The Bum's MLB Best Bets - Trends - News Thru the World Series !

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World series record:

10/25/2016 1-1-0 50.00% -50

10/26/2016 0-2-0 0.00% -1050

ats: 1 - 1
o/u: 0 - 2

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Friday’s six-pack

Some NFL trends to ponder on a Friday

— Arizona is 22-11-1 vs spread in last 34 non-divisional games.

— Buccaneers are 1-7 in last eight games as a home favorite.

— Detroit is 5-10 in its last 15 games against AFC teams.

— Denver is 20-9 vs spread in its last 29 divisional games.

— Cowboys are 7-19 as a home favorite vs NFC East teams.

— Minnesota covered 10 of its last 12 as a favorite.


Friday’s List of 13: Things I’m looking for this weekend…….

13) Average total in Falcons’ games this year is 61.1; Packers were held to 14-16 in their two losses, scored 23+ in their wins. You do the math.

12) Don’t sleep on Navy-South Florida Friday night; Middies run the ball down your throat but USF has really good speed, so we’ll see. Tough to prepare for the Navy option game. Navy is also 24-10 as a road underdog.

11) Houston is 4-0 at home, 0-3 on the road; Texans have a short week after losing in Denver Monday night. Every Detroit game is close; they’re fun to watch. All seven Lion games were decided by 7 or less points.

10) TCU beat Texas Tech 55-52/82-28 last two years; not like the Red Raiders are any better on defense now, but Horned Frogs are lot younger- they struggled to beat Kansas 24-23 two weeks ago.

9) Jimmy Graham was a great player for the Saints, but in Seattle? Not so much. Seahawks are in the Superdome this week. Interesting game.

8) World Series visits Wrigley Field for first time since 1945. Teams split first two games in Cleveland. Schwarber sits; no DH in NL parks.

7) New England actually has a revenge motive this week in Buffalo. Bills blanked Patriots 16-0 in Week 4, the last game of the Jacoby Brissett era in Foxboro.

6) Baylor-Texas are not friendly rivals; lot of chirping goes back/forth on the recruiting trail. Unbeaten Bears might send Charlie Strong packing with a win in Austin.

5) Cleveland Browns signed QB Joe Callahan this week, who played college ball at D-III Wesley College in Delaware; he had been with Packers/Saints this year and if McCarthy/Payton have an interest in a QB, this kid may be pretty good. Browns have used six QBs in seven weeks, so not like the kid could be any worse.

4) Nebraska is unbeaten and a 9-point underdog in Madison, where they were smoked in last two visits. Badgers have played a very tough schedule so far.

3) Eagles-Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, with two rookie QB’s. Teams that were hot going into their bye week have stumbled a little coming out of the bye. This should be a good game.

2) Clemson-Florida State in Tallahassee is an ACC classic; Seminoles are thin on defense, but coming off a bye (which they badly needed) am curious to see how FSU does. Last time Clemson went to Tallahassee as the higher-rated team? 1989.

1) Huge trap game for the Vikings in Chicago Monday night, with Jay Cutler expected back for the Bears. Minnesota was sloppy (four turnovers) in Philly last week; need to right the ship.

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Game 3 - Indians at Cubs
October 27, 2016

World Series - Game 3
Cleveland Indians (94-67) at Chicago Cubs (103-58)
First pitch: Friday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Sportsbook.ag Line: Cleveland +180, Chicago -200, Total: 8 (Over -110, Under -110)

Series Results - Tied 1-1
Game 1) Chicago at Cleveland (-110) - (6-0, Favorite - Under 6.5)
Game 2) Chicago (-155) at Cleveland - (5-1, Favorite - Under 7.5)

With the World Series tied at one game apiece, the Indians and Cubs head to Chicago for Game 3.

After getting shut out in Game 1, the Cubs (103-58) leveled the World Series at 1-1 with a 5-1 victory over the Indians (94-67) in Game 2.

Now, after two games in Cleveland, the series shifts to Wrigley Field, where the Cubs went 57-24 during the regular season and have gone 4-1 in the postseason.

The Cubs will have the clear pitching edge in Game 3. Kyle Hendricks (16-8, 2.13 ERA during the regular season) will start for the Cubs, and he’ll be opposed by RHP Josh Tomlin (13-9, 4.40 ERA during the regular season).

In three starts this postseason, Hendricks has pitched to 1.65 ERA in 16 1/3 innings.

Tomlin has won both of his postseason starts this month, allowing three earned runs in 10 2/3 innings (2.53 ERA).

Hendricks absolutely loves pitching in Chicago; he’s gone 10-3 with a 1.49 ERA at Wrigley this season (postseason included).

The Indians went just 41-39 on the road during the regular season, but have gone 3-1 away from Progressive Field in the postseason.

