8-13-11

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Viking Sports Plays

4* Indy/STL Rams OVER 34
3* Buffalo/Chicago OVER 34'

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WUNDERDOG (NFLX)

Game: Green Bay at Cleveland (Saturday 8/13 7:30 PM Eastern)
Pick: 2 units on Cleveland +1 (-110) (risk 2 to win 1.8)

Game: New York Giants at Carolina (Saturday 8/13 8:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on New York Giants +2.5 (-110) (risk 3 to win 2.7)

Game: Buffalo at Chicago (Saturday 8/13 8:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 2 units on Buffalo +3 (+105) (risk 2 to win 2.1)

Game: Indianapolis at St. Louis (Saturday 8/13 8:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 2 units on Indianapolis +7 (-110) (risk 2 to win 1.8)

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Green Bay Packers at Cleveland Browns (-1.5, 35.5)

Starter report

Packers: As has been the case throughout head coach Mike McCarthy’s tenure, Packers starters aren’t expected to play more than a few series Saturday. It’s unlikely that Aaron Rodgers will be on the field for more than 12 plays. Matt Flynn and Graham Harrell will see the bulk of the action under center.

Browns: The Browns have a new head coach in Pat Shurmur and while he hasn’t laid out his gameplan in regard to playing time, he has indicated that he “won’t deviate from the original plan”. Way to be vague, coach.

Several Browns insiders believe that Colt McCoy and the rest of the starters will be on the field for the majority of the first quarter.

Things to remember: This game marks the first time the Packers will open the preseason away from Lambeau Field since 2007… The Browns edged the Packers 27-24 in last year’s preseason opener… The Packers are 9-11 SU and 11-9 ATS in the preseason under Mike McCarthy.

Minnesota Vikings at Tennessee Titans (-3, 33)

Starter report

Vikings: The winds of change have blown through Minnesota, with Donovan McNabb taking over the reins at quarterback. However, he won’t make much more than a cameo appearance Saturday, before giving way to rookie Christian Ponder and Joe Webb.

Ponder has struggled at his first NFL training camp, but head coach Leslie Frazier doesn’t seem overly concerned.

"It's called being a rookie in the National Football League,” Frazier told reporters. “There's going to be some other days like that. That's part of it. He's going to have a lot of good days, too."

Titans: For the first time in what seems like an eternity, Jeff Fisher won’t be roaming the Titans sideline. Mike Munchak is the new man in charge, and while he hasn’t indicated his plan of attack for the preseason opener, we know that Chris Johnson (holdout) and Kenny Britt (injury) won’t be taking the field.

We can expect to see Matt Hasselbeck make a cameo appearance before Jake Locker makes his much-anticipated debut. Rusty Smith and Brett Ratliff should also see time in the second half.

Things to remember: This matchup features a pair of head coaches getting their first taste of preseason action… The Vikings haven’t posted a losing preseason record since 2003… Tennessee is a perfect 7-0 SU in its last seven preseason home games.

Indianapolis Colts at St. Louis Rams (-7, 34)

Starter report

Colts: In case you haven’t been paying attention, Peyton Manning won’t be ready for the Colts preseason opener. He isn’t expected to see any action until Week 1.

Based on Jim Caldwell’s history, the rest of the Colts starters likely won’t get more than a series or two of action.

Curtis Painter is expected to start Saturday’s game and play the entire first half. Dan Orlovsky and Nate Davis will share duties in the second half, while Mike Hartline may have to wait until next week to make his preseason debut.

Rams: Rams head coach Steve Spanguolo has indicated that his starters will see 12-15 plays before exiting. That includes QB Sam Bradford. Veteran A.J. Feeley should play the rest of the first half before giving way to a pair of undrafted rookies, Thaddeus Lewis and Taylor Potts.

St. Louis is a little banged up with no fewer than 12 players expected to miss Saturday’s game due to injury.

Things to remember: The Rams are 6-2 SU and ATS in preseason action since Steve Spagnuolo took over coaching duties two years ago… St. Louis has given up at least 20 points in seven of its last nine preseason tilts… Colts head coach Jim Caldwell doesn’t put much stock in preseason results. His team has gone 1-7 SU and 2-6 ATS under his guidance.

New York Giants at Carolina Panthers (-2.5, 33)

Starter report

Giants: Giants head coach Tom Coughlin says that his starters will see between 15 and 18 plays on Saturday night. He’s also confirmed that only three of the four quarterbacks on the roster will get action. Chances are, that leaves Ryan Perriloux as the odd man out, with Sage Rosenfels and David Carr following Eli Manning.

Osi Umenyiora has been cleared to practice, but has yet to do so and obviously won’t be on the field in the opener.

