The Bums 2019 WNBA News - Notes - Picks Thru The Playoffs !

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more later

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Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

Top six picks for Week 5 in Westgate Super Contest:

6) Ravens -3 (757)-

5) Packers +3.5 (781)-

4) Patriots +15.5 (783)-

3) Buccaneers +3.5 (800)-

2) Vikings -5.5 (951)-

1) Bears -5.5 (1,299)-

2019 record: 13-11


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Armadillo: Sunday's List of 13: Wrapping up a college football Saturday…….

13) Virginia Tech 42, Miami 35— Hokies led 28-0 when Miami scored a 44-yard TD on the last play of the first half; Hurricanes tied game 35-all when they scored a TD with 3:16 left in the game, but missed the go-ahead PAT.

Tech then drove 63 yards on five plays for a TD and their first ACC win in three tries.

Miami is 1-3 vs I-A teams, with all four games decided by 7 or fewer points.

12) Navy 34, Air Force 25— Trends are fun and all, but under is now 33-9-1 in the last 43 games between the service academies. This game went over by a decent amount.

11) Speaking of the academies, Army (23-1) scored the first TD of the day, so if you bet them to score the day’s first TD, a prop bet at the SouthPoint, your day started out very well.

10) Texas (-11) 42, West Virginia 31— Mountaineers scored with 0:48 left, pushing the spread; over last 11 years, Texas is now 0-10-1 ATS the week before playing Oklahoma.

This game was closer than the score indicates; WVU outgained the Longhorns 463-407, but they were only 4-14 on 3rd down, Texas was 10-18— Mountaineers turned ball over four times (-3).

9) Florida 24, Auburn 13— Rough day for Auburn’s freshman QB Nix, who was 11-27/145 passing with three INT’s. Florida kept the Tigers in the game by losing five fumbles (-2 in TO’s). Gators outgained Auburn 382-241, teams combined to convert only 6-29 on third down.

8) Iowa State 49, TCU 24— Cyclones have covered their last eight October games.

7) Upsets:
— Virginia Tech (+14) 42, Miami 35
— Stanford (+13) 23, Washington 13
— Texas Tech (+10) 45, Oklahoma State 35
— Georgia State (+7) 52, Arkansas State 38
— Central Michigan (+6) 42, Eastern Michigan 16
— Oregon State (+6) 48, UCLA 31
— Ball State (+5) 27, Northern Illinois 20

6) SMU 43, Tulsa 37 OT— Mustangs were down 30-9 after the 3rd quarter, but won in OT after tying the game with 1:02 left in regulation. Rough night for Tulsa’s kicker, who missed three FG’s and an extra point.

5) Louisville 41, Boston College 39— Total yardage was 664-563, Louisville; they kicked a 41-yard FG with 1:13 left for the win. BC QB Grosel completed only 9-24 passes, but threw three TD’s. Eagles lost three of their last four games— they lost last two by total of five points.

4) Arizona 35, Colorado 30— Total yardage was 496-487 Colorado, but they kicked three FG’s and scored three TD’s, while Arizona scored five TD’s.

Not sure why Colorado fired Mike MacIntyre as coach LY, but they did; I’m thinking they made a mistake, but thats their business, not mine.

3) Oregon State 48, UCLA 31— Beavers led this game 21-0 after 6:01 of play; UCLA is now 1-4, and they trailed 49-17 in the one game they won.

2) Cincinnati 27, UCF 24— Knights turned ball over four times (-3); Gabriel was 25-46/297 passing but threw three INT’s- Davis caught 13 balls for 170 yards for UCF, in a losing cause.

1) There are a few teams that are so terrible you should never even think about wagering on them; UMass, Rutgers, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, UNLV.

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WNBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, October 6

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WASHINGTON (29 - 10) at CONNECTICUT (27 - 12) - 10/6/2019, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CONNECTICUT is 8-4 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
CONNECTICUT is 7-5 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
7 of 12 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WNBA

Sunday, October 6

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Trend Report
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Connecticut Sun
Connecticut is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Connecticut is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Connecticut's last 10 games
Connecticut is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Connecticut is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Connecticut's last 6 games at home
Connecticut is 9-4 ATS in its last 13 games when playing Washington
Connecticut is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Connecticut's last 6 games when playing Washington
Connecticut is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Washington
Connecticut is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Washington
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Connecticut's last 9 games when playing at home against Washington
Washington Mystics
Washington is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Washington is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 7 games
Washington is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Washington is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 9 games on the road
Washington is 4-9-1 ATS in its last 14 games when playing Connecticut
Washington is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games when playing Connecticut
Washington is 1-5-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
Washington is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 9 games when playing on the road against Connecticut


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WNBA
Dunkel

Sunday, October 6


Washington @ Connecticut

Game 605-606
October 6, 2019 @ 3:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
115.794
Connecticut
119.282
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Connecticut
by 3 1/2
171
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Connecticut
by 2
175
Dunkel Pick:
Connecticut
(-2); Under

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WAS at CONN 03:30 PM

CONN -5.0

O 172.5

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Washington opens 2-1 lead over Sun
October 6, 2019
By The Associated Press

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) Washington didn't need Elena Delle Donne to be a superstar on Sunday, they just needed her to be out on the court.

