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Da Bum's 2021 Major League Baseball Transactions, News, Notes, Picks Etc. !!

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  • Wednesday’s 6-pack
    Since 2000, colleges with most defensive backs taken in NFL Draft:
    32— Ohio State
    25— Alabama, LSU
    24— Florida, Miami, Virginia Tech
    20— Florida State
    19— Clemson, USC, Notre Dame
    18— Georgia, Texas

    Americans who have died from COVID-19: 556,307
    PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.


    Quote of the Day
    “I don’t think I’d need to give up football to do it. They film 46 days a year. I worked 187 this year in Green Bay. That gives me 178 days to do ‘Jeopardy!’ So I feel like I could fit 46 into that 178 and make it work. It would be a dream job for sure, and I’m not shy at all about saying I want the job. That’s how I went into it. I want an opportunity to be in the mix.”
    Aaron Rodgers, who is looking for a second job

    Wednesday’s quiz
    Who was the host of Jeopardy!, before Alex Trebek?

    Tuesday’s quiz
    Scott Drew coached Valparaiso for a year, before going to Baylor. He replaced his dad Homer Drew at Valpo and when he left, his dad went back and coached there some more, then was replaced by his other son, Bryce Drew.

    Monday’s quiz
    Dusty Baker was manager of the Cincinnati Reds, last time they won a playoff game.

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

    Wednesday’s Den: Mid-week musings……..

    We’re doing a survey this week; you know how the guy who wins the Masters picks the menu for the champions’ dinner the next year? He can choose anything he likes.

    If you won the Masters, what food would you serve at the champions’ dinner?

    E-mail me at [email protected] or text me, if you know my cell number. We’ll post the results later on this week.

    13) Once a week, I order take-out food from an Olive Garden restaurant near my house; I order by phone, pay with a credit card, drive there, text them with what number parking space I’m in, and they bring my food out. It is a tremendous service and not very expensive.

    So this week it is nice out, so I’m sitting there in my car with the window open, waiting for my food, and this woman in a car two spaces away is on her phone, cursing her kids out. Loudly.

    “You bleeping kids!!! You better bleeping do what I said, or I’m calling your bleeping father to knock the bleep out of you!!!” She wasn’t happy.

    I had to put my COVID mask on to hide my laughing. Luckily the guy came out with my food and I was on my way. Hope the kids enjoyed their dinner.

    12) How would you like to be Deshaun Watson’s agent? Couple of months ago, it probably was a great gig; 25-year old QB, what could go wrong? Lets say he plays 12 more years in the NFL, at $25M a year, which is probably conservative; that’s $300M in salary for the next 12 years.

    Agent’s take is 3%, so that’s $9M for the agent. For representing one guy; these top agents have dozens of clients, so they’re cleaning up, but if Watson’s career blows up because of his current legal problems, that could be $9M or so down the drain. No bueno.

    11) Dodgers 5, A’s 1
    — Oakland is now 0-6, which isn’t good.
    — All four of their losses were by 4+ runs. A loss is a loss, but still…….
    — Last time the A’s were 0-6, their sixth loss was against Boston, whose starting pitcher that day was………Babe Ruth.

    10) The new extra inning format was designed to prevent games from going deep into the night, but Tuesday we had these two scores:
    — Red Sox 6, Rays 5 (12)
    — Arizona 10, Colorado 8 (13)

    Ryan McMahon hit three homers and a double for Colorado, and they still lost.

    9) Today is the day Jay Bruce finds out if he is staying in the Bronx this season, or moving on to another big league team. He homered Tuesday, making his case to stay, but when the Rangers traded 2B Roughned Odor to Bronx, it seemed to pave the way for Bruce to leave town— you figure DJ Lemahieu moves to 1B, and Odor plays 2B.

    If there was a DH in the National League, Bruce wouldn’t have to worry about employment, but not sure how many openings there are right now for guys with his skill set.

    8) Texas-El Paso basketball coach Rodney Terry quit to be an assistant coach at Texas; he is the second head coach to quit, in order to join Chris Beard’s Longhorn staff. Terry was at UTEP for three years, going 29-27 the last two years, 16-18 in C-USA games- he was head coach at Fresno State for seven years before that.

    7) Baylor Bears were the first team since UCLA in 1968 (with Lew Alcindor), to win both the national semifinal and final by 15+ points. Very impressive.

    6) San Jose State hired former Colorado State/Nebraska coach Tim Miles, who has his work cut out with the Spartans, and that’s being kind.

    My records go back to 1997; San Jose State hasn’t had a winning record in conference play once in that time- they went 17-16 one year, but were 5-11 in the WAC.

    Coach Miles has a great podcast which will probably get put on hold now; he’s a pleasant guy and we wish him luck. What he needs more than luck are some new recruits.

    5) Warriors 122, Bucks 121:

    — Golden State wins for only 2nd time in last nine games.
    — Bucks played without their star, Giannis Antetokounmpo
    — Steph Curry scored 41 points; he is great fun to watch.

    4) Padres’ SS Fernando Tatis has slight tearing in his labrum, but there is no damage to his rotator cuff; the Padres say he doesn’t require surgery. He is on the IL, will be tested in ten days or so; it is his non-throwing shoulder, but he hurt it while batting, so its hard to imagine this injury just goes away without some kind of surgery or extended rest.

    3) Nationals 6, Braves 5:
    — Juan Soto walked it off with a 9th inning single.
    — Max Scherzer gave up homers in 1st, 2nd, 3rd innings, for first time in his 378 career starts.
    — Braves are already 0-4.
    — Nationals were playing their opener, after they put ten players on the IL.

