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  • Friday’s 6-pack

    Spreads, totals for college games next week:

    — UCLA @ Cincinnati (-3, 60.5)

    — Utah (-5, 48) @ BYU

    — Utah State @ Wake Forest (-3.5, 63.5)

    — Colorado State vs Colorado (-12.5, 58)

    — Ole Miss @ Memphis (-6, 68)

    — South Carolina (-7.5, 63) vs North Carolina

    Quote of the Day
    “It means I’m old. And I’ve had some special players.”
    A’s manager Bob Melvin, after winning his 1,200th career game Wednesday

    Friday’s quiz
    Which famous (retired) college football coach was the starting QB for the 0-16 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1976?

    Thursday’s quiz
    Oregon State’s teams are known as the Beavers.

    Wednesday’s quiz
    Dick Cheney was the Vice-President when George W Bush was President.

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

    Friday’s List of 13: Random stuff with weekend here…….

    13) MGM took two huge bets on the Astros Wednesday:
    $55,000 on Houston -$550 to win $10,000
    $63,520 on Houston -$575 to win $11,000

    Another bookmaker reported from Las Vegas on this game:
    “Under our Listed Pitchers market, we have $10 on the Tigers. Literally. And $60K on the Astros.”

    12) If you wagered $100 on the Astros in each of Justin Verlander’s last three starts, you’d be out a total of $1,170. Not good.

    Verlander has allowed 57 runs this season; 40 of them scored on home runs.


    11) I’m anxious to see what the sportsbook at Rivers Casino in Schenectady will be like when college football has its first full Saturday on August 31st. Would expect pretty big crowds, and the sportsbook is not a big area, but they do have lot of betting kiosks, so that should help.

    10) SLS Las Vegas will officially become Sahara Las Vegas on August 29; the SLS used to be the Sahara- the original Sahara Hotel & Casino opened in 1952 with 240 rooms. It grew to more than 1,700 rooms after several add-ons and a final renovation in 2000.

    I stayed there once, in 2015; good eating places, the tightest video poker machines ever— asked a bartender if anyone ever won there (I couldn’t win a single hand for like an hour). No sports book to speak of, just a counter to bet games. Beer garden was pretty popular.

    My room was so small it made me laugh; seriously. They had mirrors all over, to make the room look bigger, even on the ceiling— the last damn thing I want to see while I’m laying in bed is me.

    Pretty good place for eating/shopping, but not my kind of place.

    9) Raiders 22, Packers 21— This game was played in Winnipeg; NFL fields are shorter than CFL fields, and the turf in one end zone where the goalposts usually are for Blue Bomber games was a little screwed up, so the teams played on an 80-yard field and there were no kickoffs.

    Next week’s Hard Knocks should be pretty interesting.

    8) Red Sox 5, Royals 4 (10)— This was the completion of a suspended game from August 7; Brock Holt got the game-winning hit.

    Royals lost in Baltimore Wednesday night, then flew to Boston for this, which lasted a total of 11 pitches, and then flew to Cleveland, where they’ll likely lose more games this weekend.

    7) Baseball stuff:
    — Colorado put P Kyle Freeland (leg) on the IL.
    — Pirates released C Francisco Cervelli
    — Mets DFA’d SS Ruben Tejada.

    6) As of Thursday night, 60% of money wagered on Saturday’s Miami-Florida (-7.5) game was on the Gators, while 69% of the money on the Hawai’i-Arizona (-11) game is on the Rainbows.

    5) Ravens 26, Eagles 15— Baltimore has now won 16 preseason games in a row (13-2 vs spread), but 40-year old Josh McCown came off the bench and completed 17-24 passes for 192 yards and two TD’s, so Philly has their backup QB.

    Game was stopped with 11:54 left (weather) and never resumed, so sides/totals wagers are refunds, which is a bitter pill for Baltimore backers.

    4) Major League Baseball is prohibiting major league and minor league ballplayers from participating in the Venezuelan winter league this year, because our country recently placed an embargo on Venezuela.

    Jose Altuve, Felix Hernandez, Pablo Sandoval, Ronald Acuna, Gleyber Torres, Ender Inciarte and Avisail Garcia are all from Venezuela; strong baseball country.

    3) Bob Cousy received the Presidential Medal of Freedom Thursday night; Cousy, 91, won six NBA titles in his 13 years playing with the Celtics. He was MVP of the NBA in 1957, and also was a decent actor— he was Western U’s athletic director in the excellent movie Blue Chips.

    Cousy was the only son of poor French immigrants living in New York City during the Depression; he spoke French only for the first five years of his life. Cousy’s father served in the German army during World War I.

    2) Baltimore Orioles gave up their 259th home run this season Thursday, breaking the all-time single-season record previously held by the 2016 Reds.

    1) ACC Network made its debut Thursday; it is channel 612 on DirecTV, right next to the Big 14 (610) and SEC (611) channels but nowhere near the Pac-12 Network, since DirecTV doesn’t carry that station.
    Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

    Comment


    • WNBA

      Friday, August 23


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

      Connecticut Sun
      Connecticut is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games
      Connecticut is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games
      Connecticut is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Las Vegas
      Connecticut is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games when playing Las Vegas
      The total has gone OVER in 5 of Connecticut's last 6 games when playing Las Vegas
      Connecticut is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Las Vegas
      Connecticut is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Las Vegas
      The total has gone OVER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games when playing at home against Las Vegas
      Las Vegas Aces
      Las Vegas is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
      The total has gone OVER in 5 of Las Vegas's last 5 games
      Las Vegas is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
      Las Vegas is 4-9-1 ATS in its last 14 games when playing Connecticut
      Las Vegas is 2-12 SU in its last 14 games when playing Connecticut
      The total has gone OVER in 5 of Las Vegas's last 6 games when playing Connecticut
      Las Vegas is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
      Las Vegas is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
      The total has gone OVER in 4 of Las Vegas's last 5 games when playing on the road against Connecticut

      New York Liberty
      New York is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games
      New York is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games
      New York is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Atlanta
      New York is 13-5 SU in its last 18 games when playing Atlanta
      New York is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games when playing at home against Atlanta
      New York is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Atlanta
      The total has gone UNDER in 12 of New York's last 17 games when playing at home against Atlanta
      Atlanta Dream
      Atlanta is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
      The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta's last 6 games
      Atlanta is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
      Atlanta is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
      Atlanta is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing New York
      Atlanta is 5-13 SU in its last 18 games when playing New York
      Atlanta is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games when playing on the road against New York
      Atlanta is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against New York
      The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Atlanta's last 17 games when playing on the road against New York

      Chicago Sky
      Chicago is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games
      Chicago is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games
      The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 5 games
      Chicago is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Washington
      Chicago is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Washington
      The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago's last 6 games when playing Washington
      Chicago is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Washington
      Chicago is 16-6 SU in its last 22 games when playing at home against Washington
      Chicago is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Washington
      Washington Mystics
      Washington is 4-0-1 ATS in its last 5 games
      Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
      The total has gone OVER in 7 of Washington's last 8 games
      Washington is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
      Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
      The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games on the road
      Washington is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
      Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
      The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games when playing Chicago
      Washington is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Chicago
      Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Chicago
      Washington is 6-16 SU in its last 22 games when playing on the road against Chicago


