Service Plays Saturday 6/19/10

[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.

You can also create individual threads about specific services and discuss them freely but civilly. Again bashing and abusive treatment of any services will not be tolerated.

Please remember, this forum is not here for regular posters who cap their own games to post ther daily plays. Please use our individual sport forums to post your plays. Professional cappers (those that sell plays) must remain in the Site Promotion Forum.

The Rx.com will not tolerate posters that post false records of any services they track. Please be truthful if you decide to track a particular service.

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




TheRX.com Policy on Posting Handicapper Plays:
In the poster agreement that all posters agree to when signing up, posters have agreed to NOT post copyrighted information.
Some handicappers do not mind having their plays posted, If we are asked by any company to not let their information be posted here, we will comply with the request and remove the information if we see it.
For The Record.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To all services and professional handicappers. I am only going to be editing posts where your copyrighted write-ups are involved. Please do not email me if someone simply posts so and so likes xyz team plus or minus so many points only.
Thank you, wilheim.......

We have received requests from the following companies:
Apple Handicappers
PlusLineSports- Do not post
PowerPlay Wins
Pregame.com
The Real Animal
THELOCKOFTHEDAY
Right Angle Sports (RAS)
Tony Karpinski and 3G-Sports
Discreat Cat (do not post at all..)
Dr. Bob Sports
Dr. guru sports
madduxsports
Red Zone Sports
Dennis Hill
Peter Gold at VI
Strike Point Sports
Vegas Sports Informer
Winning Points/Sports Reporter
ASA, ASA Inc’s or American Sports Analysts
Sal Bansa/sportspicks1019
Mikelineback
Larry Ness
Al McMordie
zen_gambler
Tom Stryker
Lenny Delgenio
Scott Spreitzer
Matt Fargo
@ntonwins
Doc's Sports Services
Robert Ferringo
Pacific (Pac Star) Sports
The Prez
Mike Rose
LT Profits
Pregame.- which include (shaker,law,o'shea,jwip,creole,nover,rocketman,d'angelo,vrunner)
Alex Smart
JB Sports
ATS Consultants
Ken Jenkins
AJ Apollo
Jim Avery
Jim Kruger
Paul Stone
Ross Benjamin
Dave Cokin
Tony George
Fred Wallin
Rocky Atkinson
Jorge Gonzalez
Greg DiPalma
Vernon Croy
Ron Raymond
Dennis Macklin
Ben Lewis
Lucky Lester
Bruce Marshall
Ted Sevransky (Teddy Covers)
Ben Burns
Fairway Jay
EZ Winners
Pointwise Sports
Pro Sports Info
Steve Merril SportsAlatex Sports
Tennessee Valley Sports
Trushel Sports Consulting
Sports Memo Crew which include:
Rob Veno,Brent Crow,Erin Rynning,Donnie Black,Marty Otto,Jared Klein,David Jones,Ed Cash
Sixth Sense Sports
Marc Lawrence, and/or
Playbook, and/or
Preferred Picks
Boxslayer
PayneInsider
Killersportslive
-------

****Please note we can post ONLY Picks for the services above - NO WRITE - UPS. All other services not on this list can be posted in any fashion. GL!​

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Streaking and Slumping Pitchers

Streaking

Michael Pelfrey, New York Mets

Pelfrey (9-1, 2.39) has quietly been turning in a fantastic season. He has not tasted defeat since May 1 and has won five of his last six starts.

That no-decision came on June 8 against the Padres and may have been his best of the bunch - a nine-inning gem in which he allowed only five hits, one run, struck out six and walked none but missed out on the win when the game went to extra innings.

"I didn't feel like the ball was jumping out of my hand, but I felt like I was putting it where I wanted to," Pelfrey said after the game. "That's the biggest thing."

That's been the key to his success all season. Like a young Greg Maddox, he's beating batters with his pinpoint control and brains instead of blowing them away with sheer heat.

Ted Lilly, Chicago Cubs

Time to wake up Ted Lilly (2-5, 2.64) and remind him he's a 34-year-old journeyman.

Lilly had his no-hit bid broken up in the ninth inning against crosstown rival White Sox on Sunday night, harkening back to his glory days with the Yankees.

"There was so much energy," Lilly said after the near no-no. "I can't remember that much energy - I guess I'd have to go back to 2001 and the World Series and some of those big late inning game-winning homers and you get that kind of feeling. It was awesome and really special."

