Armadillo Sports
Friday’s 6-pack:
Major League leaders in RBI:
83— Aaron Judge, NYY
76— Jose Ramirez, Clev
70— Alec Bohm, Phil
67— Marcell Ozuna, Atl
64— Shohei Ohtani, LA
63— Juan Soto NYY/Josh Naylor, Clev
Quote of the Day
“When you get booed it means you’re probably doing something good that they don’t like.”
Arizona OF Joc Pederson, booed by the crowd in LA, where he used to play
Friday’s quiz
Who is the only player to win World Series MVP for teams in both leagues?
Thursday’s quiz
Max Scherzer pitches for Texas, but the Mets are paying him the highest %age of his salary this season.
Wednesday’s quiz
In the history of the Seattle Mariners, Felix Hernandez has the most wins.
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Friday’s Den: Best/worst days to have a birthday……..
— What are the best/worst days to have a birthday?
Best days:
July 4th
People shoot off fireworks for you
You never have to work on your birthday.
It is summer, nice weather.
January 1st
You never have to work on your birthday.
There is football on TV all day, every year.
People have parties the night before, for your birthday.
Worst days:
February 29
You only have a birthday once every four years.
October 31
Other people come to your house and want free candy.
December 26
People are worn out from the day before, are tired of giving gifts.
January 2
You probably have to work, and have a headache from watching football all day.
It is freakin’ cold out, at least around here it is.
I probably missed one or two; let me know…….
— Max Scherzer is pitching for Texas this season, but he’s getting paid by three different teams:
Mets are paying him $30,833,334
Nationals are paying him $15,000,000
Rangers are paying him $12,500,000.
— July 1st was Bobby Bonilla Day, when the Mets send yet another check for $1.19M to the retired outfielder, who will keep getting those checks for another 11 years.
$1,193,248.20 is the exact amount; in 2000, instead of paying Bonilla $5.9M to go away, the Mets agreed to make these annual payments from 2011-35. The Wilpon family owned the Mets at the time; they were involved with noted fraudster Bernie Madoff, so somehow they thought making these payments was a good idea.
It wasn’t.
— Texas Rangers’ rookie OF Wyatt Langford is first big leaguer to hit for the cycle this seaso.
— Jayson Tatum is going to make $62.8M playing for the Celtics next season; this year, the entire payroll for the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks was $58.3M.
Ducks went 27-50-5 this season, Celtics won the NBA title, but still…….
— Best shooting backcourt of all-time:
Steph Curry/Klay Thompson combined to make 3,538 3-point shots while they were on the court together with Golden State, making 43.1% of their attempts.
Next highest total by any two teammates is 1,840, by Portland’s Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, who made 39.3% of their 3-pointers while playing together.
— Lot of Mountain West football games will be televised on TNT and HBO this fall; looks like the first one between two I-A teams will be a September 7 game with Georgia Southern going to Reno to play the Nevada Wolf Pack.
— When Aaron Civale starts for Milwaukee Friday night, he’ll be the 16h starting pitcher the Brewers have used this season, most in major leagues.
— Famous birthdays, July 5th:
Huey Lewis, 74
Rich Gossage, 73
Johnny Rodgers, 73
James Lofton, 68
Edie Falco, 61
Beno Udrih, 42
Ish Smith, 36
Austin Hays, 31
Shohei Ohtani, 30
— A’s 5, Angels 0
Oakland sweeps the Halos, shutting them out the last two days.
JP Sears needed 95 pitches to throw 5 shutout IP.
— Nationals 1, Mets 0
Jesse Winker pinch-hit a home run in 8th inning,
Jake Irvin allowed one hit in 8 IP.
— Diamondbacks 9, Dodgers 3
Christian Walker hit two home runs for second night in a row.
Walker has hit 19 home runs in 42 career games at Dodger Stadium.
— Mariners 7, Orioles 3
Game was tied 2-2 in 7th inning.
Julio Rodriguez homered for first time since June 15th,
— Cubs 10, Phillies 2
Ian Happ hit a 3-run homer in 5th inning.
Happ also hit a 3-run homer in 6th inning; one lefty, one righty.
— Padres 3, Rangers 1
Jurickson Profar is hitting .317 with 56 RBI; he’s an All-Star.
San Diego is 11-3 in its last 14 games.
— Red Sox 6, Marlins 5 (12)
Marlins didn’t get a hit until the 7th inning,
Miami’s Jake Burger was 0-5, with five strikeouts.
Friday’s 6-pack:
Major League leaders in RBI:
83— Aaron Judge, NYY
76— Jose Ramirez, Clev
70— Alec Bohm, Phil
67— Marcell Ozuna, Atl
64— Shohei Ohtani, LA
63— Juan Soto NYY/Josh Naylor, Clev
Quote of the Day
“When you get booed it means you’re probably doing something good that they don’t like.”
Arizona OF Joc Pederson, booed by the crowd in LA, where he used to play
Friday’s quiz
Who is the only player to win World Series MVP for teams in both leagues?
Thursday’s quiz
Max Scherzer pitches for Texas, but the Mets are paying him the highest %age of his salary this season.
Wednesday’s quiz
In the history of the Seattle Mariners, Felix Hernandez has the most wins.
************************************************************
Friday’s Den: Best/worst days to have a birthday……..
— What are the best/worst days to have a birthday?
Best days:
July 4th
People shoot off fireworks for you
You never have to work on your birthday.
It is summer, nice weather.
January 1st
You never have to work on your birthday.
There is football on TV all day, every year.
People have parties the night before, for your birthday.
Worst days:
February 29
You only have a birthday once every four years.
October 31
Other people come to your house and want free candy.
December 26
People are worn out from the day before, are tired of giving gifts.
January 2
You probably have to work, and have a headache from watching football all day.
It is freakin’ cold out, at least around here it is.
I probably missed one or two; let me know…….
— Max Scherzer is pitching for Texas this season, but he’s getting paid by three different teams:
Mets are paying him $30,833,334
Nationals are paying him $15,000,000
Rangers are paying him $12,500,000.
— July 1st was Bobby Bonilla Day, when the Mets send yet another check for $1.19M to the retired outfielder, who will keep getting those checks for another 11 years.
$1,193,248.20 is the exact amount; in 2000, instead of paying Bonilla $5.9M to go away, the Mets agreed to make these annual payments from 2011-35. The Wilpon family owned the Mets at the time; they were involved with noted fraudster Bernie Madoff, so somehow they thought making these payments was a good idea.
It wasn’t.
— Texas Rangers’ rookie OF Wyatt Langford is first big leaguer to hit for the cycle this seaso.
— Jayson Tatum is going to make $62.8M playing for the Celtics next season; this year, the entire payroll for the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks was $58.3M.
Ducks went 27-50-5 this season, Celtics won the NBA title, but still…….
— Best shooting backcourt of all-time:
Steph Curry/Klay Thompson combined to make 3,538 3-point shots while they were on the court together with Golden State, making 43.1% of their attempts.
Next highest total by any two teammates is 1,840, by Portland’s Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, who made 39.3% of their 3-pointers while playing together.
— Lot of Mountain West football games will be televised on TNT and HBO this fall; looks like the first one between two I-A teams will be a September 7 game with Georgia Southern going to Reno to play the Nevada Wolf Pack.
— When Aaron Civale starts for Milwaukee Friday night, he’ll be the 16h starting pitcher the Brewers have used this season, most in major leagues.
