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**pm530** · 10-09-2009, 04:48 AM

Daily Sports Roundup

Friday, October 9

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Yankees continue their series against the Twins, the Angels host the Red Sox, and the Stars seek a win up in Calgary.

Colliding on the gridiron . . .

The one college football game on tap for Friday night has Louisiana Tech at Nevada, with the Wolf Pack pegged as the 10.5-point home favorite (and the total at 58). Nevada pounded UNLV 63-28 last time out to grab their first win of the season; Mike Ball ran for five touchdowns in that contest. Louisiana Tech beat Hawaii 27-6 in their last game, as Daniel Porter ran for a pair of touchdowns.

As well, there's a Canadian Football League game on the Friday schedule, with British Columbia at Edmonton. Oddsmakers have given the edge to the Eskimos, pegging them as the 4-point home favorites. The total for the game is 53 points.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The Yankees will be looking to take a 2-0 lead in their ALDS with the Twins on Friday night when the teams play Game 2 in New York. The Yankees will send A.J. Burnett (13-9, 4.04 ERA) to the mound in that contest. Righthander Burnett beat the Rays in his last start of the regular season, holding them to one earned run over five innings of work. The Twins will counter Burnett with Nick Blackburn (11-11, 4.03 ERA). Minnesota won all of righthander Blackburn's last four outings.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox and Angels will play Game 2 of their ALDS later on Friday, with Josh Beckett (17-6, 3.86 ERA) taking on Jered Weaver (16-8, 3.75 ERA). Righthander Beckett finished the regular season with two straight wins over the Indians and Royals, holding them to six earned runs over 11 innings of work. Righthander Weaver snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the A's in his last outing, holding Oakland scoreless on three hits in his five innings.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

There are two games on the NHL's schedule for Friday, with Florida at Carolina and Dallas at Calgary. The Stars have started the campaign at 0-0-2, falling in back-to-back shootouts vs. the Predators and Oilers. Brenden Morrow had two goals for Dallas in their last loss, while rookie Jamie Benn picked up his first NHL point. The Flames are a perfect 3-0-0 through their first three games of the season, collecting consecutive victories over the Canucks, Oilers, and Canadiens.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The WNBA Finals come to a close on Friday, with Indiana at Phoenix in Game 5. The Mercury staved off elimination in Game 4 on Wednesday night, getting 22 points from Cappie Pondexter in the 90-77 road win. Penny Taylor added 17 points in the victory, while Tamika Catchings led the Indiana attack with 24 points.

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**pm530** · 10-09-2009, 04:51 AM

Bettor's best friend: Today's helpful tips

Friday, October 9

Technical difficulties

Louisiana Tech appears to be a different football team when it goes on the road. At home, the Bulldogs are 2-0 straight up and against the spread, outscoring foes 75-19. On the road, they are 0-2 SU and ATS, outscored by 69-27. Tech travels to face Nevada, which has won the last four meetings, averaging 40.8 points. The Bulldogs are getting 10.5 points with a total of 58.

In the black

The Minnesota Twins have won the last four games started by Nick Blackburn, who starts Game Two of the ALDS against the New York Yankees. Blackburn is 2-0 with a 2.30 ERA in that span. The Twins are 5-2 with Blackburn as an underdog, although one of the losses was at Yankee Stadium in extra innings. The Twins are +270 with a total of 10.

QB or not QB, college style

Heisman Trophy winners Tim Tebow of Florida and Sam Bradford of Oklahoma still have not been named starters for their games Saturday. Florida coach Urban Meyer said Tebow (concussion) likely would be a game-time decision vs. LSU, even though he still has not been cleared for contact. Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said the progress of Bradford (shoulder) in practice has been "positive, but I don't want to speculate."

John Brantley would replace Tebow for the Gators, who are giving 7.5 points at LSU with a total of 44.5. Landry Jones has been starting in place of Bradford for Oklahoma, which is giving 26 points to visiting Baylor with a total of 54.

For all the marbles

The Indiana Fever and Phoenix Mercury play the decisive Game Five of the WNBA Finals. The teams have played six times this season, and in every game, the underdog has covered, winning outright four times. The teams also have played to the under in the last three games. Phoenix is giving 5.5 points with a total of 178.

