Miscellaneous Articles

Baseball Predictions: Tigers at Twins Odds and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 9/23/2013

Those are Justin Verlander's previous four seasons and why he became the highest-paid pitcher in baseball, at least until the Dodgers give Clayton Kershaw some $200 million-plus. Unfortunately, it sure seems like all those innings and pitches have caught up to Verlander (13-12, 3.66, 1.33 WHIP, 195 strikeouts). He has had 45 games with at least 120 pitches since 2009, nearly three times as many as the next closest pitcher in the majors.

College Basketball Predictions: Louisville Cardinals Futures Odds
by George Monroy - 9/20/2013

The Louisville Cardinals will soon raise the school’s first NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship banner since 1986. The team has won three national titles and has made 10 Final Four appearances its tournament history. Head coach Rick Pitino and his staff will be looking to be only the second school in the last 20 years to defend its National Championship by going back-to-back.

Baseball Predictions: Blue Jays at Red Sox Odds and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 9/20/2013

I'm not saying to bet against Boston for Saturday night's game against Toronto, but be prepared to for at least a few games next week. Why? The Sox have already clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2009. Boston is about to clinch the AL East (might Friday) for the first time since 2007, their last World Series season. They entered Friday's opener with the Jays holding a 2.5-game lead over Oakland and three-game lead over Detroit for the best record in the AL and the playoff top seed; the A's and Tigers do have one game in hand.

College Football Predictions: Arizona State at Stanford Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 9/19/2013

Both these teams come into this important Pac-12 showdown unbeaten, though Arizona State is very lucky to be that way. If it weren’t for the bizarre end to the Wisconsin game last week, things could be different, and this game might be quite so compelling. The controversy surrounding that game and the subsequent apology by the officiating crew is just one part of what has been an eventful week for the Sun Devils.

NHL Predictions: MVP and Regular Season Awards Odds
by George Monroy - 9/19/2013

The NHL has its own set of awards that bettors unfamiliar with the sport might not know about. Hockey has the traditional most valuable player award like every other sport, but they also have a top defenseman award, a top goaltender award and a points leader award. Wagering on NHL futures is a great way to learn the sport and dip your toes into understanding how to bet hockey. The season is set to begin in under a month, so now is the perfect time to figure out which NHL futures bets have the most value and place a timely bet or two that you can follow throughout the entire season.

Baseball Predictions: Twins at Athletics Odds and Picks
by Dave Schwab - 9/19/2013

The Minnesota Twins will try and slow down the Oakland Athletics march to the AL West crown when the two teams kick off a four-game set at Oakland County Coliseum this Thursday night. Game 1 is set to get underway at 10:05 p.m. (ET), and it will be available on MLB Extra Innings.

College Football Power Rankings: Ferringo 15
by Robert Ferringo - 9/18/2013

Weeks 2-4 are generally the lowest producing weeks of the year for the Ferringo 15, and last week was our second straight 7-7 showing against the spread. That means that our numbers are approaching Salvation Army territory – non-profit – as the F-15 sits at 23-20 ATS on the season. However, dating back to last year that is now 9 of 12 winning weeks for the teams listed in my Ferringo 15 College Football Power Rankings.

NFL Predictions: Chiefs at Eagles Odds and Week 3 Picks
by Alan Matthews - 9/17/2013

When the Kansas City Chiefs hired Andy Reid as their new head coach early in the New Year and just a few days after Reid was canned by the Philadelphia Eagles, you can bet Eagles fans noticed immediately that Kansas City would be visiting the City of Brotherly Love this season. That it's happening on a Thursday night -- allowing even more time for all those fans to get properly lubed up, if you get my drift -- should make for quite an atmosphere as the fans welcome Reid back.

NBA Predictions: Memphis Grizzlies Futures Odds
by Aaron Smith - 9/17/2013

The Memphis Grizzlies made it to the Western Conference Finals before being swept by the San Antonio Spurs last season. In a move that surprised many people, the Grizzlies decided not to renew the contract of Lionel Hollins after last season. The Grizzlies wanted to move in a bit of a different direction despite winning 56 games and making it to the Western Conference Finals.

