SUNDAY, MARCH 24
| Game | Time(ET) | Pick | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| WIN at WAS | 12:30 PM | WAS +131 O 6.0 | +500 +500 |
| PIT at COL | 02:00 PM | COL -251 O 6.5 | +500 +500 |
| NJ at NYI | 05:00 PM | NYI -130 O 6.5 | +500 +500 |
| EDM at OTT | 06:00 PM | EDM -197 U 6.5 | +500 +500 |
| TOR at CAR | 06:00 PM | CAR -185 O 6.5 | +500 +500 |
| FLA at PHI | 06:00 PM | PHI +140 O 6.0 | +500 +500 |
| DAL at ARI | 08:00 PM | DAL -208 U 6.5 | +500 +500 |
| TB at ANA | 08:30 PM | ANA +191 U 6.5 | +500 +500 |
| MON at SEA | 09:00 PM | SEA -157 U 5.5 | +500 +500 |
| BUF at CAL | 09:00 PM | BUF -115 U 6.5 | +500 +500 |
Monday’s 6-pack:
Leading scorers in the NBA:
34.8— Luka Doncic, Dal
30.8— Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC
30.7— Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milw
27.5— Kevin Durant, Phx
27.4— Donovan Mitchell, Clev
27.4— Jalen Brunson, NYK
Quote of the Day
“You appreciate him on film, then you appreciate him with his numbers. But then you play against him, and you’re like, ‘Holy cow, that kid is special.’ He’s a good player.”
Colorado basketball coach Tad Boyle, talking about Marquette’s Tyler Kolek
Monday’s quiz
What retired player has the most hits in Tampa Bay Rays history?
Hint: He played for Tampa Bay in the 2008 World Series
Sunday’s quiz
Colorado Rockies have played in one World Series, in 2007; Clint Hurdle was their manager.
Saturday’s quiz
Vermont is 1-9 in NCAA Tournament games; their only win was against Syracuse in 2005.
******************************************
— Clemson 72, Baylor 64
#6-seed Tigers were the only underdog to win in the second round.
Clemson led wire-to-wire, shot 56.7% inside the arc.
Clemson plays Arizona in the Sweet 16.
— Houston 100, Texas Tech 95, OT
Tech hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer in regulation to force OT
Houston led by 13 with 3:49 left in regulation.
Tech lost by 5; they missed 16 foul shots (29-45).
— Marquette 81, Colorado 77
Marquette led 45-34 at half; game was tied with 3:33 left.
Kolek scored 21 points, had 11 assists; he played all 40:00.
Golden Eagles shot 73.5% inside arc, Colorado 58.3%.
— Alabama 72, Grand Canyon 61
Antelopes led by 3, with 6:03 left to play.
Grand Canyon was 2-20 on the arc, 23-37 on foul line.
Alabama plays North Carolina in the Sweet 16.
— San Diego State 85, Yale 57
Aztecs came into game shooting 31% on arc; they made 13-27 in this game.
Aztecs led 45-21 at halftime of this stress-free win.
San Diego State plays UConn in the Sweet 16.
— Purdue 106, Utah State 67
Aggies led 20-19 after the first 10:00, then it went downhill, quickly.
Utah State shot 35.9% from the floor.
Zach Edey scored 23 points, had 14 rebounds.
— UConn 75, Northwestern 58
UConn won easily; they led 40-18 at halftime.
Huskies won their last nine games, seven of them by 14+ points.
Northwestern made NCAA’s the last two years, first time they ever did that.
— Duke 93, James Madison 55
Duke led the Dukes 47-25 at halftime.
Blue Devils made 14-28 shots on the arc.
Duke plays Houston in the Sweet 16.
Famous birthdays for March 25:
Elton John, 77
Bonnie Bedelia, 76
Lee Mazzilli, 69
Avery Johnson, 59
Tom Glavine, 58
Kyle Lowry, 38
— College basketball coaching hires:
West Virginia hired Drake coach Darian DeVries as its new coach; his son Tucker is expected to follow him to Morgantown. Tucker DeVries scored 21.6 ppg this year, grabbed 6.7 rebounds per game. Darian DeVries was 150-55 in six years coaching Drake.
Rice Owls hired former SMU coach Rob Lanier as their new coach; Lanier has been a head coach for 10 years at three different schools, making the NCAA’s in 2002 at Siena, 2022 at Georgia State.
— Baltimore Orioles are 23-6 in spring training, which means very little.
— JD Martinez signed a one-year, $12M deal with the Mets; he mentioned how the Giants had offered him more $$$ than the Mets, but because San Francisco’s ballpark is bigger than Citi Field, he thought his numbers would go down with the Giants, and teams would think he was on the decline.
— In the NBA, Portland Trailblazers started five rookies Saturday night, only the second team since 1971 to start five rookies in a game.
On April 26, 2012, Golden State started five rookies against San Antonio; one of the rookies was Klay Thompson.
— The starting five Grand Canyon used against Alabama Sunday averaged 23.0 years old, starting lineup for the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder averages 22.6 years old.
— NBA suspensions after a scuffle the other night:
Utah’s Kris Dunn got suspended for two games, a total of $35,678.
Houston’s Jabari Smith got suspended for one game, $53,601.
— All eight #1 and #2-seeds made it to the Sweet 16, for the first time since 2019.
Leading scorers in the NBA:
34.8— Luka Doncic, Dal
30.8— Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC
30.7— Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milw
27.5— Kevin Durant, Phx
27.4— Donovan Mitchell, Clev
27.4— Jalen Brunson, NYK
Quote of the Day
“You appreciate him on film, then you appreciate him with his numbers. But then you play against him, and you’re like, ‘Holy cow, that kid is special.’ He’s a good player.”
Colorado basketball coach Tad Boyle, talking about Marquette’s Tyler Kolek
Monday’s quiz
What retired player has the most hits in Tampa Bay Rays history?
Hint: He played for Tampa Bay in the 2008 World Series
Sunday’s quiz
Colorado Rockies have played in one World Series, in 2007; Clint Hurdle was their manager.
Saturday’s quiz
Vermont is 1-9 in NCAA Tournament games; their only win was against Syracuse in 2005.
******************************************
Monday’s Den: Wrapping up a sports Sunday…….
Favorites won 15 of 16 games in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday/Sunday, going 12-4 ATS. Very unusual.— Clemson 72, Baylor 64
#6-seed Tigers were the only underdog to win in the second round.
Clemson led wire-to-wire, shot 56.7% inside the arc.
Clemson plays Arizona in the Sweet 16.
— Houston 100, Texas Tech 95, OT
Tech hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer in regulation to force OT
Houston led by 13 with 3:49 left in regulation.
Tech lost by 5; they missed 16 foul shots (29-45).
— Marquette 81, Colorado 77
Marquette led 45-34 at half; game was tied with 3:33 left.
Kolek scored 21 points, had 11 assists; he played all 40:00.
Golden Eagles shot 73.5% inside arc, Colorado 58.3%.
— Alabama 72, Grand Canyon 61
Antelopes led by 3, with 6:03 left to play.
Grand Canyon was 2-20 on the arc, 23-37 on foul line.
Alabama plays North Carolina in the Sweet 16.
— San Diego State 85, Yale 57
Aztecs came into game shooting 31% on arc; they made 13-27 in this game.
Aztecs led 45-21 at halftime of this stress-free win.
San Diego State plays UConn in the Sweet 16.
— Purdue 106, Utah State 67
Aggies led 20-19 after the first 10:00, then it went downhill, quickly.
Utah State shot 35.9% from the floor.
Zach Edey scored 23 points, had 14 rebounds.
— UConn 75, Northwestern 58
UConn won easily; they led 40-18 at halftime.
Huskies won their last nine games, seven of them by 14+ points.
Northwestern made NCAA’s the last two years, first time they ever did that.
— Duke 93, James Madison 55
Duke led the Dukes 47-25 at halftime.
Blue Devils made 14-28 shots on the arc.
Duke plays Houston in the Sweet 16.
Famous birthdays for March 25:
Elton John, 77
Bonnie Bedelia, 76
Lee Mazzilli, 69
Avery Johnson, 59
Tom Glavine, 58
Kyle Lowry, 38
— College basketball coaching hires:
West Virginia hired Drake coach Darian DeVries as its new coach; his son Tucker is expected to follow him to Morgantown. Tucker DeVries scored 21.6 ppg this year, grabbed 6.7 rebounds per game. Darian DeVries was 150-55 in six years coaching Drake.
Rice Owls hired former SMU coach Rob Lanier as their new coach; Lanier has been a head coach for 10 years at three different schools, making the NCAA’s in 2002 at Siena, 2022 at Georgia State.
