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

[StarDust Bum]

MONDAY, MARCH 22
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

ATL at MIN 01:05 PM
ATL +105
+500

BAL at PIT 01:05 PM
PIT -120
+500

NYM at HOU 01:05 PM
NYM -105
+500

BOS at TB 01:05 PM
BOS +130
+500

STL at MIA 01:05 PM
MIA -115
+500

MIL at CLE 04:05 PM
MIL +110
+500

SF at CHW 04:05 PM
CHW -140
+500

ARI at OAK 04:05 PM
OAK -135
+500

SD at KC 04:05 PM
SD -125
+500

CHC at LAA 04:10 PM
CHC +110
+500

TEX at COL 04:10 PM
COL -130
+500

PHI at NYY 06:35 PM
PHI +150
+500

DET at TOR 06:37 PM
DET +155
+500

LAD at SEA 09:40 PM
LAD -155
+500


DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

03/21/2021 9-4-1 67.86% +1850 Detail
03/20/2021 8-4-2 64.29% +2175 Detail
03/19/2021 7-6-1 53.57% +275 Detail
03/18/2021 6-0-1 92.86% +3450 Detail
03/17/2021 6-7-1 46.43% -850Detail
03/16/2021 8-5-0 61.54% +1375 Detail
03/15/2021 3-3-1 50.00% -550 Detail
03/14/2021 4-7-2 38.46% -2025 Detail
03/13/2021 5-8-1 39.29% -2100 Detail
03/12/2021 8-6-0 57.14% +325 Detail
03/11/2021 8-7-2 52.94% +500 Detail
03/10/2021 4-9-1 32.14% -2850 Detail
03/09/2021 6-7-1 46.43% -550 Detail
03/08/2021 4-3-2 55.56% +500 Detail
03/07/2021 3-9-1 26.92% -3625 Detail
03/06/2021 4-7-1 37.50% -2300 Detail
03/05/2021 7-5-2 57.14% +900 Detail
03/04/2021 7-6-1 53.57% +225 Detail
03/03/2021 5-7-2 42.86% -1775 Detail
03/02/2021 7-4-3 60.71% +1575 Detail
03/01/2021 1-4-2 28.57% -1850 Detail
02/28/2021 4-9-0 30.77% -3270 Detail

[StarDust Bum]

MONDAY, MARCH 22
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

ATL at MIN 01:05 PM
ATL +105
+500

BAL at PIT 01:05 PM
PIT -120
+500

NYM at HOU 01:05 PM
NYM -105
+500

BOS at TB 01:05 PM
BOS +130
+500

STL at MIA 01:05 PM
MIA -115
+500

MIL at CLE 04:05 PM
MIL +110
+500

SF at CHW 04:05 PM
CHW -140
+500

ARI at OAK 04:05 PM
OAK -135
+500

SD at KC 04:05 PM
SD -125
+500

CHC at LAA 04:10 PM
CHC +110
+500

TEX at COL 04:10 PM
COL -130
+500

PHI at NYY 06:35 PM
PHI +150
+500

DET at TOR 06:37 PM
DET +155
+500

LAD at SEA 09:40 PM
LAD -155
+500


DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

03/22/2021 7-4-2 61.54% +1925 Detail
03/21/2021 9-4-1 67.86% +1850 Detail
03/20/2021 8-4-2 64.29% +2175 Detail
03/19/2021 7-6-1 53.57% +275 Detail
03/18/2021 6-0-1 92.86% +3450 Detail
03/17/2021 6-7-1 46.43% -850Detail
03/16/2021 8-5-0 61.54% +1375 Detail
03/15/2021 3-3-1 50.00% -550 Detail
03/14/2021 4-7-2 38.46% -2025 Detail
03/13/2021 5-8-1 39.29% -2100 Detail
03/12/2021 8-6-0 57.14% +325 Detail
03/11/2021 8-7-2 52.94% +500 Detail
03/10/2021 4-9-1 32.14% -2850 Detail
03/09/2021 6-7-1 46.43% -550 Detail
03/08/2021 4-3-2 55.56% +500 Detail
03/07/2021 3-9-1 26.92% -3625 Detail
03/06/2021 4-7-1 37.50% -2300 Detail
03/05/2021 7-5-2 57.14% +900 Detail
03/04/2021 7-6-1 53.57% +225 Detail
03/03/2021 5-7-2 42.86% -1775 Detail
03/02/2021 7-4-3 60.71% +1575 Detail
03/01/2021 1-4-2 28.57% -1850 Detail
02/28/2021 4-9-0 30.77% -3270 Detail

[StarDust Bum]

Tuesday’s 6-pack
NBA leaders in 3-point shooting %age:
56.6%— Tony Snell, All
49.0%— Joe Ingles, Utah
48.8%— Joe Harris, Bkln
46.7%— Bobby Portis, Milw
46.5%— Maxi Kleber, Dal
46.0%— Luke Kennard, LAC

Americans who have died from COVID-19: 542,379
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.

Quote of the Day
“I enjoyed last season, when we had the worst record in the league, more than I enjoyed that last season when we went to the Finals. Last year we had young guys who were trying every day, working hard and we had a great energy, great spirit and great camaraderie.”
Steve Kerr

Tuesday’s quiz
Who was USC’s coach in 2007, last time they made the Sweet 16?
(Hint: He used to coach the Chicago Bulls)

Monday’s quiz
When the Cubs won the World Series in 2016, they beat the Cleveland Indians.

Sunday’s quiz
Georgia coach Tom Crean was Dwyane Wade’s college coach at Marquette.

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

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

13) Oregon 95, Iowa 80:
— Ducks ended first half on an 18-4 run, never looked back.
— Oregon’s shot chart had an awful lot of dunks/layups.
— Luka Garza ended a great college career, scoring 36 points.

