Service Plays Friday 8/13/10

[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..

You can also discuss who is hot and who is not. The general state of the pay for plays industry and any other subject or topic related to service plays.

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Lastly The Rx Moderators are appealing to you our everyday posters to report any promotional threads or posts that are made by services or individual touts. No links or contact information to an individual service will be allowed. Just the name of the service. Please report any threads or posts that are promotional attempts by services and touts to use this forum to promote themselves..

Posters can easily report a promotional post by using the triangular Report-a-Post Icon at the bottom left of all post boxes. The poster name of any poster who reports a post that is out of line will be kept strictly confidential.

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]

CFL DUNKEL

FRIDAY, AUGUST 13

Game 443-444: Hamilton at Winnipeg (8:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Hamilton 107.506; Winnipeg 111.201
Dunkel Line: Winnipeg by 2 1/2; 57
Vegas Line: Winnipeg by 4; 54 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Hamilton (+4); Over

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Week 7 CFL games

Hamilton (2-4) @ Winnipeg (2-4)-- Bizarre schedule has these two clubs playing for 4th time already in Week 7, with home team winning the first three games. Bombers are 2-1 at home, scoring 49-47 points in wins vs TiCats and Eskimos- they lost 36-34 to Argos (they're scoring 43.3 ppg at home). Four of last five TiCat games stayed under total; Hamilton lost all three road games, by 20-23-13 points, giving up average of 41 ppg.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Canadian Bacon: Week 7 analysis and predictions

Friday

Hamilton Tiger Cats at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (-4.5, 54.5)

Believe it or not, this will be the fourth and final regular season game between these two teams. Winnipeg won easily in the first one, the Ti-Cats dominated the second showdown and the third one was a last-minute affair in favor of Hamilton.

The Blue Bombers fired kicker Alexis Serna and will now rely on 23-year-old Louie Sakoda. A huge challenge awaits him. This game could well be decided in the last minutes and a field goal might very well make the difference.

Quarterback Buck Pierce might be back under center for the Blue Bombers this week.

“I feel better” he said to journalists without speculating on is return.

Without a doubt, the Blue Bombers are bigger threats with an injured Pierce taking snaps, rather than Steven Jyles. But even if he is back, Pierce might not be enough against these hungry Tiger Cats.

Pick: Hamilton

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Baseball Crusher

MIN (-150) over OAK

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

craig masters

A's/ Twin's un 8

 

[mich26]

The Joker's Bet of the Day:

Back Over 2.5 Goals at 1.9 in Vasby United v Trollhattan

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NFL NEWS AND NOTES
What Bettors Need To Know: Friday's NFL Preseason Action


Buffalo Bills at Washington Redskins (-3.5, 32.5)


Why The Bills Will Cover

New head coach Chan Galey brings in a fresh focus. He had all the TVs from the team’s weight room removed and required the team to be in pads during every day of training camp. Competition for a starting spot between Trent Edwards, Harvard alum Ryan Fizpatrick and Brian Brohm will ensure solid play at quarterback for the entire game.

Why The Redskins Will Cover

The Redskins have a new coach as well in Mike Shanahan and with him the arrival of marquee quarterback Donovan Mcnabb, who is expected to play "somewhere in the area of 15 to 18 plays." After that, expect a focus on the run with Willie Parker, Larry Johnson and Ryan Torain all fighting for the No. 2 spot behind Clinton Portis

Notes And Trends

McNabb is having an influence on the masses, with popular opinion backing the Redskins. But the line has only seen slight half point moves. Chan Galey is 2-8 ATS in preseason, having coached the Cowboys in 1998 and 1999. Expect a lot of experimentation on defense, with both teams making the transition to the 3-4

Jacksonville Jaguars at Philadelphia Eagles (-3, +33.5)


Why The Jaguars Will Cover

A mediocre performance by the Jaguars defense in their mixed practiced with the Falcons earlier this week, might bode well for backers. After giving up several big plays, the team showed a bit of intensity with several skirmishes erupting.

"He was in my running mate Reggie's face, so that's what I'm here for,” corner Rashean Mathis told reporters after one of the fights. “I'm a veteran. I'm not going to let anybody jump on any of my guys on the defensive end of the ball."

With the coaching staff upset with the D, expect a higher than usual preseason effort.

Why The Eagles Will Cover

All eyes will be on Kevin Kolb for the regular season, but the preseason focus will be on first-round draft pick Brandon Graham, who is expected to see decent playing time at defensive end on Friday.

The Michigan alum has gone all out in training camp easily beating teammates in various drills. There was one quirky instance, where after intercepting Kolb in practice, Graham rushed into the endzone at full speed for a mock touchdown even though no one was in pursuit. Michael Vick has also been sharp running the second team in practice.

Notes And Trends

The Eagles were 0-4 ATS in preseason last year and they have not covered in a preseason opener since 2003. Jacksonville was 2-1-1 in preseason last year and it went 3-1 over/under. The line opened at -2.5 in favor of the Eagles and has moved to -3 at most sportsbooks.