The one-hitter wasn't a one-hit wonder. Despite losing his previous five decisions, Lilly has been solid but has lacked support from the scuttling Cubs. He allowed only four earned runs in his previous three starts, all of which lasted longer than seven innings.

Matt Cain, Giants

Cain (6-4, 2.05) has won four consecutive starts and has allowed only two earned runs during that stretch.

Among those wins a pair of complete-game shutouts, including a one-hitter over the Diamondbacks. His recent surge corresponds with some sage advice from catcher Bengie Molina last month.

"'Your fastball needs to be located,'" Molina said he told Cain. "'If you locate your fastball, you're going to be fine.' That's the last time I remember telling him that. And his fastball location has been amazing. ... He smells a complete game or he smells a win, and it's amazing. He gets stronger and stronger."


Slumping

Rick Porcello, Detroit Tigers

After a phenomenal rookie season, Porcello (4-6, 6.09) is suffering through a serious sophomore slump.

Manager Jim Leyland was so concerned after his last outing that he skipped him a turn in the rotation. Porcello tries to rebound from the thumping he took against the White Sox in which he allowed eight hits and earned runs before getting the hook after just 3 1/3 innings.

"They got those hits so quick, it was like a slap in the face," Porcello said. "I didn't even realize what happened until I was out of the game. That's a perfect example of just letting the game speed up on me, and I've done that a couple times this year and not been able to stop it."

The 21-year-old has shown he can handle success at this level. Now it's time to see how he deals with adversity.

Ben Sheets, Oakland A's

Sheets (2-6, 4.93) is mired in one of the longest droughts of his career. He hasn't won since May 8, marking a seven-game streak without a decision.

That's his longest winless stretch since 2004, when he made nine starts without earning a W. Perhaps more alarming is the fact that he's lasted seven innings only once this season.

"Six innings isn't really that great," said Sheets, who has given up a total of 10 earned runs in his past three starts - all lasting exactly six innings. "I prepare to go nine every time."

Perhaps he should instead prep for six good ones.

Kevin Millwood, Baltimore Orioles

One month ago it didn't seem like things could get worse for the winless Millwood (0-8, 5.16). Now they seem like the good old days.

Millwood has lost hi last four outings and failed to last more than six innings in those starts, giving up a total of 31 hits and 20 earned runs in his last 16.1 innings. His ERA ballooned to 10.80 over that span.

"I'm just not throwing the ball where I need to," Millwood said. "That's pretty much it. And hopefully I can figure something out between now and the next time and get back to where I was before."

Let's hope "before" refers to his glory days with the Braves, not his 0-for days with the O's.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Hot Lines: Today's best MLB bets

Chicago White Sox at Washington Nationals (+110, 8.5)

Things aren’t looking as bleak these days for the South Siders. Chicago is 7-1 over its last eight games heading into Friday’s game and closing in on .500.

Jake Peavy, who looked awful for most of the season’s first two months, is finally starting to pitch like the hurler bettors saw in San Diego. He recently put together two strong, seven-inning outings but missed his last start because of a sore shoulder.

An MRI revealed that Peavy has fluid in the shoulder, but there is no risk for further injury. The former Cy Young winner is looking forward to his start on Saturday.

"You go in, and as uncomfortable and scary MRIs are at times, you wouldn't believe what fluid in your joint and shoulder capsule and that stuff could, at times you just think there's got to be something wrong if it hurts,” Peavy told the Chicago Sun-Times.

“But it's a little fluid here and there could cause some discomfort and pain and you go get fully checked out the way we did and find out your shoulder is structurally sound, that's such a huge mental block that's out of the way that you just battle some inflammation and fluid so you can go out there and fear or jeopardize your career."

We still aren’t in the habit of backing a team who’s sending out a wounded hurler to the mound.

Pick: Nationals


Oakland A’s at St. Louis Cardinals (-200, 7.5)

Hitting behind Albert Pujols should be one of the best jobs in the world - right up there with bikini inspector and Heineken taste tester. But Matt Holliday proved that even dream jobs come with stress.

Is the struggling slugger root of the Cards’ offensive struggles? That’s what St. Louis Today columnist Jeff Gordon says and it’s hard to argue with him.

Holliday began the season batting behind Albert Pujols in the cleanup spot after signing a $120 million contract in the offseason, but manager Tony La Russa recently moved the outfielder into the two-hole because of Holliday’s inability to come up with the timely base hit. He’s hitting .344 with none on, .217 with runners on and just .189 with runners in scoring position.

The under (25-39-2) has been a great bet with the Cards all season. The over is just 4-8-1 in St. Louis’ last 13 games.

