Cnotes Sports Page For Thursday September 17th Best Bets-Trends-News !

[CNOTES]

MLB


Thursday, September 17




A's struggle when facing lefties on the road


The Oakland Athletics are one of the league's worst road teams this season, but it is even worse when they go up against left-handed starts away from home, going just 4-23 in their last 26 road games versus a southpaws.


Oakland backers are hoping they buck the trend Thursday afternoon when the A's visit the Chicago White Sox and scheduled starter, lefty Jose Quintana (3.53 ERA, 14-15 O/U).


The A's will counter with their own lefty, Sean Nolin (3.09 ERA, 0-2 O/U).Oakland already dropped the first game of the series to lefty John Danks on Monday. Today the the A's arre +153 road dogs.




Pitchers wind at U.S. Cellular Field Thursday


The pitchers in today's matchup between the Athletics and the White Sox in Chicago could be given a hand by mother nature with a strong pitchers wind in the forecast.


There will be a 14 mile per hour wind gusting in from right field all throughout the game. Otherwise it should be a clear day in Chicago.


The A's send lefty Sean Nolin (3.09 ERA, 0-2 O/U) to the mound to take on the Sox's lefty Jose Quintana (3.53 ERA, 14-15 O/U). The Pale Hose are currently -166 home favorites with a total at 8.5.

 

[CNOTES]

Team Pitcher Open Line Movements Current Runline Scores


12:35 PM EDT


901 CHICAGO CUBS (R) Hendricks, K 8u20 8o15 / 8o20 / 8o22 8.5u20 +1.5(-205)
902 PITTSBURGH PIRATES (R) Morton, C -135 -128 / -122 / -121 -113 -1.5(+175)

PIT-CF-Andrew McCutchen-Doubtful | TV: MLB, ROOT-Pittsburgh, WGN, DTV: 213, 307, 659


2:10 PM EDT


907 OAKLAND ATHLETICS (L) Nolin, S 8.5 8.5 / 8.5u15 8.5u20 +1.5(-150)
908 CHICAGO WHITE SOX (L) Quintana, J -160 -160 / -167 / -164 -154 -1.5(+130)

TV: CSN-Chicago, DTV: 665




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


MLB Consensus Picks


SIDES (ATS)


2:10 PM Oakland +153 205 33.72% Chi. White Sox -166 403 66.28% View View


12:35 PM Chi. Cubs +108 232 34.42% Pittsburgh -117 442 65.58% View View




TOTALS (OVER/UNDER)


12:35 PM Chi. Cubs 8 194 50.00% Pittsburgh 8 194 50.00% View View


2:10 PM Oakland 8.5 194 52.72% Chi. White Sox 8.5 174 47.28% View View

 

[CNOTES]

RECAPPING MONDAY'S ACTION:


MLB: 6 - 3 - 0


WNBA: 0 - 0 - 0


CFL: - 0


CFB: 0 - 0 - 0


NFL: 0 - 0 - 0




WNBA JUNE/ JULY / AUGUST / SEPTEMBER :


*****...............................35 - 27 - 2
DOUBLE PLAY....................64 - 52 - 1
TRIPLE PLAY......................34 - 26
SLAM DUNK.......................38 - 32


MLB RECORD FOR JUNE/JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER :


*****.............................134 - 155 - 1 .....................,........- 11.72
double play......................219 - 236 - 4 ..............................- 28.76
triple play........................116 - 118 - 2 ............................. - 66.96
grand slam......................116 - 109 - 4...................,.,.........- 31.76
double grand slam.............29 - 27...................................... - 10.07
underdog of the year.........0 - 1...........................................- 8.00




CFL JUNE/JULY/ AUGUST/SEPTEMBER RECORD:


SINGLE PLAY.................................35 - 26
DOUBLE PLAY................................12 - 15
TRIPLE PLAY..................................17 - 8
BLOW OUT.....................................4 - 3

 

[CNOTES]

Royals happy to see Cuiccione behind home plate


The Kansas City Royals have a tough matchup Thursday night against Cleveland Indians ace Corey Kluber, but can take solace in the fact umpire Chirs Guccione will be the man calling balls and strikes.


The Royals are 6-0 in the last six games that Guccione has been the man behind home plate. Road teams are also 16-13 in the games he has officiated this season.


The Royals, currently +118 road dogs, will counter by sending Yordano Ventura to the mound.

 

[CNOTES]

Braves struggling when facing right-handers at home


The Atlanta Braves have lost six straight games when facing a right-handed starter at home and most of the games haven't been close.


The Braves have been outscored 56-18 in those six games, with the over going 4-2 in that stretch.


