Saturday’s 6-pack
Active leaders in career home runs:
662— Albert Pujols
487— Miguel Cabrera
424— Edwin Encarnación
417— Nelson Cruz
352— Ryan Braun
334— Robinson Cano
Americans who have died from COVID-19: 545,357
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.
Quote of the Day
“You never get over it, but you get to where it doesn’t bother you so much.”
Jeffrey Eugenides
Saturday’s quiz
Where did James Harden play his college basketball?
Friday’s quiz
Oakland manager Bob Melvin has been in his current job the longest; this is his 11th season with the A’s.
Thursday’s quiz
Jimmy Chitwood was the big star for Hickory High in Hoosiers; he wore number 15.
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Saturday’s Den: Clearing out a cluttered mind……..
13) You know your life is good when someone offers you $120 million for six years, and you turn them down. Thats what Astros’ SS Carlos Correa did this week. No thanks to $120M.
Correa is represented by the William Morris Agency; they must be pretty sure Correa will get more than $20M a year down the road, or maybe they wanted opt-outs in the middle, or who knows? Correa will make $11,700,000 this year, is a free agent next winter.
12) As recently as 2010, starting pitchers in the major leagues threw 100+ pitches in 50% of their games, so half the time the starter threw 100+ pitches.
Last year? Starters threw 100+ pitches 10% of the time, as analytics people hammer home the idea that facing hitters a third time in a game is a bad thing.
11) An “immaculate inning” is when a pitcher strikes out the side on nine pitches; doesn’t happen much. 94 major league pitchers have done it.
Nolan Ryan is the only pitcher ever to throw an immaculate inning in both leagues.
10) Pitchers Max Fried (Braves), Jack Flaherty (Cardinals) and Lucas Giolito (White Sox) all went to the same high school, Harvard-Westlake in Los Angeles. They were all on the baseball team at the same time; they all have the same agent and they’ll all start on Opening Day this season.
Apparently it cost $42,000 a year to go Harvard-Westlake; 42 grand a year for freakin’ high school. Yikes.
9) Heard this stat again on TV the other night, it is staggering; Minnesota Twins have lost their last 18 playoff games. They’ve had good teams; losing 18 playoff games in a row is staggering.
8) NBA is going to have a play-in tournament in mid-May, just before their playoffs start:
— #7 and #8-seeds will play one game, winner gets #7-seed in playoffs.
— #9 and #10-seeds will play one game, loser gets eliminated.
— Winner of the second game plays the loser of the first game, winner gets the #8-seed.
7) There were 40 players traded at the NBA trading deadline Wednesday, the most of any deadline in the last 30 years.
6) Saw this note several times Wednesday and thought it was a joke; about the 4th time I saw it posted, I realized it was true- over the next seven NBA drafts, Oklahoma City Thunder has 34 draft choices, 17 in the first round, 17 in the second.
NBA rosters are only 15 players; what are they going to do with all that draft capital? They could field two teams. Will be interesting to see what they do from here on in.
5) Seattle Seahawks have only 3 picks in this year’s draft; Philadelphia has 11.
4) Miami Dolphins were busy Friday, they traded the #3 pick in this draft to the 49ers for the #12 pick and other stuff, then traded the #12 pick and other stuff to the Eagles for the #6 pick.
Miami has five picks in the first three rounds of next month’s draft; the main question though, isn’t draft picks, it is whether Tua Tagovailoa is good enough to be their franchise quarterback.
3) AL East rivals New York-Boston will play six series this season, five of them weekend series. Of the five Sunday games, four of them are on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.
Not much original thinking there. How about promoting some other teams, or showing more west coast teams. Show the Angels/Padres more, or Houston- they have good players. People would like to see Trout, Tatis or Altuve more.
2) College basketball stuff:
Shaka Smart bolts Texas for Marquette. Smart was 109-86 at Texas, 51-56 in regular season conference games, 0-3 in NCAA Tournament games.
His Longhorns won the Big X tournament this year, but the first round loss to Abilene Christian ended the season on a dark note. Since making the Final Four at VCU in 2014, Smart is 2-7 in NCAA Tournament games. Right or wrong, that is what people remember.
Is Marquette a better job than Texas? Texas hasn’t made the Sweet 16 since 2008, Marquette made it in three of last four years under Buzz Williams (2011-13) but that was a while ago. Hiring Steve Wojciechowski was a blunder; Smart is an upgrade over him.
Big X is a tough league; been ranked 1st or 2nd the last eight seasons. Big East has usually been 3rd during that time. We’ll see how things turn out, but Smart’s seat was getting hot in Austin, and now he gets a fresh start at Marquette.
1) Random movie/TV trivia: Actress Mariska Hargitay, the star of Law and Order SVU, is the daughter of the famous actress Jayne Mansfield. Didn’t know that.
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FRIDAY, MARCH 26
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS
BK at DET 07:00 PM
DET +5.5.........113 - 111
O 219.5..................WINNER
PHO at TOR 07:30 PM
TOR +3.5............104 - 100....LOSER
O 224.0.................LOSER
BOS at MIL 07:30 PM
MIL -6.0............122 - 114......LOSER
O 235.0
MIA at CHA 08:00 PM
CHA -1.0..........105 - 110
O 214.0................WINNER
POR at ORL 08:00 PM
POR -9.0............112 - 105.........LOSER
O 216.5.............WINNER
HOU at MIN 08:00 PM
MIN -4.5...........101 - 107......WINNER
U 229.5
DEN at NO 08:00 PM
NO +2.5..........113 - 108......LOSER
O 231.5..................LOSER
IND at DAL 08:30 PM
DAL -1.0.............109 - 94
O 226.0..........................LOSER
MEM at UTA 09:00 PM
UTA -9.5 114 - 117
U 228.5.............LOSER
ATL at GS 10:00 PM
ATL -7.5............124 - 108...WINNER
U 219.0
CLE at LAL 10:30 PM
LAL -3.5............86 - 100....WINNER
O 208.0................LOSER
NBA DAILY RECORD BEST BETS:
DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD
03/26/2021..........6 - 9.....40.00%......-14.50
03/25/2021..........3 - 5.....37.50.........-12.50
03/24/2021..........9-7-0....56.25%.....+.6.50
03/23/2021..........3-9-0....25.00%......-34.50
03/22/2021..........7-4-0....63.63%......+13.00
03/21/2021........11-4-0....73.33.........+ 33.00
03/20/2021.........3-4-0.....42.85..........-7.00
03/19/2021.........7-7-0.....50.00%.......-3.50
03/18/2021.........4-7-0.....36.36%.......-18.50
03/17/2021.........6-11-0....35.29%......-30.50
03/16/2021..........7-2-0.....77.77%.......+24.00
03/15/2021..........4-5-0.....44.44%.......- 7.50
03/14/2021..........6-6-0.....50.00%.......- 3.00
03/13/2021..........4-6-0.....40.00%.......-13.00
03/12/2021..........3-8-0.....27.27%.......-29.00
03/11/2021 ........10-5-0.....66.66%......+22.50
03/10/2021.......... 3-1-0 ......75.00%....... +950
03/04/2021 ..........9-7-2...... 55.56% .......+650
03/03/2021 ..........12-8-0 .....60.00%.... +1600
03/02/2021............ 4-7-1 .......37.50%..... -1850
TOTALS............121 -122 -4.....49.79%......- 61.00
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Feb. Best Bets Totals:..........144 Wins..........141 Loses.......50.52%........-57.50
Jan. Best Bets Totals:............64 Wins..........65 Loses.........49.61%........- 41.00
Dec. Best Bet Totals:.............4..Wins.......... 6,Loses.........40%.............- 13.00Leave a comment:
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FRIDAY, MARCH 26
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS
BK at DET 07:00 PM
DET +5.5
O 219.5
PHO at TOR 07:30 PM
TOR +3.5
O 224.0
BOS at MIL 07:30 PM
MIL -6.0
O 235.0
MIA at CHA 08:00 PM
CHA -1.0
O 214.0
POR at ORL 08:00 PM
POR -9.0
O 216.5
HOU at MIN 08:00 PM
MIN -4.5
U 229.5
DEN at NO 08:00 PM
NO +2.5
O 231.5
IND at DAL 08:30 PM
DAL -1.0
O 226.0
MEM at UTA 09:00 PM
UTA -9.5
U 228.5
ATL at GS 10:00 PM
ATL -7.5
U 219.0
CLE at LAL 10:30 PM
LAL -3.5
O 208.0
NBA DAILY RECORD BEST BETS:
DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD
03/25/2021..........3 - 5.....37.50.........-12.50
03/24/2021..........9-7-0....56.25%.....+.6.50
03/23/2021..........3-9-0....25.00%......-34.50
03/22/2021..........7-4-0....63.63%......+13.00
03/21/2021........11-4-0....73.33.........+ 33.00
03/20/2021.........3-4-0.....42.85..........-7.00
03/19/2021.........7-7-0.....50.00%.......-3.50
03/18/2021.........4-7-0.....36.36%.......-18.50
03/17/2021.........6-11-0....35.29%......-30.50
03/16/2021..........7-2-0.....77.77%.......+24.00
03/15/2021..........4-5-0.....44.44%.......- 7.50
03/14/2021..........6-6-0.....50.00%.......- 3.00
03/13/2021..........4-6-0.....40.00%.......-13.00
03/12/2021..........3-8-0.....27.27%.......-29.00
03/11/2021 ........10-5-0.....66.66%......+22.50
03/10/2021.......... 3-1-0 ......75.00%....... +950
03/04/2021 ..........9-7-2...... 55.56% .......+650
03/03/2021 ..........12-8-0 .....60.00%.... +1600
03/02/2021............ 4-7-1 .......37.50%..... -1850
TOTALS............115 -113 -4.....50.437%......- 46.50
****************************************
Feb. Best Bets Totals:..........144 Wins..........141 Loses.......50.52%........-57.50
Jan. Best Bets Totals:............64 Wins..........65 Loses.........49.61%........- 41.00
Dec. Best Bet Totals:.............4..Wins.......... 6,Loses.........40%.............- 13.00Leave a comment:
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511BROOKLYN -512 DETROIT
BROOKLYN is 9-0 ATS (9 Units) after 2 consecutive non-conference games in the current season.