Pick: Under

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Lady Luck: Today's WNBA best bets

Atlanta Dream at Indiana Fever (-5, 154.5)

The anti-Mercury continue to impress with their stout defensive play. The Fever have been and are one of the WNBA’s premier teams because of their ability to disrupt opposing teams’ offenses.

That was the case again Thursday night when Indiana held Seattle, the second best scoring team in the league, to just 37 percent shooting.

“The emphasis for us is to always establish and identify ourselves on the defensive end,” Fever forward Katie Douglas told the Associated Press after the 72-65 win over the Storm. “I don’t think that really changes in any game.”

The Dream are playing great basketball right now but they shot just 33 percent from the field in their last encounter with the Fever. Fever lost by four by the game finished below the total.

Pick: Under


Chicago Sky at Washington Mystics (-5.5, 151)

The Sky missed a beautiful opportunity to notch a win over a quality opponent and end their losing streak Tuesday night against the Dream. Chicago led by as many as 10 points but failed to put away Atlanta late.

"I'm frustrated, but then again, you just have to let it go," Sylvia Fowles said after the setback. "I try not to hold things in as much this year, go back at it tomorrow at practice, learn from our mistakes and get ready for our next opponent."

That type of defeat isn’t easily forgotten, especially since the Sky held Angel McCoughtry, one of the league’s leading scorers, in check.

Expect the Mystics to extend Chicago’s losing streak to four games.

Pick: Washington

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Saturday FOX Tips
By Kevin Rogers

The Saturday FOX card involves three interleague matchups, highlighted by the Red Sox/Dodgers showdown at Fenway Park. Elsewhere, the Nationals host the streaking White Sox in D.C., but we'll begin in Philadelphia with the Phillies looking to keep their bats hot against the Twins.

Twins at Phillies - 4:10 PM EST

Minnesota and Philadelphia continue a three-game set at Citizens Bank Park as Cole Hamels goes for his seventh win of the season. The Phillies' offense has picked up after their cold streak on a road trip through the NL East, scoring 21 runs the last four games (3-1).

Hamels (6-5, 3.74 ERA) is coming off a terrific start against the Red Sox his last time out, striking out eight and allowing five hits in seven innings of a 5-1 victory. The southpaw is slowly returning to the form that won him the 2008 World Series MVP, as the Phillies are 6-3 in his last nine starts. The 'under' has turned into a profitable play, hitting in seven of his previous eight outings.

The Twins counter with Kevin Slowey (7-4, 3.84 ERA), who was knocked around by the Braves in his last outing, allowing six runs and nine hits in 4.2 innings. Slowey is known as one of the better control pitchers in baseball (55 strikeouts, 16 walks), but his day numbers have been less than stellar. Eleven of his walks and eight of his home runs allowed (10 homers overall) are in matinee action, to go along with an ERA of 5.81. The 'over' is 4-2 in Slowey's last six starts, while hitting in each of his last two interleague outings against Atlanta and Milwaukee.

Minnesota is 9-3 the last 12 road interleague contests, while Philadelphia tries to improve on its 2-10 mark against American League teams since the start of last season.

Dodgers at Red Sox - 4:10 PM EST

After two rookies started on Friday night, a pair of wily veterans hit the mound at Fenway Park on Saturday afternoon. Boston has been on fire recently at home, winning nine of its previous 11, including a 9-1 mark as home 'chalk.'

The Sox send out Tim Wakefield (2-5, 5.42 ERA) to the hill, going for his first home victory of the season. The knuckleballer owns a dreadful 0-4 mark at Fenway, to go along with an ERA of 6.86 with the Sox winning one of his six home outings. Wakefield had one bad inning against the Phillies in his last start, allowing seven hits and four earned runs in 7.1 innings. Dating back to 2005, the Sox are 15-4 in Wakefield's last 19 interleague starts, including four straight home wins.

Vicente Padilla (1-1, 6.65 ERA) started on Opening Day for the Dodgers, but hasn't pitched since April 22 thanks to an inflamed nerve is his pitching arm. Los Angeles has suffered a myriad of injuries through its rotation with Padilla and Chad Billingsley, who was just placed on the disabled list with a groin strain. The Dodgers are 0-3 in Padilla's three road starts, as the righty possesses a 7.98 ERA on the highway this season. Padilla faced the Red Sox last season as a member of the Rangers and picked up a road underdog victory by tossing seven innings and allowing two earned runs in a 6-3 win.