    2) Chicago Bears’ coach Matt Nagy will be calling plays again this fall, which may mean he was given the “make the playoffs or else” ultimatum. If he’s going to get fired, it might as well be his fault. Andy Dalton is Chicago’s new QB, which should be interesting.

    1) As you probably already know, I’m a big LA Rams fan; had NFL Network on this week and the talking heads on their morning show all agreed that they’d rather have Sam Darnold on their team than Jared Goff. Seriously? Let’s examine the facts.

    Darnold: three years, 13-25 record. No playoff games. 45 TD’s, 39 INT’s
    Goff: five years, 42-27 record, 3-3 playoffs. 107 TD, 55 INT’s. Won an NFC title.

    Goff is in Detroit now, but wake up people, he’s a pretty good QB.
    — Won a playoff game in Seattle 12 days after his broken thumb was operated on
    — Won an NFC title game 34-31 in New Orleans
    — Beat Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes 54-51 in a Monday night game.

    Yeah, he’s had better coaching than Darnold, and Goff’s contract is a burden on the salary cap, but he’s won big games for the last four years. Its about time people who supposedly know the sport acknowledge that.

    Comment


    • 951PITTSBURGH -952 CINCINNATI
      PITTSBURGH is 49-59 SU (-24.9 Units) vs. NL teams scoring 4.5 or more runs/game on the season in the last 3 seasons.

      953MILWAUKEE -954 CHICAGO CUBS
      MILWAUKEE is 5-20 SU (-18.8 Units) vs. an NL team with an on base percentage .315 or worse over the last 2 seasons.

      955ATLANTA -956 WASHINGTON
      WASHINGTON is 132-107 SU (14.3 Units) in all games in the last 3 seasons.

      959ST LOUIS -960 MIAMI
      MIAMI is 118-85 SU (24.5 Units) in home games in day games since 1996.

      961SAN FRANCISCO -962 SAN DIEGO
      SAN DIEGO is 119-202 SU (-103.2 Units) in home games as a favorite of -150 or more since 1996.

      963ARIZONA -964 COLORADO
      COLORADO is 433-539 SU (-159.9 Units) at home with a money line of -100 to -150 since 1996.

      965MINNESOTA -966 DETROIT
      MINNESOTA is 2-13 SU (-12.2 Units) in road games vs. an AL team with an on base percentage .330 or worse over the last 2 seasons.

      967TAMPA BAY -968 BOSTON
      TAMPA BAY is 626-647 SU (-176.3 Units) in road games with a team slugging percentage .400 or worse on the season (AL) since 1996.

      969KANSAS CITY -970 CLEVELAND
      CLEVELAND is 271-389 SU (-156.9 Units) in home games after having lost 2 of their last 3 games since 1996.

      971TORONTO -972 TEXAS
      TEXAS are 3-11 SU (-11 Units) vs. AL teams scoring 4.4 or less runs/game on the season over the last 2 seasons.

      Comment


      • MLB
        Weather Report

        Wednesday, April 7


        Comment


        • MLB
          Dunkel

          Wednesday, April 7


          Comment


          • MLB
            Armadillo's Write-Up

            Wednesday, April 7


            NL games
            Atlanta (0-4) @ Washington (1-0)

            — Fried allowed two runs in five IP (94 PT) in his first ’21 start.
            — He is 1-2, 5.09 in six games (5 starts) vs Washington.

            — 2nd game will be a bullpen game

            — Braves lost their first four games.
            — Atlanta is 0-4 on the road.
            — Under is 3-1 in their games.
            — scored run in first inning: 1-4
            — record in first 5 innings: 0-3-1

            — Strasburg is 14-12, 4.07 in 34 starts vs Atlanta.

            — Fedde is 0-1, 12.56 in four games (3 starts) vs Atlanta.

            — Washington won its season opener yesterday.
            — Nationals are 1-0 at home
            — Over 1-0
            — scored run in first inning: 0-1
            — record in first 5 innings: 0-0-1

            Pittsburgh (1-4) @ Cincinnati (4-1)
            — Kuhl gave up two runs in three IP (63 PT) in his first start.
            — He is 2-2, 3.19 in seven starts vs Cincinnati, 0-2, 4.60 in three starts here.

            — Pirates lost four of their first five games.
            — Pittsburgh is 1-4 on the road.
            — Under 3-2
            — scored run in first inning: 1-5
            — record in first 5 innings: 1-3-1

            — Castillo gave up 10 runs in 3.1 IP (73 PT) in his first ’21 start.
            — He is 4-3, 2.64 in ten starts vs Pittsburgh.

            — Cincinnati won its last four games.
            — Reds are 4-1 at home.
            — Over 4-0-1
            — scored run in first inning: 2-5
            — record in first 5 innings: 3-1-1

            Milwaukee (2-3) @ Cubs (3-2)
            — Woodruff allowed three runs in four IP (78 PT) in his first start.
            — He is 0-1, 4.65 in eight games (6 starts) vs Chicago, 0-1, 4.76 in four games (2 starts) here.

            — Brewers lost three of last four games.
            — Milwaukee split its two road games.
            — Under 3-2
            — scored run in first inning: 1-5
            — record in first 5 innings: 1-3-1

            — Hendricks allowed three runs in three IP (63 PT) in his first ’21 start.
            — He is 9-6, 2.84 in 23 starts vs Milwaukee.

            — Cubs won three of first five games.
            — Chicago is 3-2 at home.
            — Last four games stayed under the total.
            — scored run in first inning: 2-5
            — record in first 5 innings: 3-2

            Mets (1-1) @ Philadelphia (4-1)
            — Peterson allowed five runs in two IP in his one start vs Philly.

