CNOTES 2023 2024 NHL NEWS BEST BETS AND OPINONS !

CNOTES · Feb 2, 2024

Friday’s 6-pack:
NHL scoring leaders:
85— Nikita Kucherov, TB
84— Nathan MacKinnon, Colo
72— David Pastrnak, Bos
67— Connor McDavid, Edm/JT Miller, Van
66— Artemi Panarin, NYR/Mikkp Rantanen, Colo
64— Elias Pettersson, Van

Quote of the Day
“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more of it I have.”
Thomas Jefferson

Friday’s quiz
Which four NBA teams used to play in the ABA?

Thursday’s quiz
Drew Bledsoe was New England’s quarterback before Tom Brady.

Wednesday’s quiz
Knicks’ coach Tom Thibodeau was once an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs when Jerry Tarkanian was their head coach.

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Friday’s Den: Random stuff with the weekend here…….

— Random knowledge; Brock Purdy will be the 67th different QB to start a Super Bowl.

— Washington Commanders filled the NFL’s last head coaching opening and hired Dallas Cowboys’ DC Dan Quinn; Quinn went 46-44 in 5+ years coaching the Falcons, going 3-2 in playoff games. His 2016 Atlanta team lost Super Bowl LI 34-28, after leading 28-3 in the third quarter. He’s been the defensive coordinator in Dallas the last three seasons.
Five of the eight coaches who’ve been hired come from the defensive side of the ball.

— New England Patriots hired former Browns’ OC Alex Van Pelt as their new OC.
Las Vegas Raiders are hiring former Cardinals’ coach Kliff Kingsbury as their new OC.
Rams are promoting LB coach Chris Shula to defensive coordinator; he is the grandson of the Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, and also played football at Miami OH with Sean McVay.

— AFC teams won six of the last nine Super Bowls.

— 14 of the first 57 Super Bowls were 0-0 after the first quarter.

— NHL teams with best records in overtime/shootouts:
7-2- St Louis
6-2- Anaheim, Washington
5-1- Edmonton

— NHL teams with worst records in overtime/shootouts:
2-10- Los Angeles
6-12- NY Islanders
5-10- Columbus
4-9- Seattle

— Active leaders in career home runs:
402- Giancarlo Stanton
368- Mike Trout
356- Joey Votto
342- Evan Longoria
340- Paul Goldschmidt

— Word of the Day: Cohesive- describing a group of people that is united and working together effectively.

— Milwaukee Brewers are trading P Corbin Burnes to the Orioles for Baltimore’s #5/#6 prospects, one a pitcher, one a shortstop. Last year, Burnes was 10-8 with a 3.39 ERA; he won the 2021 Cy Young Award and is a free agent after the 2024 season.

— Cal Ripken Jr/Grant Hill are part of the new ownership group of the Baltimore Orioles.

— Wednesday night/Thursday morning, I couldn’t sleep and got an idea for something to do for this blog, so I got up, flipped on the TV and got to work at 6am. Put Morning Joe on; I hadn’t watched it in years, and for whatever reason, they start rattling on about the 70’s Atlanta Braves and they flash a picture on the screen of a baseball card of Biff Pocoroba. Go figure.
If you don’t know, my first name is Biff and back in 1975, it was very cool for 15-year old me to watch a major leaguer named Biff- I followed his career pretty closely and have an autographed picture on the shelf here in my living room, plus the same baseball card they showed on TV.
By the way, Biff Pocoroba was a switch-hitting catcher who was an All-Star in 1978; he was a good knuckleball catcher for Phil Niekro back in the day.

— NCAA Tournament Stat: Last four NCAA Tournaments, teams from the WAC are 5-0 against the spread, including New Mexico State’s upset of UConn two years ago.
Last year, UConn won the national title; they were a #4-seed, the highest seed that made the Final 4. None of the top 12 seeds made the Final 4, which is unusual.

— Nebraska 80, Wisconsin 72 OT
Badgers led 43-27 at halftime.
CJ Wilcher scored 22 points in 27:00; he didn’t start.
Before tonight, AP Top 10 teams had won 1,458 consecutive games when leading by 16+ points at halftime; the last loss was January 5, 2002 (Kentucky @ Mississippi State).

— Grand Canyon 95, Seattle 88 OT
Antelopes won despite blowing a 14-point 2nd half lead.
Grand Canyon has won 17 of its last 18 games.

— NC-Wilmington 80, Charleston 74
Charleston led by 6 with 12:24 left.
Trazarien White scored 27 points, had 9 rebounds.
These teams are now tied for 3rd in the CAA, both are 6-3.

— Youngstown State 88, Wright State 77
All five Penguin starters scored in double figures.
Youngstown shot 55.6% inside arc, had 13 offensive boards.
Penguins have never been in D-I NCAA Tournament; they’re 17-6 this year.

— Cleveland State 77, Detroit 65
Detroit starts four seniors and they’re 0-23. Yikes.
Titans are 3-9 ATS in Horizon games.
From 1973-77, Detroit was 79-29; their coach was Dick Vitale.

— Sam Houston 79, Western Kentucky 77
Hilltoppers led by 8 with 7:58 left in game.
Sam Houston is 6-1 in C-USA; this is their 11th winning season in a row.

— Lakers 114, Celtics 105
Boston was favored by 15.5 points; this is first time in at least 30 years that the Celtics lost when favored by 15+ points.

— Knicks 109, Pacers 105
Knicks have won nine games in a row, and 15 of 17.
All-Star Jalen Brunson scored 40 points for New York.

Udog · Feb 2, 2024

All Star game is Saturday. Season play resumes Monday.

