Tuesday’s 6-pack:
— Spurs shut down Victor Wembanyama for the summer; ESPN can’t be happy.
— Northwestern fired football coach Pat Fitzgerald because of hazing issues.
— Vladimir Guerrero Jr won the Home Run Derby in Seattle.
— Wake Forest had six players taken in the second day of the MLB Draft.
— A’s took a P named Jackson Finley, a fitting name for an Oakland player.
— Jacksonville Jaguars signed TE Josh Pederson out of the USFL; his dad Doug is the Jaguars’ head coach.
Quote of the Day
“It’s very important to us that there be a person [in charge], and this is independent of sovereign wealth funds. I think that in terms of the connection with the community, the connection with the players and their other partners in the league.”
NBA commish Adam Silver, discouraging the idea of other countries buying an NBA team
Tuesday’s quiz
OF/1B Pete LaCock played nine years in the major leagues for the Cubs/Royals; his father was a famous game show host. Who was his father?
Monday’s quiz
Matt Ryan (47) has thrown the most TD passes against the New Orleans Saints.
Sunday’s quiz
In the movie A Few Good Men, Kevin Bacon played the losing lawyer in the climactic courtroom scene.
*************************************************************
— Air Force
Air Force won its last four bowl games, scoring 34.3 ppg.
Calhoun is 35-26-2 ATS as an underdog.
— Boise State
Since 207, Broncos are 8-2 ATS as a road underdog.
Last three years, Boise is 7-13 ATS coming off a win.
— Colorado State
Rams lost their last four bowls, giving up 41.3 ppg.
Their last bowl win was in 2013, 48-45 over Washington State.
— Fresno State
Under Tedford, Bulldogs are 10-3-1 ATS
Fresno win its last four bowl game, scoring 30.8 ppg.
— Hawai’i
Since 2019, Rainbows are 11-3-1 ATS as a home underdog.
Since 2014, Hawai’i is 7-22-1 ATS as a home favorite.
— Nevada
Since 2017, Wolf Pack is 11-17 ATS outside the Mountain West.
— UNLV
Rebels haven’t been to a bowl game since 2013.
UNLV’s last bowl win was in 2000.
Since 2014, Rebels are 19-32 ATS at home.
— New Mexico
Last six years, Lobos are 15-52 SU
Last two years, New Mexico was 2-13-1 ATS in Mountain West games.
— San Diego State
Since 2013, Aztecs are 10-3-1 ATS as a home underdog.
Aztecs are 18-32 ATS in last 50 games as a home favorite.
— San Jose State
Since 2014, Spartans are 16-24 ATS as a road underdog.
Under Brennan, San Jose is 17-13-1 ATS at home.
— Utah State
Over last 10 years, Aggies are 25-14-2 ATS as a home favorite.
Over last 10 years, Aggies are 5-13 ATS as a home underdog.
— Wyoming
Under Bohl, Wyoming is 30-21-1 ATS at home.
Since 2016, Cowboys are 21-14 ATS coming off a loss.
— Spurs shut down Victor Wembanyama for the summer; ESPN can’t be happy.
— Northwestern fired football coach Pat Fitzgerald because of hazing issues.
— Vladimir Guerrero Jr won the Home Run Derby in Seattle.
— Wake Forest had six players taken in the second day of the MLB Draft.
— A’s took a P named Jackson Finley, a fitting name for an Oakland player.
— Jacksonville Jaguars signed TE Josh Pederson out of the USFL; his dad Doug is the Jaguars’ head coach.
Quote of the Day
“It’s very important to us that there be a person [in charge], and this is independent of sovereign wealth funds. I think that in terms of the connection with the community, the connection with the players and their other partners in the league.”
NBA commish Adam Silver, discouraging the idea of other countries buying an NBA team
Tuesday’s quiz
OF/1B Pete LaCock played nine years in the major leagues for the Cubs/Royals; his father was a famous game show host. Who was his father?
Monday’s quiz
Matt Ryan (47) has thrown the most TD passes against the New Orleans Saints.
Sunday’s quiz
In the movie A Few Good Men, Kevin Bacon played the losing lawyer in the climactic courtroom scene.
*************************************************************
Tuesday’s Den: Mountain West football trends……..
— Air Force
Air Force won its last four bowl games, scoring 34.3 ppg.
Calhoun is 35-26-2 ATS as an underdog.
— Boise State
Since 207, Broncos are 8-2 ATS as a road underdog.
Last three years, Boise is 7-13 ATS coming off a win.
— Colorado State
Rams lost their last four bowls, giving up 41.3 ppg.
Their last bowl win was in 2013, 48-45 over Washington State.
— Fresno State
Under Tedford, Bulldogs are 10-3-1 ATS
Fresno win its last four bowl game, scoring 30.8 ppg.
— Hawai’i
Since 2019, Rainbows are 11-3-1 ATS as a home underdog.
Since 2014, Hawai’i is 7-22-1 ATS as a home favorite.
— Nevada
Since 2017, Wolf Pack is 11-17 ATS outside the Mountain West.
— UNLV
Rebels haven’t been to a bowl game since 2013.
UNLV’s last bowl win was in 2000.
Since 2014, Rebels are 19-32 ATS at home.
— New Mexico
Last six years, Lobos are 15-52 SU
Last two years, New Mexico was 2-13-1 ATS in Mountain West games.
— San Diego State
Since 2013, Aztecs are 10-3-1 ATS as a home underdog.
Aztecs are 18-32 ATS in last 50 games as a home favorite.
— San Jose State
Since 2014, Spartans are 16-24 ATS as a road underdog.
Under Brennan, San Jose is 17-13-1 ATS at home.
— Utah State
Over last 10 years, Aggies are 25-14-2 ATS as a home favorite.
Over last 10 years, Aggies are 5-13 ATS as a home underdog.
— Wyoming
Under Bohl, Wyoming is 30-21-1 ATS at home.
Since 2016, Cowboys are 21-14 ATS coming off a loss.
