Ferringo
Underdog System Plays
1-Unit Play. Take Houston (+100) over Pittsburgh
1-Unit Play. Take San Francisco (+140) over L.A. Dodgers
Today’s Totals
4-Unit Play. Take ‘Under’ 9.5 San Diego at New York Mets
4.5-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 9.5 Cleveland at Kansas City
2-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 9.0 Houston at Pittsburgh
1.5-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 7.0 Colorado at Chicago Cubs
Underdog System Plays
1-Unit Play. Take Houston (+100) over Pittsburgh
1-Unit Play. Take San Francisco (+140) over L.A. Dodgers
Today’s Totals
4-Unit Play. Take ‘Under’ 9.5 San Diego at New York Mets
4.5-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 9.5 Cleveland at Kansas City
2-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 9.0 Houston at Pittsburgh
1.5-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 7.0 Colorado at Chicago Cubs
Rated Picks (2-4 yesterday)
Oklahoma City Thunder -1.5 (we are dropping huge on this ourselves, will be close to our biggest bet of the year other then the SB)
Boston (waiting on the line)
Atlanta (waiting on the line)
MLB -
Astros +105
*BP* Padres +160
Blue Jays +125
Cards/Diamondbacks UNDER 10.5
<!-- / message -->
Oklahoma City Thunder -1.5 (we are dropping huge on this ourselves, will be close to our biggest bet of the year other then the SB)
Boston (waiting on the line)
Atlanta (waiting on the line)
MLB -
Astros +105
*BP* Padres +160
Blue Jays +125
Cards/Diamondbacks UNDER 10.5
<!-- / message -->
Rickenbach
Pro Basketball Picks
4/15/2009
8:05:00 PM Toronto Raptors (+9.5)
over CHICAGO BULLS
Scott Rickenbach’s NBA 2* (Top Play) Toronto Raptors (+) @ Chicago @ 8:05 PM ET – As we expected, bettors are already jumping on the Bulls here. The line opened at a 9 and is already heading toward a 9.5 now in some books. This is offering fantastic value to the Raptors. Toronto has already proven they’re not going to quit on the season. They beat the Sixers in their home finale Sunday. Then they turned around on Monday and won at Washington. Most may look at that and say it’s no big deal because the Wizards have been so bad this season but, keep in mind, Washington now has Brendan Haywood back and they had been playing some of their best basketball of the season. The Wizards were playing their home finale and wanted that game and yet the Raptors rallied and got the win. Their frontcourt is capable of being a major force here. They beat the Wizards in the paint on Monday even though the Raptors were without Andrea Bargnani. He’s a 7-footer and he’s listed as probable tonight. He will join Toronto’s “Big Three” that combined for a huge effort at Washington on Monday. The Raptors were led by Shawn Marion, Chris Bosh, and Pops Mensah-Bonsu in their win over the Wizards. The problem for the Bulls is that teams that are strong in the frontcourt is exactly the wrong match-up for them. Yes, Chicago has been hot and yes the Bulls want to win this game to lock into the #6 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, that is easier said than done in a situation like this! Not only are the Bulls facing a Raptors team that is showing they have no quit – they are now battling to avoid a 50-loss season – Chicago is also dealing with trying to be properly focused here. Why is that an issue? Because the Bulls just beat the Pistons in Detroit on Monday and that was a huge victory for Chicago. We used – and cashed in with – the Bulls in that spot. That was actually a better match-up for the Bulls than this one is. The Pistons frontcourt is not all that impressive and now, the Bulls face a team whose already beaten them two out of three times. Also, in the most recent match-up between these teams, the Bulls had to rally from a 17 point deficit just to send the game to overtime. Of course the key factor is that the reason the Bulls got in that hole is they can’t control the frontcourt players that the Raptors have. Bargnani, Bosh, Marion, and Mensah-Bonsu combined for 88 points and 30 rebounds. Toronto outrebounded the Bulls by 16 boards in that game. Even more concerning for Chicago here, in terms of match-ups, is that Raptors point guard Jose Calderon showed how tired he was of hearing about the Bulls Derrick Rose. Calderon had 22 points, nearly matching Rose’s 23, and the real key was Calderon’s 19 assists and 3 steals compared to Rose’s 9 assists and just 1 steal. The Bulls, and we knew we’d get a huge line offered to us here, simply do not belong in this high-favorite range against a Raptors team that presents match-up problems and that also is still playing very hard! Toronto is still playing ultra-competitive and they’ve only lost 3 of their last 19 games by more than 9 points. In fact, the Raptors are a respectable 8-4 their last 12 games. Yes, the Bulls have been hot but in going 11-3 over the last month (since March 15th) note that only two of those wins have come by more than 9 points. Again, this is simply a case of the markets getting too caught up with a team that needs to win instead of looking properly at a hungry dog that holds match-up edges and is playing as hard as they’ve played all season. One final note is that Bargnani is listed as probable tonight and we fully expect him to play. If for some reason he doesn’t, we’ve already seen what the Raptors were able to do up front with Marion, Mensah-Bonsu, and Bosh. They combined for 59 points and 42 rebounds at Washington Monday! This team is still playing extremely hard and that continues until the final horn tonight. Play Toronto plus the points as a Top Play selection.