Kansas City Chiefs at Atlanta Falcons (-3, 34.5)


Why The Chiefs Will Cover

Motivation is key in preseason games and with several position battles, expect a decent effort from the Chiefs.

"That's the fastest way for a team to improve -- competition within the roster,” coach Todd Halkey said. “Last year we didn't have that throughout the team. This year, I see it coming up with every group."

The rookies have also been impressive in training camp and even though safety Eric Berry, Dexter McCluster and Javier Arenas have moved up in the depth chart, they could possibly get more playing time than other veteran first and second stringers.

Why Atlanta Will Cover

What may be Atlanta’s misfortune could be preseason gold. No. 2 receiver Michael Jenkins injured his right shoulder and will be out four to six weeks, which opened up a receiving job. Battling for the spot will be Eric Weems, Brian Finneran, Harry Douglas and several others. So with most of their roster set, the added motivation from the wideout position could result in several big plays in the third and fourth quarters.

Notes And Trends

Popular consensus favors the home side but books have been hesitant to move the line. Kansas City was 0-4 ATS in last year’s preseason, but that could change with new coordinators Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel wanting to keep the Chiefs sharp before the regular season. A pair of former Alabama QBs will see playing time against each other with the Falcons John Parker Wilson and Chiefs backup Brodie Croyle.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NFL NEWS AND NOTES
NFL Betting – Preseason Week One Friday Night Previews


Friday Night Football – NFL Week One Pre-Season Matchups
As we head into the first full week of the 2010 NFL preseason there are some interesting position battles heating up on all 32 NFL teams.

Sunday’s Hall of Fame Game signaled the start of the 2010 preseason.

We’ve covered the Thursday games for Week 1 of the 2010 NFL preseason. Next up: the Friday games.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Philadelphia Eagles
Friday, August 13, 7:30 p.m. ET
NFL betting favorite: Eagles -3

Rapid Eagles fans want to see what Kevin Kolb can do but they’ll probably get their appetites only slightly wetted this Friday. Kolb is working hard in practice but Andy Reid will want to keep his crown jewel safe and limit his reps in the preseason.

That means Friday night could be the Michael Vick show. He’ll have some capable backups working with him in the offense – probably Jason Avant out wide and maybe Mike Bell at halfback.

David Garrard, Maurice Jones-Drew and Mike Sims-Walker all have job security but plenty of other Jaguars don’t. Troy Williamson should see some action as he tries to push Mike Thomas for the No.2 receiving job. Don Carey may even push Rashean Mathis at corner. And what about Tyson Alualu? We could see a revolving door of different Jags in action this Friday.

Buffalo Bills @ Washington Redskins
Friday, August 13, 7:30 p.m. ET
NFL betting favorite: Redskins -3

Believe it or not, this is one of the preseason games I’m most excited to see. The Bills are a nightmare but they’re deep at one position: running back. Dynamic rookie and first-round pick C.J. Spiller could get an extended look as the Bills assess what kind of workload he’s ready for. Their quarterback situation is also cloudy; Trent Edwards, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brian Brohm will battle for jobs this preseason.

Washington has some exciting questions to answer on offense as well. Who will emerge from the stable of veteran running backs that includes Clinton Portis, Larry Johnson, Ryan Torain and Willie Parker?

You can bet they’ll all run with purpose this preseason as they try to climb the depth chart.

Kansas City Chiefs @ Atlanta Falcons
Friday, August 13, 8:00 p.m. ET
NFL betting favorite: Falcons -3

Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons have high expectations for 2010 but most of their key position battles are solved; a few defensive spots are up for grabs and Sean Weatherspoon is working to win a starting linebacker job, but not a whole lot else is happening.

Kansas City, on the other hand, has plenty of questions to answer, largely because coach Todd Haley likes to play mind games with his “starters.” Even though Jamaal Charles was football’s best running back in the second half last season, he’s spent most of training camp behind Thomas Jones at tailback. Is the demotion simply a motivational tactic?

Friday will tell us a lot. If Charles doesn’t play much or at all, Haley was bluffing.

Look for rookie free safety Eric Berry to hit everything in sight and try to make a name for himself whenever he’s on the field against Atlanta.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Friday's Streaking And Slumping Starting Pitchers

Streakers

Jeremy Guthrie, Baltimore Orioles (6-11, 4.04 ERA)

Is it possible to be an ace pitcher with a 6-11 record? Jeremy Guthrie sure is making a case.

The right-hander has picked up a win in three of his past four starts and the last five times he has toed the rubber he is averaging seven innings and allowing only 1.20 earned runs. In his most recent outing, a 4-3 win over the White Sox, he allowed only one run over eight innings.

"Guthrie has as good an arm as there is in our league for a right-hander," Angels manager Mike Scioscia told the Associated. "He has good stuff, really good stuff.”

Jorge De La Rosa, Colorado Rockies (4-3, 5.01 ERA)

The Rockies might be slumping, but De La Rosa isn’t the reason for the team faltering.