Dizzy without Dez

Oklahoma State moves into its Big 12 Conference schedule without star wide receiver Dez Bryant, who was ruled ineligible Thursday for violating an NCAA bylaw. Bryant, considered the best NFL prospect among all college receivers, was averaging 19 yards a catch and led the Cowboys with four TDs. His receptions (17), yards (323) and TDs equal or surpass the combined total of OSU's next three leading receivers. The Cowboys are giving 5.5 points at Texas A&M with a total of 61.

No place like the road

The road team has won outright in the last four meetings between the BC Lions and Edmonton Eskimos. BC gets back kicker/punter Paul McCallum, who has not played since July. Edmonton is 2-5 against the spread in its last seven home games and 1-5 ATS in their last six anywhere. The Eskimos are giving four points with a total of 53.

Scorching the nets

Only the Washington Capitals have scored more goals than the Calgary Flames, who are 3-0 straight up and against the over. Goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff is just 16th in save percentage and 21st in goals-against average. In town are the Dallas Stars, who are having trouble scoring but are getting plenty of shots, averaging 37.0, third in the NHL. Calgary is -163 with a total of 5.5.

Notable quotable

"I don't think anything's wrong with him. People are going to talk. Everybody's got their opinion. Nobody really cares about anybody's opinion because their opinion is not the reality. I don't think him or anyone else cares about what anybody else thinks."

-- Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Leonard Davis on quarterback Tony Romo, who has taken a lot of heat for team's 2-2 start. Dallas is giving nine points at winless Kansas City on Sunday.

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**pm530** · 10-09-2009, 04:52 AM

Six-pack for Friday

Some college football trends for Week 5

-- Favorite covered nine of last ten Purdue-Minnesota games.

-- Oklahoma is 16-7-1 vs spread in its last 24 home games.

-- Michigan State is 3-7 vs spread the week after playing Michigan.

-- Florida State is 7-17 in last 24 games as a home favorite.

-- Wake Forest covered one of last five as a double digit favorite.

-- Louisiana Tech covered three of last twelve road games.

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Friday's List of 13: Food for thought on a football Friday......

13) Before we get to football knowledge, can someone explain to me how if the Minnesota-Bronx goes five games, there will be three off days in the series? How come there wasn't an off day before Game 1, when the Twins played at home the night before?

12) If the World Series goes seven games, Game 7 is November 5th- if the Rockies make the World Series, they'll need a Zamboni at Coors.

11) Speaking of bad ideas, the Mets are bringing back all their trainers in 2010; nothing like seeing incompetence get rewarded. Maybe by spring training they can have Jose Reyes healed from his May hamstring pull.

OK, now on to football.............
10) Best NFL red zone offenses so far, based on points per possession, are 49ers (5.5), Jets (5.4) and Chiefs/Bucs (5.33). Worst three are Giants (3.06), Redskins (3.33) and Rams (3.5).

9) Best red zone defenses: 49ers (2.17), Dolphins (3.31), Saints (3.36). Worst three: Texans (5.86), Packers (5.75), Giants (5.64).

8) Best offenses on drives that start 80+ yards from goal line: Colts (2.95), Vikings (2.92), Falcons (2.43). Worst three: Texans (0.23), Cards (0.25) and Redskins (0.27).

7) Best defenses on 80+-yard drives: Titans (0 points/9 drives), Saints (0.27), Jets (0.38). Worst three: Miami (2.52- four TDs/11 drives) Rams (2.38), Titans (2.29).

6) Patriots-Vikings-Falcons are the only three teams that haven't had an opponent start a drive in their territory yet.

5) Tennessee didn't score on its only drive that started on other team's side of the 50; their opponents scored seven TDs on the 12 drives that began in Titan territory.

4) Hard to believe the high-powered Cardinals have had 12 drives start 80+ yards from the goal line, and only have one FG to show for them.

3) None of the four AFC West teams have scored on opening drives this season, gaining a total of 222 yards on 73 plays.

