Service Plays Friday 6/18/10

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

The Rx.com Mod Team has created this Service Play sub-forum in order to supply an area for Rx Service Play Posters to expand upon their posting topics without creating a logjam in the main forum where the three principle threads are maintained..

Posters can track services here if they care to but we will need any trackers to do so in an accurate and civil manner. We did not create this area for posters to ridicule or bash any services..

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I will leave this thread open for a month to take questions and do my best to answer them. I will check in daily but am off on Wednesday and Thursday.

I hope this additional Service Play Forum will satisfy those posters that would like to widen the scope of topics relating to service plays and the industry in general to have their own threads. Mods will be liberal as possible regarding topics but this forum was specifically created to allow you more freedom to express your ideas regarding service plays and related subject matter. No off topic threads will be allowed.

Thank you, wilheim




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[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Streaking and Slumping Pitchers

Streaking
Jason Hammel, Colorado Rockies (4-3, 4.53 ERA)
The Rockies right-handed hurler is 3-0 in his last four trips to the mound, allowing only three runs in those starts. He’s posted back-to-back shutout efforts heading into Friday, most recently giving up just six hits in eight innings in a 1-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. He also has 22 strikeouts over those last four starts.
Scott Kazmir, Los Angeles Angels (6-5, 5.26 ERA)
Kazmir picked up his third straight win despite lasting only five innings in a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers last weekend. The southpaw struck out five batters, giving up only two runs on three hits. Kazmir has allowed just four runs in his last 117 innings of work but must watch his pitch count in his Wrigley Field debut.
Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals (2-0, 2.19 ERA)
While it’s tough to tag Strasburg as a true streaking pitcher after just two starts, there’s no denying just how stellar the Nats top prospect has been. He’s given up just four hits and three earned runs – two home runs – in his big-league debuts while striking out 22 batters in just over 12 innings of work.

Slumping
Joe Blanton, Philadelphia Phillies (1-5, 7.28 ERA)
The Phillies righty has been garbage in recent starts, giving up 23 earned runs in his last four trips to the mound. Blanton hasn’t won since mid May and is coming off a 10-2 shelling from the Boston Red Sox in which he gave up nine runs on 13 hits including two home runs in just four innings of action.

Debuting
Felix Doubront, Boston Red Sox (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
The left hander from Venezuela gets the nod for his first MLB start in place of the injured Daisuke Matsuzka. Doubront was 4-0 with a 2.51 ERA in Double-A and 2-1 with a slim 1.08 ERA in Triple-A this summer. He has been with Boston since 2005, making 109 minor league starts and boasting a 42-30 record with a 3.55 ERA.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Hot Lines: Today's best MLB bets

Cleveland Indians at Pittsburgh Pirates (-110, 8)
We wouldn’t want to be working in the Pirates’ sales department right now. How the hell would you be able to convince Pittsburgh citizens that this weekend’s series between their miserable Pirates and the equally poor Indians is worth paying to see?
Maybe you tell them this is a great chance to see their team beat the snot out of another MLB club. Now there’s something you don’t see every day.
This National League road trip couldn’t come at a worse time for Cleveland designated hitter Travis Hafner. The slugger hit .321 in May and has four homers and eight RBIs in his last seven games but manager Manny Acta says there’s no chance he’ll play any first base.
That means one of the Indians’ best hitters will be reduced to a situational pinch hitter.
Pick: Pirates

Oakland A’s at St. Louis Cardinals (-240, 8)
How crazy are things in Oakland these days? Well Conor Jackson, a corner outfielder or first baseman, hit leadoff for the A’s on Wednesday night.
Oakland manager Bob Geren doesn’t have a designated hitter spot to throw Jack Cust or Mike Sweeney in, so he was forced to put both in the outfield with Jackson in left and leading off.
“Obviously you’re going to get your opportunities in the three-, four – or five-hole to drive guys in,” Jackson told the San Jose Mercury News. “But I think my forte is getting on base and letting guys drive me in.”
He did just that early on against Cubs starter Ryan Dempster, leading off with a single and eventually scoring on a sac fly. Still, bettors shouldn’t feel overly optimistic about Oakland’s chances of putting up a lot of runs, especially with Chris Carpenter on the mound.
Pick: Under

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Lady Luck: Today's WNBA best bets