— Famous birthdays, July 5th:
Huey Lewis, 74
Rich Gossage, 73
Johnny Rodgers, 73
James Lofton, 68
Edie Falco, 61
Beno Udrih, 42
Ish Smith, 36
Austin Hays, 31
Shohei Ohtani, 30
— A’s 5, Angels 0
Oakland sweeps the Halos, shutting them out the last two days.
JP Sears needed 95 pitches to throw 5 shutout IP.
— Nationals 1, Mets 0
Jesse Winker pinch-hit a home run in 8th inning,
Jake Irvin allowed one hit in 8 IP.
— Diamondbacks 9, Dodgers 3
Christian Walker hit two home runs for second night in a row.
Walker has hit 19 home runs in 42 career games at Dodger Stadium.
— Mariners 7, Orioles 3
Game was tied 2-2 in 7th inning.
Julio Rodriguez homered for first time since June 15th,
— Cubs 10, Phillies 2
Ian Happ hit a 3-run homer in 5th inning.
Happ also hit a 3-run homer in 6th inning; one lefty, one righty.
— Padres 3, Rangers 1
Jurickson Profar is hitting .317 with 56 RBI; he’s an All-Star.
San Diego is 11-3 in its last 14 games.
— Red Sox 6, Marlins 5 (12)
Marlins didn’t get a hit until the 7th inning,
Miami’s Jake Burger was 0-5, with five strikeouts.
Armadillo Sports
Saturday’s 6-pack:
— Padres 10, Arizona 8- Arizona scored 6 in top of 9th, Padres scored 3 in bottom.
— Dodgers 8, Brewers 5- Will Smith hit three home runs for the Dodgers.
— Astros 13, Twins 12- Minnesota scored 7 runs in bottom of 9th, fell just short.
— White Sox 3, Marlins 2- Rookie P Thorpe allowed one run in 6.1 IP.
— Mariners 2, Blue Jays 1- Luis Castillo allowed two hits in 6.2 IP.
— Red Sox 5, New York 3 (10)- Yoshida tied game with 9th inning homer.
Quote of the Day
“It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard… is what makes it great.”
Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own
Saturday’s quiz
Which NBA team drafted Kobe Bryant?
Friday’s quiz
Corey Seager is the only player to win World Series MVP for teams in both leagues.
Thursday’s quiz
Max Scherzer pitches for Texas, but the Mets are paying him the highest %age of his salary this season.
*****************************************************************
Saturday’s Den: Mountain West football preview…….
Mountain West football preview
— Air Force
Air Force lost 4 of last 5 games LY, after an 8-0 start.
Falcons are 29-10 last three years, 3-0 in bowl games.
Air Force has 2 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Falcons have no returning starts on the offensive line; they had that in 2021, but led the country in rushing.
Last three years, Air Force is 8-3 ATS as a road favorite.
Last ten years, Falcons are 15-23-1 ATS coming off a loss.
Under Calhoun, Air Force is 12-8 ATS as a home underdog.
Falcons won their last five bowls, scoring 37.6 ppg.
— Boise State
Broncos fired their coach LY after a 5-5 start, won 4 of last 5 games.
Boise has 6 starters back on offense, all 11 on defense.
Broncos have 66 starts returning on the offensive line.
Soph QB Madsen (132 pass attempts LY) or USC transfer Nelson will start at QB
Last two years, Broncos are 8-4 ATS as a home favorite.
Boise is 11-2-1 ATS in last 14 games coming off a loss.
Broncos are 4-3 SU in their last seven bowls.
Boise is 2-7-1 ATS in last eight non-conference games.
— Colorado State
CSU was 4-1 LY when they scored 30+ points, 1-6 when they didn’t.
Rams have 7 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
CSU has 94 starts returning on the offensive line.
Rams’ soph QB has 11 starts; he threw 22 TD’s, 16 INT’s last year.
Rams have had six consecutive losing seasons.
Since 2017, CSU is 5-14 ATS as a home favorite.
In his career, Norvell is 26-18 ATS as an underdog.
CSU lost their last four bowls; their last bowl win was in 2013.
— Fresno State
Bulldogs lost three of last four games LY, after an 8-1 start.
Fresno has 8 starters back on offense, 5 on defense.
Bulldogs have 106 starts returning on OL (8 of 10 starters).
Soph QB started 11 games LY, threw 24 TD’s, 10 INTs.
Fresno is 29-11 last three years, 3-0 in bowl games, scoring 32.3 ppg.
Since 2019, Bulldogs are 9-14 ATS as a home favorite.
Since 2016, Fresno is 7-0-1 ATS as a home underdog.
Bulldogs won their last five bowls, scoring 32.2 ppg.
— Hawai’i
Rainbows were 0-7 LY when they allowed 35+ points, 5-0 when they allowed less than 35.
Hawai’i has 8 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Bulldogs have 47 starts returning on offensive line.
Senior QB Schrager started 26 games the last two years.
Hawai’i has two winning seasons (2018-19) over the last decade.
Over last decade, Rainbows are 11-27-2 ATS as a favorite, 8-22-2 at home.
Over last decade, Hawai’i is 26-42-3 ATS coming off a loss.
Last three years, Rainbows are 14-9-1 ATS in Mountain West games.
— Nevada
Nevada went 2-10/2-10 last two years; the coach got fired.
Wolf Pack has 6 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Nevada has 70 starts returning on offensive line.
New HC was a defensive assistant at Texas the last three years.
Junior QB Lewis started ten games last season.
Last two years, Wolf Pack was 1-9 ATS at home.
Last three years, Nevada is 10-4 ATS as a road underdog.
Wolf Pack is 3-2 SU/ATS in last five bowls; last bowl was 2021.
— Famous birthdays for July 6th:
Fred Dryer, 78
Sylvester Stallone, 78
Willie Randolph, 70
Kelly Stouffer, 60
Pau Gasol, 44
Jae Crowder, 34
Manny Machado, 32
Andrew Benintendi, 30
Zion Williamson, 24
— UNLV
Rebels lost last three games LY, after a 9-2 start.
UNLV has 5 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Rebels have 79 starts returning on offensive line.
Their QB bolted to USC; they brought in two I-AA QB’s, also have Friel, who started eight games for UNLV in 2021.
Last year was UNLV’s first bowl since 2013.
In his career, Odom is 17-11 ATS as a home favorite.
Over last ten years, UNLV is 11-19 ATS as a home underdog.
Last three years, Rebels are 11-3 ATS as a road underdog.
— New Mexico
Lobos were 19-60 last 7 years; their last winning season was 2016.
New Mexico has 3 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Lobos’ whole offensive line graduated; they brought in 8 transfers.
Soph QB started once LY; he is a pass/run threat.
Since 2015, Lobos are 5-18 ATS as a home favorite.
Since 2017, Lobos are 9-15-1 ATS as a home underdog.
Since 2018, New Mexico is 17-32-1 ATS as an underdog.
New Mexico hasn’t played in a bowl game since 2016.
— San Diego State
Aztecs were 4-8 last year, their worst season since 2009.
San Diego State has 6 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Aztecs have 67 starts returning on offensive line.
Soph QB is a transfer from Florida State.
New coach Lewis was 24-31 at Kent State (2018-22), making two bowls.
Last three years, Aztecs were 3-9 ATS as a home favorite.