Atlanta has another tough task Thursday when they host the Toronto Blue Jays and right-hander Marco Estrada. The Braves will counter with Matt Wisler. To make matters worse for Braves backers, Atlanta is 0-6 in Wisler's last six starts.


The Braves are currently +190 home dogs wit a total of 8.0.

 

[CNOTES]

When Nationals are at home, over is cashing at high rate


The Washington Nationals season didn't go the way many imagined, but the one bright side, at least for bettors, is the rate they have been cashing overs at home.


In the Nats last 26 home games the over 19-4-3, including the last five in a row.


In those 26 games teams are scoring combined 10.11 runs per game with the Nationals doing the most damage, scoring 5.73 runs per game over that stretch.


Over bettors hope the trend continues when the Nats open a home series with the lowly Miami Marlins Thursday. Tanner Roark (4.38 ERA, 5-3 O/U) gets the start for the Nats, while Jared Cosart (4.58 ERA, 4-5 O/U) goes for the Marlins. The total is currently 8.0.

 

[CNOTES]

NFL teams off huge upset openers are dangerous wagers in Week 2


The first week of the NFL season is always an interesting one, as we get to see how rookies fare in their first professional game, what adjustments coaches have made, and how newly acquired players fit in with their teams.


For teams with a lot of roster turnover, it can be tempting to take too much out of their Week 1 performance: a dominant win can be a sign that a team is headed for the Superbowl, a demoralizing loss could contribute to a "Fail for Cardale" movement.


In particular, big wins when you're expected to lose can be very promising. All the doubt your team faced coming into the season, which contributed to making them underdogs in Week 1, has disappeared. At least until next Sunday. It can be tempting to think that that big Week 1 win is a sign that all the haters are wrong, and those teams will outperform all expectations for the season. And betting with that mentality can be expensive.


Looking at the same dataset we used for the last feature, we can see that since 1985 there have been 51 teams that have won in Week 1 by more than 10 points when they were expected to lose. The following week, Week 2, only 20 of those 51 teams won their second game. But, even more strikingly, only 17 of those 51 teams covered the spread (two pushed). That means of the teams that didn't push, just under 35 percent of them covered the spread in their Week 2 contests. That percentage, even with just 49 observations, has a p-value that is significant at the 0.05 level (0.0443).


We can see that when underdogs win their season opener, the larger their victory the less likely it is that they will cover the spread the following week. Below is a graph of how underdog stunners fare ATS in Week 2 based on their margin of victory.


The correct way to read this graph is for any margin of victory on the x-axis, the data point corresponding to it looks at teams who won by more than that many points, and more specifically looks at how many of those teams covered the spread (that didn't push) in Week 2. As evidenced, as you restrict your interest to underdogs that win by larger amounts in Week 1, the odds that they will cover the spread the next week decrease.

 

[CNOTES]

Wide open WNBA playoffs set to begin


September 17, 2015


NEW YORK (AP) Washington coach Mike Thibault was shaking his head. The veteran coach couldn't remember a more wide-open playoff chase in the WNBA then the one that will begin Thursday night.


''It really is something,'' he said. ''Of the eight teams remaining, you really could say that most of them have a legitimate chance to win the title and it wouldn't be shocking.''


Thibault's team will begin its postseason Friday in New York. The Liberty earned the No. 1 overall seed while winning a franchise record 23 games. Still they struggled with the Mystics, dropping three of the four meetings in the regular season.


''It's just a different mentality when you reach the playoffs,'' New York center Tina Charles said. ''A lot more is at stake and you forget about what happened in the regular season.''


Chicago earned the two seed in the East and will play Indiana. The Sky reached the WNBA Finals last year as a No. 4 seed before losing to Phoenix. Led by league MVP Elena Delle Donne, the Sky are hungry to make the next step and bring home a title to Chicago.


''It's crazy how wide open it is,'' Delle Donne said. ''It's amazing how talented each and every team is. I've never seen something like this before.''


The last time there wasn't a clear-cut favorite to win the title was probably in 2008 when San Antonio had the best record, but Bill Laimbeer's Detroit Shock came away with the title.


Now, Laimbeer's team is the one with the best mark.


''The nice thing we know now is that if we win all our home games we'll win the championship,'' the Liberty coach said.


Here are a few storylines of the WNBA postseason:


RECORD TURNAROUND:


The Los Angeles Sparks lost their first seven games and were sitting at 2-12 before finally getting going. No team with that bad a record to start the season had ever made the playoffs before according to STATS. The biggest reason for the change was that Los Angeles got healthy. After sitting out the first half of the season Candace Parker returned to play in the final 16 games for the Sparks. She averaged 19.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists.


