5-8-10

[spook]

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!!!!

[spook]

Re: 5-8-10

Bob Valentino Early pick for Tomorrow the 8th of May. 50 DIME PLAY

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturdays picks: Take the Jazz

[spook]

Re: 5-8-10

NBA NEWS AND NOTES
GAME OF THE DAY
Lakers at Jazz
By SEAN MURPHY

Series Story

Save for an early fourth-quarter lapse in Game 1, the Lakers have controlled this series from the opening tip. They hold a 2-0 series lead as the scene shifts to Utah Saturday.

The Jazz have had no answer for the Lakers defensively, allowing them to shoot 81-for-156 (51.9 percent) through the first two games of the series. They’ve also been badly out-rebounded by a 101-78 margin.

There is reason for Jazz fans to be optimistic as their team is 35-9 SU and 29-13-2 ATS at Energy Solutions Arena this season. They went a perfect 3-0 SU and ATS at home against the Nuggets in Round 1.

The two teams split a pair of meetings in Utah during the regular season.

Deja-vu?

We watched the Lakers grab an identical 2-0 series lead against the Jazz in the opening round of last year’s playoffs.

They would drop a narrow 88-86 decision in Utah in Game 3 before winning the next two games to close out the series in five. The Jazz actually covered the spread in three of those five games.

In 2008, the Lakers also led the Jazz 2-0 before losing Game 3 in Utah. They eventually won that series in six games.

Lakers Peaking

You can make the case that the Lakers last four performances have been their best four of these playoffs.

Ever since Game 5 of their opening-round series with the Thunder, they’ve looked like a completely different team, going 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS.

Keep in mind, this is a team that went 2-2 SU and 1-3 ATS in its first four postseason games. Head coach Phil Jackson wasn’t overly pleased with his team’s effort in Game 2, however.

“It's going to get much more intense, we will not survive a game in Utah like we played tonight. I can't emphasize how important the next game is,” Jackson told reporters.

The going might also be a little tougher with the expected return of Utah’s defensive specialist, Andrei Kirilenko, to the lineup.

Over Easy

We’ve seen a different brand of basketball than most have come to expect from these teams in the playoffs.

The over has cashed in five of the Lakers’ last six games. Meanwhile, the Jazz have seen five straight and seven of their eight playoff contests go over the number.

Prior to this series, seven consecutive meetings between the Lakers and Jazz had played under the posted total, including all four regular season meetings in 09-10.

The Jazz sound like they’re going to make a concerted effort to be more aggressive offensively in Game 3.

"If we have a lane, we're going to drive," Jazz forward Carlos Boozer told the Salt Lake Tribune. "If we have a jump shot, we're going to shoot it with confidence. But, we're not going to back down.”

“Once Booz or Paul gets it under the basket, I mean, they can score on anybody,” Kyle Korver added. “It's when they get 5, 6 feet off the block and then they've got to face them up and then drive at them, that's tough. But at home, we've always done a better job of that and hopefully that'll be the case on Saturday."

Line Moves

The Jazz opened as 3.5-point favorites but the line has since been bet up to an even -4.

Most consensus reports indicate the action is virtually split, but you have to expect the majority of the public money will come in on the Lakers closer to tipoff, as they qualify as an attractive mid-range underdog.

Since opening at 203.5, the total has been bet a point-and-a-half to 202 at several offshore books.

Note that the total closed south of the 200-point mark in each of the first two games of this series. As mentioned, both of those games eclipsed the number.

[spook]

Re: 5-8-10

PICK 'N' ROLL

Saturday's Best NBA Bet

Orlando Magic at Atlanta Hawks (+2, 195.5)

After getting humiliated by 43 points in Game 1 and blowing an eight-point halftime lead in Game 2, the Hawks had to be ready to fly home.

Atlanta went 37-8 (25-16 ATS) inside the friendly confines of Philips Arena this season and posted a 3-1 SU and ATS record at home during the first round playoff series versus the Bucks.

"Go home and win. We've been pretty good on our floor," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "They took care of their business on their home floor. We're going to see what we're made of."

Some pundits are speculating a strategy the Hawks might use in Game 3 is to go with a smaller lineup in order to speed things up. Atlanta only accounted for four fast-break points in Game 2.

Utilizing an up-tempo tactic would force the Magic to run and somewhat negate the inside presence of Dwight Howard who poured in 29 points and 17 rebounds Thursday.

