Thursday Trends and Indexes 4/8 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

[Udog]

MLB
Short Sheet


Thursday, 4/8/2010

LA DODGERS at PITTSBURGH, 12:35 PM ET MLBTV
BILLINGSLEY: Dodgers 9-1 Over revenging a loss as a -150 or bigger favorite
MAHOLM: 12-5 TSR as an underdog of +150 or less

ST LOUIS at CINCINNATI, 12:35 PM ET
PENNY: St. Louis 36-18 SU in April
ARROYO: 7-13 TSR vs. St. Louis

PHILADELPHIA at WASHINGTON, 4:35 PM ET
KENDRICK: 15-4 TSR in the first half of the season
STAMMEN: Washington 22-55 SU in the first half of the season

CHICAGO CUBS at ATLANTA, 7:10 PM ET MLBTV
WELLS: Cubs 10-30 SU as an underdog
HANSON: 8-2 TSR as a favorite of -150 or higher

FLORIDA at NY METS, 7:10 PM ET
ROBERTSON: Florida 12-3 SU away off a win by one run
NIESE: Mets 31-17 Under as a favorite of -150 or less

TORONTO at TEXAS, 2:05 PM ET
ROMERO: Toronto 22-46 SU off BB road games
WILSON: Texas 38-18 Under vs. lefthanded starters

DETROIT at KANSAS CITY, 2:10 PM ET
WILLIS: 10-26 TSR as a road underdog of +150 or less
BANNISTER: 23-10 TSR in day games

SEATTLE at OAKLAND, 3:35 PM ET MLBTV
FISTER: Seattle 29-15 Under in day games
ANDERSON: Oakland 6-17 SU at home after winning 2 of their last 3 games

BALTIMORE at TAMPA BAY, 7:10 PM ET
MATUSZ: Baltimore 7-31 SU away vs. division opponents
NIEMANN: Tampa Bay 40-10 SU as a home favorite of -150 to -175

CLEVELAND at CHI WHITE SOX, 8:10 PM ET
MASTERSON: Cleveland 13-31 SU off BB games committing 0 errors
FLOYD: 14-1 TSR at home pitching off a team loss

MINNESOTA at LA ANGELS, 10:05 PM ET
SLOWEY: Minnesota 30-17 Under off BB Unders
PINEIRO: Angels 21-7 SU off BB losses

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

[Udog]

MLB
Write-Up


Thursday, April 8

Hot pitchers
-- Maholm has a 2.57 RA in his last three starts.
-- Arroyo is 5-2, 1.55 in his last ten starts. Pennyis 4-1, 2.87 in his last six starts.
-- Kendrick was 1-0, 3.97 in two starts LY.
-- Hanson is 2-1, 2.31 in his last six starts.
-- Niese is 1-1, 3.00 in his last three starts.

-- Anderson is 4-1, 3.77 in his last five starts.
-- Matusz is 3-0, 2.57 in his last three starts. Tampa Bay won eight of last ten Neimann home starts.
-- White Sox won ten of last eleven home starts by Floyd.

Cold pitchers
-- Billingsley is 0-5, 5.31 in his last seven starts.
-- Stammen is 1-2, 8.53 in his last eight starts.
-- Cubs lost four of last five road starts by Wells.
-- Robertson is 1-1, 6.50 in his last four starts.

-- Romero is 2-4, 5.79 in his last eight starts. Wilson has 50 saves over last three years, but is now a starter for first time since he started five games for the Rnagers back in 2005.
-- Bannister is 0-5, 9.87 in his last six starts. Willis is 0-2, 9.82 in his last four road starts.
-- Fister is 1-3, 6.45 in his last four starts.
-- Masterson is 0-4, 9.95 in last four road starts.
-- Pineiro is 1-3, 5.20 in his last six starts. Slowey has a 7.54 RA in his last five starts.

Totals
-- Under is 4-1-1 in last six Billingsley starts.
-- Last seven Arroyo starts stayed under the total.
-- Five of last seven Stammen starts went over the total.
-- Six of last eight Hanson starts stayed under the total.
-- Four of five Niese starts LY went over the total.