The left-hander has lasted at least six innings in three of his past four starts and not allowed more than three earned runs over that span. In his most recent outing against Pittsburgh, he allowed three earned runs over 5.1 innings as he continued a string of solid starts.

One of the biggest reasons to believe in De La Rosa is that he is pitching to his strength: over his past four starts he has induced 47 ground ball outs compared to 23 through fly balls. When he keeps the ball on the ground, he can beat anyone.

Slumping

Marc Rzepczynski, Toronto Blue Jays (0-1, 7.15 ERA)

Somebody should just stay in the minors.

Rzepczynski was sent down to Triple-A Las Vegas after a horrid July that saw him tagged for nine earned runs and 17 hits over just 10.1 innings in a pair of starts. Now? He’s back for more punishment when he fills a hole in Toronto’s rotation in Los Angeles against the Angels.

In 72.2 career innings, he has allowed 34 earned runs on 69 hits with 32 walks.

R.A. Dickey, New York Mets (7-5, 2.65 ERA)

The 35-year-old knuckleballer has been the most consistent pitcher in the team’s rotation for the majority of the season – but then came a trip to Philadelphia last week.

Dickey couldn’t do anything right, getting tagged for a season-high six runs on eight hits over a season-low three innings in a loss to the Phillies. Even worse, he gave up a pair of homers and walked one against no strikeouts in his most recent stinker.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

HOT LINES

Friday's Best MLB Bets

Pittsburgh Pirates at Houston Astros (-165, 7.5)

The Pirates should have just skipped this road trip – or at least brought bigger bats. In nine games against Pittsburgh this season, Astros pitchers are 7-2 with a 3.42 ERA, throwing one complete game and adding four saves in some close games.

Even more hurtful, the Pirates have struck out 69 times against Houston pitching. But then again, Pittsburgh doesn’t do much damage against anyone on the road.

The Pirates are an MLB-worst 13-44 on the road this season. Away from PNC Park, Pittsburgh has scored an MLB-worst 169 runs and is second-to-last in batting average at .234. The Pirates also have a league-low .290 on-base percentage.

"It's tough. I've never really seen much like it," fired manager John Russell recently told the Associated Press. "We can't win on the road. I think it's got to become a mentality at some point for these guys that they need to rise to the occasion on the road more."

Even with Bud Black now at the helm, the results have remained the same. Expect it to continue in Houston.

Pick: Houston Astros


Arizona Diamondbacks at Washington Nationals (-108, 9)

The Arizona Diamondbacks are no strangers to seeing lots of runs. The Diamondbacks have seen the over hit in 10 of their past 12 road games and have a deadly combination of garbage pitching and sporadic hitting.

And when the Nationals trot out gas can John Lannan on Friday, the snakes will be ready for more fireworks. Arizona has scored 156 runs against left-handers this year, the fifth-most in the Majors. For the season, Arizona is batting .260 against South Paws with 38 home runs and 56 doubles.

Meantime, the Nationals have seen the over hit in five of their past six games as it is 7-2-1 over the team’s past 10. The Nats may have a pop-gun offense, but the squad is batting a solid .274 in their own park to go along with 51 homers and 14 triples.

"As good as we've been, we can do a lot better," Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman told the Associated Press. "It's exciting. If we can get rolling and scoring some runs, the way our pitchers have been throwing, we'll be a good team."

Pick: Over

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

WNBA NEWS AND NOTES
WNBA Friday Night Betting Preview

Liberty-Dream Preview

Since losing in Atlanta nearly three weeks ago, the New York Liberty have reeled off six consecutive victories to charge into the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race.

In a matchup between two teams vying for first place, the Liberty will try and match the franchise's longest winning streak and avenge that defeat when they visit the Dream on Friday night.

New York (17-11) is percentage points ahead of Atlanta (18-12) for second place in the East. Both teams are 1 1/2 games behind conference-leading Indiana and one-half game ahead of fourth-place Washington.

New York is 1-2 against Atlanta this year, and would lose the tiebreaker with a defeat.

The Dream can clinch a playoff spot with a win, but a loss would essentially end their chances of finishing in first with three games remaining after this one.

The Liberty's push for the top spot is somewhat surprising as they were 7-9 at the All-Star break. The club has won 10 of 12 since, but one of those defeats came in Atlanta on July 25, when New York was outscored 11-3 over the final 2:39 to lose 82-75.

The Liberty haven't fallen since, but they nearly blew a 12-point lead in Sunday's 74-72 victory in Minnesota.

New York led 63-51 with 9:28 to play before the Lynx scored 11 straight in less than 3 minutes to pull within one. Minnesota was never able to tie the score or take the lead but had several opportunities.

The Liberty, who haven't won seven in row since 2001, need to do a better job of closing games out, having been outscored by nine points in each of their last two fourth quarters.

"There are areas where we have to be better," said Nicole Powell, who had a team-best 21 points Sunday. "To play well in the playoffs, we can't make the mistakes we made (Sunday). There are a lot things we have to improve on if we want to be playing at the level we think we can."

The Dream also need to do a better job of protecting late leads.