The WNBA's MVP provided an emotional lift by playing through a back injury and her teammates responded with a solid effort to beat Connecticut 94-81 and move the Mystics within a victory of winning their first championship.

Delle Donne, who has a herniated disk that is pinching a nerve in her back, had not practiced since leaving Game 2 with back spasms. She finished with 13 points, hitting 5 of her 6 shots and played 26 minutes.

''I just want to be a leader for this team. I love them. I did nothing, I was just on the court, they carried me and they've done that all season long,'' Delle Donne said. ''I love them to death. We have one more to go.''

The 6-foot-5 wing was clearly limited in her movement and stayed mostly on the perimeter, but was effective enough to command the attention of Connecticut's defense.

''Her presence alone, whether she's 100% or 10% just instills confidence in the rest of the group,'' said guard Kristi Toliver. ''She showed a lot of character. She showed a lot of heart just being out there on the court today.''

Toliver, Emma Meesseman and Natasha Cloud carried the offense. Meesseman had 21 points off the bench, including nine to start the fourth quarter. Toliver added 20 points and 10 assists. Cloud chipped in with 19 points. The team made 16 of 27 shots from behind the arc.

Washington will try and close out the series on Tuesday night in Connecticut.

Delle Donne hit an early 3-pointer and the Mystics made six of their nine shots from behind the arc in the first quarter to take a 32-17 lead after 10 minutes.

Washington led by as many as 17 points in the first half. It was 37-23 before the Sun went on a 16-4 run and Washington led 43-39 at the break.

Jonquel Jones converted a 3-point play to open the third quarter cut the lead to one, but that was as close as Connecticut would get.

They trailed by two when Delle Donne hit a 3-pointer from the left wing to make it 58-53. The Mystics took a 68-57 lead into the fourth quarter and stretched that to 18 before a final run by the Sun that Delle Donne ended with a tough layup.

''It was kind of one of those moments, like hey I might give my back up and my body up on this one, but I feel like this is such a big moment to stop that run that they're making,'' she said.

Shekinna Stricklen and Jasmine Thomas each had 16 points for the Sun and Bria Holmes added 15. Jones, who scored 32 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in Connecticut's Game 2 win, scored just nine points to go with her nine boards.

''When the ball was up, they just didn't care if they were getting a rebound or not, they were making sure they were hitting me, keeping me off the offensive glass,'' Jones said. ''It hurt us that I wasn't able to get on the boards.''

COPING

The 6-foot-5 Delle Donne, who averaged 19.5 points and 8.2 rebounds this season, left Tuesday's 99-87 Game 2 loss without scoring a point after playing just over three minutes in the first quarter. There were a few scary moments for her on Sunday. She went down to her knees for a loose ball just over five minutes into the game, was subbed out and went straight to the tunnel. But she returned a few minutes later. The team said it was part of the plan to keep her back warm by having her keep moving and stretch with the trainers instead of sitting on the bench.

''I was just trying to find ways to stay comfortable and stay loose,'' she said. ''We really didn't know if I was going to be able to go today, because I hadn't done anything until right up before the game. We were able to test it a little bit and go from there.''

FROM A DISTANCE

The Mystics tied a WNBA Finals record set by the 2007 Phoenix Mercury with 16 3-pointers in a single game. The team shot 50.7 percent from the floor and 59.3 percent from 3-point range.

REBOUNDS

Washington outrebounded Connecticut 34-27 after being dominated on the boards, 41-27 in Game 2.

TIP INS

Washington: Delle Donne had had averaged 21.4 points and 7.6 rebounds in the Mystics' first five playoff games. She had scored at least 10 points in 23 straight playoff games before Tuesday.

Connecticut: The Sun were 15-2 at home in the regular season and swept their two semi-final games here against Los Angeles. This was the first Finals game at the Mohegan Sun since they went to back-to-back in 2004 and 2005. That team was led by current Mystics coach Mike Thibault, who spent 10 years in Uncasville before being fired in 2012.

''It's a little weird,'' he said. ''I invested a lot while I was here. But the people I coached, the people I worked with most of them are gone. So, the same feel is not there.''

UP NEXT

Washington can win its first WNBA championship on Tuesday night on this same court.