Panthers: Saturday marks the much-anticipated debut of Panthers first-overall pick Cam Newton. However, fans may have to wait to catch their first glimpse of Newton in game action. Ron Rivera hasn’t indicated who will start Saturday, but has listed Jimmy Clausen ahead of Newton on the depth chart.

Veteran Derek Anderson and second-year man Tony Pike will also see time in the opener, likely splitting the final quarter and a half.

Things to remember: Tom Coughlin has steered the Giants to a 33-28 SU and 30-27-4 ATS mark in the preseason… The Panthers are a miserable 1-7 SU and ATS in the preseason over the last two years… Ron Rivera makes his coaching debut for Carolina.

Buffalo Bills at Chicago Bears (-3, 34.5)

Starter report

Bills: Bills boss Chan Gailey hasn’t said what he has in store for Saturday, but if last year is any indication, we can expect all four quarterbacks to see the field at some point.

Ryan Fitzpatrick is the starter, but he’ll be pushed by Tyler Thigpen. Levi Brown and Josh Nesbitt will be assigned mop-up duty in the second half.

Bears: Lovie Smith likes to give his starters a series of action in the preseason opener, and that trend should continue in 2011. After Jay Cutler makes a cameo appearance, Caleb Hanie will likely play two quarters. That leaves the remainder of the game to fifth-round pick Nathan Enderle.

Matt Forte remains a question mark after he hinted that he may not play in the preseason until he has a long-term contract extension in place.

"I expect all the guys to be ready to play if we tell them,” Smith told reporters. “We'll make those decisions a little bit later. But you just look at what Matt is doing. You love everything he's done. And why wouldn't he be ready to go?''

Things to remember: Chan Gailey-coached teams have gone 3-11 SU and 4-10 ATS in the preseason… The Bears are 14-15 SU and 12-16-1 ATS in exhibition contests under Lovie Smith… Chicago went winless in last year’s preseason… The Bills won 27-20 when these teams met in the 2009 preseason.

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Pittsburgh Pirates at Milwaukee Brewers (-158, 9)

The Brewers absolutely love facing Pirate pitching.

Milwaukee entered the weekend having scored at least four runs in each of their five games against Pittsburgh this season, averaging 5.4 runs in those games. Not surprising, the Brewers are 5-0 in those contests.

And Milwaukee’s favorite Pittsburgh pitcher to face? Kevin Correia, who will be taking the bump on Saturday. Correia is 0-2 against the Brewers this season, giving up 12 runs on 13 hits with four walks over 10 innings.

"We need our starting pitchers to put a foot down," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle told reporters. "We didn't pitch well. We just haven't pitched well against them, especially at their place. Not many teams have. They've got a dominant home record. You've got to make them uncomfortable at the plate. You've got to keep them guessing. You have to try and keep them off balance."

Overall, the Pirates have given up double-digit run totals three times over the past 10 games with the over going 7-3 over that span. However, it isn’t a great time to face the Brewers’ offense as the team has seen the over go 7-2-1 in their past 10.

Pick: Over

Detroit Tigers at Baltimore Orioles

Tigers manager Jim Leyland has his work cut out for him this weekend in Baltimore. Not only does the Detroit skipper have to alter his lineup due to slugger Brennan Boesch suffering a sprained thumb, but he also must find a way to work Victor Martinez into the lineup as a DH since he still can’t catch due to a sore knee.

"We're in a little bind with that," Leyland told reporters. "Hopefully, we don't have to make a move, we're not at that stage, but we have to be prepared."
Boesch, who is hitting .285 with 16 home runs and 54 RBI isn’t sure how he suffered his bruised digit, but knows it was aggravated during a 14-inning loss to the Indians this week. He is listed as day-to-day.

Martinez suffered a bruised knee last week against Kansas City and has been forced to DH. As a result, Alex Avila has to spend every game behind the plate, limiting Leyland’s lineup options.

Meantime, the Orioles are far from world beaters but have taken at least one game each of the past eight series and entered the weekend with a 2-1 record against the Tigers this season.

Pick: Orioles

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Streaking

Ricky Romero, Toronto Blue Jays (10-9, 2.94 ERA)

Romero earned American League Player of the Week honors after winning his third straight start Sunday. The Jays lefty allowed only two runs (both solo home runs) on four hits to improve to 3-0 with a 1.11 ERA over his past three outings.

Luke Hochevar, Kansas City Royals (8-8, 4.79 ERA)

Rarely do Royals pitchers find themselves this high in the daily "Streaking and Slumping" article. Hochevar, however, is breaking out of the mold in Kansas City with a 4-0 record in his past eight starts. The right-hander hasn’t tasted defeat since June 21 and has been sharp over his past three appearances. Hochevar is 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA while striking out a total of 20 batters in that span.