-- Seven of last ten Romero starts went over the total.
-- Last four Bannister starts went over the total. Under is 4-1-1 in last six Willis starts.
-- Three of last four Anderson starts stayed under the total.
-- Five of last seven Neimann starts stayed under the total.
-- Last six Floyd starts stayed under the total.
-- Five of last seven Pineiro starts went over the total

[Udog]

MLB


Thursday, April 8

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Trend Report
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12:35 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. CINCINNATI
St. Louis is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games
St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Cincinnati
Cincinnati is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
Cincinnati is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against St. Louis

12:35 PM
LA DODGERS vs. PITTSBURGH
LA Dodgers are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
LA Dodgers are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against LA Dodgers
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home

2:05 PM
TORONTO vs. TEXAS
Toronto is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games
Toronto is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Texas
Texas is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
Texas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Toronto

2:10 PM
DETROIT vs. KANSAS CITY
Detroit is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
Detroit is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
Kansas City is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Kansas City is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Detroit

3:35 PM
SEATTLE vs. OAKLAND
Seattle is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Seattle is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games when playing Oakland
Oakland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Seattle
Oakland is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games

4:35 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. WASHINGTON
Philadelphia is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games
Philadelphia is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
Washington is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Philadelphia

7:10 PM
BALTIMORE vs. TAMPA BAY
Baltimore is 1-12 SU in its last 13 games on the road
Baltimore is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games

7:10 PM
FLORIDA vs. NY METS
Florida is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against NY Mets
Florida is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
NY Mets are 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
NY Mets are 4-1 SU in its last 5 games

7:10 PM
CHI CUBS vs. ATLANTA
Chi Cubs are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing Atlanta
Chi Cubs are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games at home
Atlanta is 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs

8:10 PM
CLEVELAND vs. CHI WHITE SOX
Cleveland is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
Cleveland is 1-16 SU in its last 17 games on the road
Chi White Sox are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against Cleveland
Chi White Sox are 3-6 SU in their last 9 games at home

10:05 PM
MINNESOTA vs. LA ANGELS
Minnesota is 3-7 SU in their last 10 games when playing LA Angels
Minnesota is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games
LA Angels are 15-7 SU in their last 22 games when playing at home against Minnesota
LA Angels are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games when playing Minnesota


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[Udog]

NBA
Dunkel


LA Lakers at Denver
The Lakers look to bounce back from a 100-81 loss to San Antonio and build on their 5-1 ATS record in their last 6 games following a loss by 10 points or more. Los Angeles is the pick (+2) according to Dunkel, which has the game even. Dunkel Pick: LA Lakers (+2). Here are all of today's picks.

THURSDAY, APRIL 8

Game 501-502: Cleveland at Chicago
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland 121.857; Chicago 121.380
Dunkel Line & Total: Even; 196
Vegas Line & Total: Chicago by 3; 193
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (+3); Over

Game 503-504: LA Clippers at Sacramento
Dunkel Ratings: LA Clippers 105.816; Sacramento 116.385
Dunkel Line & Total: Sacramento by 10 1/2; 194
Vegas Line & Total: Sacramento by 6 1/2; 198 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Sacramento (-6 1/2); Under

Game 505-506: LA Lakers at Denver
Dunkel Ratings: LA Lakers 119.341; Denver 119.804
Dunkel Line & Total: Even; 200
Vegas Line & Total: Denver by 2; 203 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Lakers (+2); Under

[Udog]

NBA
Short Sheet


Thursday, 4/8/2010

CLEVELAND at CHICAGO, 8:05 PM ET TNT
CLEVELAND: 13-3 ATS off a home win by 10+ points
CHICAGO: 17-2 Over after playing 3+ games as a favorite

LA CLIPPERS at SACRAMENTO, 10:05 PM ET
LA CLIPPERS: 9-1 Over away off 5+ losses
SACRAMENTO: 1-8 ATS at home off BB Unders

LA LAKERS at DENVER, 10:35 PM ET TNT
LA LAKERS: 32-18 ATS as an underdog
DENVER: 3-11 ATS with a line of +3 to -3

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

[Udog]

NBA
Write-Up


Thursday, April 8

Hot Teams
-- Cavaliers won 19 of last 21 games. Bulls won six of last nine games, covered nine of last 12.
-- Nuggets won last three games, allowing 92 ppg.