Atlanta's victory over New York late last month started a four-game winning streak, but the Dream have since dropped their last three. In Tuesday's 80-70 loss to WNBA-best Seattle, the Dream led by two with 3:39 remaining, but was outscored 13-1 the rest of the way. They had similar trouble in Indiana last Friday, leading by four with 3 minutes to play before losing 95-93.

"We have to keep our leads, and down the stretch we have to make those chip shots," said Angel McCoughtry, who had with 16 points Tuesday, but missed 16 of 19 shots.

McCoughtry, the league's second-highest scorer at 21.5, had 28 against the Liberty in July. New York's Cappie Pondexter, fourth in the league with an average of 20.8 points, also scored 28 in that game.

Lynx-Mystics Preview

The Minnesota Lynx and Washington Mystics currently own the last playoff spot in their respective conferences, but teams are in close pursuit with less than two weeks remaining in the regular season.

Both will look to increase their chances of solidifying a postseason spot when Minnesota visits Washington on Friday night.

The Mystics (17-12) are coming off an 84-74 victory over Phoenix on Tuesday that moved them three games ahead of Connecticut for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Crystal Langhorne had 23 points and 10 rebounds and Monique Currie scored 17 as Washington improved to 10-4 at home.

"We wanted to make sure that we were coming out in the third quarter and not giving up a little or momentum right off the bat," said Katie Smith, who finished with 12 points. "I thought everybody was locked in about we needed to get done."

The Lynx (11-18) don't have as much breathing room in the West. With their last-second loss to Los Angeles on Thursday night, Minnesota fell into a tie with San Antonio for the final playoff spot. Both teams are one-half game ahead of the Sparks.

Tina Thompson sank a 17-foot buzzer-beater to lift the Sparks a 78-77 win after Lindsey Whalen hit a pair of free throws with 1.1 seconds remaining to give the Lynx a short-lived lead.

Charde Houston scored 24 points off the bench for Minnesota, and Rebekkah Brunson added 17 and 14 rebounds for her 12th double-double of the season as the Lynx fell to the Sparks for the third time this season. The loss gives Los Angeles the playoff tiebreaker over Minnesota.

"It was an emotional win for them and a devastating loss for us," Minnesota assistant Jim Petersen said. "We just have to pick up the pieces and make up for this. These games are playoff basketball for us."

Before their game Thursday, the Lynx announced that Whalen signed a multiyear contract extension. The team traded for Whalen before the season and the University of Minnesota star and Minnesota native is averaging 11.9 points and 5.6 assists in her first season playing in front of her hometown fans.

Her home debut came in the only meeting between the Lynx and Mystics this season.

Currie scored 27 points as Washington spoiled Whalen's first game at the Target Center with an 87-76 victory over the Lynx on May 26.

Whalen finished with 12 points and seven assists, but the Lynx squandered a 15-point second-quarter lead and faded in the second half. Smith, a Former Lynx star, added 16 points for the Mystics.

Minnesota will be trying to win its season-high third straight on the road.

Mercury-Fever Preview

The Indiana Fever opened last week's road trip with a slight lead in the Eastern Conference. They return to Conseco Fieldhouse looking to maintain their slightly larger cushion.

Indiana goes for a season sweep when it faces the slumping Phoenix Mercury for the second time in six days Friday night.

Two days after moving percentage points ahead of Atlanta with a 95-93 home win, the Fever (19-10) took a one-half game lead over the Dream with a 104-82 victory at Phoenix on Sunday.

In the teams' first matchup since the WNBA finals, Indiana outscored the defending champions 30-12 in the fourth quarter while holding the Mercury (14-15) more than 15 points below their league-leading average.

Tamika Catchings led Indiana with 24 points and 10 rebounds. The Eastern Conference player of the week then helped the Fever extend their East lead to 1 1/2 games Tuesday, scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 boards in an 82-76 win at Los Angeles. Atlanta fell 80-70 to Seattle the same day.

"Every victory is critical," said Fever coach Lin Dunn, whose team has dropped two of three at home. "Every game is must have."

Coming off back-to-back losses and trying to hold off three teams for the second seed in the West, the Mercury know it.

Phoenix, which had its season-high four-game winning streak snapped Sunday, lost 91-82 to Chicago on Tuesday to begin a four-game trip. The Mercury shot 42.4 percent, committed 16 turnovers and were outscored 16-2 to end the third quarter as they lost to the Sky for the first time in 10 matchups.

"We missed some shots and had too many turnovers," said coach Corey Gaines, whose team plays four of its final five games on the road.

Mercury guard Diana Taurasi, the league leader with 23.6 points per game, had 21 against Indiana on Sunday. She returns to Conseco Fieldhouse for the first time since scoring 16 in a 90-77 victory in Game 4 that prevented Indiana from winning its first championship.

Fever guard Katie Douglas had her worst game of the finals in that matchup, scoring seven points and shooting 2 of 14. Douglas, though, hit 11 of 17 from the field and scored 28 with a season high-tying six assists at US Airways Center on Sunday.

Indiana will try to sweep the season series from Phoenix for the second time in three years.