513BOSTON -514 MILWAUKEE
BOSTON is 14-3 ATS (10.7 Units) in road games versus very good teams - outscoring their opponents by 6+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
515PHOENIX -516 TORONTO
PHOENIX is 11-3 ATS (7.7 Units) in road games versus poor foul drawing teams - attempting <=24 free throws/game in the current season.
519HOUSTON -520 MINNESOTA
HOUSTON is 24-49 ATS (-29.9 Units) after a non-conference game in the last 3 seasons.
521PORTLAND -522 ORLANDO
ORLANDO is 8-1 ATS (6.9 Units) in home games revenging a same season loss vs opponent in the current season.
523MIAMI -524 CHARLOTTE
MIAMI is 23-9 ATS (13.1 Units) in road games after failing to cover 4 or 5 of their last 6 against the spread in the last 3 seasons.
525INDIANA -526 DALLAS
INDIANA is 10-23 ATS (-15.3 Units) after scoring 105 points or more 5 straight games in the last 3 seasons.
527MEMPHIS -528 UTAH
UTAH is 12-0 ATS (12 Units) after 3 consecutive non-conference games in the current season.
529ATLANTA -530 GOLDEN STATE
ATLANTA is 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
531CLEVELAND -532 LA LAKERS
LA LAKERS are 24-49 ATS (-29.9 Units) in non-conference games in the last 3 seasons.
--------------------------------
NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up
Friday, March 26
Brooklyn @ Detroit
Nets (30-15)
— Irving isn’t on this road trip.
— Brooklyn won 16 of their last 19 games (14-5 ATS).
— Nets are 9-2 ATS in last 11 road games.
— Over is 8-4 in last 12 Brooklyn road games.
Pistons (12-31)
— Detroit lost 12 of its last 16 games
— Pistons are 8-4 ATS in last 12 games overall.
— Under is 13-6 in Detroit’s last 19 games.
— Brooklyn won five of last seven series games.
— Nets are 3-2 ATS in last five visits to Detroit.
— Three of last four series games went over.
Phoenix @ Toronto
Suns (29-14)
— Phoenix won 21 of its last 27 games (20-7 ATS).
— Suns are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 road games.
— Under is 4-2 in their last six games.
Raptors (18-26)
— Toronto lost 11 of its last 13 games.
— Raptors are 6-3 ATS in their last nine home games.
— Nine of last 12 Toronto games went over the total.
— Toronto won six of last seven series games.
— Suns covered three of last four road series games.
— Over is 5-5 in last ten series games.
Boston @ Milwaukee
Celtics (21-23)
— Boston is 2-6 SU since the All-Star break.
— Celtics are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 road games.
— Over is 4-0 in their last four road games.
Bucks (29-14)
— Milwaukee won 13 of its last 14 games
— Bucks are 6-4 ATS in last ten home games.
— Over is 7-2 in Milwaukee’s last nine home games
— Bucks won seven of last nine series games.
— Celtics lost 121-119 here Wednesday.
— Celtics are 3-3 ATS in last six visits to Milwaukee.
— Last four series games went over the total.
Miami @ Charlotte
Heat (22-23)
— Miami lost last five games, after an 11-1 run.
— Heat is 5-2 ATS in last seven road games.
— Under is 6-0 in their last six road games.
Hornets (22-21)
— Rookie guard LaMelo Ball (wrist) is out.
— Charlotte won six of its last nine games SU.
— Hornets are 6-2 ATS in their last eight home games.
— Under is 4-0 in Charlotte’s last four games.
— Teams split last eight series games.
— Miami covered three of last four visits here.
— Over is 5-2 in last seven series games.
Portland @ Orlando
Trailblazers (26-18)
— Portland won nine of its last 13 games.
— You’re reading ***************.com
— Blazers are 2-4 ATS in last six road games.
— Over is 9-5 in Portland’s last 14 road games.
Magic (15-29)
— Orlando lost 19 of its last 25 games.
— Magic is 7-3-1 ATS in last 11 home games.
— Over is 5-2 in their last seven home games.
— Portland won last eight series games.
— Trailblazers covered their last four trips to Orlando.
— Over is 4-1 in last five series games.
Houston @ Minnesota
Rockets (12-31)
— Houston lost 21 of its last 22 games (3-19 ATS).
— Rockets are 2-7 ATS in last nine road games.
— Under is 4-1 in their last five games.
Timberwolves (10-34)
— Minnesota is 3-5 SU since All-Star break.
— Wolves are 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall.
— Over is 9-4 in their last 13 games.
— Houston won last five series games (4-1 ATS)
— Rockets are 3-3 ATS in last six visits to Minnesota.
— Over is 6-4 in last ten series games.
Denver @ New Orleans
Nuggets (26-18)
— Denver is 14-7 SU in its last 21 games overall.
— Nuggets are 6-3 ATS in last nine road games.
— Under is 4-1 in Denver’s last five road games.
Pelicans (19-24)
— New Orleans won four of its last six games.
— Pelicans are 3-0 ATS in their last three home games.
— Over is 23-7-2 in their last 32 games.
— Pelicans won four of last five series games.
— Nuggets covered once in last five visits to Bourbon Street.
— Five of last six series games stayed under.
Indiana @ Dallas
Pacers (20-23)
— Indiana won three of its last four games.
— Pacers are 3-7 ATS in their last ten road games.
— Over is 12-3-1 in Indiana’s last 16 games.
Mavericks (23-19)
— Mavericks won 14 of their last 19 games.
— Mavericks are 5-1 ATS in last six home games.
— Under is 10-4 in last 14 Dallas games.
— Mavericks won six of last eight series games.
— Pacers are 2-3 ATS in last five visits to Dallas.
— Over is 7-3 in last ten series games.
Memphis @ Utah
Grizzlies (21-20)
— Memphis won four of its last five games.
— Grizzlies are 9-3 ATS in last 12 games overall.
— Under is 13-4 in their last 17 games.