            — Mets split their first two games.
            — Mets are 1-1 on the road.
            — Over 2-0
            — scored run in first inning: 0-2
            — record in first 5 innings: 2-0

            — Nola allowed two runs in 6.2 IP in his first ’21 start.
            — He is 8-2, 3.30 in 16 starts against the Mets.

            — Phillies won four of their first five games.
            — Phillies are 4-1 at home.
            — Under 3-2
            — scored run in first inning: 2-5
            — record in first 5 innings: 3-2

            San Francisco (2-3) @ San Diego (4-2)
            — Gausman allowed one run in 6.2 IP (90 PT) in his first ’21 start.
            — He allowed three runs in 5.1 IP in two games (1 start) vs San Diego.

            — Giants lost three of their first five games.
            — Giants are 2-3 on the road.
            — Last three games stayed under
            — scored run in first inning: 1-5
            — record in first 5 innings: 2-2-1

            — Snell threw 4.2 shutout innings (86 PT) in his first ’21 start.
            — He’s never pitched against San Francisco.

            — Padres won four of their first six games.
            — San Diego is 4-2 at home.
            — Last five games stayed under
            — scored run in first inning: 1-6
            — record in first 5 innings: 2-3-1

            St Louis (3-2) @ Miami (1-4)
            — Flaherty gave up six runs in 4.1 IP (94 PT) in his first ’21 start.
            — He is 0-2, 5.25 in two starts vs Miami.

            — Cardinals won three of first five games.
            — St Louis is 3-2 on the road.
            — Over 3-2
            — scored run in first inning: 2-5
            — record in first 5 innings: 2-3

            — Lopez blanked the Rays for five IP (77 PT) in his first ’21 start.
            — He allowed two runs in seven IP in his one start vs St Louis.

            — Marlins lost four of first five games.
            — Miami is 1-4 at home.
            — under 3-2
            — scored run in first inning: 2-5
            — record in first 5 innings: 1-1-3

            Arizona (1-3) @ Colorado (1-3)
            — Bumgarner gave up six runs in four IP (91 PT) in his first ’21 start.
            — He is 17-8, 3.20 in 36 starts vs Colorado, 6-6, 4.56 in 17 starts here.

            — Arizona lost for first five games, all on road.
            — home/away
            — under 3-2
            — scored run in first inning: 2-5
            — record in first 5 innings: 2-3

            — Senzatela allowed seven runs in 3.1 IP (70 PT) in his first ’21 start.
            — He is 2-6, 6.19 in 13 games (9 starts) vs Arizona.

            — Colorado lost for first five games, all at home.
            — home/away
            — over 4-1
            — scored run in first inning: 0-5
            — record in first 5 innings: 3-2

            AL games
            Kansas City (3-1) @ Cleveland (1-3)

            — Junis is 3-7, 6.38 in 14 games (13 starts) vs Cleveland, 2-3, 4.19 in 7 starts here.

            — Royals won three of their first four games.
            — Royals are 1-0 on the road.
            — over 2-1-1
            — scores run in first inning: 1-4
            — record in first 5 innings: 2-2

            — Bieber allowed three runs in six IP (95 PT) in his first ’21 start.
            — He is 4-0, 3.70 in seven starts against the Royals.

            — Cleveland lost three of their first four games.
            — Indians are 0-1 at home.
            — under 3-1
            — scores run in first inning: 1-4
            — record in first 5 innings: 0-4

            Minnesota (3-2) @ Detroit (3-2)
            — Maeda gave up two runs in 4.1 IP (88 PT) in his first ’21 start.
            — He is 1-2, 4.88 in four starts vs Detroit, 0-2, 5.25 in two starts here.

            — Twins won three of their first five games.
            — Minnesota is 3-2 on the road.
            — over 3-2
            — scores run in first inning: 2-5
            — record in first 5 innings: 3-1-1

            — Boyd blanked the Indians for 5.2 IP (92 PT) in his first ’21 start.
            — He is 8-7, 4.60 in 21 starts vs Minnesota.

            — Detroit won three of their first five games.
            — Detroit is 3-2 at home.
            — under 3-2
            — scored run in first inning: 1-5
            — record in first 5 innings: 4-1

            Tampa Bay (2-3) @ Boston (2-3)
            — Yarbrough blanked Miami for 5.2 IP (65 PT) in his first ’21 start.
            — He is 3-2, 5.64 in 11 games (5 starts) vs Boston.

            — Tampa Bay lost its last three games.
            — Rays are 2-3 on the road.
            — Last four games went over
            — scored run in first inning: 0-5
            — record in first 5 innings: 1-1-3

            — Eovaldi allowed one run in 5.1 IP (89 PT) in his first ’21 start.
            — He is 2-5, 5.48 in 10 games (8 starts) vs Tampa Bay.

            — Boston lost three of its first five games.
            — Boston is 2-3 at home.
            — Last three games went over
            — scored run in first inning: 1-5
            — record in first 5 innings: 1-3-1

            Toronto (3-2) @ Texas (2-3)
            — Ryu allowed two runs in 5.2 IP (92 PT) in his first ’21 start.
            — He has never pitched against Texas.

            — Toronto won three of their first five games.
            — Toronto is 3-2 on the road.
            — under 4-1
            — scored run in first inning: 2-5
            — record in first 5 innings: 2-3

            — Gibson gave up five runs in 0.1 IP in his first start last week.
            — He is 4-1, 4.61 in nine starts vs Toronto.

            — Texas lost three of their first five games.
            — Texas is 1-1 at home.
            — over 3-1-1
            — scored run in first inning: 3-5
            — record in first 5 innings: 3-2

            White Sox (3-3) @ Seattle (2-3)
            — Keuchel allowed six runs in four IP (69 PT) in his first ’21 start.
            — He is 9-8, 3.25 in 20 games (19 starts) vs Seattle.