CNOTES · Feb 3, 2024

Saturday’s 6-pack:
NHL leaders in plus/minus:
+34— Quinn Hughes, Van
+33— Filip Hronek, Van
+31— Gustav Forsling, Fla
+28— Dylan DeMelo, Winn
+23— Brandon Carlo, Bos
+22— Blake Coleman, Cal

Quote of the Day
“The secret of success is sincerity. Once you can fake that, you’ve got it made.”
Jean Giraudoux

Saturday’s quiz
Bill Russell won two NBA titles as a player-coach with the Celtics; after he retired as a player, what other two NBA teams did Russell coach?

Friday’s quiz
Nuggets, Nets, Pacers, Spurs are the four NBA teams that used to play in the ABA.

Thursday’s quiz
Drew Bledsoe was New England’s quarterback before Tom Brady.

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Saturday’s Den: Notes on every major league team

A note or two on every major league team:

National League

Diamondbacks
Arizona lost the World Series last year; in 2021-22, they finished a combined 92 games out of first place.
Adding lefty starter Eduardo Rodriguez is a good move.

Braves
Atlanta has made the playoffs six years in a row, going 24-21 in playoff games.
Braves drew 3,191,505 fans last year, 5th in major leagues.

Cubs
Cubs were 83-79 LY, 7th time in last nine years they finished over .500.
Craig Counsell is the new manager; he was 707-625 in Milwaukee, 7-12 in playoff games.

Reds
Cincinnati starting pitchers had a 5.43 ERA LY; they need to use their surplus of infielders to add a starter or two in a trade.
Reds were minus-38 in defensive runs saved LY, worst in the National League.

Rockies
Kris Bryant makes $27M a year; in his first two years with Colorado, he played in 122 of a possible 324 games. He’s expected to play 1B this year; Rockies need him to be productive.
Rockies have had five straight losing seasons, since losing 3-0 to Milwaukee in ’18 playoffs.

Dodgers
Added Ohtani, Yamanoto, Glasnow, are prohibitive favorites to win the NL West.
Last three years, Dodgers won 317 games, but went 7-12 in the playoffs. They’ve been in the postseason 11 years in a row.

Marlins
Marlins were 84-78 LY, their first winning year in a 162-game season since 2009 (they went 31-29 in the shortened 2020 season).
3B Jake Burger hit .303 with an .860 OPS after being acquired from the White Sox LY.

Brewers
Their GM and manager both bolted; they just traded their ace pitcher, Corbin Burnes.
Milwaukee has been in playoffs five of last six years, but regression is expected this year.

Mets
Last year’s $346M payroll netted a 75-87 record, so this year, the Mets have a new manager and a new general manager.
Last three years, Starling Marte played in 120-118-86 games; they need more out of him.

Phillies
Bryce Harper is going to play 1B, so Rhys Hoskins bolted to Milwaukee. Rob Thomson is 174-129 as Phillies’ manager, 19-11 in playoff games.
Last year, Bryson Stott hit .433 (52-120) when the put the 1st or 2nd pitch of an at-bat in play.

Pirates
Pittsburgh hasn’t been in playoffs since 2015; their last winning season was 2018 (82-79),, their attendance last year was 1,630,624 (25th in MLB), their payroll was $68,945,975 (#29).
Pirates drafted LSU pitcher Paul Skenes #1 in LY’s draft; how fast will be climb the ladder to the major leagues? Bucs added P’s Marco Gonzales/Martin Perez to fill out this year’s rotation.

Cardinals
Last year was Cardinals’ first losing season since 2007; they still drew 3,241,091 fans (#4 in MLB). They added three older starting pitchers this year: Kyle Gibson, Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn- will it be enough to make them a contender again?
C Willson Contreras had a .754 OPS in first half last year, then had a .959 in second half.

Padres
San Diego had a payroll of $256,045,688 last year (#3), they drew 3,271,554 fans at home (#2) but they needed a 20-7 finish to wind up with an 82-80 record. Padres were 9-23 in one-run games; no bueno.
Manager Bob Melvin is in San Francisco now, Juan Soto is in the Bronx, the team’s owner died in November. Expectations for this season are much lower.

Giants
Two years ago, the Giants went 107-55, 31-17 in one-run games. The last two years, Giants were 160-164, 47-46 in one-run games. Now, Bob Melvin replaces Gabe Kapler as manager, which figures to be an upgrade.
Giants signed Korean OF Jung Hoo Lee for six years, $113M; he is coming off a broken ankle.

Nationals
Washington won the World Series in 2019; since then, they’ve won 39.7% of their games, and dumped stars Bryce Harper/Juan Soto.
OF Lane Thomas hit 28 homers, stole 20 bases last year; hopefully they won’t trade him.

American League

Orioles
Orioles franchise was sold recently, then they traded for pitching ace Corbin Burnes; coming off a 101-61 season, things are looking up in Baltimore.
OF Cedric Mullins was a 30-30 guy two years in a row, but his OPS the last two years was .721/.721, not very good. He is a great centerfielder defensively, though.

Red Sox
Boston finished in last place three of last four years, despite spending $183M/season in payroll the last three years. Ownership told GM Chaim Bloom to take a hike.
Red Sox had MLB’s worst defense LY (minus-51 runs saved); they added P Lucas Giolito, who had a 6.96 ERA in 12 starts after the White Sox traded him last July. Giolito is thought to be much better than that; we’ll see.

White Sox
Chicago was 61-101 last year; they cleaned out the front office and half the coaching staff, but kept manager Pedro Grifol. If they trade P Dylan Cease, will they reap a haul of prospects?
White Sox brought in Brian Bannister to advise pitching coach Ethan Katz; they added C Martin Maldonado, who helped keep the Astros’ pitchers for years in Houston. White Sox will have their third hitting coach in three seasons.