San Antonio Silver Stars at Phoenix Mercury (-6.5, 178.5)
The defending WNBA champs are once again playing their pace of up-tempo basketball. The Phoenix Mercury have regained their scoring touch over the past three games after a speed bump in early June.
The Mercury have averaged 102 points per game in their last three outings, including a 116-84 beating of the Tulsa Shock last weekend. Shockingly, that win was the first time Phoenix has won back-to-back games this season, improving to 5-5 on the season.
"We are getting a little sense on how good we can be," star guard Diana Taurasi told reporters. "We can't be complacent. We can't be happy with winning two in a row. But on the other side, it feels good to go out there and you know the hard work and kind of learning from our losses, putting them into playing games and seeing success."
While the Mercury have been terribly inconsistent, leading to a 4-6 mark against the spread, total bettors have made Phoenix one of their go-to plays. The Mercury are 7-1-2 over/under on the year and have topped the total in three straight games and four of their last five contests with the lone blemish being a push.
Pick: Over 178.5

Seattle Storm at New York Liberty (-1, 150)
The New York Liberty are gearing up for the WNBA’s top team. With the Seattle Storm and their talented frontcourt coming to MSG Friday, the Liberty added veteran forward Plenette Pierson in a trade with the Tulsa Shock earlier this week.
"We are delighted to have the opportunity to add another player with championship experience to our roster," Liberty president and general manager Carol Blazejowski told the media. "Plenette has proven to be an aggressive force in the paint during her professional career, and will help fortify our front court."
Pierson is averaging over 12 points per game this season and brings some championship experience from her days with the Detroit Shock to New York, which is trying to fight its way out of the Eastern Conference basement. The Liberty are just 4-5 on the season but have fought for bettors, posting a 3-1 mark against the spread in their last four games.
Pierson will come in handy against Seattle forward Lauren Jackson, who has led the Storm with more than 20 points and eight rebounds per game this year. Seattle will be coming off a tough game against the Indiana Fever Thursday before making the trip to the Big Apple for Friday’s contest.
Pick: New York -1

 

[ugk]

BASEBALL CRUSHER
PLAY OF THE DAY

Colorado -155 over Milwaukee

 

[ugk]

JOEY SPIKES
75 DIME St Louis Cardinals RL W/Carpenter Over Mazzaro & Oakland A's

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

AFL NEWS AND NOTES
AFL On The NFL Network: Jacksonville At Orlando

Jacksonville Sharks at Orlando Predators (+4.5)

Intrastate division foes collide on the NFL Network when the Jacksonville Sharks (7-2 SU, 5-4 ATS) head south to take on the Orlando Predators (4-4 SU, 5-3 ATS) Friday in this week’s Arena Football League game of the week.

The Sharks will make a 140-mile bus ride to Orlando Friday.

Prior Engagement

These clubs met in Week 3 with Jacksonville cruising to a 57-31 victory as 5-point favorites in the expansion team’s inaugural home game.

The Sharks’ defense harassed Orlando quarterback Nick Hill all night, forcing him into a pair of interceptions and only allowing three touchdowns through the air. Orlando’s stalled offense only managed 4.9 yards per play.

Aaron Garcia dissected the Predators secondary, completing 21-of-29 passes for six touchdowns – disbursing the scores to four different receivers. Jacksonville outscored Orlando 31-10 in the second and third quarters of the game.

What Have You Done For Me Lately?

Jacksonville defeated the Rush in Chicago two weeks ago to secure the best record in the AFL and roll into this matchup fully rested off a bye week. The Sharks also enjoyed a bye during Week 4 and defeated Tulsa at home in their ensuing game, 62-60, but failed to cover the spread.

The Sharks are only 3-2 SU and ATS on the road this season but 5-0 in the Sunshine State and 3-0 on the NFL Network.

Orlando comes into this game off a last-second, 53-52, home loss to Spokane. The offense was again inconsistent, averaging a paltry 5.4 ypp in that contest. The Preds posted 24 and 28 points in second and third quarters but were shutout in the first and final frames.

Despite having a lethal receiving corps to work with most of the year, Hill is still going through the growing pains of his first AFL season. The rookie signal-caller has tossed five interceptions in his last three games and has failed to throw an INT in only two of the team’s eight games this year.