— Baltimore Orioles are 23-6 in spring training, which means very little.
— JD Martinez signed a one-year, $12M deal with the Mets; he mentioned how the Giants had offered him more $$$ than the Mets, but because San Francisco’s ballpark is bigger than Citi Field, he thought his numbers would go down with the Giants, and teams would think he was on the decline.
— In the NBA, Portland Trailblazers started five rookies Saturday night, only the second team since 1971 to start five rookies in a game.
On April 26, 2012, Golden State started five rookies against San Antonio; one of the rookies was Klay Thompson.
— The starting five Grand Canyon used against Alabama Sunday averaged 23.0 years old, starting lineup for the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder averages 22.6 years old.
— NBA suspensions after a scuffle the other night:
Utah’s Kris Dunn got suspended for two games, a total of $35,678.
Houston’s Jabari Smith got suspended for one game, $53,601.
— All eight #1 and #2-seeds made it to the Sweet 16, for the first time since 2019.
ST LOUIS are 10-3 ATS (6.7 Units) in home games after allowing 4 goals or more in the current season.
VANCOUVER is 7-0 ATS (7 Units) in home games after playing 4 consecutive home games over the last 2 seasons.
NHL
Monday, March 25
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vegas @ St. Louis
Vegas
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Vegas's last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Vegas's last 6 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis
St. Louis is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
St. Louis is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Los Angeles @ Vancouver
Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Los Angeles's last 10 games when playing Vancouver
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 6 games when playing on the road against Vancouver
Vancouver
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Vancouver's last 10 games when playing Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Vancouver's last 6 games when playing at home against Los Angeles
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VANCOUVER is 7-0 ATS (7 Units) in home games after playing 4 consecutive home games over the last 2 seasons.
NHL
Monday, March 25
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vegas @ St. Louis
Vegas
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Vegas's last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Vegas's last 6 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis
St. Louis is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
St. Louis is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Los Angeles @ Vancouver
Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Los Angeles's last 10 games when playing Vancouver
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 6 games when playing on the road against Vancouver
Vancouver
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Vancouver's last 10 games when playing Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Vancouver's last 6 games when playing at home against Los Angeles
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday’s 6-pack:
Best free throw shooting teams in the country:
80.8%— Villanova
80.5%— Indiana State
80.1%— Princeton
79.8%— Montana
79.5%— Wake Forest
79.3%— Virginia Tech
Quote of the Day
“My commitment is I am going to work. I am not changing… This is what I wanted and this is why I never left. Let’s come together and let’s do something special. We have done it before, so let’s do it again.”
Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari
Tuesday’s quiz
When was last time two #1-seeds played for the college basketball national title?
Monday’s quiz
Carl Crawford has the most hits in Tampa Bay Rays history (1,480)
Sunday’s quiz
Colorado Rockies have played in one World Series, in 2007; Clint Hurdle was their manager.
************************************************
— Utah State’s Danny Sprinkle bolts from Utah State to Washington; Aggies were 28-7 this season, in Sprinkle’s first year in Logan. He had to rebuild the entire roster; when he took the job, he didn’t have any players who scored a point for Utah State the previous year.
Sprinkle is 80-25 as a coach the last three years; 52-18 at Montana State, 28-7 at Utah State.
— Toledo’s Tod Kowalczyk jumps from the Rockets to Utah State; he went 104-37 the last four years at Toledo, but never made the NCAA’s. Rockets haven’t made the tournament since 1980.
— Utah State will have its 4th coach in five years next year, its 6th coach in 11 years, and they had only one losing season during all that time.
— James Madison coach Mark Byington is now the coach at Vanderbilt; he went 82-36 in four years with the Dukes, after coaching Georgia Southern for seven years.
— Washington State is moving to the WCC next year because the Pac-12 doesn’t exist anymore; their coach Kyle Smith bolted to Stanford Monday. Smith went 94-71 in five years coaching the Coogs, after coaching San Francisco for three years, Columbia for six years.
Stanford is moving to the ACC next year (why!?!??), so Smith will get a lot of frequent flyer miles in his new job.
— Missouri State brought an old friend back, hiring Cuonzo Martin as its new coach;; Martin was 61-41 coaching the Bears from 2008-11, then moved on to Tennessee, Cal and Missouri.
Missouri State was 74-49 the last four years under Dana Ford, 45-31 in MVC games, but they haven’t made the NCAA’s since 1999, when Steve Alford was their coach. The rich people who control the purse strings in college sports aren’t very patient these days.
— William & Mary hired Cornell coach Brian Earl; Big Red went 22-8 this year, winning the Ivy League regular season with a 13-3 mark.
— Some coaching jobs that are still open:
Louisville, Oklahoma State, Cornell, Drake, Duquesne, FAU, Fresno State, James Madison, Long Beach State, Pepperdine, Saint Louis, Siena, Washington State
Famous birthdays for March 26:
Diana Ross, 80
Marcus Allen, 64
John Stockton, 62
Keira Knightley, 39
Von Miller, 35
Cristian Javier, 27
Word of the Day:
Enthusiastic – having or showing intense and eager enjoyment.
— UNLV is in the NIT, where the schedule has been odd:
Wednesday, Rebels won 84-77 at Princeton, in New Jersey. Long trip.
Sunday, Rebels beat Boston College 79-70 at home. Long trip for BC.
This Wednesday, Rebels play at Seton Hall, again in New Jersey.
Final Four for the NIT this year is in Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, where they filmed the last few game scenes in Hoosiers.
— Lon Kruger, father of UNLV coach Kevin Kruger, led five different schools to the NCAA Tournament:
Kansas State, 1987-90
Florida, 1994-95
Illinois, 1997-98, 2000
UNLV, 2007-08, 2010-11
Oklahoma, 2013-16, 2018-21
Kruger also coached the Atlanta Hawks for three years (2000-03)
— Houston’s 100-95 overtime win over Texas A&M Sunday night was unusual:
4 Houston players fouled out; last time a team won an NCAA Tourney game when four of their players fouled out was 1987.
A&M lost by 5 points; they missed 16 foul shots (29-45)
Aggies’ best player, Wade Taylor, shot 5-26 from the floor.
A&M had 26 offensive rebounds; Houston had 24 defensive rebounds.
Houston led by 13 with 3:49 left, won in overtime. Very unusual.
— Deion Sanders is babbling again, saying how he is going to pull strings to make sure his son plays for a certain NFL team(s). Colorado went 4-8 last year with Sanders coaching and his son playing QB (1-8 in Pac-12). The kid has never played for a coach other than his father.
If you ran an NFL franchise, and your 7-figure salary depended on winning, would you draft the Sanders kid? Seems like too much of a soap opera for me.
— UFL starts this week; the 8-team football league, combining teams from the USFL/XFL, will play a 10-game schedule, with the top two teams in each division making the playoffs. It looks like FOX, ESPN and ABC will be showing the games.
— Since 2000, four baseball players have been hit by a pitch twice in the same inning:
2008- Mike Hessman, Det
2010- Jose Guillen, SF
2012- David DeJesus, Cubs
2014- Brandon Moss, A’s
Best free throw shooting teams in the country:
80.8%— Villanova
80.5%— Indiana State
80.1%— Princeton
79.8%— Montana
79.5%— Wake Forest
79.3%— Virginia Tech
Quote of the Day
“My commitment is I am going to work. I am not changing… This is what I wanted and this is why I never left. Let’s come together and let’s do something special. We have done it before, so let’s do it again.”
Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari
Tuesday’s quiz
When was last time two #1-seeds played for the college basketball national title?
Monday’s quiz
Carl Crawford has the most hits in Tampa Bay Rays history (1,480)
Sunday’s quiz
Colorado Rockies have played in one World Series, in 2007; Clint Hurdle was their manager.
************************************************
Tuesday’s Den: Nobody asked me, but…….
Lot of activity in the coaching carousel:— Utah State’s Danny Sprinkle bolts from Utah State to Washington; Aggies were 28-7 this season, in Sprinkle’s first year in Logan. He had to rebuild the entire roster; when he took the job, he didn’t have any players who scored a point for Utah State the previous year.
Sprinkle is 80-25 as a coach the last three years; 52-18 at Montana State, 28-7 at Utah State.
— Toledo’s Tod Kowalczyk jumps from the Rockets to Utah State; he went 104-37 the last four years at Toledo, but never made the NCAA’s. Rockets haven’t made the tournament since 1980.
— Utah State will have its 4th coach in five years next year, its 6th coach in 11 years, and they had only one losing season during all that time.
— James Madison coach Mark Byington is now the coach at Vanderbilt; he went 82-36 in four years with the Dukes, after coaching Georgia Southern for seven years.
