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**Udog** · 10-06-2010, 10:14 PM

Bettors’ best friend: Thursday’s wagering tips

Lines to keep an eye on

The Giants opened at -150 against the Braves, but they are now a -153.

Nebraska opened as a 12-point favorite against Kansas State, and the line is now at 11.5. The over/under opened at 51 but has dropped to 50.

Weather to watch

Braves at Giants: A 10 mph wind is expected to blow out to left field.

Light winds and clear skies should be on the menu in Manhattan, Kansas for the Nebraska vs. K-State game.

Who’s hot

The Giants are 5-1 in Lincecum’s last six starts.

The under is 8-0 in Tampa Bay’s last eight games overall.

Kansas State is 6-1 ATS in its last seven Big 12 contests.

Who’s not

The Braves are 1-5 in their last six road games.

The Twins are 2-8 in their last 10 overall.

The Rays are 1-4 in their last five playoff games (prior to Game 1).

Key stat

8-2, 3.17 – Those are Pettitte’s numbers (record and ERA) in his last 15 playoff appearances (all starts) dating back to 2003. Pettitte has the most postseason wins in Major League Baseball history with 18.

Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked

The news has gone from bad to worse for Minnesota first baseman Justin Morneau. He has not played since sustaining a concussion on July 7, and he won’t play for the rest of the season. Morneau initially hoped to return if the Twins advanced to the ALCS, but plans for a comeback of any kind have now been scrapped.

“Head injuries aren't like a broken wrist where you walk around with a cast on,” Morneau explained. “It's inside…. Anybody who's been through it can know what it feels like, but it's hard to describe.” What isn’t hard to describe is what this means for the Twins. They will be without a guy who was hitting .345 with 18 homers and 56 RBIs at the time of injury.

Biggest game on the slate

Game 2: New York Yankees at Minnesota Twins

Notable quotable

“I've just always felt no matter how bad things got here in September, this team was destined. This team had gone too far to let it slip away.” – Chipper Jones, out for the year with a torn ACL, on his Atlanta Braves, who snuck into the postseason on the final day of the regular season in Bobby Cox’s last year as manager.

Tips and notes

It will be an interesting matchup when Nebraska’s defense goes up against Kansas State running back Daniel Thomas. The Cornhuskers have allowed two 100-yard rushers in their first four games and they are 53rd in the nation in run defense giving up 139 yards per contest (36 more than last year’s average). Thomas is the nation’s fifth-leading rusher at 157 yards per outing.

Nebraska better be ready, because the host Wildcats certainly are. “I'm looking forward to it,” Thomas told the Topeka Capital-Journal. “It's going to be on ESPN. Our fans are looking forward to it. It's a Big 12 North game. It's going to be a pretty big game.” Added center Wade Weibert, “You can't ask for a better stage to put Daniel's name and Daniel's face out there. This is going to be a big opportunity for Daniel.”

The Rays were handled by Cliff Lee in Game 1 on Wednesday and fell to the Rangers 5-1. They are now 1-5 in their last six playoff games and 3-6 in their last nine games overall this season. Still, manager Joe Maddon is confident and won't hear any talk of pressure. "We swung the bat well, we were just unfortunate," Maddon told the Orlando Sentinel. "We had bad baseball luck. "I think our guys are resilient. No one will use the P-word." The good news is that Tampa Bay won't be going up against Lee on Thursday; instead, they will face C.J. Wilson.

**Udog** · 10-06-2010, 10:14 PM

MLB
Long Sheet

Thursday, October 7

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ATLANTA (91 - 71) at SAN FRANCISCO (92 - 70) - 9:35 PM
DEREK LOWE (R) vs. TIM LINCECUM (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 35-46 (-16.7 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
ATLANTA is 1-6 (-11.1 Units) against the money line in October games over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 35-46 (-16.7 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 92-71 (+12.2 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 101-61 (+23.3 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 91-69 (+13.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 63-45 (+12.8 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 68-51 (+12.2 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
ATLANTA is 64-44 (+7.7 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
ATLANTA is 22-10 (+12.8 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 4-3 (+0.5 Units) against SAN FRANCISCO this season
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.0 Units)