12) Michigan 86, LSU 78:
— Wolverines are only Big 14 team left in tournament; 9 teams started.
— Michigan shot 66.7% inside arc, are in Sweet 16 for 3rd time in last four tourneys.
— LSU’s two best players both played 40:00, and it showed near the end.

11) Gonzaga 87, Oklahoma 71
— Gonzaga is 28-0, with one win by less than 10 points.
— Zags shot 57.1% inside arc, scored 1.26 points/possession.
— Oklahoma finished season losing six of its last eight games.

10) USC 85, Kansas 51:
— Trojans made nine of their first 13 3-pointers, are in first Sweet 16 since ‘07
— Pac-12 teams are 9-1 SU in this tournament.
— Kansas had won 9 of 10 games coming in; not a strong effort here.

9) Creighton 72, Ohio U 58:
— Ohio U emptied its bag when they upset Virginia Saturday.
— Bishop was 6-7 from floor, had 15 rebounds for Creighton.
— Bluejays held four of last five opponents to 62 or fewer points.

8) Alabama 96, Maryland 77:
— Alabama made 16-33 shots on arc; tough to beat that.
— Bet you its been long time since Maryland gave up 1.43 ppp.
— Terps finished 17-14, losing four of last six games.

7) Florida State 71, Colorado 53:
— Seminoles are shooting 38.2% on arc (#16), are #19 on offensive boards.
— Florida State is deep; they scored 41 points in first 30:00, 30 points in last 10:00.
— 23-9 Colorado started three seniors; really good year for them.

6) UCLA 67, Abilene Christian 47:
— UCLA had last four games in a row before this tournament started.
— You get feeling Abilene Christian beating Texas was their Super Bowl.
— UCLA-Alabama in Sweet 16 is a stark contrast of styles.

Cruddy set of set games Monday; one game decided by less than 14 points.

5) College basketball coaching stuff:
— Marquette fired Steve Wojciechowski, who made two NCAA tourneys (0-2) in 7 years.
— Hofstra coach Joe Mihalich stepped down, took another job in the athletic department.
— UNLV hired Kevin Kruger as its coach; his dad Lon Kruger was UNLV’s coach as recently was 2011, is coaching Oklahoma now.

4) Mountain West used to be a fun league, but it has gone downhill lately; last five tournaments, Mountain West teams are 1-7 in first round games. Going to be a one-bid league soon.

3) This was first time since 2003 that North Carolina went consecutive seasons without winning an NCAA Tournament game. In 2002/2003, Tar Heels went a combined 10-22 in ACC games and then they fired the coach, which is why Roy Williams came back to Chapel Hill.

I understand that there was no NCAA Tournament last year, but UNC went 14-19 and wasn’t getting in the tournament anyway.

2) Last three NCAA tournaments, ACC teams were combined 5-16 ATS in the first round.

1) Memo to myself: The first weekend of the NCAA Tournament is great fun, always. Next year, if I have half a brain, this column will be written in Las Vegas.

[StarDust Bum]

TUESDAY, MARCH 23
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

MIN at PIT 01:05 PM
MIN -130
+500

WAS at STL 01:05 PM
STL -125
+500

NYY at DET 01:05 PM
NYY -160
+500

TB at BAL 01:05 PM
TB -135
+500

BOS at ATL 01:05 PM
ATL -135
+500


MIA at NYM 01:10 PM
NYM -192
+500

SF at CLE 04:05 PM
CLE -130
+500

CHW at CHC 04:05 PM
CHW -110
+500

LAA at TEX 04:05 PM
TEX -110
+500

COL at OAK 04:05 PM
OAK -140
+500
LAD at MIL 04:10 PM
MIL +1
+500

CIN at SD 04:10 PM
CIN +135
+500

TOR at PHI 06:05 PM
PHI -110
+500

SEA at ARI 09:10 PM
SEA +100
+500



DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

03/22/2021 7-4-2 61.54% +1925 Detail
03/21/2021 9-4-1 67.86% +1850 Detail
03/20/2021 8-4-2 64.29% +2175 Detail
03/19/2021 7-6-1 53.57% +275 Detail
03/18/2021 6-0-1 92.86% +3450 Detail
03/17/2021 6-7-1 46.43% -850Detail
03/16/2021 8-5-0 61.54% +1375 Detail
03/15/2021 3-3-1 50.00% -550 Detail
03/14/2021 4-7-2 38.46% -2025 Detail
03/13/2021 5-8-1 39.29% -2100 Detail
03/12/2021 8-6-0 57.14% +325 Detail
03/11/2021 8-7-2 52.94% +500 Detail
03/10/2021 4-9-1 32.14% -2850 Detail
03/09/2021 6-7-1 46.43% -550 Detail
03/08/2021 4-3-2 55.56% +500 Detail
03/07/2021 3-9-1 26.92% -3625 Detail
03/06/2021 4-7-1 37.50% -2300 Detail
03/05/2021 7-5-2 57.14% +900 Detail
03/04/2021 7-6-1 53.57% +225 Detail
03/03/2021 5-7-2 42.86% -1775 Detail
03/02/2021 7-4-3 60.71% +1575 Detail
03/01/2021 1-4-2 28.57% -1850 Detail
02/28/2021 4-9-0 30.77% -3270 Detail

[StarDust Bum]

