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**pm530** · 08-08-2008, 05:22 AM

Daily Sports Roundup

Friday, August 8

The 2008 Olympic Games finally get underway in Beijing on Friday, but they'll have to battle with golf, football, and baseball for attention. Here's your Daily Sports Roundup …

Event of the day . . .

For North American sports fans the marquee event of the Olympics is probably the men's basketball tournament, with its NBA superstars and Dream Team storyline. The United States, of course, are the big favorites to win the gold medal in hoops despite their failures in recent international events. Spain, Argentina, and Greece are the biggest stumbling blocks for the Americans.

There are big stars participating in the Olympic tennis tournament as well, with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal the top favorites to win the men's event. Maria Sharapova will miss the Olympic tournament on the women's side, leaving Ana Ivanovic, Venus Williams, and Serena Williams at the top of the odds list.

The soccer tournament is expected to go to either Argentina or Brazil if the oddsmakers have it pegged correctly, with Italy and the Netherlands lurking as well. The United States' Tyson Gay will be looking to outrun Jamaica's Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell to win the gold in the 100 meters. And all you javelin fans out there need to watch Finland's Tero Pitkamaki, the favorite to win the men's event.

Non-event of the day . . .

Of course, the first day of the Olympics means the opening ceremonies, and country after endless country parading its athletes around the stadium. About the only thing to watch for in that spectacle will be any sort of political statement by a renegade competitor, something that is being frowned upon by the IOC. Don't expect a Dalai Lama mask on anyone, although it would be fun to see him light the cauldron.

Also on the schedule . . .

CC Sabathia (5-0, 1.88 ERA) gets the ball for the Brewers on Friday when they host the Nationals and Collin Balester (2-3, 4.55 ERA). Other NL games on tap: St. Louis at the Cubs (in a 2:20pm ET matinee), Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, Florida at the Mets, Houston at Cincinnati, San Diego at Colorado, Atlanta at Arizona, and the Dodgers at San Francisco. Brad Penny is expected to return from the DL for Los Angeles.

Over in the American League the Red Sox and White Sox begin a series in Chicago on Friday, with a pitching matchup of Jon Lester (10-3, 3.14 ERA) vs. Mark Buehrle (8-10, 4.07 ERA). The rest of the AL schedule: Texas at Baltimore, Oakland at Detroit, Cleveland at Toronto, Minnesota at Kansas City, the Yankees at the Angels, and Tampa Bay at Seattle.

There are three NFL preseason games on the Friday schedule. The Eagles and Steelers (-3) will meet in Pittsburgh, while Seattle will play in Minnesota (-3), and San Francisco will go across the bay to battle Oakland (you guessed it, -3). The Canadian Football League offers up a pair of contests on Friday: Montreal (-3) at Winnipeg, and Edmonton at British Columbia (-5).

News from the wire . . .

Brett Favre and the Packers finally parted ways, with the quarterback shipped off to the Jets . . . NBA stars Yao Ming and Dirk Nowitzki will carry the flags for their respective countries in Friday's Olympic opening ceremonies . . . Yankees starting pitcher Joba Chamberlain was placed on the disabled list with tendinitis in his rotator cuff . . . The Rockies got OVER bettors salivating when they claimed Livan Hernandez off waivers from the Twins.

Peek at the future . . .

Francisco Liriano will get the start for the Twins against the Royals on Saturday night . . . There are seven more NFL preseason games on Saturday, including Dallas at San Diego at Qualcomm Stadium . . . Round 3 of the PGA Championship gets underway on Saturday morning . . . Jeff Gordon is still the 5/1 Vegas favorite to win Sunday's race at Watkins Glen, with Tony Stewart at 7/1, and Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards at 8/1.

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**pm530** · 08-08-2008, 05:22 AM

Six-pack for Friday

-- Glad to see Rays finally made a move, adding Bradford to the relief corps, but would have been better move if they had added Giles, Ibanez or Dunn, to give offense a boost.

-- Met bullpen blew another save, but Wright's walk-off HR in ninth inning bailed New York out. Big series with Marlins starts Friday night in Flushing.

-- Dodger prospect Kershaw has now allowed one run in his last 19 innings, after struggling badly in his first nine starts.

-- When was last time a team lost both games of a twinbill by the same score? Colorado lost pair of 6-3 games to Nationals.

-- Arizona faced Karstens/Morton at home the last two days and scored no runs while putting just eight men on base in 16 innings. Not a very playoff-worthy performance.