The Red Sox are 16-6 in Game 2's this season, including a 12-2 mark off a victory in the series opener. The Dodgers own a 6-8 record as a road underdog this season.

White Sox at Nationals - 4:10 PM EST

This game was moved to the FOX slot with the thinking Stephen Strasburg was taking the hill. Only problem is that the rookie sensation started on Friday night against Chicago, trying to keep the righty on a normal four days of rest regiment. The Nats will face a former National League Cy Young Award winner with Jake Peavy taking the mound for the Sox.

Peavy (5-5, 5.62 ERA) was pushed back to Saturday after needing several days to rest his right shoulder. The ex-Padres righty is coming off a victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field, giving up six hits and two earned runs in seven innings of a 10-5 win. That outing was his second straight quality start following four consecutive non-quality appearances (2-2). Peavy hasn't faced the Nationals since 2007, as Washington picked up two victories as substantial underdogs.

J.D. Martin (0-2, 4.19 ERA) hits the bump for the Nats, making his first home start of the season following three road outings. The right-hander hasn't had much luck through his first three turns, as Washington is 0-3, including a 7-1 loss at last-place Cleveland in his previous outing. The Nats haven't provided Martin with run support, averaging 2.3 runs/game in his three outings.

The White Sox are one of the top interleague road teams, winning 11 of their past 15 on the highway against National League foes. The Nats have compiled seven wins in their last 11 games as a home underdog.

 

[ugk]

BASEBALL CRUSHER
PLAY OF THE DAY

Detroit Tigers -135 over the Arizona Dbacks

 

[ugk]

COMPPICKS

MLB
Mets +160
Pirates -1.5 (+180)
Rangers -1.5 (-115)
Cardinals -1.5 (-105)

Comppick (free pick)
Tigers -135

 

[ugk]

NY PLAYERS CLUB
2* Ghana and Australia as a DRAW.
1* Denmark to win +135

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

SOCCER NEWS AND NOTES
Feeling Bleu

FEELING BLEU

It's time for Les Bleus to sing the blues.

Thursday's latest disappointment against a better-than-advertised Mexico was merely the latest disappointment for a France side that bears resemblance to its great generation of footballers only by the familiar blue, white, and red kits. There is little else to suggest anything is left of the Zinedine Zidane-led sides that were pre-eminent in world football from the late '90s through the 2006 World Cup.

And how bad was France vs. Mexico? Consider that of the 18 crossing passes attempted by Les Bleus in open play, only one was completed, a horrific 5.6% accuracy rate that was France's worst in World Cup play since the stat was first kept way back in 1966 at England.

There is still a mathematical chance Les Bleus can advance from Group A, but it's asking a lot of a side to win by either three or foul goals, even against struggling South Africa, after failing to shake the onion bag even once in the first two matches vs. Uruguay and Mexico. More and more, this France World Cup adventure in resembling 2002, when Les Bleus didn't win a match and didn't score a goal in the process, although Zidane's thigh injury was a legitimate excuse in Asia eight years ago. No such scapegoat exists for France in 2010.

Some believe that help is on the way, as former international Laurent Blanc, recently hired from surprise package Bordeaux, will be taking over for the uninspiring Raymond Domenech as manager after Copa Mundial. Sources believe that Blanc will be a better fit for the national team simply because the troops will have to respect his accomplishments as a player, not to mention his growing reputation as a coach. And it was Blanc, along with other on-field leaders such as Manu Petit, Didier Dechamps, Patrick Vieira, Marcel Desailly, and Zidane who were able to literally will the "old France" to glory. Sadly, the new generation of French stars apparently have no such born leader in their ranks, instead a group of individuals whose parts remain far greater than their sum.

It is an indictment of Domenech that his roster includes more players who participated in the quarterfinals of the recent Champions League than any other country, yet struggled badly through the qualifiers and has looked even worse in South Africa. Quality is not the problem with France; rather, we suspect Domenech, in the post-Zidane era, simply has no clue how to amalgamate the diverse components within the squad. Although veteran Barcelona striker Thierry Henry is past his prime, we wonder why Domenech, desperate for goals, has only given him a brief look in the opener vs. Uruguay. Henry didn't even get on the pitch in the 2-0 loss to Mexico at Polokwane on a night in which Les Bleus desperately needed some offense. With the goals having dried up, we also wonder why Domenech has been reluctant to team a pair of strikers; perhaps fielding Henry along with Chelsea's Nicolas Anelka could have jump-started an attack that has lacked a finishing touch. He did field them both on occasion during the qualifiers, including that controversial second-leg playoff vs. Ireland.