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

      WNBA
      Long Sheet

      Friday, August 23


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

      ATLANTA (5 - 22) at NEW YORK (9 - 18) - 8/23/2019, 7:30 PM
      Top Trends for this game.
      ATLANTA is 3-10 ATS (-8.0 Units) after a division game this season.
      ATLANTA is 22-12 ATS (+8.8 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
      ATLANTA is 26-16 ATS (+8.4 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
      ATLANTA is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record after 15+ games after 15+ games over the last 2 seasons.
      ATLANTA is 21-10 ATS (+10.0 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game after 15+ games over the last 2 seasons.
      NEW YORK is 1-7 ATS (-6.7 Units) in August or September games this season.
      NEW YORK is 7-17 ATS (-11.7 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
      NEW YORK is 4-11 ATS (-8.1 Units) after scoring 75 points or more this season.
      NEW YORK is 3-12 ATS (-10.2 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

      Head-to-Head Series History
      NEW YORK is 4-3 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
      NEW YORK is 4-3 straight up against ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
      4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

      LAS VEGAS (19 - 8) at CONNECTICUT (19 - 8) - 8/23/2019, 7:30 PM
      Top Trends for this game.
      LAS VEGAS is 6-13 ATS (-8.3 Units) after scoring 75 points or more this season.
      CONNECTICUT is 29-13 ATS (+14.7 Units) as a home favorite of 3 points or less since 1997.
      CONNECTICUT is 147-112 ATS (+23.8 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1997.
      LAS VEGAS is 89-64 ATS (+18.6 Units) in a road game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 since 1997.
      LAS VEGAS is 68-43 ATS (+20.7 Units) in road games against Eastern conference opponents since 1997.
      LAS VEGAS is 68-43 ATS (+20.7 Units) in road games in non-conference games since 1997.
      CONNECTICUT is 5-15 ATS (-11.5 Units) on Friday over the last 3 seasons.
      CONNECTICUT is 24-41 ATS (-21.1 Units) in home games after 3 or more consecutive wins since 1997.

      Head-to-Head Series History
      CONNECTICUT is 5-3 against the spread versus LAS VEGAS over the last 3 seasons
      CONNECTICUT is 6-2 straight up against LAS VEGAS over the last 3 seasons
      6 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

      WASHINGTON (19 - 7) at CHICAGO (16 - 11) - 8/23/2019, 8:00 PM
      Top Trends for this game.
      WASHINGTON is 196-246 ATS (-74.6 Units) after a division game since 1997.
      CHICAGO is 17-9 ATS (+7.1 Units) in all games this season.
      CHICAGO is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) after a division game this season.
      CHICAGO is 3-13 ATS (-11.3 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 3 seasons.
      CHICAGO is 63-92 ATS (-38.2 Units) in home games after allowing 75 points or more since 1997.
      CHICAGO is 43-65 ATS (-28.5 Units) in home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game since 1997.

      Head-to-Head Series History
      WASHINGTON is 8-0 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
      WASHINGTON is 8-0 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
      5 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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


      WNBA
      Dunkel

      Friday, August 23



      Atlanta @ New York

      Game 601-602
      August 23, 2019 @ 7:30 pm

      Dunkel Rating:
      Atlanta
      106.906
      New York
      105.387
      Dunkel Team:
      Dunkel Line:
      Dunkel Total:
      Atlanta
      by 1 1/2
      159
      Vegas Team:
      Vegas Line:
      Vegas Total:
      New York
      by 3
      155
      Dunkel Pick:
      Atlanta
      (+3); Over

      Las Vegas @ Connecticut


      Game 603-604
      August 23, 2019 @ 7:30 pm

      Dunkel Rating:
      Las Vegas
      109.773
      Connecticut
      114.963
      Dunkel Team:
      Dunkel Line:
      Dunkel Total:
      Connecticut
      by 5
      154
      Vegas Team:
      Vegas Line:
      Vegas Total:
      Connecticut
      Pick
      161 1/2
      Dunkel Pick:
      Connecticut
      Under

      Washington @ Chicago


      Game 605-606
      August 23, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

      Dunkel Rating:
      Washington
      124.385
      Chicago
      109.187
      Dunkel Team:
      Dunkel Line:
      Dunkel Total:
      Washington
      by 15
      169
      Vegas Team:
      Vegas Line:
      Vegas Total:
      Washington
      by 5
      173 1/2
      Dunkel Pick:
      Washington
      (-5); Under
      Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

      Comment


      • FRIDAY, AUGUST 23
        GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


        ATL at NY 07:30 PM
        ATL +3.0
        O 157.5


        LV at CONN 07:30 PM
        LV +1.5
        O 163.0


        WAS at CHI 08:00 PM
        WAS -6.5
        O 174.5
        Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

        Comment


        • Sun edge Aces, move into first in standings
          August 23, 2019
          By The Associated Press


          UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) Alyssa Thomas scored 27 points and Courtney Williams added 24 to help the Connecticut Sun rally to beat the Las Vegas Aces 89-85 on Friday night.

          The win, coupled with Washington's loss moved the Sun into first place in the standings. Connecticut owns the tiebreaker over Washington and third-place Las Vegas. Earning a top two-seed would give the team a double-bye to the semifinals and help the Sun avoid the single-game elimination games. Connecticut has lost the last two years in the playoffs in the one-game format, doing so both times as a host team.

          Connecticut (20-8) trailed by 11 in the third quarter before Thomas took over, scoring 11 of the next 13 points to tie the game. Williams' jumper with a minute left gave Connecticut a 70-68 advantage. Neither team could get more than four-point lead in the final quarter.

          The Sun led 87-85 with about 30 seconds left when Jackie Young missed a driving layup. Connecticut corralled the rebound and the Sun worked the clock down before Williams hit a jumper from the free-throw line with 10.2 seconds left to make it a two-possession game and seal the fourth straight win.

          Liz Cambage scored 18 points and A'ja Wilson added 17 to lead Las Vegas (19-10), which saw its four-game winning streak end.

          SKY 85, MYSTICS 78

          CHICAGO (AP) - Diamond DeShields scored 22 points, Stefanie Dolson added 18 points and the Sky beat the Mystics.

          Washington (20-8) is tied atop the standings with Connecticut, but the Sun own the tiebreaker. The Mystics had won six straight and 11 of 12. Chicago (17-11) clinched a playoff spot Thursday night by virtue of a win by Los Angeles.

          Courtney Vandersloot added 15 points, eight rebounds and nine assists for Chicago. Allie Quigley was held to two points in 28 minutes.

          Elena Delle Donne paced Washington with 16 points and seven rebounds as she dropped her first game in nine meetings against her former team. Kristi Toliver missed her fifth straight game due to injury.

          DREAM 90, LIBERTY 87

          WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) - Tiffany Hayes scored 19 points to lead five Atlanta starters in double figures, and the Dream beat the Liberty to snap a 12-game losing streak.

          Renee Montgomery made a contested layup in the lane with 15.8 seconds left to give Atlanta an 88-87 lead. After Rebecca Allen's free-throw line jumper rolled out, Hayes made two free throws and Allen was long on a corner 3-pointer at the buzzer.