TUESDAY, MARCH 23
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

MIN at PIT 01:05 PM
MIN -130
+500

WAS at STL 01:05 PM
STL -125
+500

NYY at DET 01:05 PM
NYY -160
+500

TB at BAL 01:05 PM
TB -135
+500

BOS at ATL 01:05 PM
ATL -135
+500


MIA at NYM 01:10 PM
NYM -192
+500

SF at CLE 04:05 PM
CLE -130
+500

CHW at CHC 04:05 PM
CHW -110
+500

LAA at TEX 04:05 PM
TEX -110
+500

COL at OAK 04:05 PM
OAK -140
+500
LAD at MIL 04:10 PM
MIL +1
+500

CIN at SD 04:10 PM
CIN +135
+500

TOR at PHI 06:05 PM
PHI -110
+500

SEA at ARI 09:10 PM
SEA +100
+500



DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

03/23/2021 6-6-2 50.00% -625 Detail
03/22/2021 7-4-2 61.54% +1925 Detail
03/21/2021 9-4-1 67.86% +1850 Detail
03/20/2021 8-4-2 64.29% +2175 Detail
03/19/2021 7-6-1 53.57% +275 Detail
03/18/2021 6-0-1 92.86% +3450 Detail
03/17/2021 6-7-1 46.43% -850Detail
03/16/2021 8-5-0 61.54% +1375 Detail
03/15/2021 3-3-1 50.00% -550 Detail
03/14/2021 4-7-2 38.46% -2025 Detail
03/13/2021 5-8-1 39.29% -2100 Detail
03/12/2021 8-6-0 57.14% +325 Detail
03/11/2021 8-7-2 52.94% +500 Detail
03/10/2021 4-9-1 32.14% -2850 Detail
03/09/2021 6-7-1 46.43% -550 Detail
03/08/2021 4-3-2 55.56% +500 Detail
03/07/2021 3-9-1 26.92% -3625 Detail
03/06/2021 4-7-1 37.50% -2300 Detail
03/05/2021 7-5-2 57.14% +900 Detail
03/04/2021 7-6-1 53.57% +225 Detail
03/03/2021 5-7-2 42.86% -1775 Detail
03/02/2021 7-4-3 60.71% +1575 Detail
03/01/2021 1-4-2 28.57% -1850 Detail
02/28/2021 4-9-0 30.77% -3270 Detail

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday’s 6-pack
NBA teams who’ve gone over the total the most:
29-13— New Orleans
28-15— Brooklyn
26-16— Denver
26-17— Sacramento
25-16— Milwaukee
25-16— Indiana

Americans who have died from COVID-19: 542,379
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.

Quote of the Day
“I used to work in a fire hydrant factory. You couldn’t park anywhere near the place.”
Steven Wright

Wednesday’s quiz
Which three major league teams has Joe Girardi managed?

Tuesday’s quiz
Tim Floyd was USC’s coach in 2007, last time they made the Sweet 16; he coached the Chicago Bulls from 1998-2002.

Monday’s quiz
When the Cubs won the World Series in 2016, they beat the Cleveland Indians.

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

Wednesday’s Den: Mid-week musings……..

13) The movie Little Big League was on FS1 last night; the owner of the Minnesota Twins passes away, leaves the team to his 12-year old grandson, who then names himself manager of the Twins. Pretty good movie.

The kid’s mom is played by Ashley Crow; the movie was made in 1994.

In real life, Ashley Crow’s son is Pete Crow-Armstrong, who was drafted in the first round last year by the New York Mets. Crow-Armstrong played at Harvard-Westlake HS in Los Angeles, which once had Lucas Giolito, Jack Flaherty, Max Fried on the team at the same time.

Crow-Armstrong turns 19 tomorrow; in 11 at-bats this spring, he’s 1-11 with four runs scored. This year will be his first full season as a pro.

12) Mets’ 2B Jeff MacNeil was hit by pitches three times in a game last week, by three different pitchers; that doesn’t happen much.

11) Last Mets’ note; former New Jersey governor Chris Christie was recently named to the Mets’ board of directors; hopefully they didn’t put him in charge of parking.

10) Atlantic 14 tried something different this year; they played the first three rounds of their conference tournament March 3-6 in Richmond, then held the final March 14 in Dayton, assuming the two finalists would get on a bus after the game and make the short drive to Indiana, where they would hunker down safely for the NCAA’s. On paper, it made sense.

In reality, VCU couldn’t play in the NCAA Tournament because they had positive COVID tests in their program. Would it have been different had they just played the final in Richmond? We’ll never know.

9) Oregon State Beavers have covered 15 of their last 18 games as an underdog, with 11 wins outright. Beavers play Loyola Saturday, in the Sweet 16.

8) There is an NBA rule that no referee can work the same team’s games more than nine teams in a season; that rule has been waived this season, because of COVID protocols. Referees aren’t traveling as much.

7) Back in the 70’s, Astros’ pitching coach Brent Strom was a major league pitcher; he got hurt, was the second big leaguer to have what is now known as Tommy John surgery. Had he been the first, it would be known as Brent Strom surgery.

6) Al Leiter pitched in the major leagues for 19 years, won 162 games; his son Jack is a pitcher at Vanderbilt now, a highly-touted prospect who is expected to be a first round draft pick this year.

Saturday, Jack Leiter threw a no-hitter, struck out 16 South Carolina hitters, throwing 124 pitches; college managers aren’t as crazy about pitch counts as professional managers.

My question is this: How many major league pitchers will throw 124+ pitches in a game this year? Won’t be many, my guess is three or four.

5) First round of the 16-team NIT saw underdogs go 6-2 ATS; second round is Thursday.

4) One thing handicappers missed out on this season was taking a look at an Ivy League team in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Over last ten tournaments, Ivy League squads are 8-2 ATS in their first round games.

When the Ivy League teams come back next season after a year off, it’ll be interesting to see how much different these teams are. Last time we saw them, Ivy League was the #16 conference in the country, right in the middle nationally.

3) One of best parts of watching spring training games on MLB Network is the interviews with managers during the game. You can pick up some info here; also good when teams combine broadcasting crews for games. Marlins-Cardinals, Mariners-Rockies have done this.

But when you think of managers being interviewed during a game, can you imagine going back a few years and having Earl Weaver, Dick Williams or Billy Martin being interviewed during a game, even an exhibition game? Thing would have to be on a 7-second delay, for sure.

2) Happy 90th birthday to William Shatner; the actor who became famous as Captain Kirk on Star Trek– he still does commercials that air on Milwaukee Brewer games.