Veteran cornerback Kenny McEntyre had some not-so-nice words to say about Hill following last week’s game and it could lead to a division in the locker room.

"There's no excuse to get beat by a bunch of Arena2 players,” McEntyre told the Orlando Sentinel. “Our quarterback has got to get a lot better. Not the offense, the quarterback. One (person) can't hold up the show."

Numbers Game

On paper, this is as big of mismatch as one might see in arena football.

The Sharks flaunt the top-ranked scoring (50.1 ppg) and passing defense as well as the No. 2 total defense (266.1 ypg) in the AFL. Jacksonville’s mark of 12.0 sacks ranks fifth-best among league leaders.

On the other end of the spectrum, Orlando ranks 13th in scoring offense (52.6 ppg) this season and give up 1.2 sacks per game. The Preds are second-to-last in third down conversion rate (43.3 percent) while J-Ville leads the league in that category, converting at a 57.8 clip.

Jungle Fever

Orlando’s arena, known as “The Jungle” around the league, has created one of the most dynamic home-field advantages for the better part of 20 years.

The cheerleaders are scantily clad, the fans are encouraged to get drunk and harass opposing players and the field is tailored to the home squad’s liking. The Predators use rounded endzones instead of the classic rectangular style which can create problems for visiting receivers who are forced to work in a more confined space.

"Rounded end zones are a defense's best friend," an AFL head coach once said.

Infirmary Report

Jacksonville will still be without wide receiver Sale Key who is on injured reserve until next week. Jason Willis returned from a broken arm two games ago and has replaced Key in starting rotation.

One of Orlando’s top receiving options, Bobby Sippio, missed last week’s game and was in street clothes the second half of the team’s prior matchup after suffering a shoulder injury. He hasn’t been placed on injured reserve but is questionable to play. The Preds did place their No. 2 wideout, Derrick Lewis, on IR this week so he will miss the next four games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

WNBA NEW AND NOTES
Don’t Sleep On The WNBA

So I’m talking to a guy who runs a scouting service for college coaches looking for high school girls to recruit–and he says he never watches the WNBA.

I didn’t pursue the reasons why, because he looked like one of those purists who hates the NBA, and thinks the college game is the pinnacle of the sport. I don’t need to go into that argument, and try to convince someone that just playing hard doesn’t necessarily equate to good basketball–after all, the girls on my high school team play pretty hard, but I still wouldn’t recommend that a random basketball fan pay $5 to watch us play.

But regardless of his reasons, it is simply foolish for anyone associated with women’s basketball to not pay attention the WNBA–and here a few reasons why:

1) It’s the best women’s basketball league in the world. The Euroleague, which brings together the top club teams from all the European countries, has some pretty good players, but they’re spread across a lot of teams, and the limitations on the number of Americans on each roster definitely dilutes the talent.

And though the WNBA doesn’t have all the top Euros, due to its relatively low salaries, there’s no doubt that the 11-woman rosters in the W are deeper and better than their counterparts in Europe, or anywhere else.
Which means, simply, that anyone who wants to know about what the best women’s basketball looks like needs to watch the WNBA. (It is true, however, that the coaching isn’t the best in the world–the best coaches, for the most part, follow the money and thus are in the NCAA.) A professional or semi-professional worker bee in women’s basketball, regardless of level, must be familiar with the WNBA.

There is one problem: On TV, the WNBA doesn’t look nearly as good as it actually is. To truly appreciate the level of play, it’s almost a necessity to be in the first few rows of a WNBA game–and then the strength, size, skill and physicality of the players becomes impossible to ignore.

Unfortunately, not many people can do that, and so when, for example, a talent evaluator used to watching high school players from the second row of the bleachers sees a WNBA game on TV, or from 40 rows up, it’s very hard for him to grasp how good the players really are.

2) It sets the standard. Those young players with serious ambitions in the sport absolutely must watch the WNBA, because there they’ll see what they must do to compete at the highest level. A 5-11 high school power forward may be all that in 3-D in summer basketball, but it won’t take many viewings of the WNBA to realize that there’s a very limited future for 5-11 power forwards–and that transitioning to the three sooner rather than later is an excellent idea.

More lessons: Smaller guards (anyone 5-9 or smaller) clearly must make three-pointers, and post players (6-3 or taller) must learn to love contact, and preferably initiate it.