Storm-Sun Preview

Having clinched the top overall seed, the Seattle Storm's biggest objective over the final week of the regular season is making sure everyone is rested for the playoffs.

The Connecticut Sun don't have the same luxury.

Needing a massive push to make the postseason, the fading Sun will try to take advantage of a Storm team that will likely be resting its starters Friday night.

Seattle coach Brian Agler was planning to rest his starters in the second half Tuesday against Atlanta, but when the first five struggled in the opening minutes, he quickly went to his bench. The starters played most of the second half, and the Storm (25-4) finished on a 13-1 run to win 80-70 and lock up the top seed for the playoffs.

"Even though we're fortunate (to clinch the No. 1 seed)," Sue Bird said. "We don't want to lose our purpose and not finish the season the right way leading into the playoffs."

Although Seattle wants to finish the regular season playing at a high level, having everybody healthy is Agler's biggest concern. Last year, two-time MVP Lauren Jackson missed the final six games of the regular season and all of the playoffs with a stress fracture in her back, and the Storm were eliminated in the conference semifinals.

"We want to be healthy," Agler said. "We've experienced not being totally healthy in the playoffs and that is a tough road to hoe."

Jackson, third in the league in scoring with an average of 21.1 points, could see limited playing time after spraining her left thumb earlier this month.

That could open up space for Connecticut center Tina Charles.

The No. 1 overall pick had her hands full trying to stop Jackson in last Thursday's 83-82 loss to Seattle. Charles finished with 23 points and seven rebounds, but Jackson, an eight-time All-Star, scored 31 with eight boards.

That loss was especially tough for the Sun (14-15), who led by five with 3 1/2 minutes to go.

Connecticut comes in trailing fourth-place Washington by three games for the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot with five to play. One glimmer of hope for Connecticut, losers of five of six, is it holds the tiebreaker with Washington.

"We just have to control what we can," Renee Montgomery said after Tuesday's 84-74 loss to the Mystics. "We just have to handle things on our end and wait and see what happens."

Montgomery had a team-high 17 points while Charles finished with 15 and 15 rebounds for her 19th double-double, tying the WNBA single-season record set by Natalie Williams in 2000.

Shock-Silver Stars Preview

If the San Antonio Silver Stars are going to advance to the postseason for the fourth straight year, they'll have to play better at home. Avenging an AT&T Center loss to the WNBA-worst Tulsa Shock would be a good place to start.

San Antonio looks to snap a four-game home skid as it meets Tulsa for the final time this season Friday night.

The Silver Stars (11-18) are battling Minnesota and Los Angeles for the final Western Conference playoff spot, and San Antonio appears to have the advantage with four of its final five games at home.

The Silver Stars, though, have not won at the AT&T Center since July 18. They shot 4 of 22 from 3-point range and 8 of 15 from the foul line in a 73-66 home loss to the Lynx on Tuesday.

"We haven't been playing our best ball at home, but we should be taking advantage of that in front of our home fans," coach Sandy Brondello said. "But we'll learn from that and we're moving forward. We have a big game Friday against Tulsa.

"There are still five games to go in the season so every game counts and we'll treat every game like a playoff game. We know we had a tough loss against Tulsa last time they played here so we just have to refocus ..."

The Silver Stars took the first two meetings of the season with the Shock (5-24), but lost 75-70 at home July 16 as Tulsa avoided a franchise record-tying 13th consecutive loss.

The Shock have dropped six in a row on the road since that victory, falling 111-65 at Seattle on Saturday in the most lopsided defeat in WNBA history.

Coach Nolan Richardson's team has lost nine of 10 and 21 of 23.

"There's not much you can say when you get beat by (nearly) 50," Shock forward Nicole Ohlde said. "... We just got ourselves in a hole and it just kept getting worse and worse."

Guard Ivory Latta, leading the Shock with 12.0 points and 4.1 assists since re-signing with the club last month, has averaged 17.0 points and shot 8 for 10 from 3-point range in two games versus the Silver Stars this season. Latta made a season-high five 3s and scored 15 points at San Antonio last month.

Becky Hammon, who had a team-high 22 points in a 101-85 victory at Tulsa on July 30, is averaging 17.3 points and 4.3 assists against the Shock in 2010.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

LADY LUCK

Friday's Best WNBA Bets

Phoenix Mercury at Indiana Fever (-4.5, 185.5)

The Mercury are clinging to the second spot in the Western Conference after dropping back-to-back outings.

Phoenix lost its second game in a row, 91-82, to the Chicago Sky on Tuesday, failing to cover as a 2-point road underdog.

The Mercury have struggled with turnovers in the past two games, coughing the ball up a total of 30 times, including 13 times in a 104-82 blowout loss to the Indiana Fever last Sunday.

"We missed some shots and had too many turnovers," a flustered Mercury coach Corey Gaines told reporters after Tuesday’s defeat.

Phoenix’s frustration has boiled over during this small skid. Star guard Diana Taurasi swung an elbow into the face of Indiana forward Jessica Davenport last Sunday. Davenport suffered a broken nose and Taurasi was fined by the league. Taurasi was then tossed from Tuesday’s loss due to technical fouls after getting into it with Sky forward Mistie Bass.