            — Chicago split its first six games.
            — White Sox are 3-3 on the road.
            — over/under 3-3
            — scored run in first inning: 1-6
            — record in first 5 innings: 4-1-1

            — Dunn is 4-1, 4.13 in 14 MLB starts the last two years.
            — He’s never pitched against the White Sox.

            — Seattle lost three of its first five games.
            — Seattle is 2-3 at home.
            — over 3-2
            — scored run in first inning: 0-5
            — record in first 5 innings: 2-3

            Baltimore (3-2) @ Bronx (3-2)
            — Means banked Boston for seven IP in his first ’21 start.
            — He is 1-2, 7.17 in seven games (4 starts) vs New York.

            — Orioles won three of their first five games.
            — Baltimore is 3-2 on road.
            — under 3-2
            — scored run in first inning: 1-5
            — record in first 5 innings: 2-2-1

            — Taillon is making his first start since 2019, when he started 7 games.
            — He’s never pitched against the Orioles.

            — New York won three of their last four games.
            — New York is 3-2 at home.
            — under 4-1
            — scored run in first inning: 0-5
            — record in first 5 innings: 4-1

            Interleague game
            Dodgers (5-1) @ Oakland (0-6)

            — Bauer allowed four wins in 6.2 IP (96 PT) in his first ’21 start.
            — He is 1-4, 3.72 in eight starts vs Oakland.

            — Dodgers won their last five games.
            — Dodgers are 5-1 on the road.
            — over 4-2
            — scored run in first inning: 2-6
            — record in first 5 innings: 4-2

            — Luzardo gave up five runs in five IP (92 PT) in his first ’21 start.
            — He allowed three runs in three IP in a relief stint vs LA.

            — A’s lost their first six games, all by 4+ runs.
            — Oakland is already 0-6 at home.
            — over 5-1
            — scores run in first inning: 3-6
            — record in first 5 innings: 0-6

            Comment


            • MLB

              Wednesday, April 7


              ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Trend Report
              ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

              Atlanta @ Washington
              Atlanta
              The total has gone OVER in 7 of Atlanta's last 8 games when playing Washington
              The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta's last 6 games on the road
              Washington
              The total has gone OVER in 7 of Washington's last 8 games when playing Atlanta
              The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 7 games at home

              Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati
              Pittsburgh
              The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 8 games when playing Cincinnati
              The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Pittsburgh's last 13 games
              Cincinnati
              Cincinnati is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
              Cincinnati is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh

              Tampa Bay @ Boston
              Tampa Bay
              The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing Boston
              The total has gone OVER in 8 of Tampa Bay's last 9 games when playing on the road against Boston
              Boston
              The total has gone OVER in 5 of Boston's last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
              The total has gone OVER in 8 of Boston's last 9 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay

              Kansas City @ Cleveland
              Kansas City
              The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Kansas City's last 6 games on the road
              Kansas City is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Cleveland
              Cleveland
              The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Cleveland's last 13 games when playing at home against Kansas City
              The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland's last 6 games when playing Kansas City

              Minnesota @ Detroit
              Minnesota
              Minnesota is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
              Minnesota is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
              Detroit
              Detroit is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota
              The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota

              Toronto @ Texas
              Toronto
              The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games on the road
              The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games
              Texas
              Texas is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
              Texas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home

              Milwaukee @ Chi Cubs
              Milwaukee
              The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Milwaukee's last 5 games on the road
              Milwaukee is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
              Chi Cubs
              The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Chi Cubs's last 8 games at home
              The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chi Cubs's last 7 games

              Atlanta @ Washington
              Atlanta
              The total has gone OVER in 7 of Atlanta's last 8 games when playing Washington
              The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta's last 6 games on the road
              Washington
              The total has gone OVER in 7 of Washington's last 8 games when playing Atlanta
              The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 7 games at home

              LA Dodgers @ Oakland
              LA Dodgers
              LA Dodgers is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
              LA Dodgers is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
              Oakland
              The total has gone OVER in 7 of Oakland's last 8 games
              The total has gone OVER in 5 of Oakland's last 6 games at home

              NY Mets @ Philadelphia
              NY Mets
              The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Mets's last 5 games
              The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Mets's last 5 games on the road
              Philadelphia
              The total has gone OVER in 6 of Philadelphia's last 7 games when playing NY Mets
              Philadelphia is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home

              St. Louis @ Miami
              St. Louis
              St. Louis is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Miami
              St. Louis is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Miami
              Miami
              The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Miami's last 6 games when playing St. Louis
              The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Miami's last 11 games

              San Francisco @ San Diego
              San Francisco
              The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Francisco's last 6 games when playing on the road against San Diego
              San Francisco is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
              San Diego
              The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Diego's last 5 games at home
              The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Diego's last 5 games

              Chi White Sox @ Seattle
              Chi White Sox
              Chi White Sox is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Seattle
              Chi White Sox is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Seattle
              Seattle
              The total has gone OVER in 7 of Seattle's last 9 games when playing Chi White Sox
              The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seattle's last 6 games at home

              Baltimore @ NY Yankees
              Baltimore
              The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Baltimore's last 8 games when playing NY Yankees
              The total has gone OVER in 17 of Baltimore's last 23 games when playing NY Yankees
              NY Yankees
              NY Yankees is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Baltimore
              NY Yankees is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Baltimore

              Arizona @ Colorado
              Arizona
              Arizona is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Colorado
              The total has gone OVER in 5 of Arizona's last 6 games when playing Colorado
              Colorado
              The total has gone OVER in 5 of Colorado's last 6 games when playing Arizona
              The total has gone OVER in 4 of Colorado's last 5 games when playing at home against Arizona


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

              Comment


              • Thursday’s 6-pack
                Odds to win The Masters:

                19-2— Bryson Dechambeau, Dustin Johnson
                11-1— Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas
                12-1— Jon Rahm
                19-1— Rory McIlroy
                22-1— Patrick Cantlay
                25-1— Xander Schauffele

                Americans who have died from COVID-19: 556,307
                PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.


