Category Archives: sports

2014 MLB Team Preview: Baltimore Orioles

It must be difficult being an AL East team not in Boston or New York. Baltimore have tried to build through the draft and sign cheap veterans to add depth, but they can barely hang with the pack. They were hoping to build off their 2012 Wild Card berth and compete for the division, but the Red Sox and Rays were the cream of the division.

2013 wasn’t completely forgettable. Chris Davis became one of the best power hitters in the game and Manny Machado showed why he was one of the top prospects in the game.

Boston and New York rearranged some of their pieces this offseason. If they get off to a slow start, can Baltimore build an early lead in the AL East?

Here is the 2014 MLB season preview for the Baltimore Orioles.

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2014 MLB Team Preview: Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves are coming off a successful regular season, but disappointed in the playoffs. Their big acquisition of Justin Upton last offseason didn’t pay off immediately. They struggled offensively in stretches, but was bailed out by their pitching.

The Braves lost starting pitchers Tim Hudson and Paul Malholm to free agency then lost Kris Medlan and Brandon Beachy with elbow injuries. Newly-signed Ervin Santana & Gavin Floyd will help fill the need, but it will be an uphill battle.

The Braves spent the offseason signing all their young talent to contract extensions. They lost Brian McCann to the Yankees and didn’t sign any impact bats to fill their on-base needs.

Will the Braves repeat as NL East champs?

Here is the 2014 MLB season preview for the Atlanta Braves.

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2014 MLB Team Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks

All the moves Arizona made last offseason didn’t do much for their record. They finished the season 81-81 in back-to-back seasons. They even traded their ace Ian Kennedy at the trade deadline.

This offseason, they once again completed one of the biggest offseason trades. They landed outfielder Mark Trumbo and closer Addison Reed, but had to give up one of the top outfield prospects Adam Eaton.

The NL West is improved with the Dodgers becoming a powerhouse and the Giants have all their guys back from injury. It will be difficult for Arizona to hang with those clubs.

Can manager Kirk Gibson push his team and overachieve?

Can Martin Prado bounce back from a ho-hum 2013 campaign?

Here is the 2014 MLB season preview for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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Betting on Who Will Win The NHL This Season

NHL ice hockey is noted for being a somewhat physically brutal spectacle at times, but trying to pick a side to win it this season may be almost as mentally brutal for sports betting fans. After all, at this point in the 2013/14 season, at least four or five teams are almost impossible to choose between, as the Penguins, Blackhawks, Bruins and Ducks are all displaying Stanley Cup-winning form in their various divisions. The bookmakers can find little to divide these sides in terms of quality either, so exactly who should you lay your wagers on?

If you were going purely on divisional performances, then perhaps the Penguins should be your pick – as their sixteen point advantage in the Metropolitan one shows just how much they are outclassing the other sides. None of the three other teams have a lead of this magnitude, but the Blackhawks are arguably the strongest overall side, having won Conference and Cup last year, and kept most of the players who did so. Continue reading →

Sweetbob’s Saturday Betting Bonanza

I miss college football, so on Saturdays, I find myself watching everything. I use the word ‘everything’ because I seriously watch any sport that pops up on my DirecTV. At the moment, that means a lot of the Winter Olympics.

As I’m in the vortex of random sports, I find myself doing my fair share of betting. I had a great NFL and college football season and historically, I’m even better at college basketball.

This Saturday is filled with more than luge and figure skating. You have some great college basketball matchups (Syracuse at Duke) and UFC 170.

I pick February 22nd college basketball games against the spread and also pick the winners of tonight’s UFC 170. Will Ronda Rousey defend her title?

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End Of An Era: Pacers Trade Danny Granger to 76ers

Today, NBA teams were scrambling up until the final minutes to make something happen before the 3pm trade deadline. The day is always filled with hype and hopes their team can make a blockbuster trade to either stockpile draft picks or build for a playoff run…but only minor deals were made today.

The biggest trade of the day was made between the Indiana Pacers and the Philadelphia 76ers. Indiana sent former All-Star Danny Granger and a future second-round pick to Philly for former Ohio State standout Evan Turner and backup power forward Lavoy Allen.

This marks an end of an era for the Indiana Pacers. Granger has been with Indiana since he was drafted in 2005. He was the face of the franchise after Reggie Miller retired that same year. I think his biggest accomplishment is that he survived the Jim O’Brien head coaching era (that was brutal).