SS Francisco Lindor (13-for-38, 3 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI) and 3B Jose Ramirez (9-for-34, 2 2B, RBI) went a combined 6-for-14 in the first two games, and C Roberto Perez (6-for-30, 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI) hit a pair of homers in Game 1.

Manager Terry Francona needs his power hitters—1B Mike Napoli (7-for-34, 3 2B, HR, 2 RBI) and DH Carlos Santana (5-for-35, 2 HR, 2 RBI)—as well as 2B Jason Kipnis (6-for-39, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI) to produce in a lineup that doesn’t have a ton of punch.

OF Coco Crisp (3-for-18, 2 HR, 3 RBI) is the only player on the Indians’ roster who has faced Hendricks; he’s 0-for-3 against him. Tomlin has never faced the Cubs.

2B/LF Ben Zobrist (11-for-44, 4 2B, 3B, 4 RBI) has gone 5-for-8 with a double, a triple and an RBI through the first two games, and DH/OF Kyle Schwarber (3-for-7, 2B, 2 RBI) has gone 3-for-7 with a double and two RBIs. It remains to be seen how much Schwarber—who returned for the World Series after not playing since April 7—will play in Chicago.

Schwarber, who was Joe Maddon’s designated hitter in the first two games, really struggled in the outfield last season, and it’s unclear how he’ll be used in the National League park.

1F Javier Baez (15-for-47, 4 2B, HR, 7 RBI), 1B Anthony Rizzo (10-for-47, 3 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI), 3B Kris Bryant (14-for-47, 5 2B, HR, 6 RBI) and CF Dexter Fowler (12-for-51, 4 2B, HR, 4 RBI) went a combined 5-for-33 with 11 strikeouts in the first two games, and if they continue to struggle the Cubs will have trouble scoring runs.

Only three Cubs have ever faced Tomlin: Zobrist is 2-for-19 against him with a double and a homer, C David Ross (3-for-14, 2B, HR, 2 RBI) is 0-for-1 and C Miguel Montero (1-for-9, HR, 4 RBI) is 2-for-5 with a double. Hendricks has never faced the Indians.

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Schwarber won't play field at Wrigley
October 27, 2016

CHICAGO (AP) Cubs star Kyle Schwarber won't be in the starting lineup for the three World Series games this weekend after he was denied medical clearance to play the outfield following his return from knee surgery.

Schwarber tore a pair of knee ligaments on April 7 and returned in Tuesday's Series opener. He was 3 for 7 with a double, two RBIs and two walks as the designated hitter in the first two games at Cleveland, but with the shift to Wrigley Field, there will be no DH.

Chicago president of baseball operations Theo Epstein says it's too soon after the injury for Schwarber's knee to be fully tested, especially with quick moves required to play the outfield. He says: ''There was too much risk.''

Schwarber will be used as a pinch hitter. He says it's ''not disappointing at all'' and ''it was a long shot at the most.''

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Schwarber's success no surprise to some
October 27, 2016

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) Kyle Schwarber's big-time World Series impact for the Chicago Cubs is no surprise to New York Jets wide receiver Jalin Marshall.

The two were football teammates at Middletown High School in Middletown, Ohio, with Schwarber a hard-hitting linebacker while also serving as a power-hitting slugger for the baseball team.

''He was a bad man,'' a smiling Marshall said in the Jets' locker room Thursday. ''He used to always do the craziest stuff. He was one of those guys that, no matter what happened, he was going to do what he could to make the team win. It seems like that's what he's doing now and it's working out for him.''

He can say that again.

Schwarber tore the anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments in his left knee in April while playing the outfield for the Cubs. He was thought to be sidelined for the year but returned in time to play in the World Series. He doubled in Game 1 against the Cleveland Indians as a designated hitter, becoming the first major league position player to get his first hit of the season during the World Series. Schwarber drove in two runs in Game 2, but he was denied medical clearance Thursday to play the outfield.

Since there's no DH in National League ballparks, Schwarber will be limited to pinch-hitting duties during Games 3-5 in Chicago.

A reporter for the Dayton Daily News tweeted a photo Thursday of Schwarber and Marshall from their high school playing days, posing with their backs against each other.

''It feels like it was just yesterday,'' Marshall said. ''I can still hear him hitting the ball all the way from the football complex. He's always been like this. Our last football game playing together was against Braxton Miller and we didn't win, but we were pretty good that year.''

Miller, now a wide receiver for the Houston Texans, was the quarterback of the Huber Heights Wayne team that beat Schwarber, Marshall and the previously undefeated Middies, 21-0 on Nov. 6, 2010.

Schwarber went on to play baseball at Indiana University and was the fourth overall pick in the 2014 draft. Marshall was signed by the Jets as an undrafted free agent out of Ohio State this spring and serves as New York's primary kick returner.