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SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY OCTOBER 8, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Washington Mystics Connecticut Sun Mohegan Sun Arena

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY OCTOBER 10, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Connecticut Sun Washington Mystics The Entertainment and Sports Arena


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WNBA SEPT./ OCT. PLAYOFFS OPINIONS AND BEST BETS: ALL BASED ON 5 UNITS

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD


10/06/2019.......1-1-0.......50.00%.........-0.50
10/01/2019.......1-1-0.......50.00%.........-0.50
09/29/2019.......1-1-0.......50.00%.........-0.50
09/22/2019.......0-4-0........0.00%........-22.00
09/19/2019.......2-1-1........66.67%.......+4.50
09/17/2019.......1-3-0........25.00%......-11.50
09/15/2019.......3-1-0........75.00%.......+9.50
09/11/2019...... 3-1-0 .......75.00% ......+9.50

Total.............12 -13-1.......48.00%........-11.50


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BEST BETS:

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

10/06/2019..............0 - 1................-5.50...............1 - 0.............+5.00............-0.50
10/01/2019..............0 - 1................-5.50...............1 - 0.............+5.00............-0.50
09/29/2019..............0 - 1................-5.50...............1 - 0.............+5.00............-0.50
09/22/2019..............0 - 2................-11.00.............0 - 2..............-11.00...........-22.00
09/19/2019..............1 - 0................+5.00..............1 - 1..............-0.50............+4.50
09/17/2019..............0 - 2................-11.00..............1 - 1.............-0.50............-11.50
09/15/2019..............1 - 1................-0.50................2 - 0............+10.00..........+9.50
09/11/2019..............1 - 1................-0.50................2 - 0............+10.00..........+9.50

Totals......................3 - 9 ...............-30.50..............9 - 4...........+23.00............-7.50

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Monday’s 6-pack

Top six picks for Week 5 in Westgate Super Contest:

6) Ravens -3 (757)- T

5) Packers +3.5 (781)- W

4) Patriots +15.5 (783)- W

3) Buccaneers +3.5 (800)- L

2) Vikings -5.5 (951)- W

1) Bears -5.5 (1,299)- L

2019 record: 16-13-1


Quote of the Day
“No one’s told me anything. I don’t have a concern. If the key works Monday, keep working, go attack the Miami Dolphins and plan on getting our first win next week.”
Redskins’ coach Jay Gruden

RIP to the great comedian Rip Taylor, who passed away Sunday at age 84.

Monday’s quiz
Which two colleges did Russell Wilson play football for?

Sunday’s quiz
Tampa Bay Rays played the Phillies the one time they made the World Series.

Saturday’s quiz
Phil Mickelson is the only pro golfer ever to win $1M+ on the PGA Tour 20 years in a row.

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Monday’s Den: Wrapping up an NFL Sunday…….

Ravens 26, Steelers 23 OT:
— Ravens tied game on a FG with 0:10 left, won it on a FG in OT.
— Lamar Jackson’s passing numbers were ordinary, but he also ran for 70 yards.
— Ravens’ first 3 drives: 27 plays, 140 yards, 17 points.
Baltimore’s last 9 drives: 50 plays, 144 yards, 9 points.

— Pitt QB Rudolph got knocked out; rookie Hodges was 7-9/68 in his NFL debut.
— Steelers started 3 drives in Raven territory: FG-FG-FG.
— Pitt still hasn’t run the ball for more than 81 yards in a game this year; they’ve converted only 15-53 third down plays.

Raiders 24, Bears 21:
— Oakland led 17-0 at the half, needed a 97-yard TD drive to win, scoring GW TD with 1:57 left.
— Total yardage was 398-236 Raiders; they lost a fumble on the Bears’ 1-yard line.
— Raiders are now 10-17-2 ATS in last 29 games as a underdog.

— Chicago’s 1st five drives: 19 plays, 29 yards, zero points.
— Chicago’s last five drives: 29 plays, 204 yards, 21 points.
— Bears flew to England Friday, Raiders on Sunday nite; did that matter?

Cardinals 26, Bengals 23:
— Arizona gained 514 yards: 266 running, 248 throwing.
— Murray threw for 253 yards, ran for 93 more; he is this generation’s Michael Vick.
— Cardinals drove 62 yards in six plays, kicked GW 31-yard FG at the gun.

— Bengals trailed 23-9 with 5:00 left, tied game with 2:00 left on a 42-yard pass.
— Last four games, Cincy has been outscored 61-19 in first half.
— Bengals are 4-9 ATS in last 13 games as a home favorite.

Panthers 34, Jaguars 27:
— Jaguars gained 507 yards but lost, losing three fumbles (-3 TO’s)
— Minshew threw for 374 yards, averaged 7.8 yards/pass attempt.
— Jaguars’ last five drives: 40 plays, 264 yards, but only 10 points.

— McCaffrey had 25 touches for 237 yards, three TD’s.
— Carolina is 3-0 with Kyle Allen starting QB; what happens when Newton gets healthy?
— Panthers scored a defensive TD early in 2nd quarter to go ahead, 21-7.

