Monday, June 20, 2011

Interleague Preview: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Atlanta Braves

The fans at Turner Field will be treated to a interleague game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Atlanta Braves when they take their seats on Monday.

The Blue Jays will trot Ricky Romero out to the mound in this one. Lefthander Romero has a 6-6 record and a 3.01 ERA this season.

Romero's opponent in this one will be Tim Hudson. The Braves righthander has a 4.08 ERA to go along with a 5-6 record this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Braves listed as 120-moneyline favorites versus the Blue Jays, while the game's total is sitting at 7.

Last time out for Toronto, they were a 2-1 loser as they battled the Reds on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Reds at -132 were rewarded, while the 3 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.

In their last action, Atlanta was a 4-2 winner at home against the Rangers. Bettors on Atlanta at -103 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (6) sent UNDER bettors home happy as well.

Team records: Toronto: 36-36 SU Atlanta: 40-33 SU

Toronto most recently: When playing on Monday are 3-7 Before playing Atlanta are 4-6 After playing Cincinnati are 6-4 After a loss are 6-4

Atlanta most recently: When playing on Monday are 6-4 Before playing Toronto are 5-5 After playing Texas are 6-4 After a win are 6-4

A few trends to consider: The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto's last 5 games The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games on the road The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto's last 7 games when playing Atlanta Toronto is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta's last 7 games when playing Toronto Atlanta is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Toronto Atlanta is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home Atlanta is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games when playing Toronto

Next up: Atlanta home to Toronto, Tuesday, June 21

Interleague Preview: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Atlanta Braves

Bodog Sports - 2011 NBA Draft Props

2011 NBA Draft - Who will be the 3rd Player selected in the NBA Draft? Brandon Knight 1/3
Enes Kanter 5/2
Jimmer Fredette 17/2
Kemba Walker 15/1

2011 NBA Draft - Who will be the 4th Player selected in the NBA Draft?
Enes Kanter 10/11
Jonas Valanciunas 3/2
Jan Vesely 7/2
Kawhi Leonard 15/1

2011 NBA Draft - Who will be the 5th Player selected in the NBA Draft?
Kemba Walker 1/1
Jonas Valanciunas 23/10
Jan Vesely 3/1
Brandon Knight 11/2

2011 NBA Draft - Who will be the 6th Player selected in the NBA Draft?
Enes Kanter 1/1
Jan Vesely 2/1
Kawhi Leonard 15/4
Tristan Thompson 5/1

2011 NBA Draft - Who will be the 7th Player selected in the NBA Draft?
Jan Vesely 3/2
Kawhi Leonard 7/4
Kemba Walker 3/1
Jimmer Fredette 4/1

2011 NBA Draft - Who will be the 7th Player selected in the NBA Draft?
Kawhi Leonard 1/1
Kemba Walker 3/2
Tristan Thompson 7/2
Bismack Biyombo 15/2

2011 NBA Draft - Will Jimmer Fredette (BYU) be a Lottery Pick?
Yes 5/8
No 13/10

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Bodog Sports - 2011 NBA Draft Props

Sunday, June 19, 2011

NASCAR Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 Preview

The Sprint Cup Series heads to Michigan International Speedway for its next event on Sunday, as the drivers compete in the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400.

Jeff Gordon took his second checkered flag of the season last time out, winning the 5-Hour Energy 500 at Pocono Raceway.

Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch followed Gordon across the finish line at Pocono, while Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick rounded out the day's Top 5 drivers.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Juan Montoya, Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman, and Martin Truex Jr. made up the rest of the Top 10 in the 5-Hour Energy 500, while Carl Edwards disappointed with a 37th-place result.

Edwards' poor showing at Pocono reduced his lead at the top of the driver standings to just six points on Johnson, 10 points on Earnhardt Jr., and 11 points on Harvick. Kyle Busch is 31 points back in fifth place in the standings after 14 races.

Harvick and Denny Hamlin took the checkered flags in the Michigan events last season, with Harvick taking the Carfax 400 in August and Hamlin winning the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 in June.

Mark Martin has five career wins at Michigan, most recently visiting Victory Lane there in 2009, while Edwards, Greg Biffle, Newman, Kurt Busch, Kenseth, and Gordon have all picked up two Cup wins on the track.

Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, and Brian Vickers all have one Michigan victory on their resumes.

After racing at Michigan the drivers of the Sprint Cup Series will move on to Infineon Raceway for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 on June 26. The circuit's July calendar then features races at Daytona, Kentucky, New Hampshire, and Indianapolis.

NASCAR Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 Preview

Interleague Play Preview: San Francisco Giants vs. Oakland Athletics

The San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics will both be gunning for a victory on Sunday when they meet at Overstock.com Coliseum in an interleague contest.

The Giants will pin their hopes on the pitching of righthander Matt Cain in this game. Cain has a 6-4 record and a 3.61 ERA this season.

It'll be Trevor Cahill toeing the rubber for the Athletics in this contest. Righthander Cahill is 6-5 with a 3.42 ERA so far this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Giants listed as 103-moneyline favorites versus the Athletics, while the game's total is sitting at 7.

The Giants were a 4-2 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Athletics. That made winners of bettors who got Oakland at -113 on the moneyline, while the total score (6) was good news for UNDER bettors.

Current streak: San Francisco has lost 3 straight games. Oakland has won 4 straight games.

Team records: San Francisco: 39-32 SU Oakland: 32-40 SU

San Francisco most recently: When playing on Sunday are 6-4 Before playing Minnesota are 2-4 After playing Oakland are 6-4 After a loss are 7-3

Oakland most recently: When playing on Sunday are 4-6 Before playing NY Mets are 4-2 After playing San Francisco are 4-6 After a win are 6-4

A few trends to consider: The total has gone UNDER in 14 of San Francisco's last 17 games when playing on the road against Oakland San Francisco is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Oakland The total has gone UNDER in 11 of San Francisco's last 15 games San Francisco is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Oakland Oakland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against San Francisco The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Oakland's last 17 games when playing at home against San Francisco Oakland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games Oakland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home

Next up: San Francisco home to Minnesota, Tuesday, June 21 Oakland at NY Mets, Tuesday, June 21

Interleague Play Preview: San Francisco Giants vs. Oakland Athletics

Saturday, June 18, 2011

June 18 Strikeforce World Grand Prix Betting Preview at Bodog

By Richard Gardner

The very unique Strikeforce World Grand Prix, a single-elimination tournament among eight heavyweight fighters, continues on Saturday night at American Airlines Arena in Dallas with two bouts: Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum and Josh Barnett vs. Brett Rogers.

These two bouts are the final two quarterfinal fights. Antonio Silva awaits the Overeem-Werdum winner while Sergei Kharitonov will fight the Barnett-Rogers victor later this year. All eight competitors in this tournament felt that the true top-ranked heavyweight in the world would be the victor, regardless of the UFC. But all of the fighters remaining think that winning would open the door to a bout with current UFC heavyweight kingpin Cain Velasquez. This wouldn?t have been possible before the UFC and Strikeforce joined forces at the start of 2011.

"If I would win the tournament, I personally ? and I believe many fans with me ? would love to see the [winner] of the tournament against the UFC champion, Cain Velasquez," Overeem said recently.

Bettors at Bodog are all over Overeem (34-11-1) so far. The current Strikeforce champion (his belt isn?t technically on the line in this tournament) opened as the -270 favorite but has been bet down to -500 by taking nearly 80 percent of the action on the moneyline. Overeem has secured 33 of his 34 career victories via stoppage. While Overeem hasn?t technically been beaten since a loss to Kharitonov in September 2007 in a K-1 fight (he was part of a no contest decision against Mirko Filipovic in September 2008) he did lose to Werdum in a PRIDE fight back in 2006 via second-round decision.

And Werdum (11-2) has looked very impressive in his past three bouts, beating Mike Kyle by submission, Silva by unanimous decision and a huge upset of Fedor Emelianenko by a shocking first-round submission last June. Werdum opened at +210 for this fight and now is +300. He is 3-0 when he opens as the underdog at Bodog while Overeem is 5-0 when he opens as the betting favorite. Approximately 56 of parlays on this bout are still live.