DEREK LOWE vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
LOWE is 7-5 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 3.02 and a WHIP of 1.303.
His team's record is 9-8 (-2.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 8-6. (+1.3 units)

TIM LINCECUM vs. ATLANTA since 1997
LINCECUM is 6-2 when starting against ATLANTA with an ERA of 2.89 and a WHIP of 1.151.
His team's record is 6-2 (+4.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-6. (-4.3 units)

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TEXAS (90 - 72) at TAMPA BAY (96 - 66) - 2:35 PM
C.J. WILSON (L) vs. JAMES SHIELDS (R)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 4-2 (+1.6 Units) against TEXAS this season
5 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+3.8 Units)

C.J. WILSON vs. TAMPA BAY since 1997
WILSON is 1-0 when starting against TAMPA BAY with an ERA of 5.40 and a WHIP of 2.000.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

JAMES SHIELDS vs. TEXAS since 1997
SHIELDS is 3-2 when starting against TEXAS with an ERA of 4.07 and a WHIP of 1.095.
His team's record is 4-2 (+2.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-3. (-0.2 units)

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NY YANKEES (95 - 67) at MINNESOTA (94 - 68) - 6:05 PM
ANDY PETTITTE (L) vs. CARL PAVANO (R)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY YANKEES is 4-2 (+1.8 Units) against MINNESOTA this season
4 of 6 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.9 Units)

ANDY PETTITTE vs. MINNESOTA since 1997
PETTITTE is 13-4 when starting against MINNESOTA with an ERA of 3.30 and a WHIP of 1.269.
His team's record is 15-6 (+3.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 11-10. (-0.1 units)

CARL PAVANO vs. NY YANKEES since 1997
PAVANO is 0-2 when starting against NY YANKEES with an ERA of 3.58 and a WHIP of 0.982.
His team's record is 3-3 (+1.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-4. (-3.5 units)

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**Udog** · 10-06-2010, 10:17 PM

MLB

Thursday, October 7

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Tips and Trends
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Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants [TBS | 9:37 PM ET]

BRAVES: Atlanta is back in the postseason after missing the previous 3 seasons. It's only fitting that in the final season coached by Bobby Cox that this team make the playoffs. Atlanta enters the post-season as the National League Wild Card winner. The Braves were 91-71 SU this season, including a road record of 35-46 SU. Atlanta is used to playing close game, as they led the majors with 25 wins in their final at bat. Atlanta had 45 come from behind wins this season, nearly half of their season wins. The Braves were +0.32 and +10.05 units both SU and ATS overall this season. Veteran right-hander Derek Lowe will make the road start tonight, as he's 16-12 SU with an ERA of 4.00 and a WHIP of 1.37 this year. The Braves are 3-7 in their last 10 road games against a team with a home winning percentage greater than .600%. The Braves are 2-5 in their last 7 Divisional Playoff road games. Atlanta is 1-4 in their last 5 road games against a right-handed starter. The Braves are 0-8 in their last 8 playoff games as an underdog of +110 to +150. Atlanta is 6-0 in Lowe's last 6 starts. The Braves are 2-5 in Lowe's last 7 starts against a team with a winning record.

Braves are 1-4 last 5 Divisional Playoff games.
Over is 12-2 last 14 Divisional Playoff road games.

Key Injuries - 2B Martin Prado (hip) is out.

Projected Score: 2

GIANTS: (-150, O/U 6.5) San Francisco is back in the post-season for the first time since 2003. The Giants enter the playoffs as the National League West division champions, a feat they didn't accomplish until the very last day of the regular season. The Giants finished the year at 92-70 SU, including 49-32 SU at home. Overall, San Francisco was +13.99 and -2.15 units both SU and ATS this year. There is no doubt that the Giants pitching staff leads this team. This San Francisco pitching staff had 1,331 strikeouts this season, easily the best mark in baseball. Ace Tim Lincecum will make the home start tonight, as he's 16-10 with an ERA of 3.43 and a WHIP of 1.27. The Giants are 8-2 in their last 10 home games against a right-handed starter. San Francisco is 5-2 in their last 7 games as a home favorite. The Giants are 5-1 in Lincecum's last 6 starts overall. San Francisco is 4-1 in Lincecum's last 5 starts with 7 or more days of rest. The Giants are 35-16 in Lincecum's last 51 starts following a Quality Start in his last appearance.