Vikings 28, Giants 10:
— Minnesota scored two TD’s, four FG’s; they punted once.
— Vikings ran ball for 211 yards, outgained Giants 490-211.
— Minnesota is 11-6 ATS in last 17 games as a road favorite.

— Giants covered once in their last eight games as a home underdog.
— Big Blue was 8-16 on 3rd down, are 22-42 in Jones’ three starts.
— Vikings had 12 penalties for 112 yards; Giants five for 45.

Patriots 33, Redskins 7:
— New England has allowed two TD’s on 61 drives; four of their five wins are by 16+ points.
— Patriots held Washington to 75 passing yards.
— Over last 20 years. favorites are 6-2 ATS in Week 5 games if an unbeaten team plays a winless team.

— Redskins had a 65-yard TD run, gained 155 yards on their other 52 plays.
— Washington converted once on their 11 third down plays.
— Last three games, Redskins were outscored 57-13 in the first half.

Eagles 31, Jets 6:
— Jets are 7-13-2 ATS in last 22 games as a road dog, 1-1 this year.
— When NYJ offense was on field, they were outscored 14-6 by Eagle defense.
— Jets lost nine of last 11 post-bye games (3-8 ATS).
— Jets are impossible to evaluate until Darnold gets healthy

— Eagles had ten sacks, held Jets to 1.7 yards/pass attempt.
— This was only 3rd cover for Philly in last 11 games as a home favorite.
— Eagles are first team this year not to allow a play of 20+ yards in a game.

Saints 31, Buccaneers 24:
— Bucs were held to 252 TY, after they gained 499-464 the last two games.
— Fourth time in five games Tampa Bay allowed 31+ points.
— Winston was sacked six times, averaged only 4.8 yards/pass attempt.

— Saints outgained Bucs 457-252, averaged 9.6 yards/pass attempt.
— NO is 13-21-1 ATS in last 35 games as a home favorite.
— Saints are now 3-0 in Bridgewater’s starts.

Texans 53, Falcons 32:
— Scores like this get coaches fired; Falcons are 8-13 SU in their last 21 games.
— Atlanta actually led this game 17-16 at halftime.
— Falcons are 1-9 ATS in last ten games as a road underdog, 0-13 ATS in last 13 games vs AFC opponents.

— Fuller caught 14 balls for 217 yards, three TD’s; he was started in only 11% of ESPN fantasy leagues this week.
— Watson threw for 426 yards, averaged 12.9 yards/pass attempt.
— Houston scored 37 2nd half points, converted 10-13 3rd down plays.

Bills 14, Titans 7:
— Buffalo is 4-1, would be the #1 Wild Card if the playoffs started today (they don’t).
— Only second win for Bills in their last six visits to Nashville.
— Under McDermott, Buffalo is 9-6-1 ATS as a road underdog, 7-4-1 in games wth spread of 3 or fewer points.

— Tennessee was 0-4 on field goals, which was a problem.
— Mariota threw one TD pass that was called back; he ran over the line before he threw.
— Under Vrabel, Tennessee is 1-4 ATS as a home favorite.

Broncos 20, Chargers 13:
— Denver’s first two drives: 12 plays, 156 yards, 14 points.
— Denver’s last nine drives: 45 plays, 164 yards, six points.
— Broncos held Chargers to 35 yards on 16 running plays.

— Chargers didn’t score an offensive TD; their only TD was a punt return.
— LA had ball in red zone four times, scored total of only three points.
— Chargers are 2-8 ATS in last ten games as a home favorite, 0-3 this year.

Packers 34, Cowboys 24:
— Green Bay led this game 31-3 in third quarter, then hung on for dear life.
— Packers won both their road games, quality wins at Chicago/Dallas.
— Green Bay won eight of last nine series games, winning last four visits here, scoring 34+ points in all four games.

— Dallas outgained Packers 563-335, but was -3 (0-3) in turnovers.
— Prescott threw for 463 yards; Cooper caught 11 balls for 226 yards.
— Dallas is still 5-3-1 ATS in its last nine games as a home favorite.

Colts 19, Chiefs 13
— Indy ran ball for 180 yards, ran 74 plays, to 57 for Chiefs.
— Colts covered six of last eight games as a road underdog.
— Colts have now won eight of last ten visits to Arrowhead.

— Chiefs ran the ball for only 36 yards on 14 carries.
— KC’s last seven drives: 35 plays, 150 yards, three points.
— Mahomes tweaked his ankle, was hobbling in the second half.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

Interesting spreads for this week’s college football:

— Oklahoma (-10) vs Texas

— Iowa State (-9.5) @ West Virginia

— Washington State @ Arizona State (-2.5)

— Washington (-5.5) @ Arizona

— Cincinnati (-7) @ Houston

— Penn State (-3.5) @ Iowa


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Armadillo: Tuesday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but……

13) 49ers 31, Browns 3— Monday at the Mirage Casino here in Las Vegas, someone wagered $120K to win $52K on the 49ers’ money line in this game. Good night for that guy.