''Kyle was a big mentor to me growing up,'' Marshall said. ''We stay in touch and have a pretty good relationship. We have some close mutual and family friends. I always wish the best for him and I hope he keeps doing well.'

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Cubs fans take Amtrak through night
October 27, 2016

ABOARD THE LAKE SHORE LIMITED (AP) As the Amtrak train slowly chugged through the Ohio night, past factories along the Lake Erie shore illuminated by pinkish lights, Marvin Thomas stretched across a pair of seats, proudly wrapped in a blue satin Cubs jacket.

The 51-year-old Chicagoan had made the trek to Cleveland for the Cubs' first World Series games in 71 years, and now it was time to go home following Wednesday night's 5-1 victory over the Indians, which tied the Series 1-1.

''Ernie Banks lived down the street from us when I was a kid,'' said Thomas, who paid $800 a ticket to attend Games 1 and 2. ''This is the most unbelievable feeling I've had outside my children being born. There was no way I wasn't going to be here.''

Salvador Cardenas, a 28-year-old dentist from Aurora, Illinois, paid $746 to stand along a rail in left field during Game 2. He high-fived other Cubs fans at Cleveland Lakefront Station before the trip home.

''I had to call all my patients off. I said: `Hey, got to do this! I got to go to the World Series!''' he exclaimed. ''I'm a die-hard Cub fan, so I felt like that came first.''

European soccer fans jam trains for high-profile matches. England supporters urinated in the aisle en route from Bologna to Venice after an extra-time win over Belgium at the 1990 World Cup, and Italian tifosi chanted until they were hoarse at the Kaiserslautern train station after a 1-1 draw against the United States at the 2006 tournament in Germany.

But only about two dozen Cubs fans boarded Amtrak trains 49/449 at 3:45 a.m. Thursday for the 341-mile trip to Chicago's Union Station, far fewer riding the rails than during the 2009 Acela Series between the New York Yankees and Philadelphia or the 1983 Phillies-Baltimore Orioles matchup. And there was none of the hoopla of the Union Pacific's nine-hour 1985 World Series special from Kansas City to St. Louis that included Hall of Famers Stan Musial and Bob Gibson plus Missouri Gov. John Ashcroft and former Gov. Kit Bond.

The Lake Shore Limited, which began service in 1975, originates from New York City and Boston before joining in Albany, New York, and its stock includes sleeper compartments and a club diner.

Most passengers tried to sleep through the night on a journey scheduled to take seven hours. After a 4-hour, 4-minute game, the train also had pace issues and did not pull in until 10:45 a.m. CDT.

When the Cubs last won the World Series in 1908 and even when they last appeared in 1945, the train was the standard method of big league travel. The 1946 Yankees were the first team to charter flights regularly, boarding a Douglas DC-4.

In the weeks after V-J Day, Major League Baseball still used its special wartime Series format, with three games scheduled in one city and four in the other, rather than the usual 2-3-2 that began in 1924.

Chicago headed home with a 2-1 Series lead after winning Game 3 by a 3-0 score at Detroit's Briggs Stadium behind Claude Passeu's one-hitter. The Tigers boarded a special train at 4:30 p.m., according to Arch Ward's account in the Chicago Tribune, followed by the Cubs at 4:45 p.m. and a newspaper man's special at 5:30 that included several reporters just back from stints as war correspondents.

These days, chartered jet planes are the mode in vogue, and the Cubs had time to sleep in their own beds before heading to Wrigley Field to meet the media at 1:45 p.m. Thursday. The Indians were set to be at the 102-year-old brick-and-ivy ballpark by 5 p.m. to get dressed in the cramped visiting clubhouse for an evening workout.

Thomas, who works in pharmaceutical sales, attended his first game at Wrigley Field when he was 8 years old. He had tickets for the World Series in 2003 - only to watch the Cubs blow a 3-1 lead against the Florida Marlins in the NL Championship Series. His then-10-year-old son, Marvin Thomas III, could not console him.

''I cried. I'm not going to lie. My son was like, `It'll be OK.' I just told him to go back to his room.''

When Cardenas arrived in Cleveland at 5:45 a.m. Wednesday, he walked to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, found a bench in front and fell asleep with his Cubs blanket covering him. An Indians fan took pity on the chilly morning and added a second blanket, telling him to leave it there when he was done napping.

Later at the Hall, Cardenas saw Cubs owner Tom Ricketts.

''I was like, `Hey, Tom!' like I knew him,'' Cardenas said. ''He waved to me. He said hello. He smiled.''

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Prof gives free pass to student for WS
October 27, 2016

CLEVELAND (AP) An Ohio college student who ditched class to head to the opening game of the World Series in Cleveland has won a reprieve from his professor by being honest.