          Atlanta (6-22) won its first game since topping Minnesota on July 12, snapping the team's longest slide since starting 0-17 in 2008.

          Bria Hartley led New York (9-19) with 17 points.
          Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

          Comment


          • SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY AUGUST 25, 2019
            Time (ET) Away Home Site
            3:00 PM New York Liberty Washington Mystics The Entertainment and Sports Arena
            4:00 PM Atlanta Dream Dallas Wings College Park Center
            5:00 PM Connecticut Sun Los Angeles Sparks Staples Center
            6:00 PM Chicago Sky Phoenix Mercury Talking Stick Resort Arena
            7:00 PM Indiana Fever Seattle Storm Alaska Airlines Arena
            7:00 PM Las Vegas Aces Minnesota Lynx Target Center


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


            WNBA AUGUST'S OPINIONS AND BEST BETS: ALL BASED ON 5 UNITS

            DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

            08/23/2019 3-3-0 50.00% -1.50
            08/22/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
            08/20/2019 4-4-0 50.00% -2.00
            08/18/2019 5-5-0 50.00% -2.50
            08/16/2019 5-5-0 50.00% -2.50
            08/14/2019 1-5-0 16.67% -22.50
            08/13/2019 1-3-0 25.00% -11.50
            08/09/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
            08/08/2019 5-1-0 83.33% +19.50
            08/07/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
            08/06/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
            08/04/2019 5-1-0 83.33% +19.50
            08/03/2019 5-1-0 83.33% +19.50
            08/02/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
            08/01/2019 2-3-1 40.00% -6.50


            Totals...........43-42-1 .......50.58% .....-15.50


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

            BEST BETS:

            DATE........................ATS............. ..UNITS...............O/U..............UNITS...........TOTALS

            08/23/2019..............1 - 2...............-6.00.................2 - 1...........+4.50.............-1.50
            08/22/2019..............1 - 1...............-0.50.................2 - 0...........+10.00...........+9.50
            08/20/2019..............1 - 3...............-11.00...............3 - 1...........+9.50............-1.50
            08/18/2019..............3 - 2...............+4.00................2 - 3...........-6.50.............-2.50
            08/16/2019..............3 - 2...............+4.00................2 - 3...........-6.50.............-2.50
            08/14/2019..............0 - 3...............-16.50...............1 - 2............-6.00.............-22.50
            08/13/2019..............0 - 2...............-11.00...............1 - 1............-0.50.............-11.50
            08/10/2019..............1 - 1...............-0.50.................1 - 1............-0.50.............-1.00
            08/09/2019..............1 - 1...............-0.50.................1 - 1............-0.50.............-1.00
            08/08/2019..............3 - 0..............+15.00...............2 - 1............+4.50...........+19.50
            08/07/2019..............1 - 0..............+5.00.................0 - 1............-5.50.............-0.50
            08/06/2019..............0 - 1...............-5.50.................0 - 1............-5.50.............-11.00
            08/04/2019..............2 - 1..............+4.50.................3 - 0...........+15.00..........+19.50
            08/03/2019..............2 - 1..............+4.50.................3 - 0...........+15.00..........+19.50
            08/02/2019..............0 - 1...............-5.50.................0 - 1............-5.50.............-11.00
            08/01/2019..............2 - 1...............+4.50................0 - 2............-11.00............-6.50

            Totals.....................21 - 22.............-14.00.............23 - 19..........+10.50...........-3.50
            Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

            Comment


            • Saturday’s 6-pack

              Six lowest payrolls in baseball this season (team record):

              30) Tampa Bay $62,636,443 (75-54)

              29) Pittsburgh $71,358,858 (52-75)

              28) Baltimore $72,659,323 (41-87)

              27) Miami $74,587,295 (45-81)

              26) White Sox $91,219,660 (58-69)

              25) Oakland $93,010,305 (74-53)

              Quote of the Day
              “From an all-around standpoint, it’s an unbelievable basketball situation in that they’re in a great league right out of the [power conferences], sell out every night, charter everywhere, it’s a basketball-hot area of the country where it means something to people. I would say that’s one of the most underrated great jobs in the country. If you can get Dayton, I’d rather be at Dayton than a mid-level job in the ACC.”
              Unnamed college basketball coach, on CBSSports.com

              Saturday’s quiz

              Since 2010, only one NFL team hasn’t won a Week 1 game; which team?

              Friday’s quiz
              Steve Spurrier was the starting QB for the 0-16 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1976.

              Thursday’s quiz
              Oregon State’s teams are known as the Beavers.

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

              Saturday’s List of 13: Clearing out a cluttered mind…….

              13) We start today with a quick story……..

              Back in the late 90’s, I coached Little League, 10-12 year olds. Did it for four years, was an interesting experience. Kids were mostly fine; parents, not so much.

              My last two years, we had a very good team; there was this one team we always beat, and the guy who coached that team wasn’t happy about it, especially since most of the games were fairly close.

              One day, we’re up two runs late in the game, and his third baseman makes a couple errors in a row; teams had 12 kids on them and everybody has to play, so six kids played the whole game, and six played three innings each. His third baseman was a 12-year old who was a pretty good athlete; we didn’t understand why the kid was a 3-inning player, but he was and he was having a bad day.

              12) So the coach is getting on the kid pretty good; their dugout is right by third base and he isn’t letting up— we can all hear the stuff he is saying.

              Finally, the kid takes a couple steps toward the dugout, looks at the coach and yells very loudly:

              “HEY!!! You’re the one who put me here!!!” and goes back to his position.

              One of the funniest things I’ve ever heard, just the way the kid said it, with disdain for this adult who couldn’t deal with losing a Little League game. Tremendous.

              11) I usually enjoy HBO’s Hard Knocks, but I’m just freakin’ sick of Jon Gruden; he seems like kind of a jerk, and he’s been overexposed on TV. Go coach your team (at $10M a year) and be quiet. Thought HBO would wait until next year to feature the Raiders, since they move to Las Vegas in 2020, but I‘m guessing next year will be the Chargers’ turn.

              10) This is coaching in 2019:

              — Miami Dolphins’ coach Brian Flores says that veteran WR Kenny Stills hasn’t been playing well enough in camp.
              — Monday, Stills ripped Jay-Z about his social justice partnership with the NFL.
              — Tuesday, Flores played eight consecutive Jay-Z songs during practice.
              — Why would a rookie coach troll one of his better players?

              “……So that was the challenge — to get open, catch the football and make plays for this team, regardless of what’s going on outside of this building.”

              Flores spent the last 16 years working for the Patriots, but I’m guessing he didn’t get that move from the Bill Belichick playbook.

              9) Speaking of the Dolphins, whatever they do is their own business, but why the bleep would they start Ryan Fitzpatrick over Josh Rosen?

              — Fitzpatrick will be 37 in November; Rosen is 22.
              — Fitzpatrick is 50-75-1 as a starter, will become first player EVER to throw passes for eight different NFL teams. He’s playing for his sixth team in eight years.
              — Rosen’s head coach got fired the last two years (UCLA, Cardinals), not exactly a ringing endorsement of the QB, but don’t they have to find out who it is they traded for?
              —- Fitzpatrick didn’t even get a football scholarship in college (he went to Harvard) and is old enough that he played for Mike Martz back when Martz coached the Rams.