-- Sonnanstine retired 17 consecutive Seattle batters at one point, a new Tampa record, but couldn't hold a 1-0 lead in the 8th inning, and Ibanez homered in ninth to beat Rays, 2-1. If Tampa had traded for Ibanez, he couldn't have beaten them.

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**pm530** · 08-08-2008, 05:23 AM

Friday's Den: Ranking the AFC starting quarterbacks

These rankings are for real football, not Fantasy Football.......

16) Dolphins-- When you're talking to Pennington's agent this late in training camp, it means your QB situation is awful. Beck was drafted as the QB of the future, but not by Parcells.

15) Croyle, Chiefs-- Had trouble staying healthy in college, has misfortune of playing behind a rebuilding offensive line. Chad Pennington could also wind up playing here, for his old coach.

14) Russell, Raiders-- I'm thinking McFadden is going to be big star and take lot of heat off this young QB, but Russell has to start showing that he was worth all the trouble of drafting him.

13) Boller, Ravens-- Delaware rookie Joe Flacco will be Ravens' QB before end of the season but in meantime, they turn to the enigmatic Boller, who Ravens once traded up to draft. Egads.

12) Edwards, Bills-- Played on an awful team his senior year at Stanford; played surprisingly well last season in taking QB job away from JP Losman. Fairly high expectations for the '08 Bills.

11) Schaub, Texans-- If the Vick/dogfighting charges had come to light a few weeks earlier, Schaub would still be in Atlanta as the starting QB. Houston seems on verge of contending for a playoff spot, but Rosenfels is also pushing Schaub for #1 job.

10) Anderson, Browns-- Speaking of potential QB controversy Browns have five national TV tilts, local product Brady Quinn on the bench and Super Bowl dreams on Lake Erie. Anderson was better last year than he ever was at Oregon State.

9) Young, Texans-- Heimerdinger was brought back from the Broncos to help develop the shifty Young, who is Vick-like in his mobility- they also added Vick's former TE Crumpler, who should be big boost for Tennessee in the red zone.

8) Cutler, Broncos-- Lost weight during last season, found out he is diabetic; hasn't been on winning team since high school, not a good thing. They pushed Jake Plummer out the door just after he had his best season, so lot of pressure on Shanahan.

7) Garrard, Jaguars-- AFC is so much better than NFC, seems like half the teams in conference expect to make it to the Super Bowl, and Jags are no different. Jacksonville has defense and running game to be a power, but can they beat the Colts?

6) Rivers, Chargers-- Reminds me of Billy Kilmer, kind of gutty, not the most talented but a good leader who played with very bad knee in playoffs at Indy last winter. Has great QB guru in Turner; expect Rivers to have big season this year.

5) Favre, Jets-- Haven't heard much about him lately, whats he been up to? Will be fascinating to see how quickly Jets throw him into the fray-- no way he isn't the starter on September 7.

4) Palmer, Bengals-- Funny how Marvin Lewis was a defensive guy, but his teams light up scoreboard, just as Gruden/Billick are offensive gurus who went through different QBs just about every yr. Palmer has unenviable job of keeping Johnson happy

3) Roethlisberger, Steelers-- Drafted behind Eli/Rivers, but got a Lombardi Trophy first, and now that he's given up riding the motorcycle, he's one of best in league. Will be interesting to see if Steelers become more of a smashmouth team this year.

2) Brady, Patriots-- Three Super Bowl titles, consummate team guy, model girlfriends. Already in the Hall of Fame. Funny how the Patriots passed on him five teams before taking him in 6th.

1) Manning, Colts-- If they started the NFL over again and one of the teams was mine, I'd take Peyton to be my QB. Not quite an original idea, but I do think he's a little bit better than Brady.

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**pm530** · 08-08-2008, 05:25 AM

National Football League – Long Sheet

NFL
Pre-Season

Long Sheet

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Friday, August 8
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PHILADELPHIA (1 - 3) at PITTSBURGH (4 - 1) - 8/8/2008, 7:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 1-1 against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 1-1 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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SEATTLE (3 - 1) at MINNESOTA (2 - 2) - 8/8/2008, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
SEATTLE is 1-0 against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
SEATTLE is 1-0 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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SAN FRANCISCO (1 - 3) at OAKLAND (2 - 2) - 8/8/2008, 10:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
OAKLAND is 1-1 against the spread versus SAN FRANCISCO over the last 3 seasons
OAKLAND is 1-1 straight up against SAN FRANCISCO over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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Saturday, August 9
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BUFFALO (2 - 2) at WASHINGTON (2 - 2) - 8/9/2008, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

