Alan Matthews is a University of Miami graduate and former small-college basketball player before moving on to the "U". He was a sports journalist, covering most major professional team beats at one point or another, at a several newspapers throughout the Northeast for nearly 20 years. Alan has been a full-time freelance writer for the past five-plus years. His favorite sporting memory -- participatory version -- is playing in pickup games against several ex-NBA players at an adult fantasy camp and fairly holding his own. From a fan perspective, the top memory was attending Super Bowl XX when the Super Bowl Shuffle Chicago Bears of the Punky QB, Sweetness and the Fridge took New Orleans by storm and still had enough in the tank to pummel the New England Patriots for what remains the franchise's only Super Bowl title.

Kings at Sharks Picks and NHL Game 3 Odds
by Alan Matthews - 5/18/2013

"They" say that no playoff series truly begins until a road team wins a game. Well, the San Jose Sharks better hope their Western Conference semifinals series against the Los Angeles Kings doesn't start on Saturday night in Game 3, or it's all but over.
Read more about Kings at Sharks Picks and NHL Game 3 Odds.

Dodgers at Braves Picks and MLB Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 5/18/2013

Can Zack Greinke save the Los Angeles Dodgers' season? It's tough for any pitcher to save a season when he only takes the mound every five days. However, when you already have Clayton Kershaw atop your rotation and can slide a very good Greinke into No. 2, you feel good about winning their starts every time out. Thus, if the Dodgers can just win one of the other three starters' outings each time around, that's .600 baseball. Playing .600 baseball would lead three of the MLB divisions right now, including the Dodgers' NL West.
Read more about Dodgers at Braves Picks and MLB Betting Odds.

Blue Jays at Yankees Picks and MLB Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 5/17/2013

Are the Toronto Blue Jays starting to live up to the preseason hype that saw them as the World Series favorite back in the spring? Frankly, I thought it was all a bit much that Toronto was a favorite after adding Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and a few others in the big trade with the Marlins as well as dealing for reigning NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey of the Mets and signing free-agent outfielder Melky Cabrera of the Giants.
Read more about Blue Jays at Yankees Picks and MLB Betting Odds.

Pacers at Knicks Picks and NBA Game 5 Odds
by Alan Matthews - 5/16/2013

If I am the Indiana Pacers, I believe my best chance to beat the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals actually will be determined in Thursday night's Game 5 of the conference semifinals at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks. Here's why: The Miami Heat will have finished off the Chicago Bulls in five games in their semifinal series on Wednesday night whether or not Dwyane Wade played in the game.
Read more about Pacers at Knicks Picks and NBA Game 5 Odds.

Andrew Wiggins to Kansas Props Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/16/2013

I will give college basketball rankings services credit in that they are usually pretty accurate on which players are going to be stars, while it's way more hit-and-miss in college football for obvious reasons. But the fawning over Wiggins it's almost ridiculous. The ironic thing is that he's been the top-rated recruit in the Class of 2013 only since October.
Read more about Andrew Wiggins to Kansas Props Odds and Predictions.

Mets at Cardinals Picks and MLB Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 5/15/2013

Unfortunately, the baseball gods weren't smiling upon fans of good pitching in this week's Mets-Cardinals four-game series at Busch Stadium. I say this because Major League Baseball purists are being deprived of seeing arguably the two most exciting young pitchers in the game face off in Mets 24-year-old right-hander Matt Harvey and Cardinals 22-year-old righty Shelby Miller.
Read more about Mets at Cardinals Picks and MLB Betting Odds.

Red Wings at Blackhawks Picks and Game 1 NHL Odds
by Alan Matthews - 5/15/2013

In this writer's humble opinion, the Western Conference semifinal series between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings that begins Wednesday night at the United Center is the best possible matchup the NHL could ask for this postseason outside of the Hawks and Pittsburgh Penguins meeting in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Read more about Red Wings at Blackhawks Picks and Game 1 NHL Odds.

PGA Tour Picks: Byron Nelson Championship Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/15/2013

Is Tiger Woods good for the game of golf? Of course he is. Ratings skyrocket whenever he's in contention, and PGA Tour pros now make obscene purses because of the Tour's boom in popularity due to Woods. With all due respect to any before him, Woods is the first golfer to become a pop culture world-wide icon (not always for good reasons).
Read more about PGA Tour Picks: Byron Nelson Championship Odds and Predictions.

Warriors at Spurs Picks and NBA Game 5 Odds
by Alan Matthews - 5/14/2013

With Kevin Durant getting almost no help from his Oklahoma City teammates against the Memphis Grizzlies and top-seeded OKC looking quite vulnerable, the Western Conference really is there for the taking for the Golden State Warriors (no offense to Memphis). If they can pull the upset in Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinal series in San Antonio on Tuesday night, the Warriors would have a chance to finish things off at home Thursday -- and they have one of the best home-court advantages in the NBA.
Read more about Warriors at Spurs Picks and NBA Game 5 Odds.

