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**StarDust Bum** · 04-05-2011, 01:07 AM

LA Dodgers, Rockies open MLB betting series

After playing just two games, the Colorado Rockies have had two days off.

Such is baseball in April. The Rockies, who were idle this past Sunday due to a postponement and off Monday, host the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday at 5:40 p.m. PT in the opener of a two-game series.

The unpredictable Denver weather should cooperate this time. The Rockies couldn’t get their Sunday game in against Arizona due to a mix of rain and snow. But the forecast in Denver for Tuesday is temperatures in the 60s, no rain and southwest winds at nine mph.

Unfortunately for the Rockies, they draw Clayton Kershaw. Even though he just turned 23, Kershaw is becoming one of the best pitchers in baseball.

The southpaw was brilliant this past Thursday in the Dodgers’ season opener, a 2-1 victory against San Francisco. Kershaw beat Tim Lincecum as a 115 home favorite by not giving up a run in seven innings while allowing just four singles, striking out nine and walking one. The combined three runs went ‘under’ the 6 ½-run total, the lowest ‘over/under’ of the season.

The Dodgers are 14-3 the past 17 times Kershaw has pitched against a National League West opponent.

Kershaw was 13-10 last season with a 2.91 ERA. His 212 strikeouts were the fifth-highest in the NL last year.

Many expect Kershaw to be even better this season. This game, though, should prove a strong early challenge coming at hitter-friendly Coors Field. Kershaw is 3-2 lifetime with a 5.59 ERA in seven starts at Coors.

Colorado is a very strong home team winning 37 of its last 55 games at Coors Field. The Rockies are 36-17 in their last 53 home contests when facing a left-handed starter.

The Rockies also have one of their good, young pitchers going against the Dodgers – 23-year-old Jhoulys Chacin.

The right-hander from Venezuela averaged 9.04 strikeouts per nine innings, the second highest-number by a Colorado pitcher with 100-plus innings in a season.

Chacin was 9-11with a 3.28 ERA last season. Despite pitching just 148 1/3 innings in his big league career, Chacin faced the Dodgers six times going 3-3.

Chacin last faced the Dodgers at home on Sept. 29 and lost 7-6 as a 185 favorite against Carlos Monasterios, giving up two earned runs in five innings on four hits with seven strikeouts and three walks. The combined 13 runs went ‘over’ the 9 ½-run total.

The previous time he faced the Dodgers, however, Chacin beat them, 12-2. That occurred on Sept. 18 at Dodger Stadium. Chacin pitched eight scoreless innings allowing nine hits with two strikeouts and no walks. Chacin was a 125 road favorite against John Ely. The combined 14 runs flew ‘over’ the 9 ½-run total.

Colorado is 1-1 on the season. The Dodgers are 3-1 following a four-game home series against the defending world champion Giants. Jonathan Broxton has a 6.00 ERA, but owns saves in each of the Dodgers’ three victories. Outfielder Matt Kemp is off to a fast start batting .417.

The Dodgers are one of the few clubs that have fared well at Coors winning in 11 of their last 15 visits. They have won four in a row in Denver.

The Dodgers won the season series from the Rockies last season going 11-7. They were 6-3 at Coors in 2010.

The ‘over’ has cashed eight of the last nine times the Rockies have gone against a left-hander at home. The ‘over’ also has cashed in 12 of Colorado’s last 17 NL West games.

However, the ‘under’ has paid off in 14 of Kershaw’s last 20 road starts. The Dodgers have gone ‘under’ in five of Kershaw’s past six outings.

In head-to-head competition between the Dodgers and Rockies, the ‘over’ has cashed six of the last seven times.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-05-2011, 01:08 AM

MLB Odds: Cleveland hosts winless Boston Red Sox

They're already grumbling in Beantown.

The 2011 season may only have one weekend in the books, but that hasn't stopped Boston Red Sox fans from voicing their disapproval. Boston was swept three straight in Texas by the defending AL champions and will now look for win number one in Cleveland on Tuesday when the Red Sox continue their road trip against the Indians.

Boston's winless start (0-3, -3.6 units) is magnified by the fact the club entered 2011 as the favorites to win the AL pennant (plus 175). General Manager Theo Epstein spent the winter beefing up the Red Sox roster with the acquisitions of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, adding pop to a lineup that finished second in the majors with 5.05 runs per game in 2010.

