Man, game 1s can be murder! Today's another day! Good luck Indy!Armadillo Sports
Monday’s 6-pack
Major league leaders in batting average (min. 25 AB’s):
.400— Taylor Ward, LAA
.382— Eric Hosmer, SD
.377— Owen Miller, Clev
.375— Manny Machado, SD
.372— JP Crawford, Sea
.369 — Xander Bogaerts, Bos
Quote of the Day
“The measure of who we are is how we react to something that doesn’t go our way.”
Gregg Popovich
Monday’s quiz
Paul Westhead led the LA Lakers to the NBA title in 1980; ten years later, he led a college team to the Elite Eight, where they lost the West Region final to eventual national champ UNLV. What team was Westhead coaching in 1990?
Sunday’s quiz
When Joe Namath signed with the AFL’s Jets in 1965, he was the first pick in the AFL Draft. He was the 10th pick in the NFL Draft, by the St Louis Cardinals.
Saturday’s quiz
Current Met Max Scherzer is the last pitcher to throw a no-hitter against the Mets at Citi Field.
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Monday’s Den: Wrapping up a sports Sunday
Major league teams’ records in series this season:
National League
7-0— Mets
5-1-1— Rockies
5-2-1— Brewers, Giants
5-2— Dodgers
4-1-2— Cardinals
4-2-1— Padres
4-3— Marlins
2-4-1— Pirates, Nationals
2-5— Phillies
1-3-3— Diamondbacks
1-4-2— Braves, Cubs
0-6-1— Reds
American League
6-0-1— Blue Jays
5-1-1— New York
5-2— Angels
4-3— Rays
3-2-2— Twins
3-3-1— Guardians, Mariners
3-4— Orioles, White Sox, Rangers
2-4-1— Astros, Royals, A’s
1-5-1— Red Sox
1-6— Tigers
— Last three starts for Cardinals P Miles Mikolas were all 0-0 after five innings; 33-year old Mikolas is off to a 1-1, 1.52 start for the Redbirds.
— Angels 6, White Sox— Halos led 6-0 in middle of 9th inning; Chicago wound up down 6-5 and had the bases loaded before Ryan Tepera came in to get the last out.
— I’ll say this again; putting microphones on the umpire to explain replay decisions is a very good change for baseball.
— Red Sox started an extra inning Saturday by walking the leadoff hitter intentionally, creating force plays at third and second. Since the game was tied, this was very smart, but hasn’t been dome a lot. Baltimore scored anyway, but you can do the right thing and still lose.
— Will be fascinating to see what the Cleveland Browns do next; at some, the NFL is going to suspend QB Deshaun Watson, probably for at least six games. Will the Browns keep Baker Mayfield and expect him to hold down the fort until Watson becomes eligible to play?
Seattle needs a quarterback; will the Browns trade him there? Cleveland also has Jacoby Brissett and Josh Dobbs to back up Watson when the time comes. Otherwise, any place Mayfield gets dealt to, he is probably the backup this season, except maybe Houston, if he went there.
— Cincinnati Bearcats had nine players drafted this weekend, but number for an AAC team, but they’re also heading to the Big X soon, so they’ll obviously need to keep producing top-flight players.
— Texas Longhorns didn’t have any players drafted this weekend, first time since 2014.
Bucks 101, Celtics 89:
— Boston shot 18-50 (36%) on the arc, 10-34 (29.4%) inside the arc.
— Milwaukee shot 25-56 inside arc (44.6%), 12-34 on arc (35.3%).
— Bucks are the defending champs; they’re not getting enough respect.
Warriors 117, Grizzlies 116:
— No one scored in last 0:36.6 of this game.
— Jordan Poole scored 31 points in 38:00 off bench.
— Ja Morant had 34 points, 10 assists.
— Draymond Green got tossed in second quarter for a flagrant foul.
Monday’s 6-pack
Major league leaders in batting average (min. 25 AB’s):
.400— Taylor Ward, LAA
.382— Eric Hosmer, SD
.377— Owen Miller, Clev
.375— Manny Machado, SD
.372— JP Crawford, Sea
.369 — Xander Bogaerts, Bos
Quote of the Day
“The measure of who we are is how we react to something that doesn’t go our way.”
Gregg Popovich
Monday’s quiz
Paul Westhead led the LA Lakers to the NBA title in 1980; ten years later, he led a college team to the Elite Eight, where they lost the West Region final to eventual national champ UNLV. What team was Westhead coaching in 1990?
Sunday’s quiz
When Joe Namath signed with the AFL’s Jets in 1965, he was the first pick in the AFL Draft. He was the 10th pick in the NFL Draft, by the St Louis Cardinals.
Saturday’s quiz
Current Met Max Scherzer is the last pitcher to throw a no-hitter against the Mets at Citi Field.
****************************
Monday’s Den: Wrapping up a sports Sunday
Major league teams’ records in series this season:
National League
7-0— Mets
5-1-1— Rockies
5-2-1— Brewers, Giants
5-2— Dodgers
4-1-2— Cardinals
4-2-1— Padres
4-3— Marlins
2-4-1— Pirates, Nationals
2-5— Phillies
1-3-3— Diamondbacks
1-4-2— Braves, Cubs
0-6-1— Reds
American League
6-0-1— Blue Jays
5-1-1— New York
5-2— Angels
4-3— Rays
3-2-2— Twins
3-3-1— Guardians, Mariners
3-4— Orioles, White Sox, Rangers
2-4-1— Astros, Royals, A’s
1-5-1— Red Sox
1-6— Tigers
— Last three starts for Cardinals P Miles Mikolas were all 0-0 after five innings; 33-year old Mikolas is off to a 1-1, 1.52 start for the Redbirds.
— Angels 6, White Sox— Halos led 6-0 in middle of 9th inning; Chicago wound up down 6-5 and had the bases loaded before Ryan Tepera came in to get the last out.
— I’ll say this again; putting microphones on the umpire to explain replay decisions is a very good change for baseball.
— Red Sox started an extra inning Saturday by walking the leadoff hitter intentionally, creating force plays at third and second. Since the game was tied, this was very smart, but hasn’t been dome a lot. Baltimore scored anyway, but you can do the right thing and still lose.
— Will be fascinating to see what the Cleveland Browns do next; at some, the NFL is going to suspend QB Deshaun Watson, probably for at least six games. Will the Browns keep Baker Mayfield and expect him to hold down the fort until Watson becomes eligible to play?
Seattle needs a quarterback; will the Browns trade him there? Cleveland also has Jacoby Brissett and Josh Dobbs to back up Watson when the time comes. Otherwise, any place Mayfield gets dealt to, he is probably the backup this season, except maybe Houston, if he went there.
— Cincinnati Bearcats had nine players drafted this weekend, but number for an AAC team, but they’re also heading to the Big X soon, so they’ll obviously need to keep producing top-flight players.
— Texas Longhorns didn’t have any players drafted this weekend, first time since 2014.
Bucks 101, Celtics 89:
— Boston shot 18-50 (36%) on the arc, 10-34 (29.4%) inside the arc.