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INDIANAPOLIS (1 - 3) at CAROLINA (1 - 3) - 8/9/2008, 7:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

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ATLANTA (3 - 1) at JACKSONVILLE (3 - 1) - 8/9/2008, 7:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
JACKSONVILLE is 1-0 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
JACKSONVILLE is 1-0 straight up against ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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TAMPA BAY (3 - 1) at MIAMI (2 - 2) - 8/9/2008, 7:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
MIAMI is 1-1 against the spread versus TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
MIAMI is 1-1 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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ST LOUIS (2 - 2) at TENNESSEE (3 - 1) - 8/9/2008, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 3-12 ATS (-10.2 Units) when playing on a Saturday since 1993.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

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DENVER (2 - 2) at HOUSTON (2 - 2) - 8/9/2008, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DENVER is 22-7 ATS (+14.3 Units) when playing on a Saturday since 1993.

Head-to-Head Series History
HOUSTON is 1-0 against the spread versus DENVER over the last 3 seasons
DENVER is 1-0 straight up against HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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DALLAS (2 - 2) at SAN DIEGO (3 - 1) - 8/9/2008, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 11-31 ATS (-23.1 Units) in all games where the total is between 35.5 and 42 points since 1993.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

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Monday, August 11
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CINCINNATI (1 - 3) at GREEN BAY (2 - 2) - 8/11/2008, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CINCINNATI is 1-0 against the spread versus GREEN BAY over the last 3 seasons
CINCINNATI is 1-0 straight up against GREEN BAY over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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**pm530** · 08-08-2008, 05:26 AM

National Football League – Short Sheet

NFL
Pre-Season

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Short Sheet
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Friday, August 8th

Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, 7:30 ET
Philadelphia: 1-9 ATS Away 1st 2 weeks of preseason
Pittsburgh: 8-1 Under L9 preseason games

Seattle at Minnesota, 8:00 ET
Seattle: 4-0 Over as road underdog
Minnesota: 6-3 ATS as a home favorite of 3 or less

San Francisco at Oakland, 10:00 ET
San Francisco: 13-7 Under as road underdog
Oakland: 4-0 ATS as home favorite

Saturday, August 9th

Buffalo at Washington, 7:00 ET
Buffalo: 26-11 Inder vs. NFC
Washington: 1-9 ATSD at home off an Over

Indianapolis at Carolina, 7:30 ET
Indianapolis: 10-1 ATS off DD loss
Carolina: 6-0 Under vs. AFC

Atlanta at Jacksonville, 7:30 ET
Atlanta: 11-8 Over 1st 2 weeks of preseason
Jacksonville: 5-1 ATS vs. NFC

Tampa Bay at Miami, 7:30 ET
Tampa Bay: 26-10 Under if the total is 35 or less
Miami: 2-6 ATS as a home favorite of 3 points or less

St. Louis at Tennessee, 8:00 ET
St. Louis: 0-4 ATS an an underdog
Tennessee: 17-7 ATS if the line is +3 to -3

Denver at Houston, 8:00 ET
Denver: 22-7 ATS on Saturday
Houston: 5-0 Over on Saturday

Dallas at San Diego, 10:00 ET
Dallas: 5-18 ATS 1st 2 weeks of preseason
San Diego: 14-8 Over as a home favorite of 7 points or less

Monday, August 11th

Cincinnati at Green Bay, 8:00 ET ESPN
Cincinnati: 3-0 ATS as underdog
Green Bay: 1-5 ATS vs. AFC

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**pm530** · 08-08-2008, 05:29 AM

National Football League – Write up

NFL
Write-up

I'm not a big fan of investing in summer games, especially in the first week of preseason. But people have asked for some insight so here goes, as little as it is............

-- Eagles might have best backup QBs in NFL with Kolb/Feeley backing up McNabb, but Philly lost seven of last ten in summer, and dropped first summer game last three years. Pitt was 1-3 in Tomlin's first summer, with all four decided by 5 points or less.

-- In Frerotte/Bollinger, Vikings have pair of experienced backup QBs, with USC rookie Booty an interesting prospect. Seattle has substandard backups in Wallace-Frye-Bell. Holmgren won first summer road the last three years. Vikings are 6-3-1 in their last 10 summer games.

-- Home side won last three 49er-Raider Bay Area summer games; Niners are still learning complex Martz offense, with Smith-Hill in decent QB competition. 49ers are 0-6 on road in summer the last three years, with four losses by five points or less.