Gonzalez is off to a decent start with Boston, collecting five hits in his first 12 at bats. Crawford was held to just a pair of singles in 12 trips to the plate in the Texas series, striking out five times. Collectively, the Red Sox were outscored 26-11 by the Rangers who hammered 11 homers in the broom job. Texas' Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz both went deep three times to set an MLB record as the only teammates to homer in each of the first three games of a season.

Manager Terry Francona shouldn't be too worried about his bats just yet. Pitching, however, is another story.

The top three in Boston's rotation – Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and John Lackey – were charged with 18 earned runs in just over 15 innings combined, serving up nine of the 11 Texas dingers. Francona will now turn to Josh Beckett to stem the tide.

Beckett is coming off an injury-marred 2010 campaign, posting a 5.78 ERA with a 6-6 mark in 21 starts. Boston won 11 of his 21 assignments, one of those triumphs a home victory against the Tribe in which Beckett worked eight innings and allowed just one run, a solo shot by Cleveland catcher Lou Marson. The right-hander struck out eight and didn't issue a free pass in his longest outing of 2010.

The Red Sox are 5-2 in Beckett's last seven assignments versus the Indians, including the 2007 playoffs which marked his last appearance at Progressive Field. Beckett worked two games in Cleveland that season, including the ALCS, pitching eight innings and allowing just one run in each contest.

Cleveland (1-2, -0.9 unit) didn't fare much better in its first three games of 2011, though the Tribe did manage to avoid being swept to begin the year with Sunday's 7-1 win over the White Sox. The victory was aided by the first triple play of the MLB campaign, and Indians starter Justin Masterson kept Chicago hitters at bay for seven innings after the Pale Hose pummeled Cleveland hurlers for 23 runs in the first two games of the series.

Manager Manny Acta will give the ball to Josh Tomlin for Tuesday's series opener. Cleveland went 7-5 in the 12 starting assignments he made as a rookie in 2010. One of the losses came at Fenway Park in his only career action against the Red Sox. The right-hander out of Texas Tech worked seven frames and allowed four runs, all earned, in a 7-2 Boston triumph.

Cleveland was 5-1 in Tomlin's six home assignments last season, good enough for a little more than five units of profit.

The two clubs split their eight head-to-head meetings in 2010 right down the middle, each winning twice on the other's home field. Game totals were also divided in the same manner, 2-2 'over/under' in each park.

The only significant injury for either squad is Cleveland center fielder Grady Sizemore who started the year on the DL following knee surgery.

Tuesday's first pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. (PT). A wet, blustery evening is in store for the Cleveland area on Monday before skies clear a bit Tuesday when the high is expected to only reach the low-40s. Winds are expected out of the WNW up to 20 mph (3B out to RF corner).

The series continues Wednesday night when Cleveland sends Mitch Talbot to the mound against Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka. Thursday's series finale is an afternoon affair and pits the staff aces from both squads with Fausto Carmona and Lester each coming off rough season openers.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-05-2011, 01:09 AM

NBA Odds: Nuggets, Thunder in playoff preview

The home team has won and covered the two meetings this season.
The Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder will meet in a likely first-round playoff preview on Tuesday night. Both teams made major trades at the deadline and have benefited greatly.

This 6 p.m. (PT) game from Denver's Pepsi Center will be broadcast locally. There are 13 contests on the docket after none on Monday due to college basketball’s title game.

The Nuggets (47-29 straight up, 40-32-4 against the spread) have won six straight games and are in fifth place in the Western Conference. They would open at Oklahoma City in the playoffs if the season ended today.

Coach George Karl’s team was 32-25 SU when it sent Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to the Knicks for Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler. Anthony forced Denver’s hand and at the time it looked like New York was the big winner.

Fast forward to today and Denver is 15-4 SU and an incredible 16-2-1 ATS since the swap. All four of the SU losses were away. Team scoring has dipped only slightly (106.6 PPG) compared to the season average (107.3 PPG), but it’s the points allowed that have plummeted (94.8 PPG vs. 102.6 PPG for the year).

Anthony (25.5 PPG) is one of the NBA’s leading scorers, but he gives up a lot on defense. Karl has his guys giving maximum effort defensively and playing unselfishly on the other end.

The Nuggets’ last game may have been their best. They went into Los Angles on Sunday and came away with a 95-90 win as 6 ½-point ‘dogs, snapping the Lakers nine-game winning streak.

The 185 combined points scored went way ‘under’ the 200 ½-point total. The ‘under’ is 4-0 in Denver’s last four games and 8-1 in the last nine.