— Milwaukee shot 25-56 inside arc (44.6%), 12-34 on arc (35.3%).
— Bucks are the defending champs; they’re not getting enough respect.
Warriors 117, Grizzlies 116:
— No one scored in last 0:36.6 of this game.
— Jordan Poole scored 31 points in 38:00 off bench.
— Ja Morant had 34 points, 10 assists.
— Draymond Green got tossed in second quarter for a flagrant foul.
PHILADELPHIA is 9-1 Under (7.9 Units) in road games off a win against a division rival over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS are 13-1 ATS (11.9 Units) in road games after scoring 100 points or less in the current season.
NBA
Dunkel
Monday, May 2
NBA
Monday, May 2
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
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Philadelphia @ Miami
Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games when playing Miami
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games
Miami
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Miami's last 5 games
Miami is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Dallas @ Phoenix
Dallas
Dallas is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Dallas is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Phoenix
Phoenix is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
Phoenix is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas
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The Sixers are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games.
The Heat are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games.
The total has gone UNDER in four of the last five Sixers' games.
The total has gone UNDER in five straight Heat' games.
The Sixers are 2-6 ATS in their last eight road games.
The total has gone UNDER in four of the last five matchups between the Heat and Sixers.
The Sixers are 1-5 SU in their last six road games against Miami.
The Mavericks are 5-0 ATS in their last five games.
The Suns are 6-3 ATS in their last nine games.
The total has gone UNDER in four of the last six Mavs' games.
The total has gone OVER in four of the last five Suns' games.
The Mavericks are 8-2 SU in their last ten games.
The Suns are 15-4 ATS in their last 19 matchups against Dallas.
The Mavericks are 0-9 SU in their last nine matchups against Phoenix.
DALLAS are 13-1 ATS (11.9 Units) in road games after scoring 100 points or less in the current season.
NBA
Dunkel
Monday, May 2
NBA
Monday, May 2
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
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Philadelphia @ Miami
Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games when playing Miami
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games
Miami
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Miami's last 5 games
Miami is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Dallas @ Phoenix
Dallas
Dallas is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Dallas is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Phoenix
Phoenix is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
Phoenix is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas
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The Sixers are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games.
The Heat are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games.
The total has gone UNDER in four of the last five Sixers' games.
The total has gone UNDER in five straight Heat' games.
The Sixers are 2-6 ATS in their last eight road games.
The total has gone UNDER in four of the last five matchups between the Heat and Sixers.
The Sixers are 1-5 SU in their last six road games against Miami.
The Mavericks are 5-0 ATS in their last five games.
The Suns are 6-3 ATS in their last nine games.
The total has gone UNDER in four of the last six Mavs' games.
The total has gone OVER in four of the last five Suns' games.
The Mavericks are 8-2 SU in their last ten games.
The Suns are 15-4 ATS in their last 19 matchups against Dallas.
The Mavericks are 0-9 SU in their last nine matchups against Phoenix.
MAY NBA PLAYOFFS BEST BETS & OPINIONS
Date .......................W-L-T.....................%...................Units
05/02/2022...............4-0-0...............100.00%...............+20.00
05/01/2022...............0-4-0............... 00.00%.................-22.00
TOTALS.....................4-4-0.................50.00%................- 2.00
BEST BETS:
05/02/2022...............4-0-0...............100.00%...............+20.00
05/01/2022...............0-4-0............... 00.00%.................-22.00
TOTALS.....................4-4-0.................50.00%.................- 2.00
UPDATED ON 05/02/2022
Date .......................W-L-T.....................%...................Units
05/02/2022...............4-0-0...............100.00%...............+20.00
05/01/2022...............0-4-0............... 00.00%.................-22.00
TOTALS.....................4-4-0.................50.00%................- 2.00
BEST BETS:
05/02/2022...............4-0-0...............100.00%...............+20.00
05/01/2022...............0-4-0............... 00.00%.................-22.00
TOTALS.....................4-4-0.................50.00%.................- 2.00
UPDATED ON 05/02/2022
Armadillo Sports
Tuesday’s 6-pack
Major league leaders in strikeouts:
43— Corbin Burnes, Milw
42— Max Scherzer NYM, Shane McClanahan TB
41— Kevin Gausman, Tor
39— Dylan Cease, CWS
38— Carlos Rodon, SF
34— Bassitt NY, Lauer Milw, Nola Phil, Wright Atl
Quote of the Day
“There’s no question [Mickelson’s comments] hurt. It hurt a lot of aspects. It hurt the PGA Tour. It hurt us. It hurt the game of golf. It hurt Phil. So yeah, across all fronts. It wasn’t just specifically to us. But it definitely created negative momentum against us.”
Golfer Greg Norman, talking about his new golf league
Tuesday’s quiz
When was the last time an NHL franchise located in Canada won the Stanley Cup?
Monday’s quiz
Paul Westhead led the LA Lakers to the NBA title in 1980; ten years later, he led Loyola Marymount to the Elite Eight of NCAA Tournament, where they lost the West Region final to eventual national champ UNLV.
Sunday’s quiz
When Joe Namath signed with the AFL’s Jets in 1965, he was the first pick in the AFL Draft. He was the 10th pick in the NFL Draft, by the St Louis Cardinals.
**************************
Tuesday’s Den: Nobody asked me, but…….
13) Heat 106, 76ers 92:
— Tyler Herro scored 25 points in 29:00 off bench for Miami.
— Teams combined to shoot 15-70 on arc; no bueno.
— Heat leads best-of-7 series 1-0.
12) Suns 121, Mavericks 114:
— Phoenix led 69-56 at halftime.
— Doncic was 15-30 from floor, scored 45. Other four Dallas starters shot combined 15-36.
— Phoenix lead best-of-7 series 1-0.
11) In the NFL, Arizona WR DeAndre Hopkins got a 6-game PED suspension, which helps explain why they traded for Marquise Brown last week.
10) Mets DFA’d Robinson Cano Monday; he is hitting .195 in 12 games this season. New York still owes Cano $44,703,297 from a contract he signed ten years ago.
Mets have seven days to trade or release Cano, or send him outright to AAA — an assignment he can refuse because he has 3+ years of major league service.
9) Since start of the 2020 season, Chicago White Sox are 43-19 vs lefty pitching; this season, they’ve scoring 4.5 runs/game vs lefty starters, 2.81 vs righties.
8) Players of the Month for April:
American League— Jose Ramirez, Cleveland
National League— Nolan Arenado, St Louis
7) Few days ago, Arizona’s Daulton Varsho caught and batted leadoff; he walked to lead off the game, was then thrown out stealing for the first out of the game.
He is the first catcher to be caught stealing for the first out of a game since Jason Kendall, way back on June 25, 2003.
USFL Week 3 knowledge
6) Tampa Bay 27, Houston 26:
— Bandits kicked a 46-yard FG with 0:10 for the win.
— Tampa Bay outscored Houston 10-0 in 2nd half, first points they’ve scored in second half this season. Gamblers have been outscored 45-13 in second half of games.