— Washington State is moving to the WCC next year because the Pac-12 doesn’t exist anymore; their coach Kyle Smith bolted to Stanford Monday. Smith went 94-71 in five years coaching the Coogs, after coaching San Francisco for three years, Columbia for six years.
Stanford is moving to the ACC next year (why!?!??), so Smith will get a lot of frequent flyer miles in his new job.
— Missouri State brought an old friend back, hiring Cuonzo Martin as its new coach;; Martin was 61-41 coaching the Bears from 2008-11, then moved on to Tennessee, Cal and Missouri.
Missouri State was 74-49 the last four years under Dana Ford, 45-31 in MVC games, but they haven’t made the NCAA’s since 1999, when Steve Alford was their coach. The rich people who control the purse strings in college sports aren’t very patient these days.
— William & Mary hired Cornell coach Brian Earl; Big Red went 22-8 this year, winning the Ivy League regular season with a 13-3 mark.
— Some coaching jobs that are still open:
Louisville, Oklahoma State, Cornell, Drake, Duquesne, FAU, Fresno State, James Madison, Long Beach State, Pepperdine, Saint Louis, Siena, Washington State
Famous birthdays for March 26:
Diana Ross, 80
Marcus Allen, 64
John Stockton, 62
Keira Knightley, 39
Von Miller, 35
Cristian Javier, 27
Word of the Day:
Enthusiastic – having or showing intense and eager enjoyment.
— UNLV is in the NIT, where the schedule has been odd:
Wednesday, Rebels won 84-77 at Princeton, in New Jersey. Long trip.
Sunday, Rebels beat Boston College 79-70 at home. Long trip for BC.
This Wednesday, Rebels play at Seton Hall, again in New Jersey.
Final Four for the NIT this year is in Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, where they filmed the last few game scenes in Hoosiers.
— Lon Kruger, father of UNLV coach Kevin Kruger, led five different schools to the NCAA Tournament:
Kansas State, 1987-90
Florida, 1994-95
Illinois, 1997-98, 2000
UNLV, 2007-08, 2010-11
Oklahoma, 2013-16, 2018-21
Kruger also coached the Atlanta Hawks for three years (2000-03)
— Houston’s 100-95 overtime win over Texas A&M Sunday night was unusual:
4 Houston players fouled out; last time a team won an NCAA Tourney game when four of their players fouled out was 1987.
A&M lost by 5 points; they missed 16 foul shots (29-45)
Aggies’ best player, Wade Taylor, shot 5-26 from the floor.
A&M had 26 offensive rebounds; Houston had 24 defensive rebounds.
Houston led by 13 with 3:49 left, won in overtime. Very unusual.
— Deion Sanders is babbling again, saying how he is going to pull strings to make sure his son plays for a certain NFL team(s). Colorado went 4-8 last year with Sanders coaching and his son playing QB (1-8 in Pac-12). The kid has never played for a coach other than his father.
If you ran an NFL franchise, and your 7-figure salary depended on winning, would you draft the Sanders kid? Seems like too much of a soap opera for me.
— UFL starts this week; the 8-team football league, combining teams from the USFL/XFL, will play a 10-game schedule, with the top two teams in each division making the playoffs. It looks like FOX, ESPN and ABC will be showing the games.
— Since 2000, four baseball players have been hit by a pitch twice in the same inning:
2008- Mike Hessman, Det
2010- Jose Guillen, SF
2012- David DeJesus, Cubs
2014- Brandon Moss, A’s
PITTSBURGH is 1-14 ATS (-14.6 Units) against good offensive teams - >=29 shots on goal, convert >=17% pp - 2nd half of the season ...
DETROIT is 2-19 ATS (-18.9 Units) in road games in March games in the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 9-2 Over (6.8 Units) in road games after failing to cover 2 of their last 3 against the spread in the current season.
PHILADELPHIA is 9-33 ATS (-27.3 Units) when playing their 3rd game in 4 days in the last 3 seasons.
NEW JERSEY is 7-1 Over (5.9 Units) in road games off a win by 2 goals or more over a division rival over the last 2 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 13-4 Over (8.6 Units) in home games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game in the last 3 seasons.
EDMONTON is 22-5 ATS (16.5 Units) on Tuesday nights over the last 2 seasons.
CALGARY is 45-50 ATS (-10 Units) after a non-conference game in the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 11-0 ATS (11 Units) in home games revenging a loss versus opponent as a favorite in the current season.
ANAHEIM is 25-70 ATS (-52 Units) when playing only their 2nd game in 5 days in the last 3 seasons.
ARIZONA is 22-20 ATS (0 Units) in home games after a division game in the last 3 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 2-15 ATS (-14.5 Units) in home games off a close home loss by 1 goal in the last 3 seasons.
DETROIT is 2-19 ATS (-18.9 Units) in road games in March games in the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 9-2 Over (6.8 Units) in road games after failing to cover 2 of their last 3 against the spread in the current season.
PHILADELPHIA is 9-33 ATS (-27.3 Units) when playing their 3rd game in 4 days in the last 3 seasons.
NEW JERSEY is 7-1 Over (5.9 Units) in road games off a win by 2 goals or more over a division rival over the last 2 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 13-4 Over (8.6 Units) in home games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game in the last 3 seasons.
EDMONTON is 22-5 ATS (16.5 Units) on Tuesday nights over the last 2 seasons.
CALGARY is 45-50 ATS (-10 Units) after a non-conference game in the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 11-0 ATS (11 Units) in home games revenging a loss versus opponent as a favorite in the current season.
ANAHEIM is 25-70 ATS (-52 Units) when playing only their 2nd game in 5 days in the last 3 seasons.
ARIZONA is 22-20 ATS (0 Units) in home games after a division game in the last 3 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 2-15 ATS (-14.5 Units) in home games off a close home loss by 1 goal in the last 3 seasons.
NHL
Tuesday, March 26
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Boston @ Florida
Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Boston's last 13 games when playing Florida
Florida
Florida is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Boston
Florida is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games
Philadelphia @ NY Rangers
Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 6 games when playing NY Rangers
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games when playing on the road against NY Rangers
NY Rangers
NY Rangers is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Rangers's last 5 games
Carolina @ Pittsburgh
Carolina
Carolina is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Carolina is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games when playing Carolina
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games
Detroit @ Washington
Detroit
Detroit is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit's last 7 games when playing Washington
Washington
Washington is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Washington is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
New Jersey @ Toronto
New Jersey
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New Jersey's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of New Jersey's last 10 games
Toronto
Toronto is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games when playing New Jersey
Toronto is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Vegas @ Nashville
Vegas
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Vegas's last 6 games
Vegas is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Nashville
Nashville
Nashville is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Nashville is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
Edmonton @ Winnipeg
Edmonton
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Edmonton's last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Edmonton's last 7 games when playing Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games at home
Winnipeg is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Edmonton
Calgary @ Chicago
Calgary
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Calgary's last 6 games when playing on the road against Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Calgary's last 9 games when playing Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Calgary
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 6 games when playing at home against Calgary
Montreal @ Colorado
Montreal
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Montreal's last 5 games when playing on the road against Colorado
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Montreal's last 9 games when playing Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Colorado is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Montreal
Columbus @ Arizona
Columbus
Columbus is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Arizona
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Columbus's last 6 games when playing Arizona
Arizona
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Arizona's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Arizona's last 5 games at home
Anaheim @ Seattle
Anaheim
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Anaheim's last 6 games when playing Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Anaheim's last 6 games
Seattle
Seattle is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Anaheim
Seattle is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Anaheim
Dallas @ San Jose
Dallas
Dallas is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Dallas is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games
San Jose
San Jose is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas
San Jose is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Dallas
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, March 26
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Boston @ Florida
Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Boston's last 13 games when playing Florida
Florida
Florida is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Boston
Florida is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games
Philadelphia @ NY Rangers
Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 6 games when playing NY Rangers
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games when playing on the road against NY Rangers
NY Rangers
NY Rangers is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Rangers's last 5 games
Carolina @ Pittsburgh
Carolina
Carolina is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Carolina is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games when playing Carolina
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games
Detroit @ Washington
Detroit
Detroit is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit's last 7 games when playing Washington
Washington
Washington is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Washington is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
New Jersey @ Toronto
New Jersey
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New Jersey's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of New Jersey's last 10 games
Toronto
Toronto is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games when playing New Jersey
Toronto is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Vegas @ Nashville
Vegas
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Vegas's last 6 games
Vegas is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Nashville
Nashville
Nashville is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Nashville is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
Edmonton @ Winnipeg
Edmonton
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Edmonton's last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Edmonton's last 7 games when playing Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games at home
Winnipeg is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Edmonton
Calgary @ Chicago
Calgary
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Calgary's last 6 games when playing on the road against Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Calgary's last 9 games when playing Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Calgary
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 6 games when playing at home against Calgary
Montreal @ Colorado
Montreal
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Montreal's last 5 games when playing on the road against Colorado
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Montreal's last 9 games when playing Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Colorado is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Montreal
Columbus @ Arizona
Columbus
Columbus is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Arizona
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Columbus's last 6 games when playing Arizona
Arizona
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Arizona's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Arizona's last 5 games at home
Anaheim @ Seattle
Anaheim
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Anaheim's last 6 games when playing Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Anaheim's last 6 games
Seattle
Seattle is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Anaheim
Seattle is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Anaheim
Dallas @ San Jose
Dallas
Dallas is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Dallas is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games
San Jose
San Jose is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas
San Jose is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Dallas
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TUESDAY, MARCH 26
| Game | Time(ET) | Pick | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAR at PIT | 07:00 PM | CAR -186 O 6.5 | +500 +500 |
| PHI at NYR | 07:00 PM | NYR -174 U 5.5 | +500 +500 |
| BOS at FLA | 07:00 PM | FLA -137 O 6.0 | +500 +500 |
| DET at WAS | 07:00 PM | WAS -121 U 6.0 | +500 +500 |
| NJ at TOR | 07:30 PM | TOR -140 U 6.5 | +500 +500 |
| VEG at NAS | 08:00 PM | NAS -138 O 6.0 | +500 +500 |
| EDM at WIN | 08:00 PM | WIN +111 U 6.0 | +500 +500 |
| CAL at CHI | 08:30 PM | CHI +153 O 6.0 | +500 +500 |
| MON at COL | 09:00 PM | COL -412 U 6.5 | +500 +500 |
| ANA at SEA | 10:00 PM | SEA -206 U 5.5 | +500 +500 |
| CLB at ARI | 10:00 PM | CLB +145 O 6.5 | +500 +500 |
| DAL at SJ | 10:30 PM | SJ +341 O 6.5 | +500 +500 |
Wednesday’s 6-pack:
Sweet 16 matchups/spreads:
Thursday
Arizona (-7.5) vs Clemson
UConn (-11.5) vs San Diego State
North Carolina (-4.5) vs Alabama
Iowa State (-1.5) vs Illinois
Friday
Marquette (-6.5) vs NC State
Purdue (-5.5) vs Gonzaga
Houston (-4.5) vs Duke
Tennessee (-2.5) vs Creighton
Quote of the Day
“There is a standard here. It’s a high standard. And if you play or coach here, you gotta know what that standard is and love it, relish it. It’s hard.”
Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari, who will be back with the Wildcats next season
Wednesday’s quiz
In the movie The Natural, when Robert Redford played a 30-ish ballplayer who came out of nowhere to become a star, what famous actor played the manager of the New York Knights?
Tuesday’s quiz
2021 was last time two #1-seeds played for the college basketball national title, when Baylor beat Gonzaga, 86-70.
Monday’s quiz
Carl Crawford has the most hits in Tampa Bay Rays history (1,480)
********************************************
— You’d think being in an airport at 4:45am on a Tuesday morning would be quiet, but today was anything but; they’re doing construction at Albany Airport, and the lines at the security checkpoint were long, very long. 45 minutes worth of long.
— Somehow, my luggage got to Las Vegas before I did; for a few minutes, I thought they lost by suitcase, but they paged me and told me it got to Las Vegas on a different flight than the one I was on, so that was a relief.
— Lakers-Bucks NBA game was the feature attraction in the sportsbook tonight; guys yelling for both sides in a double overtime game. It was fun to listen to.
— Sportsbooks take bets on everything; they had soccer scores up on the board between countries I’ve never heard of.
— In Las Vegas hotels, if you put the “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door three days in a row, turning down housecleaning, they do a wellness check on you, to make sure you’re not dead, I guess. They actually told me that today when I checked in.
— Vancouver Canucks are 15-1 to win the Stanley Cup, even though they have 98 points, tied for most in the NHL. Vegas Golden Knights are 6-1, even though they only have 86 points, but they are the defending champs.
— New England Patriots are 150-1 to win the Super Bowl next season, which just seems wrong, but times change quickly.
— Peter Marshall, host of the Hollywood Squares and one of the best game show hosts ever, turns 98 years old Saturday; they’re doing a show on YouTube Saturday, some of the old shows from the Hollywood Squares. Should be fun.
Marshall’s son is Pete LaCock, who played in the major leagues for nine years, for the Cubs and Royals, hitting .257 for his career.
— Famous birthdays for March 27:
Randall Cunningham, 61
Ed Pinckney, 61
Danny Fortson, 48
Buster Posey, 37
Brandon Nimmo, 31
— Sweet 16 games are where Purdue coach Matt Painter has struggled; in his career, he is 1-5 SU/ATS in Sweet 16 games. Purdue plays Gonzaga; since 2015, the Zags are 5-3 in Sweet 16 games.
— Clemson is 8-1 against the spread as an underdog this year; they’re getting 7.5 points from Arizona Thursday.
— In the Big West, Cal Poly hired Mike DeGeorge as its new basketball coach; DeGeorge led Colorado Mesa to five NCAA Tournaments in his six years as the D-II school. Cal Poly hasn’t had a winning season since 2013; they were 30-117 in five years under the previous coach, 8-77 in conference games. Not good.
— In the NBA, Houston Rockets are 11-1 ATS in March.
— Sacramento Kings C Domantas Sabonis has had 55 games in a row with a double-double, the longest such streak since at least 1977.
— Arizona Diamondbacks signed P Jordan Montgomery for one year, $25M, getting agent Scott Boras off the hook for leaving his clients hanging this spring.
— Monday’s Cleveland-Arizona game got rained out, which is odd- the Diamondbacks play in a domed stadium. Game was called after six innings when an unexpected rainstorm hit Chase Field. Because of ongoing mechanical issues, the retractable roof at Chase Field can’t be opened or closed with fans in attendance.
— Colorado Rockies signed SS Ezequiel Tovar for seven years, $63.5M; if the Rockies exercise their option for 2031, the contract would be worth $84M.
— All the pro teams have social media accounts, but the Oakland A’s Twitter account is different; you can’t respond to their posts, because lot of us A’s fans despise the cheap bastard who owns the team. A’s seem to be a little bit better this year but seeing how they were 50-112 last year, that won’t take much.
— Actor Bryan Cranston is an avid baseball baseball fan, a Dodger fan; he named one of his dogs Vin Scully.
— Back in 1963, Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax started 42 games; Dodgers went 36-6 in those 42 games, as Koufax won the Cy Young Award, the MVP and the Dodgers won the World Series. Pretty good year.
Last year, Miles Mikolas started 35 games, Zac Gallen 34, the most of anyone in the big leagues.
— NFL Owners Meetings are going on this week; they changed the kickoff rule, making it more like the one the spring leagues use. It figures to double the amount of kickoff returns next year.
— Christmas is on a Wednesday nine months from now; NFL will actually have two games that day, with those four teams also playing on Saturday the previous week, the 21st.
— Week 1 Friday night game will involve the Eagles and is being played in Brazil, because the NFL takes money from everywhere; apparently that game will be shown on Peacock, and only Peacock, which is disappointing, but there will be baseball on TV that night, too.
— NFL moved its 2024 trade deadline back a week, until the Tuesday after Week 10.
Sweet 16 matchups/spreads:
Thursday
Arizona (-7.5) vs Clemson
UConn (-11.5) vs San Diego State
North Carolina (-4.5) vs Alabama
Iowa State (-1.5) vs Illinois
Friday
Marquette (-6.5) vs NC State
Purdue (-5.5) vs Gonzaga
Houston (-4.5) vs Duke
Tennessee (-2.5) vs Creighton
Quote of the Day
“There is a standard here. It’s a high standard. And if you play or coach here, you gotta know what that standard is and love it, relish it. It’s hard.”
Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari, who will be back with the Wildcats next season
Wednesday’s quiz
In the movie The Natural, when Robert Redford played a 30-ish ballplayer who came out of nowhere to become a star, what famous actor played the manager of the New York Knights?
Tuesday’s quiz
2021 was last time two #1-seeds played for the college basketball national title, when Baylor beat Gonzaga, 86-70.
Monday’s quiz
Carl Crawford has the most hits in Tampa Bay Rays history (1,480)
********************************************
Wednesday’s Den: Mid-week musings……
Greetings from Las Vegas, America’s favorite city. This was a long day, was in airplanes/airports all day, but the world doesn’t stop because I’m on vacation. Lot of stuff happened Tuesday.— You’d think being in an airport at 4:45am on a Tuesday morning would be quiet, but today was anything but; they’re doing construction at Albany Airport, and the lines at the security checkpoint were long, very long. 45 minutes worth of long.