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**pm530** · 08-08-2008, 05:36 AM

Canadian Football League – Long Sheet

CFL
Long Sheet

Week 7

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Friday, August 8
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MONTREAL (3 - 3) at WINNIPEG (1 - 5) - 8/8/2008, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MONTREAL is 8-21 ATS (-15.1 Units) in road games when playing on a Friday since 1996.
WINNIPEG is 16-3 ATS (+12.7 Units) as a home underdog of 3 points or less since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
MONTREAL is 6-3 against the spread versus WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
WINNIPEG is 5-4 straight up against MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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EDMONTON (4 - 2) at BRITISH COLUMBIA (3 - 3) - 8/8/2008, 10:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 30-16 ATS (+12.4 Units) in August games since 1996.
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 36-18 ATS (+16.2 Units) in weeks 5 through 9 since 1996.

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

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**pm530** · 08-08-2008, 05:37 AM

Canadian Football League – Write up

CFL
Write-up

Week 7 CFL games

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Friday, August 8

Montreal (3-3) @ Winnipeg (1-5)-- Alouettes lost three of four since 38-24 home win vs Bombers in Week 2. Montreal is 3-1 if they run ball for at least 123 yards, scoring 36.3 ppg- they're 0-2 if they don't, scoring 26 ppg. Bombers had 23 penalties in their last two games- they upset Calgary in last home game for their only win this season. Last three Montreal games went over.

Edmonton (4-2) @ BC Lions (3-3)-- Ray was 23-30/379 passing in last week's 35-24 home win vs Lions-- Eskimos' fourth win in their last five games- they allowed 34-35 points in their losses, 31 or less (avg of 24) in their wins. BC had a 3-game win streak ended last week; they're 2-1 at home, winning by 9-2 pts. Over is 4-1 in Edmonton's last five games.

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**pm530** · 08-08-2008, 05:38 AM

Canadian Football League – Additional Trends

CFL

Week 7

Trend Sheet

Friday, August 8

7:30 PM MONTREAL vs. WINNIPEG
Montreal is 11-4 ATS in its last 15 games when playing Winnipeg
Montreal is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Winnipeg
Winnipeg is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Winnipeg is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games at home

10:30 PM EDMONTON vs. BRITISH COLUMBIA
Edmonton is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games when playing on the road against British Columbia
Edmonton is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against British Columbia
British Columbia is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Edmonton
British Columbia is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Edmonton

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**pm530** · 08-08-2008, 05:40 AM

Canadian Football League – Preview and Predictions

CFL
Preview and Predictions

CFL games – Week 7

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Preview and Predictions
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The Bookmaker have adjusted their totals the last 3 weeks of the CFL season, the average O/U during Week 1 to Week 3 was between 48.0 and 48.5. However, now that the offenses have gelled and are putting up some big numbers on the board, the oddsmakers have raised their totals between 51.0 to 53.0 the last 3 weeks. Look for more games to go UNDER the total in Week 7, as you had all four totals go under the total in week 1, the OVER was 3-1 Week 2, 3 and 4. Then, we had a few "even-Stevens" of 2-2 during Week 5 and 6.

Plus, many teams have some key injuries this week, so look for the lines to start going down.

Here are my CFL previews for Week 7. Enjoy!

Friday, August 8

Montreal (-3) vs. Winnipeg (54)

Alouettes @ Blue Bombers History: The Alouettes are 7-11-1 (ATS), 10-9 (SU) and the Over/Under is 10-8-1 since '96.