Why Domenech also did not feature Anelka's teammate at Stamford Bridge, winger Flourent Maluda, in the starting lineup for the Uruguay opener still puzzles as well. Malouda eventually came on late as a sub vs. Uruguay, and was featured in the starting lineup vs. Mexico, but again we believe Domenech had the plot all wrong, moving Bayern Munich's livewire Franck Ribery to a central playmaking position instead of his more-lethal slot as a left wing, while benching Bordeaux's Yoann Gourcoff, who admittedly did not have a stellar opener vs. Uruguay but remains Domenech's best playmaking force while sometimes (perhaps generously) being compared to a young Zidane. Lining up Ribery-Gourcoff-Malouda in their proper slots could perhaps have ignited the offense, which instead continued to misfire vs. Mexico. Meanwhile, Domenech look disinterested and uninvolved in the proceedings, with cameras catching him in a leaning position against a pole, expressionless, the entire Mexico match.

French fans who view their glasses as half-full will look upon the final group match vs. South Africa with some excitement, however; it will almost assuredly be the uninspiring Domenech's last game in charge. Whether Blanc does any better remains to be seen, but regardless, it's time for a change.

VIVA MEXICO!

Give Mexico's manager Javier Aguirre plenty of credit for molding the Tricolores into a dangerous force. Mexico had the better of the opening match vs. South Africa, even though Aguirre's men had to rally for a 1-1 draw, but the improvement between the first and second matches was palpable. Although the pair of goals vs. France (one on a penalty, and one burning a faulty French offside trap) were a bit fortunate, there was nothing fluky about the 2-0 result. Mexico was well worth the three points earned in Polokwane.

Mexico's improvement from the first match to the second match is also likely a result of the enhanced familiarity within the team, thanks mainly to Aguirre's aggressive schedule of exhibition matches, of which Mexico utilized more than any other World Cup entry. With components of the team far-flung around the globe, Aguirre was not shy about scheduling extra matches and going wherever needed to play them, including Europe, where some of his charges are based. The strategy seems to be paying off as the Mexican team appears to be coming more familiar with one another. There was an understanding of movement on the pitch in the France match, which stood in stark comparison to the disorganized Les Bleus.

Young 21-year-old Galatasaray winger Giovanni dos Santos continues to be a revelation for the Tricolores. His off-the-ball work is creating space for fellow midfielders, while his runs into the box are causing anxiety attacks for defenders, who can't play too far off of him due to his lethal long-range shots. He's been one of the first revelations of the tournament. Another young pup, 22-year-old Javier Hernandez, scored Mexico's first goal vs. France after burning the offside trap and coolly outmaneuvering GK Hugo Lloris, while the old man, 37-year-old Cuauhtemoc Blanco, scored the final goal on a PK after Eric Abidal was cited in the box for a foul on Pablo Barrera.

And talk about pushing the right buttons; Aguirre's subs Hernandez, Blanco, and Barrera were all involved in the Mexico goals. On the other hand, Domenech's subs had no impact. Again, advantage Aguirre, whose tam sits in swell shape to qualify for the knockout phase. A draw will send both Uruguay and Mexico into the second round regardless what happens in the France-South Africa match, but don't expect Aguirre's men to take it easy vs. the Uruguayans; a draw would almost assuredly send Mexico into a matchup vs. Argentina at the top of the second round (as in 2006), whereas a win vs. Uruguay would likely put Mexico vs. South Korea or Greece. We'd say that is motivation enough for a big effort vs. Uruguay.

DARK DAYS CONTINUE FOR DARK CONTINENT

After noting how the African entries were all struggling through the first cycle of games, South Africa and Nigeria have continued the football descent of the Dark Continent into their second matches. We commented upon South Africa's ineptness after Wednesday's 2-0 capitulation vs. Uruguay, but Nigeria's 2-1 loss vs. Greece might have been even more exasperating. The Super Eagles seemed to be in control of the match when leading 1-0 late in the first half, until, that is, midfielder Sami Kaita took a punch and a kick at Greece's Vasilis Torosidis and was immediately shown a red card.