There will be no love lost between these two clubs Friday night in Conseco Fieldhouse.

Pick: Indiana Fever


Seattle Storm at Connecticut Sun (-2, 157.5)

The Seattle Storm have wrapped up home-court advantage for the WNBA playoffs and head into Connecticut to face a team scrounging for a postseason spot on Friday night.

The Sun showed their desperation in an 83-82 loss to the Storm last week, covering as 9.5-point road underdogs. Connecticut has just one win in its past six outings, coming away with a 2-4 ATS mark in that span.

Seattle, on the other hand, can start looking ahead to the playoffs and rest its star players. The Storm clinched home court with an 80-70 win over the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday, improving to 25-4 with a 16-11-2 record against the spread.

"We want to be healthy," Seattle head coach Brian Agler said. "We've experienced not being totally healthy in the playoffs and that is a tough road to hoe."

The Sun have won seven of their past 10 meeting with the Storm, splitting the past four matchups and going 2-2 ATS in those games. With Seattle taking its foot off the gas and Connecticut still driving for a playoff shot, expect a solid effort from the Sun on Friday night.

Pick: Connecticut Sun

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

CFL NEWS AND NOTES
CFL Betting: Fourth Time's The Charm for Hamilton And Winnipeg

If the Blue Bombers and Tiger-Cats haven't figured each other out by now, they never will. The CFL betting teams meet for a fourth time on Friday at Winnipeg's Canad Inns Stadium.

It isn't often that two teams end up playing each other four times in the span of two months, but that's what is happening for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers when they meet at Canad Inns Stadium on Friday the 13th.

The good news for both of these teams is that they would both be in the playoffs if they started today. The bad news is that they only have a combined four wins, just one of which has come against another team in the CFL.

Kevin GlennSo far in 2010, the home teams have ruled the day. The Bombers opened up the season with a shocking 49-29 upset of the Tabbies at home. Since then, Hamilton has won 28-7 and 29-22 at home.

The winning team will move a game ahead of the other. Should the Ti-Cats spring the mild upset, they will have won the season series and the tiebreaker, effectively giving them a game and a half lead on Winnipeg for the last playoff spot in the East Division. The loser will drop back into the gutter in the division and be fighting for a crossover postseason spot.

Hamilton is still having major problems with its ground attack, which is putting all sorts of pressure on QB Kevin Glenn and the passing game. Glenn has thrown the second most passes in the CFL with 218, and he is second in the league in yardage with 1,886. Throwing 11 TDs against four picks is good for a 101.2 QB rating, the second highest amongst starters in the CFL.

Glenn would be nowhere without the play of WR Arland Bruce, though. Bruce is simply on fire right now. He leads the CFL by a country mile in receptions (43) and yards (680), and his four TD grabs puts him just one off of the league lead. Last week, Bruce had 11 catches for 197 yards and a TD. Two weeks ago, he went for 272 yards and two TDs on 16 catches. Three of his six games have resulted in at least seven catches and at least 100 receiving yards.

As for that woeful running game, changes may need to be made. DeAndra Cobb has only rushed for 249 yards this year, putting him at dead last in the league for starting running backs and just barely in front of some of the quarterbacks. Cobb's 4.0 YPC average remains the worst in the CFL.

On the other side of the ball, the Bombers are going to be facing a defense which has allowed the second most points in the East Division. This could be the week that QB Buck Pierce comes back to the lineup after a brief absence. Statistically speaking, both Pierce and reserve QB Steven Jyles have comparable numbers, which could make for some controversy should the incumbent come back into the lineup and struggle.

Regardless of who is under center, RB Fred Reid is going to be a focal point for the offense. Reid is averaging 6.6 YPC this year, the second best in the CFL amongst running backs, and even though he has just two TD runs, his 451 yards on the ground is fourth in the league.
The Bombers have only picked off five passes all season long, which could provide a bit of a challenge against a solid Hamilton aerial assault.

The victory both SU and ATS for Hamilton moved it to 3-1 in both categories over the last four games with the Blue Bombers.

However, the trend to take note of might just be the 'under.' Bettors taking the low side of the CFL betting total are 11-4 in Winnipeg's last 15 games played in the month of August and is 24-8 in its last 32 games played on Friday nights.

For Hamilton, the 'under' has also been golden, as it is 39-15-1 in its last 55 Friday games. Since the opening game of the year between these teams, both duels have stayed 'under' the number.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

BETTORS' TIPS AND NOTES
Bettors' Best Friend (BBF): Friday's Wagering Tips

Lines To Keep An Eye On

Orioles at Rays: The hosts opened at -210 with some books but now are down to around -191.

Buffalo at Washington: Total opened at 33 but is down to 32.5 in most markets.

Jaguars at Eagles: The Eagles opened as -2.5 favorites but have moved to -3 at most books.

Weather To Watch

Diamondbacks at Nationals: 30 percent chance of thunderstorms with a 15 mph wind blowing in from right center field.