Since 2017, San Diego State is 11-5-1 ATS as a road underdog.
Aztecs are 2-3 SU in last five bowls (were favored in 4 of 5 games).
— San Jose State
Spartans are 26-19 last 4 years; coach bolted to Arizona
New coach Niumatalolo was 109-83 in 15 years at Navy,
San Jose has 3 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Spartans have only 20 starts returning on offensive line.
San Jose won 6 of its last 7 games LY, after a 1-5 start.
San Jose was 7-5/7-6 last two years, thanks to +11/+11 turnover ratios.
Since 2018, Spartans are 29-18 ATS in conference games.
Spartans lost last three bowls; their last bowl win was in 2015.
— Utah State
Utah State just fired their coach last week; they’ll have an interim coach.
Aggies have 8 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Aggies have 69 starts returning on offensive line.
Senior QB started 31 games at Iowa.
Aggies were 6-7 LY, 5-1 when they allowed less than 35 points.
Since 2016, Utah State is 6-13 ATS as a home underdog.
Last four years, Aggies are 7-12 ATS in games coming off a loss.
Utah State lost three of its last four bowl games.
— Wyoming
Wyoming went 9-4 last year, but their coach retired.
Cowboys have 6 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Wyoming has 68 starts returning on offensive line.
Junior QB started one game last year, was 23-38 passing for season.
Wyoming is 14-9-2 ATS in its last 25 games as a home favorite.
Since 2016, Cowboys are 16-6 ATS as a home underdog.
Since 2016, Wyoming is 37-26 ATS in Mountain West games.
Cowboys won four of their last five bowl games.
Saturday’s 6-pack:
— Padres 10, Arizona 8- Arizona scored 6 in top of 9th, Padres scored 3 in bottom.
— Dodgers 8, Brewers 5- Will Smith hit three home runs for the Dodgers.
— Astros 13, Twins 12- Minnesota scored 7 runs in bottom of 9th, fell just short.
— White Sox 3, Marlins 2- Rookie P Thorpe allowed one run in 6.1 IP.
— Mariners 2, Blue Jays 1- Luis Castillo allowed two hits in 6.2 IP.
— Red Sox 5, New York 3 (10)- Yoshida tied game with 9th inning homer.
Quote of the Day
“It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard… is what makes it great.”
Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own
Saturday’s quiz
Which NBA team drafted Kobe Bryant?
Friday’s quiz
Corey Seager is the only player to win World Series MVP for teams in both leagues.
Thursday’s quiz
Max Scherzer pitches for Texas, but the Mets are paying him the highest %age of his salary this season.
*****************************************************************
Saturday’s Den: Mountain West football preview…….
Mountain West football preview
— Air Force
Air Force lost 4 of last 5 games LY, after an 8-0 start.
Falcons are 29-10 last three years, 3-0 in bowl games.
Air Force has 2 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Falcons have no returning starts on the offensive line; they had that in 2021, but led the country in rushing.
Last three years, Air Force is 8-3 ATS as a road favorite.
Last ten years, Falcons are 15-23-1 ATS coming off a loss.
Under Calhoun, Air Force is 12-8 ATS as a home underdog.
Falcons won their last five bowls, scoring 37.6 ppg.
— Boise State
Broncos fired their coach LY after a 5-5 start, won 4 of last 5 games.
Boise has 6 starters back on offense, all 11 on defense.
Broncos have 66 starts returning on the offensive line.
Soph QB Madsen (132 pass attempts LY) or USC transfer Nelson will start at QB
Last two years, Broncos are 8-4 ATS as a home favorite.
Boise is 11-2-1 ATS in last 14 games coming off a loss.
Broncos are 4-3 SU in their last seven bowls.
Boise is 2-7-1 ATS in last eight non-conference games.
— Colorado State
CSU was 4-1 LY when they scored 30+ points, 1-6 when they didn’t.
Rams have 7 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
CSU has 94 starts returning on the offensive line.
Rams’ soph QB has 11 starts; he threw 22 TD’s, 16 INT’s last year.
Rams have had six consecutive losing seasons.
Since 2017, CSU is 5-14 ATS as a home favorite.
In his career, Norvell is 26-18 ATS as an underdog.
CSU lost their last four bowls; their last bowl win was in 2013.
— Fresno State
Bulldogs lost three of last four games LY, after an 8-1 start.
Fresno has 8 starters back on offense, 5 on defense.
Bulldogs have 106 starts returning on OL (8 of 10 starters).
Soph QB started 11 games LY, threw 24 TD’s, 10 INTs.
Fresno is 29-11 last three years, 3-0 in bowl games, scoring 32.3 ppg.
Since 2019, Bulldogs are 9-14 ATS as a home favorite.
Since 2016, Fresno is 7-0-1 ATS as a home underdog.
Bulldogs won their last five bowls, scoring 32.2 ppg.
— Hawai’i
Rainbows were 0-7 LY when they allowed 35+ points, 5-0 when they allowed less than 35.
Hawai’i has 8 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Bulldogs have 47 starts returning on offensive line.
Senior QB Schrager started 26 games the last two years.
Hawai’i has two winning seasons (2018-19) over the last decade.
Over last decade, Rainbows are 11-27-2 ATS as a favorite, 8-22-2 at home.
Over last decade, Hawai’i is 26-42-3 ATS coming off a loss.
Last three years, Rainbows are 14-9-1 ATS in Mountain West games.
— Nevada
Nevada went 2-10/2-10 last two years; the coach got fired.
Wolf Pack has 6 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Nevada has 70 starts returning on offensive line.
New HC was a defensive assistant at Texas the last three years.
Junior QB Lewis started ten games last season.
Last two years, Wolf Pack was 1-9 ATS at home.
Last three years, Nevada is 10-4 ATS as a road underdog.
Wolf Pack is 3-2 SU/ATS in last five bowls; last bowl was 2021.
— Famous birthdays for July 6th:
Fred Dryer, 78
Sylvester Stallone, 78
Willie Randolph, 70
Kelly Stouffer, 60
Pau Gasol, 44
Jae Crowder, 34
Manny Machado, 32
Andrew Benintendi, 30
Zion Williamson, 24
— UNLV
Rebels lost last three games LY, after a 9-2 start.
UNLV has 5 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Rebels have 79 starts returning on offensive line.
Their QB bolted to USC; they brought in two I-AA QB’s, also have Friel, who started eight games for UNLV in 2021.
Last year was UNLV’s first bowl since 2013.
In his career, Odom is 17-11 ATS as a home favorite.
Over last ten years, UNLV is 11-19 ATS as a home underdog.
Last three years, Rebels are 11-3 ATS as a road underdog.
— New Mexico
Lobos were 19-60 last 7 years; their last winning season was 2016.
New Mexico has 3 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Lobos’ whole offensive line graduated; they brought in 8 transfers.
Soph QB started once LY; he is a pass/run threat.
Since 2015, Lobos are 5-18 ATS as a home favorite.
Since 2017, Lobos are 9-15-1 ATS as a home underdog.
Since 2018, New Mexico is 17-32-1 ATS as an underdog.
New Mexico hasn’t played in a bowl game since 2016.
— San Diego State
Aztecs were 4-8 last year, their worst season since 2009.
San Diego State has 6 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Aztecs have 67 starts returning on offensive line.
Soph QB is a transfer from Florida State.
New coach Lewis was 24-31 at Kent State (2018-22), making two bowls.