— Bandits are 2-1 despite a minus-6 turnover ratio.
5) Birmingham 22, New Orleans 13:
— Stallions are 3-0, despite trailing in 2nd half of all three games.
— Birmingham outscored Breakers 12-0 in 4th quarter.
— Stallions won despite completing only 15 of 38 passes.
4) Michigan 24, Pittsburgh 0
— Jeff Fisher’s Panthers ran ball 42 times for 244 yards.
— Winless Maulers have been outscored 54-16 in first half of games.
— Michigan hasn’t allowed a second half point in three games (20-0)
— Panthers went for 2 after all three TD’s and were 3-3.
3) New Jersey 24, Philadelphia 16:
— Generals outscored Philly 14-0 in 4th quarter.
— Generals ran ball 46 times for 269 yards; Stars ran 10 times for 31 yards.
— New Jersey outgained the Stars, 458-259
2) With major league rosters down to 26 on Monday, it becomes more important for starting pitchers to go deeper into games, to take the strain off of bullpens.
1) In his first five starts this season, Toronto’s Kevin Gausman is 2-1, 2.27, with 41 strikeouts in 31.2 IP, and no walks. A 0.98 WHIP is pretty impressive.
Tuesday’s 6-pack
Major league leaders in strikeouts:
43— Corbin Burnes, Milw
42— Max Scherzer NYM, Shane McClanahan TB
41— Kevin Gausman, Tor
39— Dylan Cease, CWS
38— Carlos Rodon, SF
34— Bassitt NY, Lauer Milw, Nola Phil, Wright Atl
Quote of the Day
“There’s no question [Mickelson’s comments] hurt. It hurt a lot of aspects. It hurt the PGA Tour. It hurt us. It hurt the game of golf. It hurt Phil. So yeah, across all fronts. It wasn’t just specifically to us. But it definitely created negative momentum against us.”
Golfer Greg Norman, talking about his new golf league
Tuesday’s quiz
When was the last time an NHL franchise located in Canada won the Stanley Cup?
Monday’s quiz
Paul Westhead led the LA Lakers to the NBA title in 1980; ten years later, he led Loyola Marymount to the Elite Eight of NCAA Tournament, where they lost the West Region final to eventual national champ UNLV.
Sunday’s quiz
When Joe Namath signed with the AFL’s Jets in 1965, he was the first pick in the AFL Draft. He was the 10th pick in the NFL Draft, by the St Louis Cardinals.
**************************
Tuesday’s Den: Nobody asked me, but…….
13) Heat 106, 76ers 92:
— Tyler Herro scored 25 points in 29:00 off bench for Miami.
— Teams combined to shoot 15-70 on arc; no bueno.
— Heat leads best-of-7 series 1-0.
12) Suns 121, Mavericks 114:
— Phoenix led 69-56 at halftime.
— Doncic was 15-30 from floor, scored 45. Other four Dallas starters shot combined 15-36.
— Phoenix lead best-of-7 series 1-0.
11) In the NFL, Arizona WR DeAndre Hopkins got a 6-game PED suspension, which helps explain why they traded for Marquise Brown last week.
10) Mets DFA’d Robinson Cano Monday; he is hitting .195 in 12 games this season. New York still owes Cano $44,703,297 from a contract he signed ten years ago.
Mets have seven days to trade or release Cano, or send him outright to AAA — an assignment he can refuse because he has 3+ years of major league service.
9) Since start of the 2020 season, Chicago White Sox are 43-19 vs lefty pitching; this season, they’ve scoring 4.5 runs/game vs lefty starters, 2.81 vs righties.
8) Players of the Month for April:
American League— Jose Ramirez, Cleveland
National League— Nolan Arenado, St Louis
7) Few days ago, Arizona’s Daulton Varsho caught and batted leadoff; he walked to lead off the game, was then thrown out stealing for the first out of the game.
He is the first catcher to be caught stealing for the first out of a game since Jason Kendall, way back on June 25, 2003.
USFL Week 3 knowledge
6) Tampa Bay 27, Houston 26:
— Bandits kicked a 46-yard FG with 0:10 for the win.
— Tampa Bay outscored Houston 10-0 in 2nd half, first points they’ve scored in second half this season. Gamblers have been outscored 45-13 in second half of games.
— Bandits are 2-1 despite a minus-6 turnover ratio.
5) Birmingham 22, New Orleans 13:
— Stallions are 3-0, despite trailing in 2nd half of all three games.
— Birmingham outscored Breakers 12-0 in 4th quarter.
— Stallions won despite completing only 15 of 38 passes.
4) Michigan 24, Pittsburgh 0
— Jeff Fisher’s Panthers ran ball 42 times for 244 yards.
— Winless Maulers have been outscored 54-16 in first half of games.
— Michigan hasn’t allowed a second half point in three games (20-0)
— Panthers went for 2 after all three TD’s and were 3-3.
3) New Jersey 24, Philadelphia 16:
— Generals outscored Philly 14-0 in 4th quarter.
— Generals ran ball 46 times for 269 yards; Stars ran 10 times for 31 yards.
— New Jersey outgained the Stars, 458-259
2) With major league rosters down to 26 on Monday, it becomes more important for starting pitchers to go deeper into games, to take the strain off of bullpens.
1) In his first five starts this season, Toronto’s Kevin Gausman is 2-1, 2.27, with 41 strikeouts in 31.2 IP, and no walks. A 0.98 WHIP is pretty impressive.
BOSTON is 9-0 ATS (9 Units) after scoring 95 points or less in the current season.
GOLDEN STATE is 7-0 Over (7 Units) in road games when playing 5 or less games in 14 days in the current season.
NBA
Dunkel
Tuesday, May 3
NBA
Tuesday, May 3
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
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Milwaukee @ Boston
Milwaukee
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Milwaukee's last 5 games
Milwaukee is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Boston
Boston is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Milwaukee
Boston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Golden State @ Memphis
Golden State
Golden State is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Golden State's last 7 games
Memphis
Memphis is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Golden State
Memphis is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Golden State
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GOLDEN STATE is 7-0 Over (7 Units) in road games when playing 5 or less games in 14 days in the current season.
NBA
Dunkel
Tuesday, May 3
NBA
Tuesday, May 3
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Milwaukee @ Boston
Milwaukee
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Milwaukee's last 5 games
Milwaukee is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Boston
Boston is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Milwaukee
Boston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Golden State @ Memphis
Golden State
Golden State is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Golden State's last 7 games
Memphis
Memphis is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Golden State
Memphis is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Golden State
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The total has gone UNDER in six straight Bucks' games.
The Celtics are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games.
The Bucks are 4-1 ATS in their last five games.
The total has gone OVER in 12 of the last 17 Celtics' games.
The Bucks are 1-7 ATS in their last eight matchups against Boston.
The total has gone OVER in eight of the last ten matchups between Boston and Milwaukee.
The Warriors are 8-4 ATS in their last 12 games.
The Grizzlies are 4-2 ATS in their last six games.
The total has gone OVER in six of the last seven Warriors' games.
The total has gone UNDER in four of the last six Grizzlies' games.
