’ll see it’s kind of feast or famine for this horse. In his four races this year, Will Take Charge has a first, a sixth a first and an eighth. Lukas has another hall of fame jockey on this mount in 47-year old Mike Smith. That pattern of finishes is hard to ignore if I’m wagering.

One of the horses that received a ton of attention prior to the Kentucky Derby was Goldencents who disappointed greatly by finishing 17th. This is a horse that in his previous four races had three wins and a fourth place finish. Goldencents started strong in the Derby but quickly faded which makes me wonder how jockey Kevin Krigger will take him out on Saturday.

As of right now, I just don’t see a horse that makes me want to move my money off of Orb. Make sure you get over to www.preaknessstakesbetting.org for the latest Preakness Stakes action that I can’t deliver you. Redemption will certianly be the order of the day for Goldencents but I’m not convinced he’ll be ready. Stay with Orb right now and check back in with me on Saturday.

Filed Under: Horse Racing, News Tagged With: D. Wayne Lukas, Goldencents, Horse Betting, Horse Racing, Joel Rosario, Orb

There Must Be Something Beisdes the Knee for Derrick Rose

May 14, 2013 By Marc U.

There just isn't a viable excuse for Rose to not be on the court at this point.

As severe knee injuries go, Chicago Bulls’ all-pro guard Derrick Rose’s was pretty routine according to doctors. I’ve never suffered a severe injury (knocks on wood) so I’m not going to sit here and tell you I know what Derrick Rose has gone through, but something just isn’t right.

I can’t even begin to tell you how many conversations I’ve had with friends and colleagues about Rose’s situation but I know I’ve had a lot of them. They’ve ranged from “he’s being given bad advice from his agent” to “he’s just scared to play” to “he knows the Bulls have no chance so why risk it.” Talk to actual Bulls’ fans and you’ll find that sentiments are similar yet have much more inappropriate language.

What we know is that Derrick Rose injured his knee in last year’s playoffs and was pronounced ‘physically ready to play’ back in early March of this season. He has yet to appear in a game since he left that court that night and now that we are more than two months past the time doctors said he was ready, questions have emerged about Rose’s mental state.

It doesn’t help of course that Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings returned in just nine months from his knee injury to rush for over 2,000 yards and claim the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award. The pressure has been so intense through the playoffs that his teammate Joakim Noah had finally heard enough and snapped hard at reporters he sensed were questioning Rose’s toughness.

If Rose just hasn’t reached the point where he is mentally ready to compete, I respect that. Injuries affect all of us differently and if he is laying awake at night worrying about damaging that knee the next time he comes down the court I get that. The problem I have with that argument in Rose’s case however is that he has participated, allegedly, in full-contact practices with his Chicago teammates. If his mental readiness were truly in question then how was able to compete so hard in practice?

Again, these are just reports that say he was playing hard and in game conditions but they come from several players and even team doctors who cleared him. If I’m the Chicago Bulls, I have to be beside myself. My best player is refusing to play even though he has been 100% cleared to do so.

There is growing sentiment that his agent, former Bulls’ guard B.J. Armstrong, is spear-heading the decision to keep him on the bench. Rose was traded by the Bulls back in 1997 almost immediately after criticizing the front office and insiders say he has never really forgotten that. Could his grudge be affecting Rose? Or is it Rose’s brother who is also believed to be meddling worse than Scooby-Doo and the gang.

Chandler had some comments about the Knicks poor offensive showing.

Whatever it is, Rose is not doing himself any favors by continuing to sit. His teammates have left it all on the floor in beating Brooklyn in seven games and now in their duel with Miami. That can’t sit well in his gut as he sits there on the bench. I can’t think for Derrick Rose but I certainly can’t find any reason why isn’t playing.

Tonight’s games

New York at Indiana (Pacers lead 2-1) – The Knicks are squabbling and the Pacers are great at home. New York is a five and half point underdog which I’ll take the action on. Problem is, I like Indiana to win.

Golden State at San Antonio (Series tied 2-2) – After the overtime thriller won by Golden State, we have a best of three remaining. The Spurs are favored by seven and I like them to win, but I like the Warriors to keep it tight.

Filed Under: NBA, News Tagged With: Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose, Knicks, NBA, NBA betting, Pacers, Spurs, Warriors

Make a Wager for Mom on These Huge Games Today

May 12, 2013 By Marc U.