                Quote of the Day
                “Winning helps, and losing doesn’t.”
                Bill Parcells

                Thursday’s quiz
                What comedian played Lady Gaga’s father in A Star is Born?

                Wednesday’s quiz
                Art Fleming was the host of Jeopardy!, before Alex Trebek.

                Tuesday’s quiz
                Scott Drew coached Valparaiso for a year, before going to Baylor. He replaced his dad Homer Drew at Valpo and when he left, his dad went back and coached there some more, then was replaced by his other son, Bryce Drew.

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

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

                13) Arizona Wildcats finally fired basketball coach Sean Miller, who spent 12 years in Tucson, going 150-68 in Pac-12 games, 13-8 in NCAA tourney games, but 0-3 in Elite 8 games, last of which was in 2015. Things were not headed in an upward direction, though.

                Miller’s program wound up getting overwhelmed by problems with the NCAA:
                — Academic fraud.
                — Impermissible benefits.
                — Bribery.

                Not good. Where does Arizona turn from here? There are four candidates who played ball for the Wildcats; one of these guys is likely to get the nod:

                Luke Walton, Damon Stoudamire, Josh Pastner. Miles Simon

                12) One of the amusing parts of these job searches is that guys at other schools wind up getting their contracts extended, so they won’t consider bolting town for greener pa$ture$.

                — Cal-Santa Barbara gave Joe Pasternack a 5-year contract extension.
                — Maryland’s Mark Turgeon also got a 5-year extension.

                11) Its hard to win at gambling:
                — A’s 4, Dodgers 3 (10)— A’s were 0-6, looked terrible, so of course they win the game when Trevor Bauer starts against them. Go figure.
                — Rangers 2, Blue Jays 1— Kyle Gibson didn’t get out of the first inning in his first start; he blanked Toronto for six innings here, which makes no sense.

                10) I’m not a big fan of the new extra inning system, where the inning starts with a guy on 2nd base, but seeing how the A’s are 7-0 in extra innings this year and last, maybe I should be.

                9) Braves were 0-4, then they swept a twinbill in Washington Wednesday; Huascar Ynoa tossed five shutout innings for Atlanta in the nightcap.

                8) If one of the pitchers on your fantasy team is pitching and you see Jerry Layne is umping the plate, the next couple of hours might be fun. His strike zone is……..wide.

                7) Cardinals’ pitcher Génesis Cabrera wears number 92; he is the first major leaguer EVER to wear #92 in a regular season game.

                6) Mariners 8, White Sox 4— Seattle pitcher Justin Dunn allowed only one hit in 4.2 IP, but he also walked eight guys— he threw 48 strikes, 45 balls, allowed three runs.

                Here are some of the better survey answers we got on the question:
                What would you serve if you hosted The Masters champions’ dinner?

                5) Pete from Rome (NY, not Italy)— Baked lasagna or baked ziti. Messy, but good.

                4) Mr Dodger has an extensive menu:
                — Appetizer: Buffalo chicken wings, Waldorf salad.
                — Entree: New York strip steak
                — Vegetable: green beans Almondine
                — Dessert: New York cheesecake
                — Wines from the Fingerlakes Region, craft beer from the Albany area.

                3) G-squared— 16-ounce New York strip steak, with baked potatoes. Vegetatians can go back to the fairway and graze. ��

                2) Billy C— Surf and turf!!!

                1) Hoosier Mike:
                — Home Run frozen pizza
                — Pistachio pudding
                — Fillet steak
                — Mashed potatoes
                — String beans/carrots mixed
                — Hot bread rolls
                — Ben and Jerry’s ice cream

                0) Armadillo:
                — pasta and meatballs
                — cheesecake for dessert

                Comment


                • 901MIAMI -902 NY METS
                  MIAMI is 24-8 SU (15.2 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.

                  903CHICAGO CUBS -904 PITTSBURGH
                  PITTSBURGH is 18-4 SU (13.3 Units) with a team slugging percentage .400 or worse on the season (NL) over the last 2 seasons.

                  903CHICAGO CUBS -904 PITTSBURGH
                  DEREK SHELTON is 18-4 SU (13.6 Units) with a team slugging percentage .400 or worse on the season (NL) (Coach of PITTSBURGH)

                  905ARIZONA -906 COLORADO
                  COLORADO is 433-540 SU (-161 Units) at home with a money line of -100 to -150 since 1996.

                  907MILWAUKEE -908 ST LOUIS
                  MILWAUKEE is 6-20 SU (-17.8 Units) vs. an NL team with an on base percentage .315 or worse over the last 2 seasons.

                  909BOSTON -910 BALTIMORE
                  BALTIMORE is 16-5 SU (10.5 Units) in day games over the last 2 seasons.

                  911SEATTLE -912 MINNESOTA
                  MINNESOTA is 9-20 SU (-13.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.

                  913KANSAS CITY -914 CHI WHITE SOX
                  CHI WHITE SOX is 11-3 SU (9 Units) vs. AL teams allowing 4.9 or more runs/game on the season over the last 2 seasons.

                  915LA ANGELS -916 TORONTO
                  TORONTO is 6-16 SU (-13.1 Units) vs. a team with a good bullpen whose ERA is 3.45 or better in the last 3 seasons.

                  917OAKLAND -918 HOUSTON
                  HOUSTON is 27-9 SU (17.1 Units) when playing with a day off in the last 3 seasons.