The Thunder’s (50-26 SU, 39-36-1 ATS) big trade of Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic to Boston for Kendrick Perkins wasn’t made out of duress like Denver’s. Instead, GM Sam Presti saw the physical center he needed and even signed Perkins to a long-term extension.

Presti’s posse has gone 14-6 SU (10-9-1 ATS) since the trade was announced. Perkins wasn’t available for the first 2.5 weeks due to a sprained left knee. He tore the ACL in his right knee in the NBA Finals and won’t be completely healthy under next year.

Perkins’ debut came March 14 at Washington and the Thunder are 8-3 SU (5-5-1 ATS) since. The 6-foot-10 pivot is averaging 5.8 PPG and 7.6 RPG in just under 25 minutes per game. His biggest contribution though is defense and team ‘D’ is at 95.1 PPG in the last 11 versus 100.9 PPG on the year.

Oklahoma City opened up this four-game trip with a 116-98 win at Phoenix last Wednesday. However, weekend losses and failures to ‘cover’ at Portland (98-91) and the L.A. Clippers (98-92) have the Thunder needing to finish this trip with a win.

Denver and Oklahoma City have had met twice this year, with the home team winning and ‘covering’ each time. The total points scored were 219 and 220, but that was before their respective roster makeovers and the new commitment on defense.

Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook shot just 6-of 27 (22.2 percent) the last two games. He needs to play much better Tuesday to help out Kevin Durant (27.7 PPG).

Denver is the more balanced team offensively now with nine guys capable of scoring in double digits. Gallinari is averaging 15.9 PPG in the 10 games he’s played since coming over and Felton provides a nice spurt off the bench, backing up new starter Ty Lawson.

Denver’s Chris Andersen (ankle) and Arron Afflalo (hamstring) are both questionable. Oklahoma City is not reporting any significant injuries.

Oklahoma City returns home Wednesday to host the Clippers, while Denver flies to Dallas for a game the same night.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-05-2011, 01:10 AM

NBA Betting: Houston Rockets in must-win versus Kings

The Houston Rockets are 3-0 SU and ATS versus the Kings this season.
Sacramento (22-54 straight up, 34-40 against the spread) begins a four-game road trip playing the role of spoiler. The Kings are headed to the NBA Lottery, while Tuesday’s opponent Houston (41-36 SU, 41-34-2 ATS) continues to fight for a playoff berth.

Sacramento is also going into the offseason with it uncertain if the franchise will stay in California’s capital city or relocate to Anaheim.

The Rockets enter this matchup in ninth place in the Western Conference standings, three games behind New Orleans and Memphis. Houston has just five games remaining in the regular season to catch either the Hornets or Grizzlies.

Tuesday’s contest is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. PT from Houston’s Toyota Center.

Sacramento had dropped back-to-back outings before upending Utah Sunday as 6 ½-point home ‘chalk,’ 106-97. The combined 203 points failed to eclipse the 206 ½-point closing total, helping the ‘under’ cash the third consecutive contest.

The Kings finished the contest with advantages in rebounding, 39-33, assists, 29-25, and points in the paint, 52-40. Sacramento shot a robust 52 percent (41-of-79) from the field, and 40 percent (6-of-15) from behind the arc.

Point guard Tyreke Evans paced the offense with 24 points, four rebounds and 10 assists. Power forward DeMarcus Cousins accounted for 17, nine and six, while shooting guard Francisco Garcia provided 17, four and four.

Houston is riding a modest two-game SU winning streak after beating Atlanta Sunday as a six-point home favorite, 114-109. The Rockets are just 1-2 ATS their past three performances. The combined 223 points soared past the 200 ½-point closing total, helping the ‘over’ cash the second consecutive contest.

Houston rallied from a 14-point first-half deficit, outscoring the Hawks in the third quarter, 32-18. The Rockets grabbed more rebounds, 35-30, and also scored more points in the paint, 56-38. Houston connected at a 57-percent clip (43-of-75) from the field, but just 20 percent (3-of-15) from 3-point land.

Shooting guard Kevin Martin enjoyed a solid effort with 35 points and eight assists in the victory, while center Chuck Hayes had 19 and 12 rebounds. Point guard Kyle Lowry provided 17 and eight assists, while power forward Luis Scola had 15.