Ohio University professor Damian Nance says Charlie Turner checked into his Tuesday class by swiping a card, but wasn't there when Nance took attendance at the end of the session.

Turner came clean after Nance emailed him, asking for an explanation. Turner told the professor his father had gotten him tickets to the game against the Chicago Cubs and that he left for Cleveland after checking in. He included a picture of himself and his brother at Progressive Field.

Nance responded by calling it ''an impeccable excuse,'' and added ''no repercussions.''

Nance tells The Associated Press he let Turner off the hook, not because he's a big Indians fan, but because the student ''fessed up.''

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Indians set to move DH Santana into Wrigley's left field
October 27, 2016

CHICAGO (AP) Playing left in Wrigley Field isn't easy under normal circumstances.

Carlos Santana is about to find out what it's like - in Game 3 of the World Series with the wind blowing out to Waveland Avenue, millions watching on TV and well-oiled Cubs fans breathing down his neck.

Go get `em, kid.

Unable to use Santana as his designated hitter with the World Series switching to the fabled National League ballpark for the next three games, Indians manager Terry Francona is planning to move his DH into left field on Friday night.

It's risky, but Francona feels it's the right choice for his club. Santana has only played four innings in left during his career, and that was in 2012 during a 14-1 loss.

''I have anxiety about it,'' Francona said as he sat on the brick wall near Cleveland's dugout Thursday night. ''I don't know how else to say it, and if he messes a ball up, I'll take responsibility because I don't think it's fair to put it on him. But you try to figure out, `OK, what's our best way to win?' If we don't play him out there, that's the best way to have nobody second guessing me.''

Santana took some fly balls during Cleveland's workout with bench coach Brad Mills standing nearby and offering him tips on tracking balls into the gap and chasing grounders into the corner, where he'll have to deal with the iconic ivy that's fading fast with winter approaching.

Francona said there was only one thing that would stop him from making the switch.

''If he just can't do it. If he looks at me and says, `I don't want to do this' or something like that,'' he said.

The Indians could play Coco Crisp or Brandon Guyer in left, but they don't hit like Santana. He hit 34 homers and drove in 87 runs during the regular season, and although he's hitless in six at-bats in the Series and batting just .179 in the postseason, Francona is confident the switch-hitter will warm up.

''He's a really good hitter,'' Francona said, adding he has spoken to Game 3 starter Josh Tomlin about playing Santana in left. ''You can't run away from your guys at this time of year. If guys go oh-for the first two games, and you sit them, they'll never do well.''

A former catcher, Santana has also played first and third and the Indians are certain he has the athleticism to handle left. But there's no way of knowing how he'll do until they put him out there.

''He's quick enough,'' Mills said. ''And he can move enough. We've talked to him about seeing balls off the bat. We might have to play him maybe a little deeper or something along those lines, just to have him come in so reading the ball, he has more time to read the ball that way. Those things. When you haven't been out there, keeping that focus on there a lot of times is tough, but at least he's got the wall behind him.''

Wearing a stocking cap as he sat in the warmth of the Indians dugout on a chilly evening, Santana said he's ready for his new assignment.

''I'll be fine,'' he said. ''Tito, he told me don't put on any pressure, play your game, play hard, stay focused and concentrate, and that's it.''

The Indians don't have many other options, and first baseman Mike Napoli quickly removed himself from consideration despite playing 11 games in the outfield for Texas.

''It was a circus last year with me out there,'' he said, ''so I wouldn't go out there in this situation.''

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Cubs' Schwarber draws inspiration from boy with illness
October 28, 2016

CHICAGO (AP) Kyle Schwarber signed a baseball for Campbell Faulkner, and Faulkner gave Schwarber a green wristband. Twin acts of kindness, and a friendship was born.

The slugger with the big Ohio heart, and the sunny boy with a life-threatening illness. A bond that made each of them better.

Some 1,700 miles away from Wrigley Field, Faulkner and his family are soaking up every moment of Schwarber's comeback from a major knee injury. The 10-year-old Faulkner - ''If you ask him, he's two hands,'' his mother Carrie says - stays up to watch his buddy in the World Series, and Schwarber proudly wears his Campbell's Crew wristband while he tries to help the Chicago Cubs to their first championship since 1908.

''He's a kid who can always put a smile on my face,'' Schwarber said.

Faulkner has a rare mitochondrial disease. His body doesn't know how to use food and oxygen properly.

Doctors knew something was wrong with Faulkner just days after he was born. The youngest of Carrie and Shane Faulkner's four children never cried and was never hungry.

On Day 4, he was labeled ''failure to thrive,'' Carrie Faulkner said. He got his first feeding tube in his stomach when he was 4, and a second tube at 7.