— Somehow, my luggage got to Las Vegas before I did; for a few minutes, I thought they lost by suitcase, but they paged me and told me it got to Las Vegas on a different flight than the one I was on, so that was a relief.
— Lakers-Bucks NBA game was the feature attraction in the sportsbook tonight; guys yelling for both sides in a double overtime game. It was fun to listen to.
— Sportsbooks take bets on everything; they had soccer scores up on the board between countries I’ve never heard of.
— In Las Vegas hotels, if you put the “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door three days in a row, turning down housecleaning, they do a wellness check on you, to make sure you’re not dead, I guess. They actually told me that today when I checked in.
— Vancouver Canucks are 15-1 to win the Stanley Cup, even though they have 98 points, tied for most in the NHL. Vegas Golden Knights are 6-1, even though they only have 86 points, but they are the defending champs.
— New England Patriots are 150-1 to win the Super Bowl next season, which just seems wrong, but times change quickly.
— Peter Marshall, host of the Hollywood Squares and one of the best game show hosts ever, turns 98 years old Saturday; they’re doing a show on YouTube Saturday, some of the old shows from the Hollywood Squares. Should be fun.
Marshall’s son is Pete LaCock, who played in the major leagues for nine years, for the Cubs and Royals, hitting .257 for his career.
— Famous birthdays for March 27:
Randall Cunningham, 61
Ed Pinckney, 61
Danny Fortson, 48
Buster Posey, 37
Brandon Nimmo, 31
— Sweet 16 games are where Purdue coach Matt Painter has struggled; in his career, he is 1-5 SU/ATS in Sweet 16 games. Purdue plays Gonzaga; since 2015, the Zags are 5-3 in Sweet 16 games.
— Clemson is 8-1 against the spread as an underdog this year; they’re getting 7.5 points from Arizona Thursday.
— In the Big West, Cal Poly hired Mike DeGeorge as its new basketball coach; DeGeorge led Colorado Mesa to five NCAA Tournaments in his six years as the D-II school. Cal Poly hasn’t had a winning season since 2013; they were 30-117 in five years under the previous coach, 8-77 in conference games. Not good.
— In the NBA, Houston Rockets are 11-1 ATS in March.
— Sacramento Kings C Domantas Sabonis has had 55 games in a row with a double-double, the longest such streak since at least 1977.
— Arizona Diamondbacks signed P Jordan Montgomery for one year, $25M, getting agent Scott Boras off the hook for leaving his clients hanging this spring.
— Monday’s Cleveland-Arizona game got rained out, which is odd- the Diamondbacks play in a domed stadium. Game was called after six innings when an unexpected rainstorm hit Chase Field. Because of ongoing mechanical issues, the retractable roof at Chase Field can’t be opened or closed with fans in attendance.
— Colorado Rockies signed SS Ezequiel Tovar for seven years, $63.5M; if the Rockies exercise their option for 2031, the contract would be worth $84M.
— All the pro teams have social media accounts, but the Oakland A’s Twitter account is different; you can’t respond to their posts, because lot of us A’s fans despise the cheap bastard who owns the team. A’s seem to be a little bit better this year but seeing how they were 50-112 last year, that won’t take much.
— Actor Bryan Cranston is an avid baseball baseball fan, a Dodger fan; he named one of his dogs Vin Scully.
— Back in 1963, Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax started 42 games; Dodgers went 36-6 in those 42 games, as Koufax won the Cy Young Award, the MVP and the Dodgers won the World Series. Pretty good year.
Last year, Miles Mikolas started 35 games, Zac Gallen 34, the most of anyone in the big leagues.
— NFL Owners Meetings are going on this week; they changed the kickoff rule, making it more like the one the spring leagues use. It figures to double the amount of kickoff returns next year.
— Christmas is on a Wednesday nine months from now; NFL will actually have two games that day, with those four teams also playing on Saturday the previous week, the 21st.
— Week 1 Friday night game will involve the Eagles and is being played in Brazil, because the NFL takes money from everywhere; apparently that game will be shown on Peacock, and only Peacock, which is disappointing, but there will be baseball on TV that night, too.
— NFL moved its 2024 trade deadline back a week, until the Tuesday after Week 10.
BUFFALO is 46-38 ATS (4.2 Units) when playing only their 2nd game in 5 days in the last 3 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 8-1 Over (6.9 Units) in home games after 3 consecutive non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
NHL
Dunkel
Wednesday, March 27
NHL
Wednesday, March 27
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ottawa @ Buffalo
Ottawa
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Ottawa's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Ottawa's last 10 games when playing Buffalo
Buffalo
Buffalo is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Buffalo is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Boston @ Tampa Bay
Boston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games
Boston is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Tampa Bay is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAMPA BAY is 8-1 Over (6.9 Units) in home games after 3 consecutive non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
NHL
Dunkel
Wednesday, March 27
NHL
Wednesday, March 27
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ottawa @ Buffalo
Ottawa
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Ottawa's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Ottawa's last 10 games when playing Buffalo
Buffalo
Buffalo is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Buffalo is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Boston @ Tampa Bay
Boston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games
Boston is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Tampa Bay is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Armadillo Sports
Thursday’s 6-pack:
Over/under win totals for the NFL next fall:
11.5— Ravens, Chiefs, 49ers
10.5— Bills, Bengals, Cowboys, Lions, Eagles
9.5— Falcons, Packers, Texans, Dolphins, Jets
8.5— Rams, Bears, Browns, Colts, Jaguars, Chargers
7.5— Saints, Steelers, Seahawks, Bucs
6.5— Cardinals, Raiders, Vikings, Giants, Titans, Commanders
Quote of the Day
“For the last month, I’ve been thinking about next season, to be honest.”
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self, after Saturday’s loss to Gonzaga
Thursday’s quiz
On the classic TV show Batman, what actor played the Joker?
Wednesday’s quiz
In the movie The Natural, when Robert Redford played a 30-ish ballplayer who came out of nowhere to become a star, Wilford Brimley played the manager of the New York Knights.
Tuesday’s quiz
2021 was last time two #1-seeds played for the college basketball national title, when Baylor beat Gonzaga, 86-70.
************************************************
— Happy Opening Day, everyone; they played couple of games in Korea last week, but today is the real Opening Day, except in NY/Philly, where those games have already been rained out.
I’ll be posting statistical knowledge on the baseball page every day starting next week sometime, after the teams have some games under their belt.
— They have a restaurant at my hotel, Du-Par’s, a 24-hour place that is very good, but tonight, they had this little robot/cart delivering the meals to the tables. I’m sitting there looking at my phone, and the cart pulls up next to me— its a little spooky.
— Seton Hall 91, UNLV 68
Pirates never trailed; they shot 11-25 on the arc.
Seton Hall shot 64.9% inside the arc, scored 1.30 points/possession.
Pirates play Georgia in the NIT semi-finals next week.
— Utah 74, VCU 54
Utes jumped out to a 16-2 lead; Rams were 5-26 on the arc.
Only one guy on VCU scored more than 8 points.
Utah plays Indiana State in the NIT semi-finals, at Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse.
— Seattle 77, High Point 67
Seattle wins the CBI championship.
High Point led by 3 with 11:23 left in the game.
Redhawks finish season with the #12 eFG% defense in country.
— Norfolk State 75, Fort Wayne 67
Norfolk State wins the CIT championship.
Fort Wayne led 41-23 late in the first half.
Norfolk State put four guys in double figures; two of them were subs.
— If you’re in Las Vegas, check out the sportsbook at the MGM Grand; good place to bet on and watch games, with an excellent pizzeria around the corner to the left.
— Famous birthdays for March 28:
Rick Barry, 80
Len Elmore, 72
JK McKay, 71
Glenn Davis, 63
Jason Garrett, 58
Vince Vaughn, 54
Chris Long, 39
Stefani Germanotta, 38 (Lady Gaga)
Derek Carr, 33
Christian Walker, 33
Will Smith, 29 (Dodgers catcher)
— Purdue is 5-0 this season against the other teams in the Sweet 16.
— 7 of the teams in the Sweet 16 played in the Maui Classic, either this year or last year.
— College basketball coaching stuff:
Louisville hired Charleston coach Pat Kelsey (70-27 in three years there)
Florida Atlantic hired John Jakus as basketball coach; he was an assistant coach at Baylor, and has also worked at Gonzaga.
Long Beach State hired San Diego State assistant Sam Acker as its new head coach; had was with the Aztecs for five years, at Hawai’i/Boise State before that.
Belmont hired Tennessee-Martin coach Ryan Ridder (40-25 the last two years) as its new coach.