1) Went to the grocery store today, picked up a few things, no big deal, but also walked around the store and located exits, just in case what happened in Boulder ever happens here. Doesn’t hurt to be prepared, but its a sad commentary on our current situation.

[StarDust Bum]

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

MIN at TB 01:05 PM
MIN +120
+500

TOR at NYY 01:05 PM
NYY -145
+500

PHI at DET 01:05 PM
DET -110
+500

ATL at PIT 01:05 PM
ATL -140
+500

NYM at STL 01:05 PM
NYM -125
+500

OAK at CHW 04:05 PM
OAK +115
+500

COL at MIL 04:10 PM
MIL -135
+500

KC at LAA 04:10 PM
LAA -130
+500

HOU at WAS 06:05 PM
HOU +120
+500

BAL at BOS 06:05 PM
BOS -150
+500

TEX at CIN 09:05 PM
TEX +115
+500

CHC at SEA 09:40 PM
CHC +100
+500

SD at SF 10:05 PM
SD -120
+500


DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

03/23/2021 6-6-2 50.00% -625 Detail
03/22/2021 7-4-2 61.54% +1925 Detail
03/21/2021 9-4-1 67.86% +1850 Detail
03/20/2021 8-4-2 64.29% +2175 Detail
03/19/2021 7-6-1 53.57% +275 Detail
03/18/2021 6-0-1 92.86% +3450 Detail
03/17/2021 6-7-1 46.43% -850Detail
03/16/2021 8-5-0 61.54% +1375 Detail
03/15/2021 3-3-1 50.00% -550 Detail
03/14/2021 4-7-2 38.46% -2025 Detail
03/13/2021 5-8-1 39.29% -2100 Detail
03/12/2021 8-6-0 57.14% +325 Detail
03/11/2021 8-7-2 52.94% +500 Detail
03/10/2021 4-9-1 32.14% -2850 Detail
03/09/2021 6-7-1 46.43% -550 Detail
03/08/2021 4-3-2 55.56% +500 Detail
03/07/2021 3-9-1 26.92% -3625 Detail
03/06/2021 4-7-1 37.50% -2300 Detail
03/05/2021 7-5-2 57.14% +900 Detail
03/04/2021 7-6-1 53.57% +225 Detail
03/03/2021 5-7-2 42.86% -1775 Detail
03/02/2021 7-4-3 60.71% +1575 Detail
03/01/2021 1-4-2 28.57% -1850 Detail
02/28/2021 4-9-0 30.77% -3270 Detail

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday’s 6-pack
NBA teams who’ve gone over the total the most:
29-13— New Orleans
28-15— Brooklyn
26-16— Denver
26-17— Sacramento
25-16— Milwaukee
25-16— Indiana

Americans who have died from COVID-19: 542,379
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.

Quote of the Day
“I used to work in a fire hydrant factory. You couldn’t park anywhere near the place.”
Steven Wright

Wednesday’s quiz
Which three major league teams has Joe Girardi managed?

Tuesday’s quiz
Tim Floyd was USC’s coach in 2007, last time they made the Sweet 16; he coached the Chicago Bulls from 1998-2002.

Monday’s quiz
When the Cubs won the World Series in 2016, they beat the Cleveland Indians.

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

Wednesday’s Den: Mid-week musings……..

13) The movie Little Big League was on FS1 last night; the owner of the Minnesota Twins passes away, leaves the team to his 12-year old grandson, who then names himself manager of the Twins. Pretty good movie.

The kid’s mom is played by Ashley Crow; the movie was made in 1994.

In real life, Ashley Crow’s son is Pete Crow-Armstrong, who was drafted in the first round last year by the New York Mets. Crow-Armstrong played at Harvard-Westlake HS in Los Angeles, which once had Lucas Giolito, Jack Flaherty, Max Fried on the team at the same time.

Crow-Armstrong turns 19 tomorrow; in 11 at-bats this spring, he’s 1-11 with four runs scored. This year will be his first full season as a pro.

12) Mets’ 2B Jeff MacNeil was hit by pitches three times in a game last week, by three different pitchers; that doesn’t happen much.

11) Last Mets’ note; former New Jersey governor Chris Christie was recently named to the Mets’ board of directors; hopefully they didn’t put him in charge of parking.

10) Atlantic 14 tried something different this year; they played the first three rounds of their conference tournament March 3-6 in Richmond, then held the final March 14 in Dayton, assuming the two finalists would get on a bus after the game and make the short drive to Indiana, where they would hunker down safely for the NCAA’s. On paper, it made sense.

In reality, VCU couldn’t play in the NCAA Tournament because they had positive COVID tests in their program. Would it have been different had they just played the final in Richmond? We’ll never know.

9) Oregon State Beavers have covered 15 of their last 18 games as an underdog, with 11 wins outright. Beavers play Loyola Saturday, in the Sweet 16.

8) There is an NBA rule that no referee can work the same team’s games more than nine teams in a season; that rule has been waived this season, because of COVID protocols. Referees aren’t traveling as much.

7) Back in the 70’s, Astros’ pitching coach Brent Strom was a major league pitcher; he got hurt, was the second big leaguer to have what is now known as Tommy John surgery. Had he been the first, it would be known as Brent Strom surgery.

6) Al Leiter pitched in the major leagues for 19 years, won 162 games; his son Jack is a pitcher at Vanderbilt now, a highly-touted prospect who is expected to be a first round draft pick this year.

Saturday, Jack Leiter threw a no-hitter, struck out 16 South Carolina hitters, throwing 124 pitches; college managers aren’t as crazy about pitch counts as professional managers.

My question is this: How many major league pitchers will throw 124+ pitches in a game this year? Won’t be many, my guess is three or four.

5) First round of the 16-team NIT saw underdogs go 6-2 ATS; second round is Thursday.

4) One thing handicappers missed out on this season was taking a look at an Ivy League team in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Over last ten tournaments, Ivy League squads are 8-2 ATS in their first round games.