''On the outside he looks perfect,'' Carrie Faulkner told The Associated Press in a phone interview. ''On the inside, it's just a train wreck, it's a disaster in there.''

So when Carrie Faulkner heard about what Schwarber said after one of the biggest games of his life, she just lost it. Moments after Schwarber hit two RBI singles in Chicago's 5-1 victory over Cleveland in Game 2 on Wednesday night, he was asked about his green wristband, and the son of a retired Ohio police chief jumped on the question like a belt-high fastball.

''Yeah, Campbell Faulkner, he's a kid that I met down in Arizona. He's got a rare genetic disease, and I met him my first spring training,'' Schwarber said. ''Really young, smart kid, and he's just always got a big smile on his face.''

Schwarber kept right on going.

''We stay in contact through email. He's a smart kid, man,'' he said. ''The kid's, I think, got an IQ of like a college kid for being so young. That tells you how smart he is. And that's a person you want to look up to right there.''

A day later, Carrie Faulkner was still floored.

''I don't even have words,'' she said Thursday. ''I have tears. ... Oh my heavens what an amazing man to think of my son at that moment.''

For Campbell, it was no big deal. After all, they're friends. ''It made me feel good, and I knew that he was thinking of me,'' he said.

Faulkner and Schwarber met last year during spring training. Faulkner was a guest of an organization called Steve's Dream, which provides tickets to Cubs' spring training games to families.

The Faulkners were tailgating when Schwarber stopped and signed a ball for Campbell, who returned the favor with the wristband that made Schwarber a member of Campbell's Crew - a support group for Faulkner with its own Facebook page and Twitter feed .

Schwarber promised to wear the green band, and the connection only grew from there. Schwarber got Faulkner his own Dinger Bat. They exchanged autographed pictures and started emailing each other.

''He'll just give me, like, support, and he'll say he's praying for me,'' Faulkner said.

Faulkner was at Chase Field in April when Schwarber got hurt in an outfield collision with Dexter Fowler, spraining his ankle and tearing two ligaments in his left knee. He was ruled out for the year, just three games into the season.

A crestfallen Faulkner was quiet when he got home. He took his hat off, put it in his lap and prayed. Then he sent an email to Schwarber pointing out he had ''a lot of doctors'' and offering to help the slugger get in touch with them.

''Campbell literally went into protective mode to take care of Kyle,'' Carrie Faulkner said.

And that's when that one fleeting moment in the heat of spring training returned to Schwarber in a major way. As Schwarber embarked on the long, difficult process of rehabbing a major injury, he found inspiration in the example of his precocious friend in Arizona.

''It means a lot,'' Schwarber told the AP. ''I wasn't going through near as much time as what that kid's going through his whole life right now. That just gives me that extra motivation going through this rehab that I still have to go through after the season.''

Schwarber made it back quicker than anyone expected, surprising everyone with the Cubs. Following an encouraging checkup on Oct. 17 in Dallas, he was cleared to hit. He spent a few days in the Arizona Fall League, enough time for a short visit with Faulkner, before rejoining the NL champions in time for the World Series.

He is still not cleared to play the field, making him a pinch hitter for the next three games. But he took the news in stride.

''Not disappointing at all,'' a smiling Schwarber said. ''It was a long shot at the most.''

It was an answer Faulkner would have loved.

''You look up to him,'' Schwarber said as he walked behind home plate at Wrigley. ''He's a great role model and definitely lives life to the fullest.''

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Cubs back in World Series, goat curse back on forefront
October 28, 2016

CHICAGO (AP) Chuck Logan heard about it from his dad for years. Bill Sianis was born into it. And Lennie Merullo was there the day it happened and lived with it for the rest of his life.

The ''it'' is the Curse of the Billy Goat, the story of a Chicago tavern owner who supposedly put a hex on the Cubs after the team refused to let his pet goat into Wrigley Field during the 1945 World Series - despite the fact that the goat had a ticket.

The memories of those three men are about a real event that has turned into an enduring tale that has only grown taller throughout the years - one that may not explain why the Cubs are returning only now to the World Series after 71 years, but one that does get at what it means to be a fan of a team with the longest championship drought in major American sports at 108 years.

This story begins with Logan. His dad was a Wrigley Field usher and he mentioned a few times over the years that he refused to let a tavern owner named William Sianis into Wrigley for Game 4 of the `45 World Series, but he never made a big deal out of it.

''I just assumed he was one of 20, 30 guys saying, `No, you can't come in with that goat,''' said Logan, 73. A few years after his father died in 2001, Logan's cousin spotted a newspaper photograph of a lone usher standing between William Sianis and Murphy the goat at a Wrigley turnstile, and called to say he thought the usher was his dad.

The usher was, in fact, Olaf Logan.