2) On the opening drive of the third quarter, Chicago Bears outgained its opponents 117-2, outscored them 17-0.

1) On the opening drive of the eight halves they've played this year, San Francisco has allowed a total of 21 yards on 29 plays.

From: Armadillo

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**pm530** · 10-09-2009, 04:56 AM

MLB
Write-up

Friday, October 9

Twins have now lost last nine games in Bronx; Blackburn is 2-0, 1.65 in his last four starts. Burnett is 2-1, 2.63 in his last four starts; he was 1-0, 2.77 in two starts against Twins this season- three of his last four starts stayed under total, as did six of last nine Blackburn outings. Blackburn allowed four runs in 7.2 IP in his only start vs Minnesota this season.

Angel win last night was just their second in last 11 playoff games vs Boston; Weaver has 2.65 RA in his last three starts; he was 1-0, 1.32 in two starts against the Red Sox this season. Beckett is 3-0, 3.75 in his last four starts; he was 0-1, 4.50 in two starts against Angels this year. eight of his last ten starts went over the total, but under is 6-0-1 in Weaver's last seven starts.

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**pm530** · 10-09-2009, 04:58 AM

MLB

Friday, October 9

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Hot lines: Today’s best MLB bets
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Minnesota Twins at New York Yankees (-300, 10)

Whatever Kate Hudson is doing for Alex Rodriguez, Yankees fans want her to keep doing it.

A notorious no-show in the playoffs, A-Rod broke that trend with two hits and two RBIs in a 7-2 win against the Twins in Game 1 of the ALDS Wednesday. That performance snapped a 19-game playoff hitless streak with runners in scoring position while also giving him his first hit with RISP in his last 29 at-bats in 2009.

“It certainly felt good to get that hit out of the way,” Rodriguez told the New York Times.

A-Rod had a quiet season while teammates Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira grabbed headlines. He missed a good chunk of time at the beginning of the schedule but still finished with a .286 BA, 30 home runs and 100 RBIs.

“It just feels good to contribute and do the little things,” Rodriguez said. “That’s what we’ve been trying to talk about all year.”

The Yankees improved their numbers against the Twins in Game 1. For the season, they batted .300, hit 12 home runs and averaged just under six runs per game in their seven contests with Minnesota. New York improved to 8-0 versus the Twins with Wednesday series-opening win.

Pick: New York -300

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**pm530** · 10-09-2009, 05:00 AM

MLB

Friday, October 9

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The payoff pitch: Friday's best mound matchup
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Josh Beckett (Boston Red Sox) vs. Jered Weaver (Los Angeles Angels)

Josh Beckett (17-6, 3.86 ERA)

The perception is that Beckett is the top postseason pitcher in the game, and his overall marks over 7-2 with three shutouts and a 2.90 ERA make that hard to argue. But his form last October was less than stellar.

Beckett started three games, going 1-0 with an 8.79 ERA while allowing seven homers. But the Red Sox lost his other two starts as he was hit hard by both the Angels in the Division Series and the Rays in the ALCS.

One of Beckett's postseason shutouts came against the Angels in 2007. But he was not as sharp against them in last year's ALDS and was 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA vs. the Angels this season.

Despite some back spasms, Beckett was 3-0 in his last four regular-season starts, getting a no-decision vs. the Angels. But he wasn't overwhelming, continuing a trend that saw him go 11-3 with a 3.35 ERA before the All-Star break and 6-3 with a 4.53 ERA afterward.

Beckett gets a little sloppy with runners aboard, allowing opposing batters to hit .279 with 75 RBI. He will have to be better in this series, but this has been his time of the season.

Jered Weaver (16-8, 3.63 ERA)

The Angels have one win in 10 postseason games against the Red Sox, and Weaver has it. Unfortunately, it came as a reliever.

Weaver pitched the last two frames of the Angels' 5-4 12-inning win in Game Three of the ALDS a year ago. He also took the loss in Game Three in 2007, allowing two runs in five innings.

This season, Weaver had good success against Boston, going 1-0 with an 0.66 ERA in two starts. Both of those outings came in the first six weeks of the season.