WNBA
Dunkel
Tuesday, July 11
WNBA
Tuesday, July 11
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seattle @ Washington
Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Seattle's last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
Seattle is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing Washington
Washington
Washington is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games when playing at home against Seattle
Phoenix @ Las Vegas
Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Phoenix's last 13 games when playing on the road against Las Vegas
Phoenix is 10-3 ATS in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Las Vegas
Las Vegas
Las Vegas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Phoenix
Las Vegas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dunkel
Tuesday, July 11
WNBA
Tuesday, July 11
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seattle @ Washington
Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Seattle's last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
Seattle is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing Washington
Washington
Washington is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games when playing at home against Seattle
Phoenix @ Las Vegas
Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Phoenix's last 13 games when playing on the road against Las Vegas
Phoenix is 10-3 ATS in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Las Vegas
Las Vegas
Las Vegas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Phoenix
Las Vegas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WNBA JULY'S BEST BETS
07/11/2023.........................1 - 3.............................25.00%...........................-11.50
07/09/2023........................5 - 3.............................66.50%............................+ 8.50
07/08/2023........................1 - 1.............................50.00%............................- 0.50
07/07/2023........................5 - 2.............................71.42%............................+ 9.00
07/06/2023........................1 -0 - 1........................100.00%............................+ 5.00
07/05/2023........................1 - 4.............................20.00%............................- 17.00
07/02/2023........................4 - 3.............................57.14%............................+ 3.50
07/01/2023........................1 - 3.............................25.00%............................- 11.50
TOTALS.............................18 - 19...........................48.64%............................- 14.50
07/11/2023.........................1 - 3.............................25.00%...........................-11.50
07/09/2023........................5 - 3.............................66.50%............................+ 8.50
07/08/2023........................1 - 1.............................50.00%............................- 0.50
07/07/2023........................5 - 2.............................71.42%............................+ 9.00
07/06/2023........................1 -0 - 1........................100.00%............................+ 5.00
07/05/2023........................1 - 4.............................20.00%............................- 17.00
07/02/2023........................4 - 3.............................57.14%............................+ 3.50
07/01/2023........................1 - 3.............................25.00%............................- 11.50
TOTALS.............................18 - 19...........................48.64%............................- 14.50
Wednesday’s 6-pack:
Top-selling baseball jerseys this year:
1) Ronald Acuna, Atl
2) Shohei Ohtani, LAA
3) Fernando Tatis, SD
4) Aaron Judge, NYY
5) Jose Altuve, Hst
6) Mookie Betts, LA
Quote of the Day
“There’s no way to cookie cut hitters, and if you start doing that, you get into trouble and underutilize strengths they may have. I’m going to get to know each player and their approach at the plate. One thing I will stress is controlling the zone and hunting in the zone. ”
Sean Casey, new hitting coach in the Bronx
Wednesday’s quiz
WR Larry Fitzgerald will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame some day; he caught 48 TD passes from Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, the most he caught from any QB. What QB threw him the 2nd-most TD’s (29)?
Tuesday’s quiz
OF/1B Pete LaCock played nine years in the major leagues for the Cubs/Royals; his father was a famous game show host, Peter Marshall, who hosted the Hollywood Squares for 16 years.
Monday’s quiz
Matt Ryan (47) has thrown the most TD passes against the New Orleans Saints.
******************************************************************
I’m stumbling thru my channels late at night this week and I find one of my favorite TV shows when I was a kid, Green Acres.
A New York City lawyer (Eddie Albert) and his wife (Eva Gabor) try to live as farmers in the bizarre community of Hooterville; the wife isn’t too happy about it.
I bring this up for two reasons:
1) When I was a kid, I spent a ridiculous amount of time watching TV re-runs; Green Acres was one of my favorites. It was insanely stupid at times; my father would walk in the room, say “Why the hell are you watching this?” then five minutes later, he’d be laughing harder than me.
2) In the pilot episode, they point out that Eddie Albert’s character (Oliver Wendell Douglas) was born in Saratoga, because his father wanted to go to the racetrack that day and he wanted to stay for all the races—- his wife had her baby that same afternoon.
Anyway, the annual horse racing season at Saratoga starts tomorrow, thought it was fitting to point that out.
— Sounds like Major League Baseball is getting ready to expand, as soon as the A’s/Rays sort out their stadium/relocation issues. Getting the major leagues up to 32 teams will recoup some of the $$$ MLB lost during the shortened 2020 season.
— Monday, A’s drafted a pitcher named Jackson Finley, a fitting name for an A’s player, seeing how Charlie Finley owned the A’s during their glory years in the 70’s, when one of their best players was an outfielder named Reggie Jackson.
— Random baseball trivia— The last pitch Hall of Famer Bob Gibson threw in the big leagues was hit for a grand slam by the Cubs’ Pete LaCock, whose father is Peter Marshall, the host of the Hollywood Squares for 16 years back in the day— a great gameshow.
10 years after LaCock’s grand slam, he faced Gibson in an Old Timers’ Game at Wrigley Field, and Gibson drilled him.
Peter Marshall, by the way, is 97 years old and lives in West Virginia.
— Bronx Bombers hired former big leaguer Sean Casey as their new hitting coach. Casey, 49, has been working as an analyst for MLB Network since he retired as a ballplayer in 2008.
Bronx is 14-17 since Aaron Judge got hurt, hitting .218 in those games; they fired hitting coach Dillon Lawson after Sunday’s loss to the Cubs.
— All-Star Game; National 3, American 2
National League wins their first All-Star Game since 2012.
Elias Díaz won the game with an 8th-inning home run.
— FOX had Nathan Eovaldi miked as he pitched the 2nd inning; seems like a bad idea, especially if you wagered on the AL. he didn’t give up and runs, but still……..
— I liked it better when players in the All-Star Game wore their team’s uniforms during the game. MLB tries to sell these AL/NL jerseys; maybe they make lot of $$$ doing it, but it was a lot cooler when you got to see the various uniforms on the field.
— Kansas City Royals drafted a high school catcher with the 8th pick in the first round Sunday; he is the first catcher taken in the top 10 of the draft since 2008— that guy never made it to the big leagues.
— Big month for LSU baseball; Tigers won their first National Championship since 2009, also had the top two picks in the MLB draft, as well as three other top-100 selections: LSU coach Jay Johnson deservedly got lot of airtime on TV during the baseball draft Sunday night.
— Movie of the Day: Begin Again (2013)— A down-and-out music executive and a young singer-songwriter, new to Manhattan, cross paths by chance and they collaborate on an album. Can the talented singer save the music executive’s job, while making a career for herself?
Keira Knightley is the singer, Mark Ruffalo is the executive. James Corden is great as Knightley’s friend from back home in England.
If you like music, you’ll enjoy this movie.
— College football bowl Trend of the Day— Underdogs are 7-3 ATS in last ten Orange Bowls.
— Veteran guard Patty Mills has been traded three times in the last 10 days:
Brooklyn traded Mills to Houston
Rockets traded Mills to Oklahoma City
Thunder traded Mills to Atlanta
Has to suck getting traded three times in 10 days, but Mills has earned $68,753,853 during his career, so he can laugh all the way to the bank.
34-year old Mills was the 55th pick of the 2009 Draft, but he played 10 years for San Antonio, helping the Spurs win a title in 2014; he has a $6.8M contract that expires after next season.
— Spurs’ coach Gregg Popovich signed a 5-year, $80M contract extension; Popovich is 74 years old, has led San Antonio to three NBA titles.
Speaking of the Spurs, I’m not sure why they shut down rookie Victor Wembanyama for the summer— he showed enough that they should sell lot of tickets in San Antonio, but would it kill him to play a couple more games?
Will the Spurs play the 18-year old a lot this season, or will they take the route Oklahoma City did last year with Chet Holmgren?
NBA is a developmental league now, with younger players joining the league. The popular wisdom seems to be that 18-year old kids need time to get more physically mature before they become full-time players.
Kids jumped from high school to the NBA 20 years ago, but they weren’t coddled as much as is being done these days.
— Random trivia: Anthony Morrow holds the summer league’s single-game scoring record with a 47-point game back in 2009, Morrow wound up playing nine years in the NBA for seven different teams— he scored 5,327 points in the NBA, earned a hefty $24,237,958 in his career.
— NBA is going to have an in-season tournament in November; the details haven’t all been worked out, but every player for the winning team gets an extra $500,000.
