CNOTES 2023-2024 NBA TRENDS, NEWS, BEST BETS AND OPINIONS THRU THE PLAYOFFS !

[Udog]

NBA

Saturday, May 25

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Trend Report
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Indiana Pacers

Indiana is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games

The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games

Indiana is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home

Indiana is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

The total has gone OVER in 8 of Indiana's last 10 games at home

Indiana is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Boston

Indiana is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Boston

The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games when playing Boston

Indiana is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Boston

Indiana is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games when playing at home against Boston

The total has gone OVER in 8 of Indiana's last 11 games when playing at home against Boston



Boston Celtics

Boston is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games

Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games

Boston is 10-5 ATS in its last 15 games on the road

Boston is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road

The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games on the road

Boston is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Indiana

Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Indiana

The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games when playing Indiana

Boston is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Indiana

Boston is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games when playing on the road against Indiana

The total has gone OVER in 8 of Boston's last 11 games when playing on the road against Indiana


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[Udog]

NBA
Dunkel

Saturday, May 25

 

[CNOTES]

SATURDAY, MAY 25​

Game	Time(ET)	Pick	Units
BOS at IND	08:30 PM	IND +7.0 O 222.0	+500 +500

 

[CNOTES]

Sunday’s 6-pack:
Top 6 players at not swinging at pitches out of the strike zone:
19.1%- Jonathan India, Reds
19.2%- Lamonte Wade, Giants
19.4%- Kyle Tucker, Astros
20.2%- Juan Soto, NYY
20.3%- Edouard Julien, Twins
20.9%- Mookie Betts, Dodgers

Quote of the Day
“I’m gonna be honest, payrolls at the levels we’re at right now are simply not sustainable for us financially. It wouldn’t be sustainable for the vast majority of ownership [groups], given the luxury tax we have to pay.”
Bronx owner Hal Steinbrenner, who is apparently trying out a new comedy routine

Sunday’s quiz
Before moving to Dallas in 1993, where did the NHL’s Stars call home?

Saturday’s quiz
Zack Greinke is the last pitcher to get a hit in a World Series game, in 2021.

Friday’s quiz
When David Cone threw his perfect game in 1999, Joe Girardi was his catcher.

******************************************************

Sunday’s Den: Wrapping up a sports Saturday……​

— Only three quarterbacks EVER have won a Super Bowl after they lost their first appearance in a Super Bowl: Len Dawson, Bob Greise, John Elway.

— Awkward moment Friday night on the Mets’ telecast, when Mets’ president of baseball operations David Stearns was on TV in the bottom of the third inning with the Mets’ TV crew.
Stearns was brought in from Milwaukee last winter after the Mets went 75-87 in 2023, despite having the biggest payroll in baseball history. Mets are owned by hedge fund manager Steve Cohen, who is an avid fan and wants to win, but really, really rich people aren’t patient, so there was tension in Stearns’ voice as he talked on TV.
Mets are 3-12 in their last 15 games; am curious to see how they approach the next few weeks.

— Pirates 4, Braves 1
Mitch Keller won his 4th consecutive start.
Atlanta is 5-9 in its last 14 road games.

— Royals 7, Rays 4 (11)
Kansas City has won eight games in a row.
Nelson Velasquez knocked in two runs, scored two.

— AL West standings (the division is having a bad year)
Mariners 27-26
Rangers 24-29- won World Series last year.
Astros 23-29- won World Series in 2022.
A’s 22-32
Angels 20-32

— Cardinals 7, Cubs 6
St Louis scored four runs in the bottom of the 8th inning.
Cardinals have won nine of last 11 games.

— A’s 3, Astros 1
JP Sears allowed an unearned run in six IP.
Mason Miller struck out the side in the 9th for his 10th save.
Mason Miller is a really good closer who is under team control for a few more years; there are nitwits on TV saying the A’s might deal him for prospects before the trade deadline. If that happens, someone in Oakland is getting a phone call.
The people in Las Vegas should also be paying attention; why would they want a team that doesn’t try to win? Guys like Miller are keepers; they help you win games.

— Guardians 4, Angels 3
Cleveland is a surprising 35-17, atop the AL Central.
Angels are a horrendous 6-18 at home.

— Famous birthdays for May 26th:
Lee Meriwether, 89
Darrell Evans, 77
Dan Pastorini, 75
Richard Schiff, 69
David Greenwood, 67
Peri Gilpin, 63
Greg Lloyd, 59
Doug West, 57
Ben Zobrist, 43

— Celtics 114, Pacers 111
Jayson Tatum scored 36 points, has 8 assists, 10 rebounds.
Celtics were +12 in the 13:00 Xavier Tillman played.
Boston leads series, 3-0; no NBA team has ever won a series after trailing, 3-0.

