5/7/10

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NEW GUYS! LURKERS!

Dont be afraid to post services if you come across them. Your posts will be appreciated for sure.

Just put them in the appropriate section (regular or premium)

LETS MAKE SOME MONEY!!!!

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Re: 5/7/10

B&s picks 5/7 early nba knockout

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just got it boston celtics +1

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Re: 5/7/10

NBA NEWS AND NOTES
GAME OF THE DAY
Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers
By ASA

Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (CLE -1.5, 191)

Rivalry Renewed

After stealing home-court advantage with a big win in Game 2, the Celtics return home on Friday night for Game 3. This will be the 7th meeting between these two this season (including playoffs) with both teams having won three games apiece.

The Celtics are 27-17 (15-28-1 ATS) at home this season while the Cavs are 27-16 (23-19-1 ATS) on the road. Boston is 1-1 at home against the Cavs this season, losing by 20 in February and winning by four in early April. The Celtics have been a home dog just three times this year and are 03 SU and ATS.

Cleveland is 11-4 ATS in the last 15 meetings and 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings in Boston.

Star Power

While Boston’s “Big Three” of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett get most of the recognition; it has been Rajon Rondo stealing the show in the first two games of this series. Playing against the Cavs seems to bring out the best in Rondo.

Rondo averaged 14.8 points and 10.3 assists in four regular season games against the Cavs. In the first two games of this series, he's averaging 20 points, 15.5 assists and shooting 60 percent. The Cavs have tried five different defenders on him to no avail.

In addition to his 40 combined points in Games one and two, Rondo has 31 assists. Ten of those have been assisted three-pointers. Rondo has had a direct hand in 112 of the 197 points the Celtics have scored in this series.

Rondo isn’t alone in having a beneficial contribution to the Big Three. Rasheed Wallace came off the bench to finish with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting in Game 2. Supporting cast members Rondo, Wallace, Kendrick Perkins, and Glen Davis finished Game 2 with 46 points on 19 of 26 shooting, along with 17 rebounds and 21 assists.

“That’s pretty much the game plan for how we’re going to have to beat this team,’’ Kevin Garnett said. “We’re going to have to do it together and collectively.’’

Team president Danny Ainge added: “That’s how our team is right now. Not any one person has to carry the load, and we don’t rely on one person to have a great performance. Every night it can be a different person, and that’s the strength of our team.’’

It’s no secret that as the starters go, the Celtics go, but there’s a limit on how much of the load they can be expected to carry. If they can get a similar contribution from their supporting cast on Friday, it will be hard to defeat the Celtics at home.

Cavs Supporting Cast

Completely contrary to Boston, the Cavs didn’t have much of a supporting cast to LeBron James in Game 2.

Mo Williams, after contributing 20 points on 8 of 14 shooting in Game 1, made just 1-of-9 shots and totaled four points in Game 2. Williams wasn’t the only one that struggled in game two. While James scored 24 points on 7-of-15 shooting in the 104-86 loss, his teammates combined to shoot 38 percent from the floor. It was the Cavaliers first home loss with LeBron James in the lineup since Feb. 18.

Shaquille O’Neal has managed just 20 points and eight rebounds on 8-of-22 shooting in this series. And most of those makes were within three-feet of the basket. When Shaq isn’t an offensive threat in the paint, it allows Boston to shift their defense and focus on stopping James.

With most of the team struggling in game two, Coach Mike Brown isn’t pointing any fingers at individuals, rather implying that the whole team needs to produce a better effort.

“Tonight it was real simple,’’ Brown said. “For 48 minutes, we did not play with a sense of urgency. We tried the last few minutes of the game. They kicked our behind from the beginning. They got every 50/50 ball, they converted every offensive rebound into points, and we did not fight back until late.

Defense is the name of the game in the playoffs. Cleveland has allowed 48.2% shooting and 105.3 PPG in three losses to the Celtics this year. In their three wins, they allowed just 41.7% shooting and 91.3 PPG.

From The Infirmary

LeBron James had another MRI on his bothersome right elbow, according to team officials. It was the second MRI James has had on the elbow after being diagnosed with a strain and a bone bruise in the elbow after their first round series. James insists that it’s not a factor, but it’s no secret that we’re seeing a less aggressive LeBron in this series.