A perceptive reader will note that most girls won’t make the WNBA – but first, who’s to say what 14-year-old will and what 14-year-old won’t. Angel McCoughtry was barely recruited out of high school, and was the top overall pick in the 2009 draft. Equally important, the best college players are preparing for the WNBA, and those are the players that young hopefuls will be playing against throughout their high school years.

So knowing the WNBA means knowing the competition, and that’s very valuable information, especially to someone who’s trying to evaluate high school talent.

3) It is crucial for the future of the sport. Because the WNBA is by far the most visible American professional team sport for women, it attracts young athletes into the game. Why would any great young female athlete choose lacrosse as her top sport? Sure, there are scholarships here and there, but there’s no money in it after college, and no fame or glory.

With the WNBA on TV most Tuesday nights in the summer, it’s pretty clear that there’s a future in women’s basketball, and a future that includes not only a salary, but national TV exposure. But should the WNBA disappear, all of a sudden that motivation disappears, and no longer is basketball more attractive than volleyball, softball, soccer, lacrosse or water polo.

So anyone who cares about women’s and girls’ basketball needs to pay attention, acknowledge and promote the WNBA, if only for the good of the game.

And what they’ll find, as they watch the league more and more, is that it can stand on its own as quality basketball, worth watching for its own sake–and played at a much higher level than NCAA teams can ever dream of.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

SOCCER NEWS AND NOTES
World Cup Rewind

It's still too soon in the tournament to draw any conclusions about the success of World Cup 2010. To this point, however, one point seems beyond contention.

The football has been just ordinary, if that.

There's still time for the tournament to be set ablaze, and historically, World Cups and Euro championships have often come alive after the initial cycle of first-round games. It's worth noting, however, that at a comparable point at the last World Cup in Germany, a total of ten more goals had been scored. And the action (or non-action) in South Africa has been the most tepid at a World Cup since the desultory event in Italy twenty years ago...a tournament so unappealing that we cannot bring ourselves to mention it anymore in this entry.

But early form does not always define World Cups. Indeed, action in 2002 at Japan & South Korea was so exciting for most of the first round that we swore we were witnessing perhaps the best-ever soccer tournament. Although the quality of play in Asia became progressively worse as that World Cup continued into the knockout phase, and by the end of that event any comparisons to World Cup 1970 or Euro 2000, the best other tournaments in the modern era, were not being mentioned.

So, there's still time for action in South Africa to come alive.

Nonetheless, things have not gone quite to plan in the dark continent's first-ever World Cup. Although no serious problems have yet arisen in South Africa, there are some aspects of the event and its organization that have been disappointing, if not a bit troubling. Attendance has been about 10-15% lower than anticipated; the sight of numerous empty sets at many venues is not a particularly pleasing one for FIFA or the South African organizing committee headed by Danny Jordaan. That shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, especially to anyone in Europe who might have been interested in attending the festivities.

Unlike the relative convenience of Germany, the last World Cup host, travel to and from South Africa is neither cheap nor convenient. It is one long haul to Johannesburg or Cape Town from any European locale, and airline companies have not exactly been offering discounts to travelers. To the contrary, they've instead been gouging foreign fans, just as the hotels in South Africa have been sticking it to their football fan guests. It’s nothing too different from any location during a major event, really, except that in this case it has acted as a deterrent for fans to make the long trip. The English contingent in South Africa is nowhere near as large as it was four years ago in Deutschland; ditto for the French, Italians, Spaniards, and, obviously, the Germans. Indeed, we are reminded by London-based Andy Korman, that it might be a good idea to simply hold every World Cup in Germany, considering the ease and convenience of transportation, the venues, and the accommodations. By comparison, South Africa is not convenient for anyone, except South Africans.

A more troubling development over the past week has to do with security at the matches. The independent security firm that was contracted by the World Cup to secure the venues has gone out on strike over a pay dispute, forcing the South African government to step in and provide security with local police and military personnel at the game venues. Some of these locations now are taking on the look of World Cup '78 in Argentina, where military and police presence was pervasive. This should bother no one as long as there are no holes or breaches in the security apparatus. Although nobody is talking much about it, rest assured all of the FIFA personnel and local organizers are holding their collective breath that nothing serious occurs between now and the conclusion of events on July 11.