Slumping

Roy Oswalt, Philadelphia Phillies (4-7, 3.84 ERA)

OK, OK. Oswalt isn’t the norm for the slumping category, but he has dropped three straight starts going back to June 12, and has only one win since April 15. The Phillies righty looked serviceable in his first game out since hitting the DL with a nagging back on June 23. He lasted six innings, allowed three runs on 12 hits, and whiffed four batters.

Jason Hammel, Colorado Rockies (6-11, 5.14 ERA)

Baseball fans holding their breath for another magical, late-season run from Colorado will be more purple in the face than the Rockies' unis. Colorado is more than 10 games back in the National League West and has lost six of its last 10 heading into the weekend. Hammel is a big reason for this. The Rockies right-hander has served up 12 total runs in his last nine innings of work, most recently getting knocked around for six runs on four hits - two of which were home runs – in a four-inning, no-decision against the Reds Monday. Reply With Quote .

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BANG THE BOOK

Saturday's Best NFL Bets

Green Bay Packers at Cleveland Browns (-1.5, 35.5)

The defending Super Bowl champs are in action for the first time since claiming the Lombardi Trophy last year, and we’re all set with our NFL picks for the duel between the Green Bay Packers and the Cleveland Browns.

The more things changes across the rest of NFL betting action, the more things seemingly stay the same for the Packers. All of the familiar faces from a year ago are back, and the hope is that this is going to lead the team on a Super Bowl run once again. QB Aaron Rodgers though, has been sloppy in practices in training camp leading up to this first preseason games, as have the rest of his teammates for the most part. There is definitely a genuine concern right now for Head Coach Mike McCarthy to deal with. Still, we know when push comes to shove that this team will be fine. The secondary is a big concern in this one, as we know that Morgan Burnett, Charles Woodson, and Tramon Williams are all definitely out of this one. Davon House and Brandian Ross have been out of practice as well, which is really only going to leave Jarrett Bush, Pat Lee, and Josh Gordy in the secondary. It could be a long, long day for the Pack’s secondary if this is the case.

The second year in the QB Colt McCoy experiment is about to be underway in Cleveland, and it would be great for the residents of the Dawg Pound to see their team win a game against the defending champs, even if it is just the preseason. The Browns have a lot of faith in McCoy this year, but we are definitely skeptical about the rest of the depth chart at quarterback behind him. QB Seneca Wallace is definitely competent, but we’re concerned about this game for former West Virginia Mountaineer Jarret Brown and the Arena Football League’s Cleveland Gladiators graduate Troy Weatherhead. Don’t expect to see WR Mohamed Massaquoi in this one, as he is battling a leg injury, while RB Montario Hardesty is likely to also be on the shelf. That being said, there’s a big time void at the wide receiver position, especially if first round draft choice, WR AJ Green can’t prove to step in right away and make an impact with the short training camp.

Green Bay Packers @ Cleveland Browns Pick: The Browns just feel like they have more on the line in this game than the Packers do. Cleveland would love to take this one down, and we know that it’s usually never a good idea to go against a home underdog, especially early on in the preseason.

PICK: Browns


Minnesota Vikings at Tennessee Titans (-3, 33)

Times they are a’changin’. The Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans are both trotting out some new looking rosters on Saturday night in NFL preseason betting action, and these two will square off at LP Field on Saturday night.

QB Tarvaris Jackson was traded to the Seattle Seahawks and QB Brett Favre retired (again), which really left the Vikes without a captain for their ship this season. Head Coach Leslie Frazier knows that this team has a boatload of talent, especially with the likes of RB Adrian Peterson and RB Toby Gerhart running the rock, but he certainly needed a signal caller for his first full season in charge of the Vikings Ship. The team went out and picked up QB Donovan McNabb, a much disgruntled quarterback from the Washington Redskins, and he’ll be making his debut in purple on Saturday. McNabb is coming off of a woeful season, and he knows that his time is running short in this league, but he also knows that he is going to act as more of a mentor and leader for rookie QB Christian Ponder, who will also be making his debut. Frazier’s team will also be without departed leaders WR Sidney Rice and DT Pat Williams, making life a whole heck of a lot harder in a division that is wide open this year.

The Titans though, have a whole heck of a lot of changes of their own to deal with as well. Head Coach Jeff Fisher was the longest tenured coach in the league before this past offseason when he was fired, but Owner Bud Adams wasn’t done there. Adams made sure that QB Vince Young disappeared as well. Young was granted his release and QB Kerry Collins retired, which opened up a whole other quarterback quandary. QB Matt Hasselbeck was picked up via free agency from the Seahawks, and he was joined by rookie QB Jake Locker. As you can tell, these two teams have a whole boatload of similarities right now, and they are going to be tough to decipher in this one as well. The Titans won’t have RB Chris Johnson and might not have DB Cortland Finnegan in this one either, knowing that both are going through some disputes off of the field. DE Derrick Morgan, last year’s first round NFL Draft choice is questionable and likely won’t play much, if at all on Saturday, and DB Ryan Mouton is already out for the season.