Cold Teams
-- Clippers lost their last six games (1-5 vs spread). Kings lost their last eight games (0-3-1 vs spread in last four).
-- Lakers lost four of their last six games.

Playing Second of Back-to-Back Nights
-- Clippers are 3-8-1 vs spread on road if they played night before.
-- Nuggets are 6-11-2 vs spread if they played the night before.

Totals
-- Eight of last ten Chicago games stayed under the total.
-- Six of last nine Clipper games stayed under the total. Under is 8-0-1 in last nine San Antonio games.
-- Five of last six Denver games stayed under the total.

[Udog]

NBA


Thursday, April 8

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
CLEVELAND vs. CHICAGO
Cleveland is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Cleveland is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Chicago
Chicago is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 games
Chicago is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games

10:00 PM
LA CLIPPERS vs. SACRAMENTO
LA Clippers are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games
LA Clippers are 3-10-1 ATS in their last 14 games on the road
Sacramento is 6-3 ATS in their last 9 games when playing at home against LA Clippers
Sacramento is 21-2 SU in their last 23 games when playing at home against LA Clippers

10:30 PM
LA LAKERS vs. DENVER
LA Lakers are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games when playing on the road against Denver
LA Lakers are 6-3 SU in their last 9 games when playing on the road against Denver
Denver is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Denver is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home


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[Udog]

NHL
Dunkel


Vancouver at San Jose
The Sharks look to take advantage of a Vancouver team that is 1-4 in its last 5 road games. San Jose is the pick (-170) according to Dunkel, which has the Sharks favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: San Jose (-170). Here are all of today's picks.

THURSDAY, APRIL 8

Game 51-52: Buffalo at Boston
Dunkel Ratings: Buffalo 12.025; Boston 12.458
Dunkel Line & Total: Boston by 1/2; 4 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 53-54: Montreal at Carolina
Dunkel Ratings: Montreal 11.733; Carolina 12.130
Dunkel Line & Total: Carolina by 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 55-56: Ottawa at Tampa Bay
Dunkel Ratings: Ottawa 10.700; Tampa Bay 10.892
Dunkel Line & Total: Tampa Bay by 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Ottawa (-140); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (+120); Over

Game 57-58: NY Islanders at Pittsburgh
Dunkel Ratings: NY Islanders 11.194; Pittsburgh 11.671
Dunkel Line & Total: Pittsburgh by 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 59-60: New Jersey at Florida
Dunkel Ratings: New Jersey 11.306; Florida 11.656
Dunkel Line & Total: Florida by 1/2; 4
Vegas Line & Total: New Jersey (-165); 5
Dunkel Pick: Florida (+145); Under

Game 61-62: Anaheim at Dallas
Dunkel Ratings: Anaheim 11.634; Dallas 12.491
Dunkel Line & Total: Dallas by 1; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Dallas (-145); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Dallas (-145); Over

Game 63-64: Minnesota at Calgary
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota 9.649; Calgary 11.770
Dunkel Line & Total: Calgary by 2; 5
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 65-66: Phoenix at Los Angeles
Dunkel Ratings: Phoenix 11.976; Los Angeles 12.986
Dunkel Line & Total: Los Angeles by 1; 6
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 67-68: Vancouver at San Jose
Dunkel Ratings: Vancouver 10.847; San Jose 12.136
Dunkel Line & Total: San Jose by 1 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: San Jose (-170); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Jose (-170); Over

[Udog]

NHL
Short Sheet


Thursday, 4/8/2010

BUFFALO at BOSTON, 7:05 PM ET VERSUS
BUFFALO: 9-3 Under off a home win by 2+ goals
BOSTON: 2-7 SU off 4+ games scoring 2 goals or less