Tennessee-Martin hired Jeremy Shulman, who was 346-107 in 14 years coaching at Eastern Florida State, a junior college.
Siena hired Syracuse assistant Gerry McNamara as its new coach.
— NFL’s Detroit Lions re-signed QB Nate Sudfeld, who played in six games over four seasons with the Eagles/Lions. He’s never started an NFL game, completing 25-37 passes, for 188 yards.
— Of all the active baseball players, Mike Trout/Jose Ramirez are the only two with five 20-20 seasons; 20+ home runs, 20+ stolen bases.
— Red Sox OF Tyler O’Neill has hit a home run on each of the last four Opening Days.
— Chicago White Sox have only one pitcher on their roster this year, who was also on the White Sox’ roster last year.
— Only five major league franchises have been sold in the last 12 seasons, Orioles being the fifth; it would be nice if some really rich person bought the A’s this year, so they can go to Las Vegas and compete for playoff spots.
— I was wearing my A’s cap in the sportsbook tonight; a guy comes up to me and asks how I think they’ll do in Las Vegas. He told that he had a friend who was Al Davis’ chauffeur back in the day, when Davis owned the Oakland Raiders. The guy has been to 33 Super Bowls, including 20 in a row at one point.
He is retiring from his job now and is moving from San Diego to Las Vegas; good guy. I’ve had some excellent conversations with total strangers in sportsbooks here; this was one of those.
Thursday’s 6-pack:
Over/under win totals for the NFL next fall:
11.5— Ravens, Chiefs, 49ers
10.5— Bills, Bengals, Cowboys, Lions, Eagles
9.5— Falcons, Packers, Texans, Dolphins, Jets
8.5— Rams, Bears, Browns, Colts, Jaguars, Chargers
7.5— Saints, Steelers, Seahawks, Bucs
6.5— Cardinals, Raiders, Vikings, Giants, Titans, Commanders
Quote of the Day
“For the last month, I’ve been thinking about next season, to be honest.”
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self, after Saturday’s loss to Gonzaga
Thursday’s quiz
On the classic TV show Batman, what actor played the Joker?
Wednesday’s quiz
In the movie The Natural, when Robert Redford played a 30-ish ballplayer who came out of nowhere to become a star, Wilford Brimley played the manager of the New York Knights.
Tuesday’s quiz
2021 was last time two #1-seeds played for the college basketball national title, when Baylor beat Gonzaga, 86-70.
************************************************
Thursday’s Den: Happy Opening Day!!!
— Happy Opening Day, everyone; they played couple of games in Korea last week, but today is the real Opening Day, except in NY/Philly, where those games have already been rained out.
I’ll be posting statistical knowledge on the baseball page every day starting next week sometime, after the teams have some games under their belt.
— They have a restaurant at my hotel, Du-Par’s, a 24-hour place that is very good, but tonight, they had this little robot/cart delivering the meals to the tables. I’m sitting there looking at my phone, and the cart pulls up next to me— its a little spooky.
— Seton Hall 91, UNLV 68
Pirates never trailed; they shot 11-25 on the arc.
Seton Hall shot 64.9% inside the arc, scored 1.30 points/possession.
Pirates play Georgia in the NIT semi-finals next week.
— Utah 74, VCU 54
Utes jumped out to a 16-2 lead; Rams were 5-26 on the arc.
Only one guy on VCU scored more than 8 points.
Utah plays Indiana State in the NIT semi-finals, at Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse.
— Seattle 77, High Point 67
Seattle wins the CBI championship.
High Point led by 3 with 11:23 left in the game.
Redhawks finish season with the #12 eFG% defense in country.
— Norfolk State 75, Fort Wayne 67
Norfolk State wins the CIT championship.
Fort Wayne led 41-23 late in the first half.
Norfolk State put four guys in double figures; two of them were subs.
— If you’re in Las Vegas, check out the sportsbook at the MGM Grand; good place to bet on and watch games, with an excellent pizzeria around the corner to the left.
— Famous birthdays for March 28:
Rick Barry, 80
Len Elmore, 72
JK McKay, 71
Glenn Davis, 63
Jason Garrett, 58
Vince Vaughn, 54
Chris Long, 39
Stefani Germanotta, 38 (Lady Gaga)
Derek Carr, 33
Christian Walker, 33
Will Smith, 29 (Dodgers catcher)
— Purdue is 5-0 this season against the other teams in the Sweet 16.
— 7 of the teams in the Sweet 16 played in the Maui Classic, either this year or last year.
— College basketball coaching stuff:
Louisville hired Charleston coach Pat Kelsey (70-27 in three years there)
Florida Atlantic hired John Jakus as basketball coach; he was an assistant coach at Baylor, and has also worked at Gonzaga.
Long Beach State hired San Diego State assistant Sam Acker as its new head coach; had was with the Aztecs for five years, at Hawai’i/Boise State before that.
Belmont hired Tennessee-Martin coach Ryan Ridder (40-25 the last two years) as its new coach.
Tennessee-Martin hired Jeremy Shulman, who was 346-107 in 14 years coaching at Eastern Florida State, a junior college.
Siena hired Syracuse assistant Gerry McNamara as its new coach.
— NFL’s Detroit Lions re-signed QB Nate Sudfeld, who played in six games over four seasons with the Eagles/Lions. He’s never started an NFL game, completing 25-37 passes, for 188 yards.
— Of all the active baseball players, Mike Trout/Jose Ramirez are the only two with five 20-20 seasons; 20+ home runs, 20+ stolen bases.
— Red Sox OF Tyler O’Neill has hit a home run on each of the last four Opening Days.
— Chicago White Sox have only one pitcher on their roster this year, who was also on the White Sox’ roster last year.
— Only five major league franchises have been sold in the last 12 seasons, Orioles being the fifth; it would be nice if some really rich person bought the A’s this year, so they can go to Las Vegas and compete for playoff spots.
— I was wearing my A’s cap in the sportsbook tonight; a guy comes up to me and asks how I think they’ll do in Las Vegas. He told that he had a friend who was Al Davis’ chauffeur back in the day, when Davis owned the Oakland Raiders. The guy has been to 33 Super Bowls, including 20 in a row at one point.
He is retiring from his job now and is moving from San Diego to Las Vegas; good guy. I’ve had some excellent conversations with total strangers in sportsbooks here; this was one of those.
WASHINGTON is 8-2 ATS (5.8 Units) revenging a home blowout loss vs opponent of 3 goals or more in the current season.
NY ISLANDERS are 7-1 Over (5.9 Units) in road games when playing only their 2nd game in 5 days in the current season.
PITTSBURGH is 53-78 ATS (-32.8 Units) when playing their 3rd game in 5 days in the last 3 seasons.
OTTAWA is 30-63 ATS (-39.3 Units) in non-conference games in the last 3 seasons.
MONTREAL is 2-15 ATS (-14.5 Units) in home games after playing 3 consecutive road games in the last 3 seasons.
DETROIT is 2-20 ATS (-20 Units) in road games in March games in the last 3 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 48-16 ATS (30.4 Units) in home games after playing a home game in the last 3 seasons.
ST LOUIS are 12-3 ATS (8.7 Units) in home games after a game where they failed to cover the spread in the current season.
WINNIPEG is 13-4 Over (8.6 Units) after losing their previous game in overtime in the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 10-0 ATS (10 Units) in home games after covering 3 of their last 4 against the spread in the current season.
EDMONTON is 40-18 Over (20.2 Units) in home games when playing their 4th game in 7 days in the last 3 seasons.
ARIZONA is 31-37 ATS (-9.7 Units) after playing 2 consecutive home games in the last 3 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 33-105 ATS (-82.5 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent as a favorite in the last 3 seasons.
DALLAS are 8-1 Over (6.9 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in 4 straight games over the last 2 seasons.
NY ISLANDERS are 7-1 Over (5.9 Units) in road games when playing only their 2nd game in 5 days in the current season.
PITTSBURGH is 53-78 ATS (-32.8 Units) when playing their 3rd game in 5 days in the last 3 seasons.
OTTAWA is 30-63 ATS (-39.3 Units) in non-conference games in the last 3 seasons.
MONTREAL is 2-15 ATS (-14.5 Units) in home games after playing 3 consecutive road games in the last 3 seasons.
DETROIT is 2-20 ATS (-20 Units) in road games in March games in the last 3 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 48-16 ATS (30.4 Units) in home games after playing a home game in the last 3 seasons.
ST LOUIS are 12-3 ATS (8.7 Units) in home games after a game where they failed to cover the spread in the current season.
WINNIPEG is 13-4 Over (8.6 Units) after losing their previous game in overtime in the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 10-0 ATS (10 Units) in home games after covering 3 of their last 4 against the spread in the current season.