Weaver lost three straight starts in September before beating Oakland with five scoreless innings in his final regular-season outing. Despite the late slide, his ERA over his last seven starts was a sparkling 2.27.

As expected, Weaver is much tougher on righthanded hitters, limiting them to a .208 average. His 2.90 ERA at home is almost two runs better than it is on the road.

The righthander actually is easier to hit with the bases empty (.248) than with runners on (.242). With runners in scoring position, he held batters to a .200 average and two homers in 175 at-bats.

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**pm530** · 10-09-2009, 05:01 AM

MLB
This Day in Baseball

On October 9 in Baseball History...

1905 - At Philadelphia, Christy Mathewson of the Giants outpitches 26-game-winner Eddie Plank 3-0 in the first game of an all-shutout Series.

1906 - Snow flies at West Side Park as the first one-city World Series opens with the 116-win Cubs heavy favorites. White Sox starter Nick Altrock outduels Three Finger Brown for a 2-1 victory.

1910 - Nap Lajoie, in a batting race with Ty Cobb, collected eight hits for Cleveland in a season-ending doubleheader with the Browns. The hits were somewhat tainted, however, as St. Louis third baseman Red Corriden played back as Lajoie bunted safely six times. Regardless, Cobb was awarded the batting title by a fraction of a point.

1916 - Babe Ruth outpitched Sherry Smith of the Brooklyn Dodgers as the Boston Red Sox won the longest World Series game, 2-1 in 14 innings.

1919 - White Sox starter Lefty Williams gets just one man out in the first inning and the Reds go on to a 10-5 victory. Cincinnati wins the best-of-nine World Series in eight games. A year after the 1919 Series ends, the White Sox will become the Black Sox, and eight players will be barred from baseball for taking part in throwing the Series.

1926 - Grover Alexander scatters eight hits in Game Six while the Cards tee off at Yankee Stadium for a 10-2 romp that sends the Series to a seventh game.

1928 - Babe Ruth hit three home runs in a World Series game for the second time in his career as the Yankees beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-3.

1934 - Dizzy Dean of St. Louis blanked the Detroit Tigers 11-0 in the seventh game of the World Series.

1938 - The Yankees become the first team to win three successive World Championships, defeating the Cubs 8-3. Red Ruffing wins his second game as the Yankees sweep the Cubs for the second time in six years.

1944 - The Cardinals top the Browns, 3-1, and win the World Series in six games.

1949 - The Yankees pound the Dodgers 10-6 to win the World Series in five games. Pinch hitter and third baseman Bobby Brown is the hitting hero, batting .500 and driving in five runs.

1956 - The Dodgers bounce back after Don Larsen's perfect game to tie the series in Game Six. Clem Labine comes out of the bullpen to pitch a 1-0 victory over the Yankees in 10 innings.

1957 - With Warren Spahn stricken by the flu, Lew Burdette, pitching with two days rest, hurls his third complete game and second shutout to beat New York 5-0 to win the World Series.

1958 - Bob Turley of the Yankees pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings in relief to beat the Milwaukee Braves 6-2 for the World Series title. New York became the first team since 1925 to win the World Series after being down 1-3.

1966 - Dave McNally wraps up Baltimore's brilliant pitching display, and a World Championship, with a four-hit, 1-0 win. Frank Robinson's home run off Don Drysdale gives Baltimore a surprising sweep of the defending champion Dodgers. The 33 consecutive scoreless innings pitched by Baltimore sets a World Series record.

1967 - Roger Maris homers for the Cardinals in the ninth inning, but Jim Lonborg's 3-1 win sends the World Series back to Boston.

1971 - The Orioles win the opener of the World Series over the Pirates 5-3. Dave McNally tosses a three-hitter and Merv Rettenmund adds a three-run homer.

1977 - The New York Yankees rallied for three runs in the ninth inning to beat the Kansas City Royals 5-3 and take the American League pennant in the fifth game of the playoffs.

1984 - The Tigers win the World Series opener as Jack Morris pitches a complete-game 3-2 victory over San Diego. Larry Herndon's two-run home run in the fifth provides the winning margin.