Extending the minutes of Jamal Crawford to open up the floor while doubling down to contain Howard (putting him at the foul line) should quicken the pace of this game.

Hotlanta was a sizzling over bet at home this season, cashing the over in 25 of the 41 games.

Pick: Over

[spook]

Re: 5-8-10

NHL NEWS AND NOTES
WHAT BETTORS NEED TO KNOW
Hockey Night In Canada
By JON KUIPERIJ

Montreal Canadiens at Pittsburgh Penguins (-275, 5.5)

The defending champion Penguins and surprising Habs are all square in their Eastern Conference semifinal series as they head into Game 5 in Pittsburgh.

Montreal tied the series 2-2 with a come-from-behind 3-2 win at home Thursday in Game 4, handing Pittsburgh its first road loss of the playoffs.

Rally Time

The Canadiens looked dead in the water after two periods of Game 4. Trailing 2-1 and outshot 26-9 through 40 minutes, Montreal was on the verge of going down 3-1 in the series.

But the Habs turned the tables in the third period, scoring twice in the first 3:27 of the frame. Montreal outshot the Pens 16-9 in the third.

“We knew in the second intermission that we probably had played our worst two periods of the playoffs,” said Brian Gionta, who scored the winner for Montreal. “So to be down one goal, we knew we had a chance to steal a game. We came out in the third period and got some lucky bounces, and it found its way in.”

Power Outage

After going off for 14 points in Pittsburgh’s first-round series against the Senators, Sidney Crosby has been pretty ordinary against Montreal.

Sid the Kid notched two assists in Game 1 but has since been limited to only one helper in the next three games. He has eight shots in the series, though five of those came on Thursday.

“I wouldn’t change the way I’m playing. Honestly, I wouldn’t change anything,” Crosby said after Game 4. “You just have to keep doing the same things and hope you get results. You’ve got to trust your skills.”

Sidekick Evgeni Malkin isn’t exactly on fire either. He has been held without a goal in five of his last six games and was stopped on a breakaway late in Game 4.

Infirmary Report

Jordan Staal made a surprisingly quick return to the Penguins lineup Thursday, six days after having foot tendon surgery. Staal, who missed Games 2 and 3 because of a severed tendon in his right foot, had two shots on goal Thursday and played more than 13 minutes.

“I didn’t think he missed a step,” said Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma. “I think he looked pretty good.”

Pittsburgh veteran Bill Guerin missed his second game because of an undisclosed injury, while Michael Rupp sat out because of personal issues. Both are questionable for Saturday. Montreal has been without defenceman Jaroslav Spacek for the past six games as he deals with a virus.

Trends

-The under has cashed in the last three games in the series and five of the past seven games between Pittsburgh and Montreal overall.
-The Canadiens are 1-4 in their last five visits to The Igloo.

Detroit Red Wings at San Jose Sharks (-140, 5.5)

After staving off elimination in their last game, the Red Wings look to extend their season again Saturday when they visit the Sharks. Detroit pounded San Jose 7-1 in Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinal series Thursday at Joe Louis Arena, cutting the Sharks' series lead to 3-1. Johan Franzen exploded for four goals and two assists to lead the rout.

Ride The Mule

Franzen's offensive outburst was a sight for Detroit coach Mike Babcock's sore eyes.

The "Mule" had scored only two goals in the Wings' first 10 playoff games this season - a far cry from the 25 markers he put up in the previous two postseasons. He more than doubled that total in the first period when he notched a natural hat trick, then added another goal in the third period. His six points set a team playoff record.

"Mule is one of those guys... when you get hot, you just shoot the puck," said Babcock.

Wake-up Call

For a team with a history of playoff collapses, the Sharks seemed to be taking things for granted in Game 4.

San Jose hung goalie Evgeni Nabokov out to dry in the first period and allowed five goals in the opening frame. Sharks coach Todd McLellan hopes his players aren't too comfortable after winning the first three games of the series.

"Maybe this spanking... will wake us up and make us aware that we're in a heck of a series here," McLellan said. "We're not out of the woods by any means. Again, I'm saying it, but we have to respond to it."

Infirmary Report

Perhaps the only thing that went wrong for Detroit in Game 4 was an injury to defenceman Brad Stuart. The blueliner left the game in the first period with a lower-body injury after taking a hard hit from San Jose defenceman Rob Blake. Babcock, however, said he expects Stuart back Saturday night.