For the second time in the past month, Anderson Varejao is on the injury report with back spasms and is questionable for Game 3. Varejao is averaging just 5.7 rebounds and shooting 32 percent in the past four games. Varejao is an important player for the Cavs against Boston. In the two wins over the Celtics in the regular season, Varejao averaged 15.5 points and 10 rebounds

Head-to-Head Statistical Analysis (Six total games in 2009-10)

Points per Game
Boston: 98.3 PPG
Cleveland: 101.1 PPG

Field Goal Percentage
Boston: 44%
Cleveland: 46%

Three Point Field Goal Percentage
Boston: 41% (42 of 102)
Cleveland: 34% (38 of 110)

Turnovers Per Game
Boston: 14 TO Per Game
Cleveland: 11.6 TO Per Game

Trends

-- Cleveland is just 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games following a S.U. loss, but they are 18-8-1 ATS in their last 27 playoff games as a favorite.

-- Boston is 10-4-1 ATS in their last 15 playoff games as an underdog, but are just 12-26-1 ATS in their last 39 home games.

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Re: 5/7/10

ICE PICKS

Friday's Best NHL Bets

Boston Bruins at Philadelphia Flyers (-120, 5)

Bruins’ goalie Tuukka Rask has played more like a 10-year veteran than a rookie in his first playoff experience.

Rask’s 34-save effort in Wednesday’s Game 3 win has given Boston a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. The B’s netminder has a 2.16 GAA and .928 save percentage in the series.

"I think (Rask's) been really good this series,” Flyers forward Danny Briere told NHL.com. “But (Wednesday) he was by far the best player on the ice."

But Rask hasn’t done it entirely by himself – Boston’s skaters have blocked 53 shots in the series, including 21 alone in Game 3.

The air-tight defense by Boston has caused Philly to go 0-for-8 on the power play in its last two games.

To make matters even worse for Philadelphia, Boston forward Miroslav Satan has been red hot, riding a six-game point streak and scoring in four straight.

Philadelphia has only been swept once since 1984-85, but is going to need the power play to start clicking again to avoid bowing out in four.

With forwards Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne still injured and Rask continuing to be a stalwart between the pipes, it seems unlikely.

Pick: Boston Bruins Complete the Sweep


Chicago Blackhawks at Vancouver Canucks (-140, 6)

After a frustrating 5-2 loss in Game 3, Vancouver should look at the bright side: things can’t get much worse.

Daniel Sedin seemed more interested in scuffles with Dave Bolland than scoring goals and Vancouver took a slew of undisciplined penalties, including Alex Burrows and Shane O’Brien receiving game misconducts at the end of a disappointing loss to Chicago at GM Place.

Sedin’s lack of focus has caused Daniel to go pointless in his last two games. He and brother Henrik have combined for one assist and a minus-2 in the Canucks’ last two losses.

Vancouver is 2-for-15 on the power play this series is also an anomaly. The Canucks were effective almost 21 per cent on the time with the man advantage (24 per cent at home), so expect the Sedins and co. to score if given more chances on the PP.

Meanwhile Chicago’s offense is just getting into the groove. They’ve score three goals or more in five of their last six games, netting 23 total over that stretch.

Young stars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are both riding six-game point streaks to lead the potent Chicago attack.

Vancouver isn’t prone to extended scoring slumps and with the way Chicago’s offense is clicking, expect the red light to get plenty of action in Game 4.

Pick: Over

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Re: 5/7/10

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MLB NEWS AND NOTES
CASHIN' UNDERDOGS
Who's Making Money?
By ASA

MLB UNDERDOGS - WHO'S MAKING MONEY?

In our 20-plus years of handicapping, we have always had the philosophy in baseball that underdogs are the way to go. Most of my plays throughout the season are small favorites and underdogs.

Occasionally we use a "higher" favorite, however we’re in the belief that in the long run those plays can get you in trouble. You need to win such a high percentage of those types of games that just a few losses can really hurt. That's why we stay away from large favorites for the most part.

We would much rather try and target an "undervalued" dog and know that at plus-150 we only need to win over 40 percent of those plays to make a profit. It’s a much more comfortable situation with that scenario as opposed to laying minus-150 and hoping to hit 60 percent or more of those selections to come out on top.

We like to keep track throughout the season of how teams do as an underdog. This list changes daily but this is how it looks as of Friday, May 7.

Right now, just over half of the MLB teams this year have made a profit so far when tabbed as an underdog.

Here They Are...

ROI = Return on Investment:
That is a simple calculation where I take the total money won by a team this year as an underdog (based on $100 per game) and divide it by the total amount of money wagered on a team as an underdog (at $100 per game).

For example, Washington has been an underdog 26 times (thus $2600 wagered on them this year as a dog) and they are currently +$900 as a dog (profit) thus their ROI would be 34.6% which is great. Or $900 (profit as a dog) divided by $2600 (total wagered) = .346 or 34.6%.