1988 - The Oakland Athletics completed a four-game sweep in the ALCS by beating the Boston Red Sox 4-1. Jose Canseco tied an AL playoff record with his third home run of the series and Dennis Eckersley set a major league playoff mark with his fourth save.

1989 - The Giants win their first NL pennant since 1962 by defeating the Cubs 3-2 in Game Five of the NLCS. Will Clark bats .650 in the series with eight RBI to win MVP honors.

1996 - Bernie Williams homered in the 11th inning to give New York a 5-4 victory over Baltimore in Game 1 of the AL championship series. The Yankees got a lot of help from a fan when Jeff Maier, 12, created a game-tying homer by Derek Jeter in the eighth when he reached out and grabbed a ball that was about to be caught by Tony Tarasco.

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**Udog** · 10-09-2009, 08:18 AM

MLB
Long Sheet

Friday, October 9

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MINNESOTA (87 - 77) at NY YANKEES (104 - 59) - 6:07 PM
NICK BLACKBURN (R) vs. A.J. BURNETT (R)
Top Trends for this game.
BLACKBURN is 11-25 (-15.3 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
BLACKBURN is 10-23 (-14.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
BLACKBURN is 1-12 (-11.2 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
NY YANKEES are 68-36 (+17.8 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
NY YANKEES are 17-3 (+11.7 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
NY YANKEES are 104-59 (+12.9 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
MINNESOTA is 60-45 (+10.0 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
MINNESOTA is 59-44 (+9.9 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
MINNESOTA is 74-67 (+8.0 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 87-77 (+1.2 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
MINNESOTA is 18-8 (+9.2 Units) against the money line when playing on Friday this season.
MINNESOTA is 27-10 (+16.5 Units) against the money line when playing with a day off over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY YANKEES is 8-0 (+8.0 Units) against MINNESOTA this season
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.5 Units)

NICK BLACKBURN vs. NY YANKEES since 1997
BLACKBURN is 0-1 when starting against NY YANKEES with an ERA of 5.89 and a WHIP of 1.799.
His team's record is 1-3 (-1.9 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-2. (-1.3 units)

A.J. BURNETT vs. MINNESOTA since 1997
BURNETT is 2-1 when starting against MINNESOTA with an ERA of 3.72 and a WHIP of 1.371.
His team's record is 4-2 (+1.7 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 4-2. (+1.7 units)

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BOSTON (95 - 67) at LA ANGELS (97 - 65) - 9:35 PM
JOSH BECKETT (R) vs. JERED WEAVER (R)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA ANGELS is 5-4 (+1.2 Units) against BOSTON this season
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.5 Units)

JOSH BECKETT vs. LA ANGELS since 1997
BECKETT is 3-3 when starting against LA ANGELS with an ERA of 3.80 and a WHIP of 1.251.
His team's record is 4-6 (-5.2 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 4-4. (-0.4 units)

JERED WEAVER vs. BOSTON since 1997
WEAVER is 2-3 when starting against BOSTON with an ERA of 3.95 and a WHIP of 1.299.
His team's record is 3-6 (-3.3 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 3-5. (-2.7 units)

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**Udog** · 10-09-2009, 08:19 AM

MLB

Friday, October 9

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Trend Report
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6:07 PM
MINNESOTA vs. NY YANKEES
Minnesota is 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against NY Yankees
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing on the road against NY Yankees
NY Yankees are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Yankees's last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota

9:37 PM
BOSTON vs. LA ANGELS
Boston is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Boston is 7-15 SU in their last 22 games when playing LA Angels
LA Angels are 8-1 SU in their last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of LA Angels's last 7 games

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**Udog** · 10-09-2009, 11:18 AM

MLB
Dunkel

Minnesota at NY Yankees
The Twins look to bounce back from Game One's 7-2 loss and build on their 7-1 record in their last 8 games when their opponent allows 2 runs or less in the previous game. Minnesota is the pick (+260) according to Dunkel, which has the Twins favored by 1/2 a run. Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+260). Here are all of today's picks.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9

