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 Handicapping NFL TotalsBig Al McMordie - 10/10/2011 4:59 PM I'm a big fan of playing NFL Totals. Going into Monday Night's Lions/Bears game, I'm 36-22 my last 58 NFL Totals. When analyzing totals, don't be afraid to look beyond the stats. There are other avenues that bettors can utilize to identify winners. Take, for instance, coaching strategy. A year ago at this time the Patriots hadn't used WR Randy Moss (9 catches in four games) before trading him.... |
| Turnovers Can Turn the Tide Jim Feist - 10/10/2011 1:24 AM by Jim Feist Last week the Baltimore Ravens had just 267 total yards in a Sunday night showdown with the Jets and were a measily 6 of 18 on third down. In addition, they averaged 2.8 yards per rush. What a terrible offensive performance! Oh, and by the way the Ravens won the game, 34-17. Say what? The difference was turnovers, with the Jets coughing it up 4 times (3 fumbles, 1 pick... |
| CFB Returning Starter Angle Plays Week 6 2011 Rocketman Sports - 10/6/2011 12:59 PM CFB RETURNING STARTER ANGLE WEEK 6 (2011) Many years ago I received a newsletter from Mike Lee, a sports handicapper who just recently passed away in the past few years. I’m not sure if he came up with this Returning starter angle or if he was just passing it along but it has really been a nice addition to my own personal handicapping arsenal. He had said in his newsletter that the previous year... |
| Beware of Early Season Phonies! Jim Feist - 10/3/2011 11:33 AM by Jim Feist So...are we all set for the Lions/Bills Super Bowl? Because after three weeks, those were two of the remaining three undefeated teams in the NFL, along with the Packers. To put that in perspective, before the season started the Lions were 40-to-1 to win the Super Bowl, the Packers 5-to-1 and the Bills, fresh off a 4-12 season, were 100-to-1. Yet, there they were at the end o... |
| CFB Returning Starter Angle Week 5 Plays! Rocketman Sports - 10/1/2011 10:16 AM CFB RETURNING STARTER ANGLE WEEK 5 (2011) Many years ago I received a newsletter from Mike Lee, a sports handicapper who just recently passed away in the past few years. I’m not sure if he came up with this Returning starter angle or if he was just passing it along but it has really been a nice addition to my own personal handicapping arsenal. He had said in his newsletter that the previous year... |
| September Football: Upset City! Jim Feist - 9/25/2011 10:21 PM by Jim Feist There's a reason they play the games. Teams don't always play the way stats and power rankings suggest they are supposed to. That's often evident early in the pro and college football seasons because some teams are very different from year to year. In Week 1 of the NFL season, the Bears, Bengals, Bills, Lions and Redskins all won straight up as dog, while the Cowboys and Vikin... |
| CFB Returning Starter Angle Week 4 (2011) Rocketman Sports - 9/23/2011 9:03 PM CFB RETURNING STARTER ANGLE WEEK 4 (2011) Many years ago I received a newsletter from Mike Lee, a sports handicapper who just recently passed away in the past few years. I’m not sure if he came up with this Returning starter angle or if he was just passing it along but it has really been a nice addition to my own personal handicapping arsenal. He had said in his newsletter that the previous year... |
| Sandwiches and Scheduling Jim Feist - 9/19/2011 11:17 AM by Jim Feist College and pro football offer a variety of great match-ups every weekend. A good handicapper, though, doesn't just look at individual and team match-ups. There are other factors surrounding a game that can be equally important to identifying a winning spread cover, such as scheduling and road travel. For instance, both Iowa and Iowa State opened the season against... |
| CFB Returning Starter plays - Week 3 Rocketman Sports - 9/17/2011 10:26 AM CFB RETURNING STARTER ANGLE WEEK 3 (2011) Many years ago I received a newsletter from Mike Lee, a sports handicapper who just recently passed away in the past few years. I’m not sure if he came up with this Returning starter angle or if he was just passing it along but it has really been a nice addition to my own personal handicapping arsenal. He had said in his newsletter that the previous year... |
| Pro Football Stats: Read Between the Lines Jim Feist - 9/12/2011 11:24 AM by Jim Feist The best time of the sports calendar is here, the opening week of the pro football campaign! There are mountains of stats and angles available for sports bettors to digest from this season and years past. Information certainly is a huge key when analyzing games and point spreads. Sometimes it can seem that there is too much info, but it's essential to understand that stats are... |
