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 OPS Will Help You Increase Your ProfitsMatt Fargo - 5/14/2006 7:32 AM When looking at baseball statistics, on-base percentage and slugging percentage are two very powerful numbers to look at. Putting them together and we get a combined statistic termed OPS. It’s nothing fancy but it can be a very useful tool when handicapping. Hitting home runs is nice but getting on base and knocking them around produces even more runs and that is the ultimate goal to winning. A te... |
| EDS Byron Nelson Championship Preview Matt Fargo - 5/9/2006 12:47 PM EDS Byron Nelson Championship Preview TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas, Irving, Texas Billy Ray Brown, Neal Lancaster, Robert Damron and Ted Purdy. Those are four relatively no name players who have won the EDS Byron Nelson Classic since 1992. Factor in wins by Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Sergio Garcia and what you have is a wide open tournament this week in Dall... |
| American League West Breakdown Trey Johnson - 5/4/2006 10:25 AM Part three of our six part baseball division breakdown covers the American League West. With the month of April in the books the AL West, which is proving to be mediocre at best, should at least provide some thrills for the race to the division crown. There are only 2.5 games separating the top and the bottom teams. The Angels and the Rangers lead the division with whopping 12-12 records... |
| Wednesdays NL Betting Report Matt Fargo - 5/2/2006 11:29 PM Matt Fargo takes a look at the National League slate for Wednesday, May 3rd and offers some money making information: (951) FLORIDA MARLINS (MOEHLER) at (952) WASHINGTON NATIONALS (ARMAS JR) 7:05 PM The road team has won eight of the last nine meetings in this series…Washington is hitting just .218 at home against right-handed pitching this season…Florida is 0-9 in Brian Moehler’s last ni... |
| Wachovia Championship Preview Matt Fargo - 5/2/2006 10:19 AM Wachovia Championship Preview Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina The tour heads to Charlotte and Quail Hollow Club this week for the Wachovia Championship and for the first time since The Masters, the field is filled with big names. Nine of the world’s top ten are in action with Tiger Woods being the only absentee. The winner is looking to claim the over $1 million top prize which wa... |
| Inside the Heat vs Bulls & Nets vs Pacers Tom Stryker - 4/22/2006 10:55 AM Late April means only one exciting thing for NBA fans. Lace ‘em up and let’s go. And that’s the exact situation facing the Indiana Pacers (vs. New Jersey Nets) and the Chicago Bulls (vs. Miami Heat) when the NBA playoffs open. We will profile today these opening round series involving teams from our own back yard. So settle back and take a look at how we see these two series shaping up. BULLS vs.... |
| American League Central Breakdown Trey Johnson - 4/17/2006 11:30 AM Part two of our six part baseball division breakdown will cover the American League Central. At the two week mark this division is log jammed. Cleveland, Chicago and Detroit are tied for first with matching 7-5 records and the Twins come in at a close second with a 6-6 mark. While the top four teams all appear to be for real at this point in the season the only weak link is the Royals with... |
| It Happens Every Spring Big Al McMordie - 4/15/2006 10:37 AM It Happens Every Spring,By Al McMordie Baseball teams and players change from year to year, and it's essential for sports bettors to understand this. More than any other sport, really, changes take place that can drastically influence a baseball team's play. One example would be injuries. Players get hurt and pitchers are more susceptible to injuries than any other pro athlete. Even a naggi... |
| NBA Stretch Drive Big Al McMordie - 4/13/2006 11:40 AM NBA Stretch Drive By Al McMordie It's interesting how final scores aren't always indicative of a way a game goes. For instance, on Saturday the Utah Jazz crushed a very bad team, Portland, 110-93 at home. They were expected to win as a 12-point favorite, and won and covered. However, take a close look at the game and a different picture emerges than what you at first might t... |
| THE NBA PLAYOFFS Tom Scott - 4/13/2006 11:38 AM Tom Scott, a 30-year veteran of sports handicapping, was extremely productive on this site last season. Read what he says about the upcoming NBA Playoffs. THE NBA PLAYOFFS - The EASIEST game of all by Tom Scott Last year our powerful systems for this event produced a magnificent 67.4% record and our guaranteed picks on this site logged an incredible 13 wins out of just 16 calls to t... |