Minnesota Vikings @ Tennessee Titans Pick: Laying more than a field goal in the preseason usually isn’t a good idea, especially when you’re talking about two teams that will be so evenly matched in the regular season as well.

PICK: Vikings

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MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Tampa Bay Rays At NY Yankees MLB Betting preview
By: Jeff Grant


Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees (-135, 9)

The New York Yankees have a stranglehold on the AL wild card and can continue strengthening their grip this weekend when hosting the Tampa Bay Rays. Saturday’s first pitch at Yankee Stadium is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. (PT) and will be televised on FOX.

New York took two of three games against the Los Angeles Angels leading into this series, the a club that sits directly behind the Yankees in the wild-card race. The third-place team in that group is Tampa Bay.

The Yankees were just a game back in the American League East entering Friday's series opener that matched up left-handers David Price for Tampa Bay and CC Sabathia for New York. MLB betting lines were -175 on the Yankees with a 7½-run total.

Phil Hughes (2-4, 7.11 ERA) is scheduled to make his 10th appearance (ninth start) of the season, picking up a 3-2 loss in relief against the Red Sox last time out. He is aiming to record his first home victory of the season, coming in with an 0-2 mark and 9.16 ERA, with opponents are hitting .366 against him at Yankee Stadium.

The right-hander has registered an even 3-3 record and 4.50 ERA in 10 lifetime outings (five starts) versus the Rays, including a 1-2 mark and 4.74 ERA in three starts in 2010. He has kept Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria relatively quite, allowing three hits in 10 at bats with just a single RBI.

Bettors have been expecting the former first-round selection to turn things around in front of the home faithful, as the Yankees have won 24 of his last 32 starts in the Bronx. He may gain confidence in knowing the Bronx Bombers own a major league-best 32-8 record in day games this year.

Tampa Bay knows it will be a steep climb at this point to make the postseason, but the team is not going to give up without a fight under manager Joe Maddon. The Rays just picked up their eighth four-game sweep in club history against the Kansas City Royals.

Longoria has been leading the charge offensively, hitting safely in eight straight games, including six RBIs over the last three. He is a career .271 hitter against the Yankees.

Jeremy Hellickson (10-7, 3.05 ERA) has led the club to wins in four of his last five outings. That includes a no-decision in his last start, a 2-1 home victory over the Royals when he surrendered just a single run and six hits over 7 1/3 innings.

Hellickson proved victorious in his only career start against New York four starts back, giving up two runs and five hits in seven frames of a 3-2 win at Tropicana Field. In three lifetime outings versus the pinstripes, the rookie is 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA.

Total players will find that the ‘over’ is 9-3 in his last 12 road starts.

It should be a perfect day in the Bronx with game-time temperatures in the mid-80s. A slight south breeze of 5-10 mph will also be present throughout the contest (right to left). The ‘over’ is 6-2 at Yankee Stadium under those conditions

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MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Tampa Bay Rays At NY Yankees MLB Betting preview
By: Jeff Grant


Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees (-135, 9)

The New York Yankees have a stranglehold on the AL wild card and can continue strengthening their grip this weekend when hosting the Tampa Bay Rays. Saturday’s first pitch at Yankee Stadium is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. (PT) and will be televised on FOX.

New York took two of three games against the Los Angeles Angels leading into this series, the a club that sits directly behind the Yankees in the wild-card race. The third-place team in that group is Tampa Bay.

The Yankees were just a game back in the American League East entering Friday's series opener that matched up left-handers David Price for Tampa Bay and CC Sabathia for New York. MLB betting lines were -175 on the Yankees with a 7½-run total.

Phil Hughes (2-4, 7.11 ERA) is scheduled to make his 10th appearance (ninth start) of the season, picking up a 3-2 loss in relief against the Red Sox last time out. He is aiming to record his first home victory of the season, coming in with an 0-2 mark and 9.16 ERA, with opponents are hitting .366 against him at Yankee Stadium.

The right-hander has registered an even 3-3 record and 4.50 ERA in 10 lifetime outings (five starts) versus the Rays, including a 1-2 mark and 4.74 ERA in three starts in 2010. He has kept Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria relatively quite, allowing three hits in 10 at bats with just a single RBI.

Bettors have been expecting the former first-round selection to turn things around in front of the home faithful, as the Yankees have won 24 of his last 32 starts in the Bronx. He may gain confidence in knowing the Bronx Bombers own a major league-best 32-8 record in day games this year.