Houston has won the last four meetings with Sacramento SU and ATS after winning all three encounters this season. The Rockets prevailed Dec. 14 as a 9 ½-point home ‘chalk,’ 118-105, Dec. 19 as a 3 ½-point road favorite, 102-93, and March 7 as a 4 ½-point road ‘chalk,’ 123-101. The ‘over’ is 6-2 the previous eight games in this series. The Kings are 8-1 ATS the last nine meetings in Houston, and the road team is 21-7 ATS the past 28 matchups.

Sacramento is reporting no players as ‘probable,’ ‘questionable’ or ‘doubtful’ for this contest. Houston guard Kyle Lowry (facial injury) is ‘probable’ against the Kings.

Sacramento follows this contest with road games against San Antonio, Memphis and Golden State. Houston’s next game is at New Orleans before returning for a two-game homestand versus the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas.

The Kings have seen the ‘over’ go 13-3 their past 16 road games. The Rockets are 11-2 ATS their previous 13 outings versus Pacific Division opponents.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-05-2011, 01:11 AM

NHL Odds: Montreal Canadiens entertain Chicago

Two Original Six teams fighting for the eighth and final playoff spot in their respective conferences hook up Tuesday when the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks travel to Montreal to meet the Canadiens. The puck drops at Montreal’s Bell Centre at 4:30 p.m. (PT).

Chicago continued its trend of alternating wins and losses in its last six games with Sunday’s 2-0 setback against Tampa Bay as a hefty 195 home favorite. The combined two goals dipped below the 5 ½-goal closing total, leaving the ‘under’ 7-1 in Chicago last eight games and 42-36 overall.

The loss left the Blackhawks one point ahead of Calgary for the Western Conference’s eighth and last playoff spot. However, the Flames have played two more games than Chicago.

Despite the setback, Chicago’s defense was stingy, limiting the Lightning to 15 shots. That matched a March 8 effort against the Carolina Hurricanes for fewest shots allowed in a game this season.

Corey Crawford stopped 14-of-15 shots (one empty net goal), but suffered the loss. The 26-year-old netminder is now 31-17-2-3 with a 2.27 GAA, a .918 save percentage and four shutouts.

Chicago, which has now been blanked in three of its last eight games, still ranks third in the league offensively by averaging 3.1 goals per game. Much of that offensive success can be attributed to the league’s second-best power play that is clicking at a 23.9 percent success rate.

However, Chicago’s penalty killing unit ranks a poor 25th with a 79.4 percent success rate. That poor special teams play has dragged down the defense, which ranks 12th at 2.7 goals against per game.

Joel Quenneville’s Blackhawks are 19-12-3-5 on enemy ice, with the ‘over’ going 20-19. They have outscored the opposition overall by 32 goals (246-214).

Montreal moved one tiny step closer to clinching a playoff berth without leaving the couch Sunday.

The Canadiens received some help when the Buffalo Sabres edged Carolina 2-1 in overtime. While the ninth-place Hurricanes picked up a point for the overtime loss, they are four points behind the sixth-place Canadiens with each team having three games to play.

The only way the Hurricanes can finish ahead of the Canadiens is if they win their three remaining games and the Canadiens lose their three final games.

If the season ended on Monday, the Canadiens would open the playoffs in Boston, but all of the first-round pairings can change over the final week of the regular season.

The Canadiens have 91 points and are one point ahead of Buffalo and two up on the New York Rangers with everyone having three games to play.

Jacques Martin’s Habs are off Saturday’s 3-1 victory against New Jersey as 115 road underdogs. The win lifted Montreal 12 games above .500 despite outscoring the opposition by just four goals (208-204).

The combined four goals ducked below the five-goal closing total, enabling the ‘under’ to improve to 44-26-9 in Montreal’s first 79 overall outings. The Habs are 23-11-3-3 on their home ice, with the ‘under’ going 18-15-7.

This is the lone meeting of the season between Chicago and Montreal. The Habs are 5-2 in the last seven overall matchups and 4-0 in the last four meetings at Bell Centre. The ‘over’ is 4-1-1 in the last six meetings in Montreal.

The Don Best Sports injury report lists Montreal defenseman Alexandre Picard (foot) and center Jeff Halpern (lower body) as “questionable.” Chicago’s Patrick Sharp (knee) is not expected to return to the lineup until mid-April).