MONTREAL at CAROLINA, 7:35 PM ET
MONTREAL: 12-4 Under revenging a home loss
CAROLINA: 3-11 SU after allowing 5+ goals

OTTAWA at TAMPA BAY, 7:35 PM ET
OTTAWA: 13-5 SU after scoring 5+ goals
TAMPA BAY: 3-17 SU off a home loss by 2+ goals

NY ISLANDERS at PITTSBURGH, 7:35 PM ET NHL
NY ISLANDERS: 5-13 SU off a win by 1 goal
PITTSBURGH: 8-0 SU off a home loss by 2+ goals

NEW JERSEY at FLORIDA, 7:35 PM ET
NEW JERSEY: 7-1 SU off 4+ Unders
FLORIDA: 5-17 SU off a home loss

ANAHEIM at DALLAS, 8:35 PM ET
ANAHEIM: 1-10 SU away vs. division opponents
DALLAS: 20-10 SU after allowing 4+ goals

MINNESOTA at CALGARY, 9:35 PM ET
MINNESOTA: 12-28 SU in road games
CALGARY: 17-5 Under playing with same-season revenge

PHOENIX at LOS ANGELES, 10:35 PM ET
PHOENIX: 6-1 SU off a win by 3+ goals
LOS ANGELES: 6-13 SU revenging a loss by 1 goal

VANCOUVER at SAN JOSE, 10:35 PM ET
VANCOUVER: 16-5 SU off BB Overs
SAN JOSE: 23-14 Under playing their fourth game in seven days

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

[Udog]

NHL
Write-Up


Thursday, April 8

Hot Teams
-- Buffalo won eight of its last eleven games. Bruins are 8-2 in the game following their last ten losses.
-- Senators won seven of their last eight games.
-- Islanders won four of their last five games.
-- Devils won last two games, 4-0/3-0; they allowed three goals total in their last four games.
-- Ducks won four of their last five games.
-- Kings won three of their last four games.
-- Sharks won six of their last eight games. Vancouver is 8-1 in the game following its last nine losses.

Cold Teams
-- Carolina lost 4-0 in both its last two home games. Canadiens lost three of their last four road games.
-- Lightning lost four of last five games, allowing 23 goals.
-- Penguins are 5-8 in their last thirteen games.
-- Panthers lost six of their last seven games.
-- Dallas Stars lost last two games: 2-1/5-2.
-- Minnesota lost last four games, outscored 15-6. Flames lost last two games: 4-1/2-1.
-- Coyotes lost their last four road games, outscored 12-5.

Totals
-- Last six Boston games stayed under the total. Five of Buffalo's last seven games went over.
-- Seven of last nine Carolina games stayed under the total.
-- Three of last four Ottawa games went over the total.
-- Three of last four Penguin games went over the total.
-- Six of last eight Florida games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last seven Anaheim games stayed under the total. Three of last four Dallas games went over.
-- Seven of last eight Calgary games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last seven Los Angeles games stayed under the total.
-- Four of last five Vancouver games went over the total.

Playing second of back-to-back nights
-- Coyotes are 5-4 on road if they played the night before.

Series Records
-- Sabres are 4-3 in their last seven visits to Boston.
-- Canadiens are 6-4 in last ten visits to Raleigh.
-- Senators won four of last five games against Tampa Bay.
-- Pittsburgh won five of last six games against the Islanders.
-- Devils won five of their last seven games against Florida.
-- Ducks are 5-4 in their last nine visits to Dallas.
-- Flames lost their last five games against Minnesota.
-- Coyotes won six of last nine visits to Staples Center.
-- Sharks won nine of last eleven games against Vancouver.

