10-19-11

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[Mr. IWS]

LuckyDaySports

Wednesday’s Comp Play

MLB
Texas +112

[Mr. IWS]

NHL NEWS AND NOTES
Fresh Off First Win, Jets Face Surprising Maple Leafs
By Brian Hunter


Winnipeg Jets at Toronto Maple Leafs (-150, 5.5)
JETS (1-3-0) at MAPLE LEAFS (3-0-1)

TV: TSN, RIS (HD), TSN-JETS

SEASON SERIES: First of four meetings between the new Canadian rivals. The Maple Leafs split the games on their 2010-11 slate with the then-Thrashers, as Nikolai Kulemin led all scorers with 5 goals. Andrew Ladd, now the captain in Winnipeg, had 4 goals.

BIG STORY: While the Jets are still trying to find their footing, the Maple Leafs are off to a fast start for the second straight season. They began 4-0-1 last October, but followed with a 1-8-2 stretch that put them back in the familiar position of chasing a playoff spot the remainder of the season instead of letting the competition pursue them. The hope in Toronto is that with Phil Kessel off to a blazing start and James Reimer now the full-time goaltender, the Leafs will be able to avoid the types of skids that derailed their hopes of a season ago.

TEAM SCOPE:

JETS: It was a historic night in Winnipeg on Monday in more ways than one. First, the Jets opened the scoring against the visiting Penguins just eight seconds after the opening faceoff on a goal by Kyle Wellwood. That tied the franchise record for quickest goal (Ronald Petrovicky of the old Thrashers set it on Dec. 20, 2003, also against Pittsburgh). They lit the lamp again late in the first period, courtesy of Tanner Glass, and Ondrej Pavelec stopped 28 of 29 shots to give the new Jets their first-ever victory by a 2-1 score.

"It gives us something to look back on and say we need to be more like we were against Pittsburgh," Ladd said. "It is something that we can use to feed off the momentum and get better and better.

"At the end of the day, it has to come from within this room. I think it just gives you a good feeling when you're doing the right things of what it takes. The feeling in here right now is just so much better than after those three losses."

MAPLE LEAFS: Facing an equally hot and somewhat surprising opponent on Monday night, Toronto came back to secure a point before falling to Colorado 3-2 in overtime. Nikolai Kulemin picked up the rebound of a Dion Phaneuf shot and put it past former Leafs goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere with 4:43 left in regulation, but Reimer was beaten by David Jones 71 seconds into the extra period as the Avalanche won their fifth straight road game. Kessel had started the scoring in the second with his NHL-leading sixth goal at the 19-second mark.

"I thought it was a big point. We battled back," Phaneuf said. "We were down 2-1 going into the third … I thought it was a big goal late in the game to get that point and to push it to overtime. We're not happy with the loss, but we'll take that point and move forward."

WHO'S HOT: Wellwood, a 2001 draft pick by the Maple Leafs, has 2 goals in his first four games with the Jets. … Kessel led the League not only in goals, but points (9) at the start of Tuesday night's action.

INJURY REPORT: Winnipeg forward Evander Kane (lower body) and defenseman Ron Hainsey (upper body) are day-to-day. Forward Eric Fehr is on injured reserve as he recovers from shoulder surgery. … Toronto forwards Nazem Kadri (knee) and Tim Connolly (upper body) are on injured reserve.

STAT PACK: The last time Jets fans saw a win in a meaningful game prior to Monday, it was April 21, 1996, when their team beat the Red Wings 4-1 in Game 3 of the Western Conference quarterfinals. The team's last win was in Game 5 of that series, a 3-1 victory on April 26 in Detroit. The Wings closed out the series two days later back in Winnipeg, and the original Jets moved to Phoenix for the 1996-97 season.

PUCK DROP: Their first regular-season home game had a circus-like atmosphere and the Jets were handled fairly easily by the Canadiens. They lost their following two games on the road. Finally, back at the MTS Centre in game No. 4, coach Claude Noel saw the effort he wanted out of his squad.