The match changed almost immediately thereafter, with the Greeks leveling just before half when Dimitrios Salpingidis' shot was helped in by a deflection off Nigeria's Lukman Haruna. Give Greece coach Otto Rehhagel credit for quickly taking advantage of the Super Eagles' 10-man status, as Rehhagel quickly inserted another forward, Celtic's Giorgios Samaras, in place of defensive midfielder Sokratis Papastathopoulous, to amp up the attack. The Greeks also began to do a better job of stretching the pitch, both length and width-wise, trying to take advantage of the extra man, and completed 64% of its passes after the Kaita dismissal, as opposed to just 44% prior. Greece also managed 11 shots on goal, far bettering its previous World Cup high of 4, and took all three points after Torosidis poked home a loose ball in the 71st minute. It was the first time a Rehhagel-coached Greek team had even come from behind to post a win, as well as the first comeback win of the tournament (who would have ever thought it would be Greece?).

Kaita's moment of madness will likely cost Nigeria a chance to advance and continues the problems f the African sides, with just one win in eight tries through Thursday's matches. Has the pressure to perform on the home continent simply gotten to most of the African entries?

Meanwhile, Greece still has a shot at the knockout phase, though it will likely have to pull at least a point from the final group match vs. Argentina. A tall order, but nothing to fear for Rehhagel, who knows a thing or two about overcoming odds. Just remember Euro 2004.

OLE' HIGUAIN!

Looking for a new odds-on bet to win the Golden Boot? Try Real Madrid's Ginzala Higuain, who pumped home a hat trick for Argentina in Thursday's 4-1 romp past South Korea. With odds at around 16-1 before rhe tournament, Higuain has now emerged as a solid favorite to finish the top scorer in South Africa, with his Golden Boot odds now quoted as low as 6-5 at various sports books. Along the way, Higuain became the first to score a hat trick in a World Cup game since Portugal's Pauleta against Poland back in 2002.

As he does at Real Madrid, Higuain was again in the right place at the right time for the Argentines, never further than six or so yards from the goal when scoring all three of his chances. But that's Higuain's specialty as a poacher deluxe, able to find room enough for himself in the box to capitalize, whether it be after Kaka or Cristiano Roanaldo do the fancy work in Madrid or Lionel Messi for Argentina. And Higuain, the second leading scorer in La Liga this past season with 27 goals, knows how to finish.

Credit Diego Maradona (or whomever is responsible for Argentina's strategy) for a slight tactical adjustment for Argentina, allowing Messi to play in the middle and a bit further up the pitch, where his wizardry is able to create all sorts of chances for himself and his teammates. Messi, unlike poacher Higuain, is a maestro, and at his best with the ball at his feet. As expected, South Korea's central forward-and-backward moving defenders were going to be in trouble as soon as Messi could turn them around, which he did with regularity at Soccer City. Messi had 166 total touches vs. the South Koreans and completed a staggering 88.8% of his passes!

Before penciling Argentina into the finals, however, remember that the backline has yet to be seriously tested for extended periods vs. Nigeria or South Korea (which looked for a while as if it was ready to level the match at 2 until Higuain took over the match in the second half), and might not again in the final group match vs. Greece.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

KICK 'N' PICKS

Saturday’s Best World Cup Bets

Ghana (+105) vs. Australia (+321, 2)

Serbia’s win over Germany has Group D in a bit of a mess. Suddenly the mighty Germans are in a much more vulnerable position and so are Ghana.

The Black Stars, who are favored against the Aussies but will certainly be underdogs against Germany, will be shooting to not just beat Australia, but beat them badly.

This doesn’t bode well for the Socceroos who won’t have one of their most accomplished stars on the pitch. Tim Cahill, who plays his club football with Everton, was given a red card for taking down Bastian Schweinsteiger during Australia’s 4-0 loss to Germany and isn’t available to return until the Socceroos match against Serbia.

Pick: Ghana


Cameroon (+213) vs. Denmark (+154)

Both these teams enter Saturday’s match still in search of their first goal of the tournament. Cameroon’s 0-1 setback against Japan was a real shocker. The Indomitable Lions controlled much of the possession against Japan but failed to produce many quality scoring chances.

Some were left guessing why Cameroon coach Paul Le Guen had world class finisher Samuel Eto’o playing on the wing.

“I chose the position for him and I take responsibility for that,” Le Guen told reporters following the loss. “You make the choice with what you have.”

Others, including some players on the team, wondered why EPL regular Alexandre Song wasn’t in the lineup. However you slice it, Cameroon’s game plan in their first match seemed odd.

The news is much more positive for the Danes. Their lost to the Netherlands was expected and they showed some glimpses as to the type of damage they’ll be able to exhibit against the lesser teams in their group.

“Cameroon have many good players,” Denmark coach Morten Olsen told reporters, “but they don’t have the same qualities as the Dutch team.”

