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 Strykers Big 10 Preview - Saturday, Nov 6thTom Stryker - 11/5/2010 2:01 PM When Iowa summarily thumped unbeaten and No. 5 Michigan State last Saturday, 37-6, two things became very clear. It is highly unlikely – next to impossible – that any Big Ten team will be playing for the national championship. And, it ensured a frantic finish to the conference season and the coveted Rose Bowl berth.Ohio State, Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan State all have one loss in conferenc... |
| College Basketball Tips Off Monday, November 8th! Triple Threat Sports - 11/4/2010 2:17 PM Our favorite day of the (sports) year is coming, and that is the start of the College Basketball season. Our Bill Milton is a college hoops junkie, and November 8th could not come soon enough for him. He has been scouring the internet and the preseason magazines for months now, and is ready to rock and roll this college hardwood season. This article takes a look at Bill's Top Five overall plus his... |
| Winning Football: "D" Comes Before "O" Jim Feist - 11/1/2010 11:44 AM So what do you prefer: offense or defense? Most casual bettors examining NFL picks like offense, which is why Monday night football games often take more action on the over. There have been some terrific offensive football teams that last few years, such as USC and Texas in 2005, LSU and Florida the last two years, and pro passing attacks like the Rams, Colts, Dick Vermeil's Chiefs, the 2007 Patri... |
| Strykers Big 10 Preview - October 30th Tom Stryker - 10/29/2010 11:15 AM BIG 10 PREVIEW – Saturday, October 30thPlanning on purchasing Rose Bowl tickets after the action this week in the Big Ten? Don’t do it. There are too many games involving high-power teams and the chase for the title is still up for grabs. Only unbeaten Michigan State can control its own Big Ten – and maybe BCS destiny after the Spartans came from behind to beat Northwestern and m... |
| Bettors Choice: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly Big Al McMordie - 10/29/2010 10:10 AM Bettor's Choice: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, By Big Al McMordie So what teams should a handicapper look to when analyzing odds: The good, the bad or the ugly ones? Well, you should examine all teams and lines in various situations, of course. However, let me say a few words about how bad and very ugly teams can look wonderful in the eyes of the professional handicapper. Bad teams can f... |
| Wagering on the World Series Jim Feist - 10/25/2010 11:32 AM An exciting week for the Rangers and Giants! October memories glare the brightest in baseball lore. Bobby Thompson's 1951 home run, Don Larsen's perfect game in Game 5 of the '56 Series, Bob Gibson's 17-strikeouts in Game 1 '68, Carlton Fisk's home run in '75, Kirk Gibson's blast in '88, Joe Carter's Series ending three-run homer in 1993. While home runs mostly dot the top of the memorial landscap... |
| Strykers Big 10 Preview - Saturday, October 23rd Tom Stryker - 10/22/2010 11:02 AM After some surprising twists and turns in Big Ten football the last couple of weeks, no one expects anything less this weekend, when five games are likely to shed some more light on how crowded the top of the conference standings will be a month from now.Wisconsin’s spanking of then-No. 1 Ohio State leaves only three unbeatens in league play – Iowa, Michigan State and Purdue (yes, Purdue).All thre... |
| Rocketmans CFB Returning Starter Angle Week 8 Rocketman Sports - 10/21/2010 11:54 PM CFB RETURNING STARTER ANGLE WEEK 8 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 Value of Run Defense Jim Feist - 10/18/2010 11:32 AM Like a giant leak on a sinking ship, one of the first signs of a poor pro football team is weak run defense. Stopping the run is essential to building a championship team. The Top 8 teams at stopping the run last season? Packers, Vikings, Steelers, Cowboys, Ravens, 49ers, Bengals and Jets - all playoff teams except two. Who won the Super Bowl after the 2008 campaign? The Steelers, a team... |
| Returning Starter CFB Angle Week 7 Rocketman Sports - 10/16/2010 1:18 AM RETURNING STARTER ANGLE WEEK 7 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... |
| Tom Strykers Big 10 Preview - Oct. 16th Tom Stryker - 10/15/2010 8:25 AM Five Big Ten games a week ago only produced more new questions than answers. Ohio State continued to roll, but Michigan State took a huge step forward with a convincing victory at Michigan. Northwestern, off to a 5-0 start, fell to Purdue, and then Illinois startled Penn State with a lopsided win at State College.Four teams are still unblemished in conference play – and this new slate of gam... |