The Grizzlies are 5-1 ATS in their last five matchups against Golden State.
The total has gone UNDER in eight of the last 12 matchups between Memphis and Golden State.
The Celtics are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games.
The Bucks are 4-1 ATS in their last five games.
The total has gone OVER in 12 of the last 17 Celtics' games.
The Bucks are 1-7 ATS in their last eight matchups against Boston.
The total has gone OVER in eight of the last ten matchups between Boston and Milwaukee.
The Warriors are 8-4 ATS in their last 12 games.
The Grizzlies are 4-2 ATS in their last six games.
The total has gone OVER in six of the last seven Warriors' games.
The total has gone UNDER in four of the last six Grizzlies' games.
The Grizzlies are 5-1 ATS in their last five matchups against Golden State.
The total has gone UNDER in eight of the last 12 matchups between Memphis and Golden State.
MAY NBA PLAYOFFS BEST BETS & OPINIONS
Date .......................W-L-T.....................%...................Units
05/03/2022...............2-2-0................50.00%..................-1.00
05/02/2022...............4-0-0...............100.00%...............+20.00
05/01/2022...............0-4-0............... 00.00%.................-22.00
TOTALS.....................6-6-0.................50.00%................- 3.00
BEST BETS:
05/03/2022...............2-2-0................50.00%..................-1.00
05/02/2022...............4-0-0...............100.00%...............+20.00
05/01/2022...............0-4-0............... 00.00%.................-22.00
TOTALS.....................5-5-0.................50.00%.................- 3.00
UPDATED ON 05/03/2022
Date .......................W-L-T.....................%...................Units
05/03/2022...............2-2-0................50.00%..................-1.00
05/02/2022...............4-0-0...............100.00%...............+20.00
05/01/2022...............0-4-0............... 00.00%.................-22.00
TOTALS.....................6-6-0.................50.00%................- 3.00
BEST BETS:
05/03/2022...............2-2-0................50.00%..................-1.00
05/02/2022...............4-0-0...............100.00%...............+20.00
05/01/2022...............0-4-0............... 00.00%.................-22.00
TOTALS.....................5-5-0.................50.00%.................- 3.00
UPDATED ON 05/03/2022
Armadillo Sports
Wednesday’s 6-pack
NHL leaders in goals this season:
60— Auston Matthews, Tor
55— Leon Draisaitl, Edm
52— Chris Kreider, NYR
50—Alex Ovechkin, Wash
47— Kirill Kaprizov, Minn/Kyle Connor, Winn
44— Connor McDavid, Edm
Quote of the Day
“It’s a deep scar. Every time I closed my eyes I kind of rewatched the game. I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep for weeks. I was in a dark place, and it took me a while, a lot of work to get out of it. I’ve worked through it, but therapy, talking to people, time helped. It took a lot of work to get through it.”
Titans’ QB Ryan Tannehill, talking about Tennessee’s playoff loss in January
Wednesday’s quiz
Who was the first quarterback to win the Super Bowl in his first season with that team?
Tuesday’s quiz
1993 was the last time an NHL franchise located in Canada won the Stanley Cup, when Montreal beat the LA Kings 4-1 in the Stanley Cup finals.
Monday’s quiz
Paul Westhead led the LA Lakers to the NBA title in 1980; ten years later, he led Loyola Marymount to the Elite Eight of NCAA Tournament, where they lost the West Region final to eventual national champ UNLV.
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Wednesday’s Den: Mid-week musings……..
13) Astros 4, Mariners 0— Dusty Baker wins his 2,000th game as a big league manager.
Flashback to July 19, 1975; my dad took me to Shea Stadium, Braves-Mets. When you’re 15 years and your first name is Biff and the Braves have a catcher named Biff Pocoroba, he becomes your hero. Not only did my dad get us tickets, he got us box seats in the third row, right by third base.
I was hoping to meet Biff Pocoroba as he walked to the bullpen with the relief pitchers before the game, but as luck would have it, he started behind the plate that day, his first start in a week. I did meet four Braves and got their autographs, including an outfielder named Dusty Baker.
12) I had this paperback book, The Handbook of Major League Baseball, which I bought every year; it had bios on the 10 best players on each team. Before Dusty signed the book, he read his bio in the book- the author wasn’t a fan.
“This guy doesn’t like me!!!” Dusty Baker laughed, signed the book, talked to me for a couple more minutes and then moved on down the row of fans.
47 years later and I’m still grateful. Congrats Mr Baker, enjoy your accomplishment!!!
11) There is a new idea brewing for college basketball, which could debut in February 2024; where a lot of the mid-major leagues, all of them ranked below the Big East/Pac-12 level, take a week out of their conference schedules and play two non-league games, one home and one away.
The idea is to build the mid-major teams’ resume for at-large bid and also to create interest for March Madness. It would also reduce the amount of BS non-conference games that are played in November/December.
10) Impressive field for the Maui Classic in November:
— Arizona, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Creighton
— Louisville, Ohio State, San Diego State, Texas Tech
9) Turns out the NFL was little annoyed with the Detroit Lions last Thursday, when Jaguars made the first pick in the draft, then Detroit immediately turned in their pick two minutes later.
Apparently the league likes teams to take the full 10:00 between picks, so they do their interviews and get some commercials in and build some suspense for the second pick, which obviously didn’t happen in this case. Apparently a phone call was made to Detroit to express the league’s displeasure with what happened.
8) Steve Lavin left FS1’s TV studio to return to coaching at San Diego; Jay Wright would be the logical choice to take his place, seeing how FS1 does lot of Big East games.
7) Modern baseball: Dom Smith goes 4-4 Sunday night, so of course he sits out the next two games; why start one of your best hitters? Smith played the nightcap of Tuesday’s twinbill and hit a 2-run double as the Mets swept Atlanta.
6) Random List: my four favorite Paul Newman movies:
— The Verdict
— Absence of Malice
— Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
— Message in a Bottle
5) Counting playoff games, Phoenix Suns have now won 10 games in a row over Dallas.
4) Maine became the 34th state with legalized sports gambling this week.
3) Not sure how long the HBO series Winning Time about the LA Lajers will last, but if the series goes on for a few years, can’t wait to see how they portray Phil Jackson, and who they hire to play his role.
2) Tennessee Titans drafted QB Malik Willis last week, which ignited a spirited debate on Twitter; is part of incumbent QB Ryan Tannehill’s job to be a mentor for the young QB?
Opinion was divided on this; my opinion is this:
— It is Tannehill’s job to play quarterback for the Titans. He needs to lead by example. Tannehill will be 31 in July; he still has a lot of years left, whether in Tennessee or somewhere else.
— It is Willis’ job to observe Taneyhill and learn as much as he can from him.
— Coaches get paid to coach, players get paid to play.
— Willis is a 3rd-round pick, so he will wind up starting at some point, not necessarily in 2022.
— Tennessee becomes a more interesting team to follow early next season.
1) NBA playoffs:
— Boston 109, Milwaukee 86— Celtics were 20-43 on arc, Milwaukee 3-18.
— Memphis 106, Golden State 101— Curry/Thompson shot 5-23 behind the arc.
Both series are tied, 1-1.
Wednesday’s 6-pack
NHL leaders in goals this season:
60— Auston Matthews, Tor
55— Leon Draisaitl, Edm
52— Chris Kreider, NYR
50—Alex Ovechkin, Wash
47— Kirill Kaprizov, Minn/Kyle Connor, Winn
44— Connor McDavid, Edm
Quote of the Day
“It’s a deep scar. Every time I closed my eyes I kind of rewatched the game. I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep for weeks. I was in a dark place, and it took me a while, a lot of work to get out of it. I’ve worked through it, but therapy, talking to people, time helped. It took a lot of work to get through it.”
Titans’ QB Ryan Tannehill, talking about Tennessee’s playoff loss in January
Wednesday’s quiz
Who was the first quarterback to win the Super Bowl in his first season with that team?
Tuesday’s quiz
1993 was the last time an NHL franchise located in Canada won the Stanley Cup, when Montreal beat the LA Kings 4-1 in the Stanley Cup finals.
Monday’s quiz
Paul Westhead led the LA Lakers to the NBA title in 1980; ten years later, he led Loyola Marymount to the Elite Eight of NCAA Tournament, where they lost the West Region final to eventual national champ UNLV.
****************************
Wednesday’s Den: Mid-week musings……..
13) Astros 4, Mariners 0— Dusty Baker wins his 2,000th game as a big league manager.
Flashback to July 19, 1975; my dad took me to Shea Stadium, Braves-Mets. When you’re 15 years and your first name is Biff and the Braves have a catcher named Biff Pocoroba, he becomes your hero. Not only did my dad get us tickets, he got us box seats in the third row, right by third base.
I was hoping to meet Biff Pocoroba as he walked to the bullpen with the relief pitchers before the game, but as luck would have it, he started behind the plate that day, his first start in a week. I did meet four Braves and got their autographs, including an outfielder named Dusty Baker.
12) I had this paperback book, The Handbook of Major League Baseball, which I bought every year; it had bios on the 10 best players on each team. Before Dusty signed the book, he read his bio in the book- the author wasn’t a fan.
“This guy doesn’t like me!!!” Dusty Baker laughed, signed the book, talked to me for a couple more minutes and then moved on down the row of fans.
47 years later and I’m still grateful. Congrats Mr Baker, enjoy your accomplishment!!!
11) There is a new idea brewing for college basketball, which could debut in February 2024; where a lot of the mid-major leagues, all of them ranked below the Big East/Pac-12 level, take a week out of their conference schedules and play two non-league games, one home and one away.
The idea is to build the mid-major teams’ resume for at-large bid and also to create interest for March Madness. It would also reduce the amount of BS non-conference games that are played in November/December.
10) Impressive field for the Maui Classic in November:
— Arizona, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Creighton
— Louisville, Ohio State, San Diego State, Texas Tech
9) Turns out the NFL was little annoyed with the Detroit Lions last Thursday, when Jaguars made the first pick in the draft, then Detroit immediately turned in their pick two minutes later.
Apparently the league likes teams to take the full 10:00 between picks, so they do their interviews and get some commercials in and build some suspense for the second pick, which obviously didn’t happen in this case. Apparently a phone call was made to Detroit to express the league’s displeasure with what happened.
8) Steve Lavin left FS1’s TV studio to return to coaching at San Diego; Jay Wright would be the logical choice to take his place, seeing how FS1 does lot of Big East games.
7) Modern baseball: Dom Smith goes 4-4 Sunday night, so of course he sits out the next two games; why start one of your best hitters? Smith played the nightcap of Tuesday’s twinbill and hit a 2-run double as the Mets swept Atlanta.
6) Random List: my four favorite Paul Newman movies:
— The Verdict
— Absence of Malice
— Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
— Message in a Bottle
5) Counting playoff games, Phoenix Suns have now won 10 games in a row over Dallas.
4) Maine became the 34th state with legalized sports gambling this week.
3) Not sure how long the HBO series Winning Time about the LA Lajers will last, but if the series goes on for a few years, can’t wait to see how they portray Phil Jackson, and who they hire to play his role.
2) Tennessee Titans drafted QB Malik Willis last week, which ignited a spirited debate on Twitter; is part of incumbent QB Ryan Tannehill’s job to be a mentor for the young QB?
Opinion was divided on this; my opinion is this:
— It is Tannehill’s job to play quarterback for the Titans. He needs to lead by example. Tannehill will be 31 in July; he still has a lot of years left, whether in Tennessee or somewhere else.
— It is Willis’ job to observe Taneyhill and learn as much as he can from him.
— Coaches get paid to coach, players get paid to play.
— Willis is a 3rd-round pick, so he will wind up starting at some point, not necessarily in 2022.
— Tennessee becomes a more interesting team to follow early next season.
1) NBA playoffs:
— Boston 109, Milwaukee 86— Celtics were 20-43 on arc, Milwaukee 3-18.
— Memphis 106, Golden State 101— Curry/Thompson shot 5-23 behind the arc.
Both series are tied, 1-1.
MAY NBA PLAYOFFS BEST BETS & OPINIONS
Date .......................W-L-T.....................%...................Units
05/04/2022...............2-2-0................50.00%..................-1.00
05/03/2022...............2-2-0................50.00%..................-1.00
05/02/2022...............4-0-0...............100.00%...............+20.00
05/01/2022...............0-4-0............... 00.00%.................-22.00
TOTALS.....................8-8-0.................50.00%................- 4.00
BEST BETS:
05/04/2022...............2-2-0................50.00%..................-1.00
05/03/2022...............2-2-0................50.00%..................-1.00
05/02/2022...............4-0-0...............100.00%...............+20.00
05/01/2022...............0-4-0............... 00.00%.................-22.00
TOTALS.....................7-7-0.................50.00%.................- 4.00
UPDATED ON 05/04/2022
Date .......................W-L-T.....................%...................Units
05/04/2022...............2-2-0................50.00%..................-1.00
05/03/2022...............2-2-0................50.00%..................-1.00
05/02/2022...............4-0-0...............100.00%...............+20.00
05/01/2022...............0-4-0............... 00.00%.................-22.00
TOTALS.....................8-8-0.................50.00%................- 4.00
BEST BETS:
05/04/2022...............2-2-0................50.00%..................-1.00
05/03/2022...............2-2-0................50.00%..................-1.00
05/02/2022...............4-0-0...............100.00%...............+20.00
05/01/2022...............0-4-0............... 00.00%.................-22.00
TOTALS.....................7-7-0.................50.00%.................- 4.00
UPDATED ON 05/04/2022
Armadillo Sports
Thursday’s 6-pack
Leaders in OPS (on-base %age + slugging %age) (min 40 ABs)
1.231— Taylor Ward, LAA
1.125— Nolan Arenado, StL
1.118— Mike Trout, LAA
1.078— Jose Ramirez, Clev
1.053— Byron Buxton, Minn
1.043— J.P. Crawford, Sea
Quote of the Day
“If you’re a sports fan, for a while, like a decade, at least, you’re going to need an established bundle of some type, whether it’s distributed the old-fashioned way, and you’re also probably going to need some streaming services. It’s not going to be cheap.”
Patrick Crakes, a former Fox executive, and media consultant
Thursday’s quiz
Where did Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler play his college basketball?
Wednesday’s quiz
Trent Dilfer was the first quarterback to win a Super Bowl in his first season with that team, when the 2000 Baltimore Ravens won the title.
Tuesday’s quiz
1993 was the last time an NHL franchise located in Canada won the Stanley Cup, when Montreal beat the LA Kings 4-1 in the Stanley Cup finals.
************************
Thursday’s Den: Happy Cinco de Mayo
13) Lights in my neighborhood went out for 40 minutes tonight, no power, nothing. Very weird to sit in the dark and stare at my phone. Got e-mail notification from the power company, lights came back on sooner than expected, so its all good now.
I think.
If you’re reading this, the power stayed on.
12) NFL announced its five international games for the coming season:
October 2— Vikings-Saints in London
October 9— Giants-Packers in London
October 30— Broncos-Jaguars in London
November 13— Seahawks-Buccaneers in Munich
November 21— Cardinals-49ers in Mexico City
11) Arizona 8, Miami 7:
— Madison Bumgarner got ejected after the first inning of his start against Miami Wednesday after a confrontation with first-base umpire Dan Bellino. Bellino was checking Bumgarner’s hand for foreign substances; the check seemed to go longer than usual, then words were exchanged and Bumgarner flipped out. It was his second career ejection.
— Pavin Smith won the game with a 2-run tater in last inning.
10) Players in NBA history with 55+ points, 10+ rebounds in a playoff game:
Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry, Elgin Baylor, Charles Barkley
9) Game 2 of the Boston-Milwaukee series was Tuesday; Game 3 isn’t until Saturday. NBA teams don’t practice that much during the season, so this will be unusual for them.
8) Phoenix 129, Dallas 109:
— Suns are first team since the ’86 Lakers to shoot 50%+ in their first seven playoff games of a season; now they’ve shot 50%+ in eight straight games- they shot 64.5% in this game.
— Phoenix outscored Dallas 71-49 in second half.
— Phoenix leads series, 2-0
7) Brewers 18, Reds 4:
— Rowdy Tellez homered twice, knocked in eight runs; he has four homers in his last four games.
— Cincinnati is 3-21, losing 19 of their last 20 games. Not good.
6) Was watching a ballgame the other day and Marwin Gonzalez was playing, which reminded me of a cruddy day in my fantasy baseball history.
August 2017 we’re in our fantasy baseball playoffs, and my game is very close. Week runs from Monday to Sunday, so 6:30 or so Sunday, we’re down to cases. Angels-Astros is the last relevant game for me; I’m ahead by a whisker, just need Marwin Gonzalez to make an out in his last at-bat of the week.
Guy on Houston had just hit a 3-run double to put the Astros up 7-5; now Gonzalez is up with a guy on third, two out, his team up 7-5.
Mike Scioscia was managing the Angels; he walked Gonzalez……..intentionally. I lose.
Can never remember a guy getting walked intentionally in that situation before. Or since. Not that I’m bitter about it or anything, but it has been five years and it still ticks me off.
5) Wednesday was the 47th anniversary of the day the 1,000,000th run in MLB history was scored. It was kind of a big deal back then; Tootsie Rolls actually ran a promotion where the player who scored the 1,000,000th run got 1,000,000 Tootsie Rolls and 1,000,000 pennies ($10,000).
Came down to a Sunday afternoon; guys on the Astros and Reds hit home runs at roughly the same time, and the baserunner on Houston is racing the batter for the Reds to see who would score first, to score that millionth run.
Houston’s Bob Watson scored the 1,000,000th run, Dave Concepcion scored the 1,000,001st run. Watson donated the Tootsie Rolls to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.
4) Angels 10, Red Sox 5 (10)
— Angels had been shut out in three of previous four games; they didn’t get a baserunner in this game until the fifth inning.
— Jared Walsh tied game with 9th inning single; he also hit a 3-run homer in a 6-run 10th.
3) Robert Griffin III didn’t play in the NFL last year, he was a college football TV analyst, but he recently ran a 4.48 40-yard dash, so now he has apparently gotten calls from a few NFL teams about making a comeback.
Griffin is 32; he has a lifetime record of 18-27 as a starter, but he was 9-6 as a rookie in 2012, and it went downhill from there. Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta may be interested in his services.
2) Speaking of QBs/TV analysts, before Tony Romo started his TV career, Jay Cutler was supposed to be the new FOX analyst, but got bounced in favor of Romo.
Cutler was on a reality show with his wife a few years ago; I think the show was Very Cavallari on the E! Channel. Cutler had kind of a sarcastic sense of humor; I’d still be curious about how he would be as a TV analyst.
1) Miami 119, Philadelphia 103:
— Heat made 14-29 on shots on the arc.
— Miami was +1o on backboards.
— Heat leads series 2-0; it isn’t sounding promising for Joel Embiid to return in the next few days. Without Embiid, 76ers ain’t winning this series.
Thursday’s 6-pack
Leaders in OPS (on-base %age + slugging %age) (min 40 ABs)
1.231— Taylor Ward, LAA
1.125— Nolan Arenado, StL
1.118— Mike Trout, LAA
1.078— Jose Ramirez, Clev
1.053— Byron Buxton, Minn
1.043— J.P. Crawford, Sea
Quote of the Day
“If you’re a sports fan, for a while, like a decade, at least, you’re going to need an established bundle of some type, whether it’s distributed the old-fashioned way, and you’re also probably going to need some streaming services. It’s not going to be cheap.”
Patrick Crakes, a former Fox executive, and media consultant
Thursday’s quiz
Where did Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler play his college basketball?
Wednesday’s quiz
Trent Dilfer was the first quarterback to win a Super Bowl in his first season with that team, when the 2000 Baltimore Ravens won the title.
Tuesday’s quiz
1993 was the last time an NHL franchise located in Canada won the Stanley Cup, when Montreal beat the LA Kings 4-1 in the Stanley Cup finals.
************************
Thursday’s Den: Happy Cinco de Mayo
13) Lights in my neighborhood went out for 40 minutes tonight, no power, nothing. Very weird to sit in the dark and stare at my phone. Got e-mail notification from the power company, lights came back on sooner than expected, so its all good now.
I think.
If you’re reading this, the power stayed on.
12) NFL announced its five international games for the coming season:
October 2— Vikings-Saints in London
October 9— Giants-Packers in London
October 30— Broncos-Jaguars in London
November 13— Seahawks-Buccaneers in Munich
November 21— Cardinals-49ers in Mexico City
11) Arizona 8, Miami 7:
— Madison Bumgarner got ejected after the first inning of his start against Miami Wednesday after a confrontation with first-base umpire Dan Bellino. Bellino was checking Bumgarner’s hand for foreign substances; the check seemed to go longer than usual, then words were exchanged and Bumgarner flipped out. It was his second career ejection.
— Pavin Smith won the game with a 2-run tater in last inning.
10) Players in NBA history with 55+ points, 10+ rebounds in a playoff game:
Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry, Elgin Baylor, Charles Barkley
9) Game 2 of the Boston-Milwaukee series was Tuesday; Game 3 isn’t until Saturday. NBA teams don’t practice that much during the season, so this will be unusual for them.
8) Phoenix 129, Dallas 109:
— Suns are first team since the ’86 Lakers to shoot 50%+ in their first seven playoff games of a season; now they’ve shot 50%+ in eight straight games- they shot 64.5% in this game.
— Phoenix outscored Dallas 71-49 in second half.
— Phoenix leads series, 2-0
7) Brewers 18, Reds 4:
— Rowdy Tellez homered twice, knocked in eight runs; he has four homers in his last four games.
— Cincinnati is 3-21, losing 19 of their last 20 games. Not good.
6) Was watching a ballgame the other day and Marwin Gonzalez was playing, which reminded me of a cruddy day in my fantasy baseball history.
August 2017 we’re in our fantasy baseball playoffs, and my game is very close. Week runs from Monday to Sunday, so 6:30 or so Sunday, we’re down to cases. Angels-Astros is the last relevant game for me; I’m ahead by a whisker, just need Marwin Gonzalez to make an out in his last at-bat of the week.
Guy on Houston had just hit a 3-run double to put the Astros up 7-5; now Gonzalez is up with a guy on third, two out, his team up 7-5.
Mike Scioscia was managing the Angels; he walked Gonzalez……..intentionally. I lose.
Can never remember a guy getting walked intentionally in that situation before. Or since. Not that I’m bitter about it or anything, but it has been five years and it still ticks me off.
5) Wednesday was the 47th anniversary of the day the 1,000,000th run in MLB history was scored. It was kind of a big deal back then; Tootsie Rolls actually ran a promotion where the player who scored the 1,000,000th run got 1,000,000 Tootsie Rolls and 1,000,000 pennies ($10,000).
Came down to a Sunday afternoon; guys on the Astros and Reds hit home runs at roughly the same time, and the baserunner on Houston is racing the batter for the Reds to see who would score first, to score that millionth run.
Houston’s Bob Watson scored the 1,000,000th run, Dave Concepcion scored the 1,000,001st run. Watson donated the Tootsie Rolls to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.
4) Angels 10, Red Sox 5 (10)
— Angels had been shut out in three of previous four games; they didn’t get a baserunner in this game until the fifth inning.
— Jared Walsh tied game with 9th inning single; he also hit a 3-run homer in a 6-run 10th.
3) Robert Griffin III didn’t play in the NFL last year, he was a college football TV analyst, but he recently ran a 4.48 40-yard dash, so now he has apparently gotten calls from a few NFL teams about making a comeback.
Griffin is 32; he has a lifetime record of 18-27 as a starter, but he was 9-6 as a rookie in 2012, and it went downhill from there. Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta may be interested in his services.
2) Speaking of QBs/TV analysts, before Tony Romo started his TV career, Jay Cutler was supposed to be the new FOX analyst, but got bounced in favor of Romo.
Cutler was on a reality show with his wife a few years ago; I think the show was Very Cavallari on the E! Channel. Cutler had kind of a sarcastic sense of humor; I’d still be curious about how he would be as a TV analyst.
1) Miami 119, Philadelphia 103:
— Heat made 14-29 on shots on the arc.
— Miami was +1o on backboards.
— Heat leads series 2-0; it isn’t sounding promising for Joel Embiid to return in the next few days. Without Embiid, 76ers ain’t winning this series.
Armadillo Sports
Friday’s 6-pack
States with most players drafted by the NFL last week:
32— Texas
29— Georgia
22— California/Florida
13— Ohio
12— Alabama
10— Louisiana/North Carolina
Quote of the Day
“I can’t wait to leave this tour. I can’t wait to get out of here. Just a couple more weeks until I don’t have to deal with you anymore.”
Golfer Sergio Garcia, who is upset with rules officials on the PGA Tour
Friday’s quiz
In the movie Draft Day, Denis Leary is the newly-hired coach of the Cleveland Browns; who was the previous coach of the Browns?
Thursday’s quiz
Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler played his college basketball at Marquette.
Wednesday’s quiz
Trent Dilfer was the first quarterback to win a Super Bowl in his first season with that team, when the 2000 Baltimore Ravens won the title.
********************************
Friday’s Den: Random stuff with weekend here…….
13) Mets 8, Phillies 7:
— Mets scored seven runs in top of 9th inning.
— Mets have a 5-game lead in the NL East.
— Phillies are 11-15 and struggling.
12) Clayton Kershaw was on with the Dodger TV guys during a game the other night, talking about this year’s baseball and how “it just doesn’t go as far” as baseballs have in the past. He is a pitcher and yet he didn’t seem happy about it.
It is unclear if the people who run MLB are on the same page about their sport:
— They want higher scoring games, to increase fan interest. Smart
But…….
— They deadened the baseball. (is deadened a word?)
— They want games to last under 3:00.
At least they approved the universal DH; no one wants to see pitchers hit.
They should’ve eliminated shifts this season; that will decrease the amount of players who just swing for the fences all the time. With no shifts next year, line drive hitters will have greater success than they’ve been having. There will be more balls put in play, better highlights to show.
11) White Sox-Red Sox are playing a nationally televised game Sunday morning at 11:30; game is on NBC/Peacock. Apparently this is a new idea for MLB to expand their audience.
10) Broncos-Jaguars Week 8 game from London will be televised on ESPN+, a bad omen for the future of sports on TV. ESPN+ is only $6 a month and if you like college sports it is well worth it, but I already buy the Sunday Ticket so I can see all the games. Lot of greed in the world today.
9) Red Sox 2B Trevor Story signed a 6-year deal with Boston for $23.3M a year, but he fired his agent a month later; did he really want to sign with the Rangers, who paid Corey Seager $32M a year? You fire your agent, you’re telling the world he/they did a bad job.
Story is from the Dallas area; it was assumed that he would sign with the Rangers.
8) Tuesday night, Rowdy Tellez knocked in eight runs for Milwaukee, most in Brewers’ history.
First player to knock in seven runs in a game for Milwaukee? Way back in 1970, it was utility infielder Ted Kubiak, who started his career with the A’s, bounced to Milwaukee, then found his way back to Oakland, where he played on three consecutive World Series champs, from 1972-74.
7) P Chris Flexen has started five games for Seattle; they scored zero or one run in four of those five games.
6) Ian Anderson has pitched five games for Atlanta; road team won all five.
5) Memphis Grizzlies F Dillon Brooks is suspended for Game 3 of the Memphis-Golden States. series; his flagrant foul broke Gary Payton II’s elbow in Game 2.
4) Texas Longhorns RB Bijan Robinson has an NIL deal with Lamborghini, as college athletes continue to cash in on the new NIL rules.