Tigers at White Sox: An 11 mph wind will be blowing in from left center field.

Yankees at Royals: 30 percent chance of thunderstorms with a 12 mph wind blowing across the diamond toward third base.

Phillies at Mets: 30 percent chance of rain with a 13 mph wind blowing in from right center field.

Dodgers at Braves: 30 percent chance of thunderstorms.

Who's Hot

The over is 7-1 in the Fever’s past eight games overall.

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan is 41-19 all-time in the preseason.

Orioles are 8-1 since the hiring of manager Buck Showalter.

Who's Not

Chiefs coach Todd Haley is 0-4 all-time in the preseason.

Tulsa is 2-6 ATS in its past eight games overall.

The Cubs are 2-12 in their past 14.

Key Stat

2 – Times this season a team has stolen at least six bases against the Yankees. New York has an MLB-high 14 errors from their catcher position this year and have allowed 68 stolen bases while preventing just 19 thefts.

Injury That Shouldn't Be Overlooked

Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez was arrested and charged with third-degree assault for allegedly attacking his father-in-law near the family lounge at Citi Field. The result is the pitcher getting put on the restricted list for two games and possibly missing more. Even when he does come back, the fragile mental state of the closer likely is to be compromised, pushing an already overworked bullpen into the danger zone. Rodriguez has 25 saves and a 2.24 ERA over 56.1 innings this season. "They told me about it when we were on the way to our house," Mets shortstop Jose Reyes told MLB.com. "He was arrested, I guess. He's my teammate. He's our closer, so I don't want to see that kind of stuff happen. But I don't know what the problem was with his family. I can't talk about it too much."

Game Of The Day

San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants (-126, 7.5)

Notable Quotable

"There's not going to be any football. If there's a lockout, I have to find a job. I figure the Nuggets will be a better choice because of the welcome home cheer I'll get -- a couple of boos at first. I'm gonna get with a basketball coach and get to work, prepare for the lockout." – Miami Dolphins receiver Brandon Marshall on what he would do next fall if there is a lockout.

Tips And Notes

The Braves has some serious reshuffling of the lineup to do. Third baseman Chipper Jones will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL after trying to make a difficult throw from the hot corner that had him twist his leg awkwardly. This means that the Braves will lose a .265 hitter with 10 homers and 46 RBI. In his place the team will have to platoon Omar Infante and Brooks Conrad at third. This is a huge loss of power for a team already lacking pop, ranking just 20th in all of baseball with 101 homers this season. Keep a close look at the totals in the upcoming days.

When New York and Atlanta get together during the WNBA season, points are a given. In three meetings this year, the teams have combined to score at least 157 points in each game. However, most books have the total listed at an astronomical 163. Both teams are coming off at least three days of rest and this game is huge for playoff positioning in the ultra-tight Eastern Conference standings. Each squad also is holding opponents to below 42 percent shooting over their past five games. The teams will press, but each are rested, playing better defense and have a bundle of points to play with. Watch the under.

Look for a lot of running out of the Chiefs on Friday night against Atlanta. Kansas City has named the newly acquired Thomas Jones the starter, while incumbent Jamaal Charles and rookie Dexter McCluster wait in the wings. McCluster is listed as a receiver but took a bunch of snaps at tailback during practice earlier in the week. With a young offensive line and starters expected to play just a handful of series against the Falcons, look for Kansas City to use its stable of running backs to establish a more firm pecking order and keep the total below 34.5.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

GREEK SPORTS PICKS

FREE NFL PLAY
Atlanta Falcons -3

PREMIUM MLB PLAY 1 OF 2
LA Angels (Kazmir) -130

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Friday, August 13

Hot pitchers
-- Saunders has a 3.10 RA in his last four starts.
-- Volquez is 1-0, 1.54 in his last couple starts.
-- Phillies are 5-1 in last six Hamels starts (1-1, 1.94). Dickey is 4-1, 1.78 in his last five starts.
-- Hudson is 4-0, 0.63 in his last four starts.
-- Myers is 3-1, 2.47 in his last six starts.
-- Gallardo is 2-0, 0.75 in his last two road starts.

-- Guthrie is 3-1, 2.02 in his last five starts. Shields is 2-0, 1.29 in his last two starts at the Trop.
-- Hunter is 6-0, 2.91 in his seven home starts.

Cold pitchers
-- Lannan is 1-3, 8.01 in his last six starts.
-- JJohnson is 0-1, 4.35 in his last three starts.
-- Kuroda is 0-2, 5.29 in his last three starts.
-- Ohlendorf is 0-2, 5.21 in his last five starts.
-- Westbrook is 0-2, 4.00 in his last four starts.
-- Diamond is 0-2, 8.00 in his first two MLB starts.
-- de la Rosa is 1-2, 6.89 in his last six starts.
-- Richard has an 8.18 RA in his last six starts. JSanchez is 1-1, 5.79 in his last four home starts.