Giants are 1-4 last 5 games against the National League East.
Under is 9-0 last 9 home games against a right-handed starter.

Key Injuries - LF Mark DeRosa (wrist) is out.

Projected Score: 3 (UNDER-Total of the Day)

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Hot Lines: Today's best MLB bets
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Texas Rangers at Tampa Bay Devil Rays (-138 )

It’s not often that you see a pitcher with a 13-15 record and 5.18 ERA take the mound for Game 2 of a playoff series. However, Tampa Bay’s James Shield has been terrible on the road this season and manager Joe Maddon wants him going at home. That could spell trouble against a Texas team that scored 787 runs this year, fifth most in the Major Leagues (Tampa Bay was third).

Meanwhile, Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton, who belted 32 homers and drove in 100 runs despite playing in just 133 games, was sidelined for 24 games in September due to a rib injury. But he returned for the final weekend against Los Angeles and is not about to miss any playoff action.

“It's just that time of year,” Hamilton said in an interview at Tropicana Field prior to Game 1. “You suck it up, you get after it, because I want to be in there for me teammates. I want to be in the lineup. I've been there most of the year with them through everything we've gone through together to get to this point. I'm going to be out there with them.”

Shields will be opposed by C.J. Wilson, who went 15-8 with a 3.35 ERA during the regular season.

Pick: Over

Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants (-153, 6.5)

Noboby could have predicted seeing these two batting lineups in a playoff game when the season started way back in the spring. The Giants were supposed to feature Mark DeRosa, Benjie Molina, and Aaron Rowand. Instead, they are now being led by Buster Posey, Pat Burrell, Andres Torres, and Freddy Sanchez.

When the Braves beat Philadelphia last Sunday en route to clinching the wild card, only two of the eight position players in the starting lineup had started on opening day. Chipper Jones is gone; Martin Prado is gone; Yunel Escobar is gone, just to name a few. Enter Derrek Lee, Brooks Conrad, and Alex Gonzalez, among many others.

“It helps when you have the starting pitching that we've had all year and you've got the seventh-, eighth- and ninth-inning bullpen that we've had all year,” Jones said of the constant offensive reshuffling. “That helps a lot. That overshadows a lack of offense here and there.”

Speaking of a lack of offense, Atlanta is going up against Tim Lincecum on Thursday. Lincecum won’t be winning a third straight Cy Young Award, but he still went 16-10 with a 3.43 ERA during the regular season.

Pick: Giants

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This Day in Baseball
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On October 7 in Baseball History...

1904 - Jack Chesbro got his 41st victory of the season as New York defeated the Boston Red Sox, 3-2.

1919 - Two errors by Swede Risberg and one by Happy Felsch help put Dickie Kerr in a 4-0 hole, but Felsch, Buck Weaver, and Joe Jackson combine for seven hits as the White Sox win 5-4. Kerr wins his second game as the Sox now trail the best-of-nine Series by a 4-2 margin.

1925 - Walter Johnson opens the World Series in Pittsburgh. A fifth-inning home run by Pie Traynor is the only damaging blow as Johnson fans 10 for a 4-1 Washington win.

1927 - Herb Pennock is handed an 8-0 lead and takes a perfect game into the eighth inning. The Yankees southpaw retires Glenn Wright, but Pie Traynor breaks the spell with a single and Clyde Barnhart doubles him home. Pennock settles for a three-hit 8-1 victory over the Pirates to give the Yankees a commanding 3-0 edge in the World Series.

1928 - Lou Gehrig's two home runs led the New York Yankees to a 7-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series, giving them a 3-0 lead.