The wily veteran Parker is hoping to give San Antonio a 3-1 lead today against the Warriors.

Before you lay down a few bucks make sure you tell your Mom “Happy Mother’s Day.” While not everyone has a great or even decent relationship with their mother, still take some time to say “thanks.” Of course it might be a little easier if you have some extra spending money from a few monster games being played today.

First, let me take a quick look back on last night…

The Pacers took a two games to one lead in that series by defeating the Knicks 82-71 behind a dominant defensive effort and nice game from big man Roy Hibbert. In Memphis, the Grizzlies took a two games to one lead over the Thunder by the score of 87-81. Marc Gasol scored 20 points and was tremendous on the defensive end of the floor as well in the winning effort.

On the ice in Long Island last night, the Penguins got an overtime goal from Brooks Orpik, his first of the year, for the 4-3 victory. The Pens close out the Isles four games to two in a series that one could easily argue the Pens were out-played for most. Goalie Tomas Vokoun was not as good as his game five shutout, but he was certainly good enough.

Today on the hardwood…

San Antonio at Golden State (Spurs lead 2-1) – With Golden State guards Steph Curry and Klay Thompson getting all the attention, the Spurs’ future hall of famer Tony Parker has become the guy to watch. Parker is averaging more than 24 points per game in the series and now the attention turns to Curry who is dealing with a bad left ankle.

I really hate using the ‘must-win’ tag as much as we are forced to in the playoffs but let’s be real. There’s no way the Warriors are going to win three in a row should they go down 3-1 today to San Antonio. Thompson and Curry will have to shoot better than they did in game three. The Spurs enter today as a point and a half favorite on the road.

While Golden State will be forced to leave it all on the floor today these are the type of games where the veteran Spurs usually take a mercenary’s approach. I like the Spurs to win and cover today.

On the ice…

Lundqvist will need to be on top of his game in order to force a game seven against the Caps.

Washington at NY Rangers (Caps lead series 3-2) – The Rangers enter as goal and a half favorites to send this series back to Washington for a game seven and I have no doubt that’s exactly where this is headed. Henrik Lundqvist has better goals against average in the series than his counter-part Braden Holtby. I like the Rangers to win, but this will only be a one-goal game.

Boston at Toronto (Bruins lead series 3-2) – Leafs’ goalie James Reimer stopped 43 shots on the road to keep Toronto alive in the series and now must put on another great performance at home to force a game seven. Look for the Bruins to keep throwing pucks at the net at will in an effort to keep Reimer busy. Tuukka Rask is giving up two goals per game in the series and if he does that the Bruins win the series tonight. The Bruins are a goal and half favorites and I like them to win by two or more tonight.

Detroit at Anaheim (series tied 3-3) – The greatest playoff there is in sports. A game seven in any playoff is huge, but on the ice, nothing matches the intensity and finality of it. Tonight in Anaheim, the Ducks and Red Wings are set to play one of these epics and unfortunately, the NHL is getting it wrong by playing it at 10pm Eastern time.

The Wings three victories have all come in overtime while the Ducks have one themselves. I expect another tight game tonight but just feel like the Ducks have the edge. The Wings are just not keeping enough pucks off Jimmy Howard and I think that will be their undoing. Take the Ducks to win and cover the 1.5 goal advantage.

Filed Under: NBA, News, NHL Tagged With: Bruins, Caps, Ducks, Maple Leafs, NBA, NBA betting, NBA Playoffs, NHL, NHL Betting, NHL Playoffs, Rangers, Red Wings, Spurs, Warriors

Blown Calls in MLB Have Gone Far Enough

May 10, 2013 By Marc U.

The A's Melvin had every right to be incensed after Hernandez blew yet another call.

Umpires make mistakes just as players on the diamond make mistakes themselves. Players boot ground balls and miss signals on a daily basis and umpires miss balls and strikes as well. In all sports however, instant replay was supposed to eliminate those mistakes by officials but I have argued that instant replay has actually created far more problems for players, officials and fans.

Two nights ago in Cleveland, the men in blue took a simple call and turned it into an absolute fiasco when Adam Rosales of the Oakland A’s hit a deep ball to left-center field. The ball smashed high above the wall and returned to the field of play where it was ruled a double. A’s manager Bob Melvin sought an instant replay as television replays clearly showed the ball carry over the wall and bounce off the stair railing well behind.