— Chicago Bulls’ G Lonzo Ball had a meniscus transplant in his knee, so that he can get back to playing ball next season.
Ball has played five years in the NBA, but hasn’t played in two years; he never played more than 63 games in a season.

— Cleveland Cavaliers fired coach JB Bickerstaff after the Cavs went 48-34 this year, losing in the second round of the playoffs. Cleveland was 51-31 last year, but lost in the first round of the playoffs. Losing early in the playoffs can get you fired.

— This week, the Mets became the fifth team ever to lose three games in a row, when they hit 3+ home runs in all three games.

— Arlington 36, St Louis 22
Arlington QB Perez threw for 259 yards, 3 TD’s.
St Louis played their backup QB; they ran ball for 159 yards.

— San Antonio 18, Birmingham 9
First loss of the season for Stallions; they had won 15 games in a row, dating back to last year.
San Antonio improves to 7-2; they lead the XFL division by a game.

— Sunday’s Dodgers-Reds game was moved up 90 minutes to 12:10, because of cruddy weather forecast for the Cincinnati area.

 

[Udog]

NBA
Dunkel

Sunday, May 26

NBA

Sunday, May 26

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Trend Report
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Minnesota @ Dallas
Minnesota
Minnesota is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Minnesota is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Dallas
Dallas is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Dallas is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Minnesota


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[Udog]

Armadillo Sports

Monday’s 6-pack:
Major league leaders in hits:
75— Luis Arraez, SD
71— Mookie Betts/Shohei Ohtani, LA
69— William Contreras, Milw
66— Jeremy Pena, Hst
65— Juan Soto NYY/Bobby Witt Jr, KC
64— Jose Altuve, Hst/Alec Bohm, Phil

Quote of the Day
“A little song, a little dance……a little seltzer down your pants.”
Chuckles the Clown, from The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Monday’s quiz
Wayne Gretzky is the best hockey player ever; what team did he finish his NHL career with?

Sunday’s quiz
Before moving to Dallas in 1993, the NHL’s Stars were the Minnesota North Stars.

Saturday’s quiz
Zack Greinke is the last pitcher to get a hit in a World Series game, in 2021.

**************************************************

Monday’s Den: Wrapping up a sports Sunday…….

— Braves 8, Pirates 1
Ronald Acuna blew out his knee, is gone for the season.
Chris Sale won his 7th start in a row.

— Orioles 4, White Sox 1
Kyle Bradish struck out 11, threw seven no-hit IP (103 PT).
Baltimore sweeps this series, after getting swept in St Louis.

If you’re in a weekly fantasy league, the Bradish start was unexpected; he pitched Tuesday, and wasn’t supposed to pitch again until Monday, but when Dean Kremer came up lame after his start last Monday, Bradish’s start got pushed up a day.

— Last year when MLB banned infield shifts, TV people league-wide all said the same stuff, using the same words, so much so that it seemed obvious that they had been coached to sell the changes to TV viewers and it worked. Banning the shift has generally been accepted.

This year, the baseballs seem to be a little dead; I’ve seen Pete Alonso and other hitters hit a few balls to the warning track, but the ball doesn’t seem to be carrying as well. Scoring is down, but I haven’t heard a peep from TV analysts.

The Mets’ booth started talking about it Sunday, but they stopped mid-sentence. Go figure.

— So far this season, teams that played a series at Coors Field in Denver are 1-5 in the first game of their next series; we’ll keep tracking that stat as the season progresses.

— Dallas 116, Minnesota 107
Doncic/Irving both scored 33 points.
Mavericks lead series 3-0; both conference finals are 3-0.
No NBA team has ever won a playoff series after trailing 3-0.

— DC Defenders 36, Memphis 21
Defenders led 22-7 at halftime.
DC outgained the Showboats, 431-231.

Michigan 26, Houston 22
Panthers outscored Houston 14-0 in fourth quarter.
Former NFL QB Bryce Perkins led the two 4th quarter TD drives.

— In case you were wondering, there have been 38 Australian pitchers who’ve made it to the major leagues; Jack O’Loughlin became the 38th Sunday, pitching three scoreless innings for the A’s, in his major league debut.

— Famous birthdays for May 27th:
Jackie Slater, 70
Nick Lowery, 68
John Jaha, 58
Frank Thomas, 56
Jeff Bagwell, 56
Jose Berrios, 30
Yoan Moncada, 29
Daniel Jones, 27

— Random obscure trivia:
In 1954, a Cleveland OF Dale Mitchell made the last out in game 4 of the World Series, as the Indians got swept by the Giants.