Tampa Bay Rays - 7 games as a dog - 5-2 record - +$415 profit - ROI = 59%
Philadelphia Phillies - 7 games as a dog - 5-2 record - +$400 profit - ROI = 57%
New York Yankees - 3 games as a dog - 2-1 record - +$150 profit - ROI = 50%
Washington Nationals - 26 games as a dog - 14-12 record - +$900 profit - ROI = 34%
Milwaukee Brewers - 11 games as a dog - 6-5 record - +$315 profit - ROI = 28%
Minnesota Twins - 11 games as a dog - 6-5 record - +$180 profit - ROI = 16%
Kansas City Royals - 25 games as a dog - 11-14 record - +$380 profit - ROI = 15%
Texas Rangers - 12 games as a dog - 6-6 record - +$160 profit - ROI = 13%
San Diego Padres - 19 games as a dog - 10-9 record - +$260 profit - ROI = 13%
New York Mets - 16 games as a dog - 8-8 record - +$190 profit - ROI = 11%
Pittsburgh Pirates - 26 games as a dog - 11-15 record - +$260 profit - ROI = 10%
St. Louis Cardinals - 4 games as a dog - 2-2 record - +$40 profit - ROI = 10%
Toronto Blue Jays - 16 games as a dog - 7-9 record - +$130 profit - ROI = 8%
Cincinnati Reds - 17 games as a dog - 8-9 record - +$130 profit - ROI = 7%
Detroit Tigers - 15 games as a dog - 7-8 record - +$90 profit - ROI = 6%
San Francisco Giants - 9 games as a dog - 4-5 record - +$25 profit - ROI = 2%

We realize it's still early in the season and these numbers can change quickly, however it's something that you should keep an eye on throughout the season. It can give us an idea of who some of the solid underdog teams might be as the season wears on.

We like to look for a solid underdog team, with a solid underdog pitcher slated to start. If that team is then playing an overrated team or more importantly pitcher, it can be worth a long look as a potential play.

These are just a few of several different factors that come into play during my decision making process. These underdog charts simply provide me with a good starting point

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Re: 5/7/10

Matt Fargo 05/07

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10* Cavs
__________________

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 5/7/10

MVPCapper Western Conf. Game of the Year

9* San Antonio Spurs -6.5

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Re: 5/7/10

Don Wallace Sports
NBA Playoffs

10* Cleveland -1 over Boston
4* San Antonio -6 over Phoenix

0-1 yesterday

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Re: 5/7/10

NY Players Club 5/7

3* San Antonio
2* Seattle Mariners

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Re: 5/7/10

B&s picks 5/7 early nba knockout

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just got it boston celtics +1

ADDED

twins -1.5 -120
rays -1.5 +100

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Re: 5/7/10

CAPPERS ACCESS
Celtics
Spurs
Cubs

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Re: 5/7/10

Arena football on NFL Network: Jacksonville at Tampa

Jacksonville Sharks at Tampa Bay Storm (-3), 8 p.m. ET

The NFL Network will showcase in-state rivals as the expansion Jacksonville Sharks (3-1 SU, 2-2 ATS) face the Tampa Bay Storm (2-2 SU, 1-3 ATS) in this Friday’s Arena Football game of the week.

Both teams pulled out victories in the waning seconds of Week 5 so each should carry some momentum heading into this game. Jacksonville is led by one of the most prolific passers in the history of the league while Tampa returns 12 players from its 2008 squad.

With less than four hours separating these clubs in the Sunshine State, viewers and bettors can expect a tense atmosphere as neither team will want to drop the inaugural game of this series.

“Forget about being in-state rivals, they’re in our division and this game is worth one and a half games,” Storm head coach Tim Marcum said. “There are in our division and they are our rival. If they’re not a rival and they’re in your division, then something’s wrong with you.”

The Sharks made the 658-mile trek south by bus Thursday and arrived in Tampa in the early evening.

Law-Dog

The Storm were dealt a huge when two-way player Lawrence Samuels was placed on injured reserve after breaking a finger two weeks ago.

Samuels is the AFL’s all-time leading receiver but also lines up at the “Jack” linebacker position on the Tampa Bay defense.

“I don’t know if you can replace a guy like that,” Marcum told Covers in an interview. “We’re trying to shuffle around and put the pieces together. We may try to make a change.”

Former NFL cornerback Michael Hawthorne lined up at the linebacker position last week, but Marcum said while he got a little bit of productivity out of Hawthorne he was better suited for the secondary.

