Thursday's Trends and Indexes 5/27 (NBA, MLB, WNBA, Misc.)

[Udog]

MLB


Thursday, May 27

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Hot Lines: Today's best MLB bets
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New York Yankees at Minnesota Twins (105, 10)

The small-market Twins have established themselves as one of the AL's elite teams, but they still have market envy when they face the men in pinstripes.

Dating back to last season, the Yankees are 13-1 against the Twins after Wednesday's conclusion of a suspended game. Derek Jeter's homer kept the Twins from winning even in an abbreviated outing.

"They seem to be relentless. That's why they're world champions,'' Twins pitcher Brian Duensing said. " I feel like we're always in every game. Keep plugging away, I think we'll eventually get 'em."

Their chances are better today with Nick Blackburn (5-1) going to the hill, but Yankees starter Javier Vazquez (3-4) has actualy been hotter, posting a 1.38 ERA over his last three starrt's to Blackburn's 2.53.

Vazquez suffered a bruised index finger against the Mets last week but threw a bullpen session Tuesday without any difficulties. Look for him to continue the Yanks' ownership streak of the Twins.

Pick: Yankees


Pittsburgh Pirates at Cincinnati Reds (-190, 8.5)

Familiarity is supposed to benefits the hitters. Reds' righty Johnny Cueto is defying that trend.

In a bit of a scheduling quirk, Cueto faces the Pirates for the fourth time in his last 10 starts - and he has been increasingly effective with each meeting.

After being relatively shelled by the Bucs in the final week of last season, Cueto lasted only five innings the Pirates in opening week, allowing four earned runs and issuing four walks. Then Cueto nearly no-hit the Bucs two weeks ago, allowing only one hit in a complete game shutout.

Cueto has been simlarly strong in his more recent wins over the Brewers and Indians, but he seems to have figured out the Pirates. So have the rest of the Reds, who are 5-15 in their last 20.

The Bucs haven't scored more than five runs in their last eight and were shutout by the Reds again on Wednesday.

"We've got to score runs," Pirates manager John Russell said of his team's poor two-week stretch for the offense. "No one is really swinging the bat really good right now."

Pick: Reds


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[Udog]

MLB


Thursday, May 27

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Streaking and Slumping Pitchers
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Streaking

John Ely (3-1, 2.84 ERA) Los Angeles Dodgers

After getting off to a slow start to the season, Ely has been red hot over his last three starts, allowing two earned runs in each outing and winning them all.

Ely's most impressive performance came two starts ago when he held the Astros to five hits in seven innings, striking out eight and walking none.

Ely went three straight starts, or 84 consecutive batters, without allowing a walk, giving up just one in last week's win over the Tigers.

With a fastball that tops out at 88 mph, Ely is relying on his pinpoint control to baffle batters - along with the new-found confidence he brings to the mound.

"I've got enough confidence in what I'm bringing to the table," Ely said. "The fact that if I execute my pitch where I want it, I feel like I have the advantage no matter who I am facing. That's the way you got to go out and feel like every time out."

Cole Hamels (5-2, 3.92 ERA) Philadelphia Phillies

Hamels may be the ultimate boy of summer. As the calendar page flipped from April to May and the temperature has climbed, he has won three straight and his ERA has dropped like a rock.

After going 2-2 with a 5.28 ERA in five April starts, Hamels is 3-0 in the month of May with an ERA of 2.36. He has allowed only seven earned runs in his four May starts.

"It's nice, summertime," Hamels said. "Your body feels nice, you're kind of stretched out - I have a few innings under my belt, so my body takes over and that's kind of the exciting part of having the great weather."

Despite winning three straight, the lefty's turnaround may have come in a tough no-decision on May 7, when he struck out eight Cardinals and held them to one earned run but watched the bullpen blow it late. He hasn't been leaving wins to chance ever since.


Slumping

Barry Zito (6-2, 2.60)

Zito has gone from streaking to slumping in record time, but the veteran lefty could easily snap out of it without warning.

Still, it's hard to ignore his seven-walk outing two weeks ago against the Padres for his first loss of the season and the nine hits he allowed in a 6-1 defeat to the Oakland A's last week.

Zito fell to 0-4 with an 8.85 ERA against his former team, but he's been across the Bay long enough by now that he didn't blame the emotions of returning to Oakland for his performance. He knows he has some kinks to work out and will try to do so against the Washington Nationals today.