Jazz (32-11)
— Utah won its last three games overall.
— Jazz is 14-1-1 ATS in its last 16 home games.
— Under is 4-1 in Utah’s last five games.
— Jazz won/covered last three series games.
— Grizzlies are 3-2 ATS in last five visits to Utah.
— Over is 5-5 in last ten series games.
Atlanta @ Golden State
Hawks (22-22)
— Hawks are 8-2 SU since they fired their coach (6-3-1 ATS).
— Hawks are 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 road games.
— Under is 5-2 in their last seven games.
Warriors (22-23)
— Golden State lost eight of its last 11 games.
— Warriors are 4-2 ATS in last six home games.
— Under is 4-1-1 in their last six games overall.
— Warriors won nine of last ten series games.
— Hawks are 3-2 ATS in last five trips to the Bay Area.
— Four of last five series games stayed under the total.
Cleveland @ LA Lakers
Cavaliers (17-27)
— Cleveland won three of its last five games.
— Cavaliers are 3-12 ATS in their last 15 road games.
— Five of last six Cleveland games went over the total.
Lakers (28-17)
— Lebron James (ankle), Anthony Davis are out.
— Lakers lost their last four games.
— Lakers are 6-9 ATS in their last 15 home games.
— Under is 8-3 in their 11 home games.
— Lakers won four of last five series games.
— Cleveland is 2-3 ATS in last five series games played here.
— Over is 8-2 in last ten series games.
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NBA
Friday, March 26
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Trend Report
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Brooklyn @ Detroit
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is 16-3 SU in its last 19 games
Brooklyn is 9-2 ATS in its last 11 games on the road
Detroit
Detroit is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Brooklyn
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games at home
Phoenix @ Toronto
Phoenix
Phoenix is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Phoenix is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Toronto
Toronto is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Phoenix
Toronto is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Boston @ Milwaukee
Boston
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Boston's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games when playing on the road against Milwaukee
Milwaukee
Milwaukee is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Milwaukee is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Boston
Miami @ Charlotte
Miami
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Miami's last 5 games on the road
Miami is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Charlotte
Charlotte is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Charlotte's last 8 games
Portland @ Orlando
Portland
Portland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Orlando
Portland is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Orlando
Orlando
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Orlando's last 5 games when playing Portland
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Orlando's last 7 games at home
Denver @ New Orleans
Denver
Denver is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Denver's last 6 games when playing New Orleans
New Orleans
New Orleans is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Denver
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New Orleans's last 6 games when playing Denver
Houston @ Minnesota
Houston
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Minnesota
Houston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Minnesota
Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Minnesota's last 14 games when playing at home against Houston
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Minnesota's last 13 games
Indiana @ Dallas
Indiana
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Indiana's last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Indiana's last 7 games when playing on the road against Dallas
Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas's last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Dallas's last 7 games when playing at home against Indiana
Memphis @ Utah
Memphis
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Memphis's last 7 games when playing on the road against Utah
Memphis is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Utah
Utah is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Utah is 15-1-1 ATS in its last 17 games at home
Atlanta @ Golden State
Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games when playing Golden State
Atlanta is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games
Golden State
Golden State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Golden State is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing Atlanta
Cleveland @ LA Lakers
Cleveland
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Cleveland's last 14 games when playing LA Lakers
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Cleveland's last 7 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers
LA Lakers
The total has gone OVER in 6 of LA Lakers's last 7 games when playing at home against Cleveland
The total has gone OVER in 12 of LA Lakers's last 14 games when playing Cleveland
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NBA
Dunkel
Friday, March 26
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Friday’s 6-pack
Top NHL teams at going over the total:
— Philadelphia Flyers 22-9 over
— Winnipeg Jets 17-13
— Minnesota Wild 16-13
— Phoenix Coyotes 18-14
— St Louis Blues 17-14
— Las Vegas Golden Knights 16-13
— Washington Capitals 16-13
Americans who have died from COVID-19: 545,357
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.
Quote of the Day
“I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”
Bill Gates
Friday’s quiz
Which major league manager has been in his current job the longest?
Thursday’s quiz
Jimmy Chitwood was the big star for Hickory High in Hoosiers; he wore number 15.
Wednesday’s quiz
Joe Girardi has managed the Marlins, Bronx and Philadelphia.
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Friday’s Den: Random stuff with weekend here…….
13) We know that spring training stats don’t mean anything, but when you’re 1-33 this spring at the plate, when do you get upset/concerned, even if you’re a 10-year major league veteran?
St Louis IF Matt Carpenter is struggling mightily in exhibition games; the season starts in less than a week. Are the Cardinals worried? Should they be? Should he be?
Watched the Cardinals’ game Wednesday; Carpenter had a fly ball caught at the fence in CF, so he might not be far off. If he goes 2-4 on Opening Day, all will be forgotten.
12) Bad news for the White Sox; LF Eloy Jimenez tore a pectoral muscle Wednesday, when he tried to reach over the fence to rob an opponent of a home run. He is expected to be out for 5-6 months, meaning he will miss just about all of this season.
11) 68-year old Lon Kruger retired from coaching, ending a really good 44-year career; his son Kevin just became head coach at UNLV— there are rumblings that Lon Kruger is moving back to his old Las Vegas home— he coached the Rebels as recently as 2011, still has a house there.
Kruger is one of only three coaches to lead five schools to the NCAA Tournament; he also coached the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA for a while.
10) Apparently Washington owner Dan Snyder is going to spend $840M to buy out the other owners in the Washington NFL team. What a character this guy must be.
At some point, someone has to write a book/make a movie about Snyder and how he runs his team; he’s had some interesting head coaches- Mike Shanahan, Steve Spurrier, Joe Gibbs, Marty Schottenheimer, Ron Rivera. You’d think they’d win more.
Snyder bought the team in 1999; since then, Washington is 2-4 in playoff games.
9) Back when I was a kid, in the mid-70’s before ESPN, before the Interweb, before lot of stuff, we had this channel on our cable system, channel 3 on the box. It was tremendous.
All it was was this: a light blue background with messages typed on it.
On weekdays, it was a stock market ticker, but at 7pm, that shut down and it became a sports ticker, with scores updated as they happened. On NFL Sundays, they’d post scores as they happened, as in:
TD LAR
Ferragamo 23 TD pass to Waddy
LAR 24-17, 10:43 left in 3rd
The amount of time I spent with that channel on was probably excessive, but after the 4:00 NFL TV game ended, with no Sunday night games back then, the quickest way you’d find out the other late scores was to have channel 3 on. We always had channel 3 on.
8) When MTV started in 1981, channel 3 used MTV as its background music, back when Rosie O’Donnell was actually funny. So you got entertained while you followed the day’s action.
Of course, it wasn’t always good news; New Year’s Eve 1974, I went bowling with friends, came home, put channel 3 on and found out that my hero, Catfish Hunter, had left the A’s as a free agent to sign for more money with another team. 15-year old me wasn’t happy.
No bueno.
7) NIT games Thursday:
— Mississippi State 68, Richmond 67— Bulldogs hit a 3-pointer with 0:01.3 left.
— Colorado State 65, NC State 61— Teams combined to make 8-45 on arc. Yikes.
— Memphis 59, Boise State 56— Tigers won 12 of their last 15 games.
— Louisiana Tech 72, Western Kentucky 65— Tech made 11-19 on arc, WKU 9-30.
6) This has to be a strange year for baseball front offices; not only are they playing a 162-game season, after last year’s shortened 60-game season, but the minor leagues are re-booting, after not doing anything last year. Thats over 100 teams, spread out all over the country. Lot of work to do getting everything re-organized.
5) They were talking on TV about sending players to the minor leagues and do players get upset when they sent down?
Can’t be as bad as when NFL players get cut; in the NFL, you’re cutting the guy loose, out on the street, where he has to find a new job. In baseball, they’re getting sent to the minors, but they could be back to the major leagues very quickly- they’re not losing their job, just getting sent down to the next level.
4) Joe Flacco signed on to be the Philadelphia Eagles’ backup QB this season.