Tampa lost another member of the wide receiving corps when Cleannord Saintil was injured returning a kickoff the same week Samuels went down.

Former South Florida wideout DeAndrew Rubin replaced Saintil last week and snared nine balls for 184 yards and five touchdowns in the win.

Marcum revealed Tuesday that a third member of the receiver unit was ailing. He said that veteran Hank Edwards was questionable going into Friday’s game with a hyper-extended knee.

The Storm signed the versatile Jason Geathers this week to offset that injury. Don’t be surprised to see Geathers, a University of Miami product, line up at receiver on offense and linebacker on defense.

Battle in the trenches

Tampa Bay’s offensive line has been an integral part of the team’s success after giving up only one sack through four games. Keeping quarterback Brett Dietz upright has allowed the Storm to post nearly 60 points a game while averaging 7.6 yards per play.

But the O-line will have its hands full as it contends with the most potent pass rush in the league Friday.

Led by lineman Henry Taylor and linebacker RaJohn Myles, the Sharks front four has registered 10.0 sacks this season and that pressure is the primary reason Jacksonville ranks No. 1 in scoring defense (48.0 ppg).

“Those guys can absolutely rush the passer,” Marcum confirmed. “We are going to have to cut Henry Taylor and try to get him on the ground. That’s our plan right now, cut him every chance we get and hopefully that will slow him down a little bit.”

The Storm’s veteran D-line hasn’t been as daunting this year (3.0 sacks), but started to show signs of what many expected to be one of the best pass rushing attacks in the AFL last week. Arizona was forced into a three-step drop with its quarterback to equalize the rush in the second half of the game.

Dirty laundry

These two teams are a pair of the most penalized in the AFL.

Jacksonville enters this game as the second-most penalized team, getting called for more than 10 yellow flags per game (76.0 ypg).

Tampa has amassed two fewer penalties (44) than the Sharks this season, but a costly pass interference call negated an interception return for a touchdown last week.

If it comes down to a controverSIAl call in this league, the majority of times the edge is going to go to the home squad.

Tampa was on the fortunate end of a pass interference no-call in the final seconds last week that preserved the win. And going into Week 5, road teams had accrued 12.3 more penalties per week than home teams.

The term “hometown refs” is a legit description for the AFL as each set was constructed from a local pool of officials.

Trendencies

-Tampa Bay is 100-42 SU all-time at home and 2-0 SU this season (1-1 ATS).

-Jacksonville is 1-1 SU and ATS on the road in 2010.

-Home teams in the AFL are 20-9 SU this season (15-14 ATS).

-For the year, former af2 teams have gone 8-4 SU and 9-3 ATS against old AFL teams. Matchups this week include Spokane (af2) at Arizona (AFL), Cleveland (AFL)
at Iowa (af2) and Chicago (AFL) at Milwaukee (af2).

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Re: 5/7/10

Moneylineking
9-6 Run (60%)

Fri
Arizona +121

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Re: 5/7/10

LineChangers:

ROYALS/RANGERS UNDER 8
YANKEES ml -110
BLUE JAYS ml -110
ORIOLES/TWINS UNDER 8.5
SUNS +6.5

47-29 in MLB over the last 26 days...

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Re: 5/7/10

Greg Shaker | MLB Money Line Fri, 05/07/10 - 7:10 PM ƒŠ

triple-dime bet 908 NYM (-115) BetUS vs 907 SFG
Analysis: MLB: San Francisco Giants at New York Mets - Mets (Sanchez/Pelfrey)(Best Bet) -115 | Unit Value: 3
Game Date: 5/7/2010
Note: While I don't know how they are doing it, I do how they are doing it. The Mets winning that is. This team has serious injuries but their Bullpen has been stellar and while they did not have a good roadtrip, they are back at home where those things have been happening more often. New York is playing with a lot of heart and are 11-5 here at this park. They will be in their best hitting posture facing the lefty and they will have a starter on the mound that has performed well here, and has performed better when facing the Giants. He has allowed just 4 runs in over 20 innings of work verses SF with terrific K/BB ratios. The Giants got some bad news Thursday as Edgar Renteria returned to the lineup only to leave early and it looks like the DL for him. The Giants just got 3 wins at Florida with their 3 best pitchers and facing a Marlins squad that is pitcher challenged. That is not the case tonight but their 3 wins gives us a great betting line and one that has dropped from opening. That line might continue to do the same throughout the day but I like what I have posted and am going to go ahead and play what I feel to be a High Percentage Opportunity.