              8) I used to spend a lot of my spring/early summer researching college basketball, because it would pay off in November, but the way the sport is now, I wait until about now to being my research because college basketball has very little continuity from year-to-year now.

              The most talented players stay in college for about ten minutes, then bolt to the NBA; kids are always transferring (last year’s average was over two per team in D-I), so coaches are mostly patching teams together one year at a time. The best players from low majors often skip off to bigger-money schools, leaving their old schools in a lurch.

              Makes for a very busy September/October, but thats the way things are now. Maybe when they let kids jump from high school to the NBA again, things will become a little more settled, but I wouldn’t count on it.

              7) After I wrote #8, I saw an interview with Billy Packer online; the 80-year old former CBS analyst has some different opinions about stuff, but about college basketball he basically echoed what I said, that the better players don’t progress from freshman to seniors, because the better players are in the NBA before they’re 20.

              6) One survey I read on-line tabbed Texas A&M (Buzz Williams) and Nebraska (Fred Hoiberg) as the two best new coaching hires in college basketball this season. I’d throw Eric Musselman (Arkansas) into that mix, but no one asked me.

              5) Baseball stuff:
              — Angels activated SS Andrelton Simmons from the IL
              — Bryce Harper is on the paternity list this weekend.
              — Tampa Bay 2B Brandon Lowe (hip) is out for the season

              4) Kemba Walker scored 23 points as Team USA beat host Australia 102-86 in an exhibition game before 51,218 fans in a soccer stadium in Melbourne.

              3) Most profitable starting pitchers this season ($100/start):
              — Domngoo German, NYY 17-4, +$1,215
              — Ivan Nova, CWS 14-12, +$1,166
              — Lucas Giolito, CWS 17-9, +$1,130
              — Brandon Woodruff, Mil, 16-4, +$1,097
              — Clayton Kershaw, LA, 18-4, +$1,089

              White Sox are 31-21 when Nova/Giolito start, 27-48 when someone else starts.

              2) Least profitable starting pitchers this season ($100/start):
              — Jacob deGrom NYM, 10-15, -$1,443
              — Tyler Mahle Can, 4-15, -$1,038
              — Max Scherzer Wash, 10-11, -$989
              — Matt Boyd, Det, 8-18, -$982
              — Jhoulys Chacin Mil, 6-13, -$927

              1) Last five years, NFL divisional underdogs are 11-2-1 vs spread in Week 1.
              Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

              Comment


              • Sunday’s 6-pack

                Six highest payrolls in baseball this season (team record):
                6) Houston $168,397,174 (82-47)
                5) San Francisco $172,068,037 (63-65)
                4) LA Dodgers $200,501,451 (85-44)
                3) Bronx $217,304,879 (83-46)
                2) Cubs $217,653,335 (69-59)
                1) Boston $227,454,192 (68-61)

                Quote of the Day
                “You’re favorite to win your league [almost] every year. That’s the kind of job you want.”
                Unnamed college basketball coach, talking about Gonzaga on CBSSports.com,

                Sunday’s quiz
                Who was football coach at Alabama before Nick Saban?
                (Hint: he is currently an NFL assistant coach)

                Saturday’s quiz
                Since 2010, Cleveland is the only NFL team hasn’t won a Week 1 game; they tied the Steelers in last year’s opener.

                Friday’s quiz
                Steve Spurrier was the starting QB for the 0-16 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1976.

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

                Sunday’s List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Saturday

                13) NFL regular season needs to start soon, just to stop the tidal wave of fantasy football notes and opinions that swamp social media/cable TV every summer.

                Here’s a hint about what will happen in Week 1 of the NFL:

                NO ONE KNOWS!!!! Not me, not you, not the nitwits selling tout services, not the players/coaches themselves.

                No one knows, and that is why it is so interesting.

                12) Another reason college/NFL games have to start; ESPN2 televised freakin’ high school football games Friday. Right now, Dutch Fork leads Mallard Creek 7-0 as I type this, and I don’t know which state either school is in, though one is North Carolina, the other South Carolina.

                11) Tennessee Titans’ LT Taylor Lewan has been suspended four games for violating NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances. Titans open the season in Cleveland.

                10) Singer Rod Stewart once said that the next time he was thinking about getting married, instead he was going to go out, find a woman he hates, then buy her a house. I think he was joking.

                Stewart has eight children by five different women.

                9) I didn’t know that Sacramento Kings’ coach Luke Walton was named after Maurice Lucas, who was Bill Walton’s teammate on that great Portland team that won the 1977 NBA title.

                Bill Walton mentioned that when he was on the White Sox-Angels game last week.

                8) Mike Yastrzemski hit 17 homers in his first 75 games for the Giants, just like Willie Mays did.

                7) Uniforms for Players’ Weekend aren’t good; the normal uniforms are just fine. Creating another set of merchandise to put in your next catalog in order to suck some more money out of consumers isn’t a great idea.

                — What is the point of having names/numbers on back of an all-white uniform?
                — Pitcher for the team wearing the white uniform cannot wear an all-white hat, so they had to make equally terrible looking black hats.
                — Best part is that players can wear whatever shoes they like, so there are lot of weird colored shoes being worn.

                6) Strange story of the day: NASA is examining a claim that an astronaut improperly accessed the bank account of her estranged spouse from the International Space Station.

                She allegedly committed this crime while in outer space; who do you have on the jury for this trial, Mr Spock and Captain Kirk?

                5) Orioles GM Mike Elias fired 11 members of the team’s scouting department and front office as part of an effort to turn around a team in the early stages of a major rebuild.

                4) Baseball stuff:
                — Milwaukee DFA’d P Jhoulys Chacin, their Opening Day starter
                — Atlanta signed C Francisco Cervelli, who had been dumped by Pittsburgh
                — Miami OF Brian Anderson broke his hand, is out for the year.

                3) Team USA was -$500 to win the FIBA World Cup before they lost that exhibition game in Australia Saturday; they’ve been bet down to -$150 since then.

                2) Never heard of Seth Moulton until he announced he was running for President; his attempt didn’t go too well, and he dropped out of the race this week. But Seth Moulton deserves to be recognized for what he’s done for this country:

                Seth Moulton is a United States Marine who chose military service after graduating from Harvard. He was a platoon leader during his four tours in Iraq, during which he earned the Bronze Star and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for Valor.

                This a guy who is worthy of all of our respect. Thank you for your service, Mr Moulton.

                1) Washington Nationals have led in the 8th inning or later in each of their last 18 games, going 14-4 in those games.