Guardians
Terry Francona went 921-757 in 11 years managing Cleveland; he will be missed. Replacing him is Steven Vogt, who has never managed at any level- he was playing in the big leagues as recently as two years ago. Not an ideal situation.
3B Jose Ramirez is still productive, but his OPS has gone down three years in a row, and he’ll be 32 in September. Guardians had the #26 payroll last year, went 76-86. Not much optimism here.

Tigers
Detroit hasn’t been in the playoffs since 2014, their last winning season was 2016, but they ended last year on an 18-10 run; with Michigan winning the college football title and the Lions making the NFC Championship Game, there is positive energy in Detroit.
Tigers added Kenta Maeda/Jack Flaherty to bolster the rotation; Tarik Skubal had a 2.80 ERA in 15 starts LY, so Detroit’s starting pitching should be solid.

Astros
Houston has been in the playoffs seven years in a row,, winning two World Series; now they have a new manager (bench coach Joe Espada) but their roster is basically the same. Yainer Diaz is the new catcher, which helps the offense, hurts their defense.
Justin Verlander will be 41 soon, but his rebuilt right elbow is only 3 years old; Dusty Baker will be missed- he won consistently as a big league manager.

Royals
Kansas City won the 2015 World Series, haven’t had a winning season since; last two years, they went 121-203- their attendance last year was 1,307,052 (28th), their payroll $96,083,853 (#24), but the Royals have added some veteran free agents this winter, trying to improve.
Michael Wacha/Seth Lugo should improve their rotation, which got pounded last year. Brady Singer’s ERA went from 3.23 in 2022 to 5.52 last year. Royals used 13 outfielders last year, who combined for the 2nd-worst on-base %age of any outfield.

Angels
Ohtani moved 40 miles north, but the Angels never made the playoffs with him anyway; Halos haven’t made the playoffs since 2014- their payroll LY was $230,534,276 (#8). Anthony Rendon makes $38M a year for three more years; he’s played in 148 of the Angels’ last 486 games.
Ron Washington is the new manager; he’ll improve the infield defense. Chase Silseth was 3-0, 3.21 in seven second half starts LY. Angels’ rotation might still be pretty good.

Twins
Minnesota won AL Central with an 87-75 mark LY; they’ve made playoffs in four of last seven seasons, and won a playoff series LY for first time since 2002. Twins have cut their payroll due to their uncertain local TV situation, which could cost them a lot of $$$.
Twins traded 2B Polanco to Seattle for four prospects; Edouard Julien should replace him. Minnesota AL in both walks/strikeouts LY; they’re still the favorite in a weak division.

New York
Bronx Bombers have paid out over $3B in salary since their last World Series title in 2009; that’s billion, with a B. How does the general manager keep his job? New York went 82-80 LY, with a payroll of $278,651,150 (#2). How does the manager keep his job?
They added free agent-to-be Juan Soto this winter; will they pay to keep him long-term? Soto has a career on-base %age of .421. Can they fix Giancarlo Stanton? He hit .202 the last two years.

A’s
Just try to win, please? This is their last year in Oakland, then they’re going into exile for three years (Salt Lake City? Sacramento?) before the new stadium opens in Las Vegas in 2028.
Last two years, A’s went 110-214; they figure to be little better this year, adding Alex Wood and Ross Stripling to bolster the rotation. They’ve got a few decent younger position players, l but this figures to be the third dismal season in a row.

Mariners
Last three years, Seattle won 90-90-88 games, but missed playoffs LY, after ending a 21-year playoff drought in 2022. This winter, Mariners dumped 3B Suarez, RF Hernandez, LF Kelenic, trying to reduce strikeouts. Adding Jorge Polanco/Mitch Garver should fill those gaps.
Mariners’ attendance was 2,690,418 LY, but their payroll was only $134,466,903 (#18); with the Astros/Rangers dominating the division, going to be tough for Seattle to get back to the playoffs.

Rays
Tampa Bay has made the playoffs five years in a row, but they got swept in the Wild Card round the last two years. Their payroll last year was $78,354,272; by way of comparison, the Angels paid Trout/Ohtani/Rendon a combined $106M last year.
Over the last three years, Rays have the 4th-most wins in baseball; the players that win games in October are the players the Rays can’t afford to pay, but getting to the playoffs with the #27 payroll is still damn impressive.

Rangers
Texas won the World Series LY, in their first playoff appearance since 2016; Bruce Bochy is a great manager, a future Hall of Famer. Their 2B/SS make a combined $58M a year, but they earned that $$$ last year. Seager had a hernia surgery this week, is doubtful for Opening Day.
P’s Scherzer/deGrom earn a combined $83M a year; they’re both out until midseason. It is up to Eovaldi/Gray/Dunning to keep the rotation pasted together until the stars get back.

Blue Jays
Toronto made playoffs three of last four years, but went 0-6 in those playoff games; they’re still putting together their 2024 roster, but Justin Turner just signed, they added Yaniel Rodriguez before that, to help fortify their lineup.
Manager John Schneider may be running out of time; Toronto had the #9 payroll last year- you have the #9 payroll, you’re expected to win some playoff games.

CNOTES · Feb 4, 2024

Sunday’s 6-pack:
worst teams in country on the foul line
59.4%— Western Michigan
60.3%— Army
62.1%— Wofford, Houston Christian
62.6%— Rhode Island
62.7%— South Carolina-Upstate
62.9%— Western Illinois, Utah Tech

Quote of the Day
“He’s a great player, but I don’t think we can get him in academically.”
Jerry Tarkanian, in the movie Blue Chips

Sunday’s quiz
Who was the Kansas basketball coach, before Bill Self?