[Udog]

NHL


Thursday, April 8

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
BUFFALO vs. BOSTON
Buffalo is 5-12 SU in its last 17 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Buffalo's last 7 games
Boston is 3-14 SU in its last 17 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games

7:00 PM
MONTREAL vs. CAROLINA
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Montreal's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Montreal's last 7 games when playing Carolina
Carolina is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games when playing Montreal
Carolina is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home

7:30 PM
NEW JERSEY vs. FLORIDA
New Jersey is 16-6 SU in its last 22 games when playing Florida
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Jersey's last 5 games when playing on the road against Florida
Florida is 5-18-1 SU in its last 24 games ,when playing at home against New Jersey
Florida is 6-16 SU in its last 22 games when playing New Jersey

7:30 PM
NY ISLANDERS vs. PITTSBURGH
The total has gone OVER in 4 of the NY Islanders last 5 games
NY Islanders are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against NY Islanders
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing NY Islanders

7:30 PM
OTTAWA vs. TAMPA BAY
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Ottawa's last 8 games on the road
Ottawa is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing at home against Ottawa

8:30 PM
ANAHEIM vs. DALLAS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Anaheim's last 6 games on the road
Anaheim is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games at home
Dallas is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games when playing at home against Anaheim

9:30 PM
MINNESOTA vs. CALGARY
Minnesota is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Calgary's last 5 games
Calgary is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Minnesota

10:30 PM
PHOENIX vs. LOS ANGELES
Phoenix is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Phoenix's last 6 games when playing Los Angeles
Los Angeles is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Phoenix
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 7 games

10:30 PM
VANCOUVER vs. SAN JOSE
Vancouver is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Vancouver's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of San Jose's last 12 games at home
San Jose is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home


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[Udog]

Thursday six-pack

Various prop bets dealing with Eldrick Woods' performance at Augusta; bookmakers are saying they've never had this much golf action.......

-- You can get anywhere from 9-2 to 6-1 on Eldrick Woods to win The Masters this week; hard to imagine he'll win, but its never been a good idea to bet against him either.

-- If Woods wins this week, Ladbrokes.com in England will also pay off the second place winner as if he won the tournament.

-- Will Woods make the cut? Yes -$700, No, +$500

-- Over/under on Woods' front nine score Thursday: under 36.5, -$120, over 36.5, even.

-- What will Woods do on the first hole Thursday?
Par -$170, anything else, +$150

-- Over/under on which hole Woods gets first birdie/eagle: 6.5 holes.


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


Thursday's List of 13: Lot of things to cover on Catfish's birthday

13) Dino Gaudio was named basketball coach at Wake Forest in wake of Skip Prosser's untimely death three summers ago; He was 61-31 at Wake, 27-21 in ACC play, but 0-3 in ACC tourney, 1-2 in NCAA tourney, and now we know those numbers aren't good enough. Gaudio was let go by Wake Forest Wednesday afternoon, another surprising coaching change.

12) Takes some onions to make this move; Wake seemed to regress as the last two seasons went on; they've had solid talent, but lets face it, Wake ain't Duke or Kentucky when it comes to winning. 27-21 in ACC games over a three-year span isn't terrible. Lot of pressure on AD Wellman to come up with a MUCH better replacement. You read on the Internet that he is a sharp guy who thinks things out in advance-- we'll see.

11) Just so you know, there was once an ACC coach who went 38-47 in his first three years as head coach at that school. Ron Wellman would've fired him, but he kept his job and now, 27 years later, he still has it. Guy has won four national championships. Good thing Duke didn't pull plug on Mike Krzyzewski, or else the world would have one less educator.

10) Rich Harden threw 89 pitches to 19 batters Wednesday; he walked five, struck out eight-- only four of the 89 pitches were put in play, and he only lasted 3.1 innings in Rangers' 7-4 loss to the Blue Jays. Harden is talented but aggravating-- can't seem to harness his immense talent.

9) A's unveiled young reliever Tyson Ross last night; he has nasty stuff. Is he the only major leaguer who wears his height (6-6) on his back? Kid looks like he could be a big help to the Oakland bullpen.

8) Todd Helton is 13 for 24 in his career against Trevor Hoffman-- you figure all of those at-bats came in the 9th inning or later, right? And all in close games too. Hoffman looked tough against the Rockies yesterday.

7) William & Mary switched its nickname from Tribe to Griffins after a vote; a Griffin is a mythical creature with head of an eagle, body of a lion. It is also the mascot at Canisius College in Buffalo.