                  Comment


                  • MLB
                    Dunkel

                    Thursday, April 8


                    Comment


                    • MLB
                      Weather Report

                      Thursday, April 8


                      Comment


                      • MLB
                        Armadillo's Write-Up

                        Thursday, April 8


                        NL games
                        Miami (1-5) @ Mets (1-2)

                        — Marlins haven’t announced a starting pitcher.

                        — Marlins lost five of first six games.
                        — This is their road opener.
                        — under 3-2-1
                        — scored run in first inning: 2-6
                        — record in first 5 innings: 1-1-4

                        — Walker is making his Mets’ debut here.
                        — He allowed 7 runs (3 earned) in 3.2 IP, in his one start vs Miami.

                        — Mets lost two of their first three games.
                        — This is the Mets home opener.
                        — Over 3-0
                        — scored run in first inning: 0-3
                        — record in first 5 innings: 2-1

                        Cubs (3-3) @ Pittsburgh (1-5)
                        — Arrieta allowed one run in six IP (84 PT) in his first ’21 start.
                        — He is 13-6, 2.87 in 24 starts vs Pittsburgh.

                        — Cubs split their first six games.
                        — This is Chicago’s road opener.
                        — Last five games stayed under the total.
                        — scored run in first inning: 2-6
                        — record in first 5 innings: 3-2-1

                        — TAnderson allowed three runs in five IP (91 PT) in his first ’21 start.
                        — He is 2-1, 4.32 in four starts vs Chicago.

                        — Pirates lost five of their first six games- they were outscored 25-5 the last two days.
                        — This is Pittsburgh’s home opener.
                        — Under 3-3
                        — scored run in first inning: 1-6
                        — record in first 5 innings: 1-4-1

                        Arizona (2-4) @ Colorado (2-4)
                        — Kelly allowed three runs in 94 PT in his first ’21 start.
                        — He is 1-2, 7.64 in three starts vs Colorado, 1-1, 7.71 in two starts here.

                        — Arizona lost four of first six games, all on road.
                        — Arizona is 2-4 on the road.
                        — under 4-2
                        — scored run in first inning: 2-6
                        — record in first 5 innings: 2-4

                        — Gray allowed one run in five IP (82 PT) in his first ’21 start.
                        — He is 4-5, 5.34 in 12 starts vs Arizona.

                        — Colorado lost four of its last five games, all at home.
                        — Rockies are 2-4 at home.
                        — over 4-2
                        — scored run in first inning: 1-6
                        — record in first 5 innings: 4-2

                        Milwaukee (3-3) @ St Louis (4-2)
                        — Burnes allowed one run in 6.1 IP (87 PT) in his first ’21 start.
                        — He is 1-2, 6.41 in seven games (4 starts) vs St Louis, 1-1, 5.40 in four games (1 start) here.

                        — Brewers split their first six games.
                        — Milwaukee won two of its three road games.
                        — Under 4-2
                        — scored run in first inning: 1-6
                        — record in first 5 innings: 1-3-2

                        — Wainwright allowed six runs in 2.2 IP (56 PT) in his first ’21 start.
                        — He is 18-11, 2.50 in 44 games (37 starts) vs Milwaukee.

                        — Cardinals won four of first six games.
                        — This is the St Louis home opener.
                        — Over 3-2-1
                        — scored run in first inning: 2-6
                        — record in first 5 innings: 2-3-1

                        AL games
                        Boston (3-3) @ Baltimore (4-2)

                        — Rodriguez is 9-5, 3.24 in 19 games (17 starts) vs Baltimore, 5-2, 2.60 in nine starts at Camden Yards.

                        — Boston won its last three games, after an 0-3 start.
                        — This is Boston’s road opener.
                        — Last four games went over
                        — scored run in first inning: 1-6
                        — record in first 5 innings: 2-3-1

                        — Harvey allowed two runs in 4.2 IP (86 PT) in his first ’21 start.
                        — He is 0-0, 1.69 in two starts vs Boston (10.2 IP).

                        — Orioles won four of their first six games.
                        — This is Baltimore’s home opener.
                        — under 3-3
                        — scored run in first inning: 1-6
                        — record in first 5 innings: 3-2-1

                        Kansas City (3-2) @ White Sox (3-4)
                        — Keller allowed six runs in 1.1 IP (51 PT) in his first ’21 start.
                        — He is 4-3, 3.20 in 12 games (9 starts) vs Chicago, 1-2, 5.04 in five starts here.

                        — Royals won three of their first five games.
                        — Royals are 1-1 on the road.
                        — over 2-2-1
                        — scores run in first inning: 1-5
                        — record in first 5 innings: 3-2

                        — Lynn allowed two runs in 4.2 IP (99 PT) in his first ’21 start.
                        — He is 4-2, 4.36 in nine starts vs Kansas City.

                        — Chicago lost four of its first seven games.
                        — This is White Sox home opener.
                        — over/under 4-3 over
                        — scored run in first inning: 1-7
                        — record in first 5 innings: 5-1-1

                        Seattle (3-3) @ Minnesota (4-2)
                        — Gonzales allowed five runs in six IP (99 PT) in his first ’21 start.
                        — He allowed six runs in five IP, in his one start vs Minnesota.

                        — Seattle split its first six games.
                        — This is Seattle’s road opener.
                        — over 4-2
                        — scored run in first inning: 0-6
                        — record in first 5 innings: 2-4

                        — Berrios blanked Milwaukee for six IP (84 PT) in his first ’21 start.
                        — He is 1-2, 4.02 in five starts vs Seattle.

