MLB Betting action features, Los Angeles Dodgers @ Chicago Cubs

Posted by admin on May 26th, 2011 | Comments Off

Los Angeles is favored in its matchup with Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, but don’t lay money down on the Dodgers (a -120 favorite) just yet. Despite the odds opening in their favor there are a number of reasons why a bet on Los Angeles is a bad one.

The Dodgers haven’t rewarded bettors recently, with just a 47.4% win percentage when favored in the odds. Los Angeles Dodgers has been even worse when it is favored at home, posting a 6-8 record. The Dodgers have struggled in recent games going 3-7 in their last ten. During that time Los Angeles has posted a -1.3 run differential.

Home field advantage hasn’t lived up to its name for the Dodgers this season. Los Angeles has played to a lackluster 9-9 record at Dodger Stadium.

While Ted Lilly (3-3 4.67) has pitched well recently for the Dodgers, he could be a liability against the Cubs. In his last start against Chicago, Lilly was charged with the loss in a 5-1 defeat.

Carlos Zambrano (4-1 4.38) has been pitching well this season and has gone 2-1 in recent starts. Additionally, Zambrano won his last start against Los Angeles 5-1 on Wednesday, May 4. Zambrano has been going strong on the mound recently, averaging 7.0 innings per game in those starts.

The Dodgers have performed poorly against right-handed pitching lately going 11-17. That’s a problem for Los Angeles, as the Cubs will put righty Zambrano on the mound.

The Dodgers might also be a little undermanned in this game as Rod Bajaras and Aaron Miles are day-to-day.

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Atlanta Hawks Vs. Chicago Bulls – NBA Match Preview

Posted by admin on May 12th, 2011 | Comments Off

Even though the Bulls can finish this series off in Atlanta Thursday May 12, the Atlanta Hawks were surprise upstarts against the No. 1 seeded Chicago Bulls. By playing more aggressive in Game 5 despite several nagging ailments, Derrick Rose did what he had to do to get the Bulls up three games to two by pouring in 33 points.

Whatever the Chicago Bulls can handle, the Atlanta Hawks have been able to give them. They do not have much of a home court advantage when they play on their home court in the Phillips Arena. The Chicago Bulls fan has invaded the arena for the other games the Atlanta Hawks have hosted as the fan base for the Hawks is small.

Led by Joe Johnson as their premiere shooting guard, the Hawks will run out a starting five. Johnson has been the difference in the two Hawks wins as he is averaging 19 points per game. When the Hawks won in Game 1, Johnson scored 33 points.

In this series Al Horford and Josh Smith have controlled the boards for the Hawks. Smith is grabbing nine as Horford is pulling down 10 plus rebounds per game. Carlos Boozer has averaged nine rebounds per game as the Bulls Joakim Noah leads both teams on the boards with 11.3 rebounds per game.

All season Derrick Rose has been the leader of the Bulls and as the NBA Playoffs have progressed the point guard has not let up. Only as far as Rose can take the Bulls, they can go. Even though Las Vegas may not match up well with the Miami Heat, they have lowered their odds to win it all to 4-1. For this matchup the over/under total is 179 in NBA Lines and Chicago is a 3.5-point, -160 moneyline favorite.

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NL Central Cincinnati Reds take on St. Louis Cardinals in NL Central clash

Posted by admin on April 22nd, 2011 | Comments Off

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One of the better rivalries of last season is set to renew this weekend when the Cincinnati Reds travel to St. Louis to play the Cardinals.

The Cardinals are at 20-1 to win the World Series in MLB Betting.

During their intense division race last year, the Reds and Cardinals played several very competitive games towards the end of the regular season. One game got so intense that there was a brawl between the two teams when St. Louis catcher Jadier Molina got into a fight with Reds’ second baseman Brandon Phillips. After the brawl, words were exchanged between the two clubs and there is certainly no love lost between these teams.