3) As I type this, Charlotte Hornets are #4 seed in Eastern Conference, even though they’ve given up more points than they scored this season. If the playoffs started right now, Hornets would host a first round playoff series.
Last time a team scored fewer points than they gave up, and still hosted a first round playoff series that year was 2008, when Cleveland did it.
2) As of 2pm Thursday there were 840 kids in the college basketball transfer portal; there are 357 Division I basketball teams, so you do the math. Lot of players jumping ship.
1) Congrats to the great sportscaster Dick Stockton, who retired this week after a 55-year broadcasting career. 55 years!!!
He was doing Red Sox games on channel 38 in Boston when I was in high school, back in 1975. He called the game well, but it was never about him. Enjoy your retirement!!!Leave a comment:
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THURSDAY, MARCH 25
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS
WAS at NY 07:30 PM
WAS +3.0............102 - 106......LOSER
O 224.5................LOSER
POR at MIA 07:30 PM
MIA -1.5............125 - 122..........LOSER
U 217.5
LAC at SA 08:30 PM
LAC -6.5..............98 - 85......WINNER
O 223.5..................LOSER
PHI at LAL 10:00 PM
PHI -6.0............109 - 101....WINNER
U 215.5
GS at SAC 10:00 PM
SAC -2.5...........114 141..........WINNER
U 226.5.....................LOSER
NBA DAILY RECORD BEST BETS:
DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD
03/25/2021..........3 - 5.....37.50.........-12.50
03/24/2021..........9-7-0....56.25%.....+.6.50
03/23/2021..........3-9-0....25.00%......-34.50
03/22/2021..........7-4-0....63.63%......+13.00
03/21/2021........11-4-0....73.33.........+ 33.00
03/20/2021.........3-4-0.....42.85..........-7.00
03/19/2021.........7-7-0.....50.00%.......-3.50
03/18/2021.........4-7-0.....36.36%.......-18.50
03/17/2021.........6-11-0....35.29%......-30.50
03/16/2021..........7-2-0.....77.77%.......+24.00
03/15/2021..........4-5-0.....44.44%.......- 7.50
03/14/2021..........6-6-0.....50.00%.......- 3.00
03/13/2021..........4-6-0.....40.00%.......-13.00
03/12/2021..........3-8-0.....27.27%.......-29.00
03/11/2021 ........10-5-0.....66.66%......+22.50
03/10/2021.......... 3-1-0 ......75.00%....... +950
03/04/2021 ..........9-7-2...... 55.56% .......+650
03/03/2021 ..........12-8-0 .....60.00%.... +1600
03/02/2021............ 4-7-1 .......37.50%..... -1850
TOTALS............115 -113 -4.....50.437%......- 46.50
****************************************
Feb. Best Bets Totals:..........144 Wins..........141 Loses.......50.52%........-57.50
Jan. Best Bets Totals:............64 Wins..........65 Loses.........49.61%........- 41.00
Dec. Best Bet Totals:.............4..Wins.......... 6,Loses.........40%.............- 13.00Leave a comment:
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THURSDAY, MARCH 25
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS
WAS at NY 07:30 PM
WAS +3.0
O 224.5
POR at MIA 07:30 PM
MIA -1.5
U 217.5
LAC at SA 08:30 PM
LAC -6.5
O 223.5
PHI at LAL 10:00 PM
PHI -6.0
U 215.5
GS at SAC 10:00 PM
SAC -2.5
U 226.5
NBA DAILY RECORD BEST BETS:
DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD
03/24/2021..........9-7-0....56.25%.....+.6.50
03/23/2021..........3-9-0....25.00%......-34.50
03/22/2021..........7-4-0....63.63%......+13.00
03/21/2021........11-4-0....73.33.........+ 33.00
03/20/2021.........3-4-0.....42.85..........-7.00
03/19/2021.........7-7-0.....50.00%.......-3.50
03/18/2021.........4-7-0.....36.36%.......-18.50
03/17/2021.........6-11-0....35.29%......-30.50
03/16/2021..........7-2-0.....77.77%.......+24.00
03/15/2021..........4-5-0.....44.44%.......- 7.50
03/14/2021..........6-6-0.....50.00%.......- 3.00
03/13/2021..........4-6-0.....40.00%.......-13.00
03/12/2021..........3-8-0.....27.27%.......-29.00
03/11/2021 ........10-5-0.....66.66%......+22.50
03/10/2021.......... 3-1-0 ......75.00%....... +950
03/04/2021 ..........9-7-2...... 55.56% .......+650
03/03/2021 ..........12-8-0 .....60.00%.... +1600
03/02/2021............ 4-7-1 .......37.50%..... -1850
TOTALS............112 -108 -4.....50.907%......- 34.00
****************************************
Feb. Best Bets Totals:..........144 Wins..........141 Loses.......50.52%........-57.50
Jan. Best Bets Totals:............64 Wins..........65 Loses.........49.61%........- 41.00
Dec. Best Bet Totals:.............4..Wins.......... 6,Loses.........40%.............- 13.00Leave a comment:
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501PORTLAND -502 MIAMI
PORTLAND is 29-13 ATS (14.7 Units) after allowing 110 points or more 3 straight games in the last 3 seasons.
503WASHINGTON -504 NEW YORK
NEW YORK is 9-1 ATS (7.9 Units) at home when the line is +3 to -3 in the current season.
505LA CLIPPERS -506 SAN ANTONIO
SAN ANTONIO is 14-5 ATS (8.5 Units) versus good 3 point shooting teams - making >=36% of their attempts in the current season.
507GOLDEN STATE -508 SACRAMENTO
SACRAMENTO is 3-11 ATS (-9.1 Units) in home games versus terrible defensive teams - allowing 110+ points/game in the current season.
509PHILADELPHIA -510 LA LAKERS
PHILADELPHIA is 17-4 ATS (12.6 Units) after having won 3 of their last 4 games in the current season.
NBA
Dunkel
Thursday, March 25
NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up
Thursday, March 25
Portland @ Miami
Trailblazers (25-18)
— Portland won eight of its last 12 games, but lost last two.
— You’re reading ***************.com
— Blazers are 1-4 ATS in last five road games.
— Under is 3-1 in Portland’s last four games.
Heat (22-22)
— Miami lost last four games, after an 11-1 run.
— Heat is 1-5 ATS in last six home games.
— Under is 5-2 in their last seven games.
— Heat won three of last four series games.
— Portland is 2-3 ATS in last five visits to Miami.
— Four of last five series games went over.
Washington @ New York
Wizards (15-27)
— Wizards lost eight of last ten games (4-6 ATS)
— Washington is 6-3 ATS in its last nine road games.
— You’re reading ***************.com
— Under is 8-4 in their last dozen road games
Knicks (22-22)
— New York is 3-4 SU since All-Star break,
— Knicks are 8-2 ATS in their last ten home games.
— Under is 3-1 in New York’s last four games.
— Knicks hammered Washington 131-113 here Tuesday.
— Washington is 3-2 ATS in last five visits to Manhattan.
— Under is 7-3 in last ten series games.
LA Clippers @ San Antonio
Clippers (29-16)
— Clippers won four of their last five games.
— Clippers are 2-5 ATS in last seven road games.
— Under is 7-5 in their last dozen games.
Spurs (22-19)
— San Antonio lost its last three games.
— Spurs are 4-5 ATS in last nine home games.
— Under is 6-4 in Spurs’ last ten games.
— Clippers won five of last seven series games.
— Clippers are 3-2 ATS in last four visits to the Alamo.
— Under is 4-3 in last seven series games.
Philadelphia @ LA Lakers
76ers (31-13)
— 76ers won 13 of their last 16 games.
— Sixers are 4-1 ATS in their last five road games.
— Under is 5-1 in Philly’s last six road games.
Lakers (28-16)
— Lebron James (ankle), Anthony Davis are out.
— Lakers lost their last three games.
— Lakers are 6-8 ATS in their last 14 home games.
— Under is 7-3 in their 10 home games.
— Teams split last ten series games.
— 76ers are 3-2 ATS in last five road series games.
— Four of last six series games stayed under.
Golden State @ Sacramento
Warriors (22-22)
— Golden State lost seven of its last ten games.
