Tag Archives: sports

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?

Continue reading →

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?

Continue reading →

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…

Continue reading →

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.

Continue reading →

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.

Continue reading →

Fantasy Basketball: Week 9 – Top 10 Waiver Wire Pickups

I hope you’re doing well in fantasy basketball this season. I’ve been taking chances on guys with big upside and stashing them away. That strategy has worked so far, but I’m still tweaking with my roster, in-between poker hands at 888poker.com. I just keep finding quality guys on the waiver wire.

I advise you to look at every box score, especially bad teams’ box scores. You can find a few gems on bad teams. Players aren’t as highly coveted and they can slip through the cracks. You will find bargains, trust me.

For example, the Milwaukee Bucks have a few players worth a pick up, you’ll find two in this post.

Most of these players are owned in less than 50% of leagues (and some are owned in less than 10%). You should pick these guys up or at least keep a close eye on them.

Continue reading →

2013 MLB Rule 5 Draft Results

It’s rare I cover baseball news this time of year. NFL, NBA, NHL and college football are in-season and the only news worth mentioning right now are significant trades.

I try to weed out trade and free agent rumors in MLB, since there is so much fabricated information. Agents leak out wrong information to gain leverage in negotiations.

Something did happen today in the MLB, the Rule 5 Draft. As you may already know, the Texas Rangers selected Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson in the minor-league portion of the draft. Wilson played some minor league baseball in the Colorado Rockies farm system.

In the past, the major league portion of the MLB Rule 5 Draft has been significant in the past. Josh Hamilton, Jose Bautista, Johan Santana, R.A. Dickey and even hall of famer Roberto Clemente have been selected in the past. Here are today’s results and what the rules are after drafting a player.

Continue reading →

2013-14 College Football: Bowl Schedule

We all know Florida State will meet Auburn in the BCS National Championship game, but now the rest of the bowl schedule is also finalized.

We list the teams playing in each bowl game, what time each game is on and which channel you can find it. It’s no surprise that ESPN carries most of the bowl games.

We also list the handful of bowl-eligible teams that did not receive a bowl bid.

Where did Oregon, Oklahoma State, Ohio State and Alabama fall after late-season losses?

Continue reading →

2013-14 College Basketball – All-Name Team

I’m a little late this year with my college basketball ‘All-Name Team’, but it’s been a busy football season.

We have many new entries this season, but I’m sad many of the great names like Chief Kickingstallionsims have graduated.

We picked through every Division-I college basketball roster and a few smaller schools for our list. This year’s class isn’t as solid as in years past. We are in a rebuilding year in hopes that next year’s class will be filled with gold.

My name is Bobby Roberts, so I am often jealous of people with unique names. The most unique thing about my name is that I was not born ‘Robert Roberts’, Bobby is my given name. I don’t know too many grown men named Bobby.

This list consists of names that we wished he had and ones we find humorous.

Continue reading →

Could Auburn Leapfrog Ohio State In BCS?

Auburn just had one of the most improbable last-second victories over a #1 ranked team in college football history. Is that enough hyperbole for you?

Auburn ran back an Alabama missed field goal 100+ yards as time expired to win the game. They now find themselves in the SEC Championship title game next week.

Earlier in the day, Florida State easily beat Florida and Ohio State squeaked by Michigan. As it stands right now, those two teams would be playing in the BCS Championship game in Pasadena, California.

The ACC and Big Ten are two of the weakest BCS conferences this year. So, are we really going to see a Florida State/Ohio State BCS Championship game?

If Auburn and Ohio State both win next week, could Auburn leapfrog Ohio State in the BCS Standings?

Continue reading →

Did Jason Kidd Spill Drink On Court To Delay Game?

Did Brooklyn Nets head coach Jason Kidd pull a fast one on the refs?

In the closing seconds of the Nets/Lakers game, Brooklyn found themselves trailing 96-94 with 8.3 seconds left in the game. They ran out of timeouts and that’s when coach Kidd pulled out a playground trick.

As Tyshawn Taylor headed to the bench, you can see Kidd mouth the words, ‘hit me.” Kidd had a drink in his hand and when Taylor bumped him, he spilled his drink on the court. This delayed the game while ball boys and other staff wiped the spill on the court. Kidd had enough time to speak to a few of his players.

I think he did it on purpose, but you decide for yourself. The video is posted after the jump…

Continue reading →