Tampa Bay knows it will be a steep climb at this point to make the postseason, but the team is not going to give up without a fight under manager Joe Maddon. The Rays just picked up their eighth four-game sweep in club history against the Kansas City Royals.

Longoria has been leading the charge offensively, hitting safely in eight straight games, including six RBIs over the last three. He is a career .271 hitter against the Yankees.

Jeremy Hellickson (10-7, 3.05 ERA) has led the club to wins in four of his last five outings. That includes a no-decision in his last start, a 2-1 home victory over the Royals when he surrendered just a single run and six hits over 7 1/3 innings.

Hellickson proved victorious in his only career start against New York four starts back, giving up two runs and five hits in seven frames of a 3-2 win at Tropicana Field. In three lifetime outings versus the pinstripes, the rookie is 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA.

Total players will find that the ‘over’ is 9-3 in his last 12 road starts.

It should be a perfect day in the Bronx with game-time temperatures in the mid-80s. A slight south breeze of 5-10 mph will also be present throughout the contest (right to left). The ‘over’ is 6-2 at Yankee Stadium under those conditions

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WNBA NEWS AND NOTES
WNBA: Dream-Storm Preview
By Associated Press


Atlanta Dream at Seattle Storm (-6, 153.5)

Playing at home as opposed to on the road seems to make all the difference for the Seattle Storm.

They're hoping that holds true as they try to avenge a road loss to the Atlanta Dream earlier in the week and extend their season-high home winning streak to nine games Saturday night.

Seattle (13-10), which has dropped nine of 13 on the road, improved to 9-1 at home and a league-best 11-2 when scoring at least 70 points with their eighth consecutive victory at KeyArena, defeating hapless Tulsa 77-63 on Thursday. The Storm raced to a 50-28 halftime lead and never looked back.

"I thought we got off to a great start. I was really happy with our first half," coach Brian Agler said. "But we're a team that's still trying to get better. Being efficient with the offense and with the basketball was one of those, and we made some strides there."

The Storm, who have outscored opponents by an average of 12.4 points during their eight-game run at home, previously suffered back-to-back losses on the road. After turning the ball over 27 times in a 70-53 loss at Atlanta on Sunday, Seattle fell 58-56 to New York two days later.

"Obviously, we play much better at home -- it's just one of those things," said forward Camille Little, who scored a team-high 19 points Thursday. "We lost two games (earlier this week at Atlanta and New York), and the last one went down to the wire. We just wanted to try to get a good win."

Seven-time WNBA All-Star Sue Bird was held to two points on 1-of-3 shooting and committed a season-worst six turnovers last week in the first game between the teams since the Storm swept last season's WNBA finals against the Dream (10-12).

Bird, however, will likely be motivated to come out with a better effort - the team is honoring her 10 seasons with the Storm with a bobblehead giveaway.

"When I think about being with this franchise for 10 years, I really feel like I've grown up here," Bird told WNBA.com. "From year 21 to now I'm 30, a lot happens in your 20s. Basketball-wise, the fans, the community, they've embraced me and they've watched me do that. It's something special."

Atlanta, meanwhile, is in an eight-game stretch during which it plays seven on the road. The Dream began their trek with Tuesday's 72-70 win at Washington on Sancho Lyttle's game-winning shot with less than a second remaining, but dropped to 4-6 away from home with a 109-95 loss to Phoenix on Thursday.

"I thought we really fought hard," coach Marynell Meadors said.

Angel McCoughtry, who ranks second in the league with 20.1 points per game, scored 25 along with five rebounds and three assists. She's averaging 30.0 points over her last five road games.

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LADY LUCK

Saturday's Best WNBA Bets

New York Liberty at Indiana Fever (-7, 147)

The Fever is hot and it can thank the play of backup point guard Erin Phillips.

The Australian took over as the team’s lead guard this season when Briann January went down with a season ending injury. In the 13 games since, Phillips is averaging 10.3 points and three assists per game. Oh, and the team is 9-4 SU and 8-5 ATS during that streak.

"Playing on this team is a lot of fun," Phillips told reporters. "I think that's half the battle. You come into practice every day, and you want to work hard and get better every day."

In the Fever’s most recent game, an 81-68 win over San Antonio, Phillips had 13 points – single-handedly outscoring the Silver Stars 10-5 in the second quarter – to go with four rebounds and three assists.

"Erin is a sparkplug for us," Indiana forward Tamkia Catchings said. "I think she's gotten a lot better. She's an energy player."

PICK: Indiana


Atlanta Dream at Seattle Storm (-6, 153.5)

Seattle has a very simple reason for suffering a 70-53 blowout loss to Atlanta in Georgia last week: Sue Bird had her worst game of the season.