"Today was a lot different than it was three years ago. It was just like any other game, pretty much," Zito said after the loss. "... I definitely have adjustments to make. I'm not content at all. I just have to stay low and keep grinding."

David Bush (1-5, 5.59 ERA) Milwaukee Brewers

It's hard to say a 1-5 pitcher is slumping, but Bush's last three starts make his first nine look like Cy Young.

Bush has lasted just 12.1 innings in his last three trips to the mound, allowing 22 hits and 13 earned runs and almost doubling his ERA (9.49) during that span.

Those numbers are a little misleading in light of the righty's last outing, lasting just 1/3 inning and allowing seven earned runs against the Twins.

"I'm not really sure what I can say other than that's the worst outing I've ever had at any level," Bush said. "It doesn't get a lot worse than that."

Let's hope for his sake that is rock bottom, but his previous two losses to the Phillies and Braves weren't much better.


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[Udog]

WNBA


Thursday, May 27

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Lady Luck: Today's WNBA best bets
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Minnesota Lynx at Connecticut Sun (-7, 161)

The struggling Minnesota Lynx are slowly beginning to get pieces of their puzzle back.

The team reinstated Rebekkah Brunson from the suspended list earlier this week after Brunson missed the first four games of the 2010 WNBA season due to overseas commitments. Minnesota is still without Candace Wiggins, who could return soon from a knee injury, and Seimone Augustus, who is out until June after having non-cancerous tumors removed.

The Lynx are off to a 1-3 start, losing three straight games since winning the season opener. Their most recent defeat was a 94-82 loss to the Tulsa Shock, failing to cover as 6.5-point home favorites. Minnesota is 2-2 against the spread heading into Thursday’s game.

"Candice and Seimone aren't going to go out there and be the answer to our problems,'' Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve told the Pioneer Press.

Brunson, a former WNBA All-Star, should give the team some toughness up front. She’s averaged just under nine points and over six rebounds in her six-year WNBA career. Minnesota needs that boost, especially against a tough Sun squad coming off a win over the Washington Mystics last weekend.

Pick: Minnesota


Seattle Storm at Chicago Sky

The Seattle Storm look like true WNBA championship contenders four games into the 2010 season.

They’re off to a 4-0 start for the first time in franchise history. Seattle defeated Washington 82-76 at home Tuesday, fighting back from 10 points down in the second half. Seattle poured in 36 points in the fourth quarter, jumping ahead and putting the final over the 143-point total set by oddsmakers. Heading into Thursday’s game, the Storm are 4-0 over/under on the year.

"I said the same thing at halftime I said before the game except I was a little bit more pointed," Seattle coach Brian Agler told reporters. "I don't consider what I said to them the difference-maker, but I do think that they regrouped and there was a little bit different team playing in the second half."

The Storm ranks third in scoring and has a ton of weapons. Point guard Sue Bird and backcourt mate Tanisha Wright each had 16 points versus the Mystics while forwards Lauren Jackson and Swin Cash chipped in with 14 points apiece. Center Camille Little also struck double figures with 11 points in the win.

Pick: Over


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[Udog]

NBA
Long Sheet


Thursday, May 27

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PHOENIX (64 - 32) at LA LAKERS (67 - 29) - 5/27/2010, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA LAKERS are 12-3 ATS (+8.7 Units) after 3 or more consecutive overs this season.
LA LAKERS are 18-5 ATS (+12.5 Units) when tied in a playoff series since 1996.
LA LAKERS are 55-38 ATS (+13.2 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
PHOENIX is 57-37 ATS (+16.3 Units) in all games this season.
PHOENIX is 42-29 ATS (+10.1 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 210 this season.
PHOENIX is 33-14 ATS (+17.6 Units) after allowing 105 points or more this season.
PHOENIX is 37-26 ATS (+8.4 Units) after scoring 105 points or more this season.
PHOENIX is 34-21 ATS (+10.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
PHOENIX is 24-11 ATS (+11.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season this season.
PHOENIX is 39-21 ATS (+15.9 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
PHOENIX is 24-9 ATS (+14.1 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
LA LAKERS are 42-52 ATS (-15.2 Units) in all games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA LAKERS is 10-6 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
LA LAKERS is 11-5 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
11 of 16 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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[Udog]