THE CHAMPS ARE HERE:


The Phoenix Mercury finished with the second-best record in the Western Conference and are hoping to win back-to-back titles. Even missing Brittney Griner for the first seven games because of a suspension for her domestic violence arrest and Diana Taurasi for the season while she was resting couldn't slow down the Mercury. DeWanna Bonner stepped up her play this season and Phoenix will try and become the league's first repeat champions since the Los Angeles Sparks did it in 2001 and 2002.


TRAINER'S ROOM:


Minnesota was the odds-on favorite to win the title coming into this season. The Lynx had the best record in the West, but have been bitten by the injury bug lately. Stars Lindsay Whalen and Seimone Augustus missed the final few weeks of the regular season because of a variety of injuries. Augustus hasn't played since Aug. 19 with a foot injury while Whalen didn't play in September because of discomfort in her Achilles tendon and bursitis in her right heel.


BACK AGAIN:


Indiana returns to the postseason for a record 11th straight season. The end is drawing near for Tamika Catchings, who announced she will retire after the 2016 season. The Fever roster is mostly intact from their previous runs with the exception of coach Stephanie White, who took over after Lin Dunn retired. The Fever would love nothing more than to give Catchings another chance at a title.


FINALLY ARRIVED:


The Shock will get their first chance to play in the postseason since moving to Tulsa in 2010. It will provide an opportunity for the fans to get a taste of the playoffs. Although it's bittersweet as the franchise will be moving to the Dallas area next season. Tulsa righted itself after a 10-game losing skid following the season-ending knee injury to Skylar Diggins.

 

[CNOTES]

Elena Delle Donne wins WNBA MVP


September 16, 2015


Elena Delle Donne is the WNBA's most valuable player the league announced Wednesday.


The Chicago Sky star averaged 23.4 points per game to lead the league and help Chicago secure the second seed in the Eastern Conference. She also grabbed 8.4 rebounds - more than double her total from the previous year. The 2013 rookie of the year, who shot 95 percent from the free throw line, had a career-best 45 points earlier this season.


The Sky will host Indiana in the opening round of the playoffs on Thursday night.

 

[CNOTES]

Shock overcome obstacles to make playoffs


September 16, 2015


TULSA, Okla. (AP) Name it, and the Tulsa Shock probably dealt with it this season.


Somehow, they still made the playoffs.


Tulsa has fought through the drama surrounding Glory Johnson's domestic violence incident with Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner, a pregnancy that cost Johnson the entire season, a season-ending injury to star guard Skylar Diggins and an announcement that the team would be moving to the Dallas area next season. The Shock open the Western Conference semifinals in Phoenix on Thursday night.


''We've dealt with a lot of adversity, but it's all about how you handle it, and we've handled it very well and we're not letting anything stop us,'' guard Odyssey Sims said. ''The players we have that were healthy, we played them, no matter the battle. They had our backs, and now, we're going to the playoffs.''


The team remained focused on its training camp goal of making the playoffs, regardless of what was going on. The Shock responded with their first winning season and first playoff berth since moving to Tulsa from Detroit before the 2010 season.


''We stayed committed,'' guard Riquna Williams said. ''We all knew that not many on this team had been to the playoffs. So we wanted to know how it felt.''


Things fell apart around mid-season. The moving announcement came in the midst of a 10-game losing skid. But the Shock followed that with six straight victories.


''Sometimes when you have a (losing) streak like that, it builds character, and I thought it built a lot of character in this group,'' Shock coach Fred Williams said. ''I'm proud of them, and I'm proud of the fact that the team has played hard for the city of Tulsa.''


Several factors helped the team overcome the challenges.


Sims averaged 16 points per game and continued her development into one of the league's top players.


''I think she's done a great job recognizing schemes of defenses that's coming at her,'' Williams said. ''She's been really selective in her shot selection on the floor. Still a great defensive force on the floor, one of the best defensive guards in the league.''


Riquna Williams began the season as a reserve and by mid-season, she was an All Star. She finished sixth in the league with 15.6 points this season.


''It's just love for the game,'' she said. ''I just go out and play every night. Coach Fred got me comfortable starting or coming off the bench. At the end of the day, I'm a ballplayer, so it shouldn't matter.''


Plenette Pierson joined the team this season to bring the leadership that helped her win two WNBA titles with the Detroit Shock. She filled Johnson's spot in the lineup and became an All-Star for the first time in her 13-year career. She averaged 12.8 points and 4.1 rebounds this season.


Karima Christmas, who won a WNBA title with the Indiana Fever in 2012, has been steady. She started all 32 games she played and averaged 10.6 points per contest.


Courtney Paris led the league with 9.3 rebounds per game.


Brianna Kiesel, a rookie from Pittsburgh, stepped in and helped when the guards went down. She averaged 5.1 points and 1.9 assists per game this season, including a career-high 28 points in the regular-season finale against Phoenix. She has started 15 of the Shock's 34 games.