Pro Hockey Picks
4/15/2009
7:05:00 PM Philadelphia Flyers0 Goals +140
over PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
Scott Rickenbach’s NHL Playoffs 1* (regular play) Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh @ 7:05 PM ET – This is a huge rivalry and, as a result, it’s expected to be possibly the most entertaining series in the first round of these playoffs. Whether or not that will end up being the case remains to be seen. However, one thing we do know is that there is going to be some “value spots” along the way and we feel that this is one of them! The Flyers are catching a good price here on the road and that is absolutely worth grabbing here. It’s amazing how this works but we’ve seen this type of situation in the past where a team is chastised for costing themselves a home ice edge late in the regular season and then they turn around and steal it right back in game one of their first round series. By losing their last game of the regular season, the Flyers lost the home ice edge they would have had against the Penguins. That is why this series is now opening up in Pittsburgh but this will not deter the Flyers in the least! Keep in mind that Philadelphia won their most recent game with the Penguins and that was less than four weeks ago, right here in Pittsburgh! The Flyers won 3 to 1 on the strength of special teams play and that could be a key again here. Philadelphia is solid both on the kill and on the power play. They also are known for their ability to get create short-handed chances for the offense when killing penalties. Philadelphia scored 16 goals short-handed and yet only allowed 1 goal all season when they were on the power play. Both of these numbers are tops in the league. In the Eastern Conference, only the Rangers are better on the penalty kill and only Washington is better on the power play. Yes, the Flyers are #2 in the conference in each of those important special teams categories. Note that Pittsburgh’s penalty kill has been solid but their power play productivity has disappointed. Note that Flyers goalie Martin Biron helped his team pick up 3 out of 4 possible points in his two starts in Pittsburgh. Biron registered a .915 save percentage and a 2.40 GAA. His most recent effort at the Mellon Arena was fantastic and the late March win here gives the team a lot of confidence heading into this match-up. The Flyers are playing this series with revenge against the Penguins since they knocked them out of the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Note that in those series the Flyers were hurting because of injuries to guys like Simon Gagne, Kimmo Timonen, and Braydon Coburn. All three of those guys will be on the ice tonight! As strong as Pittsburgh has been under new coach Dan Bylsma, we’re not sure that his systems are the best in terms of matching up with the Flyers. That had a lot to do with Philadelphia winning here in late March. Keep in mind that Philadelphia has six guys who have scored at least 25 goals this season and their balanced scoring, healthier roster, and the fact they’ve got additional confidence at the Mellon Arena now can absolutely combine for a Game One win here! Play Philadelphia on the money line as a regular selection
Pro Basketball Picks
4/15/2009
8:05:00 PM Toronto Raptors (+9.5)
over CHICAGO BULLS
Scott Rickenbach’s NBA 2* (Top Play) Toronto Raptors (+) @ Chicago @ 8:05 PM ET – As we expected, bettors are already jumping on the Bulls here. The line opened at a 9 and is already heading toward a 9.5 now in some books. This is offering fantastic value to the Raptors. Toronto has already proven they’re not going to quit on the season. They beat the Sixers in their home finale Sunday. Then they turned around on Monday and won at Washington. Most may look at that and say it’s no big deal because the Wizards have been so bad this season but, keep in mind, Washington now has Brendan Haywood back and they had been playing some of their best basketball of the season. The Wizards were playing their home finale and wanted that game and yet the Raptors rallied and got the win. Their frontcourt is capable of being a major force here. They beat the Wizards in the paint on Monday even though the Raptors were without Andrea Bargnani. He’s a 7-footer and he’s listed as probable tonight. He will join Toronto’s “Big Three” that combined for a huge effort at Washington on Monday. The Raptors were led by Shawn Marion, Chris Bosh, and Pops Mensah-Bonsu in their win over the Wizards. The problem for the Bulls is that teams that are strong in the frontcourt is exactly the wrong match-up for them. Yes, Chicago has been hot and yes the Bulls want to win this game to lock into the #6 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, that is easier said than done in a situation like this! Not only are the Bulls facing a Raptors team that is showing they have no quit – they are now battling to avoid a 50-loss season – Chicago is also dealing with trying to be properly focused here. Why is that an issue? Because the Bulls just beat the Pistons in Detroit on Monday and that was a huge victory for Chicago. We used – and cashed in with – the Bulls in that spot. That was actually a better match-up for the Bulls than this one is. The Pistons frontcourt