Less serious, but more annoying, is the constant din at the venues created by the incessant cacophony of the vuvuzelas, the irritating horns that are a part of African, and especially South African, football culture. Although horn blowing is nothing new at football venues, it is taken to the extreme in South Africa, where thousands of fans come equipped with the horns, whose decibel count can reach levels dangerous to the human ear. Their collective wail can make for an utterly uncomfortable experience for fans, players, and broadcasters alike. Those on site have been complaining about the vuvuzelas from the outset, to the point where players themselves are annoyed as they make communicating on the pitch more difficult. Moreover, the horns have robbed the venues of normal atmosphere, often drowning out the usual oohs and aahs of the crowd, while also rendering useless the various chants of supporters that can add so much color and variety to the proceedings.

Not surprisingly, FIFA and Sepp Blatter in particular have come to the defense of the South Africans, responding to requests about their removal from the premises with a typical attack on what Blatter believes is a Euro-centered football mindset. "The outsiders have no right to expect the South Africans to Europeanize the venues," said the balding Swiss, ignoring the fact that not only Europeans, but North Americans, South Americans, and Asians are all just as annoyed by the vuvuzelas. But always expect Blatter to back the Africans, as their carved-up continent constitutes a powerful voting block within FIFA, collectively with more votes than any region. Blatter, whose ability to mine African votes, mostly with a promise to deliver a World Cup to the continent, was crucial to his election as FIFA president and continued support to stay in office, is always going to side with the South Africans in any debate. Thus, the vuvuzelas stay, although we have to wonder why they can't make them a bit quieter.

Still, there have been some other rather pleasant developments regarding this World Cup, especially in regard to the coverage in the states being provided by ESPN, which has pulled out all of the stops. We love the fact the network is using an all-British group of match commentators, especially the classy Martin Tyler, Sky Sports' number one match commentator in England but available for ESPN at the World Cup since Tyler's Sky does not hold the British broadcast rights to the Cup, those instead belonging to the BBC and ITV. Tyler thus becomes an invaluable addition to the ESPN team, although we were a bit surprised the network didn't include JP Dellacamera, one of its longtime soccer match commentators, on the "A" team (JP instead working on ESPN radio). Old friend Seamus Malin, also a past fixture on ESPN (and, at one time, NBC back in 1986) in past World Cups, is not involved at all this time, which we believe is a mistake by the network. Otherwise, however, we find little to complain about, with the addition of Wigan manager Roberto Martinez and ex-England international Steve McManaman as in-studio analysts particularly enlightening. Rudd Gullit and Jurgen Klinsmann also add a bit of gravitas to the proceedings, although neither is quite as informative as Martinez or McManaman. Also, adding former Scottish international Ally McCoist to the mix as a match analyst was a good move.

And, as always, for a more exciting alternative, you can always tune into the Spanish-language coverage on Univision TV for a different and colorful perspective on the proceedings.

Football enthusiasts in the states are also being treated to bonus analysis on the Fox Soccer Channel, which has also imported some talent from overseas to feature on its "Ticket to South Africa" daily highlight show. Like his colleague Martin Tyler, former Scottish international Andy Gray was a free agent for the World Cup with his employer Sky Sports being shut out of the coverage in England, but Sky has instead shipped Gray to its sister network in the states, Fox, and utilizes him alongside host Richard Keys, former US international Christopher Sullivan and former England international and Southampton ace Warren Barton (who is full-time in the states these days as an analyst for FSC) in a lively, informative chat session reviewing each day's matches and previewing the upcoming action. Gray, in particular, is a treat, and we think ESPN could have helped its coverage by luring Gray for the World Cup. What we really miss over here is the BBC coverage from England and analyst deluxe Alan Hansen, still our favorite football pundit of them all.

AFRICA NAY...ASIA YAY?