Last three years, Aztecs were 3-9 ATS as a home favorite.
Since 2017, San Diego State is 11-5-1 ATS as a road underdog.
Aztecs are 2-3 SU in last five bowls (were favored in 4 of 5 games).
— San Jose State
Spartans are 26-19 last 4 years; coach bolted to Arizona
New coach Niumatalolo was 109-83 in 15 years at Navy,
San Jose has 3 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Spartans have only 20 starts returning on offensive line.
San Jose won 6 of its last 7 games LY, after a 1-5 start.
San Jose was 7-5/7-6 last two years, thanks to +11/+11 turnover ratios.
Since 2018, Spartans are 29-18 ATS in conference games.
Spartans lost last three bowls; their last bowl win was in 2015.
— Utah State
Utah State just fired their coach last week; they’ll have an interim coach.
Aggies have 8 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Aggies have 69 starts returning on offensive line.
Senior QB started 31 games at Iowa.
Aggies were 6-7 LY, 5-1 when they allowed less than 35 points.
Since 2016, Utah State is 6-13 ATS as a home underdog.
Last four years, Aggies are 7-12 ATS in games coming off a loss.
Utah State lost three of its last four bowl games.
— Wyoming
Wyoming went 9-4 last year, but their coach retired.
Cowboys have 6 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Wyoming has 68 starts returning on offensive line.
Junior QB started one game last year, was 23-38 passing for season.
Wyoming is 14-9-2 ATS in its last 25 games as a home favorite.
Since 2016, Cowboys are 16-6 ATS as a home underdog.
Since 2016, Wyoming is 37-26 ATS in Mountain West games.
Cowboys won four of their last five bowl games.
Sunday’s 6-pack:
Sacks allowed last season:
85— Giants
65— Panthers, Commanders
64— Jets, Titans
52— Broncos
50— Bears, Bengals
48— Patriots
Quote of the Day
“It was awesome. I brought him in the clubhouse…you don’t realize, none of these guys have never met him. Everybody went up, introduced themselves, we took a team picture. It was awesome…that was really special.”
Braves manager Brian Snitker, on Bobby Cox being at Saturday’s game
Sunday’s quiz
Who hit the first grand slam in All-Star Game history?
Saturday’s quiz
Charlotte Hornets drafted Kobe Bryant, with the 13th pick of the 1996 NBA Draft.
Friday’s quiz
Corey Seager is the only player to win World Series MVP for teams in both leagues.
***********************************************
Jose Miranda had hits in 12 consecutive at-bats, longest streak since 1952.
Minnesota led 7-1 after three innings.
— Rangers 4, Rays 3
Marcus Semien hit game-winning homer in 7th inning.
Last three games, Tampa Bay has left 30 men on base.
— New York 14, Red Sox 4
Rookie 1B Ben Rice hit three homers, knocked in seven runs.
UConn basketball coach Danny Hurley threw out the first pitch.
— Blue Jays 5, Mariners 4
Yariel Rodriguez tossed 6 shutout IP, got his first MLB win.
Seattle has struck out 10+ times in each of their last 11 games.
— A’s 19, Orioles 8
Oakland led 10-0 after two innings.
A’s hit five home runs; they’re 4-1 this week.
— Famous birthdays, July 7th:
Ringo Starr, 84
Shelley Duvall, 75
Tim Teufel, 66
Matt Suhey, 66
Billy Campbell, 65
Ralph Sampson, 64
Jorja Fox, 56
Michael Westbrook, 52
Brandon McCarthy, 41
— Angels 7, Cubs 0
Tyler Anderson threw 8 shutout IP, struck out 10 Cubs.
Angels’ win ends their 5-game losing skid.
— Marlins 4, White Sox 3
Dane Myers’ 2-run homer in 7th inning was a game-winner.
White Sox ace Garrett Crochet threw 93 pitches in only 4 IP.
— Tigers 5, Reds 3
Cincinnati led 2-0 after seven innings.
Wenceel Perez hit a 2-run homer for Detroit in a 5-run 8th inning.
— Guardians 5, Giants 4
Cleveland led 4-0 in second inning, held on for dear life.
Guardians are 18-5 in their last 23 home games.
Sacks allowed last season:
85— Giants
65— Panthers, Commanders
64— Jets, Titans
52— Broncos
50— Bears, Bengals
48— Patriots
Quote of the Day
“It was awesome. I brought him in the clubhouse…you don’t realize, none of these guys have never met him. Everybody went up, introduced themselves, we took a team picture. It was awesome…that was really special.”
Braves manager Brian Snitker, on Bobby Cox being at Saturday’s game
Sunday’s quiz
Who hit the first grand slam in All-Star Game history?
Saturday’s quiz
Charlotte Hornets drafted Kobe Bryant, with the 13th pick of the 1996 NBA Draft.
Friday’s quiz
Corey Seager is the only player to win World Series MVP for teams in both leagues.
***********************************************
Sunday’s Den: Wrapping up a sports Saturday……..
— Twins 9, Astros 3Jose Miranda had hits in 12 consecutive at-bats, longest streak since 1952.
Minnesota led 7-1 after three innings.
— Rangers 4, Rays 3
Marcus Semien hit game-winning homer in 7th inning.
Last three games, Tampa Bay has left 30 men on base.
— New York 14, Red Sox 4
Rookie 1B Ben Rice hit three homers, knocked in seven runs.
UConn basketball coach Danny Hurley threw out the first pitch.
— Blue Jays 5, Mariners 4
Yariel Rodriguez tossed 6 shutout IP, got his first MLB win.
Seattle has struck out 10+ times in each of their last 11 games.
— A’s 19, Orioles 8
Oakland led 10-0 after two innings.
A’s hit five home runs; they’re 4-1 this week.
— Famous birthdays, July 7th:
Ringo Starr, 84
Shelley Duvall, 75
Tim Teufel, 66
Matt Suhey, 66
Billy Campbell, 65
Ralph Sampson, 64
Jorja Fox, 56
Michael Westbrook, 52
Brandon McCarthy, 41
— Angels 7, Cubs 0
Tyler Anderson threw 8 shutout IP, struck out 10 Cubs.
Angels’ win ends their 5-game losing skid.
— Marlins 4, White Sox 3
Dane Myers’ 2-run homer in 7th inning was a game-winner.
White Sox ace Garrett Crochet threw 93 pitches in only 4 IP.
— Tigers 5, Reds 3
Cincinnati led 2-0 after seven innings.
Wenceel Perez hit a 2-run homer for Detroit in a 5-run 8th inning.
— Guardians 5, Giants 4
Cleveland led 4-0 in second inning, held on for dear life.
Guardians are 18-5 in their last 23 home games.
Monday’s 6-pack:
Major League leaders in runs scored;
76— Gunnar Henderson, Balt
72— Shohei Ohtani, LA
71— Bobby Witt Jr, KC
70— Juan Soto, NYY
68— Aaron Judge, NYY
61— Jose Ramirez, Clev
Quote of the Day
“I’m so honored to be selected as an All-Star and represent the @Mets! I’m excited to announce that I will participate in the Home Run Derby!!!”
Pete Alonso
Saturday’s quiz
Who owns the Oakland A’s record for most saves in a season?
Sunday’s quiz
Fred Lynn hit the first grand slam in All-Star Game history, in 1983.