Comment: The Montreal Alouettes finally delivered a victory to its fans last week at Molson Percival Stadium vs. the Hamilton Tiger Cats. OK, it's not that surprising they won as a -10.0 point home favorite, but considering they've lost 3 games prior to their tilt with the Tabbies, Montreal was always finding a way to lose games. Montreal is a good football team, but they lack the killer instinct to put teams away and I'm starting to wonder if Marc Trestman is too conservative as a head coach. Keep in mind, this was a offensive coordinator who was at NC State and seen 9 out of 10 games go under the total. Whenever you have that many unders in a season, this tells me the coach wants to control the clock and run the game out. In fact, according to his Wikipedia bio, it states the following phrase; "Trestman spent the 2004 season with the Miami Dolphins and in 2005 he returned to college football as the North Carolina State Wolfpack offensive coordinator where he was known for being a conservative play-caller." Does this sound like a head coach who wants to run and gun? The Alouettes get some players back on defense this week and they could use the help, as they've allowed 36.67 points against in their last 3 games. Furthermore, whenever you allowed the Hamilton Tiger Cats to hang 33 points on you at home, you know the Alouettes concentrated allot of minor details to defense and don't be surprised if they returned to the basics. Winnipeg on the other hand has gone from the Penthouse to the Outhouse in a matter of 9 months! The Blue Bombers are not in a good sports handicapping situation this Friday Night, they are 3-7 SU as a home underdog in August since '96 and the UNDER is 7-3-0. As for Doug Berry's move to replace Kevin Glenn with former Boise State star Ryan Dinwiddie. Well, Matt Dunnigan said it best last week on the CFL panel on TSN, Ryan Dinwiddie has a pop gun for an arm! Watching the game last week between the Bombers and Argos, I noticed allot of Dinwiddie's passes were floaters and had no tight spirals or speed. If you're a totals players, here's a great team trend that backs up the under. When a Montreal team played on the road on 7 days rest, during Week 4 to 8 and they care coming off a Home straight up win as a Favorite; the UNDER is 8-2-0 for the Alouettes in this spot since '96.

forecast: Montreal winning by 12.02 points and the O/U to land on 56.03 points.

Stat of the Game: When ANY CFL Team played as a Home team -Vs Montreal opponent -With 6 day off -Before a division game - Allowed score 17 points or more against; The OVER is 12-2-0 for the Home Team (Winnipeg) in this spot.

Edmonton (55) vs. BC Lions (-6)

Eskimos @ Lions History: The Eskimos are 11-7-2 (ATS), 9-11 (SU) and the Over/Under is 8-11-1 since '96.

Comment: The Edmonton Eskimos pulled off a Hollywood ending last week at home vs. the BC Lions. After starting slowly out of the gate, Ricky Ray hit Kamau Peterson over the middle and he got leveled by a Lions secondary. However, Peterson rose to his feet, flipped his jersey up and pointed to the 83 on his stomach in honor of his fallen comrade Jason Tucker who suffered a serious neck injury 2 weeks ago in Hamilton. It truly was an inspiring performance to see the Eskimos rally around their teammate and after that catch, it was all over for the Lions, as the Eskimos confidence grew on each play afterwards. The Eskimos have really turned the corner and have been playing with more consistency on offense and Ricky Ray has found some reliable receivers. Edmonton is on a 2 game winning streak and has won 4 of their last 5 games. However, they will be in a tough spot this Friday night at BC Place; the Lions have won 4 straight in BC and 6 of the last 7 meetings. If you're a law of average handicapper, the bookmakers agree with the theory, they've placed the Lions a -6.0 point home favorite, the Eskimos won game one of this back to back series. However, the Lions have a history of not showing up at home after scoring 24 points or less in their previous game. In fact, when the BC Lions played as a Home team during Week 4 to 8 and they are coming off a game where they scored 24 points or less; the Leo's are 2-9 SU. What bothers me with this Lions teams is the inconsistency at the QB position. One week Jarious Jackson is hitting his receivers in stride, other weeks he's 5 to 10 yards off his throws. Jackson is more dangerous when he's running the ball and Wally Buono should really consider using some sprint out passing plays that allows Jackson to pass or tuck it and run. One of the best type of plays for Jackson is one of those counter option plays, where the offense can run counter plays using the pulling guard and then option off that counter play and use a roll out to the opposite side to throw the ball. Nevertheless, Buono needs to find a way to get Jackson out of the pocket and get him in a situation where he can start running. When I look at Jarious Jackson I see Tracy Ham, Damon Allen, Kerry Joseph, and JC Watts, quarterbacks who knew when to tuck it and run.

forecast: Edmonton winning by 4.3 points and the O/U to land on 56.30 points.

Stat of the Game: When BRITISH COLUMBIA team played as Home team as a Favorite -Vs Division Opponent -Playing on Friday; the BC Lions are 14-3 SU in this role since '96.

Good luck and remember, this is the CFL, anything can happen during the 3 minute warning! Trust me; I've got the scars to prove it!