6) Grey Cup in Calgary last fall is said to have had an impact of $81M to the economy in Alberta, $61M in city of Calgary. 32,000 visitors stayed an average of 3.6 nights-- 46,020 people attended the actual game.

5) Arizona Rattlers in Arena League are giving away every ticket to their home opener against Chicago April 16. Thats 17,000 free tickets, kind of the same marketing approach used by AOL and crack dealers.

4) They just came out with pretzel M&Ms; who knew?

3) David Letterman had Butler coach Brad Stevens on Tuesday night and jokingly offered him a year's salary if he would quit Butler and go coach at Ball State, Letterman's alma mater. Letterman's yearly salary: $31M!!!!

2) "Never give out your credit card number or social security number or other key information out on phone unless you're the person who made the phone call." Thats my financial safety advice of the day.

1) Catfish Hunter was my first sports hero; they spelled his name wrong on his rookie baseball card, and he had no minor league record, so when I was five, I adopted him as my favorite player and the A's as my favorite team. Today would have been Catfish's 64th birthday.

[Udog]

Len's Top 5

Happy Thursday everyone, here's my Top 5 for April 8, 2010 from Len Berman.

1. Quick Hits

The Masters golf tournament gets underway today in Augusta, Georgia. There is more than one golfer competing, right?
Miami Dolphins free agent linebacker Jason Taylor, who in the past has trashed the Jets, their fans and their stadium, reportedly met with the Jets yesterday.
Tennis star Martina Navratilova revealed she has breast cancer. Says she expects to make a full recovery.
Just stopping by. Four freshmen and a junior at Kentucky will bolt for the NBA draft.
Whoa Nellie. Golden State coach Don Nelson wins his 1,333rd game surpassing Lenny Wilkens as the winningest all time NBA coach.
Economics 101, supply and demand. The Chicago Cubs have the highest priced tickets, averaging $52.56. The Red Sox are second, Yankees third. Premium seats are not included in these calculations.

2. Morality Play

I found it interesting that the Chairman of the Augusta National Club took time to pile on Tiger Woods. Billy Payne opined ""It is not simply the degree of his conduct that is so egregious here. It is the fact that he disappointed all of us, and more importantly, our kids and our grandkids."
If any of those kids or grandkids happen to be female, they'll never be allowed to join Augusta. Just thought I'd point that out.

3. Let's Go Rangers

Rangers hockey fans are some of the most passionate in sport. Too bad their ardor often goes unrewarded.They could very well miss the playoffs despite their hefty payroll. Glen Sather has been President and GM since 2000 and the Rangers have made the playoffs just 4 times. Do the Knicks' failures allow the Rangers to fly under the radar? Are the Cablevision Dolans so rich it doesn't matter that the Garden lights will be turned off on the playoffs this spring? Is Sather GM for life? Just askin'.

4. Happy Birthday John

As you'll see below, John Havlicek celebrates a special birthday today. I'm often asked how I could grow up in New York as a Knicks fan, and become a Boston Celtics TV broadcaster. Easy. When you get into journalism you don't root for teams, you root for people. The day John Havlicek retired in 1978, I drove with him to his last game with a camera crew in tow. That day, John gave me a pocket watch with the inscription "Time for a friend." It's easy to see why I'm a John Havlicek fan for life.

5. Location, Location, Location

And now for the latest on the Iceland real estate market. That country's parliament has passed a new law banning strip clubs, effective July 1st. And as Dwight Perry points out in the Seattle Times, "There went Reykjavik's hopes of ever landing a pro sports franchise."


Happy Birthday: One of my heroes, Boston Celtic John Havlicek. 70.
Bonus Birthday: Musician Julian Lennon, John's son. 47.

Today in Sports: Move over Babe. Hank Aaron hits home run number 715 to become the all time home run champion. (Since eclipsed by Barry Bonds.) And featured in my best selling kids book The Greatest Moments in Sports. 1974.
Bonus Event: Dodgers executive Al Campanis is forced to resign after making some unfortunate remarks, such as "Blacks may not have the necessities" to become managers or general managers, on ABC's Nightline. 1987.