| Indiana Pacers – Playoffs Or Bust! Tom Stryker - 4/13/2006 11:35 AM Indiana Pacers – Playoffs Or Bust! The taste of the NCAA basketball championship is fading, so it’s time to turn thoughts to the rapidly-approaching NBA playoffs and the teams, like the Indiana Pacers, that may or not be a huge factor. It’s no secret that the Pacers can, when healthy, play with anyone. But no one has the complete answers to Indiana’s playoff possibilities. Tied for... |
| Chicago Eyes The No. 7 Seed In The East Tom Stryker - 4/13/2006 11:33 AM Chicago Eyes The No. 7 Seed In The East If you don’t like the way things are going in the NBA, just wait a week or two and things will adjust. Look at the Chicago Bulls, for instance. Less than three weeks ago the Bulls were wilting, some 3.5 games behind the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. But a recent four-game winning streak, including Wednesday’s big victory over Phil... |
| MLB EARLY SURPRISES Tom Stryker - 4/13/2006 11:31 AM Surprises. Already. It's not time to do any cartwheels, but some really positive signs have come from early-season results from both the Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers. From time to time on this site we will take regular looks at who's hot and who's not in the Majors - especially from Midwest teams that we have the opportunity to see, study and from which we get tons of information. Today,... |
| NBA Stretch Run: A Little Magic in the Final Week! Mike Neri - 4/13/2006 11:23 AM NBA Stretch Run: A Little Magic in the Final Week! By Mike Neri It has been a fascinating NBA drive to the finish, with all kinds of unusual storylines and races unfolding. The Orlando Magic are unlikely to make the playoffs, but only because time is running out on them. If the season were to continue another month, they probably would overtake the stumbling 76ers and Bulls. ... |
| American League East Breakdown Trey Johnson - 4/4/2006 3:02 PM The 2006 baseball season is finally underway. Although many people take the summer off I do not recommend it. Baseball can be the most profitable sport of the year. It is a chance to greatly increase your bankroll for football. An opportunity you don’t want to miss. In this six part series I breakdown each of the six MLB divisions starting today with the American League East. New York Yan... |
| The Masters Preview Matt Fargo - 4/4/2006 1:42 PM Answer: The Final Four, the opening of baseball season and The Masters. Question: What three things indicate to us that spring has sprung? The latter commences this week and in my eyes, officially begins the spring season. This year is no exception as the lingering effects of winter are slowly dissipating and we are getting into the outdoor mode, for those of us nestled in the northeastern United... |
| Tom Strykers Final Four Preview Tom Stryker - 4/2/2006 6:33 PM Tom Stryker's Final Four Preview There is no ACC. There is no Big Ten. And there is no Big East. And this year’s NCAA men’s basketball Final Four has a distinctively different flavor to it. But that doesn’t mean a bad flavor. With George Mason and its Cinderella tag, LSU and Big Daddy, UCLA and the tradition, and Florida with its stable of sophomores, the Final Four in Indianapolis is generating... |
| A Quick Peek At The 2006 Chicago White Sox Tom Stryker - 4/2/2006 6:32 PM A Quick Peek At The 2006 Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox took the baseball world by storm in 2005, capturing their first World Series crown in 88 years. The Windy City South Siders seem to think a repeat is well within the realm of possibility. With Manager Ozzier Guillen back at the helm and one of baseball’s top pitching rotations healthy and ready to go, few can challenge the thought... |
| NBA Weekly Changes Mike Neri - 4/2/2006 6:29 PM NBA Weekly Changes By Mike Neri One of the important things to keep close tabs on during any sports season is the subtle shifts that take place all the time with coaches, players and teams. The most obvious example is a team like the Houston Rockets. Houston is 3-20 in games without Tracy McGrady this season. Naturally, they need him playing, as opponents can just double and... |
| Inside the Stats Big Al McMordie - 4/2/2006 6:27 PM Inside the Stats, By Al McMordie Pat Riley took over as head coach of the Miami Heat earlier this season. It seems like he wants to have one last chance at coaching a team to the NBA title, and you might as well take a shot with a young star like Dwyane Wade and veteran Shaquille O'Neal on the roster. We will see how far they go later this month as the NBA playoffs get going.... |