Two years later, while playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Mitchell was the last out in Don Larsen’s perfect game in Game 5 of the World Series.

Mitchell was a good ballplayer; he had a .312 career batting average in his 11-year career, making two All-Star games.

— Marlins 3, Diamondbacks 1
Ryan Weathers tossed six scoreless innings.
Marlins are 9-4 in their last 13 games, after starting the season 10-31.

— Tigers 14, Blue Jays 11
Matt Vierling was 4-6 with two homers, six RBI.
In their last six games, Detroit scored a total of 18 runs.
Tigers led 8-3 after the fifth inning.

— Reds 4, Dodgers 1
Nick Martinez allowed one hit in 4.1 IP as the bulk reliever.
Dodgers have lost five games in a row.

— Rangers 6, Twins 2
Corey Seager hit two homers, knocked in three runs.
Texas won only the third time in their last 15 games.

— Cardinals 4, Cubs 3
Paul Goldschmidt homered twice, in a game that started 2.5 hours late.
Cardinals won 10 of their last 12 games.
Both teams have day games in other cities Monday.

— If the baseball playoffs started today (they don’t):
NL- Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Braves, Cubs, SD/SF
AL- New York, Guardians, Mariners. Wild Cards: Orioles, Royals, Twins

 

[Udog]

NBA

Monday, May 27

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Trend Report
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Boston @ Indiana
Boston
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Boston's last 5 games
Indiana
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Indiana's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Indiana's last 5 games when playing Boston


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[Udog]

NBA
Dunkel

Monday, May 27

 

[CNOTES]

MONDAY, MAY 27​

Game	Time(ET)	Pick	Units
BOS at IND	08:00 PM	BOS -7.5 O 222.5	+500 +500

 

[Udog]

Armadillo Sports

Tuesday’s 6-pack:
Major League leaders in innings pitched:
72.1— Seth Lugo KC/Logan Webb SF
72— Ranger Suarez, Phil
71— Aaron Nola, Phil/Tanner Houck Bos
70.2— Logan Gilbert, Sea
67.2— Zack Wheeler, Phil/Mitch Keller, Pitt
67.1— Jose Berrios, Tor

Quote of the Day
“My very close friend, fellow Bruin, and NBA rival Bill Walton died today. And the world feels so much heavier now. On the court, Bill was a fierce player, but off the court he wasn’t happy unless he did everything he could to make everyone around him happy. He was the best of us.”
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, talking about the late Bill Walton

Tuesday’s quiz
When Bill Walton played at UCLA, they lost one NCAA tournament game; who beat them?

Monday’s quiz
Wayne Gretzky is the best hockey player ever; he finished his NHL career with the New York Rangers.

Sunday’s quiz
Before moving to Dallas in 1993, the NHL’s Stars were the Minnesota North Stars.

************************************

Tuesday’s Den: Nobody asked me, but……..

— Basketball icon Bill Walton passed away Monday, at age 71, after a long bout with cancer. He was one of the best college basketball players ever, and also won two NBA championship rings.

Walton’s UCLA teams went 86-4, winning two national titles.
He shot 21-22 from the floor in the 1973 national title game, as UCLA beat Memphis.

He led the Trailblazers to the 1977 NBA title, was a sub on Boston’s 1985 title team.
Walton was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.

He was hurt a lot (feet/back) in the NBA, playing in only 468 games.

After his playing days, Walton became an announcer; he overcame a stuttering problem he had earlier in his life, and boy what an announcer he was. He worked hard at research before games; I always learned stuff listening to him, and it usually had very little to do with basketball.

He had a positive voice on TV, he made you laugh, he made you think. He will be missed.

RIP, sir.

— Celtics 105, Pacers 102
Boston outscored Indiana 25-19 in 4th quarter.
Celtics sweep the series, 4-0.
Boston was 14-44 on the arc, 26-45 inside the arc.
Bad news for the NBA; the Finals don’t start until June 6th.

— I still can’t process that John Calipari is now the basketball coach at Arkansas; why wouldn’t Kentucky want the guy to be their coach?

410-123 record, three Final Fours, a national title.

Granted, the last four years Kentucky was 1-3 in NCAA Tourney games; people get spoiled. It won’t be long before they wish they had him back in Lexington.

— Nationals 8, Braves 4
Rookie lefty Parker allowed only five baserunners in 6.1 IP.
Atlanta is 4-8 in its last 12 games.

— Padres 2, Marlins 1
San Diego scored the winning run on a bases loaded walk in the 7th inning, about Miami had made two errors earlier in that inning.