When the Ivy League teams come back next season after a year off, it’ll be interesting to see how much different these teams are. Last time we saw them, Ivy League was the #16 conference in the country, right in the middle nationally.

3) One of best parts of watching spring training games on MLB Network is the interviews with managers during the game. You can pick up some info here; also good when teams combine broadcasting crews for games. Marlins-Cardinals, Mariners-Rockies have done this.

But when you think of managers being interviewed during a game, can you imagine going back a few years and having Earl Weaver, Dick Williams or Billy Martin being interviewed during a game, even an exhibition game? Thing would have to be on a 7-second delay, for sure.

2) Happy 90th birthday to William Shatner; the actor who became famous as Captain Kirk on Star Trek– he still does commercials that air on Milwaukee Brewer games.

1) Went to the grocery store today, picked up a few things, no big deal, but also walked around the store and located exits, just in case what happened in Boulder ever happens here. Doesn’t hurt to be prepared, but its a sad commentary on our current situation.

[StarDust Bum]

THURSDAY, MARCH 25
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

TB at ATL 01:05 PM
TB +105
+500

CIN at CHW 04:05 PM
CHW -135
+500

ARI at KC 04:05 PM
KC -130
+500

SEA at OAK 04:05 PM
OAK -140
+500

LAA at COL 04:10 PM
LAA +100
+500

MIN at BOS 06:05 PM
BOS -130
+500

NYY at PHI 06:05 PM
PHI +110
+500

PIT at BAL 06:05 PM
PIT +110
+500

WAS at MIA 06:05 PM
MIA +100
+500

STL at HOU 06:05 PM
STL +105
+500

DET at TOR 06:37 PM
DET +145
+500

LAD at CHC 09:05 PM
CHC +130
+500

TEX at SD 09:40 PM
SD -170
+500

MIL at SF 10:05 PM
SF -125
+500



DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD


03/23/2021 6-6-2 50.00% -625 Detail
03/22/2021 7-4-2 61.54% +1925 Detail
03/21/2021 9-4-1 67.86% +1850 Detail
03/20/2021 8-4-2 64.29% +2175 Detail
03/19/2021 7-6-1 53.57% +275 Detail
03/18/2021 6-0-1 92.86% +3450 Detail
03/17/2021 6-7-1 46.43% -850Detail
03/16/2021 8-5-0 61.54% +1375 Detail
03/15/2021 3-3-1 50.00% -550 Detail
03/14/2021 4-7-2 38.46% -2025 Detail
03/13/2021 5-8-1 39.29% -2100 Detail
03/12/2021 8-6-0 57.14% +325 Detail
03/11/2021 8-7-2 52.94% +500 Detail
03/10/2021 4-9-1 32.14% -2850 Detail
03/09/2021 6-7-1 46.43% -550 Detail
03/08/2021 4-3-2 55.56% +500 Detail
03/07/2021 3-9-1 26.92% -3625 Detail
03/06/2021 4-7-1 37.50% -2300 Detail
03/05/2021 7-5-2 57.14% +900 Detail
03/04/2021 7-6-1 53.57% +225 Detail
03/03/2021 5-7-2 42.86% -1775 Detail
03/02/2021 7-4-3 60.71% +1575 Detail
03/01/2021 1-4-2 28.57% -1850 Detail
02/28/2021 4-9-0 30.77% -3270 Detail

[StarDust Bum]

THURSDAY, MARCH 25
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

TB at ATL 01:05 PM
TB +105
+500

CIN at CHW 04:05 PM
CHW -135
+500

ARI at KC 04:05 PM
KC -130
+500

SEA at OAK 04:05 PM
OAK -140
+500

LAA at COL 04:10 PM
LAA +100
+500

MIN at BOS 06:05 PM
BOS -130
+500

NYY at PHI 06:05 PM
PHI +110
+500

PIT at BAL 06:05 PM
PIT +110
+500

WAS at MIA 06:05 PM
MIA +100
+500

STL at HOU 06:05 PM
STL +105
+500

DET at TOR 06:37 PM
DET +145
+500

LAD at CHC 09:05 PM
CHC +130
+500

TEX at SD 09:40 PM
SD -170
+500

MIL at SF 10:05 PM
SF -125
+500



DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

03/25/2021 6-6-2 50.00% -100 Detail
03/24/2021 7-5-0 58.53% +525 Detail
03/23/2021 6-6-2 50.00% -625 Detail
03/22/2021 7-4-2 61.54% +1925 Detail
03/21/2021 9-4-1 67.86% +1850 Detail
03/20/2021 8-4-2 64.29% +2175 Detail
03/19/2021 7-6-1 53.57% +275 Detail
03/18/2021 6-0-1 92.86% +3450 Detail
03/17/2021 6-7-1 46.43% -850Detail
03/16/2021 8-5-0 61.54% +1375 Detail
03/15/2021 3-3-1 50.00% -550 Detail
03/14/2021 4-7-2 38.46% -2025 Detail
03/13/2021 5-8-1 39.29% -2100 Detail
03/12/2021 8-6-0 57.14% +325 Detail
03/11/2021 8-7-2 52.94% +500 Detail
03/10/2021 4-9-1 32.14% -2850 Detail
03/09/2021 6-7-1 46.43% -550 Detail
03/08/2021 4-3-2 55.56% +500 Detail
03/07/2021 3-9-1 26.92% -3625 Detail
03/06/2021 4-7-1 37.50% -2300 Detail
03/05/2021 7-5-2 57.14% +900 Detail
03/04/2021 7-6-1 53.57% +225 Detail
03/03/2021 5-7-2 42.86% -1775 Detail
03/02/2021 7-4-3 60.71% +1575 Detail
03/01/2021 1-4-2 28.57% -1850 Detail
02/28/2021 4-9-0 30.77% -3270 Detail

[StarDust Bum]

Friday’s 6-pack
Top NHL teams at going over the total:
— Philadelphia Flyers 22-9 over
— Winnipeg Jets 17-13
— Minnesota Wild 16-13
— Phoenix Coyotes 18-14
— St Louis Blues 17-14
— Las Vegas Golden Knights 16-13
— Washington Capitals 16-13

Americans who have died from COVID-19: 545,357
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.