''There's a lot of things that didn't go in our favor over the course of the season, but I thought the team really responded well, really bared down and rolled their sleeves up and went out and played hard,'' Fred Williams said.

 

[CNOTES]

WNBA to hand out awards as playoffs set


September 16, 2015


NEW YORK (AP) With the playoffs set to begin later this week, the WNBA will start handing out its season awards.


Here's a look at the major awards and the top candidates to win them:


MVP:


Elena Delle Donne looks to add to her hardware collection. The league's rookie of the year in 2013 has put up stellar numbers this season, guiding Chicago to the two-seed in the East. She won the scoring title for the first time, averaging 23.4 points per game. She also grabbed 8.4 rebounds - more than double her total from the previous year - and blocked 2 shots a game. Maya Moore could pose the biggest challenge to Delle Donne winning the award. The reigning MVP had another really strong season averaging 20.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists to help Minnesota get the No. 1 seed in the West.


Other contenders include Tina Charles of the New York Liberty, who was the best player on the league's best team. Candace Parker sat out the first half of the year to rest and Los Angeles' star came back refreshed. She helped the Sparks rebound from a 2-12 start to reach the playoffs. Parker averaged 19.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists which are easily MVP worthy numbers. The only drawback against Parker is that she played in only 16 games.


AP Pick: Delle Donne.


COACH OF YEAR:


Fred Williams did a remarkable job getting the Tulsa Shock into the playoffs for the first time since the franchise moved to Oklahoma. Williams was able to help the team overcome the preseason soap opera surrounding Glory Johnson, losing Skylar Diggins to a torn ACL after just eight games and the franchise's impending move to Dallas next season. His main competition will come from Bill Laimbeer and Stephanie White. Laimbeer, who was out of a job after New York missed the postseason for the second straight year last year, returned to guide the Liberty to the top record in the WNBA and the best mark in franchise history.


White in her first year in charge of Indiana guided the Fever to a third place finish in the East while navigating a host of injuries that caused the team to use 10 different lineups.


AP Pick: Laimbeer.


ROOKIE OF YEAR:


Jewell Loyd left Notre Dame with a year of eligibility remaining to challenge herself in the WNBA. The first pick in the draft got off to a slow start, scoring in double figures only once in her first eight games. She turned it around reaching double figures for Seattle in eight of her final 10 contests. Kiah Stokes didn't come out with the same expectations as Loyd, but has been nearly as good. Stokes led all rookies in rebounds (6.4), field goal percentage (54.7) and blocks.


Indiana's Natalie Achonwa and Connecticut's Chelsea Grey were also rookies this year after missing last season due to injuries. Both deserve consideration for the award, but Achonwa missed a handful of games to help Canada qualify for the Olympics next year.


AP Pick: Loyd.


DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF YEAR:


Brittney Griner missed the first seven games of the season after getting suspended by the league for a domestic violence arrest. She's the most dominant player in the WNBA on the defensive end, changing or altering shots. She averaged more than 4 blocks a game this season, the most in league history. It's only a matter of time until the league name's the award after Tamika Catchings. The five-time winner continues to play at such a high level on the defensive end of the court even as her minutes drop.


Stokes has helped give the Liberty the best interior defense in the league, averaging 2 blocks a game. While she may not be as dominant as Griner, she definitely made her presence felt. The rookie had a franchise-record eight against Connecticut earlier in the season.


AP Pick: Griner.


Other awards:


SIXTH-MAN:


Stokes has been a consistent force for New York and while she probably won't win rookie of the year, should be the league's sixth-man. The UConn grad's main competition could come from the reigning winner Allie Quigley, who continued excelling in her role for the Chicago Sky.


MOST IMPROVED:


This might be the toughest category to choose with four really good candidates in Stefanie Dolson, Kelsey Bone, Courtney Vandersloot and Shenise Johnson. Can't go wrong with any of the four. So going with eeny meeny miney moe, we'll choose Dolson, who raised her scoring and rebounding this season.

 

[CNOTES]

Pope, Madonna cause playoff schedule issue


September 16, 2015


NEW YORK (AP) The Pope, Madonna and the Avengers are forcing the WNBA to get creative with its playoff scheduling.


The New York Liberty, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, will open at home on Friday against either Washington or Indiana. The Liberty can't play Thursday night because Madonna will be performing the second of two concerts at Madison Square Garden.


The Chicago Sky already have moved their opening game of the playoffs to their old home at the University of Illinois-Chicago because Marvel Universe Live! will be performing at the Allstate Arena from Friday to Sunday that week. They start setting up Wednesday.


It's not the first time that the Sky have had a conflict. Chicago played Game 3 of the WNBA Finals last year at UIC.