Meanwhile, in the other main card bout, Barnett, a former UFC heavyweight champion, faces Rogers. Barnett became the youngest UFC champion in history at age 24 when he scored a second-round TKO on MMA legend Randy Couture in March 2002. Barnett (21-5) hasn't fought in the U.S. since failing a drug test in 2009 that forced the cancellation of an Affliction event that was to have been headlined by Barnett vs. Emelianenko. Overall Barnett has won six in a row since a loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at PRIDE Shockwave in 2006.

Rogers (11-2) has won 10 of his bouts by knockout and carries a notable victory over Jon Murphy because that was the first MMA bout to be shown on U.S. network television. His most impressive performance to date had to be a 22-second destruction of former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski in June 2009. However, Rogers has dropped two of three bouts since ? the losses coming to Emelianenko and Overeem. Only one of Rogers? career fights has gone the distance.

Barnett opened as the -300 favorite but has been bet to -365 as he has taken more than 56 percent of the action on the moneyline. Rogers opened at +240 and now is at +285. Barnett is 5-0 when he opens as the betting favorite at Bodog, while Rogers is 2-2 when opening as the underdog. A little more than 50 percent of the parlays on this bout are still live.

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June 18 Strikeforce World Grand Prix Betting Preview at Bodog

Interleague Play Preview: Chicago White Sox vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

The Chicago White Sox and the Arizona Diamondbacks will both be trying to pick up a win on Saturday when they battle at Chase Field.

The White Sox will give the ball to starter John Danks in this one. Lefthander Danks is 2-8 this season with a 4.54 ERA.

It'll be Zach Duke toeing the rubber for the Diamondbacks in this contest. Lefthander Duke is 1-1 with a 4.56 ERA so far this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the White Sox listed as 110-moneyline favorites versus the Diamondbacks, while the game's total is sitting at 9½.

In their last action, Chicago was a 4-1 loser on the road against the Diamondbacks. Bettors on Arizona at -130 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (5) sent UNDER bettors home happy as well.

Current streak: Chicago has lost 3 straight games. Arizona has won 2 straight games.

Team records: Chicago: 33-38 SU Arizona: 39-32 SU

Chicago most recently: When playing on Saturday are 3-7 Before playing Arizona are 1-6 After playing Arizona are 3-3 After a loss are 5-5

Arizona most recently: When playing on Saturday are 3-7 Before playing Chi White Sox are 5-2 After playing Chi White Sox are 2-4 After a win are 5-5

A few trends to consider: The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi White Sox's last 5 games Chi White Sox are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games Chi White Sox are 3-6 SU in their last 9 games on the road Chi White Sox are 2-5 SU in their last 7 games when playing Arizona The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Arizona's last 8 games at home Arizona is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games Arizona is 5-2 SU in their last 7 games when playing Chi White Sox Arizona is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games at home

Next up: Arizona home to Chi White Sox, Sunday, June 19

Interleague Play Preview: Chicago White Sox vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

Play Preview: Texas Rangers vs. Atlanta Braves

The Texas Rangers and the Atlanta Braves will both be trying to pick up a win on Saturday when they battle at Turner Field in an interleague contest.

The Rangers will give the ball to starter Matt Harrison in this one. Lefthander Harrison is 5-6 this season with a 3.31 ERA.

It'll be Derek Lowe toeing the rubber for the Braves in this contest. Righthander Lowe is 3-5 with a 4.02 ERA so far this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Braves listed as 112-moneyline favorites versus the Rangers, while the game's total is sitting at 8.

Last time out for Texas, they were a 6-2 winner as they battled the Braves on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Rangers at -114 were rewarded, while the 8 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.

Team records: Texas: 37-34 SU Atlanta: 39-32 SU

Texas most recently: When playing on Saturday are 7-3 Before playing Atlanta are 3-7 After playing Atlanta are 4-6 After a win are 6-4

Atlanta most recently: When playing on Saturday are 6-4 Before playing Texas are 6-4 After playing Texas are 6-4 After a loss are 6-4

A few trends to consider: Texas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta The total has gone OVER in 6 of Texas's last 9 games The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Texas's last 6 games when playing Atlanta Texas is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 6 games when playing Texas Atlanta is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home Atlanta is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games Atlanta is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Texas