— Warriors are 2-5 ATS in last seven road games.
— Under is 4-0-1 in their last five games overall.
Kings (19-25)
— Sacramento is 5-3 SU since the All-Star break.
— Kings are 2-7 ATS in their last nine home games.
— Under is 6-2 in Sacramento’s last eight games.
— Kings won three of last four series games.
— Warriors covered once in last four visits to Sacramento.
— Three of last four series games stayed under.
NBA
Thursday, March 25
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Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Portland @ Miami
Portland
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Portland's last 6 games when playing on the road against Miami
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Portland's last 5 games when playing Miami
Miami
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Miami's last 6 games when playing at home against Portland
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Miami's last 5 games when playing Portland
Washington @ New York
Washington
Washington is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against New York
Washington is 10-3 ATS in its last 13 games when playing on the road against New York
New York
New York is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of New York's last 11 games when playing Washington
LA Clippers @ San Antonio
LA Clippers
LA Clippers is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
LA Clippers is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
San Antonio
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of San Antonio's last 10 games at home
San Antonio is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Philadelphia @ LA Lakers
Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Philadelphia is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games
LA Lakers
LA Lakers is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games at home
LA Lakers is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home
Golden State @ Sacramento
Golden State
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Golden State's last 10 games on the road
Golden State is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Sacramento
Sacramento
Sacramento is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Golden State
Sacramento is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
-------------------------------------
Hoop Trends for Thursday March 25
Vince Akins
ATS Play ON Trend of the Day
Matchup: Portland at Miami (7:40 p.m. ET)
-- The Heat are 10-0-1 ATS (11.05 ppg) off a loss as a dog in which Bam Adebayo took fewer than 10 shots.
ATS Play AGAINST Trend of the Day
Matchup: Washington at New York (7:40 p.m. ET)
-- The Wizards are 0-14 ATS (-11.11 ppg) on the road with rest coming off a road game where they scored fewer than 10 fast break points.
OU Play OVER Trend of the Day
LA Clippers at San Antonio (8:40 p.m. ET)
-- The Clippers are 13-0 OU (16.81 ppg) as a favorite with no rest after scoring at least 15 points more than Vegas projected last game.
OU Play UNDER Trend of the Day
Matchup: Portland at Miami (7:40 p.m. ET)
-- The Trail Blazers are 0-14 OU (-12.43 ppg) on the road off a loss in which they had fewer than 10 turnovers.
Trends are verified using Sports Data Query Language (SDQL)Leave a comment:
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Thursday’s 5-pack
A person named Web Smith posted this on Twitter:
A few books that I credit to helping me when my mental health falters:
1: Atomic Habits (James Clear)
2: Can’t Hurt Me (Goggins)
3: The Daily Stoic (Holiday)
4: Driven (Douglas Brackmann)
5: GRIT (Angela Duckworth)
If your mental health is struggling, reach out to a friend, read a book, listen to music.
Americans who have died from COVID-19: 542,379
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.
Quote of the Day
“It’s no longer about me trying to move up any ladders, make more money. I’m at a great place in my life. I can coach six, seven more years, God willing, just try to make young men better, try to make the program reach heights it’s never reached. That’s all I have planned. It’s a great place to be. There’s some things that suck about being 68 (years old). The great thing about it is being at Iona, being able to teach with nobody bothering you, just make the players better.”
Rick Pitino
Thursday’s quiz
Jimmy Chitwood was the big star for Hickory High in Hoosiers; what number did he wear?
Wednesday’s quiz
Joe Girardi has managed the Marlins, Bronx and Philadelphia.
Tuesday’s quiz
Tim Floyd was USC’s coach in 2007, last time they made the Sweet 16; he coached the Chicago Bulls from 1998-2002.
*******************************
Thursday’s Den: Doing some thinking out loud…….
13) Baseball had the universal DH last year and everyone seemed happy with it; no pitchers got hurt while batting and it was assumed that it would become a permanent thing.
But sometimes it seems like baseball is run by imbeciles; the owners used the universal DH as a bargaining chip to retain the expanded playoffs, and the players said no, so this season, the National League pitchers will bat, with it widely assumed that once there is a new labor deal this winter, the universal DH will become a permanent thing.
Arizona pitcher Zac Gallen has a hairline fracture in his right arm, something that only pains him when he swings a bat- go figure. The main reason this ticks me off is that Gallen is one of the better pitchers on my fantasy team, and good pitchers are hard to find. Oy.
But it is also annoying because in a business where teams are with a billion dollars, there seems to be no common sense. They want more offense in the game, but they won’t put the DH in for both leagues. They want more balls in play, but they let pitchers bat and most pitchers suck at hitting. It makes no sense.
12) Toronto Blue Jays have injury issues already:
— OF George Springer has an oblique issue.
— Closer Kirby Yates might need Tommy John surgery.
— P Nate Pearson has a pulled leg muscle.
— Injuries to 3B Cavan Biggio’s injured finger came back negative.
— P Robbie Ray is day-to-day with an elbow injury.
11) This will be catcher Kurt Suzuki’s 15th year in the major leagues; he’s bounced around a lot:
2007-12: Oakland
2012-13: Washington
2013: back to Oakland for 35 games.
2014-16: Minnesota
2017-18: Atlanta
2019-20: Washington
2021: LA Angels
Bet you he could write a hell of a book.
10) Houston Astros signed P Lance McCullers to a 5-year, $85M contract extension.
9) Last year, the average on-base % in the major leagues was .321; the average slugging percentage was .402, making the average OPS .723.
8) They were talking on the Spurs game last night, saying that Kawhi Leonard owns:
— a $17M home in Pacific Palisades
— a $7M condo in downtown Los Angeles
— a $13M home in Rancho Sante Fe
Must be fun to be really rich.
Leonard scored 25 last night; Clippers pounded San Antonio, 134-101.
7) There is a rule in college sports that was put into effect in 2006: Division I athletes can transfer without having to sit out a year if they graduated in four years and have a season of eligibility remaining.
One of the first ballplayers to take use this rule was Kevin Kruger, who transferred from Arizona State to UNLV, so he could he could play for his dad Lon Kruger. UNLV made the Sweet 16 that year; they’ve only won one NCAA Tournament game since then.
Which is why, 15 years later, Kevin Kruger is the new head coach at UNLV; he will be looking to poach transfers from other schools to strengthen his roster. Who wouldn’t to go to school in a town that loves basketball and has great weather?
Problem is, Kruger will be UNLV’s 5th head coach in eight years; they need better players, and they need some stability, with both their roster and coaching staff.
6) Two years ago, when Eric Musselman was coaching at Nevada, he started five 5th-year seniors, all of whom had transferred to Reno; his starting lineup that season was older than the Phoenix Suns had in the NBA. Having a talented, mature lineup helps you win.
5) Felt bad for Houston Rockets’ coach Stephen Silas the other night; his team was 11-10 at one point, but then lost 20 games in a row. Losing sucks; at his post-game press conference, Silas was obviously upset, he is sitting at the table, head in hand, trying to keep it together. This is his first year as an NBA head coach, and he knows damn well it also could be his last. Not good.
4) Odds to win each region of the NCAA Tournament:
East:
+175- Alabama
+195- Michigan
+315- Florida State
+750- UCLA
South:
-125- Baylor
+220- Arkansas
+500- Villanova
+4000- Oral Roberts
3) Midwest:
+115- Houston
+190- Loyola Chi
+550- Syracuse
+975- Oregon State
West:
-375- Gonzaga
+640- USC
+1000- Oregon
+2000- Creighton
2) USC-Oregon meet this weekend in the Sweet 16; since 2002, when conference rivals meet in the NCAA Tournament, from the Sweet 16 on, the underdog has been 7-4 ATS in those games.
1) Watching a San Francisco Giants game on TV the other night, with a few hundred fans there to watch, and a pitcher kept falling behind hitters. A wise guy in the stands yells out:
“Stop nibbling!!! Babe Ruth is dead!!!”