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**pm530** · 08-08-2008, 05:42 AM

Major League Baseball – Write up

MLB
Write-up

Friday, August 8

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Hot Pitchers
-- Cubs won eight of last nine Lilly home starts. Cardinals won eight of eleven Looper road starts.
-- Phillies won all three Blanton starts, scoring 22 runs. Maholm has a 3.06 RA in his last seven starts.
-- Astros won both Wolf starts (1-0, 3.86).
-- Marlins won six of last seven Nolasco road starts. Perez has a 2.17 RA in his last seven starts.
-- Sabathia is 5-0, 2.25 in six starts for Milwaukee. Balestar has a 2.38 RA in his last two starts.
-- Rusch is 3-0, 3.67 in his last five starts. Peavy is 3-2, 1.98 in his last six starts.
-- Campillo is 3-0, 1.26 in his last five starts.

-- Orioles are 7-3 in Guthrie's last ten home starts.
-- Detroit won six of last eight Rogers home starts.
-- Twins won five of last seven Slowey road starts.
-- Davies is 2-0, 3.48 in his last two starts.
-- Red Sox won last five Lester starts (4-0, 2.15).
-- Shields is 2-1, 2.79 in his last four starts.

Cold Pitchers
-- Cueto is 0-3, 6.90 in his last five starts.
-- Arizona lost last three Davis home starts (0-2, 6.00).
-- Penny was 0-5, 7.42 in his last five starts. Giants are 2-10 at home when Zito is the starting pitcher.

-- Texas is 0-4 in Mendoza road starts (0-2, 16.20).
-- Rogers is 2-3, 6.06 in his last six starts. Braden is 1-2, 5.28 in three starts for Oakland.
-- Anthony Reyes is 10-24, 5.38 in 38 big league starts; he was 2-14 for Cardinals two years ago- since being traded to Indian organization, he was 2-0, 2.77 in two starts at AAA Buffalo. Purcey is 1-2, 10.29 in his last three starts.
-- Buehrle is 2-4, 5.89 in his last six starts.
-- Weaver has 7.24 RA in his last three starts. Kennedy is 0-3 in eight starts, with a 7.79 RA- his last start was May 27.
-- Mariners lost seven of last eight Silva home starts.

Hot Teams
-- Cubs won nine of their last eleven games. Cardinals are 9-3 in last dozen road series openers.
-- Astros won eight of their last eleven games.
-- Phillies won eight of their last eleven games.
-- Florida is 10-5 in its last fifteen road games.
-- Nationals won six of last seven games.
-- Giants won four of their last six games.

-- Toronto is 14-4 in its last eighteen home games.
-- Red Sox won five of their last six road games.
-- Angels are 11-3 in their last fourteen home games.
-- Mariners won four of their last five games.

Cold Teams
-- Pirates lost four of their last five games.
-- Mets lost six of their last nine games.
-- Reds lost eleven of their last thirteen games.
-- Brewers lost eight of their last ten home games.
-- Padres lost six of their last eight games.
-- Rockies lost three of last four, including twice on Thursday. Padres lost six of their last eight games.
-- Braves lost nine of their last thirteen games. Arizona is 2-4 in its last six games, scoring four runs in last two.
-- Dodgers lost four of their last five road games.

-- Orioles lost five of their last six home games.
-- Oakland is 2-18 in its last twenty games.
-- Indians lost six of last eight road games.
-- Royals are 6-11 in last seventeen home series openers. Twins are 4-8 in their last dozen road games.
-- Bronx lost seven of its last eleven games.
-- White Sox are 4-6 in their last ten games. Tigers lost six games in row, allowing 44 runs.
-- Rays are 4-10 in their last fourteen road games.

Totals
-- Six of last eight Lilly starts went over the total.
-- Under is 6-0-1 in last seven Maholm starts.
-- Under is 7-1-1 in last nine Cueto starts.
-- Under is 5-2-1 in last eight Nolasco starts.
-- Last six games at Miller Park went over the total.
-- Under is 6-0 in Peavy's last six starts.
-- Four of last five Davis starts went over the total.
-- Over is 9-4 in Penny's last thirteen starts.

-- Over is 6-1-1 in last eight Mendoza starts.
-- Under is 14-2-1 in Oakland's last seventeen road games.
-- Over is 3-0-1 in Purcey starts this season.
-- Three of last four Davies starts stayed under the total.
-- Over is 7-2 in White Sox' last nine home games.
-- Over is 10-3 in last thirteen Bronx games.
-- Four of last five Shields starts stayed under the total.