As for the football, we are a bit surprised that few (save Andy Gray) have yet started to talk about how disappointing the African teams in general have been in the tournament. Through Wednesday's action, only Ghana had scored a win, and even that was fortuitous, gifted a PK in the final 6 minutes due to a needless handball in the box by clumsy Serbia reserve Zdravko Kuzmanovic. Collectively, the African entries have looked much poorer than they did in Germany four years ago, with hosts South Africa perhaps the most disappointing, especially their 3-0 capitulation on Wednesday vs. Uruguay. There's now a very good chance South Africa will be the first host nation to fail to advance to the knockout phase. Moreover, the squad's performance has been limp, with no cutting edge in attack. Brazilian manager Carlos Alberto Parreira, disturbed at events in the Uruguay loss, is also facing a possible touchline ban for the final group match vs. France after his vehement complaints about the officiating in that 3-0 setback.

So far, however, World Cup 2010 has hardly been the advertisement for African football that is was supposed to be. It's a fact that five of the six African entries are coached by Europeans, and the sixth, Algeria's Rabah Saadane, is an Arab North African, a distinction made on the continent. Why are no other African coaches working for the national teams on their continent? It speaks to the acute lack of organization throughout the continent, reflective of societal problems in general. Each country has had plenty of time to develop home-grown coaches capable of leading their nations in the World Cup. Instead, a couple of the countries (Nigeria, with Swede Lars Lagerback, and Ivory Coast, with another Swede, Sven Goran-Eriksson) changed coaches in the run-up to Cup, with their new mentors barely having time to get to know their troops before the tournament commenced. Hardly the sort of showcase for African football that Sepp Blatter envisioned...at least to this point.

On the other hand, the surprise developments, at least through the initial cycle of games in the first round, has been the better-than-expected performances of the Asian sides. South Korea, in particular, was well worth its 2-0 win over disappointing Greece, and Japan's 1-0 win over Cameroon was also well-earned. The South Koreans still exhibited their trademark, tireless work rate, but also displayed a bit more patience than we're used to seeing. Japan similarly kept composed and extremely well organized when flustering the Indomitable Lions. Moreover, North Korea provided an even bigger stunner when keeping Brazil in check for most of Tuesday night at Ellis Park, keeping the samba boys off the board for 55 minutes before finally succumbing in noble fashion, 2-1. There's still work to do before advancing to the knockout phase, but to this point, we can safely say that all of the Asian entries, unlike their African counterparts, have been pleasant surprises.

Other noteworthy events from Wednesday action...

1) Switzerland shocks Spain...Using the road map provided by the USA in last June's Confederations Cup, the Swiss were able to pack their half of the field and neutralize favored Spain's slick passing game, effectively clamping down in the center of the pitch and forcing the Spaniards to instead attack from the wings. Meanwhile, Swiss attacked only rarely on the counter, converting one of two real advances thanks to Gelson Fernandes, while narrowly missing their other chance. Credit is due coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, whose well-organized defense and outstanding work in goal from Wolfsburg's Diego Benaglio were able to frustrate the Spaniards, who were a bit unlucky to at least not level matters when Xabi Alonso rocket from just outside the box shook the woodwork. Some observers are already beginning to compare Hitzfeld's Swiss to Otto Rehhagel's Euro 2004 winners from Greece, although we wonder how far Switzerland can really go with two of their top strikers (Basle's pair of Alexander Frei and Marco Streller) both injured.

As for Spain? Not time to panic just yet, but look for Vicente del Bosque to either introduce Sevilla winger Jesus Navas or Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas into the lineup a bit sooner, or perhaps start both, in the next match vs. Honduras. Striker Fernando Torres also doesn't have much more time to get back in the groove from his recent knee injury, after he looked a bit rusty coming on in reserve vs. the Swiss. Moreover, we have to wonder if GK Iker Casillas might be in a bit of trouble after bungling Switzerland's lone goal today. On the heels of a somewhat disappointing season at Real Madrid, some are wondering if del Bosque might be better served giving a look to Liverpool's Pepe Reina or Barcelona's Victor Valdes, both high-profile keepers. The problem, however, is Casillas' status as team captain: would del Bosque really bench him?

2) Chile over Honduras...We suspect Chile could regret not putting at least one or two more goals past Honduras, but the 1-0 win was a bit more impressive than it looked. Chile will likely get striker Humberto Suazo, the top scorer in CONMEBOL qualifiers, back in the lineup for an important encounter vs. Switzerland on Monday at Port Elizabeth that could guarantee passage to the second round for the winner.