Top-selling baseball jerseys this year:
1) Ronald Acuna, Atl
2) Shohei Ohtani, LAA
3) Fernando Tatis, SD
4) Aaron Judge, NYY
5) Jose Altuve, Hst
6) Mookie Betts, LA
Quote of the Day
“There’s no way to cookie cut hitters, and if you start doing that, you get into trouble and underutilize strengths they may have. I’m going to get to know each player and their approach at the plate. One thing I will stress is controlling the zone and hunting in the zone. ”
Sean Casey, new hitting coach in the Bronx
Wednesday’s quiz
WR Larry Fitzgerald will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame some day; he caught 48 TD passes from Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, the most he caught from any QB. What QB threw him the 2nd-most TD’s (29)?
Tuesday’s quiz
OF/1B Pete LaCock played nine years in the major leagues for the Cubs/Royals; his father was a famous game show host, Peter Marshall, who hosted the Hollywood Squares for 16 years.
Monday’s quiz
Matt Ryan (47) has thrown the most TD passes against the New Orleans Saints.
******************************************************************
Wednesday’s Den: Mid-week musings………
— Amazon Prime is the graveyard of old TV shows/movies; you can find almost anything from the old days on there, some of it is even free.I’m stumbling thru my channels late at night this week and I find one of my favorite TV shows when I was a kid, Green Acres.
A New York City lawyer (Eddie Albert) and his wife (Eva Gabor) try to live as farmers in the bizarre community of Hooterville; the wife isn’t too happy about it.
I bring this up for two reasons:
1) When I was a kid, I spent a ridiculous amount of time watching TV re-runs; Green Acres was one of my favorites. It was insanely stupid at times; my father would walk in the room, say “Why the hell are you watching this?” then five minutes later, he’d be laughing harder than me.
2) In the pilot episode, they point out that Eddie Albert’s character (Oliver Wendell Douglas) was born in Saratoga, because his father wanted to go to the racetrack that day and he wanted to stay for all the races—- his wife had her baby that same afternoon.
Anyway, the annual horse racing season at Saratoga starts tomorrow, thought it was fitting to point that out.
— Sounds like Major League Baseball is getting ready to expand, as soon as the A’s/Rays sort out their stadium/relocation issues. Getting the major leagues up to 32 teams will recoup some of the $$$ MLB lost during the shortened 2020 season.
— Monday, A’s drafted a pitcher named Jackson Finley, a fitting name for an A’s player, seeing how Charlie Finley owned the A’s during their glory years in the 70’s, when one of their best players was an outfielder named Reggie Jackson.
— Random baseball trivia— The last pitch Hall of Famer Bob Gibson threw in the big leagues was hit for a grand slam by the Cubs’ Pete LaCock, whose father is Peter Marshall, the host of the Hollywood Squares for 16 years back in the day— a great gameshow.
10 years after LaCock’s grand slam, he faced Gibson in an Old Timers’ Game at Wrigley Field, and Gibson drilled him.
Peter Marshall, by the way, is 97 years old and lives in West Virginia.
— Bronx Bombers hired former big leaguer Sean Casey as their new hitting coach. Casey, 49, has been working as an analyst for MLB Network since he retired as a ballplayer in 2008.
Bronx is 14-17 since Aaron Judge got hurt, hitting .218 in those games; they fired hitting coach Dillon Lawson after Sunday’s loss to the Cubs.
— All-Star Game; National 3, American 2
National League wins their first All-Star Game since 2012.
Elias Díaz won the game with an 8th-inning home run.
— FOX had Nathan Eovaldi miked as he pitched the 2nd inning; seems like a bad idea, especially if you wagered on the AL. he didn’t give up and runs, but still……..
— I liked it better when players in the All-Star Game wore their team’s uniforms during the game. MLB tries to sell these AL/NL jerseys; maybe they make lot of $$$ doing it, but it was a lot cooler when you got to see the various uniforms on the field.
— Kansas City Royals drafted a high school catcher with the 8th pick in the first round Sunday; he is the first catcher taken in the top 10 of the draft since 2008— that guy never made it to the big leagues.
— Big month for LSU baseball; Tigers won their first National Championship since 2009, also had the top two picks in the MLB draft, as well as three other top-100 selections: LSU coach Jay Johnson deservedly got lot of airtime on TV during the baseball draft Sunday night.
— Movie of the Day: Begin Again (2013)— A down-and-out music executive and a young singer-songwriter, new to Manhattan, cross paths by chance and they collaborate on an album. Can the talented singer save the music executive’s job, while making a career for herself?
Keira Knightley is the singer, Mark Ruffalo is the executive. James Corden is great as Knightley’s friend from back home in England.
If you like music, you’ll enjoy this movie.
— College football bowl Trend of the Day— Underdogs are 7-3 ATS in last ten Orange Bowls.
— Veteran guard Patty Mills has been traded three times in the last 10 days:
Brooklyn traded Mills to Houston
Rockets traded Mills to Oklahoma City
Thunder traded Mills to Atlanta
Has to suck getting traded three times in 10 days, but Mills has earned $68,753,853 during his career, so he can laugh all the way to the bank.
34-year old Mills was the 55th pick of the 2009 Draft, but he played 10 years for San Antonio, helping the Spurs win a title in 2014; he has a $6.8M contract that expires after next season.
— Spurs’ coach Gregg Popovich signed a 5-year, $80M contract extension; Popovich is 74 years old, has led San Antonio to three NBA titles.
Speaking of the Spurs, I’m not sure why they shut down rookie Victor Wembanyama for the summer— he showed enough that they should sell lot of tickets in San Antonio, but would it kill him to play a couple more games?
Will the Spurs play the 18-year old a lot this season, or will they take the route Oklahoma City did last year with Chet Holmgren?
NBA is a developmental league now, with younger players joining the league. The popular wisdom seems to be that 18-year old kids need time to get more physically mature before they become full-time players.
Kids jumped from high school to the NBA 20 years ago, but they weren’t coddled as much as is being done these days.
— Random trivia: Anthony Morrow holds the summer league’s single-game scoring record with a 47-point game back in 2009, Morrow wound up playing nine years in the NBA for seven different teams— he scored 5,327 points in the NBA, earned a hefty $24,237,958 in his career.
— NBA is going to have an in-season tournament in November; the details haven’t all been worked out, but every player for the winning team gets an extra $500,000.