— Mayfield completed 8-22 passes for 100 yards; a WR did drop an easy TD that turned into an INT when game was 14-3, but still, he had a miserable night.
— Total yardage was 446-180; luckily for TV networks, only one more primetime game for the overrated Browns.

12) Patrick Mahomes tweaked his ankle Sunday night when one of his own linemen stepped on the ankle while he was pass blocking.

Colts’ defense blitzed on 41.9% of Kansas City’s dropbacks, and they were effective.

11) Redskins fired coach Jay Gruden early Monday morning, which won’t help anything; he was 35-49-1 in Washington, with one playoff appearance.

Washington’ problem is that their owner is horrendous and he meddles; here are the Redskins’ head coaches since Daniel Snyder bought the ball club in 1999:

1994-2000: Norv Turner 50-60-1
2001: Marty Schottenheimer 8-8
2002-03: Steve Spurrier 12-20
2004-07: Joe Gibbs 31-36
2008-09: Jm Zorn 12-20
2010-13: Mike Shanahan 24-41
2014-19: Jay Gruden 35-49-1

Bill Callahan is the Redskins’ interim coach; he also replaced Jon Gruden as the Raiders’ coach when Gruden jumped to the Buccaneers.

10) Steelers kicked off to start overtime Sunday, which is very unusual, since a TD on the first possession ends the game. Ravens punted on their first drive, so it didn’t come into play, and Mike Tomlin was celebrating like they won the game when Baltimore punted, but Steelers fumbled and lost the game anyway.

Will be interesting to see how the Pittsburgh media deals with Tomlin if he has his first losing season as a head coach- they’re 1-4 right now, with the 3rd-string QB starting for a while.

9) Oregon State executed a drop kick/onside kick against UCLA Saturday; was pretty cool to see, and it worked like a charm. Beavers led 21-0 before first quarter was half over.

8) With Devlin Hodges expected to start at QB for the Steelers in LA Sunday, Paxton Lynch, a former 1st round draft pick of the Broncos, is going to be Hodges’ backup.

7) Quote of the Day, part II:
“I (bleep)ing love this!!!!”
Younger guy sitting in front of me the other night in the Aria sportsbook; he was just sitting there taking in all the action, when a couple of his bets won, he started yelling. Good stuff.

6) Blue Ribbon Basketball’s preseason top 6 teams:
Michigan State, Kentucky, Kansas, Duke, Florida, Louisville

5) Tampa Bay 10, Astros 3— Rays drew 32,251 for a 1:00 playoff game, and the TV guys were raving about what a great crowd it was. These teams play Game 4 at 4;30 tomorrow, will be interesting to see what they draw for that game.

4) Cardinals 5, Braves 4 (10)— Molina tied game with an 8th inning single, then won it with a sac fly in the 10th. Decisive Game 5 is Wednesday in Atlanta.

3) Tennessee Titans cut kicker Cairo Santos Monday, after he went 0-4 on field goals in their ugly 14-7 home loss to Buffalo Sunday; they’re expected to sign former Bears’ K Cody Parkey to replace Santos.

2) Kansas Jayhawks fired their offensive coordinator Sunday after only six games; you wonder what thats all about. The new OC has a small-college background- the NAIA team he coached LY averaged 55 ppg and 540.3 yards/game.

Jayhawks rank 101st nationally in scoring, 102nd in yards gained, 104th in passing and 116th in first downs per game.

Remember that college assistant coaches are equal parts tacticians/recruiters; players win games, and Kansas is obviously behind its Big X opponents in talent level.

1) Michael D. Smith posted this on Twitter Sunday:

2004 draft class ranked by career passing yards:
56,545 Ben Roethlisberger
56,537 Eli Manning
56,121 Philip Rivers
24,887 Matt Schaub
6,271 JP Losman
2,370 Luke McCown
929 Jim Sorgi
718 Craig Krenzel
342 John Navarre
195 Cody Pickett
136 Matt Mauck
53 Larry Fitzgerald

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA
Long Sheet

Tuesday, October 8

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WASHINGTON (30 - 10) at CONNECTICUT (27 - 13) - 10/8/2019, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CONNECTICUT is 8-5 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
CONNECTICUT is 7-6 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
7 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WNBA

Tuesday, October 8

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Trend Report
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Washington Mystics
Washington is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Washington's last 8 games
Washington is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 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 5-9-1 ATS in its last 15 games when playing Connecticut
Washington is 11-4 ATS in its last 15 games when playing at home against Connecticut
Washington is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Washington's last 18 games when playing at home against Connecticut
Connecticut Sun
Connecticut is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Connecticut is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Connecticut's last 11 games
Connecticut is 5-11-1 ATS in its last 17 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games on the road
Connecticut is 4-11 ATS in its last 15 games when playing on the road against Washington
Connecticut is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Connecticut's last 18 games when playing on the road against Washington