1933 - Flags are at half staff for Game Five to honor William L. Veeck, Chicago Cubs president, who died suddenly. On the field, the World Series comes to a close when Mel Ott homers in the 10th inning for a 4-3 Giants victory over Washington.

1945 - Hank Greenberg's three doubles led Detroit to an 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs, giving the Tigers a 3-2 lead in the World Series.

1950 - Whitey Ford wins his first World Series game, 5-2, over Bob Miller at Yankee Stadium. The sweep of the Phillies gives the Yankees their 13th World Championship.

1952 - Billy Martin's running catch on a high infield pop with the bases loaded in the seventh inning snuffed out a Dodgers rally and the New York Yankees went on to win Game 7 of the World Series, 4-2.

1958 - The Yanks pull even against the Braves as Hank Bauer hits his fourth home run of the Series and New York wins Game Six in 10 innings, 4-3.

1961 - New York's Roger Maris won the third game of the World Series with a ninth-inning home run off the Reds' Bob Purkey. The Yankees won, 3-2, at Cincinnati's Crosley Field.

1968 - Mickey Lolich saves Detroit, 5-3, with an unlikely assist from Lou Brock, who tries to score standing up on Julian Javier's single and is gunned down by Willie Horton's throw. Al Kaline's bases-loaded single drives in the deciding runs.

1975 - The Red Sox gain a 5-3 win and three-game sweep over Oakland for the AL pennant. Carl Yastrzemski makes two great plays in the outfield and has two hits to back Rick Wise's pitching.

1977 - Down 5-3 to the Phillies in Game Three of the NLCS with two outs in the ninth inning, the Dodgers catch lightning in a bottle. Pinch-hitter Vic Davalillo beats out a two-strike drag bunt and pinch hitter Manny Mota follows with a long double. Los Angeles eventually pulls out a 6-5 victory.

1978 - The Dodgers win the pennant as Bill Russell's 10th-inning single scores Ron Cey in Game Four. Dusty Baker collects four hits as Los Angeles beats the Phillies, 4-3.

1984 - The San Diego Padres won the National League pennant with a 6-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs in the final game of the playoffs. The Padres won three straight after dropping the first two.

1987 - Don Baylor singled to break an eighth-inning tie and Gary Gaetti homered in his first two playoff at-bats as the Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers, 8-5, in the opening game of the ALCS.

1995 - Edgar Martinez of the Seattle Mariners hit a tie-breaking grand slam in the eighth inning and drove in seven runs -- the most ever in a postseason game to date -- leading the Mariners past the New York Yankees, 11-8, and sending the AL playoff series to a decisive Game 5.

1998 - Chuck Knoblauch argued for an interference call at first base instead of picking up the ball while Enrique Wilson scored to break a 1-1 tie in the 12th inning of the Cleveland Indians' 4-1 victory at New York in Game 2 of the AL championship series.

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**Udog** · 10-06-2010, 10:17 PM

NHL
Long Sheet

Thursday, October 7

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CAROLINA (35-37-0-10, 80 pts.) vs. MINNESOTA (38-36-0-8, 84 pts.) - 10/7/2010, 12:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CAROLINA is 0-9 ATS (+12.6 Units) in road games in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 85-63 ATS (+85.0 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 2-1 (+0.9 Units) against the spread versus CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 2-1-0 straight up against CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.1 Units)

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PHILADELPHIA (55-42-0-8, 118 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (54-33-0-8, 116 pts.) - 10/7/2010, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 13-5 (+7.2 Units) against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 13-5-0 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
9 of 17 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.2 Units)

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MONTREAL (48-42-0-11, 107 pts.) at TORONTO (30-39-0-13, 73 pts.) - 10/7/2010, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 6-6 (+2.4 Units) against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 6-6-0 straight up against MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
9 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+6.1 Units)

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CHICAGO (68-27-0-9, 145 pts.) at COLORADO (45-32-0-11, 101 pts.) - 10/7/2010, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 128-130 ATS (+286.5 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 5-3-0 straight up against COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+4.2 Units)