WNBA
Long Sheet


Thursday, May 27

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MINNESOTA (1 - 3) at CONNECTICUT (2 - 1) - 5/27/2010, 7:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 2-1 against the spread versus CONNECTICUT over the last 3 seasons
CONNECTICUT is 3-1 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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SEATTLE (4 - 0) at CHICAGO (0 - 4) - 5/27/2010, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 7-17 ATS (-11.7 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 7-16 ATS (-10.6 Units) in May, June, or July games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 3-1 against the spread versus SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 2-2 straight up against SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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[Udog]

NBA


Thursday, May 27

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Tips and Trends
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Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers [TNT | 9:00 PM ET]

Suns: Phoenix was considered all but done in their series with the Lakers after starting the series down 2-0 in their Western Conference Finals clash. However, the Suns won both games at home, and return back to Staples Center all tied up at 2-2. Each team has held serve at home, winning all 4 games thus far. The Suns keep scoring in waves, as we've seen offensive adjustments in the way the Suns attack the paint. F Amar'e Stoudemire had a team high 21 PTS in Game 4, including 12 free throw attempts. Stoudemire attempted 30 free throws in Games 3 and 4 combined. 5 other Suns players scored in double figures in Game 4, including C Channing Frye. Frye finally got out of his shooting slump, as he made 4 three pointers in route to 14 PTS off the bench. F Jared Dudley and G Leandro Barbosa combined to score 25 PTS, including 5 three pointers made. In total, the Suns bench outscored the Lakers bench 54 to 20 in Game 4. Phoenix is 64-32 SU and 58-37-1 ATS overall this season. The Suns are 26-22 SU and 27-21 ATS in road games this season. The Suns are 2-5 as a road underdog between 6.5 and 9 PTS this season. Phoenix is 10-4 ATS in all playoff games this year heading into tonight.

Suns are 10-4 in all playoff games.
Over is 4-0 in the Conference Finals.

Key injuries - None.

PROJECTED SCORE: 113

Lakers (-7.5, O/U 218): Los Angeles returns home with their NBA Finals aspirations in doubt. The Lakers lost both playoff games in Phoenix, mostly due to a defense that couldn't contain the explosive Suns. The Lakers allowed the Suns to score 115 and 118 PTS in Phoenix, and G Kobe Bryant is not happy about it. Bryant spoke candidly after Game 4 about what the Lakers needed to do to win this series. Los Angeles really struggled in Phoenix with regards to fouls, as the Suns attempted 41 more free throws than the Lakers in Games 3 and 4 combined. Bryant was brilliant in Game 4, as he scored a game high 38 points, making 15 of his 22 shots including 6 three pointers. F Pau Gasol had his first subpar game, as he only had 15 PTS and 5 rebounds in Game 4. Meanwhile, F Lamar Odom had yet another double double off the bench, scoring 15 PTS and grabbing 10 rebounds. Los Angeles is 67-29 SU and 41-52-3 ATS overall this year. The Lakers are 41-7 SU and 21-26-1 ATS in home games this season. The Lakers are 6-7 ATS as a home favorite between 6.5 and 9 PTS this season.

Lakers are 6-2 ATS against Phoenix at the Staples Center.
Over is 4-0 in Conference Finals.

Key injuries - None.

PROJECTED SCORE: 114 (OVER - Total of the Day)


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[Udog]

MLB


Thursday, May 27

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Tips and Trends
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Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets [7:10 PM ET]

Phillies (-130, O/U 8): Philadelphia is in the middle of an offensive rut, and it's cost them 3 consecutive losses and 5 of their past 7 games overall. The Phillies have scored 3 runs combined in their past 3 games heading into tonight's contest. Despite their struggles, oddsmakers are still making this team the listed favorite as tonight will mark their 11th straight game as the listed favorite. Philadelphia is still leading the National League East division at 26-18 overall. The Phillies actually have a better record on the road than at home, 13-8 overall. Philadelphia only trails San Diego for the overall best record in the National League. The Phillies will send lefty Cole Hamels to the mound tonight. Hamels is 5-2 this season with an ERA of 3.92 and a WHIP of 1.40. The Phillies have won 7 of the 9 games started by Hamels this year.

Phillies are 21-11 against right handed starters this season.
The Under is 3-0 when playing on the road with a total between 8 and 8.5.

Key Injuries - SS Jimmy Rollins (calf) is out.