The photo dovetailed into the popular story about the curse: Sianis, hoping to bring the Cubs luck, showed up to the game with Murphy, with the goat even sporting a ''We Got Detroit's Goat'' blanket on his back.

There, in the photograph, the 32-year-old usher stood at the turnstile apparently telling Sianis he can't come in. Murphy is standing on its hind legs, its front legs draped over the railing, a look of apparent disappointment on its face. The Cubs, of course, lost Game 4 and the Series in seven games. They haven't been back until now.

The usher story is what Logan told Lennie Merullo, the last surviving member of the 1945 Cubs team, when the 97-year-old Merullo returned to Wrigley to celebrate the ballpark's 100th anniversary.

Merullo, his son said, ran with it.

''My dad was giving him all kinds of grief, telling him if he hadn't done that they'd have won,'' said Len Merullo Jr., who watched his father, who died last year, tease Logan.

A Cubs historian tells a slightly different story. According to Ed Hartig, Sianis actually got into the ballpark with a goat, which is strange enough. Even more amazing, once inside - and Hartig said there is a photo of this - Sianis and Murphy somehow got onto the field to stroll among the players warming up for the game.

Ultimately, they took their seats. The problems started when, after a rainy morning, the sun came out. That was good for the players but not so good for fans sitting near a drying goat.

''People started to complain about the smell,'' Hartig said. Sianis and his goat were shown the door.

Bill Sianis, who backs the story about his great-uncle being turned away at the gate, said that whatever happened, his namesake was miffed and made sure he told the Cubs' owner just that.

''He went back to the tavern and after they lost the Series he sent a telegram to P.K. Wrigley that read simply, `Who stinks now?''' said Sianis, whose great-uncle died in 1970.

As the Cubs plummeted in the standings over the next few years, reporters asked Sianis if he'd put some sort of curse on the team.

''He said as long as they don't let the goat in, they will never win the World Series,'' Bill Sianis said. And with that, a curse was born.

Whatever happened at the gate was not captured by a photographer. Logan said the original photograph he saw showed his dad but did not identify him. A few weeks ago, he said, the same picture ran in the paper - this time with his father's name below it along with the words ''re-enactment.''

Hartig contends that what Sianis really wanted was publicity for his tavern and he recognized that getting kicked out of the ballpark could accomplish that goal just as much as being allowed to stay.

''Maybe,'' Hartig suggested, ''he told the Cubs, `Hey, take my picture and I'll go quietly.'''

There have been many chapters since then, from black cats to fans eager to reverse the curse .

Merullo said his dad didn't talk about the curse much, but he suspects he thought there was something to it. ''He was Italian, they're all superstitious,'' he said, chuckling.

Logan, who played football at nearby Northwestern, doesn't believe in curses. But, like many Cubs fans wistfully remembering the loved ones who died without ever seeing the team win it all, he finds himself thinking about his parents and siblings he's lost.

''I wish I could enjoy this story about my father with them,'' he said.

As for Sianis, he's not about to let go of a curse that's been anything but a curse for business.

''We could say that it's over, but what's the point if they don't win it?'' he said.

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MLB
Long Sheet

Friday, October 28

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CLEVELAND (102 - 69) at CHICAGO CUBS (111 - 62) - 8:05 PM
JOSH TOMLIN (R) vs. KYLE HENDRICKS (R)
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO CUBS are 32-9 (+16.1 Units) against the money line in home games in night games this season.
CHICAGO CUBS are 39-15 (+13.1 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
CHICAGO CUBS are 35-14 (+16.0 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
HENDRICKS is 27-13 (+13.5 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
HENDRICKS is 18-6 (+12.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
CLEVELAND is 102-69 (+16.0 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
CLEVELAND is 10-2 (+9.8 Units) against the money line in October games this season.
CLEVELAND is 23-5 (+17.3 Units) against the money line when playing on Friday this season.
CLEVELAND is 13-3 (+10.3 Units) against the money line when playing with a day off this season.
CLEVELAND is 96-65 (+12.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
CLEVELAND is 72-40 (+19.5 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
CLEVELAND is 8-2 (+7.8 Units) against the money line in playoff games this season.
CLEVELAND is 42-30 (+13.3 Units) against the money line in road games after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 55-37 (+14.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
TOMLIN is 21-10 (+11.1 Units) against the money line in all games this season. (Team's Record)
TOMLIN is 11-5 (+7.4 Units) against the money line in road games this season. (Team's Record)
TOMLIN is 20-10 (+9.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season. (Team's Record)
TOMLIN is 20-8 (+12.5 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
TOMLIN is 17-5 (+11.8 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
CHICAGO CUBS are 1599-1685 (-257.9 Units) against the money line in all games since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 856-785 (-152.1 Units) against the money line in home games since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 177-205 (-51.6 Units) against the money line when playing with a day off since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 1542-1598 (-232.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 1176-1250 (-194.2 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 772-827 (-186.2 Units) against the money line after a win since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO CUBS is 1-1 (+0.0 Units) against CLEVELAND this season
2 of 2 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+2.0 Units)

JOSH TOMLIN vs. CHICAGO CUBS since 1997
No recent starts.