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WNBA
Dunkel

Tuesday, October 8


Washington @ Connecticut

Game 607-608
October 8, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
119.375
Connecticut
115.700
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 3 1/2
180
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Connecticut
by 1
173
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(+1); Over

[StarDust Bum]

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WAS at CONN 08:00 PM

CONN +1.5

O 175.0

[StarDust Bum]

Sun force Game 5 in WNBA Finals with 90-86 win over Mystics
October 8, 2019
By The Associated Press

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) With the season on the line, Alyssa Thomas and the Connecticut Sun turned up their defense to stop the Washington Mystics and force a decisive Game 5 of the WNBA Finals.

Thomas had 17 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds and the Sun held the Mystics without a point over the final 2:10 to beat Washington 90-86 on Tuesday night.

''It was just about being together out there, being on the same page, knowing the game plan and protecting home court,'' Thomas said. ''When we're all locked in and on the same page, we just move in unison.''

The title will be decided Thursday night in Washington with a first-time champion crowned. Thomas fell just short of the first triple-double in Finals history.

''We're having the time of our life right now,'' Sun coach Curt Miller said. ''You dream as a little kid being in a deciding final game, a Game 7 or 5 to win a world championship. If you grew up a basketball fan, these are the moments you dreamed of.''

Jonquel Jones had 18 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Sun, who had five players score in double figures.

Connecticut blew a 16-point halftime lead as Washington used a huge third quarter to tie the game at 68. The Mystics kept it going to start the fourth, opening up a five-point lead. With their season on the line, the Sun responded.

Jasmine Thomas hit a 3-pointer to put the Sun ahead 84-81. The lead was short-lived as Emma Meesseman answered with a 3 from the wing to tie the game again.

Shekinna Stricklen, the league's 3-point champion at the All-Star Game, then shook off a defender before making another 3 to give the Sun an 87-84 advantage with 2:22 left. Natasha Cloud made a layup a few seconds later to get the Mystics within one. But Washington didn't score again.

Aerial Powers, who led Washington with 15 points, missed an open 3-pointer in the corner with 27.5 seconds left that would have put the Mystics ahead.

''Both teams were making big shots. We'd make a 3, they'd answer with a 3,'' Miller said. ''Ultimately we made a few more plays down the stretch. We got to the line down the stretch. Alyssa Thomas was best foul shooter in the game.''

Connecticut got the rebound and Jasmine Thomas sank two free throws with 18.4 seconds left to make it a three-point game.

After a timeout, Cloud drove to the basket but missed the shot and Alyssa Thomas corralled the rebound and hit the first of two free throws to seal the win.

''I think we also had a few open shots we didn't hit,'' Powers said. ''The ball movement wasn't there, we didn't hit shots. We need to be better come Thursday.''

Elena Delle Donne, who left Game 2 with back spasms that an MRI later showed resulted from a herniated disk, was able to play more Tuesday night than in Game 3, when she was limited to 26 minutes. The league MVP had 11 points and five rebounds while playing 30 minutes.

''I was a little looser today, so felt better. Hopefully continue to progress and feel better Thursday,'' Delle Donne said. ''They were playing more aggressive defensively. They weren't letting us sit outside and shoot 3s.''

Having a chance to win the title at home on Thursday gave the Mystics some confidence.

''That's what we worked for this whole season,'' Delle Donne said. ''Can't rely on being home to get it done. The way we came out and started the game dug us into a huge hole. They are a great team, and you give that type of lead to them, makes thing difficult.''

FIRST QUARTER PREDICTOR

Game 4 held to form for this series, with the team that led after the first quarter coming away with the victory. The Sun outscored Washington by 15 on Tuesday night.

The Mystics won the opening period of Game 1 by 13 points. Connecticut was ahead by 12 in the second game and Washington by 15 in Game 3. Each time, the team that was trailing in the period had 17 points.

FOUL SHOOTING DISPARITY

Connecticut took 26 free throws to only 13 by Washington, with Delle Donne and Meesseman only combining for three attempts. Mystics coach Mike Thibault wasn't sure why that was the case, especially when the Sun only committed one foul in the final quarter.

''I'm struggling how to understand how Connecticut played with one foul in the fourth quarter,'' he said. ''Free throw attempts was 26-13. If we could have gone to the line a couple times, we could have slowed the momentum down a little bit.''

UP NEXT

Game 5 is Thursday night in Washington.