                Comment


                • WNBA

                  Sunday, August 25


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

                  Washington Mystics
                  Washington is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
                  Washington is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
                  The total has gone OVER in 7 of Washington's last 9 games
                  Washington is 4-1-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
                  Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
                  The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games at home
                  Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing New York
                  The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Washington's last 9 games when playing New York
                  Washington is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against New York
                  The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Washington's last 12 games when playing at home against New York
                  New York Liberty
                  New York is 1-8 ATS in its last 9 games
                  New York is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games
                  New York is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
                  New York is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games on the road
                  New York is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Washington
                  The total has gone UNDER in 7 of New York's last 9 games when playing Washington
                  New York is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Washington
                  The total has gone UNDER in 8 of New York's last 12 games when playing on the road against Washington

                  Dallas Wings
                  Dallas is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games
                  The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games
                  Dallas is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games at home
                  Dallas is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games at home
                  Dallas is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta
                  Dallas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Atlanta
                  Dallas is 8-15 SU in its last 23 games when playing Atlanta
                  The total has gone OVER in 11 of Dallas's last 14 games when playing Atlanta
                  Dallas is 5-8-2 ATS in its last 15 games when playing at home against Atlanta
                  Dallas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta
                  The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dallas's last 6 games when playing at home against Atlanta
                  Atlanta Dream
                  Atlanta is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
                  Atlanta is 1-12 SU in its last 13 games
                  The total has gone OVER in 6 of Atlanta's last 7 games
                  Atlanta is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
                  Atlanta is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games on the road
                  Atlanta is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
                  Atlanta is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games when playing Dallas
                  Atlanta is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Dallas
                  The total has gone OVER in 11 of Atlanta's last 14 games when playing Dallas
                  Atlanta is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Dallas
                  The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta's last 6 games when playing on the road against Dallas

                  Los Angeles Sparks
                  Los Angeles is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games
                  Los Angeles is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
                  The total has gone OVER in 6 of Los Angeles's last 7 games
                  Los Angeles is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
                  Los Angeles is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
                  The total has gone OVER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games at home
                  Los Angeles is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games when playing Connecticut
                  Los Angeles is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Connecticut
                  Los Angeles is 6-13 ATS in its last 19 games when playing at home against Connecticut
                  Los Angeles is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Connecticut
                  The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 5 games when playing at home against Connecticut
                  Connecticut Sun
                  Connecticut is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games
                  Connecticut is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games on the road
                  Connecticut is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games on the road
                  Connecticut is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Los Angeles
                  Connecticut is 6-13 SU in its last 19 games when playing Los Angeles
                  Connecticut is 13-6 ATS in its last 19 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
                  Connecticut is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
                  The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Connecticut's last 5 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles

                  Phoenix Mercury
                  Phoenix is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games
                  Phoenix is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
                  Phoenix is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home
                  Phoenix is 16-4 SU in its last 20 games at home
                  The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Phoenix's last 9 games at home
                  Phoenix is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Chicago
                  Phoenix is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Chicago
                  Phoenix is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Chicago
                  Chicago Sky
                  Chicago is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games
                  Chicago is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games
                  The total has gone OVER in 8 of Chicago's last 9 games
                  Chicago is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
                  Chicago is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
                  The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 5 games on the road
                  Chicago is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Phoenix
                  Chicago is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
                  Chicago is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Phoenix

                  Minnesota Lynx
                  Minnesota is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
                  Minnesota is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
                  The total has gone OVER in 5 of Minnesota's last 6 games
                  Minnesota is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games at home
                  Minnesota is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Las Vegas
                  Minnesota is 21-4 SU in its last 25 games when playing Las Vegas
                  The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing Las Vegas
                  Minnesota is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Las Vegas
                  Minnesota is 18-2 SU in its last 20 games when playing at home against Las Vegas
                  Las Vegas Aces
                  Las Vegas is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
                  Las Vegas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
                  The total has gone OVER in 5 of Las Vegas's last 5 games
                  Las Vegas is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Minnesota
                  Las Vegas is 4-21 SU in its last 25 games when playing Minnesota
                  The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Las Vegas's last 5 games when playing Minnesota
                  Las Vegas is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
                  Las Vegas is 2-18 SU in its last 20 games when playing on the road against Minnesota

                  Seattle Storm
                  Seattle is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
                  Seattle is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
                  Seattle is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
                  Seattle is 6-13-1 ATS in its last 20 games when playing Indiana
                  Seattle is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Indiana
                  The total has gone OVER in 7 of Seattle's last 10 games when playing Indiana
                  Seattle is 1-5-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Indiana
                  Seattle is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Indiana
                  Indiana Fever
                  Indiana is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
                  Indiana is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
                  The total has gone OVER in 5 of Indiana's last 6 games
                  Indiana is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
                  Indiana is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
                  The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games on the road
                  Indiana is 15-7-1 ATS in its last 23 games when playing Seattle
                  Indiana is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Seattle
                  The total has gone OVER in 7 of Indiana's last 10 games when playing Seattle
                  Indiana is 5-1-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Seattle
                  Indiana is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Seattle


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

                  Comment


                  • WNBA
                    Long Sheet

                    Sunday, August 25


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

                    NEW YORK (9 - 19) at WASHINGTON (19 - 8) - 8/25/2019, 3:00 PM
                    There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

                    Head-to-Head Series History
                    WASHINGTON is 4-4 against the spread versus NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
                    WASHINGTON is 6-2 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
                    6 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

                    ATLANTA (6 - 22) at DALLAS (9 - 19) - 8/25/2019, 4:00 PM
                    There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

                    Head-to-Head Series History
                    DALLAS is 5-3 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
                    DALLAS is 5-3 straight up against ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
                    5 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

                    CONNECTICUT (20 - 8) at LOS ANGELES (17 - 10) - 8/25/2019, 5:00 PM
                    There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

                    Head-to-Head Series History
                    LOS ANGELES is 5-3 against the spread versus CONNECTICUT over the last 3 seasons
                    LOS ANGELES is 4-4 straight up against CONNECTICUT over the last 3 seasons
                    5 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

                    CHICAGO (17 - 11) at PHOENIX (13 - 14) - 8/25/2019, 6:00 PM
                    There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

                    Head-to-Head Series History
                    CHICAGO is 4-3 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
                    PHOENIX is 4-3 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
                    4 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

                    INDIANA (9 - 19) at SEATTLE (15 - 13) - 8/25/2019, 7:00 PM
                    There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

                    Head-to-Head Series History
                    SEATTLE is 4-4 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
                    SEATTLE is 7-1 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
                    5 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

                    LAS VEGAS (19 - 9) at MINNESOTA (14 - 15) - 8/25/2019, 7:00 PM
                    Top Trends for this game.
                    LAS VEGAS is 6-14 ATS (-9.4 Units) after scoring 75 points or more this season.
                    MINNESOTA is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) in a home game where where the total is greater than or equal to 150 this season.
                    MINNESOTA is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) in home games when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
                    MINNESOTA is 8-19 ATS (-12.9 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
                    MINNESOTA is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record after 15+ games over the last 2 seasons.