| Lean Toward Betting Against Big N.F.L. Favorites in September Jack Clayton - 9/10/2011 11:44 AM by Jack Clayton September football generally offers a lot of surprises. One reason is that handicappers and linemakers are forced to look at statistics from last season when setting a number. And teams do not play the same from year to year, even if few faces have changed. Look at the New Orleans Saints. After finishing up as the seventh-best defensive team in the NFL a decade ago, the Saint... |
| CFB Returning Starter Angle Plays Week 2 (2011) Rocketman Sports - 9/9/2011 10:25 PM CFB RETURNING STARTER ANGLE WEEK 2 (2011) Many years ago I received a newsletter from Mike Lee, a sports handicapper who just recently passed away in the past few years. I’m not sure if he came up with this Returning starter angle or if he was just passing it along but it has really been a nice addition to my own personal handicapping arsenal. He had said in his newsletter that the previous year... |
| Best of the NFL Jim Feist - 9/5/2011 10:41 AM by Jim Feist The pro football season kicks off this week when the Saints travel to the defending champion Packers, a battle of the last two champs. Despite the fact that the NFC has won two in a row, the AFC has won 9 of the last 14 Super Bowls. Here is a look at some of the best of the NFL. NY Jets: The Jets do a lot of talking, but when are they going to get to their first Super Bowl si... |
| CFB Returning Starter Angle Week One (2011) Rocketman Sports - 9/3/2011 10:15 AM CFB RETURNING STARTER ANGLE WEEK 1 (2011) Many years ago I received a newsletter from Mike Lee, a sports handicapper who just recently passed away in the past few years. I’m not sure if he came up with this Returning starter angle or if he was just passing it along but it has really been a nice addition to my own personal handicapping arsenal. He had said in his newsletter that the previous year... |
| 2011 College Footballs Top 1-20 Jim Feist - 8/29/2011 11:26 AM by Jim Feist The countdown continues! Last week we looked at my Top 21-40, this week is my Top 20. The college football season kicks off September 1st and here's a look at college football's best! 20. Southern Miss: The Golden Eagles (8-5 SU/6-6 ATS in 2010) have an uptempo attack under Coach Larry Fedora, with a strong offense (36.8 ppg) and a below average defense (29.5 ppg allowed). Th... |
| 2011 College Football’s Top 21-40 Jim Feist - 8/22/2011 11:28 AM by Jim Feist It's time to kick off a new football season. College football begins Thursday, September 1st and here’s a look at the top teams, starting with my top 21-40. 40. Oregon State: The Beavers failed to make a bowl because of injuries and the offense went south. For 2011 they return senior QB Ryan Katz (17 TDs, 11 picks) and WR James Rodgers was granted a sixth-year of eligibility,... |
| College Football Difference Maker: Depth! Jim Feist - 8/15/2011 11:23 AM by Jim Feist The college football season gets underway in two weeks. An area of college football dynamics that's important to understand early in the season is depth. This doesn't refer to how many star players a team has, but whether a team is stocked or thin with above-average players at a lot of positions. Large schools with a long tradition of winning football are usually heavy with de... |
| Keys To Winning in the NFL Preseason! Rocketman Sports - 8/11/2011 12:52 PM NFL PRESEASON 2011 The NFL Preseason is upon us and the smell of football is in the air. Football is what most gamblers await year after year. However, a lot of people don’t play the NFL Preseason. Its easy money ladies and gentlemen if you know what you are doing. Lets look at some things that may help you be a winner this year. With the NFL Preseason, as all other sports, make sure you have se... |
| NFL Preseason Pointers Jim Feist - 8/8/2011 11:14 AM The pro football preseason kicks off this weekend (and it's about time)! Remember that each season is different, with players changing teams, new coaches and assistants coming aboard, and star college players joining the pros as highly touted rookies. August football offers fans their first peak at all the new additions. This weekend, the defending Super Bowl champion Packers at the Browns.... |
| The New Big 10 Jim Feist - 8/3/2011 12:48 AM It may be HOT and many folks are still on vacation, but football is just around the corner, the best time of the sports betting calendar. There have been a lot of changes in college football with several teams shifting conferences. Here are some things to keep in mind with the Big 10 for 2011. Nebraska: Welcome to the Big 10! Bo Pelini had a dominant defense last fall, 17.4 ppg (9th in t... |