Game 963-964: Minnesota at NY Yankees
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Blackburn) 16.175; NY Yankees (Burnett) 15.715
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-290); 10
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+260); Under

Game 965-966: Boston at LA Angels
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Beckett) 15.229; LA Angels (Weaver) 16.499
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1; 7
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

**Udog** · 10-09-2009, 02:51 PM

MLB
Short Sheet

Friday, October 9th

American League Division Series
Best of Five
Game Two
NY Yankees Lead, 1-0
TV: TBS
Minnesota at NY Yankees, 6:05 ET
Nick Blackburn (R) vs. AJ Burnett (R)

Blackburn:
11-25 TSR in road games
12-2 Under Away when the total is 8.5 to 10

Burnett:
9-0 Under at home on Friday
NYY 8-0 vs. Minnesota

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American League Division Series
Best of Five
Game Two
Angels Lead, 1-0
TV: TBS
Boston at LA Angels, 9:35 ET
Josh Beckett (R) vs. Jered Weaver (R)

Beckett:
11-2 TSR working on 5 or 6 days rest
12-3 TSR off team loss

Weaver:
4-10 TSR after giving up no earned runs last outing
13-4 Over off 3+ team wins

**Udog** · 10-09-2009, 02:55 PM

MLB

Friday, October 9

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Tips and Trends
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Boston Red Sox at Los Angeles Angels [TBS | 9:37 PM ET]

Red Sox: Boston is 9-2 against the Angels in the post-season since 2004. The Red Sox did lose the season-series to the Angels, 5-4. However, six of those games were played during the first six weeks of the season. Josh Beckett (17-6, 3.86 ERA) has been inconsistent this season. He had an ordinary second half, going 6-3 with a 4.35 ERA in his last 14 starts. There was a stretch where he allowed 14 homers in five starts. The right-hander did strikeout 199 batters in 212 1/3 innings. Beckett, however, is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in two starts versus the Angels this season. Boston is 10-1 when Beckett has taken the mound with five days rest. Boston is 19-8 in Beckett’s last 27 starts. The Red Sox have lost the past four times Beckett has pitched on the road against a team with a winning record.

The Over has cashed in 8 of Beckett’s last 10 starts.
The Red Sox are 0-5 in Beckett’s past five starts versus the Angels.

Key Injuries - Tim Wakefield (back) is out.

PROJECTED SCORE: 5

Angels(-$1.08, O/U 8.5 under -$1.20): Jered Weaver (16-8, 3.75 ERA) halted a three-game losing streak in his last start throwing five scoreless innings in a 5-2 victory against Oakland last Friday. Weaver was much sharper during the first half of the season going 10-3 with a 3.22 ERA in 18 starts before the All-Star break. The right-hander was 6-5 with a 4.47 ERA in 15 starts following the All-Star Game. Weaver is 2-2 with a 3.99 ERA in four career regular-season starts versus Boston. He has allowed two runs in seven innings against Boston in playoff competition. Los Angeles is 35-16 in Weaver’s last 51 home starts. The Angels were third in the American League in steals with 148. They can take advantage of the Red Sox’s weakness throwing out base-runners. Los Angels is 2-12 in its last 14 postseason games versus Boston. The Angels have won five of their last six Friday games.

The Angels are 2-10 in their last 12 playoff games.
The Under is 5-0-1 in Weaver’s last six starts.

Key Injuries - None.

PROJECTED SCORE: 4 (OVER - Total of the Day)

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**Udog** · 10-09-2009, 03:00 PM

NHL
Dunkel

Friday, 10/9/2009

FLORIDA at CAROLINA, 7:00 PM ET
FLORIDA: 81-117 SU after a non-conference game
CAROLINA: 24-7-3 SU at home against Florida

DALLAS at CALGARY, 9:00 PM ET
DALLAS: 18-28 SU AWAY when the total is 5.5
CALGARY: 7-13 SU on Friday nights

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

NHL
Long Sheet

Friday, October 9

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FLORIDA (0-1-1-0, 1 pts.) at CAROLINA (0-2-1-0, 1 pts.) - 10/9/2009, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
FLORIDA is 214-239 ATS (-77.3 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.
FLORIDA is 16-9 ATS (+25.5 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 18-8 ATS (+9.5 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 13-5 ATS (+7.7 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CAROLINA is 8-6-0 straight up against FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
6 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.9 Units)