| The Final Four Big Al McMordie - 4/2/2006 6:25 PM The Final Four! By Big Al McMordie The Magic number is 3: There are only three games remaining. The following two on Saturday represent the Final Four, culminating next Monday in the national championship game. No one is going to have any kind of home court edge with the games being played in Indianapolis (and all the Big 10 schools dropped out a long time ago!) Here's a pee... |
| Bellsouth Classic Preview Matt Fargo - 3/28/2006 10:22 AM To play or not to play? The question pertains to this week’s Bellsouth Classic for those players who are scheduled to compete in The Masters next week. Fine tuning their game at Sugarloaf or at the range is the decision that needs to be made for the majority of the 103 players teeing it up at the season’s first major. It seems to be a split decision for the world’s best at least as 10 of the top 2... |
| The Bullpen - Key to Profits Matt Fargo - 3/27/2006 4:50 PM Baseball is right around the corner so it’s time to start looking at some of the basics. Starting pitching and offense are the two things that people look at most when handicapping baseball but there is one aspect that is considered by some to be the most important and that is the bullpen. A shaky bullpen can kill a quality start and can erase a big lead given to them by the offense so if the bull... |
| THE PLAYERS Championship Preview Matt Fargo - 3/21/2006 10:39 AM The first major of the new season tees off on Thursday at THE PLAYERS Championship. Well, it’s not an official major but the players treat it like one and the purse certainly pays out like one. The winner will earn in excess of $1.44 million in what is the strongest field of the season. The TPC at Sawgrass is one of the best known courses around, namely for its signature 17th hole, but last year i... |
| Statistically breaking down the Final 16 Matt Fargo - 3/20/2006 10:20 AM We are down to the final 16 teams in the NCAA tournament and as always, there are a few surprises. Of the 16 teams remaining, 10 of those coincide with their seedings as we have all four numbers ones, two numbers twos, two numbers threes and two numbers fours still in the mix. Bradley, who was one of the last teams to be given an at-large bid, is the lowest remaining seed at number 13. George Maso... |
| NCAA Tournament Preview Matt Fargo - 3/12/2006 9:39 PM It’s that time of year again and everyone from the seasoned professional to the novice soccer mom with be filling out their brackets in search of the perfect ticket. 2006 was an interesting regular season starting with the top horses beginning the year strong but slowing down near the end of the season. Also, many mid-major teams made cases throughout the year to get included in the field of 65 an... |
| Honda Classic Preview Matt Fargo - 3/7/2006 12:14 PM Honda Classic The Country Club at Mirasol, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida It’s time to start getting serious. The west coast swing is long gone and the Florida swing continues this week with the Honda Classic as the countdown is on. Not the countdown to The Masters, but the countdown to The Players Championship which is in two weeks. The fifth major as it is called is one that a lot of players tr... |
| MLB 2006 National League Divisional Previews and Predictions BW Sports - 3/3/2006 10:43 AM By BW Sports NL East The Braves have been at the top of the division for a long time, but we think this is the year they finally end a season looking up in the standings. We expect this division to be a 3-team race from the start and should represent an exciting final month to the 2006 season. New York Mets – The Mets finished only 4 games over .500 last season after hitting the... |
| MLB 2006 American League Divisional Previews and Predictions BW Sports - 3/3/2006 10:40 AM by BW Sports AL East We jump right into the most exciting division in baseball in our opinion. Of course, the Red Sox vs. Yankees series draws the most attention, but each of the other three teams in this division has made some improvements coming into this year as well. New York Yankees – Anything less than 100 wins will not only be a disappointment in the Bronx, but a mi... |
| Big Sky Conference Tournament Preview Matt Fargo - 3/3/2006 9:42 AM The Big Sky Conference Tournament tips off on Saturday in what many consider to be a very unfair bracket. The regular season champion gets to host the final two rounds of the tournament which gives them a clear edge to take home the title. While many say that is unfair to the other teams competing, I consider it more than fair. What better reward is there for winning the regular season title than... |