                    Head-to-Head Series History
                    MINNESOTA is 5-3 against the spread versus LAS VEGAS over the last 3 seasons
                    MINNESOTA is 5-3 straight up against LAS VEGAS over the last 3 seasons
                    6 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

                    Comment


                    • WNBA
                      Dunkel

                      Sunday, August 25



                      New York @ Washington

                      Game 607-608
                      August 25, 2019 @ 3:00 pm

                      Dunkel Rating:
                      New York
                      99.185
                      Washington
                      119.535
                      Dunkel Team:
                      Dunkel Line:
                      Dunkel Total:
                      Washington
                      by 20 1/2
                      165
                      Vegas Team:
                      Vegas Line:
                      Vegas Total:
                      Washington
                      by 14 1/2
                      168 1/2
                      Dunkel Pick:
                      Washington
                      (-14 1/2); Under

                      Atlanta @ Dallas


                      Game 609-610
                      August 25, 2019 @ 4:00 pm

                      Dunkel Rating:
                      Atlanta
                      98.531
                      Dallas
                      105.418
                      Dunkel Team:
                      Dunkel Line:
                      Dunkel Total:
                      Dallas
                      by 7
                      141
                      Vegas Team:
                      Vegas Line:
                      Vegas Total:
                      Dallas
                      by 5
                      147
                      Dunkel Pick:
                      Dallas
                      (-5); Under

                      Connecticut @ Los Angeles


                      Game 611-612
                      August 25, 2019 @ 5:00 pm

                      Dunkel Rating:
                      Connecticut
                      118.578
                      Los Angeles
                      112.054
                      Dunkel Team:
                      Dunkel Line:
                      Dunkel Total:
                      Connecticut
                      by 6 1/2
                      160
                      Vegas Team:
                      Vegas Line:
                      Vegas Total:
                      Los Angeles
                      by 2 1/2
                      161 1/2
                      Dunkel Pick:
                      Connecticut
                      (+2 1/2); Under

                      Chicago @ Phoenix


                      Game 613-614
                      August 25, 2019 @ 6:00 pm

                      Dunkel Rating:
                      Chicago
                      112.147
                      Phoenix
                      109.043
                      Dunkel Team:
                      Dunkel Line:
                      Dunkel Total:
                      Chicago
                      by 3
                      159
                      Vegas Team:
                      Vegas Line:
                      Vegas Total:
                      Phoenix
                      by 4 1/2
                      165
                      Dunkel Pick:
                      Chicago
                      (+4 1/2); Under

                      Las Vegas @ Minnesota


                      Game 617-618
                      August 25, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

                      Dunkel Rating:
                      Las Vegas
                      115.939
                      Minnesota
                      108.362
                      Dunkel Team:
                      Dunkel Line:
                      Dunkel Total:
                      Las Vegas
                      by 7 1/2
                      158
                      Vegas Team:
                      Vegas Line:
                      Vegas Total:
                      Las Vegas
                      by 3 1/2
                      161
                      Dunkel Pick:
                      Las Vegas
                      (-3 1/2); Under

                      Indiana @ Seattle


                      Game 615-616
                      August 25, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

                      Dunkel Rating:
                      Indiana
                      102.769
                      Seattle
                      115.889
                      Dunkel Team:
                      Dunkel Line:
                      Dunkel Total:
                      Seattle
                      by 13
                      152
                      Vegas Team:
                      Vegas Line:
                      Vegas Total:
                      Seattle
                      by 8
                      154
                      Dunkel Pick:
                      Seattle
                      (-8); Under

                      Comment


                      • SUNDAY, AUGUST 25
                        GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


                        LV at MIN 07:00 PM
                        MIN +3.5
                        O 159.5


                        IND at SEA 07:00 PM
                        SEA -9.5
                        U 152.0
                        Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                        Comment


                        • Sparks top Sun, dropping them out of first in standings
                          August 25, 2019
                          By The Associated Press


                          LOS ANGELES (AP) Riquna Williams scored 21 points and the Los Angeles Sparks beat Connecticut 84-72 on Sunday, knocking the Sun out of the top spot in the WNBA standings.

                          Nneka Ogwumike added 16 points and reached the 4,000 point milestone early in the game. She is 38th player to reach that mark and the 14th fastest (244 games).

                          The Sparks (18-10) were playing their second game in a row with no injured or suspended players.

                          Candace Parker added 13 points and Chelsea Gray scored 12. Parker had five assists and passed Vickie Johnson (1,205) into 15th in the WNBA career assists leaders, finishing the game with 1,208.

                          The Sun (20-9) had a four-game winning streak snapped and dropped a game behind the Washington Mystics (21-8).

                          Courtney Williams had 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists, Jonquel Jones added 16 and 12 rebounds, and Shekinna Stricklen scored 12 points.

                          SKY 94, MERCURY 86

                          PHOENIX (AP) - Allie Quigley scored 24 points and passed 1,000 career made field goals to help the Sky beat the Mercury.

                          Courtney Vandersloot added nine points, nine rebounds and 13 assists for the Sky (18-11), who have won three straight and are in the hunt for a first-round bye in the playoffs.

                          Chicago pulled away with an 8-0 run sparked by Stephanie Dolson's layup with 2 minutes left and capped at 92-82 on Vandersloot's pair of free throws with a minute to go.

                          Diamond DeShields had 18 points, Cheyenne Parker added 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Astou Ndour had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Sky.

                          Brittney Griner had a season-high 34 points for the Mercury (13-15). DeWanna Bonner added 18 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

                          Diana Taurasi had 12 points in her return from a hamstring injury and a one-game suspension. In just her second game of the season, she made all eight of her free throws but struggled from the field with 2-of-13 shooting.

                          MYSTICS 101, LIBERTY 72

                          WASHINGTON (AP) - Elena Delle Donne had 22 points and 10 rebounds on Sunday and the Mystics led from the opening basket in a rout of the Liberty.

                          Washington (21-8) built a 31-14 advantage by the end of the first quarter and led by double digits the rest of the way.

                          Delle Donne was 8 of 13 from the field and the Mystics shot 53 percent overall. Tianna Hawkins added 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Emma Meesseman and Aerial Powers scored 14 points each.

                          Kia Nurse scored 24 points, making 6 of 10 from 3-point range for the Liberty (9-20). Bria Hartley and Tina Charles added 16 points apiece.

                          The Mystics' LaToya Sanders blocked three shots to pass 200 career blocked shots, finishing the game with 201. She finished with eight points.

                          FEVER 63, STORM 54


                          SEATTLE (AP) - Teaira McCowan had 22 points and 19 rebounds and the Fever kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a win over the Storm.

                          Seattle clinched a playoff spot earlier on Sunday with the benefit of the New York Liberty's loss to the Washington Mystics.

                          The Fever trail Phoenix by 3 + games for the final playoff spot and have five games left.

                          McCowan had the second best rebounding effort by any player in the WNBA this season. The Connecticut Sun's Jonquel Jones had 22 rebounds against the Sparks on May 31.

                          Kelsey Mitchell added 13 points and Candice Dupree scored 12 for the Fever (10-19). McCowan was 9 of 15 from the field and grabbed six offensive rebounds.

                          Natasha Howard had 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists for the Storm (15-14).

                          LYNX 98, ACES 77

                          MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Napheesa Collier and Danielle Robinson scored 23 points each and the Lynx beat the Aces.

                          Sylvia Fowles added 14 points for the Lynx (15-15), who shot 59 percent from the field and reduced their playoff-clinching magic number to one with four games to go.

                          Minnesota took the lead for good late in the second half and opened the third quarter with a 20-4 run to build a 65-47 lead.

                          Sylvia Fowles added 14 points, Damiris Dantas scored 11 points and Odyssey Sims had 10 for the Lynx.

                          Jackie Young had 14 points to lead the Aces (19-11).