PROJECTED SCORE: 5 (Side of the Day)

Mets: New York has played a tough schedule of late, as they've been the listed underdog in each of their past 6 games. New York is playing well though, as they have gone 4-2 in that stretch of games. The Mets have scored 5 runs or more in each of those 4 recent wins. Defensively, the Mets have only allowed 9 total runs in their past 4 contests. New York is trying to gain gound in the brutally hard National League East, where all 5 teams are .500 or better. New York will send Michael Pelfrey to the mound today, where he looks to continue his stellar season. Pelfrey is 6-1 this season, with an ERA of 2.86 and a WHIP of 1.32. The Mets have played great at home, as they are 17-9 on the season.

Mets are 4-1 as a home underdog of +100 to +125.
The Over is 13-8 in the month of May.

Key Injuries - CF Carlos Beltran (knee) is out.

PROJECTED SCORE: 3


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[Udog]

NBA
Short Sheet


Thursday, 5/27/2010

Western Conference Finals
Game Five (Series Tied, 2-2)
PHOENIX AT LA LAKERS, 9:00 PM ET TNT
PHOENIX: 10-2 Over off a division win
LA LAKERS: 18-5 ATS when tied in a playoff series

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

[Udog]

MLB
Short Sheet


Thursday, 5/27/2010

HOUSTON at MILWAUKEE, 1:10 PM ET
MYERS: 12-5 TSR as an underdog of +150 or less
BUSH: Milwaukee 3-10 SU at home vs. right-handers

LA DODGERS at CHICAGO CUBS, 2:20 PM ET
ELY: Dodgers 37-15 SU in May
LILLY: Cubs 8-17 SU on Thursdays

ARIZONA at COLORADO, 3:10 PM ET
HAREN: Arizona 5-15 SU with a line of +125 to -125
HAMMEL: Colorado 18-7 Over at home off a win by 4+ runs

WASHINGTON at SAN FRANCISCO, 3:45 PM ET
STAMMEN: Washington 13-44 SU away after the bullpen allowed 0 runs
ZITO: 38-10 TSR as a home favorite of -150 to -200

ST LOUIS at SAN DIEGO, 6:35 PM ET
WALTERS: St. Louis 12-3 Under after scoring 2 runs or less
LEBLANC: San Diego 7-0 SU off BB one-run wins

PITTSBURGH at CINCINNATI, 7:10 PM ET
MORTON: Pittsburgh 12-44 SU away off 3+ road games
CUETO: Cincinnati 15-5 SU off BB home games

ATLANTA at FLORIDA, 7:10 PM ET
HUDSON: Atlanta 2-9 SU away with a line of +125 to -125
NOLASCO: Florida 12-3 Over at home after blowing a save

PHILADELPHIA at NY METS, 7:10 PM ET MLBTV
HAMELS: Philadelphia 0-7 SU away off a shutout loss
PELFREY: 6-0 TSR in night games

OAKLAND at BALTIMORE, 7:05 PM ET
GONZALEZ: Oakland 17-9 SU off an Under
BERGESEN: Baltimore 9-27 SU with a total of 8.5 to 10 runs

CHI WHITE SOX at TAMPA BAY, 7:10 PM ET
FLOYD: White Sox 11-32 SU playing on artificial turf
NIEMANN: 18-6 TSR in the first half of the season

KANSAS CITY at BOSTON, 7:10 PM ET
BANNISTER: 10-29 TSR in night games
MATSUZAKA: Boston 26-8 SU at home in May

NY YANKEES at MINNESOTA, 8:10 PM ET
VAZQUEZ: Yankees 85-41 SU after allowing 2 runs or less
BLACKBURN: Minnesota 10-20 SU after scoring and allowing 3 runs or less

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

[Udog]

Bettors' best friend: Thursday's wagering tips

Lines to keep an eye on

Lakers opened as 6.5-point favorites over the Suns and the spread has climbed to 7.5. The total launched at 219 but has fallen to 217.5.

Weather to watch

Nationals-Giants forecast calls for 50 percent chance of showers.

Braves-Marlins game faces 40 percent chance of thunderstorms.

Who's hot

Lakers are 7-0 SU and 5-2 ATS at home in playoffs.

Red Sox are 8-1 in their last nine.

Who's not

Astros are 2-9 in their last 11.

Orioles are 3-8 in their last 11.

Key stat

50 - Hitting streak Florida International's Garrett Wittels will be going for today in an elimination game of the Sun Belt tournament. The streak, already the second-longest in NCAA history behind former White Sox great Robin Ventura's 58, could end with a loss today if the sophomore opts to go pro.