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CALGARY (40-32-0-10, 90 pts.) at EDMONTON (27-47-0-8, 62 pts.) - 10/7/2010, 10:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CALGARY is 9-3 (+5.1 Units) against the spread versus EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
CALGARY is 9-3-0 straight up against EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
7 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.0 Units)

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**Udog** · 10-06-2010, 10:18 PM

NHL
Short Sheet

Thursday, 10/7/2010

CAROLINA vs. MINNESOTA, 12:00 PM ET - (Helsinki, FN)
CAROLINA: 0-9 ATS in road games in non-conference games
MINNESOTA: 85-63 ATS in non-conference games

PHILADELPHIA at PITTSBURGH, 7:00 PM ET
PHILADELPHIA: N/A
PITTSBURGH: N/A

MONTREAL at TORONTO, 7:00 PM ET
MONTREAL: N/A
TORONTO: N/A

CHICAGO at COLORADO, 10:00 PM ET
CHICAGO: N/A
COLORADO: N/A

CALGARY at EDMONTON, 10:00 PM ET
CALGARY: 49-27 UNDER in road games
EDMONTON: 92-64 UNDER in home games vs. division opponents

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

**Udog** · 10-06-2010, 10:20 PM

NHL

Thursday, October 7

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Trend Report
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12:00 PM
CAROLINA vs. MINNESOTA
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Carolina's last 5 games
Carolina is 2-3-1 SU in its last 6 games ,when playing Minnesota
Minnesota is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Minnesota's last 9 games when playing Carolina

7:00 PM
MONTREAL vs. TORONTO
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Montreal's last 11 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Montreal is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Toronto is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Toronto's last 14 games

7:00 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. PITTSBURGH
Philadelphia is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Pittsburgh's last 10 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Pittsburgh's last 18 games

10:00 PM
CALGARY vs. EDMONTON
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Calgary's last 6 games when playing Edmonton
Calgary is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Edmonton is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Edmonton's last 7 games

10:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. COLORADO
Chicago is 7-16-2 SU in its last 25 games ,when playing on the road against Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Chicago's last 7 games
Colorado is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Colorado's last 18 games

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**Udog** · 10-06-2010, 10:21 PM

NHL

Thursday, October 7

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Ice picks: Today's best NHL bets
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Calgary Flames at Edmonton Oilers (-104, 5.5.)

The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers don’t have a whole lot in common besides the province they reside in. The Oilers are rebuilding and will rely on untested youngsters while the Flames are hoping their grizzled group of veterans can squeak out one last good season.

Calgary GM Darryl Sutter took some heat for bringing back Olli Jokinen and Alex Tanguay, two players who did not play up to expectations in their previous stints with the franchise.

So why does Calgary’s management team think a Jokinen-Tanguay-Jarome Iginla top line will fix the club’s offensive woes?

“The whole lynchpin was Tanguay,” Flames assistant GM Jay Feaster told NHL.com. “One of the big problems was Olli tried to become something he’s not and that’s a playmaker. He and Jarome are both shooters. Putting them together, he (Jokinen) felt he had to set up Jarome. But bringing in Tanguay, he’s the playmaker and that’s what they felt they needed for both guys.”

We’ll believe it when we see it.

This much we do know: Calgary is so banged up at centre (Daymond Langkow and Matt Stajan are both out with injuries), Sutter had to sign 35-year-old Brendan Morrison as a stopgap.

We’ll take the scrappy Oilers in their first home game of the season.

Pick: Oilers

Montreal Canadiens at Toronto Maple Leafs (-129, 5.5)

Nothing starts off the hockey season quite like a clash between two of the game’s biggest rivals.

The Leafs got off to a terrible start last season, losing 12 of their first 13 games, and were basically eliminated from playoff contention after a couple of weeks of play. So they know just how important it is to get off to a good start.

“I’ve overheard our players talking about (that start),” Toronto GM Brian Burke told the media on Monday. “They’re fully cognizant of how that start buried us last year. Reaching the playoffs, it’s too tough to dig that kind of hole. The gas you’re going to expend to get to level ground is going to do you in anyway.