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**pm530** · 08-08-2008, 05:44 AM

Major League Baseball - Tips & Trends

MLB

Updated

Friday, August 8

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Tips and Trends
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Florida Marlins at New York Mets [7:05 PM ET]

Marlins: Ricky Nolasco will try to turn around a rough history against the Mets here in what could be his final visit to Shea Stadium. The Marlins visit New York to end the regular season in what could be a pivotal series, but this one is just as big for Nolasco & Co. He is 2-3 lifetime against the Mets with an inflated 8.13 ERA but has found success away from this season. Nolasco is 6-2 in 12 road starts with a 3.91 ERA with Florida winning his last six.

Marlins are 12-5 in their last 17 games as an underdog.
The UNDER is 5-1 in Florida's last 5 games overall.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Mets (-140, O/U 8.5): To say Oliver Perez has been inconsistent this season would be a serious understatement. Then again, you can also argue he's been pretty consistent. How's that? Perez is 7-7 in 23 starts with a 4.12 ERA and 1-2 in four starts since the All-Star break with one no-decision. He has pitched slightly better at home this year, going 3-2 with a 3.99 ERA in 10 starts. Perez has also gone 5-3 in 13 career starts vs. Florida with a 4.65 ERA.

Mets are 13-3 in their last 16 home games.
The OVER is 7-3 New York's last 10 games overall.

Key Injuries - 1B Carlos Delgado (.264; rest) is expected to return.

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Boston Red Sox at Chicago White Sox [NESN | 8:11 PM ET]

Red Sox (-115, O/U 9): Jon Lester has gone unbeaten in his last 11 starts, winning seven decisions during that stretch. In the process, Lester has seen his ERA dip from 3.67 to 3.14. He beat the White Sox in his only career appearance against them, allowing two runs and six hits in six innings with a three walks and three strikeouts. Lester is 4-2 in 11 road starts this season with a 3.48 ERA.

Red Sox are 27-9 in Lester's last 36 starts overall.
The OVER is 7-0 in the last 7 meetings.

Key Injuries - 1B Kevin Youkilis (.317; hand) is probable.

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

White Sox: Mark Buehrle should be happy to be back home after getting drilled in his last two starts - both on the road. Buehrle surrendered a season-high 14 hits last time out against the Royals, including two homers as part of eight runs in just 4.1 innings. He has won his last two home starts though, giving up four runs combined over 14.1 innings. In fact, Buehrle has pitched very well at U.S. Cellular Field this season with a 5-3 mark and 3.15 ERA.

White Sox are 0-7 in the last 7 meetings.
The OVER is 16-4-1 in Chicago's last 21 games overall.

Key Injuries - 3B Joe Crede (.255; back) is on the 15-day DL.

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

New York Yankees at Los Angeles Angels [YES | 10:05 PM ET]

Yankees: Ian Kennedy gets the call here for the injured Joba Chamberlain, and he will be trying to earn a victory in his first start since May 27. New York has lost in five of Kennedy's last six trips to the mound, and he is 0-2 on the road with a lofty 7.30 ERA. He gave up four runs and four hits in three innings of a 10-9 loss at Baltimore in his last start.

The OVER is 10-3 in New York's last 13 games overall.
The OVER is 7-1 in the last 8 meetings.

Key Injuries - C Ivan Rodriguez (.291; knee) is day-to-day.

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Angels (-160, O/U 9.5): Jered Weaver will try to rebound from a rough outing at New York on Saturday in this rematch. Weaver surrendered six runs and eight hits in five innings of an 8-2 loss to the Yankees, seeing his career numbers against them go to 2-1 in three starts with a 5.63 ERA. He has pitched solid at home this season with a 4-4 mark and a 3.69 ERA, and the Angels have won three of his last four there.

Angels are 8-2 in their last 10 home games.
Angels are 16-5 in their last 21 games overall.

Key Injuries - 3B Maicer Izturis (.263; thumb) is day-to-day.

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

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**pm530** · 08-08-2008, 05:45 AM

Major League Baseball – Streaking Pitchers

MLB

Friday, August 8

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Streaking Starting Pitchers
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Friday’s streaking and slumping pitchers

Streaking

Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox (10-3, 3.14)

Lester, a recent cancer survivor, has pitched with a purpose all season. In fact, he is leading the Red Sox with a 3.14 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. He is also 3-0 in his past three starts with a 1.69 ERA and is 4-2 with a 3.28 ERA on the road.

Lester hasn't lost in his last 10 and has led the Red Sox to a 9-1 mark in that period. He is also 1-0 with a 3.00 career-ERA against the Chicago White Sox.

The Red Sox are 5-1 in their last six road games and are 7-0 in their last seven meetings with the White Sox.