| Turnovers Can Turn the Tide Jim Feist - 10/11/2010 11:22 AM Last week the Dolphins led the Patriots 7-6 at the half on Monday Night and ended up with an edge in yards 400-265. Final score: Patriots 41, Dolphins 14. Say what? The special teams play of the Patriots got all the coverage, but the difference in the game came down to turnovers, with Miami losing that battle 4-0. "We had a tidal wave hit us," Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said of the 3 in... |
| Inside Look at NFL Bye Weeks Tom Stryker - 10/10/2010 8:36 AM Back in 1990, the NFL began using a bye-week in order to give teams a break from a lengthy 16-game schedule. The league actually decided to allow for two weeks in the 1993 season but shifted back to the 17-week schedule in 2004 and it has remained the same ever since.Good sports handicappers always look for a new edge and, thanks to this rest factor, a number of excellent wagering opportunit... |
| Big 10 Preview October 9th Tom Stryker - 10/7/2010 7:34 AM With five teams still unbeaten in Big Ten play, the chase for roses is far from decided. But, with this week’s headline game in Ann Arbor, some key questions about the power in the conference could be decided. Yes, the marquis game features unbeaten Michigan State at the Big House, against the unbeaten Wolverines. But, in other key action, Ohio State (hosting Indiana) and Northwe... |
| Beware of Early Season Phonies! Jim Feist - 10/4/2010 11:27 AM So...are we all set for the Bears/Chiefs Super Bowl? Because after three weeks, those were two of the remaining three undefeated teams in the NFL, along with the Steelers. To put that in perspective, before the season started the Bears were 13-to-1 to win the Super Bowl, the Steelers 18-to-1 and the Chiefs, fresh off a 4-12 season, 85-to-1. Yet, there they were at the end of September among the N... |
| Game 5 and Going North Tom Stryker - 10/2/2010 11:24 AM There are so many pivotal games during the course of a college football season - the opener, the first conference test, a major revenge war and even the final battle to name a few. Teams hit these milestones and, depending on whether they are able to pick up the "W" or post an "L", it can make or break their season. This week's College System focuses on those teams at game five of the regul... |
| Rocketman Sports ACC and SEC Power Ratings Week 5 Rocketman Sports - 10/2/2010 9:17 AM ROCKETMAN SPORTS SEC AND ACC POWER RATINGS WEEK 5 We’re going to take a look again this week at the two conferences I follow the most in College Football which is the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Southeastern Conference. First, I’m going to list my power rating report for both conferences... |
| September Football: Upset City! Jim Feist - 9/27/2010 11:19 AM 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 Steelers, Texans, Seahawks, Redskins and Chiefs all won outright as home dogs. The Jets, 49ers and Lions covered... |
| Rocketman Sports ACC and SEC Power Ratings Week 4 Rocketman Sports - 9/25/2010 9:09 AM ROCKETMAN SPORTS SEC AND ACC POWER RATINGS WEEK 4 We’re going to take a look this week at the two conferences I follow the most in College Football which is the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Southeastern Conference. First, I’m going to list my power rating report for both conferences and t... |
| Strykers NFL Game 3 Undefeated Road Warrior Tom Stryker - 9/24/2010 9:13 PM Momentum can be a very powerful tool in the world of sports handicapping. Teams with "good 'ol mo" have a tendency to keep playing well while others without it can struggle. In the NFL, backing teams that got out of the gate quickly has been almost automatic for me. Take a look at what my powerful NFL database discovered. For starters, game three teams that enter off back-to-bac... |
| Sandwiches and Scheduling Jim Feist - 9/20/2010 11:29 AM 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, last week Texas has a non-conference game against Wyoming schedule right be... |
| The Rocketman Line CFB Week 3 2010 Rocketman Sports - 9/17/2010 10:14 PM “THE ROCKETMAN LINE” WEEK 3 College Football 2010 This week we will continue with our introduction to the “Rocketman Line.” This is the first time I’ve actually put all my Rocketman Line information out for public display. What is the Rocketman line? Glad you asked. I keep... |
| Tom Strykers NFL Game 2 Golden Situation Tom Stryker - 9/17/2010 11:20 AM The first week of NFL action is in the books. Considering the home teams went 12-4 SU and 10-4-2 ATS, there’s a pretty good chance that most of you found your way into the profit zone last weekend. Regardless of whether you made or lost money, the NFL moves forward and now you’re forced to look at another 16 intriguing games. So what do you do in game two? My database goes all t... |