Both teams have gotten off to a decent start this season with both Cincinnati and St. Louis currently among the leaders atop the NL Central division. With everyone else in the National League Central Division within three games of each other, no one has separated themselves from the rest of the pack as the early team to beat in 2011.

Perhaps the best part of this upcoming series between Cincinnati and St. Louis is the expected pitching match ups. Saturday will see Travis Wood take the hill opposite Chris Carpenter. Sunday, which is also the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball Game of the Week, will showcase Sam LeCure against Jake Westbrook. If you are a baseball fan that appreciates good pitching, this is a series you might want to tune into.

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Masters Golf Tournament 2011 – Preview

Posted by admin on April 7th, 2011 | Comments Off

The Masters commences on Thursday with the traditional first tee time bright and early at 7:40 a.m. Eastern time. On the first tee with the traditional first drive, Jack Nicklaus will unite Arnold Palmer for the second consecutive year. As the first group to tee-off at the 2011 Masters, the real battle gets started five minutes later as Jonathan Byrd, Ross Fisher and Sean O’Hair take the course.

From annual Masters pick Tiger Woods, it took a lot for Phil Mickelson to wrestle favorite status. Mickelson is a 7-1 choice in the last seven years, after three triumphs at Augusta and a confidence-building success last week at the Houston Open.

Since Tiger Woods won a golf tournament, it has been 16 months, 34 since he captured the last of his 14 major championships. To the dearth, life changes and swing changes have contributed. In the four-time Masters champion, Augusta National brings out the best. In 2005 came his last triumph at Augusta.

In major championships, Ricky Barnes has been a consistent presence, collecting a top-10 finish in last year’s Masters, a tie for 27th at the ’10 U.S. His breakout second-place finish at the 2009 U.S. Open is something well known among New York sports fans.

Come Sunday, Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa is near the top of the leader board and this 19-year old is already appearing in his third Masters. Ishikawa was the one of the four Japanese born players, who contributed all of his earnings for the 2011 season to tsunami aid.

Bill Haas now seems to be finding his stroke, in spite of a slow start to an iniquitously over-hyped young career. Haas almost won the Bob Hope Classic. In the playoff, he was edged by Jhonattan Vegas. He has collected another three top-15 finishes. He is a popular dark-horse pick.

Betting odds for Masters Golf Tournament 2011 are – Phil Mickelson 33/5, Tiger Woods 12, Lee Westwood 83/5, Nick Watney 181/10, Luke Donald 22.

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Looking At – 2011 MMA Top Ten World Rankings

Posted by admin on April 5th, 2011 | Comments Off

With the ranking system placing the Top 10 MMA fighters from all across the world in the seven most widely accepted weight classes, new World MMA Rankings have been released and this will affect UFC betting odds.

A fighter’s overall performance, win-loss record, head-to-head matches and common opponents, and difficulty of opponents, what the rankings take into account.

From MMAWeekly.com the rankings system is considered the most comprehensive rankings system in the sport.

Currently those MMA Fighters who are serving drug-related suspensions are not qualified for Top 10 consideration until they have fought one time after the completion of their suspension.

In order to be eligible for Top 10 consideration they must also have competed within the past 12 months, unless they have a bout scheduled within a reasonable time frame.

Cain Velasquez is ranked no.1 followed by Fabricio Werdum and Brock Lesnar, in the Heavyweight division (over 205 pounds), and his betting odds in sports picks will improve after this ranking.

Jones is No. 1 followed by Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Rashad Evans, in the Light Heavyweight (205-pound limit) division.

Followed by Yushin Okami and Nathan Marquardt, Anderson Silva tops the Middleweight division (185-pound limit).

Followed by Jon Fitch and Jake Shields, Georges St-Pierre stays atop the Welterweight category (170-pound limit).