— Orioles 11, Red Sox 3
Kyle Stowers went 3-4, had four RBI.
Cole Irvin tossed five shutout IP.

— Famous birthdays for May 28th:
Jerry West, 86
Bill Doran, 66
Brandon Cruz, 62
Glen Rice, 57
Michael Oher, 38
Craig Kimbrel, 36

— Some good news; umpire Angel Hernandez is “retiring” effective immediately, which is good for baseball, since he was a terrible umpire.

When a guy umpires for 32 years and isn’t a crew chief, that says a lot; he once had three calls overturned by replay in the first four innings of a 2018 playoff game. Good riddance.

— On May 26, 1973, White Sox had a game with Cleveland suspended; when they resumed the game on the 28th, lefty Wilbur Wood pitched the last five innings for Chicago, then he tossed a 4-hit shutout in the regularly scheduled game.

From 1972-75, Wood started 182 games (45.5/year); he was 24-20 in 1973, throwing his knuckleball. He once started both ends of a doubleheader.

Nowadays, 32 starts is pretty much the maximum for any starter; Wilbur Wood carried a huge load for some good White Sox teams.

— There were nine no-hitters thrown in 2021, the most in any season; there were eight thrown in 1884. Three of those nine no-hitters in 2021 were against the Cleveland Indians.

— All-time leaders for walks:
2,558- Barry Bonds
2,190- Rickey Henderson
2,062- Babe Ruth
2,021- Ted Williams

— Reds 3, Cardinals 1
Cincinnati won a season-high fourth straight game.
Nick Lodolo allowed a run in 5.1 IP, giving up 5 hits.

— Rockies 8, Guardians 6
Colorado ends the Guardians’ 9-game winning streak.
Charlie Blackmon was 3-4 with four RBI.

— Giants 8, Phillies 4
Teams are now 1-6 in their first game after a series in Denver.
Giants #7-8-9 hitters all had two RBI each.

 

[Udog]

NBA
Dunkel

Tuesday, May 28

NBA

Tuesday, May 28

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Trend Report
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Minnesota @ Dallas
Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Minnesota's last 8 games
Minnesota is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Dallas
Dallas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Dallas is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Minnesota


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[CNOTES]

TUESDAY, MAY 28​

Game	Time(ET)	Pick	Units
MIN at DAL	08:30 PM	DAL -2.0 U 211.0	+500 +500

 

[CNOTES]

Wednesday’s 6-pack:
— T’wolves 105, Mavericks 100- Minnesota avoids getting swept, trails series 3-1.
— Dodgers 5-3, Mets 2-0— Mets are 10-24 in their last 34 games.
— Cardinals 7, Reds 1- St Louis is 11-3 in its last 14 games.
— Guardians 13, Rockies 7- Josh Naylor homered twice, had five RBI.
— Angels 4, New York 3- Halos snap a four-game losing skid.
— Giants 1, Phillies 0 (10)- San Francisco is 10-2 in its last 12 games.

Quote of the Day
“Generally, the trade deadline becomes an inflection point in the season, and we’ve got plenty of time before that………..we haven’t played like a playoff team. And I think that’s the reality of how we’ve played here through the first 50 games. That doesn’t mean we won’t, but we’ve got to show it and I think we have a group of players that is very committed to that goal. That is determined to play better. But until we show it, it’s a reasonable question.”
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns

Wednesday’s quiz
Brewers started playing in Milwaukee in 1970, but the year before that, they were an expansion team playing in another city; what team were the Brewers in 1969?

Tuesday’s quiz
When Bill Walton played at UCLA, they lost one NCAA tournament game; to NC State in overtime, in the national semi-finals in 1974.

Monday’s quiz
Wayne Gretzky is the best hockey player ever; he finished his NHL career with the New York Rangers.

******************************************************

Wednesday’s Den: A quick note on all 32 NFL teams​

AFC East
— Bills- All seven of their losses last year were by 6 or fewer points.
— Dolphins- Were 11-4 at one point LY, then lost their last three games, scoring 19-14-7 points.
— Patriots- Were held under 300 total yards in six of their last seven games; they scored less than 10 points in six games.
— Jets- Had five games where they were minus-3 or worse in turnovers.

AFC North
— Ravens- Were 3-5 last year in games decided by 7 or fewer points.
— Bengals- Over was 7-2 in their last nine games.
— Browns- Deshaun Watson makes $46M/year; he’s played in 12 games (8-4) the last two years.
— Steelers- Pittsburgh was 7-0 last year when they scored more than 18 points.