Saturday’s quiz
Bill Russell won two NBA titles as a player-coach with the Celtics; after he retired as a player, he coached the Seattle SuperSonics and the Sacramento Kings.

Friday’s quiz
Nuggets, Nets, Pacers, Spurs are the four NBA teams that used to play in the ABA.

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Sunday’s Den: Wrapping up a college basketball Saturday

There were 28 games Saturday, where the winning team trailed by 10+ points at one time in the game.

— SEC
Tennessee 103, Kentucky 92
Zeigler had 26 points, 13 assists for the Vols.
Kentucky scored 91-92 points in last two games, but lost both.
Kentucky PG Wagner is hurt, didn’t play.

Texas A&M 67, Florida 66
Aggies were 13-24 on foul line, Florida 6-11
Gators led by 13 late in first half.
Florida lost this game by 1; they won their previous two games, both in OT.

— Big X
Baylor 70, Iowa State 68
Kid on Iowa State hit a 35-footer at the buzzer, but it was just after the buzzer.
Baylor led 40-28 at halftime.
Bears made 12-23 on the arc, won by two points.

Texas 77, TCU 66
Horned Frogs led this game 16-6 early on.
Longhorns outrebounded TCU, 34-21.
Texas F Cunningham is 25 years old, older than NBA star Luka Doncic.

— Mountain West
San Diego State 81, Utah State 67
Aztecs are 5-0 SU/4-1 ATS as a MW home favorite.
Utah State is 19-3, despite having a whole new team. None of their players this year scored a point for the Aggies last season- they’re one of 3 teams in country like that.

UNLV 62, Wyoming 48
Rebels won their last three games, giving up 61 ppg.

— ACC
North Carolina 93, Duke 84
In a 76-possession game, Tar Heels had only 5 turnovers.
Carolina was 9-24 on the arc, Duke 5-19.

Virginia 66, Clemson 65
Cavaliers have won six in a row, are 8-3 in ACC.
Clemson shot only 35.7% from the floor.

— WCC
Saint Mary’s 64, Gonzaga 62
Gaels are 15-1 in last 16 games, after a 3-5 start.
Three players in this game played all 40:00.
Three Gonzaga subs played total of only 16:00.

San Diego 70, Santa Clara 59
Good upset win for Steve Lavin’s team; Toreros won 3 of last 4 games.

— Big East
UConn 77, St John’s 64
UConn has won 10 in a row; they’re shooting 59% inside the arc (#5)
Johnnies have lost five of last six games.

— Upsets of the Day:
San Diego (+12.5) 70, Santa Clara 59
Penn State (+9.5) 85, Indiana 71
Idaho (+8.5) 81, Montana State 75
Central Michigan (+7.5) 77, Bowling Green 76 2OT
South Florida (+6.5) 60, North Texas 55
Murray State (+6.5) 71, Northern Iowa 43

— Word of the Day– Rivalry- When two people/teams often compete for the same thing.

— Pac-12
UCLA 71, Oregon 63
UCLA won five of its last six games, after a 6-10 start.
Bruins raced out to 23-5 lead, but trailed 34-33 at the half.
Oregon lost four of its last six games.

Washington State 90, Washington 87 OT
Coogs won six of their last seven games.
Washington led by 11 points in first half.

— Sun Belt
Appalachian State 85, Georgia Southern 84 OT
App State trailed by 9 with 10:47 left, by 3 with 0:59 left in OT
App State was 9-16 on foul line, Georgia Southern 2-6.
Georgia Southern is 5-6 in Sun Belt, after an 0-12 pre-conference mark.

— Mid-American
Central Michigan 77, Bowling Green 76 2OT
Falcons lost three of last four games, after a 14-4 start.
Bowling Green led by 4 with 0:52 left in first OT.
Chippewas out-rebounded Bowling Green, 52-37

— Missouri Valley
Indiana State 75, Drake 67
Drake trailed 24-7 early; they were only 12-23 on foul line.
Indiana State now has a 2-game lead in the conference race.
Jayson Kent had 20 rebounds, only 6 points for the Sycamores.

— Atlantic 15
UMass 66, George Mason 65
Mason tied game on a layup with less than 0:02 left, but they fouled a UMass guy on the inbounds pass, thinking they were still behind. UMass made a foul shot, won the game.
George Mason is 2-5 in its last seven games, after a 13-2 start.

— Southern
Wofford 88, Western Carolina 86 OT
Wofford shot 65.9% inside the arc.
Western Carolina lost 5 of last 6 games; all five losses were by 6 or fewer points.
Only five players on Western Carolina scored in this 45:00 game.

— NBA
Hawks 141, Warriors 134 OT
Steph Curry scored 60 points in a losing cause; he was 10-23 on the arc, 12-15 inside it. He will be 36 years old next month. The best shooter……..ever.

Udog · Feb 5, 2024

Armadillo Sports

Monday’s 6-pack:
Teams that get the highest %age of their points on 3’s:
45.8%— North Florida
43.1%— BYU
41.7%— Hofstra
40.8%— Georgia Southern
40.5%— Green Bay, LeMoyne
40.4%— Army

Quote of the Day
‘That’s what you learn as a kid — if you lose, you congratulate the winner, whether it’s politics, or basketball. You act out of honor, and not grievance.”
Former New York Knick/US Senator Bill Bradley

Monday’s quiz
Who was the Kansas City Chiefs’ QB in the first Super Bowl?

Sunday’s quiz
Roy Williams was the Kansas basketball coach, before Bill Self.

Saturday’s quiz
Bill Russell won two NBA titles as a player-coach with the Celtics; after he retired as a player, he coached the Seattle SuperSonics and the Sacramento Kings.