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Preview And Prediction Of UFC 128 – Eddie Wineland Vs. Urijah Faber

Posted by admin on March 16th, 2011 | Comments Off

In the UFC event scheduled to take place on the 19th of March, Urijah Faber will fight with Eddie Wineland. The event will be held in Newark, New Jersey and it will be UFC 128 where these two fighters should provide one of the best battles of the night.

For this fight Wineland is a +350 underdog whereas Faber is a -550 favorite in MMA Odds.

Being the former champions both of these fighters will have a chance to put their talents to the test. In the UFC, Urijah Faber will be making his debut. In the WEC he previously was a fighter. Even though he will now take the opportunity to put his skills up against the best fighters in the world, he was the most famous fighter in the WEC for years.

Wineland is going to come into this fight on fire as he is also a former champion from the WEC. As of late he has really dominated his competition as well as he has won 4 fights in a row. In the bantamweight class these fighters will be fighting.

The winner of this fight may have a chance at the UFC title as there is a lot of talk about this and these fighters need to take advantage of the opportunity at hand.

Even though there is no reason to believe that their fighting styles will not translate to the UFC, these fighters both have a lot to prove. They have high expectations coming into the UFC as they were both huge names in the WEC.

Wineland has a career record of 18-6-1 whereas Urijah Faber has a career record of 24 wins and 4 losses.

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Preview And Prediction Of Michael Bisping Vs. Jorge Rivera Fight

Posted by admin on February 21st, 2011 | Comments Off

When Michael Bisping and Jorge Rivera get together in the co-Main Event at UFC 127, they will have a chance to resolve their differences in the Octagon. In the months since the fight was confirmed, the two have been engaged in a verbal battle.

By winning season 3 of The Ultimate Fighter as a light heavyweight, Bisping made his name in UFC. Including a controversial split decision win over Matt Hamill at UFC 75, he went on to win his next three UFC fights. In opposition to fellow Ultimate Fighter winner Rashad Evans in a split decision, he picked up his first UFC loss at UFC 78. Bisping is 6-2 ever since he subsequently moved to middleweight.

Rivera is a year away from turning 40 as he is in his 10th year as an MMA fighter. Since UFC 44 on Sept. 26, 2003, he has been fighting in UFC matches. He has won three straight going into his match with Bisping as he owns a 19-7-0 record.

Bisping has somewhat struggled with heavy hands, which Rivera is known for. While Rivera barely makes the main card most of the time, Bisping is widely considered to be the better fighter as he is consistently on the main event.

Thanks to the verbal sparring they have done in the months leading up to the fight, this is one of the more anticipated matches. He is “going to get battered” at UFC 127 as he was hoping for a more high-profile opponent, what Bisping has expressed. On YouTube, Rivera has posted videos that make fun of Bisping’s British accent, MMA record, background, and many other things.

While Rivera is a +260 underdog, Bisping is a -340 moneyline favorite to win in UFC lines Odds.

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Clijsters Defeats Dokic – Reclaims No. 1 Ranking

Posted by admin on February 14th, 2011 | No Comments »

Kim Clijsters, at the GDF Suez Open tennis tournament in Paris claimed a quarterfinals victory that assured her of regaining the women’s No. 1 ranking. In 51 minutes, Clijsters raced past Jelena Dokic 6-3, 6-0. Clijsters won 68 percent of the points in the match and she had six breaks in eight Dokic service games.

Clijsters is assured of enough ranking points to supplant Caroline Wozniacki atop the world women’s rankings, by advancing to the tournament semifinals. Wozniacki has been No. 1 for 18 weeks. Since Clijsters ended a two-year break from competitive tennis, the since Clijsters ended a two-year break from competitive tennis. She has won three Grand Slam titles in that span, including four other tournaments, this year’s Australian Open and she posted a 68-11 match record.

She played 15 matches and she has lost just one, to Li Na in the Sydney final, since the beginning of the year. In the final of the Australian Open, she exacted payback for that glitch, where she subdued Li and silenced the critics who had said she was incapable of winning a major other than the U.S. Open.