AFC South
— Texans- Houston was +12 in turnovers LY; they were 2-7 when they allowed 20+ points.
— Colts- QB Richardson only threw 84 passes LY, before he got hurt; they were 6-3 in last nine games, with Gardner Minshew playing QB.
— Jaguars- Finished 1-5 after an 8-3 start; they ran for less than 90 yards in six of last seven games.
— Titans- Were minus-6 in turnovers; they were outgained by 125+ yards in six games, outgained only one opponent by more than 37 yards.

AFC West
— Broncos- Missed playoffs the last eight years, going 52-79.
— Chiefs- Were minus-11 in turnovers in regular season, still won 2nd straight Super Bowl.
— Raiders- Won Super Bowl after 2002 season; since then, they’re 0-2 in playoff games.
— Chargers- Jim Harbaugh was 49-22-1 coaching the 49ers, from 2011-14.

Famous birthdays, May 29th:
Blue Moon Odom, 79
Annette Bening, 65
Eric Davis, 62
Shaun King, 47
Carmelo Anthony, 40
Tyler Nevin, 27
Puka Nacua, 23
Paul Skenes, 22

NFC East
— Cowboys- Since 1997, Dallas is 4-12 in playoff games, 3-5 at home.
— Giants- Last seven games LY, Giants were +15 in turnovers, were only 4-3 in those games.
— Eagles- Started last year 10-1; from that point on, they went 1-6.
— Commanders- Washington’s last winning season was 2016, when they were 8-7-1.

NFC North
— Bears- Chicago lost Super Bowl after 2006 season; since then, they’re 1-3 in playoff games.
— Lions- Jared Goff is 70-54-1 as an NFL starter; 43-29 with the Rams, 26-24-1 with Detroit.
— Packers- Made playoffs 11 of last 14 years, lost their last four NFC title games.
— Vikings- Eight of their ten losses last year were by 7 or fewer points (4-7).

NFC South
— Falcons- Kirk Cousins is 77-70-2 as an NFL starter, 1-3 in play0ff games.
— Panthers- Dave Canales is Carolina’s 5th head coach in seven years, not counting interim coaches. Panthers won two games LY: 15-13 over Houston, 9-7 over Atlanta.
— Saints- In their history, Saints are 1-7 in road playoff games; they won 26-24 at Philly in 2013.
— Tampa Bay- Baker Mayfield has already played for four teams in six years; he is 40-48 as an NFL starter, 2-2 in playoff games.

NFC West
— Cardinals- Arizona went 13-3 in 2015, lost NFC title game; since then, they’re 0-1 in playoff games.
— Rams- Under Sean McVay, Rams are 77-49, 7-4 in playoff games; before he came to LA, the Rams had 12 consecutive losing seasons.
— 49ers- Since 2012, 49ers have been in playoffs six times; they went WWL all six years.
— Seahawks- Pete Carroll was 181-131-1 coaching Seattle, but since 2017, he was 1-4 in playoff games, so this winter, for better or worse, they changed coaches.

 

[Udog]

No games today. Western conference finals resume tomorrow.

 

[Udog]

Armadillo Sports

Thursday’s 6-pack:
Last six head coaches for the New Jersey Jets:
2001-05— Herm Edwards, 41-44 (2-3 playoffs)
2006-08— Eric Mangini, 23-26 (0-1)
2009-14— Rex Ryan, 50-52 (4-2)
2015-18— Todd Bowles, 24-40
2019-20— Adam Gase, 9-23
2021-present— Robert Saleh, 18-33

Quote of the Day
“Sports is a business of failure but the fact that you finish second or third or fourth it doesn’t mean you had a bad year.”
White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf said that last year; his team is 15-42 this year.

Thursday’s quiz
In the history of the Chicago White Sox, who has hit the most home runs?

Wednesday’s quiz
Brewers started playing in Milwaukee in 1970, but the year before that, they were an expansion team playing in another city; in 1969, they were the Seattle Pilots.

Tuesday’s quiz
When Bill Walton played at UCLA, they lost one NCAA tournament game; to NC State in overtime, in the national semi-finals in 1974.

**********************************************

Thursday’s Den: Doing some thinking out loud……..

— If you coach your kids in youth basketball, show them that a regulation basketball hoop is exactly two basketballs wide. Kids usually don’t believe that until you show them, but it does make shooting easier when you realize the hoop is bigger than it looks.

— Dodgers 10, Mets 3
In their last seven games, Mets have been outscored 27-8 from the 7th inning on.
Mets are 11-19 at home; they’re 10-25 in their last 35 games overall.
Mets are retiring Darryl Strawberry’s #18 Saturday, when they host Arizona.

Dodgers took P James Paxton out after three IP (50 PT); they said later it was planned, since it was Paxton’s first start on four days’ rest, but they never announced that beforehand.

— Mariners 2, Astros 1 (10)
Seattle has now won four games in a row.
Astros are 10-17 on the road- they need a 1B who can hit.

— Blue Jays 3, White Sox 1
Chicago went 61-101 last year, with a payroll of $181.2M
White Sox are 15-42 this year, with a payroll of $129.1M.

— Rangers 6, Diamondbacks 1
Corey Seager has eight home runs in his last eight games.
Marcus Semien took this game off, ending his streak at 349 consecutive starts.

— Brewers 10, Cubs 6
Shota Imanaga had his worst start in this country, giving up seven runs in 4.1 IP.
Milwaukee leads the NL Central by 4.5 games.

— Royals 6, Twins 1
Seth Lugo pitched 6 innings for the win; he is 9-1, 1.72 this season.

Why don’t the Twins have a domed stadium? The weather is cruddy in Minnesota; they have a dome in Milwaukee, you’d think the Twins would, too.

Famous birthdays, May 30th:
Ruta Lee, 89
Wynonna Judd, 60
Billy Donovan, 59
Manny Ramirez, 52
CeeLo Green, 49
Zach Wheeler, 34
Harrison Barnes, 32

— Bronny James apparently turned down a chance to work out for eight NBA teams, accepted workouts with the Lakers, his dad’s team, and the Phoenix Suns. Bronny James started only six of USC’s 33 games as a freshman last season.

— LA Clippers are going to be paying coach Tyrone Lue $14M a year going forward; Lue is 197-151 in his four years as the Clippers coach, but is only 13-17 in playoff games.

— New Jersey Jets are -150 to make the playoffs this fall; they haven’t made the playoffs since 2010, have a QB coming off an achilles injury.

— Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna has now played only 409 games the last four years, tearing up both his knees. Acuna is on the books for $17M a year thru 2028.

— Cleveland Guardians are 12-4 in games where the winning run scored from the 7th inning on.

— San Diego Padres reliever Jeremiah Estrada recently struck out 13 consecutive batters over a three-game stretch, which is the longest such streak since at least 1961.

— If the baseball playoffs started today (they do not):
NL: Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Braves, Giants, Padres
AL: New York, Guardians, Mariners. Wild Cards: Orioles, Royals, Twins

 

[Udog]

NBA
Dunkel

Thursday, May 30

NBA

Thursday, May 30

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Trend Report
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Dallas @ Minnesota
Dallas
Dallas is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Dallas is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games at home
Minnesota is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Dallas


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[CNOTES]

THURSDAY, MAY 30​

Game	Time(ET)	Pick	Units
DAL at MIN	08:30 PM	DAL +4.5 O 210.0	+500 +500

 

[CNOTES]

Friday’s 6-pack:
— Dallas 124, Minnesota 103— Mavericks advance to NBA Finals.
— Mets 3, Arizona 2- Arizona P Gallen left after 6 pitches (hamstring)
— Tigers 5, Red Sox 0- Flaherty allowed one hit over 6.1 IP.
— Nationals 3, Braves 1- Washington is 9-2 in Trevor Williams’ starts.
— Astros 4, Mariners 0- Rookie Arrighetti tossed 6.2 scoreless IP.
— Brewers 6, Cubs 4- Gary Sanchez hit a 2-run HR in 8th inning.

Quote of the Day
“There are times in the job when you’re a bully and times you need to be a statesman. I try not to be a bully, really, but that day was enormously frustrating. It was for several reasons. I, as a commissioner, can go invite Oklahoma and Texas to join. I can sign media deals … but I can’t decide who’s on the women’s golf team.”
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey

Friday’s quiz
Who was the Dallas Mavericks’ coach when they won their only NBA title, in 2011?

Thursday’s quiz
In the history of the Chicago White Sox, Frank Thomas has hit the most home runs.

Wednesday’s quiz
Brewers started playing in Milwaukee in 1970, but the year before that, they were an expansion team playing in another city; in 1969, they were the Seattle Pilots.

***************************************

Friday’s Den: Trends for all 30 MLB teams…….​

Trends for all 30 MLB teams…….
— Arizona was 28-21 LY vs lefty starting pitchers; they’re 6-14 this year.
Merrill Kelly hasn’t pitched since April 15; Zac Gallen left Thursday’s start with an injury, after throwing only 6 pitches.

— Braves are 5-10 in their last 15 games.
Atlanta is 11-5 vs AL teams, 20-18 vs NL teams.

— Cubs lost seven of their last eight games.
Cubs are 8-2 in Imanaga’s starts, 20-27 with anyone else starting.

— Since April 26, Reds are 0-10 in games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.
Cincinnati won five of its last six series openers.

— Rockies won eight of their last ten home games.
Over is 10-4 in Colorado’s last fourteen games.

— Dodgers are 8-2 when James Paxton starts.
Under is 12-5 in their last 17 road games.

— Marlins are 2-18 against lefty starting pitchers, 18-19 vs righties.
Over is 12-3 in their last 15 home games.
Under is 7-1 in their last eight road tilts.

— Brewers are 10-3 in their last 13 home games.
Rookie P Gasser is 2-0, 2.35 in his first four MLB starts.

— Mets are 7-17 in their last 24 games.
Last year, Mets had a $346M payroll, they went 75-87.
This year, Mets have a $323M payroll, they’re 23-33.

— Phillies won 18 of their last 20 home games.
Phillies are 10-1 when Ranger Suarez pitches, 7-0 at home.

— Pittsburgh are 16-9 when Keller, Falter, Skenes start.
Over is 10-1 in Pirates’ last eleven home games.

— St Louis won 12 of its last 15 games.
Cardinals are 9-15 in day games, 18-12 in night games.

— Padres are 11-4 in games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.
San Diego is 13-19 at home, 17-10 on road.

— Giants won 10 of their last 13 games.
San Francisco is 16-9 in day games, 13-19 in night games.

— Nationals won seven of last eight series openers.
Washington is 9-2 when Trevor Williams pitches.

Famous birthdays, May 31st:
Clint Eastwood, 94
Joe Namath, 81
Tom Berenger, 75
Chris Elliott, 64
Lea Thompson, 63
Kenny Lofton, 57
Dave Roberts, 52
Jake Peavy, 43
Nate Robinson, 40
Shane Bieber, 29

— Orioles are 6-1 in their last seven games.
Baltimore is 13-4 vs lefty starters.

— Red Sox lost six of their last eight home games.
Nick Pivetta struck out eight straight Tigers in Thursday’s game.

— White Sox lost 12 of their last 13 games.
Chicago scored total of eight runs in their last five games.

— Guardians are 16-3 in their last 19 home games.
Cleveland is 10-4 vs lefty starting pitchers, 27-15 vs righties.

— Tigers are 13-9 in games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.
Over is 10-3 in their last 13 games.

— Astros’ last six games stayed under the total.
Houston is 6-12 against lefty starting pitchers, 19-20 vs righty starters.

— Royals are off to a 35-23 start; their last winning season was 2015, when they won the World Series.
Kansas City is 21-8 at home, 14-15 on road.

— Angels are 7-21 at home, 14-14 on foreign soil.
Over is 14-7 in their last 21 home games.

— Twins won seven of their last nine games.
Under is 8-2 in their last ten home games.

— New York won 20 of its last 26 games.
NY scored in first inning in nine of its last 15 games.

— A’s lost 10 of their last 11 road games.
Over is 8-4 in their last 12 home games.

— Mariners are 8-1 in home series openers, 3-6 in road series openers.
Seattle is 14-5 in its last 19 home games, overall.

— Rays are 8-5 vs lefty starters, 20-24 vs righty starters.
Tampa Bay is 3-8 in home series openers.

— Texas lost eight of its last nine road games.
Under is 18-5 in Rangers’ last 23 home games.

— Toronto is 7-4 in its last eleven games.
Blue Jays are 3-7 vs lefty starters; LY, they were 20-15.

 

[Udog]

NBA Finals are set. Mavs vs. Celtics starts June 6.

 

[Udog]

Armadillo Sports

Saturday’s 6-pack:
— Padres 11, Royals 8- Game was 0-0 after 5 innings; KC led 3-2 after seven.
— Phillies 4, Cardinals 2- Philly has won seven in a row at home.
— Blue Jays 5, Pirates 3 (14)- Longest game in majors this season.
— Guardians 7, Nationals 1- Cleveland has won eight in a row at home.
— Brewers 12, White Sox 5- Chicago led 5-4 in the 7th inning.
— Reds 5, Cubs 4- Chicago lost eight of its last nine games.

Quote of the Day
“When it boils down to it, I wanted the sunshine a bit longer. I like what we’ve built here starting with ownership, the head coach, the GM on down. We have a great group of guys in the locker room and I want to reap the rewards with them a little bit longer.”
Detroit Lions’ OC Ben Johnson, on why he stayed with the Lions

Saturday’s quiz
Darryl Strawberry played 17 years in the majors, for four teams; the two New York teams, and what other two teams?

Friday’s quiz
Rick Carlisle was the Dallas Mavericks’ coach when they won their only NBA title, in 2011.

Thursday’s quiz
In the history of the Chicago White Sox, Frank Thomas has hit the most home runs.

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Saturday’s Den: Some college football QB’s who transferred this year……

This is a listing of QB’s who transferred this season; it is NOT a ranking; players are listed alphabetically by their new school’s name.

— Dequan Finn, Baylor- A 3-year starter at Toledo, was MAC Player of the Year LY, throwing for 2,657 yards, 22 TD’s. Also ran for 563 yards, 7 TD’s.

— Maalik Murphy, Duke- A former 5-star recruit, Murphy started twice for Texas LY, but threw only 71 passes all season. Former starter Riley Leonard bolted to Notre Dame.

— DJ Uiagalelei, Florida State- Threw for 2,638 yards and 21 TD’s for Oregon State LY, after starting for two years at Clemson before that. FSU has only 10 starters back, but they added 14 transfers. Uiagalelei needs to be a more accurate passer.

— Cade McNamara, Iowa- Hawkeyes ranked 129th in scoring last year, 127th in passing yardage; fair to say they had the worst offense in the country, but they went 10-4, despite losing their last two games, 26-0/35-0. McNamara was QB for a 12-2 Michigan team in 2021; he had a torn ACL last year. Iowa brought in a new offensive coordinator to try to score some points.

— Tyler Shough, Louisville- Texas Tech transfer threw for 177 yards in Louisville’s spring game; Cardinals coach Brohm is an excellent offensive coach, but Louisville has only two starters back on the offensive line.

— Cam Ward, Miami- Started out at I-AA Incarnate Word, then bolted to Washington State; he threw for 6,963 yards, 48 TD’s in two years at Wazzu. Miami was 1-4 last year in games decided by 7 or fewer points last year. Ward was brought in to reverse that trend.

— Max Johnson, North Carolina- Started 22 games at LSU/Texas A&M; his dad is former NFL QB Brad Johnson, his uncle is Mark Richt, the former Miami coach. Tar Heels started last year 6-0, but then the defense imploded and they finished 8-5.

Famous birthdays, June 1st:
Morgan Freeman, 87
Brian Cox, 78
Tony Bennett, 55
Teri Polo, 55
Paula Malcomson, 54
Alanis Morrissette, 50
Brandi Carlile, 43
Nick Young, 39
Andrew Abbott, 25

— Grayson McCall, NC State- 3-time Sun Belt Player of the Year at Coastal Carolina, where he threw for over 10,000 yards. Wolfpack has September games against Tennessee/Clemson, so McCall better mesh with his new teammates fairly quickly.

— Riley Leonard, Notre Dame- This is what Notre Dame does now, they just poach QB’s; last year it was Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman (they went 10-3), now it is Leonard, who led Duke to 9-4/8-5 records the last two years. Notre Dame added three transfer WR’s, figures to have a more wide-open offense this season,

— Will Howard, Ohio State- Was a 4-year starter at Kansas State (Wildcats were 31-19 during that time); he is more of a run/pass guy than a deep passer, will be interesting to see how he does under Buckeyes’ new OC, former Oregon/UCLA/Eagles coach Chip Kelly.

Ohio State lost to Michigan the last three years; there is heat on the head coach.

— Alex Bowman, Oklahoma State- Is going into his 7th college season (even I got out of college faster than that); he threw for 3,460 yards LY, with only 15 TD’s, 14 INT’s (RB Gordon ran for 21 TD’s). Cowboys’ entire offensive line returns, so their offense should be stellar.

— Dillon Gabriel, Oregon- Started for two years at UCF, two more years at Oklahoma, now plays for an Oregon team that scored 44.2 points/game LY, with Bo Nix at QB.

Ducks are in the Big 18 now (there are 18 freakin’ teams in this league); November visits to Michigan, Wisconsin will test Gabriel’s skill in cold weather.

— EJ Warner, Rice- Son of Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner, EJ threw for 3,076 yards last year for a 3-9 Temple squad; he is still an Owl, but a Rice Owl now. Warner led the AAC in passing yards the last two years; he figures to help Rice improve on last year’s minus-14 turnover ratio.

Rice went bowling the last two years, which hasn’t happened a lot for them; they’ve got an experienced team, actually have some expectations this year.

— Will Rogers, Washington- Rogers started for four years at Mississippi State, where he played for the late Mike Leach, but things imploded in Starkville LY, after Leach’s untimely death. He ranks #2 in passing yards in the history of the SEC.

Huskies lost all 11 starters on offense after their head coach bolted to Alabama; they’ve got only one starter back on defense, but new coach Jedd Fisch rebuilt Arizona’s program fairly quickly

This is what college sports are becoming; the rich poaching from the not-so-rich. Not an ideal situation, but it is what it is……..