| September Football: Are the Defenses Ahead of the Offenses? Jim Feist - 9/13/2010 11:32 AM You have to remember that in September it's more likely that defenses are ahead of the offenses in pro and college football. This might not seem the case when you watch Virginia Tech and Boise put on an exciting 33-30 shootout. However, that's not the norm, either. The defenses are more ahead of the offenses than you might think. New Kansas coach Turner Gill wouldn't argue with that, aft... |
| NFL Week One Money-Making Situations Tom Stryker - 9/7/2010 1:32 PM The first week of the NFL can be a difficult one to handicap. Success or failure in the Pre-Season doesn’t always translate into regular season wins and losses. Free agency does a number on team chemistry too. Yesterday’s talent isn’t always the same as todays and there could be growing pains on either side of the ball when a bunch of new personnel is shuffled in or out. ... |
| Pro Football Stats: Read Between the Lines Jim Feist - 9/6/2010 12:42 PM 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 only a starting poin... |
| Preseason Round-Up Big Al McMordie - 9/2/2010 10:23 AM Week 4 of the preseason is on deck and that's the time many coaches sit their starters the most, not caring about the game, trying to stay healthy. The preseason has given us insight into many changes that have taken place, as well as key injuries that will have an impact in September. There's a significant one in Oakland, as new Raiders' quarterback Jason Campbell was carted off the field... |
| The Best of the NFL Jim Feist - 8/30/2010 12:43 PM by Jim Feist The pro football season kicks off next week when the Vikings travel to the Saints in a rematch of the NFL Championship thriller. Here is a look at some of the best of the NFL, and remember that the AFC has won 9 of the last 13 Super Bowls. Ravens (10-8 SU, 9-8-1 ATS in 2009): This is still a talented team with a monster defense that is capable of beating anyone. The offense h... |
| Rocketman Sports Southern Miss-South Carolina CFB Preview Rocketman Sports - 8/28/2010 2:27 PM CFB GAME PREVIEW SOUTHERN MISS @ SOUTH CAROLINA THURSDAY 9-2-10 7:30 PM EST The South Carolina Gamecocks will open the season on Thursday September, 2nd against Southern Miss in the first College Football game of the 2010 season. The Gamecocks come in installed as 14 point... |
| Exhausted NFLX Host – Both Good and Bad! Tom Stryker - 8/27/2010 10:16 AM There’s nothing better than an NFL Pre-Season home game. The fans are excited to see their favorite team in their own backyard and the players are elated to be close to their families after the bumps and grinds of camp. Unfortunately, for those of us that like to invest on NFLX hosts, some of these teams can turn out to be bad propositions. Let me explain.While handicapping this... |
| Big XII Preview - Triple Threat Sports Triple Threat Sports - 8/24/2010 3:09 AM Big XII Preview - Triple Threat Sports A while back we took a look at the SEC and now the focus shifts to the Big 12 Conference in what will be the final year of its existence in current form. The Big XII has been well represented in the BCS Title Game of late and there are a couple of teams that could make it three in a row. With that in mind, lets take a look at the 2010 Big 12 Outlook: Big 12... |
| Jim Feists 2010 College Footballs Top 1-20 Jim Feist - 8/23/2010 12:25 PM 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 2nd and here's a look at college football's best! 20. Georgia Bulldogs: The Bulldogs come off an 8-5 SU, 5-7 ATS season, winning four of their final five. The only concern is at QB with redshirt freshman Aaron Murray, a super recruit, but he is surrounded by te... |
| MLB AL EAST DIVISION RACE Rocketman Sports - 8/17/2010 4:00 PM MLB AL EAST DIVISION RACE The MLB season is winding on down with only around 44 games left in the regular season for each ball club. It’s time to make those runs for the playoffs. I’m going to take a look at the AL East here today. Currently, the NY Yankees and the Tampa Bay Devil... |
| 2010 College Football’s Top 21-40 Jim Feist - 8/16/2010 12:31 PM It's time to kick off a new football season. College football begins September 2nd and here's a look at the top teams, starting with my top 21-40. 40. Nevada Wolf Pack: Nevada (8-5 SU/7-6 ATS) had a tough schedule a year ago, but finished 7-1 in the WAC, with an incredible "Pistol" rushing attack that averaged 40.6 points, 362 yards rushing and 159 passing. Coach Chris Ault had three players... |
| Preseason Breakdown - Thursday August 12th - Triple Threat Sports Triple Threat Sports - 8/12/2010 4:08 AM The NFL Preseason starts in earnest on Thursday with three games as the Saints take on the Patriots on ESPN while the Panthers/Ravens and Raiders/Cowboys do battle in the other two games. This article takes a look at all three games for both the side and the total...Enjoy! Before we get to the analysis of the games, a couple of quick notes about preseason football. First off, these are not th... |