Everyone’s a freakin’ expert. LOLLeave a comment:
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS
DET at IND 07:00 PM
IND -6.0............111 - 116....LOSER
U 219.0
DEN at TOR 07:30 PM
DEN -2.0...........111 -135......LOSER
O 223.5....................WINNER
BOS at MIL 07:30 PM
MIL -6.0.........119 - 121.....LOSER
O 230.0
MEM at OKC 08:00 PM
MEM -4.5............116 - 107
O 219.5..................WINNER
DAL at MIN 08:00 PM
DAL -8.0..............128 - 108.......WINNER
O 231.5....................WINNER
PHO at ORL 08:00 PM
PHO -10.0.............111 - 112
U 215.5................LOSER
CHA at HOU 08:00 PM
HOU +3.5...........122 - 97
U 222.5..............WINNER
CLE at CHI 08:00 PM
CLE +6.0..........103 - 94......WINNER
O 216.5.............LOSER
LAC at SA 08:30 PM
SA +6.0..........134 - 101......LOSER
O 221.5.............WINNER
BK at UTA 10:00 PM
UTA -10.0............88 - 118....WINNER
U 230.5......................WINNER
ATL at SAC 10:00 PM
SAC +3.0...........108 - 110
O 230.5..................LOSER
NBA DAILY RECORD BEST BETS:
DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD
03/24/2021..........9-7-0....56.25%.....+.6.50
03/23/2021..........3-9-0....25.00%......-34.50
03/22/2021..........7-4-0....63.63%......+13.00
03/21/2021........11-4-0....73.33.........+ 33.00
03/20/2021.........3-4-0.....42.85..........-7.00
03/19/2021.........7-7-0.....50.00%.......-3.50
03/18/2021.........4-7-0.....36.36%.......-18.50
03/17/2021.........6-11-0....35.29%......-30.50
03/16/2021..........7-2-0.....77.77%.......+24.00
03/15/2021..........4-5-0.....44.44%.......- 7.50
03/14/2021..........6-6-0.....50.00%.......- 3.00
03/13/2021..........4-6-0.....40.00%.......-13.00
03/12/2021..........3-8-0.....27.27%.......-29.00
03/11/2021 ........10-5-0.....66.66%......+22.50
03/10/2021.......... 3-1-0 ......75.00%....... +950
03/04/2021 ..........9-7-2...... 55.56% .......+650
03/03/2021 ..........12-8-0 .....60.00%.... +1600
03/02/2021............ 4-7-1 .......37.50%..... -1850
TOTALS............112 -108 -4.....50.907%......- 34.00
****************************************
Feb. Best Bets Totals:..........144 Wins..........141 Loses.......50.52%........-57.50
Jan. Best Bets Totals:............64 Wins..........65 Loses.........49.61%........- 41.00
Dec. Best Bet Totals:.............4..Wins.......... 6,Loses.........40%.............- 13.00Leave a comment:
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS
DET at IND 07:00 PM
IND -6.0
U 219.0
DEN at TOR 07:30 PM
DEN -2.0
O 223.5
BOS at MIL 07:30 PM
MIL -6.0
O 230.0
MEM at OKC 08:00 PM
MEM -4.5
O 219.5
DAL at MIN 08:00 PM
DAL -8.0
O 231.5
PHO at ORL 08:00 PM
PHO -10.0
U 215.5
CHA at HOU 08:00 PM
HOU +3.5
U 222.5
CLE at CHI 08:00 PM
CLE +6.0
O 216.5
LAC at SA 08:30 PM
SA +6.0
O 221.5
BK at UTA 10:00 PM
UTA -10.0
U 230.5
ATL at SAC 10:00 PM
SAC +3.0
O 230.5
NBA DAILY RECORD BEST BETS:
DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD
03/23/2021..........3-9-0....25.00%......-34.50
03/22/2021..........7-4-0....63.63%......+13.00
03/21/2021........11-4-0....73.33.........+ 33.00
03/20/2021.........3-4-0.....42.85..........-7.00
03/19/2021.........7-7-0.....50.00%.......-3.50
03/18/2021.........4-7-0.....36.36%.......-18.50
03/17/2021.........6-11-0....35.29%......-30.50
03/16/2021..........7-2-0.....77.77%.......+24.00
03/15/2021..........4-5-0.....44.44%.......- 7.50
03/14/2021..........6-6-0.....50.00%.......- 3.00
03/13/2021..........4-6-0.....40.00%.......-13.00
03/12/2021..........3-8-0.....27.27%.......-29.00
03/11/2021 ........10-5-0.....66.66%......+22.50
03/10/2021.......... 3-1-0 ......75.00%....... +950
03/04/2021 ..........9-7-2...... 55.56% .......+650
03/03/2021 ..........12-8-0 .....60.00%.... +1600
03/02/2021............ 4-7-1 .......37.50%..... -1850
TOTALS............103 -101 -4.....50.497%......- 40.50
****************************************
Feb. Best Bets Totals:..........144 Wins..........141 Loses.......50.52%........-57.50
Jan. Best Bets Totals:............64 Wins..........65 Loses.........49.61%........- 41.00
Dec. Best Bet Totals:.............4..Wins.......... 6,Loses.........40%.............- 13.00Leave a comment:
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559DETROIT -560 INDIANA
DETROIT is 10-1 ATS (8.9 Units) off a home loss in the current season.
561DENVER -562 TORONTO
DENVER is 11-26 ATS (-17.6 Units) in road games after having won 6 or 7 of their last 8 games in the last 3 seasons.
563BOSTON -564 MILWAUKEE
BOSTON is 13-3 ATS (9.7 Units) in road games versus very good teams - outscoring their opponents by 6+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
565PHOENIX -566 ORLANDO
ORLANDO is 0-8 ATS (-8.8 Units) in home games versus very good teams - outscoring their opponents by 6+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
569CLEVELAND -570 CHICAGO
CHICAGO is 12-28 ATS (-18.8 Units) in home games after allowing 115 points or more in the last 3 seasons.
571CHARLOTTE -572 HOUSTON
HOUSTON is 2-14 ATS (-13.4 Units) in home games versus poor foul drawing teams - attempting <=24 free throws/game in the current season.
573MEMPHIS -574 OKLAHOMA CITY
OKLAHOMA CITY is 12-3 ATS (8.7 Units) after 2+ road games in the current season.
575LA CLIPPERS -576 SAN ANTONIO
LA CLIPPERS are 3-14 ATS (-12.4 Units) in road games after 2 consecutive covers as a favorite in the last 3 seasons.
579BROOKLYN -580 UTAH
UTAH is 11-0 ATS (11 Units) after 3 consecutive non-conference games in the current season.
-----------------------------------
NBA
Dunkel
Wednesday, March 24
------------------------------
NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up
Wednesday, March 24
Detroit @ Indiana
Pistons (12-30)
— Detroit lost 11 of its last 15 games
— Pistons are 7-4 ATS in last 11 games overall.
— Under is 13-5 in Detroit’s last 18 games.
Pacers (19-23)
— Indiana lost 14 of its last 20 games.
— Pacers are 0-6 ATS in their last six home games.
— Over is 11-3-1 in Indiana’s last 15 games.
— Teams split last ten series games.
— Pistons are 1-2-1 ATS in last four trips to Indiana.
— Three of last four series games stayed under.
Boston @ Milwaukee
Celtics (21-22)
— Boston is 2-5 since the All-Star break.
— Celtics are 1-9 ATS in their last ten road games.
— Over is 3-0 in their last three road games.
Bucks (28-14)
— Milwaukee won 12 of its last 13 games
— Bucks are 6-3 ATS in last nine home games.
— Over is 6-2 in Milwaukee’s last eight home games
— Bucks won six of last eight series games.
— Celtics covered once in last four visits to Milwaukee.
— Last three series games went over the total.
Denver @ Toronto
Nuggets (26-17)
— Denver is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games overall.
— Nuggets are 6-2 ATS in last eight road games.
— Under is 4-1 in Denver’s last five road games.
Raptors (17-26)
— Toronto lost nine in row, 11 of its last 12 games.
— Raptors are 5-3 ATS in their last eight home games.
— Eight of last 11 Toronto games went over the total.