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Udog · Feb 5, 2024

NY ISLANDERS are 6-16 ATS (-11.6 Units) in road games after failing to cover 5 or 6 of their last 7 against the spread in the last 3 seasons.

NY RANGERS are 8-1 ATS (6.9 Units) when playing 3 or less games in 10 days over the last 2 seasons.

NHL

Monday, February 5

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Trend Report
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Colorado @ NY Rangers
Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Colorado's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Colorado's last 7 games
NY Rangers
The total has gone OVER in 7 of NY Rangers's last 9 games at home
NY Rangers is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games at home

NY Islanders @ Toronto
NY Islanders
NY Islanders is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Toronto
NY Islanders is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Toronto
Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games when playing at home against NY Islanders
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games when playing NY Islanders

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Udog · Feb 5, 2024

NHL
Dunkel

Monday, February 5

CNOTES · Feb 5, 2024

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5

Game	Time(ET)	Pick	Units
COL at NYR	07:00 PM	COL -113 O 6.5	+500 +500
NYI at TOR	07:00 PM	NYI +127 O 6.5	+500 +500

CNOTES · Feb 6, 2024

Tuesday’s 6-pack:
Teams that get the lowest %age of their points on 3’s:
19%— Cal-Bakersfield
19.6%— Cal-Northridge
19.6%— Texas State
20%— Louisiana-Monroe
20.5%— Rio Grande Valley
20.8%— Long Beach State

Quote of the Day
“Obviously, it creates a buzz, it creates another group of young fans, particularly young women, who are interested in seeing why is she going to this game, why is she interested in this game. Besides Travis (Kelce), she is a football fan and I think that’s great for us.”
NFL commish Roger Goodell, talking about Taylor Swift

Tuesday’s quiz
What was the only team to run the opening kickoff of a Super Bowl back for a TD?
Hint: They lost that game

Monday’s quiz
Len Dawson was the Kansas City Chiefs’ QB in the first Super Bowl.

Sunday’s quiz
Roy Williams was the Kansas basketball coach, before Bill Self.

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Tuesday’s Den: Clearing out a cluttered mind……..

— Back-to-back trends in the NHL
Road teams that won at home night before: 7-14
Road teams that lost at home night before: 9-4
Road teams that won on road night before: 14-17
Road teams that lost on road night before: 21-32
Home teams that won at home night before: 7-6
Home teams that lost at home night before: 5-4
Home teams that won on road night before: 13-13
Home teams that lost on road night before: 14-7

— Last two nights in the NBA, favorites are 15-0 SU, 12-3 against the spread.

— In 2017, Chiefs took Patrick Mahomes with the 10th pick in the NFL Draft; since then, Kansas City is 99-34, winning two Super Bowls.
That same year, Chicago Bears traded up from the 3rd pick to the 2nd pick so they could draft QB Mitch Trubisky; since then, the Bears are 49-68, 0-2 in playoff games.

— In his career, Mahomes is 10-1-1 ATS as an underdog.

— Carolina Panthers’ new head coach is Dave Canales, who has never been a head coach:
2004-05- offensive coordinator, Carson HS
2006-08- special teams coach/TE coach, El Camino College
2009- assistant strength coach, USC
2010-17- WR’s coach, Seahawks
2918-19- QB’s coach, Seahawks
2020-21- passing game coordinator, Seahawks
2022- QB’s coach, Seahawks
2023- offensive coordinator, Buccaneers

— I like watching the VCU-Richmond basketball games; underrated crosstown rivalry, always pretty intense. Teams are both pretty good, too.

— There will be seven Kentucky alums playing in the NBA All-Star Game this year.
When was the last time Kentucky/Kansas were home underdogs on the same day? They were on Saturday.

— If you go to a basketball game at Ole Miss, one of the fans in the front row opposite the benches is Morgan Freeman. That has to be pretty cool.

— SEC has five of the top 17 teams in this week’s top 25.

— Baseball Note of the Day: Royals signed SS Bobby Witt to an 11-year, $288.8M contract extension; good to see a team spend some $$$ to try and improve. Royals are also campaigning for a new ballpark in their downtown area, so that is a part of this move.

— Other baseball stuff:
Twins signed 1B Carlos Santana
Mets signed P Shintaro Fujiyami

— Football coaching stuff:
Liam Coen is the offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay; he was the OC at Kentucky the last couple years, after working for the Rams before that.
Kliff Kingsbury is the new OC in Washington, fueling speculation that Caleb Williams will wind up as Washington’s 1st round pick. Kingsbury/Williams worked together at USC this past year.
Raiders were expected to sign Kingsbury, but instead former Bears’ OC Luke Getsy is the new offensive coordinator in Las Vegas.
Bill Callahan is the new OL coach for the Titans; his son is Tennessee’s new head coach. Bill Callahan had been the OL coach in Cleveland.
Leslie Frazier signed on as a defensive assistant with the Seahawks; he sat out 2023, after being the defensive coordinator in Buffalo.
Miami Dolphins’ new defensive coordinator is Anthony Weaver, who comes to Miami from the Ravens. Weaver is from Saratoga, NY, half-hour north of Armadillo World HQ. Remember seeing him play high school basketball; he set very good screens.

— Bill Walton was on the USC-Oregon game on ESPN Thursday night in LA; he and Dave Pasch sat right near the USC bench. It was interesting to hear them say how coach Andy Enfield and guard Boogie Ellis were having a running dialogue while the game was going on, apparently not a very pleasant one.
They went on to say how USC’s players “weren’t on the same page” which is a euphemism for a team with bad chemistry. Trojans need injured guard Isaiah Collier back soon; they snapped their 6-game losing skid Saturday vs Oregon State, but they’re 9-13 this year, 3-8 in their last year in the Pac-12.