Quote of the Day
“I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”
Bill Gates

Friday’s quiz
Which major league manager has been in his current job the longest?

Thursday’s quiz
Jimmy Chitwood was the big star for Hickory High in Hoosiers; he wore number 15.

Wednesday’s quiz
Joe Girardi has managed the Marlins, Bronx and Philadelphia.

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

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

13) We know that spring training stats don’t mean anything, but when you’re 1-33 this spring at the plate, when do you get upset/concerned, even if you’re a 10-year major league veteran?

St Louis IF Matt Carpenter is struggling mightily in exhibition games; the season starts in less than a week. Are the Cardinals worried? Should they be? Should he be?

Watched the Cardinals’ game Wednesday; Carpenter had a fly ball caught at the fence in CF, so he might not be far off. If he goes 2-4 on Opening Day, all will be forgotten.

12) Bad news for the White Sox; LF Eloy Jimenez tore a pectoral muscle Wednesday, when he tried to reach over the fence to rob an opponent of a home run. He is expected to be out for 5-6 months, meaning he will miss just about all of this season.

11) 68-year old Lon Kruger retired from coaching, ending a really good 44-year career; his son Kevin just became head coach at UNLV— there are rumblings that Lon Kruger is moving back to his old Las Vegas home— he coached the Rebels as recently as 2011, still has a house there.

Kruger is one of only three coaches to lead five schools to the NCAA Tournament; he also coached the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA for a while.

10) Apparently Washington owner Dan Snyder is going to spend $840M to buy out the other owners in the Washington NFL team. What a character this guy must be.

At some point, someone has to write a book/make a movie about Snyder and how he runs his team; he’s had some interesting head coaches- Mike Shanahan, Steve Spurrier, Joe Gibbs, Marty Schottenheimer, Ron Rivera. You’d think they’d win more.

Snyder bought the team in 1999; since then, Washington is 2-4 in playoff games.

9) Back when I was a kid, in the mid-70’s before ESPN, before the Interweb, before lot of stuff, we had this channel on our cable system, channel 3 on the box. It was tremendous.

All it was was this: a light blue background with messages typed on it.

On weekdays, it was a stock market ticker, but at 7pm, that shut down and it became a sports ticker, with scores updated as they happened. On NFL Sundays, they’d post scores as they happened, as in:

TD LAR
Ferragamo 23 TD pass to Waddy
LAR 24-17, 10:43 left in 3rd

The amount of time I spent with that channel on was probably excessive, but after the 4:00 NFL TV game ended, with no Sunday night games back then, the quickest way you’d find out the other late scores was to have channel 3 on. We always had channel 3 on.

8) When MTV started in 1981, channel 3 used MTV as its background music, back when Rosie O’Donnell was actually funny. So you got entertained while you followed the day’s action.

Of course, it wasn’t always good news; New Year’s Eve 1974, I went bowling with friends, came home, put channel 3 on and found out that my hero, Catfish Hunter, had left the A’s as a free agent to sign for more money with another team. 15-year old me wasn’t happy.

No bueno.

7) NIT games Thursday:
— Mississippi State 68, Richmond 67— Bulldogs hit a 3-pointer with 0:01.3 left.
— Colorado State 65, NC State 61— Teams combined to make 8-45 on arc. Yikes.
— Memphis 59, Boise State 56— Tigers won 12 of their last 15 games.
— Louisiana Tech 72, Western Kentucky 65— Tech made 11-19 on arc, WKU 9-30.

6) This has to be a strange year for baseball front offices; not only are they playing a 162-game season, after last year’s shortened 60-game season, but the minor leagues are re-booting, after not doing anything last year. Thats over 100 teams, spread out all over the country. Lot of work to do getting everything re-organized.

5) They were talking on TV about sending players to the minor leagues and do players get upset when they sent down?

Can’t be as bad as when NFL players get cut; in the NFL, you’re cutting the guy loose, out on the street, where he has to find a new job. In baseball, they’re getting sent to the minors, but they could be back to the major leagues very quickly- they’re not losing their job, just getting sent down to the next level.

4) Joe Flacco signed on to be the Philadelphia Eagles’ backup QB this season.

3) As I type this, Charlotte Hornets are #4 seed in Eastern Conference, even though they’ve given up more points than they scored this season. If the playoffs started right now, Hornets would host a first round playoff series.

Last time a team scored fewer points than they gave up, and still hosted a first round playoff series that year was 2008, when Cleveland did it.

2) As of 2pm Thursday there were 840 kids in the college basketball transfer portal; there are 357 Division I basketball teams, so you do the math. Lot of players jumping ship.

1) Congrats to the great sportscaster Dick Stockton, who retired this week after a 55-year broadcasting career. 55 years!!!

He was doing Red Sox games on channel 38 in Boston when I was in high school, back in 1975. He called the game well, but it was never about him. Enjoy your retirement!!!