| Ford Championship at Doral Preview Matt Fargo - 2/28/2006 12:33 PM As predicted last week, the Accenture Match Play Championships are difficult to predict and the results showed that as three players with seeds of 11 or lower made it to the weekend semifinals with 13th seed Geoff Ogilvy winning the event over DL3. Now that that’s over, we go back to medal play and the beginning of the southern swing. The first event is the Ford Championship at Doral at the famed... |
| Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Preview Matt Fargo - 2/27/2006 10:51 PM The Ohio Valley Conference Tournament kicks off on Tuesday, one of two tourneys getting underway early. The OVC regular season was won by Murray St. who ran away with the crown by three games over Samford as the Racers put together a ten-game winning streak to lock up the title. They are clearly the hottest team coming in but the other seven teams finished the season separated by just five games w... |
| NBA At the Break Big Al McMordie - 2/25/2006 10:22 AM NBA At the Break By Al McMordie The NBA All Star break may not be the exact midpoint of the season, but it is the marking point of the start of the more important part of the season: the stretch run! While there is a lot of basketball left, it is still a key time for handicappers because many teams are focused on division titles and playoff seeding. And other teams know their season... |
| Bracket Buster Weekend Big Al McMordie - 2/25/2006 10:21 AM Bracket Buster Weekend By Al McMordie As we approach the home stretch in college basketball’s regular season, handicappers look more and more at how meaningful a game might be to a particular team. There are conference races taking place, tournament seedings and even RPI ratings at stake for many teams. Of course, there are also meaningless games with nothing at stake. ... |
| Western Conference Surprises Big Al McMordie - 2/25/2006 10:20 AM Western Conference Surprises By Al McMordie While everybody is anticipating another Spurs/Pistons showdown for the NBA title, a couple of other teams have surprised this season. Let’s take a closer look at the overachieving Mavericks and Clippers. The Mavericks have been very good for several seasons now, but they are not perceived as being an elite team by the public, si... |
| NBA Notes: Situational Handicapping Mike Neri - 2/25/2006 10:17 AM NBA Notes: Situational Handicapping by Mike Neri The Spurs haven't been a great bet the last two weeks, going 2-4 against the spread. They have a losing spread mark on the season, and are just 21-26 ATS as a favorite. So what gives? They're the defending champs. The defending champ carries an extra burden all season, especially on the road. Opposing teams want to beat them. ... |
| NCAA Weekly Dish - 02/25/06 Matt Fargo - 2/24/2006 8:46 AM NCAA Weekly Dish – 02/25/06 With the college basketball regular season winding down, Matt Fargo takes a look at three big games on tap that you cannot miss this Saturday. Miami Ohio RedHawks at Kent St. Golden Flashes 2:00 PM ET One game separates three teams in the MAC East and two of those squads square off on Saturday. Miami and Kent St. both come into this huge game with impressive r... |
| Colorado Rockies Betting Preview Matt Fargo - 2/21/2006 11:55 AM This is part 2 of Fargo’s 30 part baseball preview. Today’s Preview: Colorado Rockies 2004 68W 94L -8.7 Units Over/Under 73-82-7 2005 67W 95L -11.1 Units Over/Under 74-81-7 The Rockies have been consistent the last two seasons with just one game separating the two records. The problem is that those records were well under .500 and Colorado did nothing to improve the team during the offse... |
| Florida Marlins Betting Preview Matt Fargo - 2/21/2006 11:53 AM This is part 1 of Fargo’s 30 part baseball preview. Today’s Preview: Florida Marlins 2004 83W 79L -17.5 Units Over/Under 74-75-13 2005 83W 79L -15.4 Units Over/Under 82-73-7 The Marlins went through their second firesale in less than a decade and it will show on the field this season. Gone is pretty much everyone from last season with the exception of third baseman Miguel Cabrera and sta... |
| World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Champions Matt Fargo - 2/21/2006 11:51 AM This week we go from medal play to match play at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship from La Costa Resort and Spa. For those not familiar, 64 golfers tee it up in this tournament in head-to-head matches that ultimately decides the champion, similar to the NCAA Tournament. The top 64 available players from the Official World Golf Ranking are invited and this year only two... |