KYLE HENDRICKS vs. CLEVELAND since 1997
No recent starts.

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MLB
Short Sheet

Friday, October 28

Chicago Cubs at Cleveland, 8:05 PM ET
Tomlin: CHICAGO CUBS are 1-3 SU when playing in the 3rd game of a playoff series
Hendricks: CLEVELAND INDIANS are 13-3 SU when playing with a day off




MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Friday, October 28

Indians @ Cubs

Tomlin is 3-0, 2.50 in his last three starts, 2-0, 2.53 in two postseason starts. Cleveland won his last three road starts.

Lackey is 2-1, 3.79 in his last seven starts, 8-5, 3.26 in 22 postseason starts. Cubs won six of his last seven home starts.

Cubs are 8-4 in playoffs this year, 4-1 at home; they didn’t play the Indians this season. Obviously Chicago hasn’t been in World Series since 1945, Indians since 1997. Cleveland is 8-2 in playoffs, 3-1 on road.

Maddon is 25-26 as a playoff manager, 12-9 with Cubs. he lost 2008 World Series with Rays. Francona won World Series with Boston in 2004, 2007; he is 36-20 as a postseason manager.




MLB

Friday, October 28

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Trend Report
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8:08 PM
CLEVELAND vs. CHI CUBS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cleveland's last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs
Cleveland is 3-7 SU in their last 10 games when playing Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi Cubs's last 6 games when playing Cleveland
Chi Cubs are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games when playing Cleveland

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Friday, October 28

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Wrigley Field winds give this World Series team a big betting edge in Game 3
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The famed Chicago wind is expected to blow out to center field at 20 miles per hour (sustained) with gusts reaching as high as 40 miles per hour for Game 3 of the World Series.

With the 2016 World Series shifting back to Wrigley Field in Chicago for Game 3, the weather forecast for Friday night on the North Side has sent sports bettors clamoring for their stadium wind direction charts.

The current forecast is calling for partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the mid-60's when the Chicago Cubs host the Cleveland Indians in the first of a trio of games in Chicago. But when it comes to Wrigley Field weather, there's only one factor that gamblers care about: the wind. The famed Chicago wind is expected to blow out to center field at 20 miles per hour (sustained) with gusts reaching as high as 40 miles per hour.

While this news may be enough to tickle your Over urges, baseball bettors has to wait on this wager. The standard practice for Wrigley Field totals is for the Over/Under to remain off the board until late in the morning (ET) on game day. But since it's the World Series, books started leaking totals to the betting public Thursday afternoon, with CG Technology in Las Vegas opened the Over/Under at 7 runs while offshore markets played with a total between 7.5 and 8 runs.

Now that the sides and total are on the board at the sportsbook, baseball bettors can crunch the numbers and find out which team has the advantage for Game 3.

The Cubs are big favorites to take a 2-1 lead in the series with their moneyline odds ranging from -185 to -225 (depending on which sportsbook you use) with the buyback on the Indians ranging from +155 to +185.

When it comes to predicting baseball games played in windy conditions, the most important tool to the sports bettor is ground ball-to-fly ball ratio. With wind conditions like the ones bettors are expected to see at Wrigley Friday night, you should be looking at which team hits more fly balls and which pitcher allows less fly balls. This, of course, will mean more or less home runs.

Chicago starter Kyle Hendricks has been dynamite in 2016. He led the majors with a 2.13 ERA and also carried a 0.98 WHIP throughout the regular season. Cleveland pitcher Josh Tomlin had some very nice stretches for the Tribe, but his overall numbers were not great, posting a 4.40 ERA and a WHIP of 1.19.

While there appears to already be a wide separation in the two starting pitchers based on regular pitching stats, that gap grows even larger when you dig into the numbers that will be impacted by a mighty wind blowing out in a small stadium.

Taking line drives out of the equation and focusing strictly on true fly balls, Hendricks was almost 50/50 this season - allowing 0.99 ground balls for every fly ball (260:263) but Tomlin proved to be much more reliant on the ball in the air with 0.81 ground balls for every fly ball (262:322).

More fly balls generally results in more home runs, right? Well, when you look at home runs allowed by each pitcher in relevant situations the comparable numbers are eye-popping. In his 16 road starts this season (regular season and playoffs), Tomlin has allowed 18 home runs to opposing hitters. In 17 starts at Wrigley Field by Hendricks in 2016, he has only allowed opposing hitters to go deep five times.