— Former NFL QB Teddy Bridgewater retired this year, he will be the new football coach at his alma mater, Miami Northwestern HS. Bridgewater played nine years in the NFL for six teams, with a 33-33 career record as a starter.

— Bad Beat of the Month: Temple (+10.5) lost 92-80 at Tulane Sunday. In OVERTIME!!!

— Steph Curry has scored 20+ points in a quarter 40 times in his career; Golden State went 34-6 in those forty games.

— Magic 111, Pistons 99— Franz Wagner scored 38 points for Orlando, without taking a foul shot; someone scores 38 without taking a foul shot, that means the other team isn’t being as physical as they should be on defense.

— Celtics were favored by 19.5 points against Memphis Sunday; it was the biggest spread in any NBA game this season. Boston won 131-91.

— They were telling a story on TV this weekend, about a guy applying for a job as an assistant for Michigan State coach Tom Izzo; the guy bought a mannequin in a store, chopped off the right hand and mailed the hand with his application to Izzo, with a note: “I’ll give my right hand to be your assistant coach.”
It worked. Go figure.

Udog · Feb 6, 2024

BUFFALO is 53-56 ATS (-8.6 Units) second half of the season in the last 3 seasons.

VANCOUVER is 14-2 ATS (11.8 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more in the current season.

FLORIDA is 7-0 ATS (7 Units) in home games off a road win by 1 goal over the last 2 seasons.

MONTREAL is 6-0 ATS (6 Units) after failing to cover 4 of their last 5 against the spread in the current season.

CALGARY is 8-15 ATS (-8.5 Units) after playing 4 consecutive home games in the last 3 seasons.

WINNIPEG is 119-79 Over (32.1 Units) off a home loss since 1996.

COLORADO is 8-0 Over (8 Units) in road games after covering 6 or 7 of their last 8 against the spread in the current season.

EDMONTON is 9-0 Under (9 Units) after having won 15 or more of their last 20 games in the current season.

Udog · Feb 6, 2024

NHL
Dunkel

Tuesday, February 6

Udog · Feb 6, 2024

NHL

Tuesday, February 6

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Calgary @ Boston
Calgary
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Calgary's last 8 games when playing Boston
Calgary is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games on the road
Boston
Boston is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
Boston is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home

Dallas @ Buffalo
Dallas
Dallas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Buffalo
Dallas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Buffalo
Buffalo is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Buffalo's last 5 games at home

Vancouver @ Carolina
Vancouver
Vancouver is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Carolina
Vancouver is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Carolina
Carolina is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Vancouver
Carolina is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games

Philadelphia @ Florida
Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 17-2 ATS in its last 19 games on the road
Philadelphia is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Florida
Florida
Florida is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Florida's last 5 games when playing at home against Philadelphia

Winnipeg @ Pittsburgh
Winnipeg
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Winnipeg's last 5 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Winnipeg's last 8 games on the road
Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing at home against Winnipeg
Pittsburgh is 19-2 SU in its last 21 games when playing at home against Winnipeg

Montreal @ Washington
Montreal
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Montreal's last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Montreal's last 8 games when playing Washington
Washington
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing at home against Montreal
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games

Colorado @ New Jersey
Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Colorado's last 7 games on the road
Colorado is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
New Jersey
The total has gone OVER in 17 of New Jersey's last 25 games at home
New Jersey is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Colorado

Edmonton @ Vegas
Edmonton
Edmonton is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Edmonton is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Vegas
Vegas is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Vegas is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CNOTES · Feb 6, 2024

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6

Game	Time(ET)	Pick	Units
VAN at CAR	07:00 PM	VAN +129 O 6.5	+500 +500
WIN at PIT	07:00 PM	PIT -107 U 5.5	+500 +500
PHI at FLA	07:00 PM	PHI +173 O 6.0	+500 +500
MON at WAS	07:00 PM	MON +134 O 5.5	+500 +500
DAL at BUF	07:00 PM	BUF +134 U 6.5	+500 +500
CAL at BOS	07:00 PM	BOS -190 O 6.0	+500 +500
COL at NJ	07:30 PM	NJ -102 O 6.5	+500 +500
EDM at VEG	10:00 PM	EDM -152 U 6.0	+500 +500

CNOTES · Feb 7, 2024

Wednesday’s 6-pack:
Over/under win totals for this baseball season:
104.5— Dodgers
101.5— Braves
92.5— New York (A)
91.5— Astros
90.5— Orioles
89.5— Phillies

Quote of the Day
“For basketball, have the Power 5 [and] Big East conference commissioners get together and create a salary cap between [$1.5 and $2M]. All contracts delivered to the league and school offices. All other conferences establish their own salary cap. I would never exclude anyone from the NCAA tournament.”
Rick Pitino

Wednesday’s quiz
In the basketball movie Blue Chips, Nick Nolte’s team played against a team coached by which active college basketball coach?

Tuesday’s quiz
Chicago’s Devin Hester ran the opening kickoff of a Super Bowl back for a TD; Bears lost that game 29-17 to the Colts.

Monday’s quiz
Len Dawson was the Kansas City Chiefs’ QB in the first Super Bowl.

Wednesday’s Den: Mid-week musings……..

— Something to think about when filling out brackets next month.
Marquette is 17-5 this year, 8-3 in Big East; in 2.5 years under Shaka Smart, Marquette is 65-25, 36-14 in conference games. Very good.
In his career, Smart has done really well; he had VCU in the Final Four in his second year as their coach. Getting a CAA team to the Final Four is a tremendous accomplishment. But……
Since VCU lost to Butler in the national semifinals in 2011, Smart’s record in the NCAA tourney is 3-9, 3-6 in first round, 0-3 in second round- in those three years when they lost in the second round, they were a 12-seed, a 5-seed, a 2-seed.
Smart’s team are 2-6 in the NCAA’s when they’re the higher seeded team. Three of his six first round losses came in overtime.
Right now, Bracketology has Marquette as a #2-seed.