| Home Court Advantage; Reality or Myth! Trey Johnson - 2/17/2006 12:59 PM We all know home court advantage in college basketball is everything. Teams take great pride in dominating in their own house. Many conferences, both large and small, have reputations for rabid fans and tough home court environments. But does all this home court hype translate into profitable investment opportunities? Let’s take a look. Through February 10th all 32 college basketball conf... |
| NCAA Weekly Dish - 02/18/06 Matt Fargo - 2/17/2006 10:51 AM NCAA Weekly Dish – 02/18/06 With the college basketball season in full swing, Matt Fargo takes a look at three big games on tap that you cannot miss this Saturday. Saturday is BracketBuster day and while there are a lot of matchups that have absolutely no appeal, there is a handful that will not only be fun to watch but also have an impact on some bubble teams heading into the Big Dance. Fargo... |
| Nissan Open Preview Matt Fargo - 2/14/2006 12:18 PM Nissan Open Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, California The tour stays in California this week, heading to yet another historic course and tournament with a lot of history. The Nissan Open is the tour’s third oldest event and is considered one of the best stops of the season for a lot of players. The last seven champions of the Nissan are in the field this week and one player who has n... |
| NCAA Weekly Dish - 02/11/06 Matt Fargo - 2/10/2006 9:28 AM With the college basketball season in full swing, Matt Fargo takes a look at three big games on tap that you cannot miss this Saturday. There aren’t a whole lot of huge, marquee conference games this weekend but a lot of games will go a long way in positioning for the upcoming conference tournaments. Iowa Hawkeyes at Indiana Hoosiers 12:00 PM ET The logjam in the Big Ten is getting bigger as... |
| AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Preview Matt Fargo - 2/7/2006 11:40 AM AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, California J.B. Holmes shocked the golfing world with a runaway win at the FBR Open last week. He came in ranked 464th in the world but his second top ten of the season will certainly draw some attention his way. On the 18th last Sunday, he bombed a 354-yard drive to the delight of the spectators and if anyone saw him af... |
| Super Bowl XL Big Al McMordie - 2/3/2006 7:20 PM This is it: Super Bowl week. With two weeks to fill and only one game left, get ready for newspapers and TV sports shows to exhaust their insight into every possible angle and personality on the game. From a handicapping perspective, it’s not always easy to find a soft betting line with respect to the side and total. With one game to go in the season, and two weeks to prepare, oddsmak... |
| MAC Hosts Quiet Money-Makers Tom Stryker - 2/3/2006 5:31 PM MAC Hosts Quiet Money-Makers A few weeks ago, I broke down a Big 10 Conference trend that has been making money left and right since the 2003 season. This technical situation went against Big 10 road dogs entering off two or more home games. This sweet angle has been cashing tickets all season long (15-39-2 ATS including 4-7 ATS this year) and now it's time to add another piece of arsena... |
| NCAA Weekly Dish - 01/28/06 Matt Fargo - 1/27/2006 10:36 AM With the college basketball season in full swing, Matt Fargo takes a look at three big games on tap that you cannot miss this Saturday. Wisconsin Badgers at Michigan Wolverines 2:30 PM ET Wisconsin is the lowest of the five ranked teams from the Big Ten yet the Badgers are alone in first place. With a win they can knock one of the five teams that trail them by a single game down further in t... |
| Are You Ready For Some ARENA Football??? Triple Threat Sports - 1/24/2006 12:19 PM ARE YOU READY FOR SOME ARENA FOOTBALL??? By Joe Patterson, Triple Threat Sports With the Steelers and the Seahawks having two weeks of hype to get ready for the Super Bowl, there may seem like there is a void in your football Sunday routine this week. However, if you are a football junkie like me and do not mind a different brand of gridiron fun, you need to know that the ARENA FOOTBALL LEAGUE k... |
| Buick Invitational Preview Matt Fargo - 1/24/2006 11:17 AM Buick Invitational Torrey Pines Golf Course, La Jolla, California The tour stop leaves Hawaii and steps back onto the mainland this week as Torrey Pines will be hosting the Buick Invitational for the 39th straight year. The first event on mainland America is fitting since the US players have dominated in San Diego. Since 1952 only two non-Americans have won this event, Jose Maria Olazabal and... |
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