Saturday’s quiz
Charlotte Hornets drafted Kobe Bryant, with the 13th pick of the 1996 NBA Draft.
******************************************
— Jose Altuve, Salvador Perez will each be playing in their 9th All-Star Game.
— Phillies are sending an MLB-high seven players to Texas, including Bryce Harper, Ranger Suárez and Alec Bohm.
— American League leads the NL 47-44 in All-Star Games; National League snapped a 9-game losing skid in the Midsummer Classic last year.
— Sacramento Kings traded for DeMar DeRozan, locked him up with a 3-year, $74M deal; he is a 6-time All-Star who turns 35 next month. DeRozan scored 24 ppg for Chicago this past season.
— If I owned an NBA team and was paying one of my star players $40 or $50M a year, it wouldn’t amuse me to see him playing in the freakin’ Olympics during the summer, where they’re not getting paid a penny, except in their endorsement deals, while they risk injury.
— Grocery stores in Alabama, Oklahoma have vending machines that allow users to buy ammunition for guns. What could possibly go wrong there?
WTF?!?!? Keep those freakin’ machines out of New York.
— I missed a birthday over the weekend; Burt Ward turned 79 this weekend- he played Robin on the classic TV show Batman, opposite Adam West. Happy birthday, sir.
— Famous birthdays, July 8th:
Jeffrey Tambor, 80
Alan Ashby, 73
Jack Lambert, 72
Terry Puhl, 68
Kevin Bacon, 66
Sebastian Maniscalco, 51
Hakim Warrick, 42
Ty Jerome, 27
Reid Detmers, 25
— Cincinnati Reds acquired OF Austin Slater from the Giants Sunday, in exchange for lefty P Alex Young.
— Braves 6, Phillies 0
Reynaldo Lopez threw six shutout innings, allowing two hits.
Atlanta hit four home runs, three in the second inning.
— Cardinals 8, Nationals 3
Willson Contreras hit his third home run in the last five days,
Nolan Gorman was 7 for his last 11 this weekend.
— Marlins 7, White Sox 4
Jake Burger hit a 3-run, walk-off homer against his old team.
Chicago is now 5-27 in games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.
— Twins 3, Astros 2
Christian Vazquez hit a walk-off homer for Minnesota.
P Simeon Woods-Richardson retired the last 13 batters he faced.
— Cubs 5, Angels 0
Hayden Wesneski threw 6.1 innings, allowed only one hit.
Angels were shut out for third time in their last five games.
— Random observation- Baseball season started March 28, earlier than in the old days; the All-Star break is a week later than normal this year. Players look tired; baseball is a daily grind, I’m guessing the four days off next week will be welcomed by a lot of people.
Major League leaders in runs scored;
76— Gunnar Henderson, Balt
72— Shohei Ohtani, LA
71— Bobby Witt Jr, KC
70— Juan Soto, NYY
68— Aaron Judge, NYY
61— Jose Ramirez, Clev
Quote of the Day
“I’m so honored to be selected as an All-Star and represent the @Mets! I’m excited to announce that I will participate in the Home Run Derby!!!”
Pete Alonso
Saturday’s quiz
Who owns the Oakland A’s record for most saves in a season?
Sunday’s quiz
Fred Lynn hit the first grand slam in All-Star Game history, in 1983.
Saturday’s quiz
Charlotte Hornets drafted Kobe Bryant, with the 13th pick of the 1996 NBA Draft.
******************************************
Monday’s Den: Wrapping up a sports weekend……..
— Baseball All-Star rosters were announced Sunday; 32 guys will be in the All-Star Game for the first time, including Pirates rookie Paul Skenes, who at this time last year hadn’t even been drafted yet. 17 of the 32 newcomers are pitchers.— Jose Altuve, Salvador Perez will each be playing in their 9th All-Star Game.
— Phillies are sending an MLB-high seven players to Texas, including Bryce Harper, Ranger Suárez and Alec Bohm.
— American League leads the NL 47-44 in All-Star Games; National League snapped a 9-game losing skid in the Midsummer Classic last year.
— Sacramento Kings traded for DeMar DeRozan, locked him up with a 3-year, $74M deal; he is a 6-time All-Star who turns 35 next month. DeRozan scored 24 ppg for Chicago this past season.
— If I owned an NBA team and was paying one of my star players $40 or $50M a year, it wouldn’t amuse me to see him playing in the freakin’ Olympics during the summer, where they’re not getting paid a penny, except in their endorsement deals, while they risk injury.
— Grocery stores in Alabama, Oklahoma have vending machines that allow users to buy ammunition for guns. What could possibly go wrong there?
WTF?!?!? Keep those freakin’ machines out of New York.
— I missed a birthday over the weekend; Burt Ward turned 79 this weekend- he played Robin on the classic TV show Batman, opposite Adam West. Happy birthday, sir.
— Famous birthdays, July 8th:
Jeffrey Tambor, 80
Alan Ashby, 73
Jack Lambert, 72
Terry Puhl, 68
Kevin Bacon, 66
Sebastian Maniscalco, 51
Hakim Warrick, 42
Ty Jerome, 27
Reid Detmers, 25
— Cincinnati Reds acquired OF Austin Slater from the Giants Sunday, in exchange for lefty P Alex Young.
— Braves 6, Phillies 0
Reynaldo Lopez threw six shutout innings, allowing two hits.
Atlanta hit four home runs, three in the second inning.
— Cardinals 8, Nationals 3
Willson Contreras hit his third home run in the last five days,
Nolan Gorman was 7 for his last 11 this weekend.
— Marlins 7, White Sox 4
Jake Burger hit a 3-run, walk-off homer against his old team.
Chicago is now 5-27 in games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.
— Twins 3, Astros 2
Christian Vazquez hit a walk-off homer for Minnesota.
P Simeon Woods-Richardson retired the last 13 batters he faced.
— Cubs 5, Angels 0
Hayden Wesneski threw 6.1 innings, allowed only one hit.
Angels were shut out for third time in their last five games.
— Random observation- Baseball season started March 28, earlier than in the old days; the All-Star break is a week later than normal this year. Players look tired; baseball is a daily grind, I’m guessing the four days off next week will be welcomed by a lot of people.
Tuesday’s 6-pack:
Last six people to win the Nathan’s hot dog eating contest:
2024: Patrick Bertoletti, 58
2023: Joey Chestnut, 62
2022: Joey Chestnut, 63
2021: Joey Chestnut, 76
2020: Joey Chestnut, 75
2019: Joey Chestnut, 71
Tweet of the Day
“If you want your Child to be a better teammate in the games, make sure you are showing how to be a teammate in the stands.
– cheer and clap for the other kids
– don’t get in dumb arguments in the stands
– don’t rip your kids Coaches
– DON’T rip your kids teammates!!!”
Tom Crean
Tuesday’s quiz
In the popular movie A Few Good Men, what well-known actor played the losing lawyer in the final courtroom scene?
Monday’s quiz
Dennis Eckersley owns the Oakland A’s record for most saves in a season.
Sunday’s quiz
Fred Lynn hit the first grand slam in All-Star Game history, in 1983.
*********************************************
Cleveland Guardians recently brought up utility guy Angel Martinez, who is 22 years old; in his first seven games, Martinez is hitting 8-20 with eight walks, so a promising start.
His father is former major league catcher Sandy Martinez, who played for six different teams in his 8-year career.