WNBA
Dunkel
Wednesday, July 12
WNBA
Wednesday, July 12
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New York @ Indiana
New York
New York is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
New York is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games when playing at home against New York
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Indiana's last 10 games at home
Connecticut @ Chicago
Connecticut
Connecticut is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games
Chicago
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago's last 5 games at home
Chicago is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Connecticut
Dallas @ Minnesota
Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games on the road
Minnesota
Minnesota is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Dallas
Minnesota is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Seattle @ Atlanta
Seattle
Seattle is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing Atlanta
Seattle is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta
Atlanta is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Atlanta is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Las Vegas @ Los Angeles
Las Vegas
Las Vegas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Las Vegas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Los Angeles
Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games when playing Las Vegas
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Los Angeles's last 19 games when playing at home against Las Vegas
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dunkel
Wednesday, July 12
WNBA
Wednesday, July 12
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New York @ Indiana
New York
New York is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
New York is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games when playing at home against New York
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Indiana's last 10 games at home
Connecticut @ Chicago
Connecticut
Connecticut is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games
Chicago
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago's last 5 games at home
Chicago is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Connecticut
Dallas @ Minnesota
Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games on the road
Minnesota
Minnesota is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Dallas
Minnesota is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Seattle @ Atlanta
Seattle
Seattle is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing Atlanta
Seattle is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta
Atlanta is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Atlanta is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Las Vegas @ Los Angeles
Las Vegas
Las Vegas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Las Vegas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Los Angeles
Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games when playing Las Vegas
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Los Angeles's last 19 games when playing at home against Las Vegas
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Completed Picks
| Date | League | Game | Score | Pick | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 12, 2023 | WNBA | New York Indiana | 95 87 | NY -10.0 | Loss |
| Jul 9, 2023 | MLB | Colorado San Francisco | 0 1 | Over 8.0 | Loss |
| Jul 7, 2023 | WNBA | Las Vegas Dallas | 78 80 | DAL +8.5 | Win |
| Jul 6, 2023 | MLB | Baltimore NY Yankees | 14 1 | BAL -130 | Win |
| Jul 5, 2023 | WNBA | Phoenix New York | 95 99 | NY -15.0 | Loss |
| Jul 4, 2023 | MLB | NY Mets Arizona | 8 5 | Under 9.5 | Loss |
| Jul 3, 2023 | MLB | Seattle San Francisco | 6 5 | Over 7.5 | Win |
| Jul 2, 2023 | MLB | San Francisco NY Mets | 4 8 | Over 9.0 | Win |
| Jul 1, 2023 | MLB | LA Dodgers Kansas City | 4 6 | Over 9.5 | Win |
Completed Picks
Past Completed Picks| Date | W-L-T | % | Units | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07/12/2023 | 4-6-0 | 40.00% | -1300 | Detail |
| 07/11/2023 | 1-3-0 | 25.00% | -1150 | Detail |
| 07/09/2023 | 5-5-0 | 50.00% | -250 | Detail |
| 07/08/2023 | 1-1-0 | 50.00% | -50 | Detail |
| 07/07/2023 | 6-2-0 | 75.00% | +1900 | Detail |
| 07/06/2023 | 1-0-1 | 75.00% | +500 | Detail |
| 07/05/2023 | 3-5-0 | 37.50% | -1250 | Detail |
| 07/02/2023 | 5-3-0 | 62.50% | +850 | Detail |
| 07/01/2023 | 1-3-0 | 25.00% | -1150 | Detail |
WNBA JULY'S BEST BETS
07/12/2023........................2 - 5.............................28.57%...........................- 17.50
07/11/2023........................1 - 3.............................25.00%...........................-11.50
07/09/2023........................5 - 3.............................66.50%............................+ 8.50
07/08/2023........................1 - 1.............................50.00%............................- 0.50
07/07/2023........................5 - 2.............................71.42%............................+ 9.00
07/06/2023........................1 -0 - 1........................100.00%............................+ 5.00
07/05/2023........................1 - 4.............................20.00%............................- 17.00
07/02/2023........................4 - 3.............................57.14%............................+ 3.50
07/01/2023........................1 - 3.............................25.00%............................- 11.50
TOTALS.............................20 - 24...........................45.45%............................- 32.00
07/12/2023........................2 - 5.............................28.57%...........................- 17.50
07/11/2023........................1 - 3.............................25.00%...........................-11.50
07/09/2023........................5 - 3.............................66.50%............................+ 8.50
07/08/2023........................1 - 1.............................50.00%............................- 0.50
07/07/2023........................5 - 2.............................71.42%............................+ 9.00
07/06/2023........................1 -0 - 1........................100.00%............................+ 5.00
07/05/2023........................1 - 4.............................20.00%............................- 17.00
07/02/2023........................4 - 3.............................57.14%............................+ 3.50
07/01/2023........................1 - 3.............................25.00%............................- 11.50
TOTALS.............................20 - 24...........................45.45%............................- 32.00
Thursday’s 6-pack:
Odds for the Scottish Open golf tournament:
6-1— Scottie Scheffler
7-1— Rory McIlroy
12-1— Patrick Cantlay
16-1 Xander Schayffele/Tyrrell Hatton
18-1— Viktor Hovland
20-1— Rickie Fowler
Quote of the Day
“I’ll get to the bottom of this, if I have to go all the way to the top.”
Colonel Flagg, M*A*S*H
Thursday’s quiz
Which current NBA coach was an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs, when Jerry Tarkanian coached the Spurs in 1992?
Wednesday’s quiz
WR Larry Fitzgerald will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame some day; he caught 48 TD passes from Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, the most he caught from any QB. Carson Palmer threw him the 2nd-most TD’s (29).
Tuesday’s quiz
OF/1B Pete LaCock played nine years in the major leagues for the Cubs/Royals; his father was a famous game show host, Peter Marshall, who hosted the Hollywood Squares for 16 years.
**********************************************************
— Oklahoma was 6-7 SU last year; from 2013-21, they were 97-21.
— Since 2016, Kansas State is 18-9 ATS as a road underdog.
Under Klieman, K-State is 15-7 ATS as a favorite.
— Since 2016, TCU is 10-21-2 ATS as a home favorite.
Horned Frogs are 18-12-2 ATS in their last 32 games outside the Big X.
— Last four years, Baylor is 31-19 SU, +33 in turnovers.
Last two years, Bears are 7-2 ATS as a home favorite.
— Last three years, Texas Tech is 19-17 SU, despite a minus-22 turnover ratio.
Last four years, Red Raiders are 5-11 ATS as a road underdog.
— Since 2015, Oklahoma State is 17-8 ATS as an underdog.
— Central Florida is 4-10 ATS in last 14 games coming off a loss.
UCF is 16-24 ATS in its last 40 games as a favorite.
— Under Campbell, Iowa State is 21-11-2 ATS as an underdog.
— In his career, Leipold is 29-14-2 ATS in home games.
Last ten years, Kansas hasn’t been favored at all on the road.
— Last seven years, BYU is 12-4 ATS as a road underdog.
— Last five bowl games, West Virginia is 1-4 SU/0-5 ATS.
Since 2018, Mountaineers are 11-5 ATS as a home favorite.
— In his career, Houston coach Holgorson is 18-12 ATS as a road underdog, 27-42-1 ATS in home games.
— Last three years, Cincinnati was 31-6 SU, but 0-3 in bowl games, losing by a combined score of 75-34. New coach Satterfield is 4-1 SU in bowl games.
— Movie of the Day: Hoop Dreams (1994)— A documentary following the lives of two inner-city Chicago high school kids who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going pro. Real life movies are generally better than fiction; no happy endings here.
One player goes to a private school, the school Isiah Thomas went to, but he hurts his knee which hampers his play. He winds up playing three years at Marquette.
The second player winds up playing at a public high school, then in college at Arkansas State.
Neither player made it to the NBA.
This is a good movie, realistic as documentaries are.
— College football bowl Trend of the Day— Underdogs are 6-2 ATS in last eight Alamo Bowls.
— Random extra college football trend: Last three years, Alabama is 13-5-1 ATS as a home favorite.
Odds for the Scottish Open golf tournament:
6-1— Scottie Scheffler
7-1— Rory McIlroy
12-1— Patrick Cantlay
16-1 Xander Schayffele/Tyrrell Hatton
18-1— Viktor Hovland
20-1— Rickie Fowler
Quote of the Day
“I’ll get to the bottom of this, if I have to go all the way to the top.”
Colonel Flagg, M*A*S*H
Thursday’s quiz
Which current NBA coach was an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs, when Jerry Tarkanian coached the Spurs in 1992?