Clijsters’ fans could be forgiven for expecting her to withdraw from the fray, after she won that title in Melbourne. Instead, Clijsters seemed energized. Against Team USA, she spearheaded her team’s Fed Cup effort, winning singles matches against both Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Melanie Oudin.

Wozniacki made a good effort to justify her top ranking in Australia. She was No. 1 at the start of this year. With Li, she had a match point in her semifinal battle and she was just plain outplayed. For Clijsters, that opened the door to not only win the title in Melbourne but also snatch up that No. 1 ranking. Since losing to Li in the Australian Open semifinals, Denmark’s Wozniacki has not looked good.

At No. 1, the 27-year-old Belgian will be making her fourth appearance. In August 2003, she first reached the top spot and moved to No. 1 again in October 2003 and in January 2006. As a wild-card entry, she won the 2009 U.S. Open after a 20-month layoff from tennis. During that break, she got married and gave birth to her daughter, Jada. At No. 1, Clijsters has spent a total of 19 weeks.

Last month, Clijsters won her first Australian Open crown by defeating China’s Li Na in the final in Melbourne. Denmark’s Wozniacki has not played in a tournament since losing to Li in the Australian Open semifinals. All these factors helped Clijsters in regaining the No. 1 slot in women’s tennis.

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Saturday Clash Between Orlando Magic And Houston Rockets

Posted by admin on January 21st, 2011 | Comments Off

This Saturday the Orlando Magic will go to Houston to battle against the Rockets. By winning 8 of their last 10 games the Magic have been playing exceptionally well as of late. By going just 3-7 in their last 10 games, the Rockets have not been nearly as good.

To make a run towards the top of their divisional standings the Magic look like they are balanced. The Magic are gaining ground whereas the Heat are on a three game losing streak. Even though with a solid second half the Rockets can make a run towards the playoffs, they are nowhere near the top of their division.

Dealing with all of the scoring options for the Magic will be the issue for the Rockets in this game. Rockets’ poor defense has kept them from stepping up to be a playoff caliber team while they are allowing 105 points per game.

Slowing down the pace of this game, what the Magic will need to do.  By trying to allow one of their players to catch fire the Rockets will need to run the ball.  Of their low post options and their spot-up three point shooters the Magic will want to take advantage. The Magic should be favored in this one if they dictate the pace of the game. This game will really be up for grabs, if they allow the Rockets to change their style of play.

The Rockets are sitting at 18-23 on the year whereas the Magic are 26-14 at this point in the season. ?

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Weekend Clash Between New Orleans Hornets And Los Angeles Lakers

Posted by admin on January 6th, 2011 | Comments Off

This weekend the New Orleans Hornets will battle against the Los Angeles Lakers. Even though they have both hit rough patches as of late, these two teams are both well within the playoff picture in the Western Conference.

For this matchup NBA Betting Odds are not yet available.

Even though they have since struggled to win games, early in the season the Lakers looked like a team that would win well over 60 games. By 15 points or more, the Lakers have lost 4 out of their last 7 games. They actually have already taken out the Hornets in that stretch by a margin of 15 points, while this skid puts makes them vulnerable.

If the Hornets hope to contend in this game, they will need to shut down the Lakers big men. Gasol pulled down a game high 12 rebound as Lamar Odom managed to put up 24 points in their last matchup. The Lakers should have an easy time winning their game against the Hornets, if they get that sort of production out of their big men in the upcoming game.

The Hornets appear to be turning things around, while they had been in the midst of a rough spot in their season. In a row the Hornets have now won three games. Chris Paul, being their point guard, their success is dependent upon their defense.

By allowing just 91.6 points per game, their defense has come through so far this season. By averaging 9.7 assists and 3 steals per game, Chris Paul has been a great asset for the team so far. The Hornets should be able to compete with the Lakers if he keeps it up.

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