| College Football Teams with Something to Prove Jim Feist - 7/26/2011 4:31 PM Frustration and failure can prove excellent motivating factors in sports. We see quality teams get beaten badly all the time, then bounce back the next game with a terrific performance with an easy win. This can also take place with teams that are off disappointing seasons. Last season Notre Dame had a new coach, a tough schedule and a ton of injuries. Despite this, the Irish rallied around each o... |
| New Coaches Hope to Upgrade College Programs Jim Feist - 7/19/2011 4:11 PM Football head coaches get all the glory, but top assistants can be extremely important in a team's success or failure. Offensive and defensive coordinators have great influence on game plans and a unit's effectiveness. There was no better example than former NY Giants' defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, now with the Rams. He came over from the Eagles under outstanding DC Jim Johnson and was a... |
| Second Half Surges Jim Feist - 7/13/2011 1:03 AM The first half of the 2011 baseball season is in the books. There were surprising winners, such as the Indians, Marlins, Reds and Brewers, a lack of hitting league-wide, and some surprises such as the defending champion Giants playing close to .500 baseball. With the surprises out of the way, here's a look at some teams that might be active at the trading deadline and primed to make a second half... |
| Overrating Baseball Injuries Big Al McMordie - 7/4/2011 12:34 PM Sports bettors can get fired up about injuries. Even line makers can get fired up and adjust a number when, for example, Albert Pujols, Derek Jeter or Alex Rodriguez might not be in the lineup. I say relax and proceed with caution. More often than not, an injury to a player, even a star, doesn’t make that much difference, especially if it’s for just one or two games. Most teams have bench... |
| Baseball Totals: Parks and Lineup Changes Big Al McMordie - 7/4/2011 12:25 PM Offense has been down a bit the last few seasons in major league baseball. There are many theories about this, from teams shoring up the relief staff as many games are decided in the 6th, 7th and 8th innings, to the decrease in steroids. Another factor that's always worth considering is the ballpark. It's no secret that the dimensions of parks play a role not only in how a team plays but in how a... |
| Baseball: First Half Roundup Jim Feist - 7/4/2011 11:16 AM by Jim Feist 162 games is a long season. Every year teams sprint out of the gate in April and May with October dreams, only to come back to the pack by July. It's not a sprint, of course, but a marathon, where a strong balance of pitching, defense and offense carries the best teams into the postseason. Injuries, too, are key, as well as trades made before the July deadline. Teams have figu... |
| Getting Injured Players Back Can Be as Important as a Trade Jim Feist - 6/27/2011 11:11 AM by Jim Feist So who is ready to win the World Series? Well, relax , folks, it is only the end of June and baseball is a marathon. Patience and consistency are keys to being the best in baseball, the same two qualities that are necessary in the world of sports wagering. After all, it is not the hot teams in May and June that win the World Series, it is the team hottest in October. The 2... |
| The Bull(Pen) By the Horns! Jim Feist - 6/20/2011 11:24 AM by Jim Feist Starting pitchers in baseball get much of the attention (and money) thrown their way. The average starter is asked to go 6-7 innings, while aces are expected to give 7-8 quality innings. Many games are decided in the last three innings, however, making relief pitchers an extremely important, and often overlooked, element. The use of effective relievers is nothing new. Spec... |
| Hot and Cold Streaks! Jim Feist - 6/13/2011 11:31 AM Hot and Cold Streaks! by Jim Feist Baseball is a game of stats and streaks. The Red Sox started this season 2-10 and had all kinds of problems with pitching, injuries and an ice cold offense. However, they made some minor adjustments, got their starting staff straightened out and have been playing great baseball the last two months, back in the pennant race. Three years ago the Tigers... |
| NCAA Preview: #120 New Mexico St. Aggies Matt Fargo - 6/9/2011 8:55 AM 2011 College Football Previews #120 New Mexico St. Aggies Offensive Starters Returning…7 Defensive Starters Returning…7 Looking Back… New Mexico St. enters a new season with new expectations but in reality, it is going to be another long season in Las Cruces. The Aggies went 2-10 a season ago including 1-7 in the WAC and that made it six straight seasons that New Mexico St. has won two... |