— Denver won three of last four series games.
— Nuggets are 4-1 ATS in last five road series games.
— Over is 7-2-1 in last ten series games.
Phoenix @ Orlando
Suns (29-13)
— Phoenix won 21 of its last 26 games (20-6 ATS).
— Suns are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 road games.
— Under is 4-1 in their last five games.
Magic (14-29)
— Orlando lost 11 of 12, 19 of its last 24 games.
— Magic is 6-3-1 ATS in last ten home games.
— Over is 4-2 in their last six home games.
— Phoenix won three of last four series games.
— Suns covered four of last five visits to Orlando.
— Under is 7-3 in last ten series games.
Cleveland @ Chicago
Cavaliers (16-27)
— Cleveland lost six of its last eight games.
— Cavaliers are 2-5 ATS since All-Star break.
— Last five Cleveland games went over the total.
Bulls (19-23)
— Chicago lost three of its last four games SU.
— Bulls are 2-6 ATS in their last eight home games.
— Under is 6-1 in their last seven games.
— Bulls won six of last eight series games.
— Cavaliers are 3-2 ATS in last five visits to Chicago.
— Three of last four series games went over.
Charlotte @ Houston
Hornets (20-21)
— Rookie guard LaMelo Ball (wrist) is out.
— Charlotte lost four of its last six road games SU.
— Hornets are 4-7 ATS in their last 11 road games.
— Over is 10-3 in Charlotte’s last 13 road games.
Rockets (12-30)
— Houston snapped its 20-game losing skid Monday (3-18 ATS).
— Rockets are 1-12 ATS in last 13 home games.
— Under is 15-4-1 in their last 20 home games.
— Charlotte won last two series games, after losing previous seven.
— Hornets are 1-2-1 ATS in last four visits to Houston.
— Under is 5-3 in last eight series games.
Dallas @ Minnesota
Mavericks (22-19)
— Mavericks won 13 of their last 18 games.
— Mavericks are 4-6 ATS in last ten road games.
— Under is 10-3 in last 13 Dallas games.
Timberwolves (10-33)
— Minnesota is 3-4 SU since All-Star break.
— Wolves are 1-3 ATS in their last four games overall.
— Over is 8-4 in their last 12 games.
— Dallas won six of last seven series games.
— Mavericks covered their last three visits to Minnesota.
— Over is 5-2 in last seven series games.
Memphis @ Oklahoma City
Grizzlies (20-20)
— Memphis won three of its last four games.
— Grizzlies are 8-3 ATS in last 11 games overall.
— Under is 13-3 in their last 16 games.
Thunder (19-24)
— Thunder split their last six games.
— OKC is 5-4 ATS in their last nine home games.
— Under is 3-1 in their last four games.
— Memphis won four of last six series games.
— Grizzlies are 4-2 ATS in last six visits to Oklahoma.
— Four of last six series games went over.
LA Clippers @ San Antonio
Clippers (28-16)
— Clippers won three of their last four games.
— Clippers are 1-5 ATS in last six road games.
— Under is 7-4 in their last eleven games.
Spurs (22-18)
— San Antonio won four of its last six games.
— Spurs are 4-4 ATS in last eight home games.
— Under is 6-3 in Spurs’ last nine games.
— Clippers won four of last six series games.
— Clippers are 2-2 ATS in last four visits to the Alamo.
— Four of last six series games stayed under.
Brooklyn @ Utah
Nets (30-14)
— Irving isn’t on this road trip.
— Brooklyn won 16 of their last 18 games (14-4 ATS).
— Nets are 9-1 ATS in last ten road games.
— Over is 8-3 in last 11 Brooklyn road games.
Jazz (31-11)
— Utah split its last eight games overall.
— Jazz is 13-1-1 ATS in its last 15 home games.
— Under is 3-1 in Utah’s last four games.
— Jazz won four of last five series games.
— Nets are 2-3 ATS in last five visits to Utah.
— Over is 6-2 in last eight series games.
Atlanta @ Sacramento
Hawks (22-21)
— Hawks are 8-1 SU since they fired their coach (6-2-1 ATS).
— Hawks are 3-6-1 ATS in their last ten road games.
— Under is 4-2 in their last six games.
Kings (18-25)
— Sacramento is 4-3 SU since the All-Star break.
— Kings are 1-7 ATS in their last eight home games.
— Under is 5-2 in Sacramento’s last seven games
— Kings won four of last five series games.
— Hawks are 0-4 ATS in last four visits to Sacramento.
— Over is 5-2 in last seven series games.
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NBA
Wednesday, March 24
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Trend Report
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Detroit @ Indiana
Detroit
Detroit is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit's last 6 games
Indiana
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Indiana's last 6 games
Indiana is 20-4 SU in its last 24 games when playing at home against Detroit
Denver @ Toronto
Denver
Denver is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Denver is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Toronto
Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Toronto's last 8 games when playing at home against Denver
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Toronto's last 16 games when playing Denver
Boston @ Milwaukee
Boston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 14 of Boston's last 21 games when playing Milwaukee
Milwaukee
Milwaukee is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Milwaukee is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Boston
Charlotte @ Houston
Charlotte
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Charlotte's last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Charlotte's last 13 games on the road
Houston
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Charlotte
Houston is 17-3 SU in its last 20 games when playing Charlotte
Phoenix @ Orlando
Phoenix
Phoenix is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Phoenix is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Orlando
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Orlando's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 18 of Orlando's last 25 games when playing at home against Phoenix
Cleveland @ Chicago
Cleveland
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cleveland's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cleveland's last 7 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Chicago
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chicago's last 7 games
Memphis @ Oklahoma City
Memphis
Memphis is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Oklahoma City
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Memphis's last 5 games on the road
Oklahoma City
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Oklahoma City's last 5 games at home
Oklahoma City is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Memphis
Dallas @ Minnesota
Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Dallas's last 10 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Dallas is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Minnesota
Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Minnesota's last 10 games when playing at home against Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Minnesota's last 7 games when playing Dallas
LA Clippers @ San Antonio
LA Clippers
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of LA Clippers's last 8 games on the road
LA Clippers is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
San Antonio
San Antonio is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of San Antonio's last 9 games at home
Brooklyn @ Utah
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
Brooklyn is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games on the road
Utah
Utah is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Utah is 14-1-1 ATS in its last 16 games at home
Atlanta @ Sacramento
Atlanta
Atlanta is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
Atlanta is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Sacramento
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Sacramento's last 7 games at home
Sacramento is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta
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Hoop Trends for Wednesday March 24
Vince Akins
ATS Play ON Trend of the Day
Matchup: Detroit at Indiana (7:10 p.m. ET)
-- The Pistons are 14-0-1 ATS (9.43 ppg) with more than one day of rest coming off a home game.
ATS Play AGAINST Trend of the Day
Matchup: Phoenix at Orlando (8:10 p.m. ET)
-- The Magic are 0-15 ATS (-14.03 ppg) after allowing 50-plus points in the paint last game.
OU Play OVER Trend of the Day
Matchup: Boston at Milwaukee (7:40 p.m. ET)
-- The Bucks are 12-0 OU (13.54 ppg) with less than two days rest off a home win in which they shot over 50% from the field.
OU Play UNDER Trend of the Day
Matchup: Denver at Toronto (7:40 p.m. ET)
-- The Raptors are 0-11 OU (-12.82 ppg) at home off a 10+ point loss as a favorite.
Trends are verified using Sports Data Query Language (SDQL)Leave a comment:
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Wednesday’s 6-pack
NBA teams who’ve gone over the total the most:
29-13— New Orleans
28-15— Brooklyn
26-16— Denver
26-17— Sacramento
25-16— Milwaukee
25-16— Indiana
Americans who have died from COVID-19: 542,379
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.
Quote of the Day
“I used to work in a fire hydrant factory. You couldn’t park anywhere near the place.”
Steven Wright
Wednesday’s quiz
Which three major league teams has Joe Girardi managed?
Tuesday’s quiz
Tim Floyd was USC’s coach in 2007, last time they made the Sweet 16; he coached the Chicago Bulls from 1998-2002.