Injury that shouldn't be overlooked

Streaky Yankees starter Javier Vasquez suffered a bruised index finger on this throwing hand last Friday against the New York Mets and was questionable to make today's start against the Twins. He threw a bullpen session Tuesday and reported no problems, but he's not the kind of pitcher who likes to give up the ball, even when he's struggling. If there is the slightest sign of a problem with the finger he will be on a short leash.

Game of the day

Suns at Lakers (-7.5, 217.5)

Notable quotable

"I can't dance tonight due to injury, trying to squat 420 without a warm(up) was dumb of me."

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco tweeted about why he did not take part in Tuesday night's season finale of "Dancing With The Stars."

Tips and notes

A logistical delay has literally made Jose Lima late for his own funeral, and could cause travel problems for some current players as well. Lima's body was delayed on its trip from L.A. to N.Y., moving the date from Thursday to Friday, a travel day for players who had hoped to attend. Red Sox slugger David Ortiz had been given permission from the team to take the day off to go the funeral and Johan Santana, Jose Reyes, Luis Castillo, Fernando Tatis, Placido Polanco, Antonio Bastardo and Alex Cora also wanted to attend before the Phillies played the Mets at Citi Field. No immediate word on their backup plans.

A power outage at Wrigley Field during Wednesday night's game made a long night even longer for the Dodgers, who made a rare Midwest road trip for just three games before heading back West. The series finale comes at 2 p.m. today, just 14 hours after the conclusion of Wednesday's late game. The Cubs are used to playing quick turnaround games at the Friendly Confines, and it could catch up to the Dodgers in Colorado this weekend.

Whoever said lightning never strikes the same place twice must not be at Roland Garros, where Robin Soderling is off to another surprisingly strong start in the French Open. Soderling's lightning-fast win on Wednesday lasted 71 minutes, three minutes shy of the 40-year-old record, and his first-round match was similarly impressive for a guy who came into the major after losing three straight matches in Rome. Granted it's only the third round, but he should be rested enough to make another run to the finals.

[Udog]

Thursday's six-pack

-- Coco Crisp made his 2010 debut Friday, played two games, but now is back on the DL with a chest muscle injury. Good grief.

-- Since leaving the Phillies, Rod Barajas is 17-31 with 19 RBI against his old ballclub.

-- Phillies have scored in only one of their last 37 innings, and that was in the last inning of a game when they already trailed 8-0.

-- Hate to see an umpire interject himself into a game like Joe West did Wednesday, calling two balks on Mark Buehrle, then quickly ejecting him from the game. No one paid to see Joe umpire. Have a thick skin.

-- Alaskan Shootout, which has been hurt by ESPN's new tournament in Florida Thanksgiving weekend, will have Arizona State, Ball State, Drake, St John's, Houston Baptist, Southern Utah and Weber State, as well as the host school, Alaska-Anchorage in this November's event.

-- Phillies are still atop NL East, with 26-19 record, but last place in the division are three teams tied at 24-23; interesting five-team race, and the Nationals have the most help on the way (Strasburg).


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Thursday's List of 13: Random stuff on a stormy night......

13) Rays and umpire Davidson got into it Tuesday night over size of the strike zone; Carl Crawford, Joe Maddon both got tossed, as Boston shut the Rays out. Looking at Davidson's index card, under is 8-3 when he is the home plate ump; total of 22 runs scored in his last five games, so he is an umpire who favors the pitchers, sometimes ridiculously so.

12) Clay Buchholz faced 24 Rays Monday night, had only one 2-0 count. Over his last three starts, Buchholz is 3-0 with a 1.77 RA.

11) Justin Mortenson is 0-11 in his last 16 starts for Cleveland; Indians scored total of 36 runs in those 16 games (2.3 runs/game).

10) Seattle lost last six Felix Hernandez starts (0-4, 5.97); Seattle scored a total of 15 runs in those six games. Mariner bullpen allowed 13 runs in last seven innings backing up King Felix.

9) Jonathan Sanchez has already lost two 1-0 games and a 3-0 game.

8) Interesting debut for Reds' reliever Enerio Del Rosario; struck out first guy he faced, but batter reached on wild pitch, then Dusty Baker changed pitchers, so the kid had a strikeout without actually retiring a batter.

7) LSU's starting PG is ineligible first semester next fall, so Tigers will be using very inexperienced guards in non-conference schedule. They've got a couple of decent freshman guards coming in, but having your point guard ineligible isn't the way to follow up last season's dreadful performance.

6) Why would Jets/Giants build a football stadium for $1.7B and not put a retractable roof on it? Now they can't use it in the winter.

5) I wonder what Wellington Mara, late owner of the Giants, would have thought of PSLs and ripping off season ticket holders for thousands and thousands of dollars when they already had a perfectly good stadium that was only 33 years old?

4) Its hard to believe the NFL will have a different OT rule during season than they will in the playoffs. They need to fix that.

3) Cavaliers fired coach Mike Brown despite his 272-138 record; guessing he isn't out of work very long. If I own the Cavaliers, I'm asking myself if the players around Lebron James are even close to championship-caliber. It wasn't Brown who assembled those players.

2) If you like high school/college basketball, there is terrific tournament in the Albany area this weekend, the Gym Rat Challenge, the third-biggest event of its kind in North America. 17/unders play at Siena Saturday and Sunday; 16's are at UAlbany, 15's at Skidmore. Tournament finals are all at Siena late Sunday afternoon. Very, very well-run event.

1) Not only is it well-run, it is very profitable; cost $550 per team, and in an event with 176 teams in three age groups, thats $96,800 they take in, but they also have to pay for refs, gym rental, insurance. Its a tremendous way to see a lot of kids play in one day and teams come from as far away as Houston, so there are a lot of good players. Its worth your time, and it is inexpensive entertainment.

[Udog]

Len's Top 5

Happy Thursday everyone, here's my Top 5 for May 27, 2010 from Len Berman.

1. Quick Hits

Orlando stays alive after beating the Celtics 113-92. Boston leads 3 games to 2.
What if they hold the Pro Bowl in New York/New Jersey the week before the Super Bowl, as they did in Miami this year? Players would much rather spend February in New York than in Hawaii, right?
Aren't baseball stats cool? Yankee pitcher A.J. Burnett got the win yesterday, but he took the day off. He pitched 5 innings Tuesday against Minnesota, then the rains came with the score 0-0. They picked up the game yesterday, and Derek Jeter hit a homer in the 6th, the only run of the game. So, Burnett gets the win yesterday without throwing a pitch.

2. The Devil Is In The Details

Is it possible? Is the choke in? The Boston Bruins blew a 3 games to none lead to Philadelphia. Could the Boston Celtics be doing the same to Orlando? In its storied history, the Celtics have never had to play a game 6 after leading a series 3 games to none. And they blew out Orlando in game 3 by 23. Shades of the Yankees beating the Red Sox 19-8 in game 3 in 2004, before Boston began its miracle comeback. Just makes you wonder what kind of deal Boston made with the devil that year? Payback's a bitch.

3. Temp-orary Insanity

So we all know what a crap shoot the 5 day weather forecast is, how about the 4 year forecast? They don't know the exact date, but you can bet on the temperature for the New York/New Jersey Super Bowl. According to bodog.com, the over/under is 34.5 degrees. The odds are 6-1 it'll snow. So get your bets down now. Money well spent.

4. Art Linkletter
(1912-2010)

A broadcast legend died yesterday at the age of 97, Art Linkletter. Of course young people have no clue who he was. But here's my favorite Linkletter story. When Disneyland opened in 1955, his friend Walt Disney could only afford to pay him scale for the opening telecast. So in lieu of payment, Linkletter took the exclusive rights to the camera and film concession at Disneyland for 10 years. Are you kidding? You think parents wanted to take a couple of snapshots in Disneyland? Linkletter made millions. I know this has nothing to do with sports, but I'm partial to broadcasters, especially smart ones.

5. I'll Drink To That

And now for a business report. A recent survey shows that half a million Brits show up for work hung over. And they're predicting that number is sure to rise during the World Cup soccer tournament. So, if you have dealings with an English company you might consider making contact in the afternoon, British time, during June and July. And if it's by phone. Speak softly. Better yet, at the top of your lungs, just yell "G-O-O-O-A-L!"
Then there's Argentina's soccer legend and coach of their World Cup team, Diego Maradona. He has promised to run naked through the center of Buenos Aires if Argentina wins the World Cup.
Seems the World Cup brings out the best in everyone.

Happy Birthday: Former Mets catcher Todd Hundley. 41.
Bonus Birthday: Henry Kissinger. 87.

Today in Sports: Rookie Norm Zauchin sets a Red Sox record by driving in 10 runs in one game. Boston beats Washington 16-0. 1955.
Bonus Event: Lets take a walk to Marin County. The Golden Gate Bridge is opened in San Francisco. 1937.