| NBA Finals: Heat/Mavericks! Jim Feist - 6/6/2011 11:23 AM by Jim Feist The NBA Finals shift this week from South Beach to the deep in the heart of Texas, as the Heat head to Dallas for Game 3, 4 and 5. But is it that big of a deal this year? The Mavs and Heat were the top two teams in the NBA on the road (28-13) this season. Many fans find this odd, as all the previous series are in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, but then the Finals shifts to a 2-3-2 format. It... |
| NBA Finals: Defense and Adjustments Big Al McMordie - 6/5/2011 3:51 AM When the LA Lakers won the NBA title two years ago, their defense was exceptional. In the NBA Finals against the Magic, in four of the five games they held Orlando to 41%, 30%, 42% and 41% shooting (all wins). Last year the Lakers and Celtics played a monster defensive battle in Game 7 with everything at stake, sailing way under the total. And this year’s NBA Finals has already seen outstanding... |
| NBA Finals Fever! Jim Feist - 5/30/2011 10:43 AM by Jim Feist Say, what happened to the Celtics, Lakers and Spurs? 2011 was supposed to be the year when all the old fogies advanced in the NBA playoffs. Instead, young teams from Memphis, Miami, Chicago, Atlanta and Oklahoma City pulled many surprises, so this postseason appears to be “The Year That the Torch was Passed." Unless you’re a Dallas Mavericks fan. The thirty-something Maveric... |
| Lean Toward Big Dogs More than Big Chalk Jim Feist - 5/23/2011 11:46 AM by Jim Feist April and May means that many novice sports bettors may look at the matchups and lean toward ace pitchers and lay the big price. But let me say four words to you: Do not do it. Baseball is unique from football and basketball in that there is no point spread. Instead you bet merely on which team will win the game and this translates into a money-line wager. When betting ba... |
| NBA Playoffs: Beware of Blowouts Jim Feist - 5/16/2011 11:30 AM by Jim Feist The NBA playoffs are in full swing, which means overall the better teams are battling each other. This is different from the regular season when many nights great teams are playing bad teams and bad teams are playing worse one. Astute sports bettors should pay very careful attention to blowouts. For instance, after losing Game 1 114-101 at home, the Thunder bounced back and... |
| Vegaswise View: Eastern Conference Finals! Jorge Gonzalez - 5/15/2011 3:58 PM Eastern Conference Final series is already to begin. Today’s game-7 showdown between the Oklahoma City and the Memphis Grizzlies and the Western Conference match-up will be decided who would face the Dallas Mavericks in the series. The Chicago Bulls, with an NBA best 62-win season, will have home court advantage against the Miami Heat. Dwayne wade will lead the Miami Heat and the “Big Three” on th... |
| Understanding Baseball Totals Jack Clayton - 5/14/2011 11:52 AM If you don't like laying money on the favorites in baseball or hoping a +150 underdog can get the win, you might find baseball totals more suitable for your finances. Baseball totals are similar to point spreads in football, with a set number such as 9, and then you normally lay 11-to-win-10 going OVER or UNDER that posted number. So what should you look for with baseball totals? Many no... |
| NBA Conference Finals Big Al McMordie - 5/14/2011 7:34 AM There hasn't been an NBA playoff race like this in a long time. Upsets, surprise teams advancing, and longtime powerhouses (Lakers, Celtics and Spurs) long gone. A new era for the NBA? It sure looks like it, with all the impressive performances by so many young players. It sets up a fascinating final run of finesse teams versus physical. The Dallas Mavericks are the only veteran team still s... |
| Baseball Hot and Cold Starts Jim Feist - 5/9/2011 11:33 AM More than any other sport, baseball is a game of patience. It's not how you start, but where you finish, and with a 162-game regular season, there is a LOT of baseball left. Did your team get off to a bad start? Well don't panic. There is plenty of time to make adjustments and turn things around. Did your team get off to a hot start? Don't start making World Series reservations just yet. Are... |
| Postseason Basketball and Earlier Meetings Jim Feist - 5/2/2011 11:26 AM by Jim Feist As the NBA playoffs roll on, handicappers should take careful note of how teams did against each other during the regular season. Examine head to head matchups individually and as a group. Does one team dominate another? If so, are the reasons for this, or was it merely a fluke during the long grind of an 82-game schedule? The Celtics went 3-1 SU/ATS against the Miami Heat... |