For the Sharks, defenceman Nic Wallin remains questionable with a lower-body injury. He hasn't seen action since Game 3 of the Sharks' series last round against the Avalanche.

Trends

-The over is on a 15-5-3 run in the last 23 games between the teams in San Jose, and 4-0 in the series.
-The favorite has won 21 of the last 30 meetings, and the home team is 25-12 in the last 37 showdowns.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last edited by ugk; 05-07-2010 at 07:42 PM.

[spook]

Re: 5-8-10

ICE PICKS

Saturday's Best NHL Bet

San Jose Sharks at Detroit Red Wings (-165, 5.5)

The Sharks have to be feeling good up 3-1 in the series with Detroit and heading home to the Shark Tank.

But make no mistake; the pressure is all on the team that has floundered in the playoffs year after year, not the team trailing by two games.

"Maybe this spanking will wake us up to know we're not out of the woods," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said after his team was embarrassed by a score of 7-1 on Thursday. "I'm saying it. We have to respond to it."

"We weren't ready to play this game," said goalie Evengi Nabokov. "We need to get that desperation in our game."

This veteran-laden San Jose squad understands it cannot allow this matchup to go back to Hockey Town for a potentially series-tying Game 6.

Look for the Sharkies to come out strong at home Saturday where they lost only six games outright this season and earn a spot in the Western Conference finals.

Pick: San Jose Sharks

[spook]

Re: 5-8-10

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Fox Saturday Baseball
By Judd Hall

If it’s Saturday, then Fox must have some national broadcasts of Major League Baseball between showings of American Idol. They’re offering up just two games that will give some early divisional bragging rights to the winners. Let’s look at these contests.

Yankees (19-8, +787) at Red Sox (15-13, -352) – 3:10 p.m. EDT

Is it possible that the Red Sox are finally finding their groove?

Leading up to its series opener with the Yankees, Boston is rolling along after a four-game sweep at home of the Angels. The Sox’s offense teed off on Los Angeles’ pitching to the tune of 36 runs. To give you an idea of how impressive that is, the BoSox scored 38 combined in their eight games before facing the Halos. And David Ortiz went just 2-for-7 in the series with one homer. That brings him up to a robust .171 batting average with four home runs and seven runs batted in for the season.

Clay Buchholz (3-2, 2.97) is coming into this game as one of the Red Sox’s best pitching options right now. He has won his last two starts by giving up five earned runs in 13.2 innings of work. There is room for improvement with Buchholz as just six strikeouts to five walks in those contests (He had 10 K’s to 1 BB on April 27 at Toronto).

What can be said about the Yankees that hasn’t already been said? They are in the Top 5 in team hitting (.276), runs scored (151) and four-baggers (34). New York also has a pitching staff that is fifth in team earned run average (3.45), sixth fewest walks surrendered (88) and fourth in WHIP (1.22). And gamblers have enjoyed taking the Yanks on the run line (-1 ½ runs) as they’ve covered that spread in all 19 wins this season.

The Yanks will send C.C. Sabathia (4-1, 2.74) out to the mound on Saturday afternoon. He’s been a workhorse for New York so far, lasting at least 7.2 innings in his last three starts. And the opposition is having a devil of a time hitting him, evidenced by a .212 average.

New York has to feel confident about taking this series after winning two of three at Fenway Park to open the 2010 campaign. The ‘over’ cashed in two of those tilts as well. Boston fans shouldn’t fret as they’ve won seven of last year’s nine meetings at home with the Bronx Bombers.

The BoSox have gone 5-2 at home this year against southpaws, including a recent 3-0 run.

The ‘over’ is 15-11-1 for the Yankees this season, 9-5-1 on the road.

Boston has watched the ‘over’ go 14-13-1 in 2010, 10-7 when played at Fenway.

Braves (12-16, -676) at Phillies (17-11, +219) – 3:10 p.m. EDT

Just when you thought that the Braves were back in business, reality slaps them across the face.

Atlanta appeared to have bounced back from a nine-game losing skid by sweeping the Astros at home to start off the month. But they fell apart right after that, dropping two of three in our nation’s capital to the Nationals. The Braves are now a startling 4-12 away from Turner Field this season.