Pick: Denmark

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

WNBA NEWS AND NOTES
WNBA Weekend: Thrive Or Survive

(Updating to reflect the Indiana win over Seattle on Thursday night)

The headline spotlighting the rest of the WNBA schedule this week through Sunday pretty much tells the storyline of competition.

Teams off the competitive starts, such as Eastern Conference leader Atlanta and Western Conference runaway-at-the-moment Seattle, have a chance to add to their successes to date.

Teams trailing at the bottom of each conference need a quick jump start before starting to fall away from the pack. In the case of the West, which at the moment is the Seattle Storm and the five others, though Thursday night the Indiana Fever became the second team in the East to short-circuit the folks from the Northwest., the one upside to the mediocrity of the moment is teams may continue to play bad but because four spots must be filled in the two rounds of conference play in the postseason, the teams that play less bad will still be in the hunt.

Rather than do a day-by-day, which the Guru has been offering on idle Mondays, let's look at the view through each team's windshield at the stops and hosting just ahead.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlanta (9-3) -- The Dream, which maintained forward progress with a win Tuesday night over the Chicago Sky, has a chance to open some space at the top if the teams right behind stumble, which is a possibility.
Coach Marynell Meadors' squad has chance to take care of some of its own business visiting the defending Eastern champion Indiana Fever on Saturday night.

Connecticut (6-3) -- On a variation of a traditional theme at the moment, the Sun video could be called the home to the playoffs.
Coach Mike Thisbault with an excellent blend of youthful talent and experienced veterans is 6-0 at home. The bad news is the winless road mark at 0-3.
So a test is just ahead with the Sun visiting the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday night and then to the defending WNBA champion Phoenix Mercury on Sunday.
A split is mandatory to keep pace behind Atlanta, though the Sun could return to its previous brief moment in first place last weekend with a sweep and an Atlanta loss to Indiana.
With Los Angeles struggling at the moment, Connecticut could be playing with house change by winning at Staples.

Indiana (7-4) -- The Fever in the one game Thursday night on the WNBA schedule stopped Seattle as coach Lin Dunn's troops looked impressive with a win that continued the recent recovery from a wobbly start.
Then comes a visit from Atlanta Saturday so it's a big week. From the Fever perspective, a split that includes a competitive loss to the Dream will be a good enough statement for now though a sweep will mean so much more.

Washington (6-4) -- The Mystics, on a bit of a roll at the moment, hosts the Chicago Sky Saturday night in a game the Guru will attend at the Verizon Center after traveling to New York Friday night in Madison Square Garden.
A must win is in the cards, not from any long-range life-or-death situation, in terms of staying in front of the Liberty, especially if New York upsets Seattle Friday night.
Besides, with a heavy home schedule this month, Washington needs to capitalize -- no pun intended -- after letting Atlanta off the hook earlier this month.

New York (4-5) -- The Liberty has one game but that is value enough when Seattle visits Friday night coming directly from Thursday night's visit to Indiana looking to get back in the win column after the loss to the Fever.
A win keeps pace with the pack tightly grouped in front. A loss isn't terrible, but with a chance to make some headlines at home, why waste the chance.

Chicago (4-7) -- After a four-game win streak, the Sky has been trending downward and needs a win at Washington to keep the talk more about playoffs than the future draft lottery pick featuring UConn's Maya Moore. Of course, some would argue that in the long range, landing that prize may be worth a dismal summer. But it's way too early to think like that, especially when trying to increase the fan base in the Windy City.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Seattle (9-2) -- The Storm, having been stopped in the Midwest sector of the East again -- this time Thursday night by Indiana -- continue a back-to-back road swing with a visit to the New York Liberty Friday night in Madison Square Garden . The San Antonio Silver Stars visit Sunday.
A 2-1 week would not be terrible though a 1-2 would be a bit sour if the next loss is to San Antonio without regard to an impending result in New York.

Phoenix (5-5) -- The Mercury host San Antonio Friday night and then Connecticut on Sunday. A sweep would be helpful in the conference race for first if Seattle cools down. Beating the Silver Stars would be considered a necessity while getting the Sun at home would be good insurance for a series split with a return game still to play in Casinoland.

San Antonio (3-6) -- Now we're in Survival Land the rest of the way in the Western standings. The Silver Stars have two toughies, visiting Phoenix Friday night and then Seattle Sunday. While a sweep would be wonderful, for now a split could be satisfactory, especially if San Antonio can catch Seattle off guard Sunday night on the Storm's return from its Midwest-East swing.