“At one point we were three points out in December, but we had expended so much energy to get back in the hunt, that we had no chance.”

Burke addressed a few of the teams’ shortcomings by acquiring veteran goalie Jean-Sébastien Giguère, who replaced struggling netminder Vesa Toskala, and physical defenseman Dion Phaneuf at the end of last season. Those additions should give Toronto’s special teams a boost. The team had the worst power play and penalty kill in the league last season.

The Canadiens surprised everyone last year by making it all the way to the Eastern Conference final. They did so in large part thanks to incredible performances by goalie Jaroslav Halak and center Mike Cammalleri, who led all scorers with 13 postseason goals.

Carey Price is now the main guy in net for Montreal, but he might not even be able to play Thursday because of the flu, leaving backup Alex Auld to face the Leafs.

Cammalleri will also have to miss the season opener after being suspended for one game for slashing rookie Nino Niederreiter in Saturday’s exhibition tilt against the Islanders.

Pick: Maple Leafs

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**Udog** · 10-06-2010, 10:23 PM

NOTE:
For the initial posting of trends and indexes, we have provided information available up to the time of posting.
Additional updates for today’s games will be posted ASAP.

**Udog** · 10-07-2010, 06:30 AM

Daily Sports Roundup: October 7

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The NHL season hits the ice, while Nebraska looks for a win over Kansas State, and baseball's Division Series continue with three games.

Colliding on the gridiron . . .

Thursday features one college football matchup, with Kansas State playing host to No. 7 Nebraska. The ranked Cornhuskers (4-0 SU, 1-3 ATS) had to settle for a 17-3 home win over South Dakota State last time out, as QB Taylor Martinez went 6-of-14 for 140 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. The Wildcats (4-0 SU, 2-1 ATS) topped UCF 17-13 at home in their most recent contest, with QB Carson Coffman going 11-of-22 for 189 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Oddsmakers have Nebraska pegged as the 12-point road favorite for Thursday, with the total at 51 points.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The MLB playoffs continue on Thursday, with the NLDS between the Braves and Giants kicking off in San Francisco. Atlanta will send Derek Lowe (16-12, 4.00 ERA) to the mound in that contest, while San Francisco counters with Tim Lincecum (16-10, 3.43 ERA). Righthander Lowe faced the Giants back on August 8, giving up two runs on five hits over 5 1-3 innings of work in a victory. Righthander Lincecum pitched against the Braves on August 5, surrendering three runs on six hits over 6 1-3 innings in that defeat.

As well, it's Game 2 of both ALDS on Thursday, with Texas at Tampa Bay and the Yankees at Minnesota. The Rangers will send C.J. Wilson (15-8, 3.35 ERA) to the mound on Thursday, while the Rays counter with James Shields (13-15, 5.18 ERA). Meanwhile, the Yankees hand the ball to Andy Pettitte (11-3, 3.28 ERA) as he takes on the Twins' Carl Pavano (17-11, 3.75 ERA). Lefthander Pettitte pitched against the Twins twice back in May, winning both games (two runs over 14 1-3 innings). Righthander Pavano is coming off a no-decision against the Jays, allowing two runs in seven innings.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Finally, the National Hockey League season gets underway on Thursday with five games on the schedule: Carolina at Minnesota (from Helsinki, Finland), Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, Montreal at Toronto, Calgary at Edmonton, and Chicago at Colorado. The defending-champion Blackhawks will have new starting goaltender Marty Turco between the pipes in their Thursday matchup, and they'll be looking to work in some new depth players after jettisoning the likes of Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, and Kris Versteeg in the offseason. Those moves dropped the Hawks from 5/1 Cup favorites on the opening line to 7/1 odds. The Avalanche are set at 40/1 odds to win the Stanley Cup.

**Udog** · 10-07-2010, 06:34 AM

Thursday's six-pack

NFL trends with Week 5 sneaking up on us........
-- Bills are 5-11-1 vs spread in last 17 home games.

-- Bengals are 1-7-1 in last nine games as home favorite.

-- Lions are 6-14-1 vs spread in last 21 home games.