Bobby Cox will turn to Kris Medlin (1-1, 2.55) to stop the bleeding. It’s hard to tell if Medlin has the goods to turn things around since he hasn’t pitched more than three innings in any appearances this season. He hasn’t started a game for the Braves since mid-July of 2009, the last of his four starts last year. Atlanta went 1-3 in that small set of starts from Medlin.

Things are going just fine for the Phillies right now. They’ve won five of their last six games, covering the run line in four of those tests. And if that weren’t enough, their security staff tased a 17-year-old numbnut, to the delight of everyone at Citizens Bank Park (and my endless laughter).

Joe Blanton (0-1, 5.40) will be making his second start of the season after spending the first month of the season on the disabled list with a strained left oblique. In his first outing of the year, Blanton allowed four earned runs on 10 hits in 6.2 innings of work en route to a 6-3 loss at home to the Cardinals. Not a terrible performance considering St. Louis is one of the National League’s better clubs.

Atlanta has gone 11-20 as a road pup in day games over the last two seasons, losing both spots in 2010. The ‘over’ is 18-13 in that stretch, which includes 5-0 run.

Philly does well at home in daytime affairs, evidenced by a 34-23 mark dating back to the start of the 2009 campaign. The ‘over’ is 32-24-1 in those contests and 4-1 in the Phils’ last five.

[spook]

Re: 5-8-10

HOT LINES

Saturday's Best MLB Bets

Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati Reds (-110, 9)

Cubs fans will be stargazin’ Saturday when the newest edition of the team, Starlin Castro, takes the field.

The 20-year-old phenom was called up from Double-A on Friday and is hitting in the eighth spot of a lineup that is in desperate need of a jump-start.

"It's no secret we haven't been swinging the bat on a consistent basis," Cubs GM Jim Hendry said. "We haven't knocked in a lot of runs when we could've won a lot of ballgames. Until we start swinging the bats better, defensively we'll be in better shape."

Hendry went on to say that Castro will provide a better defensive presence at shortstop and that will allow Ryan Theriot to move back to second base where he is more accustomed to playing.

Castro was hitting .376 with 20 RBIs in 26 games in the minor leagues.

The Cubs lineup has produced a .220 batting average on the road this season and the team had failed to plate more than two runs in each of its last three games going into Friday.

Look for Starlin to give the Chicago offense and defense a spark Saturday.

Pick: Chicago Cubs


St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates (+155, 8.5)

The Pirates just scored 18 runs in a three-game series with the Cubs.

St. Louis struggled offensively through a four-game stint against the Phillies, but the team will get some help from Mother Nature on Saturday.

The forecast for this evening affair calls for a 28 mph wind to blow out to left and left-center field at PNC Park. Only one game at Pittsburgh this season has endured winds of 20 miles per hour or more and that contest sailed over the posted total.

Pirates pitcher Jeff Karstens has made two starts this year and holds a 6.17 ERA. In Karstens’ only appearance versus the Cardinals, the righty gave up seven hits and three runs in 6.0 innings of work.

Jaime Garcia has been stellar on the mound for the Red Birds this season, but all it’s going to take for this game to get over the total is for a handful of fly balls to find the jet stream.

Pick: Over

[spook]

Re: 5-8-10

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OUTLAW SPORTS ADVISORS
5 UNIT SL Cardinals -1 1/2 RL
5 UNIT Colorado Rockies +100 ML
5 UNIT Tampa Bay Rays -1 1/2 RL

[spook]

Re: 5-8-10

Don Wallace Sports

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NBA Playoffs

4* Atlanta +2 over Orlando
4* Utah -4.5 over the Lakers

1-1 yesterday

[spook]

Re: 5-8-10

cherry picking service plays 5-8

orlando magic moneyline
new york yankees moneyline
Lakers +5

[spook]

Re: 5-8-10

Sampicks 5/08

France - Ligue 1- 20:00 GMT
VALENCIENNES - LYON take LYON to win
Best odds: 1,57



Spain - Primera Division - 20:00 GMT
SEVILLA - BARCELONA take BARCELONA to win
Best odds: 1,53

[spook]

Re: 5-8-10

Al DeMarco

10 dime on the Jazz

[spook]

Re: 5-8-10

Bobby Maxwell

300 units on the Magic

100 units on the Padres

[spook]

Re: 5-8-10

Chris Jordan

600 units on the RUN line Twins

200 units on the Magic