— Kansas State is 15-8 this year, 5-5 in Big X, nothing special, but they’re 6-0 in overtime games. In two years under Jerome Tang, K-State is 11-0 in overtime games, an amazingly good record.
Wildcats are turning ball over 22.9% of time in Big X games, which is bad; they have the #16 eFG% defense in country, which is very good.

— Clemson 80, North Carolina 76
Tigers have now won two of last three visits to Chapel Hill, after losing their first 59 (yes, 59!!!) visits to UNC.
Joseph Girard scored 21 points for Clemson.
It was a trap game for North Carolina, coming three days after they beat Duke.

— South Florida 72, Charlotte 69
Bulls have won eight games in a row, lead the AAC.
Charlotte led by 17 points late in first half.
Selton Miguel scored 22 points for USF; he didn’t start.

— Toledo 91, Eastern Michigan 87
Toledo was 22-29 on foul line, EMU 3-9.
Rockets stay a game behind Akron in the MAC standings.

— Indiana 76, Ohio State 73
Buckeyes led by 12 with 7:27 left to play.
Ohio State has lost five in row, eight of last nine games.

— Minnesota 59, Michigan State 56
Spartans are 1-4 in conference road games.
Michigan State was 7-17 on the foul line.

— Five teams are still unbeaten in conference play:
Ivy- Cornell
Ivy- Yale (they play this Saturday)
Big South- High Point
WCC- Saint Mary’s
America East- Vermont

— Baseball Note of the Day: Most career stolen bases, active players:
333- Elvis Andrus
317- Starling Marte
314- Billy Hamilton
296- Jose Altuve
260- Trea Turner

— Famous people who were born on February 7:
Matthew Stafford
Steve Nash
Chris Rock
Garth Brooks
James Spader
Ashton Kutcher

— Super Bowl Fact of the Day: Five QB’s who started a Super Bowl against the Chiefs:
Bart Starr
Joe Kapp
Jimmy Garoppolo
Tom Brady
Jalen Hurts

— Houston Astros signed star 2B Jose Altuve to a 5-year, $125M contract extension; he hit .311 in only 90 games LY, with 15 homers, 51 RBI after he broke his thumb in the WBC last spring.

— Random NHL stat: When a team is playing at home for the second consecutive night, the over is 16-8 in that game.

— UFL starts on March 30, with eight teams. Birmingham at Arlington kicks this off, with the second game that day St Louis at Michigan. Spring football is a good thing.

— Philadelphia Eagles will open the 2024 season by playing a Friday night game in Brazil, the NFL’s first-ever game in Brazil.

— New Jersey Giants signed Titans defensive coordinator Shane Bowen to replace Wink Martindale.
Cleveland Browns hired Ken Dorsey to be their new offensive coordinator.

— Does Dan Quinn’s move from Dallas to division rival Washington mean that a Commanders-Cowboys game will be on the docket for Monday Night Football next year?

— Colleges with most players in this week’s Super Bowl:
6- Oklahoma
5- Clemson, Florida, Georgia
4- Michigan, Middle Tennessee, USC, TCU

— Unusual NBA fact- Over the next seven drafts, Oklahoma City Thunder has 35 draft picks, 14 in first round, 21 in the second. Thunder is already 35-15 this year, they’re really good. They’re probably going to package those picks to acquire a star player or two (or three).

Udog · Feb 7, 2024

NY RANGERS are 9-1 ATS (7.9 Units) when playing 3 or less games in 10 days over the last 2 seasons.

DALLAS are 9-17 ATS (-9.7 Units) after playing a game where 3 or fewer total goals were scored in the last 3 seasons.

CHICAGO is 6-2 ATS (3.8 Units) in home games after having lost 15 or more of their last 20 games in the current season.

NHL
Dunkel

Wednesday, February 7

NHL

Wednesday, February 7

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tampa Bay @ NY Rangers
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
Tampa Bay is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
NY Rangers
NY Rangers is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
NY Rangers is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay

Dallas @ Toronto
Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Dallas's last 7 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Dallas is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Toronto
Toronto is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Toronto's last 7 games when playing at home against Dallas

Minnesota @ Chicago
Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Minnesota's last 5 games on the road
Minnesota is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
Chicago
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Chicago's last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago's last 7 games when playing Minnesota

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CNOTES · Feb 7, 2024

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7

Game	Time(ET)	Pick	Units
DAL at TOR	07:00 PM	TOR -132 U 6.5	+500 +500
TB at NYR	07:00 PM	TB +106 O 6.0	+500 +500
MIN at CHI	09:30 PM	MIN -197 O 5.5	+500 +500

CNOTES · Feb 7, 2024

Thursday’s 6-pack:
— Providence 91, Creighton 87, OT- Six players in this game played 40:00+.
— Auburn 99, Alabama 81- Auburn was 40-50 on foul line; lot of foul shots.
— Xavier 56, Villanova 53- Wildcats lost six of their last seven games.
— Texas State 63, Appalachian State 56- Big upset in the Sun Belt.
— Syracuse 94, Louisville 92- Syracuse shot 72.4% inside the arc.
— Michigan 72, Wisconsin 68- Only 2nd win in last 12 games for Michigan.

Thought of the Day
Everyone makes mistakes.
Not everyone learns from their mistakes.

Thursday’s quiz
Who was the Oakland Raiders’ QB in Super Bowl II?