3) Uruguay over South Africa...Rivaling Australia's whipping administered by Germany, and perhaps Greece's limp effort vs. South Korea, Bafana Bafana's abject capitulation vs. Uruguay was one of the worst efforts to date in the tourney. Even worse, GK Itumeleng Khune was sent off and will miss the group finale vs. France. South Africa is thus effectively reduced to hoping for a draw in Thursday's Mexico-France match to retain any hope of advancing, but even that appears asking a bit much from the hosts, who simply lack the ability to break down enemy defenses. As for Uruguay, Diego Forlan picked up where he left off in May at Atletico Madrid, scoring twice (including once from a PK), and serving notice that it is ready to advance to the KO phase.

 

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KICK 'N' PICKS

Friday's Best World Cup Bets

Germany (-667) vs. Serbia (+314, 2.5)

Serbia, once considered a dark horse to win the World Cup, are in serious danger of being eliminated. The White Eagles’ opening loss to Ghana has them in a sticky situation. They desperately need a win over the Germans, who whipped Australia 4-0, and they have to hope the Socceroos can draw or beat Ghana.

Serbia are considered a defensive side but the chances of keeping Germany off the board aren’t good, especially with 21-year-old Neven Subotic starting at CB for the suspended Aleksander Lukovic.

"Germany always do well in these tournaments, we are very aware of that," Serbia star defender Nemanja Vidic told ESPN Soccernet before the tournament started. "Their ability to always perform well on the biggest stage cannot be underestimated.

"People say they are the favorites to win the group, but I know we have quality as well, we believe in ourselves and we are not afraid of them."

Serbia will try their best to copy the formula Switzerland used to top Spain: stay back and take advantage of bad turnovers. Of course, Germany’s forwards have shown much better finishing touch than Spain’s.

Serbia won’t be able to keep Die Mannschaft off the scoreboard and they’ll be forced to open things up to strike back.

Pick: Over 2.5 (+110)


England (-353) vs. Algeria (+1488)

The English have a way of overacting a tad when it comes to soccer. The Three Lions finished with a 1-all draw against the second best team in their group and football fans in the UK were acting as if their team had already been eliminated from the tournament and disqualified from the 2014 World Cup.

On Friday Wayne Rooney and Co. will remind everyone that all these doomsday notions were premature. Algeria are the perfect side to play the part of a slump buster for the Three Lions.

The Desert Foxes lost 3-0 against Ireland a month ago in Dublin and they didn’t look much better in their 1-0 loss to Slovenia in their World Cup opener. UK based-paper The Telegraph points out that Algeria struggle defending, particularly with crosses.

England, with their talented wingers and Rooney in the middle, will take advantage of this weakness early and often.

Pick: England On The Spread (-1.5)

 

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Smart Analysis Sports


For Friday:

Seattle Mariners (-147) (2 units)

 

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gill alexander | MLB Money Line Fri, 06/18/10 - 7:05 PM

triple-dime bet 916 TOR (-120) BetUS vs 915 SFG

 

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NY Players Club

1 US/Slovenia DRAW +235.
1 US/Slovenia UNDER 2.5 goals
1 England -1.5

 

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shut em down sports 6/18

20* Chicago Cubs ML

 

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Comppicks 6/18

MLB
Tigers -1.5 (+105)
Rays -150
Cardinals -1.5 (-125)
Padres -150

Comppick (free pick)
Rangers -125

 

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SAM Picks

World Cup - 12:00 GMT
GERMANY - SERBIA take GERMANY to win
Bet365 odds: 1.62
Best odds: 1.85 Tipico


World Cup - 19:30 GMT
ENGLAND - ALGERIA take ENGLAND -1.5
Bet365 odds: 1.85
Best odds: 1.91 Tipico


World Cup - 15:00 GMT
SLOVENIA - USA take USA DNB
Bet365 odds: 1.5
Best odds: 1.51 Tipico

 

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Pro Tipster


Date Country League Event Our pick
18.06.2010 International World Cup Germany - Serbia Germany
18.06.2010 International World Cup England - Algeria England -1,-1.5
18.06.2010 International World Cup Slovenia - USA USA +0
Kick-off at 12:00 GMT

 

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CAPPERS ACCESS
Cubs

 

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GAMBLERS DATA
Blue Jays -125

 

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Joe Wiz's Daily Free Pick

Under 9 runs bet. Atlanta and Kansas City
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