[StarDust Bum]

FRIDAY, MARCH 26
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

DET at PIT 01:05 PM
PIT -125
+500

BOS at TB 01:05 PM
BOS +120
+500

COL at CLE 04:05 PM
CLE -135
+500

SF at CHC 04:05 PM
CHC -125
+500

CIN at ARI 04:10 PM
ARI -120
+500

CHW at MIL 04:10 PM
CHW -105
+500

ATL at MIN 06:05 PM
MIN -130
+500

MIA at HOU 06:05 PM
HOU -140
+500

WAS at NYM 06:10 PM
NYM -140
+500

BAL at NYY 06:35 PM
NYY -200
+500

PHI at TOR 06:37 PM
PHI +130
+500

OAK at LAD 09:05 PM
OAK +135
+500

KC at TEX 09:05 PM
TEX -120
+500

SEA at SD 09:40 PM
SD -170
+500



DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

03/25/2021 6-6-2 50.00% -100 Detail
03/24/2021 7-5-0 58.53% +525 Detail
03/23/2021 6-6-2 50.00% -625 Detail
03/22/2021 7-4-2 61.54% +1925 Detail
03/21/2021 9-4-1 67.86% +1850 Detail
03/20/2021 8-4-2 64.29% +2175 Detail
03/19/2021 7-6-1 53.57% +275 Detail
03/18/2021 6-0-1 92.86% +3450 Detail
03/17/2021 6-7-1 46.43% -850Detail
03/16/2021 8-5-0 61.54% +1375 Detail
03/15/2021 3-3-1 50.00% -550 Detail
03/14/2021 4-7-2 38.46% -2025 Detail
03/13/2021 5-8-1 39.29% -2100 Detail
03/12/2021 8-6-0 57.14% +325 Detail
03/11/2021 8-7-2 52.94% +500 Detail
03/10/2021 4-9-1 32.14% -2850 Detail
03/09/2021 6-7-1 46.43% -550 Detail
03/08/2021 4-3-2 55.56% +500 Detail
03/07/2021 3-9-1 26.92% -3625 Detail
03/06/2021 4-7-1 37.50% -2300 Detail
03/05/2021 7-5-2 57.14% +900 Detail
03/04/2021 7-6-1 53.57% +225 Detail
03/03/2021 5-7-2 42.86% -1775 Detail
03/02/2021 7-4-3 60.71% +1575 Detail
03/01/2021 1-4-2 28.57% -1850 Detail
02/28/2021 4-9-0 30.77% -3270 Detail

[StarDust Bum]

FRIDAY, MARCH 26
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

DET at PIT 01:05 PM
PIT -125
+500

BOS at TB 01:05 PM
BOS +120
+500

COL at CLE 04:05 PM
CLE -135
+500

SF at CHC 04:05 PM
CHC -125
+500

CIN at ARI 04:10 PM
ARI -120
+500

CHW at MIL 04:10 PM
CHW -105
+500

ATL at MIN 06:05 PM
MIN -130
+500

MIA at HOU 06:05 PM
HOU -140
+500

WAS at NYM 06:10 PM
NYM -140
+500

BAL at NYY 06:35 PM
NYY -200
+500

PHI at TOR 06:37 PM
PHI +130
+500

OAK at LAD 09:05 PM
OAK +135
+500

KC at TEX 09:05 PM
TEX -120
+500

SEA at SD 09:40 PM
SD -170
+500



DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

03/26/2021 5-8-1 39.29% -2600 Detail
03/25/2021 6-6-2 50.00% -100 Detail
03/24/2021 7-5-0 58.53% +525 Detail
03/23/2021 6-6-2 50.00% -625 Detail
03/22/2021 7-4-2 61.54% +1925 Detail
03/21/2021 9-4-1 67.86% +1850 Detail
03/20/2021 8-4-2 64.29% +2175 Detail
03/19/2021 7-6-1 53.57% +275 Detail
03/18/2021 6-0-1 92.86% +3450 Detail
03/17/2021 6-7-1 46.43% -850Detail
03/16/2021 8-5-0 61.54% +1375 Detail
03/15/2021 3-3-1 50.00% -550 Detail
03/14/2021 4-7-2 38.46% -2025 Detail
03/13/2021 5-8-1 39.29% -2100 Detail
03/12/2021 8-6-0 57.14% +325 Detail
03/11/2021 8-7-2 52.94% +500 Detail
03/10/2021 4-9-1 32.14% -2850 Detail
03/09/2021 6-7-1 46.43% -550 Detail
03/08/2021 4-3-2 55.56% +500 Detail
03/07/2021 3-9-1 26.92% -3625 Detail
03/06/2021 4-7-1 37.50% -2300 Detail
03/05/2021 7-5-2 57.14% +900 Detail
03/04/2021 7-6-1 53.57% +225 Detail
03/03/2021 5-7-2 42.86% -1775 Detail
03/02/2021 7-4-3 60.71% +1575 Detail
03/01/2021 1-4-2 28.57% -1850 Detail
02/28/2021 4-9-0 30.77% -3270 Detail

[StarDust Bum]

Saturday’s 6-pack
Active leaders in career home runs:
662— Albert Pujols
487— Miguel Cabrera
424— Edwin Encarnación
417— Nelson Cruz
352— Ryan Braun
334— Robinson Cano

Americans who have died from COVID-19: 545,357
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.

Quote of the Day
“You never get over it, but you get to where it doesn’t bother you so much.”
Jeffrey Eugenides

Saturday’s quiz
Where did James Harden play his college basketball?

Friday’s quiz
Oakland manager Bob Melvin has been in his current job the longest; this is his 11th season with the A’s.

Thursday’s quiz
Jimmy Chitwood was the big star for Hickory High in Hoosiers; he wore number 15.

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

Saturday’s Den: Clearing out a cluttered mind……..

13) You know your life is good when someone offers you $120 million for six years, and you turn them down. Thats what Astros’ SS Carlos Correa did this week. No thanks to $120M.

Correa is represented by the William Morris Agency; they must be pretty sure Correa will get more than $20M a year down the road, or maybe they wanted opt-outs in the middle, or who knows? Correa will make $11,700,000 this year, is a free agent next winter.

12) As recently as 2010, starting pitchers in the major leagues threw 100+ pitches in 50% of their games, so half the time the starter threw 100+ pitches.

Last year? Starters threw 100+ pitches 10% of the time, as analytics people hammer home the idea that facing hitters a third time in a game is a bad thing.