3) Padres 2, Marlins 1— Manny Machado knocked in both San Diego runs with a pair of solo homers. Miami has lost five in a row.
2) If you’re wagering on totals in USFL games, read this: starting this weekend, the USFL will use a running clock after incomplete passes during the first and third quarters. That means fewer plays will be run.
1) If the playoffs started today (they do not):
AL— New York, Twins, Angels. Wild Cards: Rays, Angels, Blue Jays
NL— Mets, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Rockies, Cardinals, Padres
Friday’s 6-pack
States with most players drafted by the NFL last week:
32— Texas
29— Georgia
22— California/Florida
13— Ohio
12— Alabama
10— Louisiana/North Carolina
Quote of the Day
“I can’t wait to leave this tour. I can’t wait to get out of here. Just a couple more weeks until I don’t have to deal with you anymore.”
Golfer Sergio Garcia, who is upset with rules officials on the PGA Tour
Friday’s quiz
In the movie Draft Day, Denis Leary is the newly-hired coach of the Cleveland Browns; who was the previous coach of the Browns?
Thursday’s quiz
Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler played his college basketball at Marquette.
Wednesday’s quiz
Trent Dilfer was the first quarterback to win a Super Bowl in his first season with that team, when the 2000 Baltimore Ravens won the title.
********************************
Friday’s Den: Random stuff with weekend here…….
13) Mets 8, Phillies 7:
— Mets scored seven runs in top of 9th inning.
— Mets have a 5-game lead in the NL East.
— Phillies are 11-15 and struggling.
12) Clayton Kershaw was on with the Dodger TV guys during a game the other night, talking about this year’s baseball and how “it just doesn’t go as far” as baseballs have in the past. He is a pitcher and yet he didn’t seem happy about it.
It is unclear if the people who run MLB are on the same page about their sport:
— They want higher scoring games, to increase fan interest. Smart
But…….
— They deadened the baseball. (is deadened a word?)
— They want games to last under 3:00.
At least they approved the universal DH; no one wants to see pitchers hit.
They should’ve eliminated shifts this season; that will decrease the amount of players who just swing for the fences all the time. With no shifts next year, line drive hitters will have greater success than they’ve been having. There will be more balls put in play, better highlights to show.
11) White Sox-Red Sox are playing a nationally televised game Sunday morning at 11:30; game is on NBC/Peacock. Apparently this is a new idea for MLB to expand their audience.
10) Broncos-Jaguars Week 8 game from London will be televised on ESPN+, a bad omen for the future of sports on TV. ESPN+ is only $6 a month and if you like college sports it is well worth it, but I already buy the Sunday Ticket so I can see all the games. Lot of greed in the world today.
9) Red Sox 2B Trevor Story signed a 6-year deal with Boston for $23.3M a year, but he fired his agent a month later; did he really want to sign with the Rangers, who paid Corey Seager $32M a year? You fire your agent, you’re telling the world he/they did a bad job.
Story is from the Dallas area; it was assumed that he would sign with the Rangers.
8) Tuesday night, Rowdy Tellez knocked in eight runs for Milwaukee, most in Brewers’ history.
First player to knock in seven runs in a game for Milwaukee? Way back in 1970, it was utility infielder Ted Kubiak, who started his career with the A’s, bounced to Milwaukee, then found his way back to Oakland, where he played on three consecutive World Series champs, from 1972-74.
7) P Chris Flexen has started five games for Seattle; they scored zero or one run in four of those five games.
6) Ian Anderson has pitched five games for Atlanta; road team won all five.
5) Memphis Grizzlies F Dillon Brooks is suspended for Game 3 of the Memphis-Golden States. series; his flagrant foul broke Gary Payton II’s elbow in Game 2.
4) Texas Longhorns RB Bijan Robinson has an NIL deal with Lamborghini, as college athletes continue to cash in on the new NIL rules.
3) Padres 2, Marlins 1— Manny Machado knocked in both San Diego runs with a pair of solo homers. Miami has lost five in a row.
2) If you’re wagering on totals in USFL games, read this: starting this weekend, the USFL will use a running clock after incomplete passes during the first and third quarters. That means fewer plays will be run.
1) If the playoffs started today (they do not):
AL— New York, Twins, Angels. Wild Cards: Rays, Angels, Blue Jays
NL— Mets, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Rockies, Cardinals, Padres
MIAMI is 16-4 Over (11.6 Units) in road games when the total is 210-219.5 in the current season.
MEMPHIS are 13-2 Over (10.8 Units) as a road underdog of 6.5 to 12 points over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS are 9-1 ATS (7.9 Units) off a road blowout loss of 20 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
NBA
Dunkel
Friday, May 6
NBA
Friday, May 6
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Trend Report
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Miami @ Philadelphia
Miami
Miami is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Miami's last 7 games
Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games when playing at home against Miami
Phoenix @ Dallas
Phoenix
Phoenix is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
Phoenix is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Dallas
Dallas
Dallas is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home
Dallas is 7-1-1 ATS in its last 9 games at home
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The Sixers are 1-4 SU in their last five games.
The Heat are 11-3 ATS in their last 14 games.
The total has gone UNDER in five of the last seven Sixers' games.
The total has gone UNDER in six of the last seven Heat' games.
The total has gone UNDER in five of the last seven matchups between the Heat and Sixers.
The Sixers are 2-5 ATS in their last seven matchups against Miami.
The Mavericks are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games.
The Suns are 5-1 ATS in their last six games.
The total has gone OVER in six of the last seven Suns' games.
The total has gone OVER in ten of the last 15 Mavs' games.
The Suns are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 matchups against Dallas.
The Mavericks are 0-10 SU in their last ten matchups against Phoenix.
The Suns are 9-1 ATS in their last ten road games against Dallas.
MEMPHIS are 13-2 Over (10.8 Units) as a road underdog of 6.5 to 12 points over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS are 9-1 ATS (7.9 Units) off a road blowout loss of 20 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
NBA
Dunkel
Friday, May 6
NBA
Friday, May 6
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Trend Report
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Miami @ Philadelphia
Miami
Miami is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Miami's last 7 games
Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games when playing at home against Miami
Phoenix @ Dallas
Phoenix
Phoenix is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
Phoenix is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Dallas
Dallas
Dallas is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home
Dallas is 7-1-1 ATS in its last 9 games at home
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The Sixers are 1-4 SU in their last five games.
The Heat are 11-3 ATS in their last 14 games.
The total has gone UNDER in five of the last seven Sixers' games.
The total has gone UNDER in six of the last seven Heat' games.
The total has gone UNDER in five of the last seven matchups between the Heat and Sixers.
The Sixers are 2-5 ATS in their last seven matchups against Miami.
The Mavericks are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games.
The Suns are 5-1 ATS in their last six games.
The total has gone OVER in six of the last seven Suns' games.
The total has gone OVER in ten of the last 15 Mavs' games.
The Suns are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 matchups against Dallas.
The Mavericks are 0-10 SU in their last ten matchups against Phoenix.
The Suns are 9-1 ATS in their last ten road games against Dallas.