The Cubs generally hit more home runs than the Indians (211 to 198 in 2016) but thus far in the 2016 postseason, the Cubs' GB:FB rate is a staggering 0.59 ground balls for every fly ball. Fans of the team will complain that they've been popping up too often, but that will become very advantageous with Friday's expected weather conditions.

So, just to review: we have a very stiff wind blowing out, a fly-ball pitcher who is prone to giving up home runs starting for the Indians, a sinker-ball pitcher who rarely gives up home runs starting for the Cubs, a team who generally relies more on "small ball" to score runs in the Indians, and a team that loves to hit the ball in the air and thrives off home runs in the Cubs.

Good luck and enjoy the World Series - Wrigley style.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Dunkel

Friday, October 28


Cleveland @ Chicago Cubs

Game 901-902
October 28, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Cleveland
(Tomlin) 13.327
Chicago Cubs
(Hendrcks) 14.662
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago Cubs
by 1 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago Cubs
-205
8
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago Cubs
(-205); Under

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Friday, October 28

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World Series Game 3 Betting Preview: Indians at Cubs
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The Cubs are big favorites to win the first World Series game at Wrigley Field in 71 years.

Cleveland Indians at Chicago Cubs (-188, 8)

Series tied 1-1

The best starting pitcher led his team to victory in each of the first two games of the World Series with each team laying claim to the better ace once. The Chicago Cubs try to gain control of the series when they host the Cleveland Indians on Friday in the first World Series game at Wrigley Field since 1945.

Corey Kluber set a World Series record with eight strikeouts in the first three innings en route to a 6-0 Indians win in Tuesday's opener and Jake Arrieta took a no-hitter into the sixth Wednesday as the Cubs knotted the series at one win apiece with a 5-1 triumph. The most impressive offensive player in the first two games of the series won't even have a spot in the starting lineup for the next three contests as Chicago will leave Kyle Schwarber on the bench with a pinch-hitting role in the National League park. Schwarber, who sat out all but two games of the regular season after tearing ligaments in his knee in April, was added to the World Series roster and went 3-for-7 with a pair of RBIs and a run scored while serving as designated hitter in the Amercian League park."There's no being sad about it," Schwarber told reporters after it was announced Thursday that he was not medically cleared by doctors to play the field. "There's no nothing. I know my role, now, and I'm going to embrace it."

TV: 8:08 p.m. ET, FOX

LINE HISTORY: The Cubs opened the first World Series game at Wrigly Field in 71 years as -185 favorites and have been bet up slightly to -188. The total for Game 3 has been set at 8. Check out the complete line history here.

WEATHER REPORT: The Windy City is going to live up to its name for Game 3. Hitters wil be getting a boost with winds blowing between 17 and 20 miles per hour out to right-center field. Temperatures will hover around the low 60's for the game.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RH Josh Tomlin (2-0, 2.53 ERA) vs. Cubs RH Kyle Hendricks (1-1, 1.65)

Tomlin delivered exactly what was asked of him in each of his first two postseason starts, allowing a total of three runs in 10 2/3 innings before handing things off to the team's dominant bullpen. The 32-year-old Texan served up 36 home runs in 174 innings during the regular season but has yet to yield a home run in the playoffs. Tomlin, who has never faced Chicago, was 2-1 with a 5.40 ERA in three interleague starts this season.

Hendricks outdueled Clayton Kershaw in the clinching game of the NLCS, scattering two hits and no walks over 7 1/3 scoreless innings while striking out six. Hendricks, the major-league ERA leader at 2.13, surrendered one run over 12 2/3 innings in two NLCS starts and went 9-2 with a 1.32 ERA at home during the regular season. The Dartmouth product, who is seeing Cleveland for the first time, was 2-1 with a 1.89 ERA in three interleague starts this season.

TRENDS:

* Indians are 6-1 in their last seven road games.
* Cubs are 4-1 in their last five playoff home games.
* Under is 10-1-1 in Indians' last 12 overall.
* Under is 4-0-1 in Hendricks' last five home starts.

CONSENSUS: Bettors are strongly behind the Cubs in Game 3, with 69 percent of wagers backing Chicago. When it comes to the total, 56 percent of wagers on are the Under.

--------------------------

MLB

Friday, October 28


Game 3 weather update: Wind still expected to be constant out to right-center at 17-20 mph with gusts hitting 40 mph. O/U 8.0

[StarDust Bum]

World series record:

10/25/2016 1-1-0 50.00% -50

10/26/2016 0-2-0 0.00% -1050

ats: 1 - 1

o/u: 0 - 2

[StarDust Bum]

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

CLE at CHC 08:00 PM

CHC -203

O 8.5 *****