Sandy Martinez hit only six big league home runs, but the first one was against Roger Clemens, the last one against Curt Schilling. He was also the catcher for the Cubs on May 6, 1998, when Kerry Wood struck out 20 batters in a game against Houston.
So good bloodlines for Angel Martinez as he begins his journey thru the major leagues.
— Pet peeve about baseball stats:
WHIP is Walks + Hits divided by innings pitched, which measures how many guys a pitcher puts on base. Why don’t hit batters count in this stat? They definitely should. It doesn’t make a huge difference, but it isn’t totally accurate, either.
— There is a rule saying that every team must have a player in the All-Star Game. 64 guys got picked for the All-Star Game, 32 first timers; 15 teams have only one of their guys in the game.
— UConn signed basketball coach Danny Hurley to a 6-year, $50M deal; he recently turned down a 6-year, $70M deal from the NBA’s Lakers.
— Lot of stuff going on this month;
NBA Summer Leagues are starting up, with the biggest summer league in Las Vegas starting Friday. I’ll repeat myself; if you like the NBA, going to the NBA Summer League should be on your bucket list. It is affordable and fun.
Next week is All-Star week in baseball, so Home Run Derby will also happen, then once the games start again, the trade deadline will pop up and trades will be made.
NFL training camps are a couple weeks away; hard to imagine guys playing football in this heat, but they do.
In this part of the world, upstate New York, it will be horse racing season at Saratoga starting later this week; if you want to pay $6.50 for a 20-ounce Coke, Saratoga is your place.
— I had lunch at an IHOP near my house Monday; place has been there forever, but I hadn’t been in there in a long time. Good food, decent prices, but they didn’t have silverware; I was eating with a plastic fork and knife. Not a huge deal, but it just seemed weird.
— Famous birthdays, July 9th:
Mike Andrews, 81
Mike Riordan, 79
Jimmy Smits, 69
Willie Wilson, 69
Tom Hanks, 68
Jim Paxson, 67
Trent Green, 54
Enrique Murciano, 51
Brett Rypien, 28
— Tigers 1, Guardians 0
Game’s only run scored on an 8th inning error by the Cleveland shortstop.
Detroit has won four games in a row
— Pirates 8, Mets 2
Mitch Keller tossed 8 innings, got his 10th win of the year.
Mets took P Christian Scott out after only 77 pitches; the bullpen imploded.
— Cardinals 6, Nationals 0
Miles Mikolas threw 6.1 scoreless innings, giving up six hits.
Alec Burleson homered, drove in three runs.
— Reds 6, Rockies 0
Andrew Abbott allowed three hits in seven scoreless IP.
OF Rece Hinds homered, doubled in his major league debut.
— Twins 8, White Sox 6 (11)
White Sox led 5-2 after six innings.
Minnesota is 8-0 this season against the Pale Hose.
— Rangers 9, Angels 4
Top four hitters in Texas lineup were 7-19 with 5 runs scored, 6 RBI
Angels are 1-6 so far this month.
— Braves 5, Diamondbacks 4 (11)
Sean Murphy tied game with a 2-run homer in 9th inning.
Marcell Ozuina’s sac fly knocked in winning run in the 11th.
Last six people to win the Nathan’s hot dog eating contest:
2024: Patrick Bertoletti, 58
2023: Joey Chestnut, 62
2022: Joey Chestnut, 63
2021: Joey Chestnut, 76
2020: Joey Chestnut, 75
2019: Joey Chestnut, 71
Tweet of the Day
“If you want your Child to be a better teammate in the games, make sure you are showing how to be a teammate in the stands.
– cheer and clap for the other kids
– don’t get in dumb arguments in the stands
– don’t rip your kids Coaches
– DON’T rip your kids teammates!!!”
Tom Crean
Tuesday’s quiz
In the popular movie A Few Good Men, what well-known actor played the losing lawyer in the final courtroom scene?
Monday’s quiz
Dennis Eckersley owns the Oakland A’s record for most saves in a season.
Sunday’s quiz
Fred Lynn hit the first grand slam in All-Star Game history, in 1983.
*********************************************
Tuesday’s Den: Nobody asked me, but……..
— One of the interesting things about pro sports is how people come from all over to make the big leagues, in every sport.Cleveland Guardians recently brought up utility guy Angel Martinez, who is 22 years old; in his first seven games, Martinez is hitting 8-20 with eight walks, so a promising start.
His father is former major league catcher Sandy Martinez, who played for six different teams in his 8-year career.
Sandy Martinez hit only six big league home runs, but the first one was against Roger Clemens, the last one against Curt Schilling. He was also the catcher for the Cubs on May 6, 1998, when Kerry Wood struck out 20 batters in a game against Houston.
So good bloodlines for Angel Martinez as he begins his journey thru the major leagues.
— Pet peeve about baseball stats:
WHIP is Walks + Hits divided by innings pitched, which measures how many guys a pitcher puts on base. Why don’t hit batters count in this stat? They definitely should. It doesn’t make a huge difference, but it isn’t totally accurate, either.
— There is a rule saying that every team must have a player in the All-Star Game. 64 guys got picked for the All-Star Game, 32 first timers; 15 teams have only one of their guys in the game.
— UConn signed basketball coach Danny Hurley to a 6-year, $50M deal; he recently turned down a 6-year, $70M deal from the NBA’s Lakers.
— Lot of stuff going on this month;
NBA Summer Leagues are starting up, with the biggest summer league in Las Vegas starting Friday. I’ll repeat myself; if you like the NBA, going to the NBA Summer League should be on your bucket list. It is affordable and fun.
Next week is All-Star week in baseball, so Home Run Derby will also happen, then once the games start again, the trade deadline will pop up and trades will be made.
NFL training camps are a couple weeks away; hard to imagine guys playing football in this heat, but they do.
In this part of the world, upstate New York, it will be horse racing season at Saratoga starting later this week; if you want to pay $6.50 for a 20-ounce Coke, Saratoga is your place.
— I had lunch at an IHOP near my house Monday; place has been there forever, but I hadn’t been in there in a long time. Good food, decent prices, but they didn’t have silverware; I was eating with a plastic fork and knife. Not a huge deal, but it just seemed weird.
— Famous birthdays, July 9th:
Mike Andrews, 81
Mike Riordan, 79
Jimmy Smits, 69
Willie Wilson, 69
Tom Hanks, 68
Jim Paxson, 67
Trent Green, 54
Enrique Murciano, 51
Brett Rypien, 28
— Tigers 1, Guardians 0
Game’s only run scored on an 8th inning error by the Cleveland shortstop.
Detroit has won four games in a row
— Pirates 8, Mets 2
Mitch Keller tossed 8 innings, got his 10th win of the year.
Mets took P Christian Scott out after only 77 pitches; the bullpen imploded.
— Cardinals 6, Nationals 0
Miles Mikolas threw 6.1 scoreless innings, giving up six hits.
Alec Burleson homered, drove in three runs.
— Reds 6, Rockies 0
Andrew Abbott allowed three hits in seven scoreless IP.
OF Rece Hinds homered, doubled in his major league debut.
— Twins 8, White Sox 6 (11)
White Sox led 5-2 after six innings.
Minnesota is 8-0 this season against the Pale Hose.
— Rangers 9, Angels 4
Top four hitters in Texas lineup were 7-19 with 5 runs scored, 6 RBI
Angels are 1-6 so far this month.