"We played with more urgency and more pizzazz," he said. "I think they were as fed up as we were."

[Mr. IWS]

ICE PICKS

Wednesday's Best NHL Bet

Winnipeg Jets at Toronto Maple Leafs (-150, 5.5)

Winnipeg Jets coach Claude Noel read his team the riot act in the days leading up to the club’s home game against Pittsburgh on Monday and finally got the result he was looking for.

After dropping their first three games of the season, the Jets downed the Penguins 2-1 while outshooting Pittsburgh 34-29.

"It wasn't relief. I just wanted to get us to play better," Noel said. "Eventually they wanted to get to play better. They weren't very good. Our goals are simple. We want to make the playoffs. We have 17 points to make up, providing we can get to 80, where they were last year. We think we can get there.”

If they’re going to get there, they’re going to need goaltender Ondrej Pavelec to play out of his mind. After the Jets jumped out to a 1-0 lead just eight seconds into Saturday’s win, Pavelec stole the show between the pipes.

Toronto had a hard time keeping up with a young, speedy Avalanche team in Monday night’s 3-2 overtime loss but are still unbeaten in regulation. The Leafs’ second line of Mikhail Grabovsky, Nikolai Kulemin and Clarke MacArthur showed a bit of life later in the game after a disappointing season.

The Leafs shouldn’t have much trouble with the Jets on home ice, but it’s up to you if you want to swallow the heavy chalk. We feel more comfortable with the over.

PICK: Over

[Mr. IWS]

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
World Series Odds And Pick: Is An Upset In The Cards?

Texas Rangers (96-66) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (90-72)

SERIES ODDS: Rangers -160, Cardinals +140
The Rangers are World Series favorites despite the Cardinals owning home-field advantage. Does that mean St. Louis' miracle season is about to end? Here's how we see the series breaking down:


PITCHING: Both teams have received little from their starting pitchers so far in the postseason. The Rangers prevailed over Detroit in six games despite not getting a single victory from a starter in the American League championship series.

C.J. Wilson will likely get the call for Texas in Game 1, and he'll be an instant underdog against steady Cardinals counterpart Chris Carpenter. Beyond that, it could get messy; the other three pitchers to start for St. Louis in the playoffs - Jaime Garcia, Kyle Lohse and Edwin Jackson - are 1-4 with a collective 6.21 ERA in their eight outings.

With the bullpens expected to see plenty of action, Texas has the slightest of edges in that regard. The Rangers relief staff is 4-0 with a 2.34 ERA and .193 opposing batting average, with the Cardinals (4-0, 2.55 ERA, .177 opp. BA) right on their heels. Carpenter gives St. Louis the edge in this one, but only by the slimmest of margins.

EDGE: Cardinals


HITTING: Few teams can match the offensive prowess of the Rangers - but the Cardinals are one of them. St. Louis leads all playoff teams with a .288 average and 62 runs scored.

The surprising David Freese (.425, 4 HRs, 14 RBIs) leads the way for the Cardinals, with the always dependable Albert Pujols (.419, 2 HRs, 10 RBIs) right behind. Matt Holliday (.375) looked good against Milwaukee, while Lance Berkman (.237, 1 HR, 6 RBIs) did not.

Texas rode Nelson Cruz (6 HR) to victory in the ALCS, but will need stronger performances from just about everyone else. With Mike Napoli, Josh Hamilton and Ian Kinsler combining for just two postseason home runs - after hitting 87 in the regular season - the Rangers can ill afford to suffer through a similar power outage against a St. Louis club that has a formidable offense of its own.

Expect better performances from that trio, which will be enough to give Texas the advantage here.

EDGE: Rangers


INTANGIBLES: It's difficult to quantify which factor offers a bigger advantage: the Cardinals being led by Tony La Russa, one of the game's best managers; or the Rangers having been to the World Series just one season earlier and carrying that big-game experience with them into this year's Fall Classic. The difference maker will likely be the Cardinals' home-field advantage, which should give them the tactical edge.