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DALLAS (0-0-2-0, 2 pts.) at CALGARY (3-0-1-0, 7 pts.) - 10/9/2009, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 71-50 ATS (+17.8 Units) in road games after allowing 4 goals or more since 1996.
DALLAS is 17-10 ATS (+28.7 Units) in road games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
CALGARY is 7-13 ATS (-9.0 Units) on Friday nights over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 4-4 (+0.2 Units) against the spread versus CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
CALGARY is 4-4-0 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
7 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+7.2 Units)

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NHL
Short Sheet

Friday, 10/9/2009

FLORIDA at CAROLINA, 7:00 PM ET
FLORIDA: 81-117 SU after a non-conference game
CAROLINA: 24-7 SU at home vs. Florida

DALLAS at CALGARY, 9:00 PM ET
DALLAS: 28-22 SU in 2nd of BB road games
CALGARY: 7-13 SU on Friday nights

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

NHL
Write-Up

Friday, October 9

Hot Teams
-- Flames won their first four games, scoring 17 goals.

Cold Teams
-- Carolina lost two of first three games, scoring four goals. Florida split its first two games overseas, scoring four goals.
-- Dallas Stars lost first two games, in SO/OT.

Series Records
-- Panthers lost 13 of their last 14 visits to Carolina.
-- Visitor won six of last eight Calgary-Dallas games.

Totals
-- Four of last five Carolina-Florida games stayed under the total.
-- First four Calgary games went over the total.

**Udog** · 10-09-2009, 03:03 PM

NHL

Friday, October 9

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
FLORIDA vs. CAROLINA
Florida is 2-16-1 SU in its last 19 games when playing on the road against Carolina
Florida is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games
Carolina is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
Carolina is 17-6 SU in its last 23 games at home

9:00 PM
DALLAS vs. CALGARY
Dallas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Dallas is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games on the road
Calgary is 5-8-2 SU in its last 15 games when playing at home against Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 19 of Calgary's last 24 games when playing at home against Dallas

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Ice picks: Today's best NHL bets
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Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes (-155, 5.5)

The Hurricanes' start to the season has been stormy, especially trying to put the puck in the net.

Through three games, Carolina has totaled just four goals. One of those came by way of shootout in Tuesday’s 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Things took a turn for the worse this week when winger Erik Cole suffered a fracture in his lower left leg, keeping him out for four to six weeks.

The team has preached aggression since taking a 7-2 beating from the Boston Bruins last weekend. The Canes came out firing in the first period of Tuesday’s game, peppering the Lightning with 14 shots. However, they totaled just 14 more shots over the next two periods and only two in overtime.

Pick: Under 5.5

Dallas Stars at Calgary Flames (-163, 5.5)

The Dallas Stars are learning that close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. They’re 0-2 to start the season, losing both contests in shootouts.

"You can say it’s just a skills competition or whatever, but it’s really important," said defenseman Stephane Robidas told the Star-Telegram. "It’s an extra point for the winner, and that can be big at the end of the year."

The Stars have been monsters when it comes to the shootout. Despite their recent SO losses, the team posts a 32-16 record in shootouts since it was introduced in 2005. However, the team knows it needs to avoid these situations by getting the job done in regulation.

"I think we are very close," coach Marc Crawford said. "I think we have the players who can score goals, and Marty Turco has a very strong history in stopping shots."

Dallas will face one of the NHL’s fastest starters in the Calgary Flames Friday, who will be coming off a hard-fought game against the rival Edmonton Oilers last Thursday night. The Stars took Wednesday off and will practice at Pengrowth Saddledome Thursday, coming into Friday night’s tilt well rested and focused on avoiding another shootout.

Pick: Dallas +150

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Friday Trends and Indexes 10/9 (MLB, NHL, WNBA, CFL, Misc.)

Friday Trends and Indexes 10/9 (MLB, NHL, WNBA, CFL, Misc.)

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