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SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY OCTOBER 10, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Connecticut Sun Washington Mystics The Entertainment and Sports Arena


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WNBA SEPT./ OCT. PLAYOFFS OPINIONS AND BEST BETS: ALL BASED ON 5 UNITS

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

10/08/2019.......2-0-0.....100.00%......+10.00
10/06/2019.......1-1-0.......50.00%.........-0.50
10/01/2019.......1-1-0.......50.00%.........-0.50
09/29/2019.......1-1-0.......50.00%.........-0.50
09/22/2019.......0-4-0........0.00%........-22.00
09/19/2019.......2-1-1........66.67%.......+4.50
09/17/2019.......1-3-0........25.00%......-11.50
09/15/2019.......3-1-0........75.00%.......+9.50
09/11/2019...... 3-1-0 .......75.00% ......+9.50

Total.............14 -13-1.......51.85%........-1.50


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BEST BETS:

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

10/08/2019..............1 - 0...............+5.00...............1 - 0.............+5.00...........+10.00
10/06/2019..............0 - 1................-5.50...............1 - 0.............+5.00............-0.50
10/01/2019..............0 - 1................-5.50...............1 - 0.............+5.00............-0.50
09/29/2019..............0 - 1................-5.50...............1 - 0.............+5.00............-0.50
09/22/2019..............0 - 2................-11.00.............0 - 2..............-11.00...........-22.00
09/19/2019..............1 - 0................+5.00..............1 - 1..............-0.50............+4.50
09/17/2019..............0 - 2................-11.00..............1 - 1.............-0.50............-11.50
09/15/2019..............1 - 1................-0.50................2 - 0............+10.00..........+9.50
09/11/2019..............1 - 1................-0.50................2 - 0............+10.00..........+9.50

Totals......................4 - 9 ...............-25.50.............10 - 4...........+28.00............+2.50

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday’s 6-pack

Trends for this week’s NFL games:

— Ravens covered once in last nine division games.

— Green Bay covered 10 of its last 13 games.

— Giants are 7-2 ATS in last nine games as a road underdog.

— Jaguars are 4-22 ATS in last 26 games vs NFC teams.

— Minnesota is 21-5-1 in last 27 games as a home favorite.

— Chargers covered twice in last 10 games as a home favorite.


Quote of the Day
“I thought it might happen last week after the Giants game — based on reports. And [the Redskins] never said, ‘You’re not getting fired,’ so I assumed I was. I had a good staff there, and hopefully they can make it work in the last 11 games and stick around. It’s a good group.”
Jay Gruden

Wednesday’s quiz
Burgess Meredith was famous for playing Rocky Balboa’s trainer in the Rocky movies; what villain did he play on the old Batman TV series?

Tuesday’s quiz
Kansas City Chiefs were the first team to both win (IV) and lose (I) a Super Bowl.

Monday’s quiz
Russell Wilson played college football for NC State, Wisconsin.

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Wednesday’s Den: Notes on all the NFC teams…….

Arizona:
— Cardinals have only one takeaway in their last four games (-2 in TO’s for year).
— Arizona is 14-10-1 ATS in last 25 games as a home underdog.
— Road team covered their last four games.

Atlanta:
— Falcons allowed 12 TD’s on their opponents’ last 25 drives.
— Atlanta averaged 8.1+ yards/pass attempt in four of their five games.
— Falcons covered only four of their last 19 road games.

Carolina:
— Panthers are 3-0, scoring 32.7 ppg, with Kyle Allen at QB.
— Carolina has nine takeaways (+5) in its last three games.
— Panthers ran for only 39 yards in Week 2’s 20-14 home loss to Tampa Bay.

Chicago:
— Bears allowed total of 45 points in Weeks 1-4, then gave up 24 points to Oakland Sunday.
— Chicago was 8-13 on 3rd down vs Washington; other four games? 15-53
— Bears are 0-5 SU/ATS in their last five post-bye games.

Dallas:
— First three games: 18-31 on third down. Last two games: 6-19.
— Cowboys were outscored 26-3 in first half of their last two games.
— Dak Prescott: 35-18 as an NFL starter; 24-5 vs losing teams, 11-13 vs winning teams.

Detroit:
— All four Detroit games have been decided by 4 or fewer points.
— Lions have nine takeaways but also six giveaways in four games this year.
— Detroit won/covered six of its last seven post-bye games.

Green Bay:
— Packers are +7 in turnovers, won/covered four of first five games.
— Green Bay is 22-13-2 ATS in last 37 games as a home favorite.
— Packers scored 88 points in first half of games, 37 in second half.

LA Rams:
— Rams scored 69 points in last two games, but lost both of them.
— Under McVay, LA is 13-7 ATS away from home.
— Average points scored in 2nd half of Ram games this year: 34.8

Minnesota:
— Vikings ran ball for 172+ yards in 4 of 5 games; Bears held them to 40.
— Under Zimmer, Minnesota is 24-7-1 ATS as a home favorite.
— Under is 4-1 in Viking games, only one of which was decided by less than 10 points.