-- Carmona is 1-2, 7.41 in his last three starts. Pauley is 0-4, 4.74 in his five starts this year.
-- Beckett has a 6.55 RA in his last four road starts.
-- Bonderman is 1-1, 5.73 in his last four starts. Buehrle is 1-1, 5.03 in his last three starts.
-- Davies is 1-1, 4.91 in his last four starts. Moseley is 1-1, 4.05 in his two starts for Bronx.
-- Pavano is 9-1, 2.72 in his last dozen starts. GGonzalez is 3-1, 2.65 in his last five starts.
-- Kazmir is 0-4, 9.16 in his last four home starts. Rzepczynski is 0-1, 7.84 in two starts this season.

Totals
-- Six of last eight Saunders starts stayed under the total.
-- Six of last nine Florida road games went over the total.
-- Six of Phillies' last eight games went over the total.
-- Under is 9-2 in last eleven Hudson starts.
-- Six of last nine Pittsburgh games went over the total.
-- Seven of last eight Cub road games went over the total.
-- Over is 5-2-1 in last eight de la Rosa starts.
-- Over is 12-1-1 in last 14 JSanchez starts. Last eight Richard starts went over the total.

-- Three of last four Pauley starts stayed under the total.
-- Six of last seven Baltimore games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 3-1-1 in last five Hunter starts.
-- Six of last seven White Sox games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 10-2 in Kansas City's last twelve games.
-- Under is 6-1-1 in last eight GGonzalez starts.
-- Four of last five Toronto games went over the total.

Hot Teams
-- Marlins are 12-6 in their last eighteen road games.
-- Phillies won eight of their last ten games.
-- Braves are 8-3 in last 11 home games.
-- Arizona won six of its last eight games.
-- Cardinals won five of their last six games.
-- Rockies won five of their last six games at Coors Field.
-- Padres won last four games, allowing seven runs. Giants won eight of their last ten home games.

-- Rays won 14 of their last 18 home games. Orioles won eight of their last ten games.
-- Rangers are 6-3 in their last nine home games. Red Sox won seven of last ten road games.
-- Twins are 14-4 in their last eighteen games.
-- Bronx is 16-6 in its last 22 road games.
-- Angels won five of their last six games. Blue Jays won six of last nine games.

Cold Teams
-- Nationals lost six of their last seven games.
-- Reds lost six of their last eight home games.
-- Mets are 9-10 in last 19 home games; overall, they've lost eight of last 10 games where the other team scored (four of last six wins shutouts).
-- Dodgers are 2-11 on road since All-Star break. .
-- Astros lost six of their last seven games. Pirates lost their last seven road games.
-- Cubs lost 13 of their last 15 games.
-- Brewers lost three of their last four games.

-- Indians lost five of their last seven games. Mariners lost 10 of their last 11 road games.
-- White Sox lost five of their last seven games. Tigers lost seven of last nine games.
-- Oakland is 3-6 in its last nine road games.
-- Royals lost their last five games, scoring 11 runs.

 

[BiggDogg5n2]

[FONT=&quot]BPO SPORT CORP[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]HKC
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]9:10pm[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
Current Line: Milwaukee Brewers -110

HKC 10-3 System Play, HKC 9-0 System Play, HKC 12-4 System Play

COLORADO is 20-7 (+11.8 Units) against the money line in home games vs. poor baserunning teams - averaging 0.5 or less SB's/game this season.
The average score was COLORADO 6.5, OPPONENT 4.4

COLORADO is 7-2 (+4.8 Units) against MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons in Colorado.

GALLARDO is 0-3 when starting against COLORADO with an ERA of 7.40 and a WHIP of 1.742.His team's record is 0-4 (-5.0 units) in these starts.

COLORADO is 70-34 (+19.5 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 8.5 to 10 over the last 2 seasons.
The average score was COLORADO 5.9, OPPONENT 4.3

[FONT=&quot]Play Colorado Rockies +104 HKC 3* (LISTED Gallardo and De La Rosa)[/FONT]


10:05pm
Current Line: LA Angels -124

HKC 129-52 System Play, HKC 50-27 System Play, HKC 34-17 System Play

Play On - Home teams when the money line is +125 to -125 (LA ANGELS) - stranding 6.9 or less runners on base per game on the season, after scoring and allowing 3 runs or less last 2 games.
(35-15 over the last 5 seasons.) (70%, +20.5 units)

KAZMIR is 9-0 (+10.7 Units) against the money line in home games vs. terrible speed teams - averaging 0.35 or less SB's/game since 1997. (Team's Record)
The average score was KAZMIR 6.7, OPPONENT 3.7

KAZMIR is 17-4 (+13.1 Units) against the money line in home games in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
The average score was KAZMIR 6.1, OPPONENT 4.3

LA ANGELS is 5-1 (+4.0 Units) against TORONTO this season.

[FONT=&quot]Play LA Angels -124, HKC 3* (LISTED Rzepczynski and Kazmir)[/FONT][/FONT]

 

[BrockLanders]

John Harrison

Twins -150 (3 UNITs)

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

808 sports picks mlb

Free Pick Angels Over9.