Wednesday’s quiz
In the basketball movie Blue Chips, Nick Nolte’s team played against a team coached by Rick Pitino (also George Raveling, Bob Knight).

Tuesday’s quiz
Chicago’s Devin Hester ran the opening kickoff of a Super Bowl back for a TD; Bears lost that game 29-17 to the Colts.

**********************************************

Thursday’s Den: A small sampling of Super Bowl prop bets……..

Super Bowl Sunday is a gambler’s paradise; ton of stuff to bet on- one casino puts out a 40-page document on bets you can make. Here is a small sampling……

— 49ers are 2-point favorite; total is 47.5

— first team to call timeout (both teams -115)

— first team with a replay challenge (both teams -115)

— opening kickoff result
Returned +285
Touchback -360

— opening kickoff returned for TD: +5000

— will the first play from scrimmage result in a first down?
Yes +340
No -500

— Total yards gained on first play over/under 3.5 (both teams -115)

— who will have more receiving yards?
Deebo Samuel +6.5 yards
Brandon Aiyuk -6.5

— fumble lost by either team in first half?
No -158
Yes +128

— Christian McCaffrey anytime TD? -220

— Nick Bosa to record 2+ sacks? +350

— Travis Kelce to have 11+ receptions? +550

— Will Patrick Mahomes throw an interception?
Yes -130
No +100

— Will Brock Purdy throw an interception?
Yes +100
No -135

— Will there be a touchdown from the 1-yard line?
Yes -170
No +138

— over/under for McCaffrey’s longest rush:
18+ yards: -120
Under 18 yards: -110

— Famous people who were born on February 8:
Nick Nolte
Mary Steenburgen
Alonzo Mourning
John Grisham
Klay Thompson
Robert Klein
Mary McCormack
Marques Johnson

— over/under for Reba McEntire’s national anthem: 89.5 seconds

— will a kickoff go out of bounds?
Yes +935
No -1500

— 2-point conversion made by either team?
No -325
Yes +275

— will game have a scoreless quarter?
No -450
Yes +360

— over/under for Patrick Mahomes’ passing yards: 261.5

— over/under for Brock Purdy’s passing yards: 245.5

— who will have more receiving yards?
Travis Kelce -13.5 (-115)
Deebo Samuel +13.5 (+105)

— will Travis Kelce score a TD and the Chiefs win?
No -320
Yes +265

— will Christian McCaffrey score a TD and the 49ers win?
No -145
Yes +125

— color of Gatorade bath:
+225- purple
+275- blue
+450- yellow/green
+450- red/pink
+500- orange
+1000- clear/water
+2000- no Gatorade bath

Udog · Feb 8, 2024

VANCOUVER is 15-4 ATS (10.6 Units) after covering 4 of their last 5 against the spread in the current season.

WINNIPEG is 7-0 Under (7 Units) in road games when playing 5 or less games in 14 days over the last 2 seasons.

NEW JERSEY is 9-1 Over (7.9 Units) off a home win in the current season.

WASHINGTON is 8-3 ATS (4.7 Units) off a home loss in the current season.

COLORADO is 8-0 ATS (8 Units) after allowing 5 goals or more in the current season.

NY ISLANDERS are 44-58 ATS (-19.8 Units) after a game where they covered the spread in the last 3 seasons.

ARIZONA is 7-1 ATS (5.9 Units) in home games after failing to cover 4 or 5 of their last 6 against the spread in the current season.

Udog · Feb 8, 2024

NHL

Thursday, February 8

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vancouver @ Boston
Vancouver
Vancouver is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Vancouver is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Boston
Boston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Vancouver
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games

Washington @ Florida
Washington
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games when playing Florida
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games
Florida
Florida is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Washington
Florida is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Washington

Calgary @ New Jersey
Calgary
Calgary is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against New Jersey
Calgary is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 games on the road
New Jersey
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New Jersey's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New Jersey's last 5 games at home

Winnipeg @ Philadelphia
Winnipeg
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Winnipeg's last 9 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 5 games
Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Winnipeg
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games when playing Winnipeg

Colorado @ Carolina
Colorado
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Colorado's last 5 games when playing on the road against Carolina
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Colorado's last 8 games on the road
Carolina
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Carolina's last 5 games when playing at home against Colorado
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Carolina's last 6 games

Tampa Bay @ NY Islanders
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing NY Islanders
Tampa Bay is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing NY Islanders
NY Islanders
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Islanders's last 5 games
NY Islanders is 10-3 ATS in its last 13 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay

Vegas @ Arizona
Vegas
Vegas is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Vegas's last 6 games when playing on the road against Arizona
Arizona
Arizona is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Vegas
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Arizona's last 6 games when playing at home against Vegas

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Udog · Feb 8, 2024

NHL
Dunkel

Thursday, February 8

CNOTES 2023 2024 NHL NEWS BEST BETS AND OPINONS !

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Friday’s Den: Random stuff with the weekend here…….​

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Saturday’s Den: Notes on every major league team​

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Sunday’s Den: Wrapping up a college basketball Saturday​

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Monday’s Den: NHL trends at the All-Star break​

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5​

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Tuesday’s Den: Clearing out a cluttered mind……..​

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6​

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Wednesday’s Den: Mid-week musings……..​

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7​

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Thursday’s Den: A small sampling of Super Bowl prop bets……..​

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Friday’s Den: Random stuff with the weekend here…….

Saturday’s Den: Notes on every major league team

Sunday’s Den: Wrapping up a college basketball Saturday

Monday’s Den: NHL trends at the All-Star break

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5

Tuesday’s Den: Clearing out a cluttered mind……..

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6

Wednesday’s Den: Mid-week musings……..

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7

Thursday’s Den: A small sampling of Super Bowl prop bets……..