                        — Twins won four of their first six games.
                        — This is Minnesota’s home opener.
                        — over 3-3
                        — scores run in first inning: 2-6
                        — record in first 5 innings: 3-2-1

                        Angels (4-2) @ Texas (3-3)
                        — Canning is 0-2, 6.00 in three starts vs Texas; he allowed four runs (1 earned) in 3.2 IP in his one start here LY.

                        — Angels won four of their first six games.
                        — This is Angels’ road opener.
                        — over/under 3-3
                        — scored run in first inning: 2-6
                        — record in first 5 innings: 1-3-2

                        — Stripling allowed three runs in 3.1 IP (77 PT) in his first ’21 start.
                        — He is 1-2, 3.33 in five games (3 starts) against the Angels.

                        — Texas split their first six games.
                        — Texas is 2-1 at home.
                        — over 3-2-1
                        — scored run in first inning: 3-6
                        — record in first 5 innings: 4-2

                        Oakland (1-6) @ Houston (5-1)
                        — Irvin gave up four runs in 4.1 IP (82 PT) in his first ’21 start.
                        — That was his only appearance against the Astros.

                        — A’s lost six of their first seven games.
                        — This is Oakland’s road opener.
                        — over 5-2
                        — scores run in first inning: 3-7
                        — record in first 5 innings: 0-6-1

                        — Javier allowed two runs in 3.2 IP (73 PT) in his first ’21 start.
                        — He is 0-2, 6.94 in three starts vs Oakland.

                        — Astros won five of their first six games.
                        — This is Houston’s home opener.
                        — over 5-1
                        — scored run in first inning: 3-6
                        — record in first 5 innings: 4-1-1
                        Last edited by Udog; 04-08-2021, 08:40 AM.

                        Comment


                        • MLB

                          Thursday, April 8


                          ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          Trend Report
                          ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                          Miami @ NY Mets
                          Miami
                          Miami is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing NY Mets
                          The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Miami's last 5 games on the road
                          NY Mets
                          The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Mets's last 5 games
                          NY Mets is 16-6 SU in its last 22 games when playing at home against Miami

                          Chi Cubs @ Pittsburgh
                          Chi Cubs
                          The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi Cubs's last 5 games
                          The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi Cubs's last 5 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
                          Pittsburgh
                          The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
                          The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games at home

                          Boston @ Baltimore
                          Boston
                          Boston is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
                          The total has gone OVER in 11 of Boston's last 13 games
                          Baltimore
                          The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Baltimore's last 5 games at home
                          Baltimore is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Boston

                          Arizona @ Colorado
                          Arizona
                          The total has gone OVER in 4 of Arizona's last 5 games when playing Colorado
                          Arizona is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Colorado
                          Colorado
                          The total has gone OVER in 4 of Colorado's last 5 games when playing at home against Arizona
                          The total has gone OVER in 4 of Colorado's last 5 games when playing Arizona

                          Kansas City @ Chi White Sox
                          Kansas City
                          The total has gone OVER in 6 of Kansas City's last 7 games when playing on the road against Chi White Sox
                          The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Kansas City's last 7 games on the road
                          Chi White Sox
                          Chi White Sox is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Kansas City
                          Chi White Sox is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Kansas City

                          Seattle @ Minnesota
                          Seattle
                          The total has gone OVER in 5 of Seattle's last 5 games when playing Minnesota
                          Seattle is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
                          Minnesota
                          The total has gone OVER in 5 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing Seattle
                          The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing at home against Seattle

                          Milwaukee @ St. Louis
                          Milwaukee
                          The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Milwaukee's last 5 games on the road
                          The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Milwaukee's last 6 games when playing St. Louis
                          St. Louis
                          The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
                          The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing Milwaukee

                          LA Angels @ Toronto
                          LA Angels
                          LA Angels is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Toronto
                          LA Angels is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Toronto
                          Toronto
                          The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto's last 6 games
                          Toronto is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home

                          Oakland @ Houston
                          Oakland
                          The total has gone OVER in 5 of Oakland's last 5 games when playing Houston
                          The total has gone OVER in 4 of Oakland's last 5 games on the road
                          Houston
                          Houston is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
                          Houston is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Oakland


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

                          Comment


                          • Friday’s 6-pack
                            Updated odds to win The Masters:

                            4-1— Justin Rose
                            15-2— Jordan Spieth
                            12-1— Patrick Reed, Jon Rahm
                            14-1— Justin Thomas
                            16-1— Hideki Matsuyama
                            18-1— Webb Simpson

                            Americans who have died from COVID-19: 556,529
                            PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.


                            Quote of the Day
                            “There’s more talent around the league than there’s ever been. From a talent standpoint, the league is in a good space. But as pure basketball lovers — who love competition at the highest level — I think they gotta catch up in that department………They soft as hell……”
                            Draymond Green

                            Friday’s quiz
                            NBA’s Rockets were an expansion team in 1967; where did they play their first four seasons, before moving to Houston?

                            Thursday’s quiz
                            Andrew Dice Clay played Lady Gaga’s father in A Star is Born.

                            Wednesday’s quiz
                            Art Fleming was the host of Jeopardy!, before Alex Trebek.

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

                            Friday’s Den: Random stuff with weekend here……..

                            13a) Least shocking story of the month: After two seasons with Oklahoma State, assistant coach Cannen Cunningham and the program have mutually agreed to part ways.

                            Cannen Cunningham is Cade Cunningham’s brother; hiring Cannen and paying him a quarter million bucks is how Oklahoma State landed the best recruit in the country (Cade) last year. Now he is going to go help manage his younger brother’s career in the NBA. Go figure.

                            Where does the NCAA draw the line on stuff like this: can a recruit’s mother be hired as a secretary and be paid a six-figure salary? Could a sibling be hired as a personal trainer, at $125K a year? What is legal and what isn’t? Inquiring minds would like to know.