Next up: Atlanta home to Texas, Sunday, June 19

Play Preview: Texas Rangers vs. Atlanta Braves

Friday, June 17, 2011

2011-12 NCAA Bowl Schedule

BCS Games
Date Game Location TV Time Matchup
Jan. 9 BCS Title New Orleans, La. ESPN 8:30 p.m. BCS No. 1 vs. BCS No. 2
Jan. 5 Fiesta Glendale, Ariz. ESPN 8:30 p.m. Big 12 Champion vs. BCS
Jan. 4 Orange Miami, Fla. ESPN 8 p.m. ACC Champion vs. BCS
Jan. 3 Sugar New Orleans, La. ESPN 8:30 p.m. SEC Champion vs. BCS
Jan. 2 Rose Pasadena, Calif. ESPN 5 p.m. Big Ten Champion vs. Pac-12 Champion
Non-BCS Games
Jan. 7 BBVA Compass Birmingham, Ala. ESPN 1 p.m. SEC No. 8/9 vs. Big East No. 5/C-USA
Jan. 6 Cotton Arlington, Tex. FOX 8 p.m. Big 12 No. 2 vs. SEC
Jan. 2 Outback Tampa, Fla. ABC 1 p.m. Big Ten No. 3 vs. SEC
Jan. 2 Gator Jacksonville, Fla. ESPN2 1 p.m. Big Ten No. 4/5 vs. SEC No. 6
Jan. 2 Capital One Orlando, Fla. ESPN 1 p.m. Big Ten No. 2 vs. SEC No. 2
Jan. 2 TicketCity Dallas, Tex. ESPNU Noon Big Ten No. 7 vs. C-USA
Dec. 31 Chick-fil-A Atlanta, Ga. ESPN 7:30 p.m. ACC No. 2 vs. SEC No. 5
Dec. 31 Liberty Memphis, Tenn. ABC 3:30 p.m. C-USA No. 1 vs. Big East/SEC No. 8/9
Dec. 31 Kraft Fight Hunger San Francisco, Calif. ESPN 3:30 p.m. Pac-12 No. 6 vs. Army*
Dec. 31 Sun El Paso, Tex. CBS 2 p.m. ACC No. 4 vs. Pac-12 No. 4
Dec. 31 Meineke Car Care of Texas Houston, Tex. ESPN Noon Big 12 No. 6 vs. Big Ten No. 6
Dec. 30 Insight Tempe, Ariz. ESPN 10 p.m. Big 12 No. 4 vs. Big Ten No. 4/5
Dec. 30 Music City Nashville, Tenn. ESPN 6:40 p.m. ACC No. 6 vs. SEC No. 7
Dec. 30 Pinstripe New York, N.Y. ESPN 3:20 p.m. Big 12 No. 7 vs. Big East No. 4
Dec. 30 Armed Forces Fort Worth, Tex. ESPN Noon BYU* vs. C-USA
Dec. 29 Alamo San Antonio, Tex. ESPN 9 p.m. Big 12 No. 3 vs. Pac-12 No. 2
Dec. 29 Champs Sports Orlando, Fla. ESPN 5:30 p.m. Big East No. 2 vs. ACC No. 3
Dec. 28 Holiday San Diego, Calif. ESPN 8 p.m. Pac-12 No. 3 vs. Big 12 No. 5
Dec. 28 Military Washington D.C. ESPN 4:30 p.m. ACC No. 8 vs. Navy*
Dec. 27 Belk Charlotte, N.C. ESPN 8 p.m. Big East No. 3 vs. ACC No. 5
Dec. 27 Little Caesars Detroit, Mich. ESPN 4:30 p.m. MAC No. 2 vs. Big Ten No. 8
Dec. 26 Independence Shreveport, La. ESPN2 5 p.m. MWC No. 3 vs. ACC No. 7
Dec. 24 Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii ESPN 8 p.m. WAC vs. C-USA
Dec. 22 Maaco Las Vegas ESPN 8 p.m. MWC No. 1 vs. Pac-12 No. 5
Dec. 21 Poinsettia San Diego, Calif. ESPN 8 p.m. MWC No. 2 vs. WAC
Dec. 20 Beef O'Brady's St. Petersburg, Fla. ESPN 8 p.m. Big East No. 6 vs. C-USA
Dec. 17 New Orleans New Orleans, La. ESPN 9 p.m. Sun Belt No. 1 vs. C-USA
Dec. 17 Humanitarian Boise, Idaho ESPN 5:30 p.m. MAC No. 3 vs. WAC
Dec. 17 New Mexico Albuqurque, N.M. ESPN 2 p.m. MWC No. 4/5 vs. Pac-12 No. 7/WAC
TBA GoDaddy.com Mobile, Ala. ESPN TBA MAC No. 1 vs. Sun Belt No. 2