Paul Byrd, Cleveland Indians (6-10, 4.72)

Byrd has been intimidating opponents recently, despite pitching for the Tribe. He is 3-0 and has a 0.90 ERA in his last three starts.

In his last road start, a triumph against the second place Minnesota Twins, Byrd lasted seven innings, surrendering a single ER. He is also 2-0 in his last three road starts and has not relinquished a HR in his last four overall.

The Tribe is 8-3 in its last 11 against the AL East and is 20-7 in its last 27 meetings with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Slumping

Carlos Silva, Seattle Mariners (4-12, 5.92)

Silva has struggled all season and has just one victory in his last 10 starts. He is also winless with a lofty 10.50 ERA in his last three and has relinquished 14 earned runs in that period.

Silva is 2-6 with a 6.11 ERA at home and has surrendered 16 earned runs and four homers in his last four at Safeco Field. He has also surrendered one HR in each of his last three starts and is 1-1 and has a 2.10 career-ERA against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

The Mariners are 3-8 in their last 11 home games and are 2-7 in their last nine against the AL East.

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**pm530** · 08-08-2008, 06:03 AM

Major League Baseball – Trend Sheet

MLB

Friday, August 8

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Trend Sheet
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2:20 PM ST. LOUIS vs. CHI CUBS
St. Louis is 5-13 SU in their last 18 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
St. Louis is 6-13 SU in their last 19 games when playing Chi Cubs
Chi Cubs are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games at home
Chi Cubs are 9-2 SU in their last 11 games

7:05 PM OAKLAND vs. DETROIT
Oakland is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Detroit
Oakland is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Detroit is 15-6 SU in its last 21 games at home
Detroit is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home

7:05 PM PITTSBURGH vs. PHILADELPHIA
Pittsburgh is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 8 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games
Philadelphia is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing Pittsburgh

7:05 PM TEXAS vs. BALTIMORE
Texas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Baltimore
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Texas's last 7 games when playing Baltimore
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Baltimore's last 9 games
Baltimore is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home

7:07 PM CLEVELAND vs. TORONTO
Cleveland is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 16 of Cleveland's last 23 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Toronto is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 16 of Toronto's last 23 games when playing at home against Cleveland

7:10 PM FLORIDA vs. NY METS
Florida is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Florida's last 18 games when playing NY Mets
The total has gone OVER in 6 of NY Mets's last 8 games when playing at home against Florida
The total has gone OVER in 13 of NY Mets's last 18 games when playing Florida

7:10 PM HOUSTON vs. CINCINNATI
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Cincinnati
Houston is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing Cincinnati
Cincinnati is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games when playing Houston
Cincinnati is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games

8:05 PM WASHINGTON vs. MILWAUKEE
Washington is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Milwaukee
Washington is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Milwaukee
Milwaukee is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Milwaukee's last 6 games

8:10 PM MINNESOTA vs. KANSAS CITY
Minnesota is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Minnesota's last 7 games when playing Kansas City
Kansas City is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Kansas City's last 5 games

8:11 PM BOSTON vs. CHI WHITE SOX
Boston is 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing on the road against Chi White Sox
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Boston's last 5 games when playing on the road against Chi White Sox
Chi White Sox are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing Boston
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chi White Sox's last 5 games when playing Boston

9:05 PM SAN DIEGO vs. COLORADO
San Diego is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Colorado
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Diego's last 6 games when playing on the road against Colorado
Colorado is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games when playing San Diego
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Colorado's last 7 games when playing San Diego

9:40 PM ATLANTA vs. ARIZONA
Atlanta is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games
Atlanta is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Arizona
Arizona is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games when playing Atlanta
Arizona is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Atlanta

10:05 PM NY YANKEES vs. LA ANGELS
The total has gone OVER in 7 of NY Yankees's last 8 games when playing LA Angels
NY Yankees are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games
LA Angels are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games at home
LA Angels are 16-5 SU in their last 21 games

10:10 PM TAMPA BAY vs. SEATTLE
Tampa Bay is 7-15 SU in its last 22 games when playing Seattle
Tampa Bay is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games on the road
Seattle is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Seattle is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home

10:15 PM LA DODGERS vs. SAN FRANCISCO
LA Dodgers are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games on the road
LA Dodgers are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing San Francisco
San Francisco is 3-14 SU in their last 17 games when playing at home against LA Dodgers
San Francisco is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing LA Dodgers

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Announcement

Friday Trends and Indexes 8/8

Friday Trends and Indexes 8/8

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