Wednesday’s quiz
WR Larry Fitzgerald will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame some day; he caught 48 TD passes from Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, the most he caught from any QB. Carson Palmer threw him the 2nd-most TD’s (29).
Tuesday’s quiz
OF/1B Pete LaCock played nine years in the major leagues for the Cubs/Royals; his father was a famous game show host, Peter Marshall, who hosted the Hollywood Squares for 16 years.
**********************************************************
Thursday’s Den: Big X college football trends……..
— Last 10 years, Texas Longhorns are 27-36 ATS coming off a win.— Oklahoma was 6-7 SU last year; from 2013-21, they were 97-21.
— Since 2016, Kansas State is 18-9 ATS as a road underdog.
Under Klieman, K-State is 15-7 ATS as a favorite.
— Since 2016, TCU is 10-21-2 ATS as a home favorite.
Horned Frogs are 18-12-2 ATS in their last 32 games outside the Big X.
— Last four years, Baylor is 31-19 SU, +33 in turnovers.
Last two years, Bears are 7-2 ATS as a home favorite.
— Last three years, Texas Tech is 19-17 SU, despite a minus-22 turnover ratio.
Last four years, Red Raiders are 5-11 ATS as a road underdog.
— Since 2015, Oklahoma State is 17-8 ATS as an underdog.
— Central Florida is 4-10 ATS in last 14 games coming off a loss.
UCF is 16-24 ATS in its last 40 games as a favorite.
— Under Campbell, Iowa State is 21-11-2 ATS as an underdog.
— In his career, Leipold is 29-14-2 ATS in home games.
Last ten years, Kansas hasn’t been favored at all on the road.
— Last seven years, BYU is 12-4 ATS as a road underdog.
— Last five bowl games, West Virginia is 1-4 SU/0-5 ATS.
Since 2018, Mountaineers are 11-5 ATS as a home favorite.
— In his career, Houston coach Holgorson is 18-12 ATS as a road underdog, 27-42-1 ATS in home games.
— Last three years, Cincinnati was 31-6 SU, but 0-3 in bowl games, losing by a combined score of 75-34. New coach Satterfield is 4-1 SU in bowl games.
— Movie of the Day: Hoop Dreams (1994)— A documentary following the lives of two inner-city Chicago high school kids who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going pro. Real life movies are generally better than fiction; no happy endings here.
One player goes to a private school, the school Isiah Thomas went to, but he hurts his knee which hampers his play. He winds up playing three years at Marquette.
The second player winds up playing at a public high school, then in college at Arkansas State.
Neither player made it to the NBA.
This is a good movie, realistic as documentaries are.
— College football bowl Trend of the Day— Underdogs are 6-2 ATS in last eight Alamo Bowls.
— Random extra college football trend: Last three years, Alabama is 13-5-1 ATS as a home favorite.
Armadillo Sports
Friday’s 6-pack:
Six NFL teams who haven’t won a playoff game in the last 10 years:
— Bears
— Lions
— Raiders
— Dolphins
— Jets
— Commanders
Quotes of the Day
Robert Hays: “Surely you can’t be serious.”
Leslie Nielsen: “I am serious… and don’t call me Shirley.”
From the classic movie, Airplane!
Friday’s quiz
Which USFL team did Hall of Famer Jim Kelly play for?
Thursday’s quiz
Knicks’ coach Tom Thibodeau was an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs, when Jerry Tarkanian coached the Spurs in 1992.
Wednesday’s quiz
WR Larry Fitzgerald will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame some day; he caught 48 TD passes from Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, the most he caught from any QB. Carson Palmer threw him the 2nd-most TD’s (29).
***********************************************************
Friday’s Den: Random stuff with the weekend here……..
— One thing to remember when college football season starts; clock won’t stop anymore after first downs, except in last 2:00 of each half, so college games will have lot fewer plays than in previous years, which means that scoring should decrease.
Something to think about if you wager on totals in college football.
— According to the Interweb, baseball commissioner Rob Manfred makes $17M a year.
In the history of the world, no one has ever looked more miserable while earning $17M a year.
Cheer up, Rob!!! Instead of a graphic during the baseball draft that says, “Robert D Manfred Jr” how about “Rob Manfred”? And lose the tie, kind of like Roger Goodell does during the NFL’s draft. I know Goodell isn’t a lawyer, but he’s a really good commissioner.
It is baseball, it is summer, have fun. Pretend you like baseball; you make $17M a year, smile once in a while.
— Here is some Rob Manfred can smile about; ballgames are 27 minutes shorter this season, so his rules changes to quicken the pace of play are working.
— Baseball season resumes tonight, with 18 days until the trade deadline.
— White Sox OF Luis Robert tweaked his right calf in Home Run Derby, sat out the All-Stsr Game Tuesday. He is questionable for the White Sox’ series in Atlanta this weekend.
— A’s OF Brent Rooker went 4-32 in the majors last year, playing for Royals/Padres. Imagine how excited he must’ve been Tuesday, not only playing in an All-Star Game, but hitting a double in the game?
Understood that he was there only because he plays for a cruddy team and every team has to be represented, but Rooker is still having a very good season. Hope he is enjoying it.
— National League won the All-Star Game Tuesday for first time since 2012; last time the NL won an All-Star Game, the managers were Tony LaRussa and Ron Washington.
Only two guys who started in that game who are still playing?
Justin Verlander and Joey Votto.
— Baseball players’ union would like the pitch clock rules to be relaxed a little bit when the playoffs roll around. It is unclear whether that will happen, but it would be hideous if a playoff game ended on a pitch clock violation.
— 2024 baseball season will begin when the Dodgers-Padres play two games in South Korea, on March 20-21.
March 28 is Opening Day on this continent.
— Movie of the Day: Up In the Air (2009)— Ryan Bingham lives out of a suitcase for his job, traveling around the country firing people, but finds that lifestyle threatened by a new hire presenting a new business model.
George Clooney is the star; Anna Kendrick is his new co-worker, Vera Farmiga is his female friend who he hooks up with on his road trips.
Jason Bateman plays Clooney’s boss; there are cameos by JK Simmons, Sam Elliott, Zach Galifianakis. Good movie, though the scenes where people get fired are a little unpleasant.
— College football Trend of the Day— since 2015, Temple is 12-5-1 ATS as a home underdog.
— Green Bay Packers punted 54 times last year; Jets punted 83 times. Numbers should be much closer this year, with Aaron Rodgers living in New Jersey now.
— NBA is supposedly looking at Seattle/Las Vegas as cities for expansion teams.
— Portland Trailblazers’ star Damian Lillard would like to be traded to the Miami Heat; someone on the Interweb posted that if Lillard were to get traded to the Heat, he would save a total of $21,000,000 in taxes over the remainder of his very large contract.
Thats million, with an M.
— They played the Futures Game in Seattle Wednesday, a minor league All-Star Game. One thing they experimented with in the game; teams could challenge ball/strike calls, with the decision coming from an automated strike zone.
I’m afraid we’re not too far away from the automated strike zone becoming a thing in the major leagues. There is no perfect system, I’d prefer umpires to still call balls/strikes.
Friday’s 6-pack:
Six NFL teams who haven’t won a playoff game in the last 10 years:
— Bears
— Lions
— Raiders
— Dolphins
— Jets
— Commanders
Quotes of the Day
Robert Hays: “Surely you can’t be serious.”
Leslie Nielsen: “I am serious… and don’t call me Shirley.”
From the classic movie, Airplane!
Friday’s quiz
Which USFL team did Hall of Famer Jim Kelly play for?
Thursday’s quiz
Knicks’ coach Tom Thibodeau was an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs, when Jerry Tarkanian coached the Spurs in 1992.
Wednesday’s quiz
WR Larry Fitzgerald will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame some day; he caught 48 TD passes from Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, the most he caught from any QB. Carson Palmer threw him the 2nd-most TD’s (29).
***********************************************************
Friday’s Den: Random stuff with the weekend here……..
— One thing to remember when college football season starts; clock won’t stop anymore after first downs, except in last 2:00 of each half, so college games will have lot fewer plays than in previous years, which means that scoring should decrease.
Something to think about if you wager on totals in college football.
— According to the Interweb, baseball commissioner Rob Manfred makes $17M a year.
In the history of the world, no one has ever looked more miserable while earning $17M a year.
Cheer up, Rob!!! Instead of a graphic during the baseball draft that says, “Robert D Manfred Jr” how about “Rob Manfred”? And lose the tie, kind of like Roger Goodell does during the NFL’s draft. I know Goodell isn’t a lawyer, but he’s a really good commissioner.
It is baseball, it is summer, have fun. Pretend you like baseball; you make $17M a year, smile once in a while.
— Here is some Rob Manfred can smile about; ballgames are 27 minutes shorter this season, so his rules changes to quicken the pace of play are working.
— Baseball season resumes tonight, with 18 days until the trade deadline.
— White Sox OF Luis Robert tweaked his right calf in Home Run Derby, sat out the All-Stsr Game Tuesday. He is questionable for the White Sox’ series in Atlanta this weekend.
— A’s OF Brent Rooker went 4-32 in the majors last year, playing for Royals/Padres. Imagine how excited he must’ve been Tuesday, not only playing in an All-Star Game, but hitting a double in the game?
Understood that he was there only because he plays for a cruddy team and every team has to be represented, but Rooker is still having a very good season. Hope he is enjoying it.
— National League won the All-Star Game Tuesday for first time since 2012; last time the NL won an All-Star Game, the managers were Tony LaRussa and Ron Washington.
Only two guys who started in that game who are still playing?
Justin Verlander and Joey Votto.
— Baseball players’ union would like the pitch clock rules to be relaxed a little bit when the playoffs roll around. It is unclear whether that will happen, but it would be hideous if a playoff game ended on a pitch clock violation.
— 2024 baseball season will begin when the Dodgers-Padres play two games in South Korea, on March 20-21.
March 28 is Opening Day on this continent.
— Movie of the Day: Up In the Air (2009)— Ryan Bingham lives out of a suitcase for his job, traveling around the country firing people, but finds that lifestyle threatened by a new hire presenting a new business model.
George Clooney is the star; Anna Kendrick is his new co-worker, Vera Farmiga is his female friend who he hooks up with on his road trips.
Jason Bateman plays Clooney’s boss; there are cameos by JK Simmons, Sam Elliott, Zach Galifianakis. Good movie, though the scenes where people get fired are a little unpleasant.
— College football Trend of the Day— since 2015, Temple is 12-5-1 ATS as a home underdog.
— Green Bay Packers punted 54 times last year; Jets punted 83 times. Numbers should be much closer this year, with Aaron Rodgers living in New Jersey now.
— NBA is supposedly looking at Seattle/Las Vegas as cities for expansion teams.
— Portland Trailblazers’ star Damian Lillard would like to be traded to the Miami Heat; someone on the Interweb posted that if Lillard were to get traded to the Heat, he would save a total of $21,000,000 in taxes over the remainder of his very large contract.
Thats million, with an M.
— They played the Futures Game in Seattle Wednesday, a minor league All-Star Game. One thing they experimented with in the game; teams could challenge ball/strike calls, with the decision coming from an automated strike zone.
I’m afraid we’re not too far away from the automated strike zone becoming a thing in the major leagues. There is no perfect system, I’d prefer umpires to still call balls/strikes.
Armadillo Sports
Saturday’s 6-pack:
Teams that have scored the most runs:
543— Texas Rangers
508— Tampa Bay Rays
506— Atlanta Braves
500— Los Angeles Dodgers
459— Boston Red Sox
454— Cincinnati Reds
Quote of the Day
“He’s earned the trust of the locker room. Guys respect him. Guys wanna play for him. Guys wanna help him as much as they wanna help themselves. Nothing’s perfect in football, everybody knows that. I think he’s got a lot of support. Everybody would run through a wall for him.”
Green Bay RB AJ Dillon, talking about QB Jordan Love
Saturday’s quiz
Who has scored the most runs in Seattle Mariners’ history?
Friday’s quiz
Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly played for the Houston Gamblers in the USFL.
Thursday’s quiz
Knicks’ coach Tom Thibodeau was an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs, when Jerry Tarkanian coached the Spurs in 1992.
******************************************************
Saturday’s Den: Wrapping up a busy Friday night
— Washington-St Louis game was suspended by cruddy weather in the 3rd inning Friday; they’ll resume that game Saturday afternoon, will play the regularly scheduled game Saturday night.
— I’ve mentioned a few times how the NBA Summer League is a fun event to go to in Las Vegas; lot of good basketball in air conditioning. Plus, when the games are over, you’re in Las Vegas, which is always fun.
One of the least important parts of summer league is who wins; it is one of the few times when basketball isn’t a team sport. Just about every guy on the court is fighting like hell to make an NBA roster, or a G-League roster or a roster somewhere overseas (guys who play overseas are still signing six-figure contracts).
How do you impress teams enough to give you a contact?
Shooting is always marketable; good shooting, obviously.
Do one thing EXCEPTIONALLY well. Rebound, defend, shoot, pass, do something that makes you stand out and helps the team win. But YOU need to somehow stand out.
Duncan Robinson plays for the Miami Heat, has made around $36M in his first five years in the NBA. His first year in college, he played Division III, non-scholarship basketball at Williams, a fancy academic school. Very few D-III players, VERY few ever make it into an NBA game, unless they buy a ticket to get it. And the higher level of D-III basketball is very good ball.
But Duncan Robinson is an elite shooter; he played three years at Michigan for John Beilein, and has played five years for the Heat, making 39.9% of his 3’s.
Thats what guys in the summer league are trying to do, impress one team enough to have them invite him to training camp. Getting your foot in the door is the most important thing, and the summer league is a great way to do it.
In other words, Player A may be playing for the Knicks’ summer league team, but he’s actually trying out for all 30 teams— everyone has scouts at these games. The cruddy teams need more help than the good teams.
— Kid named Chris Ledlum played basketball for Harvard last year, he averaged 18.8 ppg, 8.5 rebounds a game LY, was a unanimous first-team All-Ivy League selection.
He transferred to Tennessee in May, now he is in the transfer portal again, because that is what modern college basketball has become.
— They drew 29,102 fans to Opening Day Thursday at Saratoga Racecourse here in beautiful upstate New York. Fun place to go in the summer. They had 23,583 people there Friday; a day at the track is relaxing. Lot of rich people hanging around and lot of other people trying to look rich.
— CW Network is going to show ACC football/basketball games this fall/winter, which is good news. Always good to have lot of games on to watch.
— Movie of the Day: Tender Mercies (1983)— A fading, middle-aged country singer gets a new wife, reaches out to his long-lost daughter, and tries to put his troubled life back together.
Robert Duvall is the star, playing the singer; Wilford Brimley is also in this movie, with a very young Ellen Barkin. Very good cast; the movie is little slow at times, but it is a good story.
— College football Trend of the Day— Favorites won/covered the last four Las Vegas Bowls.
— Atlanta Braves have outscored opponents 94-30 in the first inning this year.
— Dodgers 6, Mets 0— New York got one hit in six innings off of Julio Urias.
— Brewers 1, Reds 0— These two teams are tied for first place in the NL Central.
— Rangers 12, Guardians 4— Cleveland led 4-3 in 7th inning, then their bullpen imploded. Nathaniel Lowe was 4-4, with a home run and four runs scored.
— Astros 7, Angels 5— Angels have lost 10 of their last 11 games. Ohtani stopped pitching in this game in 6th inning, probably due to blister/fingernail issues.
Saturday’s 6-pack:
Teams that have scored the most runs:
543— Texas Rangers
508— Tampa Bay Rays
506— Atlanta Braves
500— Los Angeles Dodgers
459— Boston Red Sox
454— Cincinnati Reds
Quote of the Day
“He’s earned the trust of the locker room. Guys respect him. Guys wanna play for him. Guys wanna help him as much as they wanna help themselves. Nothing’s perfect in football, everybody knows that. I think he’s got a lot of support. Everybody would run through a wall for him.”
Green Bay RB AJ Dillon, talking about QB Jordan Love
Saturday’s quiz
Who has scored the most runs in Seattle Mariners’ history?
Friday’s quiz
Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly played for the Houston Gamblers in the USFL.
Thursday’s quiz
Knicks’ coach Tom Thibodeau was an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs, when Jerry Tarkanian coached the Spurs in 1992.
******************************************************
Saturday’s Den: Wrapping up a busy Friday night
— Washington-St Louis game was suspended by cruddy weather in the 3rd inning Friday; they’ll resume that game Saturday afternoon, will play the regularly scheduled game Saturday night.
— I’ve mentioned a few times how the NBA Summer League is a fun event to go to in Las Vegas; lot of good basketball in air conditioning. Plus, when the games are over, you’re in Las Vegas, which is always fun.
One of the least important parts of summer league is who wins; it is one of the few times when basketball isn’t a team sport. Just about every guy on the court is fighting like hell to make an NBA roster, or a G-League roster or a roster somewhere overseas (guys who play overseas are still signing six-figure contracts).
How do you impress teams enough to give you a contact?
Shooting is always marketable; good shooting, obviously.
Do one thing EXCEPTIONALLY well. Rebound, defend, shoot, pass, do something that makes you stand out and helps the team win. But YOU need to somehow stand out.
Duncan Robinson plays for the Miami Heat, has made around $36M in his first five years in the NBA. His first year in college, he played Division III, non-scholarship basketball at Williams, a fancy academic school. Very few D-III players, VERY few ever make it into an NBA game, unless they buy a ticket to get it. And the higher level of D-III basketball is very good ball.
But Duncan Robinson is an elite shooter; he played three years at Michigan for John Beilein, and has played five years for the Heat, making 39.9% of his 3’s.
Thats what guys in the summer league are trying to do, impress one team enough to have them invite him to training camp. Getting your foot in the door is the most important thing, and the summer league is a great way to do it.
In other words, Player A may be playing for the Knicks’ summer league team, but he’s actually trying out for all 30 teams— everyone has scouts at these games. The cruddy teams need more help than the good teams.
— Kid named Chris Ledlum played basketball for Harvard last year, he averaged 18.8 ppg, 8.5 rebounds a game LY, was a unanimous first-team All-Ivy League selection.
He transferred to Tennessee in May, now he is in the transfer portal again, because that is what modern college basketball has become.
— They drew 29,102 fans to Opening Day Thursday at Saratoga Racecourse here in beautiful upstate New York. Fun place to go in the summer. They had 23,583 people there Friday; a day at the track is relaxing. Lot of rich people hanging around and lot of other people trying to look rich.
— CW Network is going to show ACC football/basketball games this fall/winter, which is good news. Always good to have lot of games on to watch.
— Movie of the Day: Tender Mercies (1983)— A fading, middle-aged country singer gets a new wife, reaches out to his long-lost daughter, and tries to put his troubled life back together.
Robert Duvall is the star, playing the singer; Wilford Brimley is also in this movie, with a very young Ellen Barkin. Very good cast; the movie is little slow at times, but it is a good story.
— College football Trend of the Day— Favorites won/covered the last four Las Vegas Bowls.
— Atlanta Braves have outscored opponents 94-30 in the first inning this year.
— Dodgers 6, Mets 0— New York got one hit in six innings off of Julio Urias.
— Brewers 1, Reds 0— These two teams are tied for first place in the NL Central.
— Rangers 12, Guardians 4— Cleveland led 4-3 in 7th inning, then their bullpen imploded. Nathaniel Lowe was 4-4, with a home run and four runs scored.
— Astros 7, Angels 5— Angels have lost 10 of their last 11 games. Ohtani stopped pitching in this game in 6th inning, probably due to blister/fingernail issues.
Armadillo Sports
Sunday’s 6-pack:
Teams that have scored the fewest runs:
340— Royals, A’s
357— Tigers
369— Guardians
384— Pirates
386— Nationals
388— Brewers
Quote of the Day
“I’m exhausted for him, and I don’t know how he’s doing it. He’s a young kid and he’s managing a lot. It’s balancing a lot. It’s balancing his emotions, and that’s hard. It’s hard for anybody. So, you know, I tried to just get with him and let him know that I’m proud of him for that and that we’re behind him.”
D-backs manager Torey Lovullo, talking about All-Star OF Corbin Carroll
Sunday’s quiz
Which team in the NFL is the only one that has never had a QB throw for 4,000+ yards in a season?
Saturday’s quiz
Edgar Martinez has scored the most runs in Seattle Mariners’ history.
Friday’s quiz
Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly played for the Houston Gamblers in the USFL.
**********************************************************
Sunday’s Den: Wrapping up a sports Saturday……..
— Please excuse the language in the story here, but this was a funny moment……..
Went to Saratoga racetrack with friends Saturday; was fun hanging around watching the races on a great summer day.
10th race was won by a horse that was 46-1; we’re sitting there when they post the prices on the tote board, and this middle-aged guy struts by us with a grin on his face and yells out……..
“fuckin’ delicious!!!!”
You win with a 46-1 shot, you deserve to celebrate.
— Steph Curry is playing golf this weekend at a celebrity tournament in Nevada; Saturday, he got a hole-in-one on the par-3, 152-yard 7th hole.
His reaction is pretty cool; you’ve probably already seen it— he just sprints up the fairway with total joy. His playing partner Joe Pavelski and the caddies pretty much did the same thing. It was a fun thing to see.
— Major league umpire Tony Randazzo is an older cousin of Angels’ TV voice Wayne Randazzo.
— Dodgers 5, Mets 1
Mets scored only one run in their first two games after the All-Star break.
Dodgers pulled Tony Gonsolin after 5 IP, only 54 PT— they said he isn’t hurt.