EDGE: Cardinals

PREDICTION: Cardinals in seven games.

[Mr. IWS]

HOT LINES

Wednesday's Best MLB Bet

Texas Rangers at St. Louis Cardinals (-125, 7.5)

If you like the underdog St. Louis Cardinals, they have a great chance to draw first blood Wednesday at home with ace Chris Carpenter on the mound.

Carpenter hasn’t exactly been dominant in the playoffs, but if there’s one guy in the St. Louis rotation that you can count on to come up big, it’s him. His complete-game, three-hitter against Roy Halladay and the Phillies pushed the Cardinals into the NLCS and the team has only gained momentum since.

St. Louis has now won 12 of its last 16 games at Busch Stadium and the club’s offense seems to be hitting its stride after pounding out 15 runs in Game 6 of the NLCS to eliminate the Brewers.

Much like last season’s San Francisco Giants, everything seems to be coming together for the Cardinals at the right time. Brewers manager Ron Roenicke knows all about it.

"St. Louis is hot," Roenicke told reporters. "Did they do anything wrong during the series? That's incredible to go through a series and have everything you do go right. That's what you have to have happen in playoffs. You have to have breaks that you create because you're playing good, which they did. But they outplayed us. They're a good team and they outplayed us."

Another factor you may want to check into is the weather. Instead of the triple-digit temperatures the Rangers are used to at home, it’s supposed to be cold and windy in St. Louis for at least the first two games of the series.

We’ll take a shot with the Cardinals in Game 1.

PICK: Cardinals -125

[Mr. IWS]

Wednesday’s Betting Tips: Weather May Impact Rangers-Cards

WEATHER TO WATCH

Meteorologists are predicting a cold and windy Game 1 of the World Series. Temperatures are expected to be in the low 30s with winds gusting to as high as 29 mph. As of now, those winds are predicted to be blowing toward right field.

WHO'S HOT

MLB: St. Louis has won 23 of its last 32 overall.

NHL: The over is 9-3 in the last 12 meetings between the Jets/Thrashers and the Maple Leafs dating back to last season.

WHO'S NOT

MLB: Texas is 2-6 in its last eight road games with C.J. Wilson on the hill.

NHL: Winnipeg has lost three of its first four games this season, allowing at least four goals in all of their losses.

KEY STAT

7 – Chelsea has gone seven consecutive matches without recording a clean sheet, the longest such stretch the team has experienced since September 2003. Chelsea is set as a fat -910 favorite for Wednesday’s game against KRC Genk (+1650) in Champions League play. The draw is pegged at +720.

INJURY THAT SHOULDN'T BE OVERLOOKED

Evander Kane, Winnipeg Jets – Kane picked up a knee injury in Saturday’s loss against the Phoenix Coyotes and sat out Monday’s win over Pittsburgh. Kane is off to a slow start this season as he hasn’t picked up a point in three games, but had 43 points last season while providing a physical forechecking presence.

GAME OF THE DAY

Texas Rangers at St. Louis Cardinals (-125, 7.5)

NOTABLE QUOTABLE

“I love Nolan's confidence in us. It's great. I haven't heard anything about that. Contrary to popular belief, players try to not pay attention to what people are saying about them during the situation because our focus is forward on doing our thing. But Nolan has had nothing but confidence in our organization since he took over, and I'll stand behind him whatever he said because he can beat people up.” – Texas Rangers Game 1 starter C.J. Wilson on owner Nolan Ryan’s prediction that the Rangers would win the World Series in six games.

TIPS AND NOTES

Auburn quarterback Clint Moseley will make his first career start on Saturday when the Tigers face top-ranked Louisiana State as 22.5-point underdogs. "He's earned the right to have an opportunity to start," Auburn coach Gene Chizik said of the sophomore quarterback. Moseley replaced starter Barrett Trotter last week, completing 4-of-7 passes for 90 yards in a 17-6 victory over Florida.

Welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre pulled out of next week's UFC 137 title bout with Carlos Condit due to a knee injury. "GSP is out with an injury!!!" UFC president Dana White announced via Twitter on Tuesday. Condit will be taken off the Las Vegas card to rest up for a date against St-Pierre down the line. "We will sit Carlos to wait for GSP," White wrote. "It's looking so far like he could be ready in a couple months. Still early to tell (though)." B.J. Penn will face Nick Diaz in the main event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

St. Louis Cardinals veteran outfielder Lance Berkman will start Wednesday's Game 1 of the World Series. Berkman did not get the start in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series against Milwaukee Brewers lefthander Randy Wolf, but will be in the lineup versus Texas Rangers southpaw C.J. Wilson. Allen Craig got the start while Berkman rode the bench in the previous contest against the Brewers. Berkman is 3-for-13 in his career versus Wilson. The 35-year-old Berkman batted .301 with 31 homers and 94 RBIs this season.

Minnesota Vikings coach Leslie Frazier notified rookie Christian Ponder that he will be the team's starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the undefeated Green Bay Packers, NFL Network reported on Tuesday. Ponder was given the nod over veteran Donovan McNabb, who he replaced in the fourth quarter of a 39-10 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday night. McNabb, who has struggled all season for the Vikings (1-5), had one of his better games by completing 19 of 24 passes for 177 yards. All told, McNabb is averaging just 171 yards per contest and 6.6 yards per attempt. Ponder, a surprise first-round pick - No. 12 overall - by the Vikings out of Florida State, finished 9 of 17 for 99 yards. Minnesota's passing game is the worst in the NFC and 31st in the league at 168.7 yards per game. The Vikes are set as 9-point home underdogs against Green Bay.

[Mr. IWS]

Today's MLB Picks

Texas at St. Louis

The Cardinals look to open the series and build on their 11-1 record in Chris Carpenter's last 12 starts as a home favorite from -110 to -150. St. Louis is the pick (-120) according to Dunkel, which has the Cardinals favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-120). Here are all of today's picks.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19 Time Posted: 8:00 a.m. EST (10/18)

Game 951-952: Texas at St. Louis (8:05 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Wilson) 15.384; St. Louis (Carpenter) 16.359 Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1; 6 1/2 Vegas Line: St. Louis (-120); 7 1/2 Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-120); Under

[Mr. IWS]

Free Selection from Arthur Ralph Sports

735- 542 57 % Run over 3 YEARS

Free one WED: Toronto NHL

[Mr. IWS]

Mighty Quinn

Mighty missed with FIU (+3) Tuesday night.

Wednesday it's the Texas Rangers, PLUS the Rangers will SWEEP the series.

The deficit is 2866 sirignanos.

[Mr. IWS]

Hondo

Hondo gave back half of his Monday night score with the Jets yesterday, losing with Please Be Quiet in the sixth at Parx to raise the negative numeral to 3,155 wamgansses.

Tonight, Mr. Aitch will go with Mr. Wilson to menace the Cards in Game 1—20 units on the Rangers. As for the Series, because he finds it physically, financially and emotionally impossible to root for Tony The Genius, he'll back Texas with 40 units.

[Mr. IWS]

Gamblers Data

Free Play Wednesday

Toronto/Winnipeg under 5.5

[Mr. IWS]

Today's NHL Picks

Winnipeg at Toronto

The Jets look to take advantage of a Toronto team that is 1-5 in its last 6 games as a home favorite from -150 to -200. Winnipeg is the pick (+140) according to Dunkel, which has the Jets favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Winnipeg (+140). Here are all of today's picks.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19 Time Posted 7:30 a.m. EST

Game 51-52: Winnipeg at Toronto (7:30 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Winnipeg 11.549; Toronto 10.529 Dunkel Line & Total: Winnipeg by 1; 5 Vegas Line & Total: Toronto (-160); 5 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Winnipeg (+140); Under

[Mr. IWS]

Baseball Crusher
Play of the Day:

Cardinals + Rangers OVER 7.5

[Mr. IWS]

Hockey Crusher
Play of the Day:

Toronto -150 over Winnipeg