EDMONTON is 40-18 Over (20.2 Units) in home games when playing their 4th game in 7 days in the last 3 seasons.
ARIZONA is 31-37 ATS (-9.7 Units) after playing 2 consecutive home games in the last 3 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 33-105 ATS (-82.5 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent as a favorite in the last 3 seasons.
DALLAS are 8-1 Over (6.9 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in 4 straight games over the last 2 seasons.
NHL
Thursday, March 28
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NY Islanders @ Florida
NY Islanders
NY Islanders is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Florida
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Islanders's last 5 games when playing on the road against Florida
Florida
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Florida's last 5 games when playing at home against NY Islanders
Florida is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing NY Islanders
Philadelphia @ Montreal
Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Philadelphia is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Montreal
Montreal is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Montreal's last 5 games at home
Chicago @ Ottawa
Chicago
Chicago is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Ottawa
Chicago is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Ottawa
Ottawa
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Ottawa's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Ottawa's last 6 games at home
Columbus @ Pittsburgh
Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Columbus's last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh
Columbus is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Columbus
Pittsburgh is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games when playing Columbus
Washington @ Toronto
Washington
Washington is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games
Toronto
Toronto is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Toronto's last 7 games
Detroit @ Carolina
Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit's last 5 games when playing Carolina
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit's last 6 games when playing on the road against Carolina
Carolina
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Carolina's last 5 games when playing Detroit
Carolina is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
San Jose @ Minnesota
San Jose
San Jose is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Jose's last 6 games when playing Minnesota
Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing San Jose
Minnesota is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
Calgary @ St. Louis
Calgary
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Calgary's last 6 games when playing St. Louis
Calgary is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis
St. Louis is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
St. Louis is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Vegas @ Winnipeg
Vegas
Vegas is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Winnipeg
Vegas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Winnipeg
Winnipeg
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Winnipeg's last 8 games when playing Vegas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Winnipeg's last 6 games when playing at home against Vegas
NY Rangers @ Colorado
NY Rangers
The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Rangers's last 5 games
NY Rangers is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Colorado
Colorado is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing NY Rangers
Colorado is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games
Los Angeles @ Edmonton
Los Angeles
Los Angeles is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 7 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
Edmonton is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Los Angeles
Nashville @ Arizona
Nashville
Nashville is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Nashville is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
Arizona
Arizona is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Nashville
Arizona is 12-2 ATS in its last 14 games when playing at home against Nashville
Anaheim @ Seattle
Anaheim
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Anaheim's last 5 games
Anaheim is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Seattle
Seattle
Seattle is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Anaheim
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Seattle's last 7 games
Dallas @ Vancouver
Dallas
Dallas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Dallas is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Vancouver
Vancouver is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
Vancouver is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Dallas
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, March 28
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NY Islanders @ Florida
NY Islanders
NY Islanders is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Florida
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Islanders's last 5 games when playing on the road against Florida
Florida
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Florida's last 5 games when playing at home against NY Islanders
Florida is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing NY Islanders
Philadelphia @ Montreal
Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Philadelphia is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Montreal
Montreal is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Montreal's last 5 games at home
Chicago @ Ottawa
Chicago
Chicago is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Ottawa
Chicago is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Ottawa
Ottawa
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Ottawa's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Ottawa's last 6 games at home
Columbus @ Pittsburgh
Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Columbus's last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh
Columbus is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Columbus
Pittsburgh is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games when playing Columbus
Washington @ Toronto
Washington
Washington is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games
Toronto
Toronto is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Toronto's last 7 games
Detroit @ Carolina
Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit's last 5 games when playing Carolina
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit's last 6 games when playing on the road against Carolina
Carolina
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Carolina's last 5 games when playing Detroit
Carolina is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
San Jose @ Minnesota
San Jose
San Jose is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Jose's last 6 games when playing Minnesota
Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing San Jose
Minnesota is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
Calgary @ St. Louis
Calgary
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Calgary's last 6 games when playing St. Louis
Calgary is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis
St. Louis is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
St. Louis is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Vegas @ Winnipeg
Vegas
Vegas is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Winnipeg
Vegas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Winnipeg
Winnipeg
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Winnipeg's last 8 games when playing Vegas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Winnipeg's last 6 games when playing at home against Vegas
NY Rangers @ Colorado
NY Rangers
The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Rangers's last 5 games
NY Rangers is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Colorado
Colorado is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing NY Rangers
Colorado is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games
Los Angeles @ Edmonton
Los Angeles
Los Angeles is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 7 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
Edmonton is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Los Angeles
Nashville @ Arizona
Nashville
Nashville is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Nashville is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
Arizona
Arizona is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Nashville
Arizona is 12-2 ATS in its last 14 games when playing at home against Nashville
Anaheim @ Seattle
Anaheim
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Anaheim's last 5 games
Anaheim is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Seattle
Seattle
Seattle is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Anaheim
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Seattle's last 7 games
Dallas @ Vancouver
Dallas
Dallas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Dallas is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Vancouver
Vancouver is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
Vancouver is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Dallas
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THURSDAY, MARCH 28
| Game | Time(ET) | Pick | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLB at PIT | 07:00 PM | PIT -224 O 6.5 | +500 +500 |
| PHI at MON | 07:00 PM | MON +130 U 6.0 | +500 +500 |
| CHI at OTT | 07:00 PM | OTT -188 O 6.5 | +500 +500 |
| WAS at TOR | 07:00 PM | TOR -176 O 6.5 | +500 +500 |
| NYI at FLA | 07:00 PM | NYI +172 O 6.0 | +500 +500 |
| DET at CAR | 07:30 PM | DET +229 O 6.0 | +500 +500 |
| SJ at MIN | 08:00 PM | SJ +318 O 6.0 | +500 +500 |
| CAL at STL | 08:00 PM | STL -132 U 6.0 | +500 +500 |
| VEG at WIN | 08:00 PM | VEG +112 U 5.5 | +500 +500 |
| NYR at COL | 09:00 PM | COL -152 O 6.5 | +500 +500 |
| LA at EDM | 09:00 PM | EDM -149 U 6.0 | +500 +500 |
| ANA at SEA | 10:00 PM | ANA +200 O 5.5 | +500 +500 |
| NAS at ARI | 10:00 PM | ARI +147 O 6.0 | +500 +500 |
| DAL at VAN | 10:00 PM | VAN -103 U 6.0 | +500 +500 |
Armadillo Sports
Friday’s 12-pack:
Budgets of the 12 college hoop teams still standing (not counting NIL $$$):
$28M- Duke
$24M- UConn
$17M- Gonzaga
$15.8M- Marquette
$14.3M- Tennessee
$13.2M- Illinois
$10.9M- Alabama
$10.2M- Creighton
$10M- NC State
$9.8M- Houston
$8.8M- Purdue
$8M- Clemson
Quote of the Day
“He [Daniels] is going to be so committed to taking care of himself that you’re not going to have to worry about size or [if] he doesn’t weigh enough. Lamar [Jackson] has done a pretty good job with his size. [Patrick] Mahomes I wouldn’t consider him a giant. Because he [Daniels] is going to get the ball out to the playmakers and make plays. For Washington.”
LSU football coach Bryan Kelly, talking about QB Jayden Daniels
Friday’s quiz
Who was the last QB the New Orleans Saints drafted in the first round?
Thursday’s quiz
On the classic TV show Batman, Cesar Romero played the Joker.
Wednesday’s quiz
In the movie The Natural, when Robert Redford played a 30-ish ballplayer who came out of nowhere to become a star, Wilford Brimley played the manager of the New York Knights.
****************************************************
— Alabama 89, North Carolina 87
Tar Heels led 54-46 at halftime.
Alabama outscored UNC 43-33 in second half.
North Carolina star Davis was 0-9 behind the arc.
Crimson Tide is in Elite 8 for first time since 2004.
— Clemson 77, Arizona 72
Clemson is in the Elite 8 for the first time since 1980.
Tigers are 9-1 ATS as an underdog this season.
Since 2009, Arizona is 3-5 SU in Sweet 16 games.
Under coach Lloyd, Arizona is 88-18, but only 4-3 in NCAA Tourney games.
2022- was #1-seed, lost to #5-seed Houston
2023- was #2-seed, lost to #15-seed Princeton
2024- was #2-seed, lost 77-72 to #6-seed Clemson
— Illinois 72, Iowa State 69
Illini never trailed; they led by 13 early in game, then hung on.
Illinois survived going 15-29 on the foul line.
Illinois is in Elite 8 for first time since 2005.
Underdogs were 3-1 SU Thursday; they were 1-15 SU in second round.
— UConn 82, San Diego State 52
UConn is 23-1 since Christmas.