| NFL Preseason Pointers Jim Feist - 8/9/2010 12:28 PM The pro football preseason kicked off this past weekend in the Hall of Fame game as the Cowboys beat the Bengals. 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 marquee ma... |
| Keys To Making Money In NFL Preseason! 73% last year! Rocketman Sports - 8/5/2010 1:34 PM NFL PRESEASON 2010The 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 sever... |
| NFL Preseason Betting Tips Jim Feist - 8/3/2010 1:11 PM It may be HOT and many folks are still on vacation, but August kicks off the best time of the sports betting calendar: Football season! Competition on the field won't be as intense as September, of course, as wins aren't as important as evaluating young talent and trying to keep players healthy. However, there will be betting lines available on preseason pro action and it's possible to cash w... |
| SEC Preview by Triple Threat Sports! Triple Threat Sports - 7/29/2010 3:00 PM For our College Football Handicapper Joe Patterson, July means only one thing....preparation! Joe dives into all the preseason publications, scans the internet daily for school and local newspaper updates, and in general lives and breathes college football. Today we will start to showcase some of Joe's work with our quick reference guide SEC Preview. The SEC has had one of its member schools play... |
| SEC Preview by Triple Threat Sports! Triple Threat Sports - 7/29/2010 2:58 PM For our College Football Handicapper Joe Patterson, July means only one thing....preparation! Joe dives into all the preseason publications, scans the internet daily for school and local newspaper updates, and in general lives and breathes college football. Today we will start to showcase some of Joe's work with our quick reference guide SEC Preview. The SEC has had one of its member schools play... |
| FINDING MLB SURGES Scott Spreitzer - 7/26/2010 5:53 PM This week, I want to outline strategies for finding teams who will offer value from now through the end of September. What are the main characteristics of the "super surgers" who close the season very strong? *PITCHING DEPTH You just can't string together victories unless you have quality deep in your starting rotation. Some teams are top heavy, with one or two great starters followed by me... |
| Pro Football Teams with Something to Prove Jim Feist - 7/26/2010 1:13 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. It may seem a distant memory now, but the Bears ended the 2005 season with a blowout loss at the Vikings (34-10) th... |
| New Coaches Hope to Upgrade Pro/College Programs Jim Feist - 7/19/2010 3:22 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 w... |
| Baseball: Second Half Surges Jim Feist - 7/12/2010 10:57 AM The first half of the 2010 baseball season is in the books. There were surprising winners, such as the Reds and Padres, a lack of hitting league-wide, and some surprising flops with the Brewers, Mariners and D-Backs. 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 surge. Mariners: You can make the argu... |
| Baseball: First Half Roundup Jim Feist - 7/5/2010 11:52 AM 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 in June. 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 figured out their strengt... |
| Getting Injured Players Back Can Be as Important as a Trade Jim Feist - 6/28/2010 12:42 PM 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... |
| A Call to the Pen Jim Feist - 6/21/2010 12:10 PM 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. Speci... |
| Pitching Injuries and Overuse Big Al McMordie - 6/21/2010 3:45 AM When wagering on baseball, pay extra attention to pitchers who are coming off injury stints and ones off starts where they threw a lot of pitches. When he was 40 years old, former ace Curt Schilling pitched a complete game at Oakland, one where he lost a no-hit bid with two outs in the ninth. He wanted it, of course, and really put forth the extra effort in the eighth and ninth to try and ge... |
| Hot and Cold Streaks! Jim Feist - 6/14/2010 12:11 PM by Jim Feist Baseball is a game of stats and streaks. The Red Sox started this season 4-9 and had all kinds of problems with pitching and injuries to two starting outfielders. However, they made some minor adjustments, got their starting staff straightened out and have been playing good baseball the last two months, back in the pennant race. Two years ago the Tigers started the season... |
| NBA Finals: Celtics/Lakers! Jim Feist - 6/7/2010 1:26 PM by Jim Feist The NBA Finals shift this week from Los Angeles to the East Coast, as the Lakers head to Boston for Game 3, 4 and 5. 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 is odd, but there is a reason for the change: M-O-N-E-Y. The NBA prefers a longer series to build up interest and increase television... |
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