Amazingly, umpire Angel Hernandez and his crew ruled the play would stand as a double. Melvin was beside himself as well he should have been. Major League Baseball may be a long season but every game counts. Should the Athletics miss the playoffs by a game, they’d have every reason to be disgusted with Commissioner Bud Selig and MLB in general. The potential home run would have tied the game, but instead Melvin was tossed and the A’s went down to defeat.

Harper was in disbelief following an ejection in Pittsburgh last week.

Poor umpiring isn’t just happening on calls either. Last week, the Washington Nationals were in Pittsburgh and in the top of the first, Nats’ star Bryce Harper was ejected by umpire John Hirschbeck for what amounted to “shrugging his shoulders.” Hirschbeck, the third base ump, said Harper went around on a third strike check swing. I thought Harper went around too, but it was Hirschbeck’s over-reaction to Harper’s look down the line was typical of the poor umpiring Major League Baseball has been suffering from.

I can’t help but think the umpires are forgetting their place on the diamond. People pay good, hard-earned money to see baseball players, not baseball umpires. Imagine being a fan who attended that game in Pittsburgh only to see one of the stars thrown out by an overly sensitive umpire. Worse yet, how about you the bettor?

You lay your hard-earned money down on games like these but never in your wildest dreams do you imagine one the top young players in the league being tossed out on his ear. Obviously, when we wager on any sport, we understand there is always a risk of injury, odd weather and certainly ejections but these situations are becoming more and more rampant and they are unnecessary.

ESPN’s Jayson Stark said today that instant replay will never be perfect in baseball but it needs to be fixed. To me, there is the entire problem in a nutshell. If it isn’t going to correct errors 100% of the time then instant replay should not be an option. If players make mistakes then so to can umpires.

I am to the point where I really believe umpires in baseball are desperate to make themselves more a part of the ‘show’ and that isn’t good. Missed calls happen and that will never change but blatantly blown calls are just unacceptable. Veteran umpires like Hernandez and Hirschbeck need to be held accountable and need to be reminded they are not the reason people are there to watch the game.

Cleveland at Detroit – These two Central Division rivals are within a game of each other and open a big spring series in Motown tonight. The Tigers have lost two in a row, but are 7-3 over their last ten while the Indians enter with a 9-1 stretch. Take the Tigers at home tonight with Max Scherzer on the hill.

Filed Under: MLB, News Tagged With: Bob Melvin, Bryce Harper, Major League Baseball, MLB, MLB Betting, Umpires

Betting NBA Playoffs is More Difficult Than You Think

May 8, 2013 By Marc U.

I 'guarantee' the Heat win game two tonight. I think so anyway...

The article you’re reading now was actually written last night. Actually, I’m sitting here watching the New York Knicks completely demolish the Indiana Pacers. As I glance at the television, I see the Knickerbockers have built almost a 30-point lead and will certainly have evened the series at a game apiece as the two squads head to Indiana.

While this was actually a close game through three quarters, the blowout illustrates just how difficult betting the NBA Playoffs can be. While I thought New York would bounce back from their game one defeat I certainly couldn’t have predicted that it would come in this particular fashion. This was essentially a ‘must-win’ game for the Knicks because Indiana is just too good at home for New York to win four out of the final five games.

Therefore, was the win expected? Of course it was but we’ve also seen very similar situations play out completely different.

Monday night, the Miami Heat returned to action after a layoff of approximately eight days. The Chicago Bulls meanwhile, had played a game seven on the road just 48 hours before with a team that looked more like a MASH unit then a basketball team. Any moron with a brain wave would have gone with the Heat to win right?

As you know by now, the Bulls went into Miami and beat the Heat in game one to steal home-court advantage. Already, Chicago has announced that Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich will not play in game two. Automatic win for the Heat then right? Well, in this case, yes.

Hinrich is expected to be out again for the Bulls.

There is no way possible that Miami will lose tonight in game two. If you are the type that believes in wake-up calls then the Heat received theirs in game one. LeBron James is not the best player in the world because he enjoys challenges. He is the best player because he will rise to the occasion and bring his teammates with him.

So what will be my explanation if somehow the Bulls pull off another huge win in game two? I honestly don’t know but I’m not exactly going to beg for forgiveness because this is the NBA Playoffs and what we have found more and more is that unpredictability is a reality.