NY Giants:
— Giants scored 32-24 points in their wins, 17 or less in their losses.
— Big Blue is 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games as a road underdog.

— Giants covered 10 of their last 13 games on natural grass.

New Orleans:
— Saints are 18-8 ATS in their last 26 road games.
— NO opponents converted only 17 of last 49 third down plays.
— Saints won all three of Bridgewater’s starts, scoring 33-12-31 points.

Philadelphia:
— Eagles are 3-0 when they score 31+ points, 0-2 when they do not.
— Philly is 5-3 ATS in its last eight games as a road underdog.
— Eagles have converted 37-70 third down plays this year.

San Francisco:
— SF ran ball for 702 yards in their last three games.
— 49ers have 11 takeaways in four games, but also eight turnovers.
— Last time SF was NFC’s last unbeaten team was 1984.

Seattle:
— Seahawks scored 27+ points in each of their last four games.
— Seattle is just 21-59 on 3rd down, but scored 98 points on 16 red zone drives.
— Seahawks are 8-4-1 ATS in last 13 games as a road underdog.

Tampa Bay:
— Buccaneers allowed 31+ points in four of their five games.
— Tampa Bay has eight takeaways (+6) in its last four games.
— Average total in Bucs’ last three games: 71.0.

Washington:
— Redskins didn’t score in second half of their last two games.
— Washington is 0-5, with last four losses all by 10+ points.
— Would expect them to run ball with Callahan the new coach.

[StarDust Bum]

SIZE=1]Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

Trends for this week’s NFL games:

— New England is 7-1 ATS in last eight games as a non-divisional home favorite.

— Jets are 4-9 ATS in last 13 games vs NFC teams.

— Miami covered twice of last nine games vs NFC teams.

— Bengals are 9-3 in last 12 games as a road underdog.

— Dallas is 9-3-1 ATS in its last 13 games as a non-divisional road favorite.

— Falcons covered three of last 16 games outside their division.

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Armadillo: Thursday's List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud……

I had a good writeup all set for this spot today, then I watched the Dodgers’ game Wednesday night and had to start all over again…….

13) Nationals 7, Dodgers 3 (10)— Tough night for LA fans; Dodgers blew a 3-1 8th inning lead, giving up back/back home runs. Howie Kendrick hit a 10th inning grand slam for the win.

Clayton Kershaw has never allowed home runs on consecutive pitches in the regular season; it has happened to him twice in playoff games.

12) There have been two extra inning grand slams in playoff history; Howie Kendrick last night and Nelson Cruz in Game 2 of the 2011 ALCS.

Max Scherzer was at both games; he was the starter for the losing Tigers in that 2011 game.

Twins exercised Cruz’ $12M team option for 2020; the way he hit this year, that is a bargain.

11) Kendrick has played 14 years in the major league and has hit two grand slams, both of which came in extra innings.

10) Road teams are now 4-9 all-time in winner-take-all games that went to extra innings, with three of the four wins coming in the last four years.

9) Cardinals 13, Braves 1— St Louis is fourth team ever to score 10+ runs in an inning in a playoff game:

1929— Philadelphia A’s Game 4 of WS vs Chicago (B7)
1968— Detroit Game 6 of WS vs St Louis (T3)
2002— LA Angels Game 5 of ALCS vs Milwaukee (B7)
2019— St Louis Game 5 of NLDS vs Atlanta (T1)

8) Atlanta Braves hold a dubious major league record; they’re the only team to be eliminated from the playoffs at home for five consecutive seasons (2000-04).

7) Home teams in winner-take-all playoff games:
MLB— 56-60 (48.3%)
NHL— 133-91 (59.4%)
NBA— 177-62 (74.1%)

6) San Antonio Spurs have gone over their season win total 11 of the last 14 years.

5) Someone at the Westgate SuperBook wagered $5,000 at 8-1 odds this week that New England will finish the regular season 16-0.

4) Since 2016, teams coming off a loss are 5-21-1 ATS when playing the Patriots.

3) When Oregon trailed the Cal Bears 7-0 at halftime Saturday, it was the first scoreless 1st half for the Ducks since a 30-24 home loss to Indiana in 2004.

2) Why did the Houston Rockets used to be the NBA franchise worth the most money? Because Yao Ming played for Houston, and the Rockets’ resulting lucrative connection to China was worth a boatload of cash. Notice I said “was”

One critical tweet from Rockets’ GM Daryl Morey has turned the Chinese government against the NBA and it is unclear whether the damage can be undone, which is going to cost everyone associated with the league a lot of money. A lot. Mucho dinero.

1) There were reports Wednesday that NBA teams preparing for the 2020-21 season are thinking the salary cap could drop as much as 15% after this season, all because of one 6-word tweet.[/SIZE]

[StarDust Bum]