Los Angeles has to move Game 2 of its series with Minnesota out of the Staples Center to Long Beach on Sunday because the arena wasn't available. The Emmys are taking place that night near the arena. The Phoenix-Tulsa series, which begins Thursday, has no conflicts.


''The scheduling conflicts with select arenas are far from ideal,'' WNBA President Laurel J. Richie said. ''We've had similar situations in the past, and we are working with our teams to reduce them in the future.''


Logistics could get more difficult in the Eastern Conference finals if New York advances. The Pope will be at Madison Square Garden on Friday, Sept. 25. The building will be closed Thursday to set up and New York doesn't want to move the game to another arena.


The Liberty are hoping to move the first game of the conference finals up to Wednesday and play at MSG, but that would cause its own headache. If their series with Washington went three games, they would be forced to play back-to-back contests. Also the winner of Chicago and Indiana would have less than 24 hours to prepare and fly to New York for the series opener.

 

[CNOTES]

Team Pitcher Open Line Movements Current Runline Scores


12:35 PM EDT


901 CHICAGO CUBS (R) Hendricks, K 8u20 8o22 / 8.5u20 / 8.5 8.5o15 +1.5(-230) 9Over 8.5
902 PITTSBURGH PIRATES (R) Morton, C -135 -106 / -105 / -106 -107 -1.5(+190) 6Final


TV: MLB, ROOT-Pittsburgh, WGN, DTV: 213, 307, 659 | MOSTLY SUNNY, WIND RIGHT TO LEFT 3-8. GAME TEMP 77, RH 48% HEAT INDEX 78


7:05 PM EDT


903 MIAMI MARLINS (R) Cosart, J 8u20 8u20 / 8u15 8 +1.5(-155)
904 WASHINGTON NATIONALS (R) Roark, T -190 -170 / -160 / -164 -162 -1.5(+135)

MIA-RF-Giancarlo Stanton-OUT | TV: FS-Florida, MASN, DTV: 640, 654 | FAIR, WIND OUT TO LEFT 5-10. GAME TEMP 82, RH 43% HEAT INDEX 82


8:10 PM EDT


905 ST LOUIS CARDINALS (R) Lackey, J -140 -134 / -125 / -128 -127 -1.5(+125)
906 MILWAUKEE BREWERS (R) Nelson, J 7.5o20 7.5o15 / 7.5o20 / 8u20 7.5o20 +1.5(-145)

MIL-LF-Ryan Braun-Probable | TV: FS-Midwest, DTV: 671 | MOSTLY CLOUDY, 40% CHANCE SHOWER/STORMS. WIND IN FROM CENTER 12-17, GUSTY. GAME TEMP 77, RH 66% HEAT INDEX 80 (MILLER PARK ROOF CLOSES IN WET WEATHER)


2:10 PM EDT


907 OAKLAND ATHLETICS (L) Nolin, S 8.5 8.5 / 8.5u15 8.5u20 +1.5(-150) 4Under 8.5
908 CHICAGO WHITE SOX (L) Quintana, J -160 -151 / -153 / -154 -158 -1.5(+130) 2Final


TV: CSN-Chicago, DTV: 665 | MOSTLY CLOUDY, WIND RIGHT TO LEFT 12-17. GAME TEMP 83, RH 48% HEAT INDEX 84


7:10 PM EDT


909 KANSAS CITY ROYALS (R) Ventura, Y 7o25 7u15 / 7 / 7u15 7 +1.5(-200)
910 CLEVELAND INDIANS (R) Kluber, C -140 -128 / -129 / -135 -132 -1.5(+170)


TV: FS-Kansas City, SportsTime Ohio, DTV: 662, 672 | MOSTLY FAIR, WIND OUT TO RIGHT CENTER 6-11. GAME TEMP 78, RH 44% HEAT INDEX 79


7:10 PM EDT


911 BALTIMORE ORIOLES (R) Tillman, C 8o15 -120 / -122 / -121 -122 -1.5(+130)
912 TAMPA BAY RAYS (L) Moore, M -108 8 / 8o15 / 8o20 8.5u20 +1.5(-150)

TV: MASN2, SunSports, DTV: 641, 653 | Dome


8:05 PM EDT


913 HOUSTON ASTROS (R) Mccullers, L 9 -119 / -120 / -119 -117 -1.5(+130)
914 TEXAS RANGERS (R) Lewis, C -108 9o27 / 9.5u20 / 9o25 9.5u20 +1.5(-150)

HOU-CF-Carlos Gomez-Doubtful | TV: FS-Southwest, MLB, ROOT-Southwest, DTV: 213, 674, 676 | MOSTLY FAIR, WIND IN FROM RIGHT 9-14. GAME TEMP 92, RH 42% HEAT INDEX 96