Huskies had 21 offensive rebounds, Aztecs 17 defensive boards.
UConn won/covered its last nine NCAA Tournament games.
San Diego State shot 36.2% from the floor, 5-22 on arc.
— Famous birthdays for March 29:
Denny McLain, 80
Walt Frazier, 79
Earl Campbell, 69
Billy Beane, 62
Brain Jordan, 57
Matt Olson, 30
— Pirates 6, Marlins 5 (12)
Miami led 5-2 after six innings.
Jake Burger was 3-4, with 3 RBI.
Pittsburgh batters struck out 17 times.
— Rangers 4, Cubs 3 (10)
Pinch-hitter Jankowski tied game with 9th inning home run,
Jonah Heim’s walk-off single ended the game in the 10th.
Cubs’ P Steele left game with a hamstring injury.
— Bronx 5, Astros 4
Houston led 4-0 after two innings.
Juan Soto threw out game-tying run at the plate in 9th inning.
Astros had 13 hits, were only 3-9 with runners in scoring position.
— Diamondbacks 16, Rockies 1
Arizona scored 14 runs on 13 hits…….just in the 3rd inning.
Lourdes Gurriel was 3-5, with three runs scored, 5 RBI
Arizona was 12-15 with runners in scoring position.
— Tigers 1, White Sox 0
Only run of game scored on a 3rd inning sac fly.
Tarik Skubal allowed only 3 baserunners in six IP.
White Sox had three hits, never got a runner to second base.
— Reds 8, Nationals 2
Cincinnati led 7-0 in the third inning.
Reds’ DH Martini hit two homers, knocked in five runs.
Frankie Montas tossed six shutout IP in his Cincinnati debut.
— Padres 6, Giants 4
Trailing 3-2, Padres scored four runs in 7th inning.
Xander Bogaerts had the g0-ahead single.
Yu Darvish allowed one run in 5 IP.
— Dodgers 7, Cardinals 1
Dodgers led 5-0 after three innings.
Tyler Glasnow allowed 3 baserunners in 6 IP in his Dodger debut.
Freddie Freeman was 2-3 with 2 runs scored, 3 RBI
— Orioles 11, Angels 3
Baltimore led 7-0 after four innings.
Corbin Burnes struck out 11 guys in 6 IP, in his Orioles debut.
Trout/Rengifo had the Angels’ only two hits.
— Blue Jays 8, Rays 2
Game was 1-1 after the fifth inning.
Springer, Biggio, Guerrero homered for Toronto.
Zach Eflin was tagged for six earned runs in 5.2 IP.
— Guardians 8, A’s 0
Shane Bieber struck out 11 batters in six shutout IP.
David Fry was 3-4, with two runs scored.
Attendance in Oakland’s last-ever home opener: 13,522
— Twins 4, Royals 1
Pablo Lopez allowed only four baserunners in 7 IP.
Royce Lewis homered, later left game with a leg injury.
Carlos Correa was 3-4, with two RBI.
— Red Sox 6, Mariners 4
Tyler O’Neill homered on Opening Day for 5th year in a row, an MLB record.
Rafael Devers was 2-4 with a homer and two RBI.
Mitch Haniger hit a home run for Seattle.
Friday’s 12-pack:
Budgets of the 12 college hoop teams still standing (not counting NIL $$$):
$28M- Duke
$24M- UConn
$17M- Gonzaga
$15.8M- Marquette
$14.3M- Tennessee
$13.2M- Illinois
$10.9M- Alabama
$10.2M- Creighton
$10M- NC State
$9.8M- Houston
$8.8M- Purdue
$8M- Clemson
Quote of the Day
“He [Daniels] is going to be so committed to taking care of himself that you’re not going to have to worry about size or [if] he doesn’t weigh enough. Lamar [Jackson] has done a pretty good job with his size. [Patrick] Mahomes I wouldn’t consider him a giant. Because he [Daniels] is going to get the ball out to the playmakers and make plays. For Washington.”
LSU football coach Bryan Kelly, talking about QB Jayden Daniels
Friday’s quiz
Who was the last QB the New Orleans Saints drafted in the first round?
Thursday’s quiz
On the classic TV show Batman, Cesar Romero played the Joker.
Wednesday’s quiz
In the movie The Natural, when Robert Redford played a 30-ish ballplayer who came out of nowhere to become a star, Wilford Brimley played the manager of the New York Knights.
****************************************************
Friday’s Den: Wrapping up a busy Thursday…….
— Alabama 89, North Carolina 87
Tar Heels led 54-46 at halftime.
Alabama outscored UNC 43-33 in second half.
North Carolina star Davis was 0-9 behind the arc.
Crimson Tide is in Elite 8 for first time since 2004.
— Clemson 77, Arizona 72
Clemson is in the Elite 8 for the first time since 1980.
Tigers are 9-1 ATS as an underdog this season.
Since 2009, Arizona is 3-5 SU in Sweet 16 games.
Under coach Lloyd, Arizona is 88-18, but only 4-3 in NCAA Tourney games.
2022- was #1-seed, lost to #5-seed Houston
2023- was #2-seed, lost to #15-seed Princeton
2024- was #2-seed, lost 77-72 to #6-seed Clemson
— Illinois 72, Iowa State 69
Illini never trailed; they led by 13 early in game, then hung on.
Illinois survived going 15-29 on the foul line.
Illinois is in Elite 8 for first time since 2005.
Underdogs were 3-1 SU Thursday; they were 1-15 SU in second round.
— UConn 82, San Diego State 52
UConn is 23-1 since Christmas.
Huskies had 21 offensive rebounds, Aztecs 17 defensive boards.
UConn won/covered its last nine NCAA Tournament games.
San Diego State shot 36.2% from the floor, 5-22 on arc.
— Famous birthdays for March 29:
Denny McLain, 80
Walt Frazier, 79
Earl Campbell, 69
Billy Beane, 62
Brain Jordan, 57
Matt Olson, 30
— Pirates 6, Marlins 5 (12)
Miami led 5-2 after six innings.
Jake Burger was 3-4, with 3 RBI.
Pittsburgh batters struck out 17 times.
— Rangers 4, Cubs 3 (10)
Pinch-hitter Jankowski tied game with 9th inning home run,
Jonah Heim’s walk-off single ended the game in the 10th.
Cubs’ P Steele left game with a hamstring injury.
— Bronx 5, Astros 4
Houston led 4-0 after two innings.
Juan Soto threw out game-tying run at the plate in 9th inning.
Astros had 13 hits, were only 3-9 with runners in scoring position.
— Diamondbacks 16, Rockies 1
Arizona scored 14 runs on 13 hits…….just in the 3rd inning.
Lourdes Gurriel was 3-5, with three runs scored, 5 RBI
Arizona was 12-15 with runners in scoring position.
— Tigers 1, White Sox 0
Only run of game scored on a 3rd inning sac fly.
Tarik Skubal allowed only 3 baserunners in six IP.
White Sox had three hits, never got a runner to second base.
— Reds 8, Nationals 2
Cincinnati led 7-0 in the third inning.
Reds’ DH Martini hit two homers, knocked in five runs.
Frankie Montas tossed six shutout IP in his Cincinnati debut.
— Padres 6, Giants 4
Trailing 3-2, Padres scored four runs in 7th inning.
Xander Bogaerts had the g0-ahead single.
Yu Darvish allowed one run in 5 IP.
— Dodgers 7, Cardinals 1
Dodgers led 5-0 after three innings.
Tyler Glasnow allowed 3 baserunners in 6 IP in his Dodger debut.
Freddie Freeman was 2-3 with 2 runs scored, 3 RBI
— Orioles 11, Angels 3
Baltimore led 7-0 after four innings.
Corbin Burnes struck out 11 guys in 6 IP, in his Orioles debut.
Trout/Rengifo had the Angels’ only two hits.
— Blue Jays 8, Rays 2
Game was 1-1 after the fifth inning.
Springer, Biggio, Guerrero homered for Toronto.
Zach Eflin was tagged for six earned runs in 5.2 IP.
— Guardians 8, A’s 0
Shane Bieber struck out 11 batters in six shutout IP.
David Fry was 3-4, with two runs scored.
Attendance in Oakland’s last-ever home opener: 13,522
— Twins 4, Royals 1
Pablo Lopez allowed only four baserunners in 7 IP.
Royce Lewis homered, later left game with a leg injury.
Carlos Correa was 3-4, with two RBI.
— Red Sox 6, Mariners 4
Tyler O’Neill homered on Opening Day for 5th year in a row, an MLB record.
Rafael Devers was 2-4 with a homer and two RBI.
Mitch Haniger hit a home run for Seattle.