                          Las Vegas entered the game 1+ games out of the top two spots in the WNBA standings and missed an opportunity to close ground on the Connecticut Sun, who also lost on Sunday.

                          DREAM 77, WINGS 73

                          ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Tiffany Hayes scored 23 points to help Atlanta hold off the Wings for the Dream's first back-to-back road wins of the season.

                          Elizabeth Williams gave the Dream (7-22) the lead for good on a putback with 1:05 left and Hayes scored a driving layup with 21 seconds left to make it 75-71.

                          Isabelle Harrison cut the deficit back to two for the Wings (9-20), but Hayes made two free throws with 10 seconds left to secure the win.

                          Atlanta started to pull away with a run late in the second quarter and extended the lead to 60-40 late in the third.

                          Dallas erased the deficit when Arike Ogunbowale's free throw with 2:01 left tied it at 71.

                          Ogunbowale scored 29 points for the Wings, her sixth straight 20-point game and 13th of the season, which passed Odyssey Sims' franchise record for most 20-point games in a season by a Dallas rookie.
                          Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                          Comment


                          • SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY AUGUST 27, 2019
                            Time (ET) Away Home Site
                            7:00 PM Las Vegas Aces Indiana Fever Bankers Life Fieldhouse
                            7:00 PM Los Angeles Sparks Washington Mystics The Entertainment and Sports Arena
                            7:00 PM Phoenix Mercury New York Liberty Westchester County Center
                            8:00 PM Chicago Sky Minnesota Lynx Target Center
                            10:00 PM Connecticut Sun Seattle Storm Alaska Airlines Arena


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


                            WNBA AUGUST'S OPINIONS AND BEST BETS: ALL BASED ON 5 UNITS

                            DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

                            08/25/2019 3-1-0 75.00% +9.50
                            08/23/2019 3-3-0 50.00% -1.50
                            08/22/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
                            08/20/2019 4-4-0 50.00% -2.00
                            08/18/2019 5-5-0 50.00% -2.50
                            08/16/2019 5-5-0 50.00% -2.50
                            08/14/2019 1-5-0 16.67% -22.50
                            08/13/2019 1-3-0 25.00% -11.50
                            08/09/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
                            08/08/2019 5-1-0 83.33% +19.50
                            08/07/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
                            08/06/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
                            08/04/2019 5-1-0 83.33% +19.50
                            08/03/2019 5-1-0 83.33% +19.50
                            08/02/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
                            08/01/2019 2-3-1 40.00% -6.50


                            Totals...........46-43-1 .......51.68% .....-6.00


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

                            BEST BETS:

                            DATE........................ATS............. ..UNITS...............O/U..............UNITS...........TOTALS

                            08/25/2019..............1 - 1...............-0.50.................2 - 0...........+10.00...........+9.50
                            08/23/2019..............1 - 2...............-6.00.................2 - 1...........+4.50.............-1.50
                            08/22/2019..............1 - 1...............-0.50.................2 - 0...........+10.00...........+9.50
                            08/20/2019..............1 - 3...............-11.00...............3 - 1...........+9.50............-1.50
                            08/18/2019..............3 - 2...............+4.00................2 - 3...........-6.50.............-2.50
                            08/16/2019..............3 - 2...............+4.00................2 - 3...........-6.50.............-2.50
                            08/14/2019..............0 - 3...............-16.50...............1 - 2............-6.00.............-22.50
                            08/13/2019..............0 - 2...............-11.00...............1 - 1............-0.50.............-11.50
                            08/10/2019..............1 - 1...............-0.50.................1 - 1............-0.50.............-1.00
                            08/09/2019..............1 - 1...............-0.50.................1 - 1............-0.50.............-1.00
                            08/08/2019..............3 - 0..............+15.00...............2 - 1............+4.50...........+19.50
                            08/07/2019..............1 - 0..............+5.00.................0 - 1............-5.50.............-0.50
                            08/06/2019..............0 - 1...............-5.50.................0 - 1............-5.50.............-11.00
                            08/04/2019..............2 - 1..............+4.50.................3 - 0...........+15.00..........+19.50
                            08/03/2019..............2 - 1..............+4.50.................3 - 0...........+15.00..........+19.50
                            08/02/2019..............0 - 1...............-5.50.................0 - 1............-5.50.............-11.00
                            08/01/2019..............2 - 1...............+4.50................0 - 2............-11.00............-6.50

                            Totals.....................22 - 23.............-14.50.............25 - 19..........+20.50...........-6.00
                            Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

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                            • Monday’s 6-pack
                              — Florida 24, Miami 20— Gators survived four turnovers (-3).
                              — Hawai’i 45, Arizona 38— Rainbows survived six turnovers (-4).
                              — Case Keenum will start at QB for Washington in Week 1.
                              — Nationals 7, Cubs 5 (11)— Washington sweeps series in Wrigley.
                              — Westgate SuperBook is refunding Andrew Luck MVP wagers; they didn’t have to.
                              — Florida-Miami game delivered a 4.1 overnight TV rating, the best college football rating on ESPN since November, 2016

                              Quote of the Day
                              “Great location for recruiting, great facilities, unlimited resources, tremendous local support, committed to winning. Can be the Gonzaga of the southeast, where they dominate their league year in and year out. Houston is a close second for the same reasons.”
                              Unnamed college basketball coach, talking about Memphis

                              Monday’s quiz
                              Atlanta Falcons are 0-2 in Super Bowls; who did they lose to?

                              Sunday’s quiz
                              Mike Shula was football coach at Alabama before Nick Saban.

                              Saturday’s quiz
                              Since 2010, Cleveland is the only NFL team hasn’t won a Week 1 game; they tied the Steelers in last year’s opener.

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

                              Monday’s List of 13: Wrapping up a sports weekend

                              13) For 19 of the last 21 years, the Indianapolis Colts have had Peyton Manning/Andrew Luck as their starting QB; they made the playoffs in 15 of those 19 years, going 13-14 in playoff games and playing in two Super Bowls, winning one.

                              Both QB’s missed a full year with injury; Colts were 4-12, 2-14 those two seasons.

                              12) Hard to keep a secret these days: Bears-Colts were playing in Indianapolis Saturday night when the news broke about Andrew Luck retiring; would be interesting to know who leaked the news. Made it extremely awkward with Luck standing on the sidelines while fans are checking their phones for information.

                              Around midnight, I’m watching TV and a commercial runs for NFL Sunday Ticket, and it is Luck and a Colts’ fan wearing a blue #12 jersey. Awkward.

                              Later on, I’m watching a replay of the Broncos-Rams game and for a few minutes thats all they were talking about on the broadcast; Rams starters who weren’t playing were on the sidelines looking at their phones and talking, undoubtedly about this very surprising news.

                              (Yeah, I know; I watch too much TV)

                              11) I have one question about the Colts; do they retain Luck’s rights, and if so, for how long? Luck turns 30 next month; what if he decides in January that he misses football and he would like to play again? What happens then?

                              Luck is married to a woman who was a gymnast in Europe; what if he decides if traveling the world with her isn’t stimulating or fun enough? It is a fair question.

                              10) My point here is that I’m wondering if Luck could sit out a year or two, then declare himself a free agent when Tom Brady retires and go play for New England. If the Colts retain his rights then that would eliminate that hideous scenario.