8:10 PM EDT


915 LOS ANGELES ANGELS (L) Santiago, H 8.5 9o20 / 9.5u20 / 9.5 9.5u15 +1.5(-200)
916 MINNESOTA TWINS (L) Milone, T -115 -130 / -122 / -123 -121 -1.5(+170)

TV: FS-North, FS-West, MLB, DTV: 213, 668, 692 | MOSTLY CLOUDY, 30% CHANCE SHOWER/STORMS EARLY. WIND OUT TO CENTER 7-12. GAME TEMP 74, RH 76% HEAT INDEX 77


7:10 PM EDT


917 TORONTO BLUE JAYS (R) Estrada, M -220 -177 / -176 / -175 -173 -1.5(-119)
918 ATLANTA BRAVES (R) Wisler, M 8.5u37 8u15 / 8 / 8o15 8.5u20 +1.5(-101)

TOR-2B-Troy Tulowitzki-OUT | TV: SportSouth, DTV: 649 | MOSTLY FAIR, WIND IN FROM RIGHT 4-9. GAME TEMP 79, RH 46% HEAT INDEX 80

 

[CNOTES]

MLB Consensus Picks


SIDES (ATS)


Time Away Line Picks Pct Home Line Picks Pct Detail Odds


7:05 PM Miami +148 259 27.52% Washington -161 682 72.48% View View


2:10 PM Oakland +136 277 32.90% Chi. White Sox -148 565 67.10% View View


8:05 PM Houston -115 347 35.52% Texas +106 630 64.48% View View


12:35 PM Chi. Cubs +102 314 36.98% Pittsburgh -110 535 63.02% View View


8:10 PM LA Angels +109 390 41.01% Minnesota -118 561 58.99% View View


7:10 PM Kansas City +122 447 48.12% Cleveland -132 482 51.88% View View


7:10 PM Baltimore -117 451 52.26% Tampa Bay +108 412 47.74% View View


8:10 PM St. Louis -128 714 71.83% Milwaukee +118 280 28.17% View View


7:10 PM Toronto -167 774 78.66% Atlanta +154 210 21.34% View View




TOTALS (OVER/UNDER)


Time Away Total Over Pct Home Total Under Pct Detail Odds


8:10 PM LA Angels 9 254 47.83% Minnesota 9 277 52.17% View View




7:05 PM Miami 8 295 51.13% Washington 8 282 48.87% View View


8:05 PM Houston 9 288 51.34% Texas 9 273 48.66% View View


2:10 PM Oakland 8.5 267 51.35% Chi. White Sox 8.5 253 48.65% View View


12:35 PM Chi. Cubs 8 269 52.13% Pittsburgh 8 247 47.87% View View


7:10 PM Kansas City 7 311 55.94% Cleveland 7 245 44.06% View View


8:10 PM St. Louis 7.5 355 61.85% Milwaukee 7.5 219 38.15% View View


7:10 PM Baltimore 8 380 63.65% Tampa Bay 8 217 36.35% View View


7:10 PM Toronto 8 440 73.33% Atlanta 8 160 26.67% View View

 

[CNOTES]

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17


Game Score Status Pick Amount


Miami - 7:05 PM ET Miami +148 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Washington - Under 8 500


Baltimore - 7:10 PM ET Baltimore -117 500
Tampa Bay - Under 8 500


Kansas City - 7:10 PM ET Cleveland -132 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Cleveland - Under 7 500


Toronto - 7:10 PM ET Toronto -167 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Atlanta - Over 8 500


Houston - 8:05 PM ET Houston -115 500 GRAND SLAM
Texas - Over 9 500


LA Angels - 8:10 PM ET Minnesota -118 500 *****
Minnesota - Under 9 500


St. Louis - 8:10 PM ET St. Louis -128 500 *****
Milwaukee - Over 7.5 500

 

[CNOTES]

8:00 PM EDT


601 INDIANA FEVER 157.5o05 158 / 158.5 / 158 158.5 +210
602 CHICAGO SKY -5 -05 -5 -05 / -5 / -5.5 -5.5 -05 -250

CHI-G-Cappie Pondexter-Probable | TV: ESPN2, DTV: 209


10:00 PM EDT


603 TULSA SHOCK 150o05 150o05 149.5 +255
604 PHOENIX MERCURY -7.5 +09 -6.5 / -7 / -7 -05 -7 -320

Tul-G-Riquna Williams-Probable | Tul-G-Skylar Diggins-OUT | Tul-F-Glory Johnson-OUT | PHO-G-Diana Taurasi-OUT | TV: ESPN2, DTV:


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


WNBA Consensus Picks


SIDES (ATS)