-- Chiefs are 16-8-1 vs spread in last 25 games as road dog.

-- Chargers covered two of last eight as a road favorite.

-- Redskins are 4-12 vs spread in last 16 home games.

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Thursday's List of 13: Clearing out a cluttered mind.......

13) I never understood why the Patriots got Randy Moss in the first place, but now he’s gone; Pats got a 3rd-round draft pick in return. Draft picks don’t win games—it’ll be interesting to see if rookie Brandon Tate can fill Moss’ very large shoes, or is Tate more valuable as a returner?

How would you like to be a Patriot season ticket holder? They just dealt their second-best player for a draft pick. Makes them better in long run, but it sure as hell weakens them for this season.

It also raises another question; if Patriots didn't want him, why would any other team want him? His effort isn't always 100%.

12) LSU may be unbeaten, but unless their pass efficiency improves from 116th out of 120 I-A teams, they won’t stay that way long.

11) Nevada is ranked in the top 25, while this is the first week in last 50 years that neither USC-Notre Dame-Texas or Penn State is in top 20.

10) Reds waited 15 years to get back to the postseason, then get no-hit by Roy Halladay; they didn't come close to getting a hit. Ruben Amaro is the most underrated person in baseball; he keeps the Phillies relevant as their GM, trading for Oswalt, Cliff Lee, Halladay. .

9) The Eric Spoelstra Firing Watch begins: Dwyane Wade left Miami Heat’s first exhibition game with a hamstring strain, after three minutes. I say Spoelstra doesn’t make it to New Year’s.

8) Jets are already 3-0 in division games, first time they’ve won first three AFC East games since 2000; they don’t play another division foe until Week 13.

7) It doesn’t seem right that the Giants haven’t won the World Series since 1954; also a little weird that Dodgers haven’t even been in a World Series since ’88.

6) Knicks’ Danilo Gallinari wears #8 because he was born on August 8, 1988 (8-8-88).

5) LaDanian Tomlinson and Jim Brown are only two players in history of NFL to gain 100+ rushing yards with 2+ TDs in 25 different games.

4) Arizona Cardinals opened season with a tight win in St Louis, but lost 41-7/41-10 in their next two road games. Their QB play has been pathetic. Undrafted rookie Max Hall starts this week against Saints.

3) Only two of the top eight major league payrolls made the playoffs this year.

2) Someone has to explain to me why the Rays placed Rocco Baldelli on their postseason roster. Seriously, I'm dumbfounded. Baldelli was a very good player in 2003-04, as a 21-22 year old, but his career was curtailed by illness/injury. I'm pretty sure he was a minor league coach earlier this season, but wound up going 5-24 in 10 lateseason games. All of a sudden he's up with bases loaded in first inning of a playoff game? Stupid.

Willy Aybar was left off the playoff roster; he hit 12-34 (.353) in 2008 playoffs; what in the name of Tray Tyner are they thinking? This is it for the Rays; free agency is going to strip them of a lot of talent in next few months- they have to win now. Playing Baldelli makes zero sense.

Just so you know, before today, Baldelli was 3-9 off Cliff Lee, Aybar was 2-5. Neither batter has faced CJ Wilson, tomorrow's lefty starter.

1) Interesting team to watch this winter: Tigers have $75M coming off their payroll this winter. They’re going to have a much different roster in Motor City next year than they did this season.

**Udog** · 10-07-2010, 06:35 AM

MLB
Write-Up

Thursday, October 7

Shields is 0-4, 7.91 in his last six starts; he was 1-1, 5.14 in two starts against Texas. This is huge game for Rays; they'll need strong effort out of pitcher who looks to be out of gas after tossing ton of innings over last three seasons. If Rays insist on using Baldelli as DH, they're in an indefensible position- guy was 5-24 this year. Wilson was 1-3, 5.85 in his last six starts; he beat Rays 9-6 June 4, giving up five runs in 5 IP.