— Braves 5, Diamondbacks 4 (11)
Sean Murphy tied game with a 2-run homer in 9th inning.
Marcell Ozuina’s sac fly knocked in winning run in the 11th.
Wednesday’s 6-pack:
Week 1 NFL spreads:
— Ravens @ Kansas City (-3, 47)
— Packers vs Eagles (-1.5, 48.5) (@ Brazil)
— Jaguars @ Miami (-3.5, 49)
— Steelers @ Atlanta (-2.5, 43)
— Vikings @ NJ Giants (-1, 41.5)
— Panthers @ New Orleans (-4.5, 40.5)
Quote of the Day
“I watched so much footage of Reggie coming off screens as a teenager. Especially his ability to make game-winning shots. That is the most inspiring thing to see as a shooter because he had no fear whether he made or missed the shot, he was going to live or die by it,”
Klay Thompson, on why he will honor Reggie Miller by wearing #31 in Dallas
Wednesday’s quiz
Where did Giants’ QB Daniel Jones play his college football?
Tuesday’s quiz
In the popular movie A Few Good Men, Kevin Bacon played the losing lawyer in the final courtroom scene.
Monday’s quiz
Dennis Eckersley owns the Oakland A’s record for most saves in a season.
*********************************************
— Akron
Akron hasn’t had a winning season since 2015.
Zips have 3 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Zips have 68 returning starts on the offensive line;
Junior QB Finley started 4 games, at NC State/Cal.
Last ten years, Akron is 16-35-2 ATS at home.
Under Moorhead, Zips are 12-8 ATS as an underdog.
Last two years, Zips are 4-20 SU, minus-23 in turnovers.
All-time, Akron is 1-2 SU/ATS in bowl games (last one in 2017).
— Ball State
Last three years, Ball State went 6-7/5-7/4-8.
Cardinals have 8 starters back on offense, only 1 on defense.
Cardinals have 81 returning starts on the offensive line.
Redshirt freshman QB Semonza started three games LY.
Last 10 years, Ball State is 11-20 ATS as a home favorite.
Last 10 years, Ball State is 9-15 ATS as a home underdog.
Last two years, Cardinals are 11-5 ATS in MAC games.
Cardinals are 1-4 SU/ATS in last five bowl games.
— Bowling Green
Falcons were 7-6 LY, their first winning season since 2015.
Bowling Green has 8 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Falcons have 90 returning starts on the offensive line;
Senior QB Bazelak has 29 career starts, at BG/Missouri.
Falcons were +9 in turnovers LY (minus-24 previous six years)
Since 2016, Bowling Green is 4-11 ATS as a home favorite.
Last three years, Bowling Green is 12-7 ATS coming off a loss.
Falcons are 1-4 SU/ATS in last five bowl games.
— Buffalo
Buffalo was 14-23 last 3 years; they’ve got a new coach now.
Bulls have 3 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Bulls have 69 returning starts on the offensive line.
Junior QB started two games at Old Dominion.
Last three years, Buffalo was 2-8 ATS as a home favorite.
Last three years, Buffalo was 6-15 ATS going off a loss.
In his time at Ball State, new coach Lembo was 19-12 ATS in road tilts.
Buffalo won/covered its last three bowl games.
— Central Michigan
Last two years, Chippewas went 4-8/5-7 SU.
CMU has 7 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Chippewas have no returning starts on the offensive line;\.
New QB is junior who started one game at Iowa.
Last two years, CMU is 2-7 ATS as a home favorite.
In his career, McElwain is 25-18-1 ATS as an underdog.
Last 10 years, Chippewas are 25-12 ATS as a road dog.
Chippewas are 1-4 SU/ATS in their last five bowls.
— Eastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan has gone to six bowls the last eight years.
EMU has 5 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Eagles have 47 returning starts on the offensive line.
Senior QB Snyder has started 25 games, at Rutgers/Buffalo.
Last three years, Eagles are 3-9 ATS as a home favorite.
EMU is 28-9-1 ATS in its last 38 games as a road underdog.
Eagles are 1-4 SU/3-2 ATS in last five bowl games.
Average total in EMU’s last four bowls: 64.3.
— Famous birthdays, July 10:
Lawrence Pressman, 85
Hal McRae, 79
Allie McGuire, 73
Andre Dawson, 70
Bob Thornton, 62
Sofia Vergara, 52
Jared Dudley, 39
Antonio Brown, 36
Lawrence Butler, 24
— Kent State
Kent was 1-11 LY, first year since Sean Lewis bolted.
Kent has 9 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Flashes have 87 returning starts on the offensive line.
Soph QB Ulatowski started 3 games LY, before he got hurt.
Last 10 years, Flashes are 20-31-1 ATS as a road underdog.
Last two years, Kent is 3-12-1 ATS in MAC games.
Last 10 years, Flashes are 4-8 ATS coming off a win.
Kent State is 1-3 all-time in bowls (last one in 2021).
— Miami, OH
Miami was 11-3 LY, winning MAC title, after going 40-40 from 2016-22.
RedHawks have 6 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Miami has 100 returning starts (4 starters back) on offensive line.
Senior QB Gabbert has 29 career starts.
Since 2018, Miami is 5-2 ATS as a home underdog.
Over last decade, RedHawks are 47-29-1 ATS in MAC games.
Miami is 7-3 ATS in last ten non-conference games.
RedHawks are 1-4 SU/5-0 ATS in last five bowl games.
— Northern Illinois
In five years under coach Hammock, NIU is 24-33 SU.
Huskies have 8 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Huskies have 113 returning starts on the offensive line.
NIU has new starting QB this year; LY’s backup was 0-4 as starter.
Under Hammock, NIU is 6-18 ATS as a favorite.
Under Hammock, NIU is 14-5 ATS as a road underdog.
Huskies are 4-16 ATS in their last 20 home games.
Huskies are 1-4 SU/2-3 ATS in last five bowl games.
— Ohio U
Ohio U went 20-7 last two years, winning both bowl games.
Bobcats have 2 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Bobcats have 57 returning starts on the offensive line.
Both of LY’s QB’s bolted to big $$ teams; junior QB Navarro has one start.
Since 2015, Bobcats are 8-3 ATS as a home underdog.
Since 2017, Ohio U is 31-21-1 ATS vs MAC opponents.
Since 2019, Bobcats are 7-12 ATS in non-conference games.
Ohio U is 5-0 SU/ATS in its last five bowl games.
— Toledo
Last 2 years, Toledo is 20-8, splitting pair of MAC title games.
Rockets have 4 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Rockets have no returning starts on the offensive line.
Junior QB Gleason has 2 career starts under center.
Since 2019, Toledo is 10-15 ATS as a home favorite.
Last two years, Rockets are 9-13 ATS as a favorite.
Last four years, Rockets are 9-5 ATS coming off a loss.
Toledo lost 4 of last 5 bowl games (underdogs 5-0 ATS)
— Western Michigan
WMU was 4-8 LY, 0-8 when they scored less than 35 points.
Broncos have 9 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Broncos have 92 returning starts on the offensive line.
Senior QB Wolff has 34 career starts, at WMU/Old Dominion.
In 87 years of NFL Draft, no WMU quarterback has been drafted.
Last two years, Broncos are 6-1 ATS as a favorite.
Last 10 years, WMU is 24-18 ATS in non-league games.
Favorites are 4-1 ATS in Broncos’ last five bowls.