11) An “immaculate inning” is when a pitcher strikes out the side on nine pitches; doesn’t happen much. 94 major league pitchers have done it.

Nolan Ryan is the only pitcher ever to throw an immaculate inning in both leagues.

10) Pitchers Max Fried (Braves), Jack Flaherty (Cardinals) and Lucas Giolito (White Sox) all went to the same high school, Harvard-Westlake in Los Angeles. They were all on the baseball team at the same time; they all have the same agent and they’ll all start on Opening Day this season.

Apparently it cost $42,000 a year to go Harvard-Westlake; 42 grand a year for freakin’ high school. Yikes.

9) Heard this stat again on TV the other night, it is staggering; Minnesota Twins have lost their last 18 playoff games. They’ve had good teams; losing 18 playoff games in a row is staggering.

8) NBA is going to have a play-in tournament in mid-May, just before their playoffs start:
— #7 and #8-seeds will play one game, winner gets #7-seed in playoffs.
— #9 and #10-seeds will play one game, loser gets eliminated.
— Winner of the second game plays the loser of the first game, winner gets the #8-seed.

7) There were 40 players traded at the NBA trading deadline Wednesday, the most of any deadline in the last 30 years.

6) Saw this note several times Wednesday and thought it was a joke; about the 4th time I saw it posted, I realized it was true- over the next seven NBA drafts, Oklahoma City Thunder has 34 draft choices, 17 in the first round, 17 in the second.

NBA rosters are only 15 players; what are they going to do with all that draft capital? They could field two teams. Will be interesting to see what they do from here on in.

5) Seattle Seahawks have only 3 picks in this year’s draft; Philadelphia has 11.

4) Miami Dolphins were busy Friday, they traded the #3 pick in this draft to the 49ers for the #12 pick and other stuff, then traded the #12 pick and other stuff to the Eagles for the #6 pick.

Miami has five picks in the first three rounds of next month’s draft; the main question though, isn’t draft picks, it is whether Tua Tagovailoa is good enough to be their franchise quarterback.

3) AL East rivals New York-Boston will play six series this season, five of them weekend series. Of the five Sunday games, four of them are on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.

Not much original thinking there. How about promoting some other teams, or showing more west coast teams. Show the Angels/Padres more, or Houston- they have good players. People would like to see Trout, Tatis or Altuve more.

2) College basketball stuff:
Shaka Smart bolts Texas for Marquette. Smart was 109-86 at Texas, 51-56 in regular season conference games, 0-3 in NCAA Tournament games.

His Longhorns won the Big X tournament this year, but the first round loss to Abilene Christian ended the season on a dark note. Since making the Final Four at VCU in 2014, Smart is 2-7 in NCAA Tournament games. Right or wrong, that is what people remember.

Is Marquette a better job than Texas? Texas hasn’t made the Sweet 16 since 2008, Marquette made it in three of last four years under Buzz Williams (2011-13) but that was a while ago. Hiring Steve Wojciechowski was a blunder; Smart is an upgrade over him.

Big X is a tough league; been ranked 1st or 2nd the last eight seasons. Big East has usually been 3rd during that time. We’ll see how things turn out, but Smart’s seat was getting hot in Austin, and now he gets a fresh start at Marquette.

1) Random movie/TV trivia: Actress Mariska Hargitay, the star of Law and Order SVU, is the daughter of the famous actress Jayne Mansfield. Didn’t know that.

[StarDust Bum]

SATURDAY, MARCH 27
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

TB at MIN 01:05 PM
TB +105
+500

TOR at NYY 01:05 PM
NYY -130
+500

PHI at DET 01:05 PM
DET -110
+500

BOS at PIT 01:05 PM
BOS -120
+500

HOU at NYM 01:10 PM
NYM -150
+500

CLE at LAD 03:05 PM
CLE +145
+500

SD at LAA 03:10 PM
SD -120
+500

MIL at KC 04:05 PM
MIL +105
+500

TEX at OAK 04:05 PM
OAK -150
+500

CHW at COL 04:10 PM
CHW -110
+500

BAL at ATL 06:05 PM
ATL -155
+500

MIA at STL 06:05 PM
STL -145
+500

CHC at CIN 09:05 PM
CHC +110
+500

SF at SEA 09:40 PM
SF +100
+500



DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

03/26/2021 5-8-1 39.29% -2600 Detail
03/25/2021 6-6-2 50.00% -100 Detail
03/24/2021 7-5-0 58.53% +525 Detail
03/23/2021 6-6-2 50.00% -625 Detail
03/22/2021 7-4-2 61.54% +1925 Detail
03/21/2021 9-4-1 67.86% +1850 Detail
03/20/2021 8-4-2 64.29% +2175 Detail
03/19/2021 7-6-1 53.57% +275 Detail
03/18/2021 6-0-1 92.86% +3450 Detail
03/17/2021 6-7-1 46.43% -850Detail
03/16/2021 8-5-0 61.54% +1375 Detail
03/15/2021 3-3-1 50.00% -550 Detail
03/14/2021 4-7-2 38.46% -2025 Detail
03/13/2021 5-8-1 39.29% -2100 Detail
03/12/2021 8-6-0 57.14% +325 Detail
03/11/2021 8-7-2 52.94% +500 Detail
03/10/2021 4-9-1 32.14% -2850 Detail
03/09/2021 6-7-1 46.43% -550 Detail
03/08/2021 4-3-2 55.56% +500 Detail
03/07/2021 3-9-1 26.92% -3625 Detail
03/06/2021 4-7-1 37.50% -2300 Detail
03/05/2021 7-5-2 57.14% +900 Detail
03/04/2021 7-6-1 53.57% +225 Detail
03/03/2021 5-7-2 42.86% -1775 Detail
03/02/2021 7-4-3 60.71% +1575 Detail
03/01/2021 1-4-2 28.57% -1850 Detail
02/28/2021 4-9-0 30.77% -3270 Detail