                            13) Early Thursday morning I’m sound asleep when I hear these very loud noises just outside my bedroom window. Some kind of machinery, lot of people talking. Awesome.

                            Turns out the nice lady across the street was getting her driveway resurfaced. At 8:06am.

                            Three trucks, some kind of a steamroller, and 4-5 guys chopping away at the old driveway, before the new surface could get put down. Lot of loud noises, not a lot of sleep.

                            They finished around 3:00 in the afternoon. Driveway looks nice; just wish they had done it later in the day.

                            12) Wednesday, Washington Nationals intentionally walked Freddie Freeman in both the first and second inning of their 7-6 loss to the Braves. I wondered how often that happens.

                            So I asked the great researcher Doug Kern on Twitter; turns out the last time that happened was in 2009, when Detroit walked Albert Pujols intentionally in both the 1st/2nd innings.

                            11) Hello friends, must be quite a week for Jim Nantz; college basketball national title game on Monday night, then off to Augusta for The Masters all weekend. Pretty good week.

                            I am told his backyard has a par-3 hole in it, but when is the guy ever home? He does NFL in the fall, golf in spring/summer, college basketball all winter. Its good to be him.

                            10) Mets 3, Marlins 2— Mets had bases loaded, two outs in 2-2 game, bottom of 9th, Miami pitcher throws a strike, Michael Conforto sticks his elbow out, lets the ball hit it and the Mets walk off with a controversial win.

                            None of the umpires had the onions to say Conforto let the ball hit him; Mets’ TV guys Keith Hernandez/Ron Darling even said he did. Play isn’t reviewable, which is embarrassing. Rule needs to be changed.

                            9) White Sox 6, Royals 0— Complete game for Lance Lynn, on 111 pitches. First CG of the young season; Chicago’s bullpen has been dismal so far- Tony LaRussa had to be glad to see this.

                            8) Shohei Ohtani won’t make his next start Sunday against Toronto; he has a blister on his pitching hand. Ohtani went 1-5 as the Angels’ DH Thursday night; he is hitting .280.

                            7) In 1969, when MLB first went to divisional play, they also added four expansion teams that year- Padres, Royals, Expos, Seattle Pilots. All four expansion teams won their first game that season. Expos are the Washington Nationals now; Pilots are the Milwaukee Brewers.

                            6) Rory Mcilroy shot +4 (76) in the first round of The Masters Thursday; not only that, on the 7th hole, he hit a shot that struck his dad on the leg. Not good.

                            5) Read Thursday that actor Don Johnson is re-booting his old TV show Nash Bridges for a run on USA Network, not sure if it is one movie or if it’ll be a series again. Nash Bridges ran on CBS from 1996-2001; Johnson played a San Francisco cop whose partner was played by Cheech Marin, who is also returning for the re-boot.

                            4) G-League’s Erie BayHawks are moving to Birmingham, AL next season.

                            3) Arizona State has already poached transfers this spring from Toledo, Boston College, Robert Morris; the kid from Toledo is Marreon Jackson- he scored 18.1 ppg, grabbed 6.1 rpg and dished out 5.9 assists/game. He is expected to be a big help for the Sun Devils, who had four players transfer out of Tempe after the season.

                            2) UCLA basketball coach Mick Cronin parlayed his Bruins’ run to the Final Four into a two-year contract extension.

                            1) Thursday would’ve been Catfish Hunter’s 75th birthday; he passed away in 1999, at age 53.

                            James Augustus Hunter was my boyhood hero; on his rookie baseball card, in 1965, they spelled his name wrong on the back (Tim, not Jim) and when 5-year old me saw that, I adopted him as my favorite player, prompting strange looks from my dad. In 1965, not many kids in upstate New York rooted for the Kansas City A’s.

                            Catfish Hunter won 233 career games, nine of them in the postseason; he threw a perfect game in 1968, and knocked in three of the four runs the A’s scored that game. He won five World Series rings and won inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987.

                            Comment


                            • 951COLORADO -952 SAN FRANCISCO
                              COLORADO is 203-221 SU (-82.8 Units) in road games vs. a bad bullpen that blows 38% or more of their save opportunities since 1996.

                              953WASHINGTON -954 LA DODGERS
                              WASHINGTON is 4-13 SU (-15.1 Units) in road games vs. a team with a bad bullpen whose ERA is 4.70 or worse over the last 2 seasons.

                              955PHILADELPHIA -956 ATLANTA
                              ATLANTA is 8-1 SU (6.9 Units) after batting .225 or worse over a 5 game span over the last 2 seasons.

                              957CINCINNATI -958 ARIZONA
                              ARIZONA is 34-21 SU (15.9 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the last 3 seasons.

                              959NY YANKEES -960 TAMPA BAY
                              NY YANKEES are 79-48 SU (26.2 Units) against division opponents in the last 3 seasons.

                              961LA ANGELS -962 TORONTO
                              TORONTO is 6-17 SU (-14.7 Units) vs. a team with a good bullpen whose ERA is 3.45 or better in the last 3 seasons.

                              963DETROIT -964 CLEVELAND
                              CLEVELAND is 21-7 SU (14.1 Units) vs. AL teams scoring 3.9 or less runs/game on the season in the last 3 seasons.

                              965OAKLAND -966 HOUSTON
                              OAKLAND is 82-97 SU (-24.7 Units) in road games after scoring 4 runs or less 4 straight games since 1996.

                              967SAN DIEGO -968 TEXAS
                              TEXAS are 44-27 SU (14.3 Units) after having won 2 of their last 3 games in the last 3 seasons.

                              Comment


                              • MLB
                                Weather Report

                                Friday, April 9


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