is not all that impressive and now, the Bulls face a team whose already beaten them two out of three times. Also, in the most recent match-up between these teams, the Bulls had to rally from a 17 point deficit just to send the game to overtime. Of course the key factor is that the reason the Bulls got in that hole is they can’t control the frontcourt players that the Raptors have. Bargnani, Bosh, Marion, and Mensah-Bonsu combined for 88 points and 30 rebounds. Toronto outrebounded the Bulls by 16 boards in that game. Even more concerning for Chicago here, in terms of match-ups, is that Raptors point guard Jose Calderon showed how tired he was of hearing about the Bulls Derrick Rose. Calderon had 22 points, nearly matching Rose’s 23, and the real key was Calderon’s 19 assists and 3 steals compared to Rose’s 9 assists and just 1 steal. The Bulls, and we knew we’d get a huge line offered to us here, simply do not belong in this high-favorite range against a Raptors team that presents match-up problems and that also is still playing very hard! Toronto is still playing ultra-competitive and they’ve only lost 3 of their last 19 games by more than 9 points. In fact, the Raptors are a respectable 8-4 their last 12 games. Yes, the Bulls have been hot but in going 11-3 over the last month (since March 15th) note that only two of those wins have come by more than 9 points. Again, this is simply a case of the markets getting too caught up with a team that needs to win instead of looking properly at a hungry dog that holds match-up edges and is playing as hard as they’ve played all season. One final note is that Bargnani is listed as probable tonight and we fully expect him to play. If for some reason he doesn’t, we’ve already seen what the Raptors were able to do up front with Marion, Mensah-Bonsu, and Bosh. They combined for 59 points and 42 rebounds at Washington Monday! This team is still playing extremely hard and that continues until the final horn tonight. Play Toronto plus the points as a Top Play selection.
Pro Hockey Picks
4/15/2009
7:05:00 PM Philadelphia Flyers0 Goals +140
over PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
Scott Rickenbach’s NHL Playoffs 1* (regular play) Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh @ 7:05 PM ET – This is a huge rivalry and, as a result, it’s expected to be possibly the most entertaining series in the first round of these playoffs. Whether or not that will end up being the case remains to be seen. However, one thing we do know is that there is going to be some “value spots” along the way and we feel that this is one of them! The Flyers are catching a good price here on the road and that is absolutely worth grabbing here. It’s amazing how this works but we’ve seen this type of situation in the past where a team is chastised for costing themselves a home ice edge late in the regular season and then they turn around and steal it right back in game one of their first round series. By losing their last game of the regular season, the Flyers lost the home ice edge they would have had against the Penguins. That is why this series is now opening up in Pittsburgh but this will not deter the Flyers in the least! Keep in mind that Philadelphia won their most recent game with the Penguins and that was less than four weeks ago, right here in Pittsburgh! The Flyers won 3 to 1 on the strength of special teams play and that could be a key again here. Philadelphia is solid both on the kill and on the power play. They also are known for their ability to get create short-handed chances for the offense when killing penalties. Philadelphia scored 16 goals short-handed and yet only allowed 1 goal all season when they were on the power play. Both of these numbers are tops in the league. In the Eastern Conference, only the Rangers are better on the penalty kill and only Washington is better on the power play. Yes, the Flyers are #2 in the conference in each of those important special teams categories. Note that Pittsburgh’s penalty kill has been solid but their power play productivity has disappointed. Note that Flyers goalie Martin Biron helped his team pick up 3 out of 4 possible points in his two starts in Pittsburgh. Biron registered a .915 save percentage and a 2.40 GAA. His most recent effort at the Mellon Arena was fantastic and the late March win here gives the team a lot of confidence heading into this match-up. The Flyers are playing this series with revenge against the Penguins since they knocked them out of the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Note that in those series the Flyers were hurting because of injuries to guys like Simon Gagne, Kimmo Timonen, and Braydon Coburn. All three of those guys will be on the ice tonight! As strong as Pittsburgh has been under new coach Dan Bylsma, we’re not sure that his systems are the best in terms of matching up with the Flyers. That had a lot to do with Philadelphia winning here in late March. Keep in mind that Philadelphia has six guys who have scored at least 25 goals this season and their balanced scoring, healthier roster, and the fact they’ve got additional confidence at the Mellon Arena now can absolutely combine for a Game One win here! Play Philadelphia on the money line as a regular selection