| Defense and Totals in the NBA Playoffs Jim Feist - 4/25/2011 11:21 AM by Jim Feist The NBA playoffs are rolling along, which is a good time to revisit an old sports adage: Defense wins championships. Look at some recent Super Bowl winners. You might not realize this, but Colts QB Peyton Manning didn't have a stellar postseason five years ago, with 3 TDs and 7 INTs. The real story for the Colts' run to the title was their improved defense, especially against the... |
| Jorge Gonzalezs NBA Playoff Notes:1st round, Game 2 Jorge Gonzalez - 4/21/2011 3:28 PM For a nice change, the players on the court decided the playoff games and not the bad calls from the officials. The NBA should have followed the precedent that was set by the World Cup and FIFA. The referees that made the bad calls should be removed from the rest of the playoffs. The players were back on the stage and were left to decide the outcomes. Here are some of my thoughts on the second gam... |
| April Surprises Big Al McMordie - 4/18/2011 2:05 PM There have been surprises already in the first two weeks of the baseball season. The small payroll Royals and Indians have been great, and the high-priced Red Sox have been awful. The Phillies have been as good as advertised while the Rockies might have regained their 2007 form when they won the NL. The Texas Rangers weren't getting a lot of respect when the season started, mainly becau... |
| NBA Playoffs: The Best of the West Jim Feist - 4/18/2011 11:28 AM Start your engines! The NBA playoffs are in full swing, time for endless full court action every night as the league crowns another champion. Let's take a look at the best of the West, the conference that has won eight of the last 11 NBA titles. Lakers: The defending champs began the season raising another banner and looked to be the team to beat again. However, they were not the top team... |
| Jorge Gonzalez’s NBA Playoff Notes Jorge Gonzalez - 4/17/2011 12:44 PM The Chicago Bulls came into the series a big favorite. The Bulls closed as 12.5 favorites but had to fight their way out of 12-point deficit in the third quarter in their 104-99 victory over the Pacers. The Bulls offense struggled shooting just 43% from the floor but nailed 26 of 32 free throws. The Pacers were competitive but only attempted 17 free throws. MVP candidate Derrick Rose and his game-... |
| NBA Stretch Run: The Best of the East Jim Feist - 4/11/2011 11:43 AM by Jim Feist It's been a long haul, this 82-game NBA regular season, but the playoffs are just around the corner. So who wins the NBA title? The most talented team? The luckiest? The favorites? We all know the favorites don't waltz to the NBA Finals. We just watched tiny Butler, a fifth seed in 2010 and a No. 8 seed this year, advance to the NCAA Championship game twice. Upsets l... |
| The Value of Coaches Big Al McMordie - 4/9/2011 8:24 PM Good coaches are tough to beat, especially at crunch time, while bad coaches will beat themselves. This is true in every sport and it's important to understand the value of coaching. A good coach needs talent to win, of course, and the best college coaches are also good recruiters. But winning attracts talent, and good coaches are the foundation for a winning program. Great coaches are also rar... |
| Baseball Pitchers: A Different Breed Jim Feist - 4/4/2011 11:21 AM As we start the baseball season this week, it's a good time to point out that this is an age of specialization for baseball pitchers. You have starters, closers, middle relievers, long relief, set-up men and lefty specialists. Some pitchers feel more comfortable and excel in the role of set-up man than closer, for example. It can all seem overwhelming and even silly at times. I recall an... |
| The Final Four! Jim Feist - 3/28/2011 11:20 AM It is a great weekend for sports fans with the Final Four and the culmination of the college basketball season next Monday in Houston for the national championship. It is clear that it is not the teams the start the season hot, but the ones that get hot when it really matters -- March and April! Many things happen over the course of a long season. Some teams play great basketball in Decemb... |
| The Scoop on Basketball Coaching Mike Neri - 3/26/2011 11:40 AM The obvious point about coaches in all sports is that they need talent on the court of the field to win. But a more subtle aspect, which is related to handicapping, is that competent coaches maximize the essential ingredients of winning (teaching, discipline, strategy, running through situations in practice, exploiting matchup edges), while poor coaches often beat themselves. It's important to und... |
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