The former Connecticut star averages 15 points, 4.8 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game but was a horrendous 1-for-3 from the floor with just two points and three assists against six turnovers versus the Dream.

Don’t count on that happening again.

"I can guarantee there are 30 NBA teams that wish they had a player on their team that played the game like she did,” Seattle coach Brian Agler told reporters. “She's as smart a player as I've ever been around."

And Bird and her teammates never take a game off at home. The Storm is 9-1 SU in its own gym and 6-4 ATS in those games.

"By nature, I do want to set my teammates up," Bird told reporters. "People are going to look at this season and my scoring's up and I'm shooting more and I'm more aggressive, and, yes, I do have to have that in my game always.

PICK: Seattle

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CFL NEWS AND NOTES
Sports Network

Toronto Argonauts at Hamilton Tiger-Cats (-7.5, 50)
TORONTO (1-5) at HAMILTON (3-3)

GAME NOTES: Since winning their season opener against Calgary more than a month ago, the Toronto Argonauts have been caught in a downward spiral, unable to keep themselves from spinning wildly out of control and into last place in the East Division at just 1-5.

As one of the lowest-scoring clubs in the CFL, the Argos try to break out of their five-game slide this weekend as they pay a visit to the Hamilton Tiger- Cats at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

Back under center for the Argos last week was Cleo Lemon, after missing the previous game with a cracked tooth, but against Montreal it didn't much matter who was handling the ball for Toronto because the visitors were still destined to pick up the 36-23 decision at Rogers Centre.

Lemon finished the outing 25-of-40 for 314 yards and a pair of touchdowns, as well as an interception in the double-digit defeat which sent the Argonauts to their fifth consecutive loss after winning their opener.

The defense for the Argos was at a huge disadvantage as it tried to figure out how to slow down Montreal QB Anthony Calvillo who finished with close to 350 passing yards and a score. The run defense for the hosts was beaten up by Brandon Whitaker who raced for 151 yards on 19 carries, but it was Dahrran Diedrick who did the majority of the scoring damage against Toronto with his three rushing TDs on just five attempts.

As for the Tiger-Cats, they appeared to be well on their way to capturing their fourth win of the campaign on Saturday, leading Calgary on the road by a score of 20-13 at the break, but in the second half Hamilton went cold and was held scoreless en route to a 32-20 defeat to fall to an even 3-3 and into third place in the standings.

Kevin Glenn hit on 20-of-34 passes for 211 yards and a score, but he was also intercepted once as he and the rest of the Hamilton offense disappeared following the intermission. Avon Cobourne continued to keep a high profile in his first year with the 'Cats after coming over from Montreal, posting 67 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Receiver Dave Stala had just three catches, but he turned one of those into a seven-yard score in the first quarter.

Stala, now in his ninth CFL campaign and the third with Hamilton, has already equaled his single-season career high with six TD receptions and currently leads the league in that department on just 22 catches. Last season, Stala also tallied six touchdowns through the air, but he needed a career-high 85 catches to make it happen.

Chris Williams, who led Hamilton in receptions in the last game with six for 48 yards, is becoming a more vital part of the offense as the season wears on. He's now tops on the team and ninth in the league in receiving yards with 352, leading to three scores. The breakaway threat that Williams brings to the table makes him someone that all defenses now have to prepare for no matter how Glenn is throwing the ball.

After six games, Glenn is third in the league in TD passes with 10, but he is still having some issues with his accuracy at just 60.7 percent after completing no less than 62 percent of his attempts in each of the last four seasons.

Lemon, who has attempted the fewest passes of any of the regular starters in the league due to his being absent recently with injury, has as many TDs (four) as he does INTs at the moment which isn't exactly an encouraging sign given how he performed last season for the Argos. As a unit, Toronto is last in the CFL in passing yardage (1,399) and has a mere 73.9 efficiency rating because of eight picks and just five TDs.

Toronto is tied for the most rushing TDs in the league after six games with a total of seven, but everyone knows that this is a passing league first and foremost and keeping the ball on the ground will also keep you out of the postseason more often than not.

The other major knock on the Argonauts is that their defense is the weakest in the league right now, allowing a whopping 407.1 ypg. Opponents recognize that they can beat Toronto at the line of scrimmage and have been doing so on a regular basis as they generate 129.8 ypg on the ground. As if that were not bad enough, the pass defense has also been victimized with teams completing an incredible 72.0 percent of their attempts against lackluster Toronto coverage.

On Friday the Argos decided to make a significant change on defense, relieving defensive coordinator Chip Garber of his duties and installing secondary coach Orlondo Steinauer into the position.