                              9) Circa Sports in Las Vegas shifted their Colts’ odds this way:
                              Colts to make playoffs: from YES -180 → NO -215
                              Colts to win AFC: from +700 → +2100

                              Colts to win Super Bowl:
                              From YES +1500 → YES +4500
                              From NO -2800 → NO -7800

                              8) Hawai’i 45, Arizona 38— Great ending at 2:20am Sunday morning to this exciting game in paradise; Arizona QB Tate scrambled 30+ yards trying to score the game-tying TD on the last play of the game, but was tackled on the 1-yard line as time ran out.

                              Arizona drove the ball 81 yards in 0:51 to try and tie the game, but they needed 82 yards.

                              7) Baseball stuff:
                              — Indians put 3B Jose Ramirez (hand) on the IL.
                              — Giants 3B Pablo Sandoval (elbow) is out for the year.
                              — Arizona put OF David Peralta on the IL.
                              — Cubs put P Derek Holland (wrist) on the IL.

                              6) Detroit Tigers recently had a 58-game stretch where they didn’t win consecutive games; since 1907, that is the 9th-longest streak in the major leagues.

                              5) One thing that was drummed into my head watching the Cardinal-Viking game Saturday; Minnesota has a depth problem at cornerback. Viking TV guys were doing the game and they mentioned it a lot. When home TV guys criticize the home team, you know there’s a problem.

                              4) Underrated weird baseball thing; Dodgers C Russell Martin has pitched in two games this year when LA had the lead, 18-5 and 14-1. Is their pitching staff that overworked?

                              3) Miami Marlins vs Philly this season: 9-7
                              Miami Marlins vs rest of NL East: 11-36

                              2) Remember Warrick Dunn, the running back for the Buccaneers?

                              Dunn’s mother was a New Orleans police officer who was shot/killed in the line of duty when Dunn was in high school. He’s used his platform as an NFL star to pay for the construction of 145 houses for single moms. 145 houses is a lot of money raised/donated.

                              1) This was SuperContest weekend at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas; they got over the 2,000 mark in contestants, at $1,500 a pop. First place is expected to be over $1.5M— you pick five NFL games a week against the spread.

                              Other casinos also have contests; Golden Nugget has one where you pick seven games a week, but they can be college or pro games. Circa also has a contest.

                              If you like football and you like to gamble, a football weekend in Las Vegas should definitely be on your bucket list.
                              Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

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                              • Tuesday’s 6-pack

                                Odds to win Conference USA football title:

                                +$375— Florida Atlantic

                                4-1— Marshall, North Texas

                                +$725— UAB, FIU, Southern Miss.

                                10-1— Louisiana Tech

                                40-1— Middle Tennessee State

                                50-1— Western Kentucky

                                Quote of the Day
                                “He was like smiling at the end. That’s what helped me gain clarity and understand the situation, seeing him smile. I wish him the best. He knows that and we’ll talk longer than the days of either of our football careers. You know, he seemed happy and that’s all that really matters.”
                                Colts’ QB Jacoby Brissett, talking about Andrew Luck

                                Tuesday’s quiz
                                Who was the Falcons’ coach the first time they played in the Super Bowl?

                                Monday’s quiz
                                Atlanta Falcons are 0-2 in Super Bowls; they lost to Denver, New England.

                                Sunday’s quiz
                                Mike Shula was football coach at Alabama before Nick Saban.

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

                                Tuesday’s List of 13: Nobody asked me, but……..

                                13) NFL scouting isn’t easy; front office types make big money, with their decisions largely deciding whether teams win or lose.

                                With that in mind, here are QB’s taken in the 2012 NFL Draft:
                                Round 1 (1st pick): A. Luck – retired, played 86 games
                                1 (2): Robert Griffin III- Ravens’ backup
                                1 (8): Ryan Tannehill – Titans’ backup
                                1 (22): Brandon Weeden – out of football
                                Round 2 (57): Brock Osweiler – out of football

                                3 (75): Russell Wilson – Super Bowl champ
                                3 (88): Nick Foles – Super Bowl MVP
                                4 (102): Kirk Cousins – Vikings’ starter, makes $28M a year

                                Undrafted: Case Keenum— Redskins’ starter
                                Kellen Moore- Cowboys’ offensive coordinator

                                12) Golfers Dustin Johnson/Lucas Glover tied for last at the TOUR Championship Sunday; they both went home wth a check for $400,000. Pretty solid consolation prize.

                                11) Robbie Ray threw five shutout innings in Arizona’s 5-2 win in Milwaukee Sunday; he faced 21 batters, threw 103 pitches, which is an awful lot for a guy who didn’t allow a run. Usually the average pitches per batter is 3.6 or 3.7, not 5.0+.

                                10) Major League ballfields need more 8-foot high outfield fences; the most exciting play in baseball is an outfielder trying to rob the hitter of a home run.

                                9) Off the top of my bald head, I‘m thinking that the Broncos, Colts, Vikings will all be bucking the NFL’s pass-happy trend and will try to run the ball more this season.

                                Vic Fangio and Mike Zimmer are defensive coaches; defensive guys like to run the ball to protect their defense. Indianapolis is breaking Jacoby Brissett in as the new QB; they’ll try and lighten his load by depending on their improved offensive line and moving the ball on the ground.

                                8) Remember the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and the kid with the Detroit Red Wings’ jersey who was Ferris’ friend? Haven’t seen that actor in 33 years that I know of, but he showed up on my TV in the HBO series Succession, which is about a horrendous bunch of rich people.

                                He wears a suit now, instead of the Gordie Howe jersey.

                                7) Baseball stuff:
                                — A’s DFA’d OF Nick Martini, brought up OF Seth Brown from AAA.
                                — A’s also put OF Stephen Piscotty (ankle) on the IL.

                                6) Why would FOX hire Urban Meyer as a studio analyst? The man has no personality, seems incapable of humor. He was awful analyzing games on ESPN. Don’t understand this.

                                5) I wonder if dogs enjoy having their pictures taken as much as it looks like they’re enjoying it.

                                4) Kansas City Chiefs signed QB Matt Moore to back up Patrick Mahomes; Chad Henne broke his ankle last weekend, so KC needed a solid backup, and Moore is that.

                                3) Over the last 25 months:
                                — Baltimore Ravens are 12-0 in exhibition games, Atlanta is 0-12.
                                — Ravens are 19-14 in regular season/playoffs; Atlanta is 18-16.

                                Some teams just try harder to win preseason games.

                                2) We talk about this too much now: “If I ain’t startin’, then I’ll be departin’…..’”

                                Sophomore QB Jake Haener wasn’t going to be Washington’s starter this year, so he will now transfer. Haener is from Danville, CA; his mom and grandfather both went to college at Washington, but he will leave the Huskies, sit this year out and be eligible to play wherever he goes in both 2020 and 2021. Hard to impress NFL scouts by sitting on the bench.

                                Washington’s new QB is Jacob Eason, who bolted to Seattle because he didn’t win the starting job at Georgia (sound familiar?)

                                1) Turns out that OJ Simpson is in a fantasy football league, and he drafted Andrew Luck an hour before the retirement story broke. Whoops.
                                Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

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