My grandfather used to tell me all the time that one of the most misunderstood and under-appreciated aspects of sports and especially the playoffs was the psychology involved. Mike Woodson of the Knicks is a perfect example. His Knicks were terrible in a game five loss but bounced back on the road in Boston for the series win.

As I detailed in the opening, the Knicks were pretty bad in game one of the series against Indiana but bounced back last night. Whatever Mike Woodson does to change things from one game to the next it works and I have to think much of it is psychological as it is tactical. Athletes are and always be people who are motivated by different things and when you challenge them they more often than not rise to the occasion.

As someone wagering on these athletes you really do have to consider every possible factor from game to game before you lay your hard-earned money.

Tonight in the NBA

Chicago at Miami (Bulls lead 1-0) – The Heat are 12-point favorites which tells you that Vegas expects them to bounce back and so do I. Take them to cover.

Golden State at San Antonio (Spurs lead 1-0) – I’m a little surprised that the Spurs are listed as 8 point favorites tonight considering they were just about buried in game one before rallying. I love Golden State tonight and you should too.

Filed Under: NBA, News Tagged With: Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, NBA, NBA betting, NBA Playoffs, New York Knicks

Pacers Grab Homecourt; Thunder Holds Off the Grizzlies

May 6, 2013 By Marc U.

Vogel and the Pacers stole homecourt with game one win in New York.

I told you yesterday I thought Indiana would knock off the New York Knicks in seven games and while we have a long way to go before that gets here, the Pacers started off on the right foot with a 102-95 win at New York. The loss is even more ominous for the Knicks because they have never won a playoff series when losing game one of a series at home. The last team this occurred with you might ask? The Indiana Pacers in 1995.

The reason I felt Indiana would give the Knicks fits boiled down to two things in my mind. First, I felt the Pacers would by far be more physical in the series and through one game at least, that is holding true. The other factor I saw in the Pacers’ favor was coaching. I like the way Frank Vogel does things while the Knicks’ Mike Woodson is consistently inconsistent with his coaching.

Roy Hibbert didn’t have huge numbers in game one (14 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks) but what was evident was his presence in the middle of the paint. He is so big and long that he is very difficult to get past and makes passing lanes very difficult on the inside.

Game two is a must-win for the Knicks on Tuesday night. Indiana plays extremely well at home and so far is 3-0 at home in Indy.

Durant was simply awesome yesterday in scoring 35 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.

Out West, the Thunder were able to hold off the Grizzlies and grab the game one victory 93-91 at home in OKC. I still have the Grizzlies winning the series in six games, but they may have to adjust the very gameplan I thought would be successful for them. The Grizzlies basically allowed Kevin Durant to get his while limiting the rest of the team, but Durant was just too good as he poured in 35 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. He also added in six assists for good measure.

Memphis will have to decide how they are going to approach game two. Allowing Durant to get 35 points is one thing but to see him grab that many boards is a big no-no and led to way too many opportunities on both ends. Marc Gasol had a nice game for Memphis with 20 points and 10 rebounds and Zach Randolph contributed 18 points but the game may have been lost at the free throw line. Memphis was just 14 of 24 while the Thunder was 22 of 25.

Memphis doesn’t have to be perfect in that department but they have to be significantly better for sure.

Games Tonight

Chicago at Miami – What is to be certain is that the Bulls can play with the Heat. They split the season series with Miami and played competitively in all four games. What isn’t so certain is whether the Bulls will have even some of their top players at full strength. Joakim Noah is banged up as is Kirk Heinrich. Will Derrick Rose make his long-awaited debut or not? My guess is don’t bet on it.

If Chicago wants to have a shot in this series against the defending champs, a win in game one would be monstrous.

Golden State at San Antonio – The Warriors and Spurs split their season series at two wins apiece during the regular season but now things get serious. With no David Lee for Golden State, I think his absence hurts them more in this series than it did against Denver. That said, can the Spurs make life difficult for Steph Curry? If there is any coach who can devise a way to take great players out of their comfort zone it would San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich.

Golden State enters tonight an 8.5 point underdog. While I think the Spurs win, I’d jump all over the Warriors in what I believe will be a close game. I like the over of 201 as well.

Filed Under: NBA, News Tagged With: Grizzlies, Heat, Knicks, NBA, NBA betting, NBA Playoffs, Pacers, Spurs, Thunder, Warriors