In 2010, the Tiger-Cats won all three meetings between these squads, a 16-12 final at the Rogers Centre in Week 8, a 28-13 home victory two weeks later and a 30-3 thrashing in Toronto again in the middle of October. As far as the all- time series is concerned, Hamilton now leads the regular-season meetings dating back to 1950 by a count of 120-86-2, taking four in a row and five of the last six encounters.

These teams are set to play each other again two more times during the regular season, the next meetings taking place in Toronto early on in both October and November.

With such a porous defense and an offense that continues to struggle no matter who is playing quarterback, the Argonauts will again have a tough time working their way into the win column this weekend.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Hamilton 28, Toronto 18

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Winnipeg Blue Bombers at B.C. Lions (-1.5, 49.5)
WINNIPEG (5-1) at BRITISH COLUMBIA (1-5)

GAME NOTES: Off to a 5-1 start for the first time since 1987, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers try to continue their winning ways this weekend as they challenge the British Columbia Lions in a battle at Empire Field.

The Bombers, who are all alone in first place in the East Division, a game ahead of the two-time Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes, are now 2-1 this season against clubs from the West Division, thanks to a 28-16 win over the Edmonton Eskimos last week.

Winnipeg started out slow with just a single in the first quarter last weekend, but then tallied 25 in the next two frames. Buck Pierce converted 20-of-27 passing for 242 yards and a two touchdowns and ran for another, gaining 54 yards on six rushing attempts.

The defense for the Bombers took care of the top passer in the CFL as they intercepted Edmonton's Ricky Ray three times and logged four sacks as well.

As for the Lions, they too are coming off a high note of their own as they picked up their first win of 2011 with a 24-11 home victory versus Saskatchewan last week. Even with that triumph, however, BC is still tied with the Roughriders for last place in the West Division at just 1-5.

Travis Lulay connected on 18-of-27 passing for 257 yards and a score, but he was also sacked three times and picked off once in the meeting. Slotback Geroy Simon had a huge game for the hosts as he reeled in seven passes for 134 yards and a touchdown. Simon, who had 116 yards at the half, is now within 87 yards of Daren Flutie (14,426) for third place in all-time CFL reception yardage and has extended his consecutive games streak with at least one catch to 148.

On the defensive side of the ball, Lions linebacker Solomon Elimimian posted 12 tackles, one special teams stop and a sack as he earned CFL defensive player of the week honors. Elimimian will have even more opportunities to take shots on the opposing quarterback this week as Pierce is always a threat to break out of the pocket and make something happen on his own for the Blue Bombers.

Pierce has the third-best efficiency rating in the league after six games at 95.4, trailing only the usual suspects like Ricky Ray and Anthony Calvillo of Edmonton and Montreal, respectively. The signal-caller is completing his passes at a 64.2 percent clip and has managed to survive, for the most part, even while racing for 166 yards on 23 rushing attempts.

Luckily for Winnipeg and Pierce, the quarterback doesn't always have to be the one putting himself in harm's way when it comes to running with the ball, what with Fred Reid ranked second in the league in rushing with 470 yards on 103 carries. Reid may not have a high average per attempt (4.6 yards), but at least he provides Pierce with the comfort of knowing that there are other options out there and other players who can take the hits.

As well as Pierce and the Winnipeg offense has played thus far, the real story behind the team's success has been the defense. The club is allowing just 25.3 ppg and is the only team in the league limiting foes to less than 300 ypg in offense, permitting just 289.5 ypg at this juncture. Also worthy of mention is the fact that there's no squad in the CFL better at causing turnovers than Winnipeg.

Unfortunately for the Lions, causing turnovers has been something that has escaped the club as they show just seven takeaways which is the fewest among the eight teams. Throw in 11 turnovers on the other side of the ledger and BC is third from the bottom in turnover margin with a minus-four right now.

Lulay, who is second in the league in pass attempts (221) and has piled up the yardage through the air (1,661), has the lowest efficiency rating (78.6) of any regular starter basically because he has completed only 55.2 percent of his passes and has almost as many picks (six) as he does touchdowns (seven).

Winnipeg won the first meeting between the two teams this season just a couple weeks ago by a score of 25-20. In that matchup, Bombers' quarterbacks Pierce and Alex Brink both threw TD passes, the later notching his late to capture the home win. Lulay connected on barely half of his 31 pass attempts and was sacked six times by the Winnipeg defense.

As a result of the most recent decision at Canad Inns Stadium, the Blue Bombers now lead the all-time series by a count of 82-71-2, taking into account regular season matchups dating back to 1954.

At some point, the Blue Bombers are going to stumble and BC will put together a solid effort for four straight quarters, but all indications are those two happenings will not be coming together this weekend.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Winnipeg 42, British Columbia 21

Overall Sports Network Predictions: 16-8. Last Week's Predictions: 1-3.