Week 1 NFL spreads:
— Ravens @ Kansas City (-3, 47)
— Packers vs Eagles (-1.5, 48.5) (@ Brazil)
— Jaguars @ Miami (-3.5, 49)
— Steelers @ Atlanta (-2.5, 43)
— Vikings @ NJ Giants (-1, 41.5)
— Panthers @ New Orleans (-4.5, 40.5)
Quote of the Day
“I watched so much footage of Reggie coming off screens as a teenager. Especially his ability to make game-winning shots. That is the most inspiring thing to see as a shooter because he had no fear whether he made or missed the shot, he was going to live or die by it,”
Klay Thompson, on why he will honor Reggie Miller by wearing #31 in Dallas
Wednesday’s quiz
Where did Giants’ QB Daniel Jones play his college football?
Tuesday’s quiz
In the popular movie A Few Good Men, Kevin Bacon played the losing lawyer in the final courtroom scene.
Monday’s quiz
Dennis Eckersley owns the Oakland A’s record for most saves in a season.
*********************************************
Wednesday’s Den: MAC football preview……
Mid-American Conference football preview:— Akron
Akron hasn’t had a winning season since 2015.
Zips have 3 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Zips have 68 returning starts on the offensive line;
Junior QB Finley started 4 games, at NC State/Cal.
Last ten years, Akron is 16-35-2 ATS at home.
Under Moorhead, Zips are 12-8 ATS as an underdog.
Last two years, Zips are 4-20 SU, minus-23 in turnovers.
All-time, Akron is 1-2 SU/ATS in bowl games (last one in 2017).
— Ball State
Last three years, Ball State went 6-7/5-7/4-8.
Cardinals have 8 starters back on offense, only 1 on defense.
Cardinals have 81 returning starts on the offensive line.
Redshirt freshman QB Semonza started three games LY.
Last 10 years, Ball State is 11-20 ATS as a home favorite.
Last 10 years, Ball State is 9-15 ATS as a home underdog.
Last two years, Cardinals are 11-5 ATS in MAC games.
Cardinals are 1-4 SU/ATS in last five bowl games.
— Bowling Green
Falcons were 7-6 LY, their first winning season since 2015.
Bowling Green has 8 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Falcons have 90 returning starts on the offensive line;
Senior QB Bazelak has 29 career starts, at BG/Missouri.
Falcons were +9 in turnovers LY (minus-24 previous six years)
Since 2016, Bowling Green is 4-11 ATS as a home favorite.
Last three years, Bowling Green is 12-7 ATS coming off a loss.
Falcons are 1-4 SU/ATS in last five bowl games.
— Buffalo
Buffalo was 14-23 last 3 years; they’ve got a new coach now.
Bulls have 3 starters back on offense, 7 on defense.
Bulls have 69 returning starts on the offensive line.
Junior QB started two games at Old Dominion.
Last three years, Buffalo was 2-8 ATS as a home favorite.
Last three years, Buffalo was 6-15 ATS going off a loss.
In his time at Ball State, new coach Lembo was 19-12 ATS in road tilts.
Buffalo won/covered its last three bowl games.
— Central Michigan
Last two years, Chippewas went 4-8/5-7 SU.
CMU has 7 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Chippewas have no returning starts on the offensive line;\.
New QB is junior who started one game at Iowa.
Last two years, CMU is 2-7 ATS as a home favorite.
In his career, McElwain is 25-18-1 ATS as an underdog.
Last 10 years, Chippewas are 25-12 ATS as a road dog.
Chippewas are 1-4 SU/ATS in their last five bowls.
— Eastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan has gone to six bowls the last eight years.
EMU has 5 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Eagles have 47 returning starts on the offensive line.
Senior QB Snyder has started 25 games, at Rutgers/Buffalo.
Last three years, Eagles are 3-9 ATS as a home favorite.
EMU is 28-9-1 ATS in its last 38 games as a road underdog.
Eagles are 1-4 SU/3-2 ATS in last five bowl games.
Average total in EMU’s last four bowls: 64.3.
— Famous birthdays, July 10:
Lawrence Pressman, 85
Hal McRae, 79
Allie McGuire, 73
Andre Dawson, 70
Bob Thornton, 62
Sofia Vergara, 52
Jared Dudley, 39
Antonio Brown, 36
Lawrence Butler, 24
— Kent State
Kent was 1-11 LY, first year since Sean Lewis bolted.
Kent has 9 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Flashes have 87 returning starts on the offensive line.
Soph QB Ulatowski started 3 games LY, before he got hurt.
Last 10 years, Flashes are 20-31-1 ATS as a road underdog.
Last two years, Kent is 3-12-1 ATS in MAC games.
Last 10 years, Flashes are 4-8 ATS coming off a win.
Kent State is 1-3 all-time in bowls (last one in 2021).
— Miami, OH
Miami was 11-3 LY, winning MAC title, after going 40-40 from 2016-22.
RedHawks have 6 starters back on offense, 6 on defense.
Miami has 100 returning starts (4 starters back) on offensive line.
Senior QB Gabbert has 29 career starts.
Since 2018, Miami is 5-2 ATS as a home underdog.
Over last decade, RedHawks are 47-29-1 ATS in MAC games.
Miami is 7-3 ATS in last ten non-conference games.
RedHawks are 1-4 SU/5-0 ATS in last five bowl games.
— Northern Illinois
In five years under coach Hammock, NIU is 24-33 SU.
Huskies have 8 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Huskies have 113 returning starts on the offensive line.
NIU has new starting QB this year; LY’s backup was 0-4 as starter.
Under Hammock, NIU is 6-18 ATS as a favorite.
Under Hammock, NIU is 14-5 ATS as a road underdog.
Huskies are 4-16 ATS in their last 20 home games.
Huskies are 1-4 SU/2-3 ATS in last five bowl games.
— Ohio U
Ohio U went 20-7 last two years, winning both bowl games.
Bobcats have 2 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Bobcats have 57 returning starts on the offensive line.
Both of LY’s QB’s bolted to big $$ teams; junior QB Navarro has one start.
Since 2015, Bobcats are 8-3 ATS as a home underdog.
Since 2017, Ohio U is 31-21-1 ATS vs MAC opponents.
Since 2019, Bobcats are 7-12 ATS in non-conference games.
Ohio U is 5-0 SU/ATS in its last five bowl games.
— Toledo
Last 2 years, Toledo is 20-8, splitting pair of MAC title games.
Rockets have 4 starters back on offense, 4 on defense.
Rockets have no returning starts on the offensive line.
Junior QB Gleason has 2 career starts under center.
Since 2019, Toledo is 10-15 ATS as a home favorite.
Last two years, Rockets are 9-13 ATS as a favorite.
Last four years, Rockets are 9-5 ATS coming off a loss.
Toledo lost 4 of last 5 bowl games (underdogs 5-0 ATS)
— Western Michigan
WMU was 4-8 LY, 0-8 when they scored less than 35 points.
Broncos have 9 starters back on offense, 8 on defense.
Broncos have 92 returning starts on the offensive line.
Senior QB Wolff has 34 career starts, at WMU/Old Dominion.
In 87 years of NFL Draft, no WMU quarterback has been drafted.
Last two years, Broncos are 6-1 ATS as a favorite.
Last 10 years, WMU is 24-18 ATS in non-league games.
Favorites are 4-1 ATS in Broncos’ last five bowls.