* - If BYU is bowl-eligible, it will play in the Armed Forces Bowl. If Navy is bowl-eligible it will play in the Military Bowl. If Army is bowl-eligible, it will play in this year's Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. If not, an ACC team will be selected.

2011-12 NCAA Bowl Schedule

MLB Interleague Play Preview: Philadelphia Phillies vs. Seattle Mariners

The fans at Safeco Field will be treated to a interleague game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Seattle Mariners when they take their seats on Friday.

The Phillies will give the ball to starter Roy Oswalt in this one. Righthander Oswalt is 4-4 this season with a 3.14 ERA.

It'll be Michael Pineda toeing the rubber for the Mariners in this contest. Righthander Pineda is 6-4 with a 2.72 ERA so far this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Mariners listed as 110-moneyline favorites versus the Phillies, while the game's total is sitting at 6½.

Philadelphia won its last outing, a 3-0 result against the Marlins on June 16. Bettors who backed the Phillies at -225 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (3) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window.

Seattle won its last outing, a 3-1 result against the Angels on June 15. Bettors who backed the Mariners at -115 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (4) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window.

Current streak: Philadelphia has won 7 straight games.

Team records: Philadelphia: 44-26 SU Seattle: 35-34 SU

Philadelphia most recently: When playing on Friday are 8-2 Before playing Seattle are 2-4 After playing Florida are 8-2 After a win are 7-3

Seattle most recently: When playing on Friday are 7-3 Before playing Philadelphia are 5-1 After playing LA Angels are 4-6 After a win are 3-7

A few trends to consider: Philadelphia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games The total has gone OVER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 7 games on the road The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 6 games when playing Seattle Philadelphia is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road Seattle is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Philadelphia Seattle is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games at home The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Seattle's last 6 games at home The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Seattle's last 6 games when playing Philadelphia

Next up: Seattle home to Philadelphia, Saturday, June 18

MLB Interleague Play Preview: Philadelphia Phillies vs. Seattle Mariners

MLB Interleague Play Preview: San Francisco Giants vs. Oakland Athletics

The San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics will both be trying to pick up a win on Friday when they battle at Overstock.com Coliseum.

The Giants will give the ball to starter Tim Lincecum in this one. Righthander Lincecum is 5-5 this season with a 3.41 ERA.

Starting this game for the Athletics will be Graham Godfrey. The righthander has a 10.39 ERA to go along with a 0-0 record this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Giants listed as 151-moneyline favorites versus the Athletics, while the game's total is sitting at 7.

In their last action, San Francisco was a 3-2 loser on the road against the Diamondbacks. Bettors on Arizona at -135 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (5) sent UNDER bettors home happy as well.

Last time out for Oakland, they were an 8-4 winner as they battled the Royals at home. Moneyline bettors who got the Athletics at -142 were rewarded, while the 12 combined runs moved the game OVER for totals bettors.

Current streak: Oakland has won 2 straight games.

Team records: San Francisco: 39-30 SU Oakland: 30-40 SU

San Francisco most recently: When playing on Friday are 3-7 Before playing Oakland are 6-4 After playing Arizona are 6-4 After a loss are 7-3

Oakland most recently: When playing on Friday are 9-1 Before playing San Francisco are 3-7 After playing Kansas City are 6-4 After a win are 5-5

A few trends to consider: San Francisco is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Oakland The total has gone UNDER in 13 of San Francisco's last 15 games when playing on the road against Oakland San Francisco is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road The total has gone UNDER in 7 of San Francisco's last 9 games The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Oakland's last 15 games when playing at home against San Francisco Oakland is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against San Francisco The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Oakland's last 23 games when playing San Francisco Oakland is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home

Next up: Oakland home to San Francisco, Saturday, June 18

MLB Interleague Play Preview: San Francisco Giants vs. Oakland Athletics