Monday’s quiz
When the Cubs won the World Series in 2016, they beat the Cleveland Indians.
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Wednesday’s Den: Mid-week musings……..
13) The movie Little Big League was on FS1 last night; the owner of the Minnesota Twins passes away, leaves the team to his 12-year old grandson, who then names himself manager of the Twins. Pretty good movie.
The kid’s mom is played by Ashley Crow; the movie was made in 1994.
In real life, Ashley Crow’s son is Pete Crow-Armstrong, who was drafted in the first round last year by the New York Mets. Crow-Armstrong played at Harvard-Westlake HS in Los Angeles, which once had Lucas Giolito, Jack Flaherty, Max Fried on the team at the same time.
Crow-Armstrong turns 19 tomorrow; in 11 at-bats this spring, he’s 1-11 with four runs scored. This year will be his first full season as a pro.
12) Mets’ 2B Jeff MacNeil was hit by pitches three times in a game last week, by three different pitchers; that doesn’t happen much.
11) Last Mets’ note; former New Jersey governor Chris Christie was recently named to the Mets’ board of directors; hopefully they didn’t put him in charge of parking.
10) Atlantic 14 tried something different this year; they played the first three rounds of their conference tournament March 3-6 in Richmond, then held the final March 14 in Dayton, assuming the two finalists would get on a bus after the game and make the short drive to Indiana, where they would hunker down safely for the NCAA’s. On paper, it made sense.
In reality, VCU couldn’t play in the NCAA Tournament because they had positive COVID tests in their program. Would it have been different had they just played the final in Richmond? We’ll never know.
9) Oregon State Beavers have covered 15 of their last 18 games as an underdog, with 11 wins outright. Beavers play Loyola Saturday, in the Sweet 16.
8) There is an NBA rule that no referee can work the same team’s games more than nine teams in a season; that rule has been waived this season, because of COVID protocols. Referees aren’t traveling as much.
7) Back in the 70’s, Astros’ pitching coach Brent Strom was a major league pitcher; he got hurt, was the second big leaguer to have what is now known as Tommy John surgery. Had he been the first, it would be known as Brent Strom surgery.
6) Al Leiter pitched in the major leagues for 19 years, won 162 games; his son Jack is a pitcher at Vanderbilt now, a highly-touted prospect who is expected to be a first round draft pick this year.
Saturday, Jack Leiter threw a no-hitter, struck out 16 South Carolina hitters, throwing 124 pitches; college managers aren’t as crazy about pitch counts as professional managers.
My question is this: How many major league pitchers will throw 124+ pitches in a game this year? Won’t be many, my guess is three or four.
5) First round of the 16-team NIT saw underdogs go 6-2 ATS; second round is Thursday.
4) One thing handicappers missed out on this season was taking a look at an Ivy League team in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Over last ten tournaments, Ivy League squads are 8-2 ATS in their first round games.
When the Ivy League teams come back next season after a year off, it’ll be interesting to see how much different these teams are. Last time we saw them, Ivy League was the #16 conference in the country, right in the middle nationally.
3) One of best parts of watching spring training games on MLB Network is the interviews with managers during the game. You can pick up some info here; also good when teams combine broadcasting crews for games. Marlins-Cardinals, Mariners-Rockies have done this.
But when you think of managers being interviewed during a game, can you imagine going back a few years and having Earl Weaver, Dick Williams or Billy Martin being interviewed during a game, even an exhibition game? Thing would have to be on a 7-second delay, for sure.
2) Happy 90th birthday to William Shatner; the actor who became famous as Captain Kirk on Star Trek– he still does commercials that air on Milwaukee Brewer games.
1) Went to the grocery store today, picked up a few things, no big deal, but also walked around the store and located exits, just in case what happened in Boulder ever happens here. Doesn’t hurt to be prepared, but its a sad commentary on our current situation.Last edited by StarDust Bum; 03-25-2021, 01:16 AM.Leave a comment:
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TUESDAY, MARCH 23
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS
DEN at ORL 07:00 PM
DEN -7.5...........110 - 99......WINNER
O 217.0.........................LOSER
WAS at NY 07:30 PM
NY -2.5...............113 131........WINNER
U 223.5..........................LOSER
LAL at NO 07:30 PM
NO -5.5...............111 - 128.....WINNER
U 221.0...................LOSER
PHO at MIA 08:00 PM
MIA +1.5...........110 - 100.....LOSER
O 215.5....................LOSER
BK at POR 10:00 PM
POR -3.5.............116 - 112.............LOSER
O 232.5.......................LOSER
PHI at GS 10:00 PM
GS +4.0..........108 - 98......LOSER
O 216.5..................LOSER
NBA DAILY RECORD BEST BETS:
DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD
03/23/2021..........3-9-0....25.00%......-34.50
03/22/2021..........7-4-0....63.63%......+13.00
03/21/2021........11-4-0....73.33.........+ 33.00
03/20/2021.........3-4-0.....42.85..........-7.00
03/19/2021.........7-7-0.....50.00%.......-3.50
03/18/2021.........4-7-0.....36.36%.......-18.50
03/17/2021.........6-11-0....35.29%......-30.50
03/16/2021..........7-2-0.....77.77%.......+24.00
03/15/2021..........4-5-0.....44.44%.......- 7.50
03/14/2021..........6-6-0.....50.00%.......- 3.00
03/13/2021..........4-6-0.....40.00%.......-13.00
03/12/2021..........3-8-0.....27.27%.......-29.00
03/11/2021 ........10-5-0.....66.66%......+22.50
03/10/2021.......... 3-1-0 ......75.00%....... +950
03/04/2021 ..........9-7-2...... 55.56% .......+650
03/03/2021 ..........12-8-0 .....60.00%.... +1600
03/02/2021............ 4-7-1 .......37.50%..... -1850
TOTALS............103 -101 -4.....50.497%......- 40.50
****************************************
Feb. Best Bets Totals:..........144 Wins..........141 Loses.......50.52%........-57.50
Jan. Best Bets Totals:............64 Wins..........65 Loses.........49.61%........- 41.00
Dec. Best Bet Totals:.............4..Wins.......... 6,Loses.........40%.............- 13.00Leave a comment:
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TUESDAY, MARCH 23
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS
DEN at ORL 07:00 PM
DEN -7.5
O 217.0
WAS at NY 07:30 PM
NY -2.5
U 223.5
LAL at NO 07:30 PM
NO -5.5
U 221.0
PHO at MIA 08:00 PM
MIA +1.5
O 215.5
BK at POR 10:00 PM
POR -3.5
O 232.5
PHI at GS 10:00 PM
GS +4.0
O 216.5
NBA DAILY RECORD BEST BETS:
DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD
03/22/2021..........7-4-0....63.63%......+13.00
03/21/2021........11-4-0....73.33.........+ 33.00
03/20/2021.........3-4-0.....42.85..........-7.00
03/19/2021.........7-7-0.....50.00%.......-3.50
03/18/2021.........4-7-0.....36.36%.......-18.50
03/17/2021.........6-11-0....35.29%......-30.50
03/16/2021..........7-2-0.....77.77%.......+24.00
03/15/2021..........4-5-0.....44.44%.......- 7.50
03/14/2021..........6-6-0.....50.00%.......- 3.00
03/13/2021..........4-6-0.....40.00%.......-13.00
03/12/2021..........3-8-0.....27.27%.......-29.00
03/11/2021 ........10-5-0.....66.66%......+22.50
03/10/2021.......... 3-1-0 ......75.00%....... +950
03/04/2021 ..........9-7-2...... 55.56% .......+650
03/03/2021 ..........12-8-0 .....60.00%.... +1600
03/02/2021............ 4-7-1 .......37.50%..... -1850
TOTALS..............100 -92 -4.....52.087%......- 6.00
****************************************
Feb. Best Bets Totals:..........144 Wins..........141 Loses.......50.52%........-57.50
Jan. Best Bets Totals:............64 Wins..........65 Loses.........49.61%........- 41.00
Dec. Best Bet Totals:.............4..Wins.......... 6,Loses.........40%.............- 13.00Leave a comment:
Leave a comment: