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

[Udog]

Wednesday’s 6-pack
States with the biggest (legal) sports betting handles in March:
$860M— New Jersey
$641M— Nevada
$560M— Pennsylvania
$384M— Michigan
$317M— Indiana
$301M— Colorado
Americans who have died from COVID-19: 572,201
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.

Quote of the Day
“I do feel like I’m being targeted every night. I have felt like I’ve been targeted, but I am just going to continue to play as hard as I can, I want the Philly fans to know that I am out there giving 130 percent every night. The calls might not go my way, I might seem a little frustrated, but I am out there to help this team win a championship.”
Dwight Howard, who has 15 technical fouls this season

Wednesday’s quiz
Who was the Mets’ manager, last time they played in a World Series?

Tuesday’s quiz
When Catfish Hunter threw a perfect game in a 4-0 win for the A’s in 1968, the future Hall of Famer who knocked in three of Oakland’s four runs was……..Catfish Hunter. This was five years before the DH. Catfish was a pretty good hitter.

Monday’s quiz
Seven active NFL QB’s have thrown six TD passes in a game:
Brady, Fitzpatrick, Foles, Mahomes, Rodgers, Roethlisberger, Trubisky

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

Wednesday’s Den: Mid-week musings

13) Julius Erving listed his top two all-time NBA teams; they raised some eyebrows.
1st team:
— Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain

2nd team:
— Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Karl Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Again, this is Julius Erving saying this, not me. We all have our own opinions.

12) Indians 7, Twins 4:
— Minnesota was 36-24 last year; they’re 7-15 this year.
— Twins are 0-7 in one-run games, 0-5 in extra innings.
— Franmil Reyes hit two homers for Cleveland.

11) Dodgers’ 1B Max Muncy had a stretch over the weekend where he reached base nine out of ten times, but problem is, he didn’t have any hits in that span, just 8 walks and a HBP.

In his last nine games, Muncy is 1-26, with 12 walks.

10) These Kentucky Derby notes are from ESPN’s Chris Fallica:
— Last time a horse won the Kentucky Derby from the #14 post? 1961 (Carry Back)
— Since then, eight horses from the 14-post have been top three betting choices.
— Last five years, the 14-post has been a top-4 betting choice all five years, but only one of those horses cracked the trifecta.

9) Dallas 133, Golden State 103
— Mavericks ended the first quarter on a 25-0 run.
— Dallas made 18-35 shots behind the arc.
— Apparently Golden State had been playing better since they stopped practicing; their last practice was April 8, but they got squashed in this game.

8) 38-year old Arthur Smith is the Atlanta Falcons’ new head coach; his father is the guy who founded FedEx. The younger Smith played college football at North Carolina, was recently the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans.

7) Blue Jays 9, Nationals 5:
— Vladimir Guerrero Jr becomes youngest player in MLB history with a 3-HR, 7 RBI game.

6) Baseball stuff:
— Bronx Bombers acquired LHP Wandy Peralta and a player to be named later from San Francisco Giants in exchange for OF Mike Tauchman.
— Reliever Jerry Blevins retired after a 13-year career, spent with four teams.

5) 29-year old Drew Valentine is the new basketball coach at Loyola Chi, replacing Porter Moser, who bolted to Oklahoma. Valentine graduated from college only eight years ago.

4) NHL is going to get a lot more exposure, with NBC Sports Network going off the air this summer. NHL has new deals with ESPN/Turner; will Charles Barkley give his hockey picks before games?

3) 529 different players have played in at least one NBA game this season.

2) There is going to be a 6-team baseball draft league, leading up to July’s amateur draft, with all six managers being former major league players. Amateur players who are hoping to be drafted will play ball; I’m assuming they’ll use wooden bats, which they don’t use in college.

Baseball draft has traditionally been the first week in June, with the short season leagues getting underway couple weeks later, but those leagues are out of business now, as MLB took over the minor leagues, starting this season.

1) If you’ve hit more sacrifice flies than you’ve been walked/hit bye pitch, then your on-base %age will actually be lower than your batting average. Sacrifice bunts don’t count as at-bats, but sacrifice flies do.

[Udog]

MLB
Weather Report

Wednesday, April 28

[Udog]

901MIAMI -902 MILWAUKEE
MIAMI is 20-2 SU (17.6 Units) in road games vs. good defensive catchers - allowing 0.5 or less SB's/game over the last 2 seasons.

903CINCINNATI -904 LA DODGERS
LA DODGERS are 33-20 SU (13 Units) vs. good fielding teams - averaging <=0.6 errors/game over the last 2 seasons.

905CHICAGO CUBS -906 ATLANTA
ATLANTA is 0-10 SU (-10.2 Units) in home games vs. an NL team with a team batting average of .255 or worse in the current season.

907PHILADELPHIA -908 ST LOUIS
ST LOUIS are 24-16 SU (6.4 Units) in home games when the total is 9 to 9.5 in the last 3 seasons.

909SAN DIEGO -910 ARIZONA
ARIZONA is 37-21 SU (19.7 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the last 3 seasons.

911COLORADO -912 SAN FRANCISCO
SAN FRANCISCO is 26-14 SU (15.9 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.

911COLORADO -912 SAN FRANCISCO
GABE KAPLER is 26-14 SU (10.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record (Coach of SAN FRANCISCO)

913MINNESOTA -914 CLEVELAND
MINNESOTA is 3-13 SU (-11.8 Units) vs. an overused bullpen that pitches more than 3.2 innings per game in the current season.

915NY YANKEES -916 BALTIMORE
NY YANKEES are 1-11 SU (-11.9 Units) in road games when playing against a bad team (Win Pct. 38% to 46%) over the last 2 seasons.

917OAKLAND -918 TAMPA BAY
TAMPA BAY is 334-279 SU (27.1 Units) in home games after having lost 4 or 5 of their last 6 games since 1996.

[Udog]

MLB
Dunkel

Wednesday, April 28

[Udog]

MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, April 28

NL games
Cubs (10-13) @ Atlanta (11-12)
— Hendricks is 1-2, 5.68 in four starts.
— Cubs are 1-3 in his starts.
— under 3-1
— allowed run in first inning: 2-4
— record in first 5 innings: 1-2-1
— He is 1-2, 4.55 in six games (5 starts) vs Atlanta.

— Cubs lost their last four games.
— Chicago is 2-6 on road.
— 15 of last 22 games stayed under the total.
— scored run in first inning: 6-23
— record in first 5 innings: 9-12-2

— Ynoa is 0-1, 4.20 in three starts.
— Braves are 1-2 in his starts.
— under 2-1
— allowed run in first inning: 1-3
— record in first 5 innings: 1-1-1
— He gave up 6 runs in four IP, in one start vs Chicago.

— Braves won four of their last six games.
— Atlanta is 6-6 at home.
— Over is 9-3 in their home games.
— scored run in first inning: 8-23
— record in first 5 innings: 9-9-5

Miami (10-13) @ Milwaukee (14-9)
— Alcantara is 0-2, 3.64 in five starts.
— Miami is 2-3 in his starts.
— under 3-2
— allowed run in first inning: 1-5
— record in first 5 innings: 2-2-1
— He is 1-0, 3.60 3 games (1 start) vs Milwaukee.

— Marlins lost six of their last nine games.
— Miami is 5-7 on the road.
— over 3-1-1 last five games
— scored run in first inning: 7-23
— record in first 5 innings: 8-10-5

— Milwaukee hasn’t named a starter.

— Brewers won 13 of their last 19 games.
— Milwaukee is 5-6 at home.
— under 8-4-1 last 13 games.
— scored run in first inning: 7-23
— record in first 5 innings: 11-8-4

Philadelphia (11-12) @ St Louis (12-11)
— Velasquez allowed two runs in four IP (67 PT) in his first ’21 start
— He is in MLB starts.
— He is 1-2, 5.04 in five games (4 starts) vs St Louis.

— Phillies lost 11 of their last 16 games.
— Phillies are 3-8 on road.
— under 5-2 last seven road games.
— scored run in first inning: 8-23
— record in first 5 innings: 7-11-5

— Oviedo is making his first ’21 start.
— He was 0-3, 5.47 in three starts LY.
— He is making his first start vs Philly.

— Cardinals won four of their last five games.
— St Louis won five of last seven home games.
— Under 6-2-1 last nine games.
— scored run in first inning: 6-23
— record in first 5 innings: 9-10-4

San Diego (13-12) @ Arizona (12-11)
— Weathers threw 9.1 scoreless IP in two starts, both vs LA.
— Those are his only two MLB starts.
— He threw 3 scoreless innings in a relief stint vs Arizona.

— Padres won three of last five games.
— San Diego is 8-4 on the road.
— three of last four games went over
— scored run in first inning: 6-25
— record in first 5 innings: 8-14-3

— Weaver is 1-2, 4.75 in four starts.
— Arizona is 2-2 in his starts
— under 2-2
— allowed run in first inning: 0-4
— record in first 5 innings: 1-3
— He is 2-5, 3.79 in eight starts vs San Diego.

— Arizona won seven of its last eight games.
— Arizona is 3-3 at home.
— over 5-2 last seven games
— scored run in first inning: 5-23
— record in first 5 innings: 12-10-1

Colorado (9-14) @ San Francisco (15-9)
— Marquez is 1-1, 3.45 in five starts.
— Colorado is 3-2 in his starts.
— over 3-2
— allowed run in first inning: 1-5
— record in first 5 innings: 3-1-1
— He is 4-5, 5.46 in 11 starts vs San Francisco, 3-4, 4.50 in 8 starts here.

— Colorado won six of its last nine games.
— Rockies are 1-7 on the road.
— Under 5-3 on the road.
— scored run in first inning: 7-23
— record in first 5 innings: 10-9-4

— Wood allowed one run in 12 IP in two starts, both vs Miami.
— Giants are 2-0 in his starts.
— under 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 2-0
— He is 4-3, 6.52 in 15 games (12 starts) vs Colorado.

— Giants are 12-6 in their last 18 games.
— Giants are 9-3 at home.
— Under is 14-7-1 in their last 22 games.
— scored run in first inning: 5-24
— record in first 5 innings: 13-8-3

Cincinnati (11-12) @ Dodgers (15-9)
— Gray is 0-1, 7.88 in two starts.
— Reds are 1-1 in his starts.
— over 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 0-2
— you’re reading ***************.com
— record in first 5 innings: 0-2
— He is 1-1, 1.80 in two starts vs Los Angeles.

— Cincinnati lost 11 of its last 16 games.
— Reds are 7-5 at home, 4-7 on road.
— Over 8-2-1 last 11 games
— scored run in first inning: 6-23
— record in first 5 innings: 10-11-2

— Kershaw is 2-1, 1.38 in his last four starts.
— Dodgers are 3-2 in his starts.
— under 3-1 last four
— allowed run in first inning: 1-5
— record in first 5 innings: 3-2
— He is 3-2, 2.54 in 11 starts vs Cincinnati.

— Dodgers lost seven of their last nine games.
— Dodgers are 7-5 at home.
— over 5-0 last five games
— scored run in first inning: 7-24
— record in first 5 innings: 12-8-4

AL games
Minnesota (7-15) @ Cleveland (11-11)
— Happ is 1-0, 1.69 in three starts.
— Twins are 1-2 in his starts.
— under 3-0
— allowed run in first inning: 0-3
— record in first 5 innings: 1-1-1
— He is 3-2, 4.19 in seven games (6 starts) vs Cleveland.

— Twins lost 13 of their last 15 games.
— Minnesota lost its last six road games.
— over 4-1-1 last six road games
— scores run in first inning: 9-22
— record in first 5 innings: 7-10-5

— Allen gave up nine runs in 4.1 IP, in his last two starts.
— Indians are 1-3 when he starts.
— under 3-1
— allowed run in first inning: 1-4
— record in first 5 innings: 1-3
— He hasn’t pitched against Minnesota.

— Cleveland won their last three games.
— Indians are 7-5 at home.
— over 5-2-1 last eight games
— scores run in first inning: 6-22
— record in first 5 innings: 6-13-3

Bronx (10-13) @ Baltimore (10-13)
— German is 1-2, 6.92 in three starts.
— New York is 1-2 in his starts.
— under 2-1
— allowed run in first inning: 2-3
— record in first 5 innings: 0-2-1
— He is 4-0, 2.97 in six games (4 starts) vs Baltimore.

— New York won five of its last eight games.
— New York is 6-6 on the road.
— under 7-2 last nine games
— scored run in first inning: 2-23
— record in first 5 innings: 9-11-3

— Orioles haven’t named a starter.

— Orioles lost 13 of their last 20 games.
— Baltimore is 7-4 on the road, 3-9 at home.
— under is 6-1 in their last seven home games.
— scored run in first inning: 6-23
— record in first 5 innings: 9-10-4

Oakland (15-9) @ Tampa Bay (12-12)
— Irvin is 2-2, 3.86 in four starts.
— A’s are 2-2 in his starts.
— under 3-1
— allowed run in first inning: 1-4
— record in first 5 innings: 2-2
— He hasn’t pitched against Tampa Bay.

— A’s won 14 of their last 16 games.
— Oakland won seven its last nine road games.
— Under is 8-3 in their last 11 games.
— scored run in first inning: 6-24
— record in first 5 innings: 11-9-4

— Glasnow is 2-1, 2.95 in his last three starts.
— Rays are 3-2 in his starts.
— over 3-1 last four
— allowed run in first inning: 2-5
— record in first 5 innings: 2-1-2
— He hasn’t pitched against Oakland.

— Tampa Bay lost four of its last six games.
— Rays are 5-7 at home.
— last four games stayed under
— scored run in first inning: 7-24
— record in first 5 innings: 9-9-6

Angels (11-11) @ Texas (10-14)
— Cobb is 1-0, 6.91 in three starts.
— Angels are 2-1 in his starts.
— over 2-1
— allowed run in first inning: 0-3
— record in first 5 innings: 1-1-1
— He is 1-1, 2.90 in six starts vs Texas.

— Halos are 5-9 in last 14 games overall.
— Angels lost seven of last ten road games.
— over 7-3 last ten games
— scored run in first inning: 5-22
— record in first 5 innings: 10-10-2

— Dunning is 1-0, 3.06 in four starts (18 IP).
— Texas is 1-3 in his starts.
— under 2-2
— allowed run in first inning: 1-4
— record in first 5 innings: 2-1-1
— He hasn’t pitched against the Angels.

— Texas lost five of its last seven games.
— Texas is 4-7 at home.
— under 8-3 at home.
— scored run in first inning: 6-24
— record in first 5 innings: 11-10-3

Detroit (8-16) @ White Sox (12-10)
— Mize is 1-2, 5.23 in four starts.
— Detroit is 2-2 in his starts.
— under 4-0
— allowed run in first inning: 1-4
— record in first 5 innings: 2-2
— He is 0-0, 4.66 in two starts against the White Sox.

— Detroit lost 10 of its last 12 games.
— Detroit is 4-7 on the road.
— under 10-1 last 11 games
— scored run in first inning: 2-11 on road
— record in first 5 innings: 3-8 on road

— Rodon is 3-0, 0.95 in three starts.
— Chicago is 3-0 in his starts.
— over 2-1
— allowed run in first inning: 0-3
— record in first 5 innings: 3-0
— He is 2-2, 6.82 in six starts vs Detroit.

— Chicago won six of its last eight games.
— White Sox are 6-4 at home.
— under 7-3 at home.
— scored run in first inning: 8-22
— record in first 5 innings: 15-2-5

Seattle (13-11) @ Houston (12-11)
— Dunn is 1-0, 3.68 in three starts.
— Seattle is 3-0 in his starts.
— over 2-1
— allowed run in first inning: 0-3
— record in first 5 innings: 1-2
— He threw two scoreless innings, in his one start vs Houston.

— Seattle lost four of its last five games.
— Seattle is 6-7 on the road.
— under last three games
— scored run in first inning: 6-24
— record in first 5 innings: 7-15-2

— Greinke is 2-1, 2.76 in five starts.
— Astros are 4-1 in his starts.
— under 3-1 last four starts
— allowed run in first inning: 1-5
— record in first 5 innings: 2-2-1
— He is 8-2, 2.09 in 17 games (15 starts) vs Seattle.

— Astros won five of their last six games.
— Astros are 6-6 at home.
— over 5-3 last eight home games
— scored run in first inning: 5-23
— record in first 5 innings: 11-9-3

Interleague games
Kansas City (14-8) @ Pittsburgh (12-11)
— Minor is 2-1, 4.64 in four starts.
— Royals are 3-1 in his starts.
— under 3-1
— allowed run in first inning: 2-4
— record in first 5 innings: 1-2-1
— He is 0-1, 5.00 in three starts against Pittsburgh.

— Royals are 14-8 in their first 22 games.
— Royals are 6-3 on the road.
— 15 of last 19 games under
— scores run in first inning: 3-22
— record in first 5 innings: 10-8-4

— Keller is 1-2, 7.16 in four starts.
— Pirates are 2-2 in his starts.
— under 2-2
— allowed run in first inning: 3-4
— record in first 5 innings: 1-2-1
— He hasn’t pitched against the Royals.

— Pirates won four of their last five games.
— Pittsburgh is 5-3 at home.
— under 4-1-1 last six games
— scored run in first inning: 7-23
— record in first 5 innings: 10-9-4

Washington (8-12) @ Toronto (11-11)
— Fedde is 1-1, 3.07 in his last three starts (14.2 IP).
— Washington split his four starts.
— under 3-1
— allowed run in first inning: 1-4
— record in first 5 innings: 1-2-1
— He gave up 2 runs in 3.1 IP, in his one start vs Toronto.

— Washington is 3-5 in its last eight games.
— Nationals are 3-7 on the road.
— under 12-5-1 last 18 games
— scored run in first inning: 6-20
— record in first 5 innings: 4-10-6

— Matz is 4-0, 2.31 in his first four starts.
— Toronto is 4-0 in his starts.
— under 2-2
— allowed run in first inning: 0-4
— record in first 5 innings: 4-0
— He is 1-7, 4.83 in 15 games (14 starts) vs Washington.

— Toronto won four of its last five games.
— Toronto is 4-3 at home in Florida.
— under 15-7
— scored run in first inning: 8-22
— record in first 5 innings: 10-10-2

Boston (15-9) @ Mets (9-9)
— Pivetta is 2-0, 3.48 in four starts.
— Red Sox are 3-1 in his starts.
— over 4-0
— allowed run in first inning: 1-4
— record in first 5 innings: 3-0-1
— He is 3-2, 6.08 in eight games (7 starts) against the Mets.

— Boston is 3-1 in its last four games.
— Red Sox are 7-1 on the road.
— over 3-2 last five games
— scored run in first inning: 6-24
— record in first 5 innings: 9-10-5

— deGrom is 2-1, 1.24 in four starts.
— Mets are 2-2 in his starts.
— under 2-1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 0-4
— record in first 5 innings: 2-2
— He is 0-1, 3.32 in three starts vs Boston.

— Mets lost six of their last nine games.
— Mets are 6-3 at home.
— Under 7-1-1 at home.
— scored run in first inning: 4-18
— record in first 5 innings: 9-8-1

[Udog]

MLB

Wednesday, April 28

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

Minnesota @ Cleveland
Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 6 games on the road
Minnesota is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
Cleveland
Cleveland is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota
Cleveland is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota

Miami @ Milwaukee
Miami
Miami is 10-2 ATS in its last 12 games on the road
Miami is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Milwaukee
Milwaukee is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Miami
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 5 games when playing at home against Miami

Cincinnati @ LA Dodgers
Cincinnati
Cincinnati is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing on the road against LA Dodgers
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Cincinnati's last 9 games
LA Dodgers
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Dodgers's last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Dodgers's last 5 games

Kansas City @ Pittsburgh
Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Kansas City's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Kansas City's last 5 games
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing at home against Kansas City

Boston @ NY Mets
Boston
Boston is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Boston is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games on the road
NY Mets
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Mets's last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Mets's last 5 games when playing Boston

NY Yankees @ Baltimore
NY Yankees
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of NY Yankees's last 7 games when playing Baltimore
NY Yankees is 19-4 SU in its last 23 games when playing on the road against Baltimore
Baltimore
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Baltimore's last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Baltimore's last 7 games when playing NY Yankees

Washington @ Toronto
Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Washington's last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Toronto is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home

Oakland @ Tampa Bay
Oakland
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Oakland's last 5 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Oakland is 14-2 SU in its last 16 games
Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing at home against Oakland
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing Oakland

Chi Cubs @ Atlanta
Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi Cubs's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi Cubs's last 6 games when playing Atlanta
Atlanta
Atlanta is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Atlanta's last 15 games at home

Philadelphia @ St. Louis
Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 6 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 7 games on the road
St. Louis
St. Louis is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
St. Louis is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home

LA Angels @ Texas
LA Angels
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Angels's last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Angels's last 6 games when playing Texas
Texas
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Texas's last 6 games at home
Texas is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against LA Angels

Detroit @ Chi White Sox
Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games on the road
Chi White Sox
Chi White Sox is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing Detroit
Chi White Sox is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Detroit

Seattle @ Houston
Seattle
Seattle is 14-3 ATS in its last 17 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Seattle's last 10 games when playing Houston
Houston
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Seattle
Houston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games

San Diego @ Arizona
San Diego
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Diego's last 6 games when playing Arizona
San Diego is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Arizona
Arizona is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Arizona is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against San Diego

Colorado @ San Francisco
Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Colorado's last 5 games
Colorado is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
San Francisco
San Francisco is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Colorado
San Francisco is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Colorado


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

[Udog]

Diamond Trends for Wednesday April 28
Vince Akins

SU Play ON Trend of the Day
Matchup: Boston at N.Y. Mets (6:40 p.m. ET)

-- The Red Sox are 13-0 SU since Aug 29, 2014 as a road dog of at least +140 off a game as a dog in which they left fewer than 10 men on base.

SU Play AGAINST Trend of the Day
Matchup: Cincinnati at L.A. Dodgers (4:10 p.m. ET)

-- The Reds are 0-16 SU since May 25, 2011 coming off a game as a road dog where they scored first, then trailed and came back to win.

OU Trend of the Day
Matchup: Minnesota at Cleveland (1:10 p.m. ET)

-- The Twins are 0-12 OU (-2.42 ppg) since Jun 23, 2019 past the first game of a series as a favorite off a game as a favorite in which they allowed 5+ walks.

Starter-Based Trend of the Day
Matchup: Colorado at San Francisco (9:45 p.m. ET)

-- The Rockies are 0-10 SU since Aug 03, 2018 when German Marquez starts on the road when they won as an home favorite in his last start.

Trends are verified using Sports Data Query Language (SDQL)

[Udog]

Thursday’s 6-pack
Odds for this week’s Valspar Championship:
17-2— Justin Thomas
10-1— Dustin Johnson
20-1— Paul Casey, Viktor Hovland, Patrick Reed
22-1— Corey Conners
28-1— Scottie Scheffler
31-1— Russ Henley, Sungjae Im, Louis Oosthuizen
Americans who have died from COVID-19: 573,420
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.

Quote of the Day
“………like an explosion. It’s like you almost go into shock. You think, ‘Is the next one the one that’s going to take me out?’”
Former umpire Dale Scott, describing getting hit in the mask by a foul tip

Thursday’s quiz
Who is the last player the Rams drafted in the first round?

Wednesday’s quiz
Terry Collins was the Mets’ manager, last time they played in a World Series.

Tuesday’s quiz
When Catfish Hunter threw a perfect game in a 4-0 win for the A’s in 1968, the future Hall of Famer who knocked in three of Oakland’s four runs was……..Catfish Hunter. This was five years before the DH. Catfish was a pretty good hitter.

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

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

13) NFL Draft will happen in Cleveland Thursday-Saturday; six years ago, the NFL pushed back its draft to help promote the movie Draft Day, but Radio City Music Hall wasn’t available for the later date, so they took the NHL’s lead and moved the draft to Chicago that year.

They quickly realized they had stumbled upon a great idea, moving the draft around the country, mostly to cities that will never host a Super Bowl. It is good for the league.

12) Thursday is just the first round; Rams haven’t had a first round pick since 2016, so my laptop will be doing double duty- there are five baseball games tonight, too.

11) Carolina Panthers are switching to FieldTurf in their home stadium this year, leaving the NFL with 14 artificial turf fields, 16 grass fields (two stadiums are shared by teams).

10) Carolina traded QB Teddy Bridgewater to Denver Thursday, getting a 6th-round pick from the Broncos. Panthers acquired Sam Darnold from the Jets, making Bridgewater expendable.

Someone posted a betting ticket on Twitter, where a guy wagered $1,000 at 20-1 odds a few weeks ago, that Bridegwater would take the Broncos’ first snap from center in September. He is either really smart, really lucky or he had some inside knowledge.

9) Suns 109, Clippers 101— Phoenix clinches its first playoff appearance in 11 years; Monty Williams has to be NBA Coach of the Year, right?

8) Chicago White Sox are 12-10 so far this year, but if you bet them in first 5 innings play, then they’re 15-2-5; they’ve trailed only two of 22 games after the 5th inning. Their bullpen hasn’t been good. Chicago is 2-7 in games where the winning run scored from the 7th inning on.

7) I am convinced that major league umpires have been schooled to call more strikes on check swings this season, probably to quicken pace of play. MLB wants quicker games, but they also want more scoring; can’t have both of those things, fellas.

6) Nolan Ryan struck out seven guys late in his career, whose fathers he had struck out earlier in his career.

5) Braves 10, Cubs 0— Chicago used three position players to pitch in this game; they’re 10-14 and in last place in the NL Central. Maybe I’m just a miserable older person, but if my team was losing 10-0, I wouldn’t be yukking it up while the first baseman pitched. I understand that it is a long season and all, but the Cubs don’t look like a team that cares a whole lot.

4) Red Sox 1, Mets 0— Mets scored one run the last two nights; they’ve scored a total of 13 runs in Jacob deGrom’s five starts, and he knocked in a couple of those himself.

Fans are booing Francisco Lindor already; who is going to be the first guy who gets booed who says he misses last year’s cardboard cutouts?

3) Ole Miss fired offensive line coach/running game coordinator Randy Clements, three days after its spring football game. The firing was for football reasons and not related to any off-the-field issues, but Ole Miss led the SEC in rushing yardage last year.

Must be an interesting story tucked away in there somewhere.

2) End of this month meant scouring the Extra Innings Package, trying to find a decent pitcher to add to my fantasy squad. You never have pitching in keeper leagues, especially this year, when younger pitchers might hit an innings limit later on and get shut down for the year.

Long time ago, maybe 10-12 years ago, I had this guy pitching for the Padres; my pitching staff had fallen apart and I was clutching at straws trying to find capable pitchers. It wasn’t going well; this guy was pitching against Arizona and Tom Candiotti was the TV analyst.

Candiotti spent about two innings explaining why this guy would never be an effective starting pitcher in the majors; I went to my computer and cut the guy, while he was still pitching in the game. Candiotti was right; the guy wound up going 4-10 for San Diego that year.

1) Haven’t decided yet what format tomorrow’s den will take; there will be a ton of info to go thru, as all four team sports, plus golf are going on. If I do a running diary, it is more likely to be Friday than tonight.

It is good to be getting back to normal, that’s for sure.

[Udog]

MLB
Weather Report

Thursday, April 29

[Udog]

MLB
Dunkel

Thursday, April 29

[Udog]

MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, April 29

NL games
Philadelphia (12-12) @ St Louis (12-12)
— Nola is 2-1, 2.84 in five starts.
— Phillies are 4-1 in his starts
— under 3-2
— allowed run in first inning: 1-5
— record in first 5 innings: 3-1-1
— He is 5-2, 1.90 in seven starts vs St Louis.

— Phillies lost 11 of their last 17 games.
— Phillies are 4-8 on road.
— under 6-2 last eight road games.
— scored run in first inning: 8-24
— record in first 5 innings: 7-11-6

— Kim is 1-0, 4.15 in two starts.
— Cardinals are 2-0 in his starts
— over 2-0
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 2-0
— He gave up three runs in three IP at Philly April 17.

— Cardinals won four of their last six games.
— St Louis won five of last eight home games.
— Under 7-2-1 last ten games.
— scored run in first inning: 6-24
— record in first 5 innings: 9-10-5

Cubs (10-14) @ Atlanta (12-12)
— Alzolay is 0-2, 5.00 in three starts.
— Cubs are 0-3 in his starts.
— under 2-1
— allowed run in first inning: 1-3
— record in first 5 innings: 1-1-1
— He gave up one run in 4.2 IP in one start vs Atlanta.

— Cubs lost their last five games.
— Chicago is 2-7 on road.
— 15 of last 23 games stayed under the total.
— scored run in first inning: 6-24
— record in first 5 innings: 9-13-2

— Wilson is 1-1, 6.00 in two starts (1-1).
— Braves are 1-1 in his starts.
— under 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 1-2
— record in first 5 innings: 1-1
— He is 1-0, 5.79 in two starts vs Chicago.

— Braves won five of their last seven games.
— Atlanta won last three home games.
— Over is 10-3 in their home games.
— scored run in first inning: 9-24
— record in first 5 innings: 10-9-5

Dodgers (16-9) @ Milwaukee (14-10)
— Bauer is 2-0, 2.10 in his last four starts.
— Dodgers are 3-2 in his starts.
— under 3-1 last four
— allowed run in first inning: 1-5
— record in first 5 innings: 3-0-2
— He is 2-1, 2.66 in three starts vs Milwaukee.

— Dodgers lost seven of their last ten games.
— Dodgers are 8-4 on the road.
— over 6-0 last six games
— scored run in first inning: 7-25
— record in first 5 innings: 13-8-4

— Lauer is making his first ’21 start.
— He is 14-19, 4.75 in 57 games (54 starts)
— He is 5-0, 2.11 in seven starts vs Los Angeles.

— Brewers won 13 of their last 20 games.
— Milwaukee is 5-7 at home.
— under 8-5-1 last 14 games.
— scored run in first inning: 7-24
— record in first 5 innings: 11-9-4

Colorado (9-15) @ Arizona (12-12)
— Senzatela is 0-2, 7.24 in his last three starts.
— Colorado is 1-4 in his starts.
— under 3-2
— allowed run in first inning: 2-5
— record in first 5 innings: 1-3-1
— He is 3-6, 5.43 in 13 games (10 starts) vs Arizona, 2-4, 5.08 in 9 games (5 starts) here.

— Colorado won six of its last ten games.
— Rockies are 1-8 on the road.
— over 4-0 last four road games.
— scored run in first inning: 7-24
— record in first 5 innings: 10-10-4

— Weaver is 1-2, 4.75 in four starts.
— Arizona is 2-2 in his starts
— under 2-2
— allowed run in first inning: 0-4
— record in first 5 innings: 1-3
— He is 1-2, 6.84 in 7 games (6 starts) vs Colorado.

— Arizona won seven of its last nine games.
— Arizona is 3-4 at home.
— over 6-2 last eight games
— scored run in first inning: 5-24
— record in first 5 innings: 12-11-1

AL games
Bronx (11-13) @ Baltimore (10-14)
— Montgomery is 0-1, 6.32 in his last three starts.
— New York is 3-1 in his starts.
— under 2-2
— allowed run in first inning: 1-4
— record in first 5 innings: 1-3
— He is 3-1, 2.51 in eight starts vs Baltimore.

— New York won six of its last nine games.
— New York is 7-6 on the road.
— under 8-2 last ten games
— scored run in first inning: 2-24
— record in first 5 innings: 10-11-3

— Lopez is 1-2, 6.92 in three starts.
— Baltimore is 1-2 in his starts.
— under 2-1
— allowed run in first inning: 2-3
— record in first 5 innings: 0-2-1
— He is 4-0, 2.97 in six games (4 starts) vs New York.

— Orioles lost 14 of their last 21 games.
— Baltimore is 7-4 on the road, 3-10 at home.
— under is 7-1 in their last eight home games.
— scored run in first inning: 6-24
— record in first 5 innings: 9-11-4

Oakland (15-10) @ Tampa Bay (13-12)
— Bassitt is 2-0, 3.17 in his last three starts.
— A’s are 3-2 in his starts.
— under 3-1 last four
— allowed run in first inning: 0-5
— record in first 5 innings: 3-2
— He is 0-1, 1.86 in two games (1 start) vs Tampa Bay.

— A’s lost three of their last four games.
— Oakland won seven its last ten road games.
— Under is 9-3 in their last 12 games.
— scored run in first inning: 6-25
— record in first 5 innings: 11-10-4

— Yarbrough is 0-2, 5.27 in five games (3 starts).
— He allowed one run in 10.2 IP, in his last two games.
— They may/may not use an opener.
— He gave up five runs in 13.2 IP (1-0, 3.29), in three relief stints vs Oakland.

— Tampa Bay won three of its last five games.
— Rays are 6-7 at home.
— last five games stayed under
— scored run in first inning: 7-25
— record in first 5 innings: 10-9-6

Seattle (13-12) @ Houston (13-11)
— Kikuchi is 0-1, 5.70 in four starts.
— Seattle is 2-2 in his starts.
— over 3-1
— allowed run in first inning: 1-4
— record in first 5 innings: 1-2-1
— He is 0-2, 6.46 in six starts vs Houston.

— Seattle lost five of its last six games.
— Seattle is 6-9 on the road.
— under 3-1 last four games
— scored run in first inning: 6-25
— record in first 5 innings: 8-15-2

— Garcia is 0-1, 4.00 in two starts.
— Astros are 0-2 in his starts.
— under 1-1
— allowed run in first inning: 0-2
— record in first 5 innings: 1-0-1
— He hasn’t pitched against Seattle.

— Astros won six of their last seven games.
— Astros are 7-6 at home.
— over 6-3 last nine home games
— scored run in first inning: 5-24
— record in first 5 innings: 11-10-3

Boston (16-9) @ Texas (10-15)
— Perez is 0-1, 5.71 in four starts.
— Red Sox are 3-1 in his starts.
— over 2-2
— allowed run in first inning: 3-4
— record in first 5 innings: 1-2-1
— He is 1-0, 4.91 in two starts vs Texas.

— Boston is 4-1 in its last five games.
— Red Sox are 8-1 on the road.
— under last three games
— scored run in first inning: 6-25
— record in first 5 innings: 10-10-5

— Gibson is 2-0, 0.86 in his last three starts.
— Texas is 3-1 in his starts.
— under 2-2
— allowed run in first inning: 2-4
— record in first 5 innings: 2-1-1
— He is 2-4, 3.63 in seven starts vs Boston.

— Texas lost six of its last eight games.
— Texas is 4-8 at home.
— under 9-3 at home.
— scored run in first inning: 7-25
— record in first 5 innings: 11-11-3

Detroit (8-16) @ White Sox (12-10)
— Mize is 1-2, 5.23 in four starts.
— Detroit is 2-2 in his starts.
— under 4-0
— allowed run in first inning: 1-4
— record in first 5 innings: 2-2
— He is 0-0, 4.66 in two starts against the White Sox.

— Boyd is 2-2, 2.08 in five starts.
— Detroit is 2-3 in his starts.
— under 4-1
— allowed run in first inning: 0-5
— record in first 5 innings: 3-2
— He is 4-8, 5.16 in 16 starts against the White Sox.

— Detroit lost 10 of its last 12 games.
— Detroit is 4-7 on the road.
— under 10-1 last 11 games
— scored run in first inning: 2-11 on road
— record in first 5 innings: 3-8 on road

— Rodon is 3-0, 0.95 in three starts.
— Chicago is 3-0 in his starts.
— over 2-1
— allowed run in first inning: 0-3
— record in first 5 innings: 3-0
— He is 2-2, 6.82 in six starts vs Detroit.

— Cease is 0-0, 4.15 in four starts.
— Chicago is 1-3 in his starts.
— over 3-1
— allowed run in first inning: 1-4
— record in first 5 innings: 1-1-2
— He is 5-0, 2.86 in five starts vs Detroit.

— Chicago won six of its last eight games.
— White Sox are 6-4 at home.
— under 7-3 at home.
— scored run in first inning: 8-22
— record in first 5 innings: 15-2-5

[Udog]

MLB

Thursday, April 29

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

NY Yankees @ Baltimore
NY Yankees
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Yankees's last 5 games when playing on the road against Baltimore
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of NY Yankees's last 8 games when playing Baltimore
Baltimore
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Baltimore's last 5 games when playing at home against NY Yankees
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Baltimore's last 8 games at home

Oakland @ Tampa Bay
Oakland
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Oakland's last 5 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Oakland's last 7 games when playing Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games at home

Philadelphia @ St. Louis
Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Philadelphia's last 7 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games when playing St. Louis
St. Louis
St. Louis is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of St. Louis's last 7 games when playing at home against Philadelphia

Seattle @ Houston
Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Seattle's last 5 games when playing on the road against Houston
Seattle is 14-4 ATS in its last 18 games
Houston
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Seattle
Houston is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games

Detroit @ Chi White Sox
Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games on the road
Chi White Sox
Chi White Sox is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing Detroit
Chi White Sox is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Detroit

Chi Cubs @ Atlanta
Chi Cubs
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi Cubs's last 5 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi Cubs's last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta
Atlanta is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
Atlanta is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs

LA Dodgers @ Milwaukee
LA Dodgers
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Dodgers's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of LA Dodgers's last 8 games when playing Milwaukee
Milwaukee
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Milwaukee's last 8 games when playing LA Dodgers
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 5 games at home

Boston @ Texas
Boston
Boston is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Boston is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games on the road
Texas
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Texas's last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Texas's last 6 games when playing Boston

Detroit @ Chi White Sox
Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games on the road
Chi White Sox
Chi White Sox is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing Detroit
Chi White Sox is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Detroit

Colorado @ Arizona
Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Colorado's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Colorado's last 5 games on the road
Arizona
Arizona is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Arizona's last 10 games at home


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

[Udog]

951PHILADELPHIA -952 ST LOUIS
ST LOUIS are 243-206 SU (81.3 Units) in home games vs. a starting pitcher whose gives up 0.5 or less HR's/start since 1996.

953CHICAGO CUBS -954 ATLANTA
ATLANTA is 5-16 SU (-12.6 Units) after a game they hit 4 or more home runs in the last 3 seasons.

955LA DODGERS -956 MILWAUKEE
MILWAUKEE is 0-11 SU (-12.1 Units) in home games after 3 or more consecutive overs in the last 3 seasons.

957COLORADO -958 ARIZONA
COLORADO is 10-27 SU (-22 Units) vs. a starting pitcher whose gives up 1 or more HR's/start in the last 3 seasons.

959NY YANKEES -960 BALTIMORE
BALTIMORE is 4-14 SU (-12.3 Units) vs. an AL team with an on base percentage .330 or worse in the current season.

961OAKLAND -962 TAMPA BAY
TAMPA BAY is 11-3 SU (9.1 Units) vs. a team with a good bullpen whose WHIP is 1.350 or better in the current season.

963SEATTLE -964 HOUSTON
HOUSTON is 137-102 SU (24.8 Units) off 2 straight home wins against division rivals since 1996.

965BOSTON -966 TEXAS
BOSTON is 9-0 SU (9 Units) in road games in all games in the current season.

965BOSTON -966 TEXAS
BOSTON is 9-0 SU (9.3 Units) vs. good defensive catchers - allowing 0.5 or less SB's/game in the current season.

969DETROIT -970 CHI WHITE SOX
DETROIT is 7-0 SU (7 Units) in road games as an underdog of +200 or more over the last 2 seasons.

[Udog]

Diamond Trends for Thursday April 29
Vince Akins

ATS Play ON Trend of the Day
Matchup: Boston at Texas (8:05 p.m. ET)

-- The Red Sox are 13-0 SU since Aug 01, 2017 as a favorite off a game as a dog in which Rafael Devers had multiple hits.

ATS Play AGAINST Trend of the Day
Matchup: Seattle at Houston (2:10 p.m. ET)

-- The Astros are 0-6 SU since Sep 23, 2020 in the last game of a series as a favorite when playing a team that has a worse record.

OU Play OVER Trend of the Day
Matchup: N.Y. Yankees at Baltimore (1:10 p.m. ET)

-- The Orioles are 8-0-1 OU (2.39 ppg) since Sep 08, 2019 at home off a home loss by 5+ runs.

OU Play UNDER Trend of the Day
Matchup: Colorado at Arizona (9:40 p.m. ET)

-- The Rockies are 0-10 SU since Jun 23, 2019 when Antonio Senzatela starts as a road dog when their bullpen gave up runs in each of their last two games.

Trends are verified using Sports Data Query Language (SDQL)

[Udog]

Friday’s 6-pack
NFL leaders in passing yardage last year:
4,823— Deshaun Watson, Hst
4,740— Patrick Mahomes, KC
4,633— Tom Brady, TB
4,581— Matt Ryan, Atl
4,544— Josh Allen, Buff
4,336— Justin Herbert, LAC
Americans who have died from COVID-19: 573,420
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.

Quote of the Day
“If we did draft a quarterback, it’s a good room for sure. Both (Dalton/Foles) have a lot of experience. A lot of different experiences, too. Which is good. The coaching staff that we have is strong as well. … But, again, we’re just going to take the best players throughout this draft.”
Chicago Bears’ GM Ryan Pace, who drafted a quarterback with the 11th pick

Friday’s quiz
Who was the Jacksonville Jaguars’ QB the last time they played a playoff game, in 2017?

Thursday’s quiz
Jared Goff is the last player the Rams drafted in the first round, in 2016.

Wednesday’s quiz
Terry Collins was the Mets’ manager, last time they played in a World Series.

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

Friday’s Den: Wrapping up the first 20 picks of the NFL Draft

— First job tonight was to decide which channel to watch the draft on; NFL Network had a concert on, ESPN had four or five commercials for the NBA. No bueno; back to the Extra Innings package until they start picking players.

— There were reports this afternoon that Aaron Rodgers wants the Packers to trade him, which would be tumultuous.

— Quick reminder that the NFL season is now 17 games long.

— There are tons of people outside on a rainy night in Cleveland to watch all this draft stuff happen; having the draft in Las Vegas seems like a much better idea.

— Well, ESPN made the decision for me; they have Mike Greenberg hosting their coverage, so it is off to the NFL Network.

— It is 8:10 and there is still a damn band playing in Cleveland; start the draft!!! In happier news, Kris Bryant just doubled for the Cubs/Armadillos. Cubs lead 4-0 in the third.

— Jacksonville Jaguars are on the clock; Urban Meyer is their new coach. You get the feeling this is an all-or-nothing deal for Meyer, he’ll either win really big or he won’t finish his first season. Whatever, thanks for the Jaguars for getting him off of TV, where he was terrible- zero personality.

— Why is Jacksonville taking the whole 10:00 to make their pick?

— Eric Lauer is pitching for Milwaukee tonight, his first start of the year. Lauer is 14-19, 4.75 in 57 career games (54 starts), but he is 5-0, 2.11 in seven starts against the Dodgers, which makes no sense.

— Daniel Jeremiah just said that when the Jets upset the Rams last year, which put the Jaguars in position to pick first in this draft, that Jacksonville sold a ton of season tickets right after. Its the least the Rams could do for Jacksonville- they traded star CB Jalen Ramsey to the Rams.

— OK, now that Trevor Lawrence is a Jaguar, how long before he starts?

— Jets have a new coach, they traded their QB, they have the #2 pick. Everyone in their draft room has a suit jacket on; things in Jacksonville were way more casual.

With the #2 pick, Gang Green selects Zach Wilson; going from BYU to New Jersey qualifies as worlds colliding.

Someone just called Wilson “…….borderline cocky” Hmmmmm

There is a woman in a Jets sweatshirt sitting in an easy chair behind Roger Goodell’s pedestal.

— It irritates me when I hear an analyst say “He’s a winner” because for every winner, there has to be a loser, and I don’t think anyone is pre-ordained to be a loser.

— 49ers have the third pick in the draft; they take QB Trey Lance, who started 17 games for a I-AA team, playing only one game last year for North Dakota State. Carson Wentz also played for the Bison; what does this mean for Jimmy Garoppolo?

North Dakota State has a third QB in the NFL, Easton Stick, who is a backup with the Chargers, or at least he was before they got Chase Daniel. Must be a fun time to recruit quarterbacks at North Dakota State.

— Great stat they just said on TV; last ten QB’s to win the Super Bowl all threw 1,200+ passes in college; Trey Lance threw 318.

— Atlanta Falcons take TE Kyle Pitts with the 4th pick; his college coach Dan Mullen is sitting there in the draft room with him, getting some free TV time. Matt Ryan must like this pick.

Pitts is the highest drafted tight end ever.

— Bengals take Ja’Marr Chase, the LSU WR who didn’t play last year; he is reunited with his old LSU QB Joe Burrow. Explosive receiver; opting out of last year didn’t cost him any money.

— When was last time the first five picks all went to players on the offensive side of the ball?

— Miami has the 6th pick; they take WR Jaylen Waddle from Alabama, the second WR in row who was wearing sunglasses backstage. Chase took his shades off when he went on stage; Waddle kept his on. Six offensive players in a row, which ties the all-time record.

We are told that Waddle is very fast, a good feature for a WR. Are there slow WR’s?

— Detroit Lions are on the clock; they have a new everything- coach, GM, QB. They’ve won one playoff game in the Super Bowl era; that’s 55 years.

Lions were very good in the 1950’s; they won three titles back then, before I was alive.

People in Detroit’s draft room are hugging each other like they just won the Super Bowl, so they got someone they didn’t think they’d get- OT Penei Sewell from Oregon, which has to make Jared Goff a happier guy. Quarterbacks need their blind side protected.

— Carolina Panthers take CB Jaycee Horn with the 8th pick, the first defensive player taken; he is described as “chippy, competitive; talks a lot on the field”

— 87-year old Bob Uecker still does commercials on Brewers’ TV in Milwaukee for Usinger’s, a sausage company; he is an amazing guy, so funny. Still does Brewers’ home games on the radio.

— Denver Broncos are up next; they take a CB from Alabama whose dad also played in the NFL. Guess they’re serious about starting Teddy Bridgewater at QB this fall, though I also just read a thing on the Interweb about Denver trading for Aaron Rodgers.

They just showed Justin Fields’ family on TV, sitting at home; his parents don’t look happy. Someone needs to tell them that there were six QB’s taken in the 1983 Draft, and Dan Marino was #6 of the six, so you never know what the future will hold.

Yup, Dan Marino was 27th pick in the draft, which is why this is a fascinating process.

They also showed Alabama QB Mac Jones, sitting by himself in the draft room with his phone, probably wondering “Who the bleep told me to come here?!?!?!”

— Dallas Cowboys are on the clock; they traded the pick to Philadelphia, who take DeVonta Smith, the Alabama WR who is also reunited with his college QB, Jalen Hurts.

Not often two division rivals make a trade like that; Eagles only moved up two slots, but they bypassed the Giants, who may have wanted Smith.

— Cowboys got a third round pick to drop back two slots.

— Giants traded the #11 pick to Chicago, which takes Ohio State QB Justin Fields, bad news for Andy Dalton/Nick Foles.

— Dallas finally gets to pick; they take a LB from Penn State, which means Stephen Jones made the pick, not his father, who prefers flashier choices.

— Damn, to drop back nine slots in the draft, Giants got:

— 5th round pick (164th overall) in this draft.

— Bears 4th round pick 2022.

— Bears’ first round pick in 2022.

Seems like a pretty good haul, if they connect with those picks.

— Chargers have a new coach and a young QB; they took a tackle from Northwestern; when you have a good, young QB, you make sure he is well-protected.

— Lot of trades; Jets traded with Minnesota to move up from #23 to #14- they took Alijah Vera-Tucker, a guard from USC. You draft a young QB, you make sure he is well-protected.

— Patriots take QB Mac Jones from Alabama, who was expected to go a lot higher. Belichick and Nick Saban are good friends, so this makes sense.

— With the 16th pick, Arizona Cardinals take Zaven Collins, a LB from Tulsa.

— This is the first time I can remember where the draft was held before the schedule for next year was released- that comes out May 12. Seriously, for like an hour, I put everything aside as soon as the schedule comes out.

I get my second vaccination May 14; when I get home from that, I’ll be looking online for flights and hotel rooms for my first vacation in two years. Have to pick a good NFL weekend, or maybe even two weekends; we’ll see. Football weekends in Las Vegas are lot of fun.

— Las Vegas Raiders took a tackle from Alabama; lot of Crimson Tide guys getting picked.

— Miami Dolphins are picking again; they take a defensive end from Miami FL, who apparently returned punts for his high school team. Must be a very good athlete.

Last year, only 34% of players in the NFL were guys drafted in Rounds 1-3; the GM/scouts are so important in pro football. Thats why Saturday is a very important day- you can find diamonds in the rough at the end of the draft, guys who make a big difference.

— Washington takes a LB from Kentucky; they had taken a defensive lineman in the first round the previous four years, so at least they change things up some.

Washington needs to come up with a nickname, an actual mascot. It can’t be that difficult; as a matter of fact, I’ll do it for them— Washington RedTails, honoring pilots from World War II.

They made a movie about the RedTails; they could keep everything pretty much the same, the team song, the colors, all that. Simple stuff.

— Last item of the night, then I’m off to write the baseball article; with the #20 pick, Giants take Kadarius Toney, a WR from Florida. Graphic says “inconsistent hands” always a solid quality for a receiver.

Oy.

I’ll be back tomorrow, with more of this jocularity. Guy I used to know made fun of me because I like watching the draft; it was freakin’ rude, because we all like different stuff, and that’s what makes life interesting.