Tulsa (3-6) -- Someone making the league schedule must have got their eyesight stuck on the Shock and Minnesota Lynx continuously meeting each other.
It's a home-and-home this weekend with a visit to Minnesota Friday and a return trip from the Lynx Saturday.
The good news for both teams is their five-game series will actually be over and the next time they'll meet is either in the playoffs or next season unless the two teams are passing through the same airport.
The Shock, the former once-proud three-time WNBA champion Detroit Shock, has been reduce to a roster resembling expansion team material. The good news for Tulsa is the domination to date of Minnesota has kept Nolan Richardson's squad potentially alive for a playoff berth. The last night needed from Tulsa's perspective is Minnesota suddenly living up to the promise of the preseason.

Los Angeles (3-7) -- The Sparks are perhaps the disappointment to date in the WNBA, not counting the views of fans living in the Twin Cities metropolis in Minnesota.
If the Sparks can take advantage of Connecticut's road stumbles Friday night, it's a start, for the moment, to stay in the playoff race, though, as mentioned at the top of this post, surviving over the long haul may be good enough.

Minnesota (2-9) -- Ground control to the Lynx, are you there. Injuries and an inept offense has soured a promise before the launch of the season. But the two wins are over Tulsa in Oklahoma on opening night, and a home win over Phoenix. Basically, from a psychological standpoint, a sweep is mandatory. But all is not lost yet, due to other struggles in the West. However, two more losses and people will soon be uttering some phrases from the old Steve Miller Band song, time is slipping, slipping, slipping ...

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

gill alexander | MLB Money Line Sat, 06/19/10 - 1:05 PM

double-dime bet 953 ANA (-105) Bodog vs 954 CHC

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Mighty Quinn

Mighty hit with the Red Sox Friday night. Saturday it's the Red Sox.

The deficit is 975 sirignanos.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

JSM Sports 6/19
HRC PREMIUM MLB ACTION-June 19th

Capper: JSM Sports (Handicappers Paradise)

Play Strengths
*****************
2* Action
5* Selection (Rated)
8* Premium (Rated)
10* Diamond (Rated)
*****************

[968] Washington |8*|-105|B+0|FOX|4:10 pm EST

[966] Pittsburgh |8*|-115|B+0|Network N/A|7:05 pm EST

[973] Tampa Bay |5*|-150|B+0|Network N/A|7:10 pm EST

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

shut em down sports

20* St Louis ML
20* Chicago White Sox ML
20* Detroit Tigers ML

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Hondo

Hondo, who'd been gaining on the deficit lately, gave some back with the Dodgers last night when they flopped in Fenway to raise the nasty number to 865 cepedas.

Today, his disposable dead presidents are with Cain and the SF Jints in Toronto -- 10 units.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

RW Sports 56-54-13 (3-1)

holland - japan, over 2 goals, 1.58 @ Pinnacle

australia - ghana, 1st half draw, 2.10 @ eurobet

australia - ghana, ghana, 2.05 @ Pinnacle

cameroon - denmark, 1st half draw, 2.00 @ Pinnacle

cameroon - denmark, over 1.75 goals, 1.66 @ Pinnacle

 

[Pepi]

Deano

Exploded yesterday, just caught the plays today thank god. GL


Deano's HRC Smart Choice* Best Bets|Your Capping Agent-June 19th

Capper: Deano (Handicappers Paradise)

Play Strengths
*************************
2* Action
5* Selection (Rated)
8* Premium (Rated)
10* Diamond (Rated)
*************************

[978] San Diego |5*|-171|B+0|Network N/A|8:35 pm EST

[977] Bal/SD |5*|UNDER|6.5 Runs|Network N/A|8:35 pm EST

[972] Atlanta |2*|-130|B+0|Network N/A|7:10 pm EST

[956] Toronto |2*|+140|B+0|Network N/A|1:05 pm EST

[951] Mil/Col |2*|UNDER|9 Runs|Network N/A|8:10 pm EST

*Note
Records can be found at Handicappers Paradise
17-8 PP Single Purchase Run
5-1 Yesterday

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Marc Lawrence | MLB Money Line Sat, 06/19/10 - 8:10 PM

triple-dime bet 951 MIL (+105) Bookmaker.com vs 952 COL
Analysis: Play On: Milwaukee w/Gallardo (Game 951)
We recommend a 3-unit play on Milwaukee.

 

[gambledawgs]

Karl Garrett 20 Atlanta braves


Guys could be a huge day. Craig davis huge 100 dime play, valentino with a 40 dime , and Redd with a huge 50 dime play. Anyone seen these plays