Rangers at Athletics Picks and MLB Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 5/13/2013

Do you remember the last time the Texas Rangers and Oakland A's were on the same field? That would be Oct. 3, 2012, at O.co Coliseum. The A's completed a stunning three-game sweep with a 12-5 victory that won Oakland the AL West title -- a division the Rangers had led practically all season and still led by five games with 11 remaining. Oakland was 13 games behind the Rangers at one point in the season. The A's also were down 5-1 at one point in that game.
Read more about Rangers at Athletics Picks and MLB Betting Odds.

2013 NFL Season Win Totals Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/13/2013

If you are like me, NFL training camps can't get here soon enough. Alas, they are still more than two months away. But props are starting to roll out at some books, including the first team-by-team win totals of the year. In case you need a refresher, the Broncos and Falcons led the league with 13 wins last season, but neither made the Super Bowl. The 10-win Ravens won it all. The Jaguars and Chiefs each finished with the fewest wins at two.
Read more about NFL Season Win Totals Predictions.

Cubs at Nationals Picks and MLB Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 5/11/2013

When Theo Epstein left the Boston Red Sox for the Chicago Cubs in October 2011, he knew he had a long rebuilding process in front of him on Chicago's North Side. The Cubs had lost 91 games in that '11 season, had a barren farm system and some very onerous contracts, specifically that belonging to Alfonso Soriano.
Read more about Cubs at Nationals Picks and MLB Betting Odds.

Penguins at Islanders Picks and Game 6 NHL Odds
by Alan Matthews - 5/11/2013

So, is alienating your star goalie worth winning a first-round playoff series? Because that's essentially what the Pittsburgh Penguins will be doing in their Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the New York Islanders.
Read more about Penguins at Islanders Picks and Game 6 NHL Odds.

Brewers at Reds Picks and MLB Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 5/10/2013

The NL Central-rival Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds will see a lot of each other the rest of the season as Friday night's series opener at Great American Ball Park is the first of 19 meetings this year. Somewhat hard to believe they haven't played in the first six weeks or so.
Read more about Brewers at Reds Picks and MLB Betting Odds.

Red Wings at Ducks Picks and Game 5 NHL Odds
by Alan Matthews - 5/8/2013

I'll be honest with you: I have no idea what to make of the Red Wings-Ducks Western Conference quarterfinal series. Anaheim has fairly well dominated its two wins, taking them by a combined 7-1. Detroit, meanwhile, beat the Ducks 3-2 in overtime in Game 4 on Monday night to tie the series -- it’s the Wings' second OT win of this series. Thus, obviously, it could also have been a Ducks sweep.
Read more about Red Wings at Ducks Picks and Game 5 NHL Odds.

Tigers at Nationals Picks and MLB Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 5/8/2013

The oddsmakers at Sportsbook.ag agree that the Detroit Tigers are the World Series favorites, currently at +600. What they don't agree on is which possible opponent for the Tigers is the most likely. Currently Tigers-Braves, Tigers-Giants and Tigers-Nationals are all +1800. Atlanta, San Francisco and Washington are all at +1000 to win the World Series as well.
Read more about Tigers at Nationals Picks and MLB Betting Odds.

PGA Tour Picks: The Players Championship Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/8/2013

Before I take a look at this week's Players Championship -- and don't call it the "fifth major" because that's simply a marketing ploy and not something players believe -- I have to look back at last week's Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte.
Read more about PGA Tour Picks: The Players Championship Odds and Predictions.

Dwight Howard Free Agency Props and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/8/2013

The Dodgers stink. So do the Angels. Southern Cal football seems to be taking a step back. UCLA football appears to be improving but still doesn't have the buzz of the Trojans. I mention all this because even though the Los Angeles Lakers' season ended on April 28 with an embarrassing sweep at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs, the Lakers will dominate the L.A. sports scene all summer because of Dwight Howard.
Read more about Dwight Howard Free Agency Props and Predictions.

Pacers at Knicks Picks and NBA Game 2 Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 5/7/2013

I realize that the NBA MVP voting is tallied only on the regular season, but I'm wondering if that Boston Globe writer who was the only guy not to vote for LeBron James on a first-place ballot is questioning his decision after watching New York's Carmelo Anthony (the writer's MVP choice) the past few games.
Read more about Pacers at Knicks Picks and NBA Game 2 Betting Odds.

Marlins at Padres Picks and MLB Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 5/6/2013

It's the series we've been waiting all baseball season for: Marlins at Padres in a huge three-game set that begins Monday night at Petco Park. Yeah, not so much. But anyone can preview the big games in MLB -- it takes talent and determination to dig up relevant betting facts on two dregs of the league. Hey, this game could determine the top pick in the 2014 draft! One never knows.
Read more about Marlins at Padres Picks and MLB Betting Odds.