Time Away Line Picks Pct Home Line Picks Pct Detail Odds


8:00 PM Indiana +5 198 36.13% Chicago -5 350 63.87% View View


10:00 PM Tulsa +7 256 46.46% Phoenix -7 295 53.54% View View




TOTALS (OVER/UNDER)


Time Away Total Over Pct Home Total Under Pct Detail Odds


8:00 PM Indiana 158.5 231 47.53% Chicago 158.5 255 52.47% View View


10:00 PM Tulsa 148.5 274 56.38% Phoenix 148.5 212 43.62% View View


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


THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17


Game Score Status Pick Amount


Indiana - 8:00 PM ET Chicago -5 500 DOUBLE PLAY


Chicago - Over 158.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY




Tulsa - 10:00 PM ET Phoenix -7 500 DOUBLE PLAY


Phoenix - Under 148.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY

 

[CNOTES]

WNBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, September 17

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

INDIANA (20 - 14) at CHICAGO (21 - 13) - 9/17/2015, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
INDIANA is 23-13 ATS (+8.7 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
INDIANA is 15-6 ATS (+8.4 Units) in a road game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 over the last 2 seasons.
INDIANA is 16-7 ATS (+8.3 Units) in road games after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
INDIANA is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) in road games revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
INDIANA is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 16-30 ATS (-17.0 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 14-28 ATS (-16.8 Units) after scoring 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
INDIANA is 10-8 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 9-9 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
10 of 18 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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TULSA (18 - 16) at PHOENIX (20 - 14) - 9/17/2015, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 19-10 ATS (+8.0 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
TULSA is 19-9 ATS (+9.1 Units) when playing with 3 or more days rest over the last 3 seasons.
PHOENIX is 11-21 ATS (-12.1 Units) in all games this season.
PHOENIX is 7-16 ATS (-10.6 Units) as a favorite this season.
PHOENIX is 1-7 ATS (-6.7 Units) when playing with 3 or more days rest this season.
PHOENIX is 5-15 ATS (-11.5 Units) after a division game this season.
PHOENIX is 1-10 ATS (-10.0 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
TULSA is 8-4 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 10-3 straight up against TULSA over the last 3 seasons
7 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WNBA

Thursday, September 17

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
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8:00 PM
INDIANA vs. CHICAGO
Indiana is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
Indiana is 2-6-1 ATS in its last 9 games
Chicago is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Indiana
Chicago is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games

10:00 PM
TULSA vs. PHOENIX
Tulsa is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
Tulsa is 7-2-1 ATS in its last 10 games
Phoenix is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Tulsa
Phoenix is 3-7-1 ATS in its last 11 games

 

[CNOTES]

WNBA
Dunkel

Thursday, September 17


Tulsa @ Phoenix

Game 603-604
September 17, 2015 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Tulsa
111.959
Phoenix
113.604
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Phoenix
by 1 1/2
155
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Phoenix
by 6 1/2
148 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Tulsa
(+6 1/2); Over

Indiana @ Chicago

Game 601-602
September 17, 2015 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Indiana
113.001
Chicago
116.185
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago
by 3
161
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago
by 5
157 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Indiana
(+5); Over

 

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack


Some NFL trends to ponder with Week 2 approaching........


-- Under is 19-3-2 in Chiefs' last 24 home openers.


-- Carolina is 1-9-1 vs spread as a favorite in home openers.


-- Saints won last seven games against Tampa Bay, with three of last four by 3 or less points or in OT.


-- Over last decade, team that lost the Thursday night season opener is 3-6-1 vs spread m its Week 2 game.


-- Patriots are 21-2 in last 23 games vs Buffalo, 7-1 last eight games vs Rex Ryan


-- Arizona is 13-3-1 under Arians in games where spread was 3 or less points.


**********


Armadillo: Thursday's List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud.....


13) Rutgers suspended football coach Kyle Flood for three games, fined him $50K for e-mailing a professor over a player's grade-- academic support members are people who are supposed to do stuff like that. Have fun recruiting after this mess.


12) I like ground-level NFL highlights, because it shows you how fast and violent a game it really is. You lose that with the normal TV view from above the field.


11) Rangers 14, Astros 3-- Texas routed Houston ace Dallas Keuchel in first inning and increased its AL West lead to 1.5 games. Astros caught a break when Minnesota lost in extra innings to Detroit- they still hold the second Wild Card spot.


10) Not sure if I mentioned this before, but Milwaukee Brewers brought up a career minor leaguer named Nevin Ashley this month, after he spent ten years in the minor leagues. Ashley turned 31 last month; he's played in 870 minor league games, hitting .263 in 2,905 minor league ABs. Two cool things about Mr Ashley:


a) He doubled in his first major league at-bat, after all those years of waiting.
b) His wife's name is Ashley.......which makes her Ashley Ashley.