Minnesota has now lost 10 straight playoff games, and is 2-10 against Bronx in playoffs since 2003; they didn't win last night when they had 3-0 lead in 6th inning, so this is uphill for them now. Pavano was 9-8 in 26 starts over four expensive years in Bronx; he is 2-5, 5.43 in his last eight starts. Pettitte was hurt a lot own stretch, is 0-1, 7.64 in his last four starts, but was 2-0, 1.26 in two starts vs Twins in May. Four of last five Pavano starts, six of last eight Pettitte starts went over total.

Braves were 4-3 vs Giants this year; home team was 5-2 in those games. Lowe was 5-0, 1.17 in his last five starts, after having only one win in his previous seven starts-- he was 2-0, 2.38 against the Giants this year. Lincecum is 5-1, 1.94 in his last six starts; he was 1-1, 3.38 vs Atlanta. Under is 8-4 in Lowe's last 12 starts, 6-2 in Lincecum's last eight starts. Atlanta won 25 games in its last at-bat, most in majors.

**Udog** · 10-07-2010, 06:42 AM

NHL
Write-Up

Thursday, October 7

NHL starts tonight; we'll start posting daily information early next week, after the teams get a couple games under their belt.

**Udog** · 10-07-2010, 06:46 AM

MLB

Thursday, October 7

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Payoff Pitch: Today's Best Mound Matchups
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Andy Pettitte, New York Yankees vs. Carl Pavano, Minnesota Twins

Andy Pettitte (11-3, 3.28 ERA)

They don’t call Andy Pettitte "Mr. October," but maybe they should.

Pettitte is the winningest pitcher baseball postseason history with 18 victories. His career playoff statistics include an 18-9 record, a 3.90 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP, and 164 strikeouts in 249 innings. During New York's run to last year's World Series title, Pettitte compiled a perfect 4-0 mark and a 3.52 ERA in five starts.

At 38 years old, Pettitte is going full steam ahead in 2010. En route to his 11-3 record and impressive 3.28 ERA, he faced the Twins twice, going 2-0 with a miniscule 1.26 ERA.

A significant question mark, however, is that Pettitte dealt with groin and back problems throughout the second half of the year. He is just the seventh MLB pitcher since 1952 to start a postseason game after throwing less than 20 innings as a starter following the All-Star break.

Pettitte posted an 11-10 over/under mark during the regular season, including 6-2 in his last eight starts.

Carl Pavano (17-11, 3.75 ERA)

When the Yankees look across the diamond and see Carl Pavano hurling against them, they will probably be wondering what they were missing when he was part of the team between 2005 and 2008. Crushed by injuries, Pavano made just 26 starts in for years and missed the entire 2006 season. Let's just say that in his "best" year with New York in 2005, he went 4-6 with a 4.77 ERA!

Armed with a clean bill of health, Pavano is not making the Twins regret their acquisition of him in 2009. This season, the 34-year-old has struck out 117 batters against only 37 walks in 221 innings to go along with his 17-11 record and 3.75 ERA.

"I can't tell you how good it feels to be counted on again," Pavano told the USA Today. That’s something the Yankees could never do. In fact, Pavano was dubbed "American Idle" during his tenure in the Big Apple.

Pavano finished the regular season with a 14-17 over/under clip, including 4-1 in his last five starts.

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**Udog** · 10-07-2010, 06:47 AM

MLB

Thursday, October 7

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Trend Report
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2:37 PM
TEXAS vs. TAMPA BAY
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Texas's last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
Texas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games at home

6:07 PM
NY YANKEES vs. MINNESOTA
NY Yankees are 4-8 SU in their last 12 games
NY Yankees are 15-2 SU in their last 17 games when playing Minnesota
Minnesota is 1-7 SU in their last 8 games when playing at home against NY Yankees
Minnesota is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games

9:37 PM
ATLANTA vs. SAN FRANCISCO
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 6 games on the road
Atlanta is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing San Francisco
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Francisco's last 6 games when playing at home against Atlanta
San Francisco is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Atlanta

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Announcement

Thursday's Trends and Indexes 10/7 (MLB, NHL, Misc.)

Thursday's Trends and Indexes 10/7 (MLB, NHL, Misc.)

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