2013 NFL Draft Grades for Round 1
by Robert Ferringo - 4/26/2013

For years, in my NFL Draft previews and analysis, I have been screaming that too much attention has been given to overhyped skill position players. And that one of the keys to building a solid, winning foundation is to use the annual NFL Draft as a place from which to stockpile the largest, strongest, meanest mutants allowed on a football field.

NFL Week 1 Odds Available for Action
by Robert Ferringo - 4/25/2013

It’s always football season. The sport is a juggernaut that dominates the national consciousness and has become a pillar of our economic system. It is so omnipresent that the NFL Draft – which is actually just a mundane selection of guys who will either be cut or sitting the bench next year – is headline news this week.

Braves at Tigers Predictions and MLB Series Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 4/24/2013

Season-long Interleague Play is new to Major League Baseball, and to this point the series have mostly been duds. As excited as I get for the Marlins-Twins and White Sox-Nationals series, there hasn’t been much buzz to these one-time novelty items.

Braves at Nationals Picks and MLB Betting Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 4/12/2013

It’s never too early in the Major League Baseball season to make a statement. That is exactly what Atlanta and Washington will try to do when they meet at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Nationals Park in Washington. These two National League East rivals are the two favorites to win their division and, as of Friday, had two of the best records in baseball.

Michigan vs. Syracuse Picks and Final Four Betting Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 4/6/2013

It was not a stretch back in January, near the beginning of conference play, to predict or suggest that Michigan and Syracuse would meet in the Final Four. At that point, Michigan was No. 1 in the nation while Syracuse was No. 4, cementing the perception that they were, in fact, two of the best teams in the country.

NBA Betting: Handicapping the Wizards Down the Stretch
by Robert Ferringo - 4/5/2013

Momentum or mailing it in? That is really the only question to ask about NBA teams coming down the home stretch of the regular season. Some teams are rounding into postseason form, either setting their rotations, jockeying for playoff positioning and an extra home game, or making a push for one of those precious playoff berths. But right now the good teams are trying to gain momentum so they hit mid-April in full stride.

MLB Handicapping Advice: Overrated Teams
by Robert Ferringo - 4/2/2013

There is no one in sports as optimistic as a Major League Baseball fan in April. Hope is the calling card of the spring. And as the 2013 baseball betting season gets underway, there are teams and talents and t-shirt-emblazoned fans just dying to believe that this could be Their Year. The result is a sort of delusion that leads to misguided money management and broken dreams for bettors trying to ride the lightning on their favorite team or that I-called-it underdog.

2013 MLB Handicapping Tips: Underrated Teams
by Robert Ferringo - 4/2/2013

It is easy in baseball to jump on the favorite. You find the team with the bigger bats, the better arms, and the bloated payroll and you are usually going to find the team with 90 wins and a playoff date. But the best teams in baseball are usually fairly obvious.

Marquette vs. Syracuse Picks and Elite Eight Betting Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 3/30/2013

Much like the Wu Tang Clan, the Big East ain’t nuttin’ to f#^* wit. The Big East, despite being much-maligned after the NCAA Tournament’s opening weekend, was the best college basketball conference in the country this year. Not the Big Ten. And anyone that says the Big Ten was the best conference is cooking up and shooting the ESPN Kool-Aid.

California vs. Syracuse Picks and NCAA Tournament Betting Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 3/23/2013

East meets west on Saturday when Syracuse and California meet up in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. These two potential sleepers face off at 9:30 p.m. EST on Saturday for the right to advance to the Sweet 16. The game will be played in San Jose, although it is part of the East Region on the bracket.

2013 March Madness Bracket Predictions: South Region
by Robert Ferringo - 3/19/2013

If scoring, well-choreographed offense, three-point marksmanship, and artful individual performances are what piques your college basketball interests, then I would say to avert your eyes from the South Region. The South Region is stacked with some of the best defensive teams in the country. Kansas (No. 1), Georgetown (No. 4) and Florida (No. 6) are all in the Top 10 in the country in field goal defense.

2013 NCAA Tournament Bracket Predictions: West Region
by Robert Ferringo - 3/19/2013

There is already an emerging theme heading into this year’s NCAA Tournament: The Rise of the Little Guy. The concept is not a fresh one. In fact, it is kind of a tried-and-true axiom that March Madness is a time for underdogs as much as it is a time for champions. But this year’s tournament field seems to be taking that theme to its logical conclusion: at some point the Little Guy will eventually become the Big Guy.

2013 March Madness Bracket Predictions: East Region
by Robert Ferringo - 3/19/2013

The East is one of the most dangerous brackets in the tournament because I could realistically see any of five teams survive this region. At the same token, three of those teams I could also realistically see losing in the first round, and I think that all four of them will have to claw their way out of the opening weekend if they even want a chance at a berth in Atlanta.

2013 NCAA Tournament Bracket Predictions: Midwest Region
by Robert Ferringo - 3/18/2013

The Louisville Cardinals earned the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 overall seed By virtue of being the best team from the best conference in college basketball. But that top seed is certainly a paper crown. And, if the Cardinals want to earn back-to-back Final Four appearances, they will have to fight their way through potential matchups with Top 10 staples Duke or Michigan State.

2013 NL East Picks and MLB Betting Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 3/18/2013

The Nats enter the 2013 MLB season as one of the top teams in the National League and one of the frontrunners to win the World Series. However, they will get stiff competition in the East from both the stocked Atlanta Braves and the veteran Philadelphia Phillies. The National League East is always one of the most competitive and hard fought of all division races, and with three powerhouse teams vying for the crown, this promises to be a wild summer race.

Indiana vs. Wisconsin Picks and Big Ten Basketball Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 3/16/2013

Indiana, the top team in the conference, will take on Wisconsin in a Big Ten tournament semifinal at 1:40 p.m. on Saturday in Chicago.The winner will advance to Sunday afternoon’s Big Ten title game. Both teams are securely in the NCAA Tournament field, which will be announced Sunday evening. But both are hunting or regional bragging rights as well as an opportunity to improve their overall tournament seeding.

2013 NL Central Picks and MLB Betting Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 3/15/2013

In the 18-year history of the National League Central there have been only three teams that have managed to win back-to-back division titles. Now-departed Houston pulled a three-peat from 1997-1999, the Cardinals won three straight from 2004-2006 and the Chicago Cubs pulled a rare double in 2007-2008. That is a far cry from the National League East, which has been dominated by two teams for 20 years, and it doesn’t bode well for last year’s division winners, Cincinnati.

2013 Big Ten Tournament Picks and College Basketball Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 3/13/2013

It has become a generally accepted theory that the Big Ten is the best college basketball conference in the country. That hypothesis has been spewed by the bobblehead media for months and has now become indoctrinated into the general college basketball betting public.

2013 ACC Tournament Picks and College Basketball Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 3/13/2013

Last year I said it was “a pretty safe bet that either Duke or North Carolina is going to win the ACC Tournament.” And it was, since one of those two schools had won the ACC Tournament 15 times in 16 years. But Florida State pulled a major surprise and beat both Carolina powerhouses en route to the school’s first title.

2013 Big 12 Tournament Picks and College Basketball Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 3/12/2013

Only two teams have won the Big 12 Tournament Championship since 2006. And one of them is no longer in the league. Kansas (five) and Missouri (two) have dominated the Big 12 Championship over the past seven years. And the Jayhawks, after winning their ninth straight Big 12 regular season crown, are the heavy favorites to cut down the nets again this weekend.