Baseball Predictions: Orioles at Red Sox Odds and Picks
by Dave Schwab - 9/17/2013

The Baltimore Orioles will try to further fuel their wild-card playoff hopes with a win over the Boston Red Sox this Tuesday night in the first of a three-game set between these two AL East rivals at Fenway Park The first pitch is slated for 7:10 p.m. (ET), and the game will be available on MLB Extra Innings.

College Basketball Predictions: Michigan State Futures Odds
by George Monroy - 9/16/2013

It has been nearly 14 years since Michigan State’s last men’s basketball national title win. In that time the team has not been relevant in the NCAA national title picture and has had a slew of mediocre and underachieving seasons. That is until the last two years of solid tournament runs that ended in Sweet 16 berths and heartbreaking eliminations at the hands of the Louisville Cardinals and Duke Blue Devils, respectively.

Baseball Predictions: Athletics at Rangers Odds and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 9/13/2013

The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox face off this weekend in their final meeting of the season (barring a playoff matchup). In the least surprising thing ever, each game is on national TV, including, as usual, the ESPN Sunday night game (anyone who watches that over 49ers-Seahawks is crazy). I guess it's interesting with the Yankees making a wild-card push and the fact this will be Mariano Rivera's final trip to Fenway Park -- wonder what the Sox get him?

College Football Predictions: Alabama at Texas A&M Odds and Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/12/2013

If you had told me five years ago that a conference matchup between Texas A&M and Alabama would be the most anticipated game of the year, I’d have been certain you were doing too many drugs. Yet, that is exactly where we are. This game has everything — huge egos, great players, high stakes, controversy, a thirst for revenge, massive national appeal, and quite possibly a shot at a National Championship on the line. For better or worse, this is what college football is all about.

Directions for Doc’s Sports Service Mobile Website for Android and IPhone
by Doc's Sports - 9/12/2013

Instructions and directions for accessing Doc's Sports Services Website to buy or view picks, access your member's area and get the most recently-updated scores and odds. Doc's Sports Website can be accessed via Andriod or IPhone.

Top Props of the Week: Mayweather vs. Alvarez Bout in Las Vegas
by Dave Schwab - 9/11/2013

This Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, professional boxing will stage one of its biggest fights in recent memory when Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Saul Canelo Alvarez clash in a 12-round bout for the Super World Light Middleweight title. If you are looking to wager on more than just which fighter actually wins, the following is a look at a few of the prop bets that Bovada has released for Saturday night’s epic bout.

NHL Predictions: Western Conference Championship Odds
by George Monroy - 9/11/2013

The Chicago Blackhawks are set to raise another banner—their second in four years, to be exact—when the 2013-14 NHL season begins in October. The end of the year may belong to the NFL and NCAA football, but there is still room for bettors to make a profit wagering on hockey. The new NHL season will feature realignment as the number of divisions will be reduced from six to four, while three teams will switch conferences as well.

Baseball Predictions: Angels at Blue Jays Odds and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 9/11/2013

When will teams learn that "winning" the offseason rarely translates to winning in the regular season? Ask any Washington Redskins fan. They spent and spent on high-profile free agents like Albert Haynesworth and Deion Sanders with Dan Snyder dying to make an impression. All it did was empty Snyder's wallet (not that he's hurting for money), and the team didn't get good until it made a daring trade to draft Robert Griffin III.

NFL Predictions: Jets at Patriots Week 2 Odds and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 9/10/2013

Maybe New York Jets embattled head coach Rex Ryan will make to October after all. His Jets are guaranteed to not be 0-4 entering the month, something that looked quite possible, thanks to a miracle 18-17 victory on Sunday over the visiting Tampa Bay Bucs (Jets were four-point underdogs).

College Football Power Rankings: Ferringo 15
by Robert Ferringo - 9/10/2013

The Ferringo 15 went a solid 9-6 against the spread in Week 1 of the college season. But like I warned against, weeks 2-4 are generally the worst for our ratings as we weed out the non-hackers. Naturally, last week was a down week.

NBA Predictions: Phoenix Suns Futures Odds
by Aaron Smith - 9/9/2013

The Phoenix Suns were in the Western Conference Finals in 2010. The Los Angeles Lakers knocked them out in that series, and the Suns have never been the same since. The team first tried to partially rebuild while keeping star Steve Nash on the roster. After that didn’t work at all, the Suns parted ways with Nash before last season. Phoenix went into complete rebuilding mode (albeit a strangely veteran one) before the 2012-13 season.