— Jake Marisnick played some outfield off the bench for the Dodgers Saturday night, the 9th team he’s played for in his 11-year major league career, the third team this season. He’s played on six different teams the last three years.
631 of his 674 big league games were with Houston; he’s made roughly $13M in his career, not bad for a guy with a .228 lifetime batting average. He is a very good defensive outfielder.
— Phillies 6-9, Padres 4-4— Rough day for San Diego- Fernando Tatis left with an injury, but Manny Machado did hit his 300th career home run.
— Angels 13, Astros 12 (10)
Houston led 9-3 in 7th inning.
Houston led 12-9 in 9th inning.
Angels scored winning run on a throwing error by Houston’s backup SS.
For a team in a pennant race, this was a hideous loss.
— Brewers 3, Reds 0— Cincinnati is 1-4 against the Brewers over the last nine days; they got shut out the last two days. Milwaukee takes over first place in the NL Central.
— Giants 3, Pirates 1— San Francisco is 13-4 when Alex Cobb starts on the mound.
— Pirates are calling up pitching prospect Quinn Priester to make his MLB debut Monday against Cleveland.
— Movie of the Day: The Way Back (2020)— Ben Affleck plays a high school basketball phenom who walked away from the game, forfeiting his future. Years later, when he reluctantly accepts a coaching job at his alma mater, he gets one last shot at redemption.
The basketball scenes in this movie are really well done; the story is kind of depressing. Affleck’s character has a severe drinking problem, and his marriage fell apart after their young child died.
All in all though, a good movie.
— College football Trend of the Day— since 2014, South Alabama is 16-23 ATS as a road underdog.
— Cleveland Guardians put star P Shane Bieber on the IL with elbow inflammation.
— This is the 19th year of our fantasy baseball league; way back when we started the league, in 2005, my first pick in our draft was Matt Holliday, a really good outfielder for the Rockies.
Now it is 2023, and Holliday’s son Jackson is a big prospect for the Orioles— he just got called up to AA. I would really like to get him on my team, but someone in our league drafted him this year before I could, and since then, he’s been traded twice.
Looks like I won’t be able to get him on my team; too bad.
— Surfing through my TV late at night, an old TV show popped up on Hulu, one of the most bizarre TV shows ever— Nip/Tuck, about two plastic surgeons with opposite personalities who work together. This show definitely kept the censors busy— it was on FX.
— Friday night, Guardians’ Josh Naylor/Bo Naylor become the first brothers to hit a home run in same inning for the same team since 2013, when BJ/Justin Upton both homered for Atlanta.
Naylors have another brother, Myles, who is a 3B the A’s took with the 39th pick in the draft last week— he got $2,202,500 to sign out of high school.
Sunday’s 6-pack:
Teams that have scored the fewest runs:
340— Royals, A’s
357— Tigers
369— Guardians
384— Pirates
386— Nationals
388— Brewers
Quote of the Day
“I’m exhausted for him, and I don’t know how he’s doing it. He’s a young kid and he’s managing a lot. It’s balancing a lot. It’s balancing his emotions, and that’s hard. It’s hard for anybody. So, you know, I tried to just get with him and let him know that I’m proud of him for that and that we’re behind him.”
D-backs manager Torey Lovullo, talking about All-Star OF Corbin Carroll
Sunday’s quiz
Which team in the NFL is the only one that has never had a QB throw for 4,000+ yards in a season?
Saturday’s quiz
Edgar Martinez has scored the most runs in Seattle Mariners’ history.
Friday’s quiz
Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly played for the Houston Gamblers in the USFL.
**********************************************************
Sunday’s Den: Wrapping up a sports Saturday……..
— Please excuse the language in the story here, but this was a funny moment……..
Went to Saratoga racetrack with friends Saturday; was fun hanging around watching the races on a great summer day.
10th race was won by a horse that was 46-1; we’re sitting there when they post the prices on the tote board, and this middle-aged guy struts by us with a grin on his face and yells out……..
“fuckin’ delicious!!!!”
You win with a 46-1 shot, you deserve to celebrate.
— Steph Curry is playing golf this weekend at a celebrity tournament in Nevada; Saturday, he got a hole-in-one on the par-3, 152-yard 7th hole.
His reaction is pretty cool; you’ve probably already seen it— he just sprints up the fairway with total joy. His playing partner Joe Pavelski and the caddies pretty much did the same thing. It was a fun thing to see.
— Major league umpire Tony Randazzo is an older cousin of Angels’ TV voice Wayne Randazzo.
— Dodgers 5, Mets 1
Mets scored only one run in their first two games after the All-Star break.
Dodgers pulled Tony Gonsolin after 5 IP, only 54 PT— they said he isn’t hurt.
— Jake Marisnick played some outfield off the bench for the Dodgers Saturday night, the 9th team he’s played for in his 11-year major league career, the third team this season. He’s played on six different teams the last three years.
631 of his 674 big league games were with Houston; he’s made roughly $13M in his career, not bad for a guy with a .228 lifetime batting average. He is a very good defensive outfielder.
— Phillies 6-9, Padres 4-4— Rough day for San Diego- Fernando Tatis left with an injury, but Manny Machado did hit his 300th career home run.
— Angels 13, Astros 12 (10)
Houston led 9-3 in 7th inning.
Houston led 12-9 in 9th inning.
Angels scored winning run on a throwing error by Houston’s backup SS.
For a team in a pennant race, this was a hideous loss.
— Brewers 3, Reds 0— Cincinnati is 1-4 against the Brewers over the last nine days; they got shut out the last two days. Milwaukee takes over first place in the NL Central.
— Giants 3, Pirates 1— San Francisco is 13-4 when Alex Cobb starts on the mound.
— Pirates are calling up pitching prospect Quinn Priester to make his MLB debut Monday against Cleveland.
— Movie of the Day: The Way Back (2020)— Ben Affleck plays a high school basketball phenom who walked away from the game, forfeiting his future. Years later, when he reluctantly accepts a coaching job at his alma mater, he gets one last shot at redemption.
The basketball scenes in this movie are really well done; the story is kind of depressing. Affleck’s character has a severe drinking problem, and his marriage fell apart after their young child died.
All in all though, a good movie.
— College football Trend of the Day— since 2014, South Alabama is 16-23 ATS as a road underdog.
— Cleveland Guardians put star P Shane Bieber on the IL with elbow inflammation.
— This is the 19th year of our fantasy baseball league; way back when we started the league, in 2005, my first pick in our draft was Matt Holliday, a really good outfielder for the Rockies.
Now it is 2023, and Holliday’s son Jackson is a big prospect for the Orioles— he just got called up to AA. I would really like to get him on my team, but someone in our league drafted him this year before I could, and since then, he’s been traded twice.
Looks like I won’t be able to get him on my team; too bad.
— Surfing through my TV late at night, an old TV show popped up on Hulu, one of the most bizarre TV shows ever— Nip/Tuck, about two plastic surgeons with opposite personalities who work together. This show definitely kept the censors busy— it was on FX.
— Friday night, Guardians’ Josh Naylor/Bo Naylor become the first brothers to hit a home run in same inning for the same team since 2013, when BJ/Justin Upton both homered for Atlanta.
Naylors have another brother, Myles, who is a 3B the A’s took with the 39th pick in the draft last week— he got $2,202,500 to sign out of high school.