How will Evan Turner be used in the Pacers rotation? What does this mean for Lance Stephenson’s impending free agency?

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Please, Stop Giving Kevin Durant Horrible Nicknames!

NBA fans, and those who make a living covering the NBA, have been trying to make a nickname stick on Kevin Durant since his rookie season. Attempts have ran the gamut from just his initials ‘K.D.’ to the horrible ‘Durantula’ moniker.

This is Durant’s seventh season in the NBA. I cannot remember a time when an athlete in any major sport got a nickname to stick this late into their professional career. A nickname is usually something a player receives at a young age and sticks throughout the rest of his career. If the nickname doesn’t stick, it’s not a good nickname.

Well, basketball fans (especially ESPN‘s Bill Simmons), are still obsessed with a Durant nickname. On The B.S. Report podcast, Simmons even asked Durant what he wanted to be called. His answer was worse than expected…

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Review: “Wrigley Field: An Oral And Narrative History Of The Home Of The Chicago Cubs” by Ira Berkow

Spring Training is fast approaching and so is the season when great baseball books are released. “Wrigley Field: An Oral And Narrative History Of The Chicago Cubs” could be the gem of the year.

Ira Berkow went all out and made the most all-encompassing book about Wrigley Field ever printed. Not only are there interesting stories, but the photos in this book are amazing. Panoramic shots from various seats in the bleachers and rooftop seats to intimate portraits of early Cubs players.

This isn’t a small book. It’s a ‘coffee table’ book in size, but with enough written content to read and not just flip through.

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New Orleans Pelicans Make Mascot Less Frightening

The New Orleans Pelicans mascot, Pierre the Pelican, went under the knife. The team announced he was having plastic surgery to fix his beak.

The picture on the right is the ‘before’ picture. He was scaring kids and looked like something in a bad furry movie. Who approved this mascot? Was it the same guy who approved ‘Boomer’, the Columbus Blue Jackets failed cannon mascot that looked like, ummm, a ‘cannon’ and two round things below it. I’m trying to keep it PG-13 around here…at least when it comes to mascots.

See what the new and improved Pierre looks like now…after the jump.

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2014 NBA All-Star Weekend: Betting Odds

The first-half of the NBA season is nearly complete and NBA All-Star Weekend starts this Friday.

The most anticipated events are the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest and Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout on Saturday and the actual All-Star game on Sunday.

The betting odds for these three events are very interesting. There are a few favorites in each event, but some underdogs interest me. You could get a bit lucky and win a nice chunk of change.

Will Lebron James and Kevin Durant battle for the All-Star game MVP? Is the second time’s the charm for Paul George in the Slam Dunk Contest? Can Stephen Curry hold off defending champion Kyrie Irving in the Three-Point Contest?

Here are the odds for All-Star Game MVP, Slam Dunk Champion and 3-Point Shootout winner.

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Curling: How To Play The Best Winter Olympic Sport

Every four years, I look forward to the Winter Olympics. Household names are few and far between and you learn how freaking quirky these athletes are.

The sport I end up watching the most is curling. I first started watching this sport during the 2006 Olympics and I must have watched a dozen hours. I knew nothing about it and learned the rules on the fly. It was a lot of fun, but you rarely ever see it televised during Olympic off-years.

Most people try to explain curling with the phrase, “It’s like shuffleboard.” Okay, unless you live in a retirement community, you don’t know much about that ‘sport’ either.

We explain the basic rules of curling and why it’s the best sport in the Winter Olympics.

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2014 National Signing Day: All-Name Team

For those who love high school and college football, National Signing Day is a lot of fun. It’s the one day of the year in which a university’s athletic department’s fax machine is the most important piece of equipment on campus.

This is the day when high school seniors can fax in their letter of intent to the college they wish to play football. You need to be offered a scholarship before you fax a letter of intent…sorry, guys.

I’ve researched all the top players in the 2014 senior class and picked out some of the best names and which school they will be playing for later this year.

My name is Bobby Roberts. I often get asked if my name is Robert Roberts, but no, it says ‘Bobby’ on my birth certificate. My name will forever sound like I’m eight years old…so different names always interest me. I think you will enjoy this list.

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