[timbob]

CANADIAN BACON

Saturday's Best CFL Bets

Toronto Argonauts at Hamilton Tiger-Cats (-7.5, 50)

This will be the first showdown of the year between these great East Division rivals - just don’t expect it to be the intense affair that fans dream of.

The first chunk of the 2011 season has clearly shown one thing: The Tiger-Cats have a much better team than the Argonauts. The Tabbies have greatly improved offensively, in part to the acquisition of RB Avon Cobourne. They are also much better defensively, where they proved to be more aggressive and more creative than their Ontario rivals.

Toronto QB Cleo Lemon will need all the protection he can get from his offensive line Saturday. You can expect the Tiger-Cats to get their claws out after losing to Calgary.

Of course, new defensive coordinator Orlondo Steinauer will bring some fresh ideas to the table. He will need time before changing the philosophy and work habits of a defense that is coming off a brutal loss to the Alouettes in Week 6.

PICK: Hamilton


Winnipeg Blue Bombers at B.C. Lions (-1.5, 49.5)

Against all odds, the Blue Bombers have become one of the most frightening teams in the league. They are a legit threat to overthrow the Alouettes as the top team in the East.

The defensive unit, led by brilliant coordinator Tim Burke, has proved lethal. They lead the CFL in sacks while forcing their opponents to commit turnovers and must be considered among the best defenses in the league.

Unfortunately for the Bombers, they will play against the Lions, who are much better than their record indicates. These Leos are hungrier than ever and can’t afford to drop another game at home.

The Lions’ acquisitions of DB Tad Kornegay and WR Arland Bruce (aka Runako “Babe” Reth) could pay off this week. Wally Buono also made changes on defense, reuniting Korey Banks and Dante Marsh, two defensive backs that gave him excellent performances from 2007 to 2009.

Banks, who has been seeing less action recently for the benefit of Ryan Phillips, won’t need extra motivation to prove to coach Buono that he can still contribute in the secondary.

PICK: B.C.

[timbob]

Saturday's Betting Tips: Cuddyer Hurt

Who's Hot

MLB: The over is 9-0-2 in Oakland’s past 11 home games.

NFL: The over was 4-0 in the Indianapolis Colts’ four preseason games last year.

WNBA: Washington is 4-0 ATS in its past four games overall.

CFL: Winnipeg is 5-0 ATS in its past five road games.

Who’s Not

MLB: The Giants are 3-10 in their past 13 games.

NFL: The Chicago Bears went 0-4 SU and ATS in the preseason last year.

WNBA: Atlanta is 0-3-1 ATS in its past four road games.

CFL: Toronto has seen the over go 4-0 in its past four games overall.

Key Stat

0 – Losses for Tampa Bay starting pitcher Jeff Niemann since coming off the disabled list. In early May, he was 1-4 with a 5.74 ERA and suffering back problems. Six weeks later he returned to the mound and has been dominant. Since coming off the DL he is 6-0 with a 2.71 ERA.

Injury That Shouldn’t Be Overlooked

Michael Cuddyer – The third baseman tweaked a neck muscle during batting practice and is listed as day-to-day. "He popped something in his neck on his last swing," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire told reporters. "He was hurting. He was in a lot of pain." Cuddyer is hitting .295 and leads Minnesota with 18 homers and 61 RBI.

Game Of The Day

Green Bay Packers at Cleveland Browns (-2, 35.5)

Notable Quotable

"When he got out of the car, we're talking, and the crowd started to build and his bravery started to build. I walk away and he keeps talking. That's the part that frustrates me. That's when you saw me engage like that. If you're going to say something, say it to a man's face. I don't know about you, but that really makes me mad. He just started running his mouth." – Jimmy Johnson on his altercation with Kurt Busch following last week’s race at Pocono.

Tips And Notes

Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks confirmed he is ahead of schedule to return from a third-degree ankle sprain and surrounding ligament damage. However, he still is expected to miss another 2-4 weeks with the injury. He has only been able to run in the pool but has put weight on the ankle. Weeks is batting .272 with 19 homers and 43 RBI.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said the team will make a decision no later than Monday about which pitchers will make the cut to a 5-man rotation. "It's either somebody going to the pen or somebody going to Triple-A,” Cashman told reporters. “We'll make that call soon enough.” The team is expected to choose between Phil Hughes and A.J. Burnett for the final spot.

The Panthers (-2, 33) are favorites against the visiting Giants but will be without a slew of players on Saturday. Carolina will miss receiver Steve Smith and guard Geoff Schwartz on offense and defensive ends Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy, linebackers Jon Beason and Thomas Davis and cornerbacks Chris Gamble and Captain Munnerlyn on defense. On Friday, receiver David Gettis and defensive tackle Ron Edwards were placed on IR.