9) Houston Texans switched QBs already, whcih makes their organization look just plain stupid. No way do you dump the starting QB after one lousy game.


8) Demarco Murray got $9M more in guaranteed money from the Eagles than what Dallas was offering him. At end of the day, money talks louder than any person can.


Side note on Cowboys: they spent $52M on their offense LY, $32M on defense.


7) Padres pitcher Josh Johnson is going to have his third Tommy John operation; I'm thinking no one has ever come back from three arm operations. Johnson is 31, we wish him well- he musn't mind the grueling rehab process he'll have to undergo. Again.


6) Patriots at Buffalo Sunday, in an interesting early season game. Big day in western New York; Syracuse grad Vanessa Williams will sing the national anthem, as Rex Ryan tries to beat his nemesis, Bill Belichick. Ryan has spent his entire head coaching career trying to find a way to stop Tom Brady. He's still trying.


5) Downtown Los Angeles got 2.39 inches of rain Tuesday, the most they've gotten in one day since March 20, 2011. Dodgers got their game in, too.


4) Read an interesting article today about how San Diego Padres made 30 personnel moves in 24 hours last December 18-19, increasing their payroll by $38M. As I type this, the Padres are 69-78; thats $38M down the freakin' drain. But hey, the guy who made the moves went to an Ivy League school, so he doesn't get fired. Oy.


3) Former Colts/Bills GM, Hall of Famer Bill Polian says a developmental, six-team spring football league would work, but only if the NFL paid for it and benefitted from it. All six teams in his league would be located in the southeast. Polian worked in the USFL 30 years ago, which failed because they tried to move to the fall.


A couple of notes on the Republican debate last night........
2) Very tough to be the moderator; you've got 11 people with very big egos up on the stage fighting for their political life- they all need as much airtime as they can get. Someone actually tracked how much each candidate spoke last night- Donald Trump spoke 27 times, the most. Carly Fiorina interrupted the most, six times.


1) My opinion is that debates are not the best way to choose who is going to lead our country. Being glib and/or telegenic shouldn't be requirements for the job. Of the 17 males running for President, all middle-aged men, none are bald. How? Why?


If you take any cross-section of 17 middle-aged men, the odds of coming up with zero bald guys are astronomic. Could be just me, but I sense a conspiracy here.

 

[CNOTES]

See spot. See spot bet: This week's best spot bet opportunities


The South Alabama Jaguars will have traveled more than 3,860 miles over the past two weeks following Saturday's game in San Diego.


Letdown spot


For once, the Dallas Cowboys were on the winning side of bad clock management in their come-from-behind home win over the New York Giants in Week 1. Eli Manning bumbled the closing minutes of the game, leaving the door open for Tony Romo to march downfield and score a one-point victory. The Cowboys, high off that incredible win and missing an injured Dez Bryant, head to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles in Week 2.


Philadelphia looked terrible in the opening two frames against the Atlanta Falcons but started to get the chains moving in the second half. Chip Kelly will iron out the kinks before the home opener and scores a huge break with Bryant out (especially after Julio Jones torched the Eagles secondary for huge gains Monday). We could see the Cowboys coming in flat and unable to match the points the Eagles can put up.


Lookahead spot


Ottawa is enjoying a successful summer in its second year back in the CFL. The RedBlacks are 6-4 and in second place in the Eastern Division, taking back-to-back victories into Week 13’s road game in Saskatchewan. Ottawa defeated the Rough Riders on home turf at the end of August with a 35-13 victory as a 3-point favorite. But it could get caught looking past Saskatchewan this Saturday and to an important provincial rivalry next week.


The RedBlacks host the Toronto Argonauts in Week 14 for a crucial matchup. The Agros are 6-5 in the standings and are enjoying a bye this week after suffering three straight losses, including two in a row at the hands of the division-leading Ti-Cats. Both teams will be putting everything they have into that game, so we expect the RedBlacks to be a little distracted versus the Riders.


Schedule spot


The South Alabama Jaguars are stacking the frequent flyer miles in the opening weeks of the college football season. They went to Lincoln to play the Cornhuskers – a 1,028-mile trip – last weekend and found a pissed-off Nebraska team, coming off a last-second upset to BYU. Needless to say, USA was a punch bag for their Big Ten foes, losing 48-9 as a 27.5-point underdog.


The Jaguars take another long flight, traveling west to play San Diego State – a 1,931-mile jump – this Saturday. Books opened with USA as a 15-point road pup but that has since jumped to +17.5. When it’s all said and done, the Jaguars will have traveled more than 3,860 miles in the past two weeks. That’s the same distance it would take to drive from Washington D.C. to Costa Rica. Southern Alabama players will be longing for their own beds well before the whistle blows in Qualcomm Stadium Saturday night.