Chicago returns home Wednesday for a matchup against the St. Louis Blues, then concludes the regular season with a home-and-home series against the Detroit Red Wings. Montreal finishes with road games against Ottawa and Toronto on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-05-2011, 01:11 AM

NHL Betting Preview: Tampa Bay at Buffalo Sabres

The Tampa Bay Lightning will try and extend their current winning streak to six games when they tangle with the Buffalo Sabres this Tuesday at HSBC arena. Game time is set for 4 p.m. (PT) and it will be broadcast locally on the MSG Network.

Tampa Bay is heading into the postseason with a full head of steam after running its league-best winning streak to five games with a 2-0 shutout of Chicago as a 180 road underdog on Sunday. This followed a 3-1 victory over Minnesota on Saturday as a 141 road favorite.

The Lightning are now 44-24-11 straight-up (39-40 against the spread) and just one point behind Pittsburgh for the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference with a total of 99 points. Each team has three regular season games left on their schedule.

This team is ranked eighth in the league in scoring with an average of 2.91 goals a game, but has elevated that to 3.2 over the past five games. Center Steven Stamkos leads Tampa Bay in goals with 44, but Martin St. Louis has been the primary offensive force this season with 30 goals and 64 assists. His 94 total points is second in the NHL only to Vancouver’s Daniel Sedin, who has 100.

One injury concern for this game is with center Vincent Lecavalier, who is listed as day-to-day after taking a high-stick to the face against the Blackhawks.

Goalie Dwayne Roloson has started 52 of Tampa’s 78 games this season and should be between the pipes for this one. He has a 2.57 goals-against average and a save percentage of .915. The Lightning are giving up an average of 2.92 goals a game, which is ranked 23rd in the league.

Buffalo is coming off a 2-1 overtime victory over Carolina, as a 127 road underdog, that did wonders for its playoff hopes.

The Sabres are currently seventh in the Eastern Conference standings with a total of 90 points and three games left to play, while the Hurricanes were left stuck at 87 points and in ninth-place with three games left as well. The New York Rangers currently hold the eighth and final playoff spot in the East with 89 points.

There are some major injury concerns for Buffalo heading into this game with goalie Ryan Miller, center Jochen Hecht and right winger Mike Grier each currently out of the lineup. All three missed Sunday’s game against Carolina and remain listed as day-to-day.

The Sabres are averaging 2.87 goals a game led by left winger Thomas Vanek, who has 28 goals and a team-high 67 points and right winger Drew Stafford, who lead the team with 30 goals. Buffalo has managed to win five of its last seven games, but have only averaged 2.29 goals during this stretch.

If Miller is not ready to go by Tuesday, look for Jhonas Enroth to get the start in goal for Buffalo. Enroth has started 11 games this season and has a GGA of 2.53 and a .915 save percentage, which are actually slightly better numbers than Miller’s. The Sabres are ranked 16th in the NHL in goals allowed; giving up an average of 2.77 a game.

Tampa Bay is 23-19 this season as a favorite and 21-16 as an underdog. The total has stayed ‘under’ in its last three games but has gone ‘over’ in 42 of 79 games overall.

Buffalo is 21-21 as a favorite and 19-18 as an underdog this year. The total has stayed ‘under’ in three of its last five games but has gone ‘over’ in 39 of 79 games overall.

Head-to-head, the Sabres have won seven of the last 10 games but the Lightning have a 2-1 edge in this season’s series. Tampa came away with a 2-1 win as a 128 road underdog on Nov.20 and a 3-1 victory as a 119 home favorite on Dec. 18, but Buffalo pasted the Lightning 7-4 as a 118 road underdog on Feb.8. The total stayed ‘under’ in first two meetings this year.

This time around the Sabres should open as a slight home favorite with a total line of 5½. Tampa comes in with the hot-hand, but stick with Buffalo to scrape out a win as it needs one much more than the Lightning do at this point.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-05-2011, 01:13 AM

Vegas Betting Notes

April 4, 2011

With the NCAA Tournament coming to a close, it signals another season of change for Las Vegas sports books. Betting patterns are changed by the customers and vacation requests by book employees are more easily accepted by book managers across the city. April begins a lull in traffic through the sports books that gets progressively worse all the way to August when the NFL pre-season starts, and even that is up in the air now with a possible strike.

Horse Racing picks up some steam as we near the triple crown, but that doesn’t appeal to many of the traditional sports bettors like it did just a short decade ago. The telling sign that that season has changed, without knowing what month it is or what sport has stopped, is to simply look at a typical Saturday morning in any Las Vegas sports book from September through March and compare it with what we’ll see this Saturday. It’s dead, quiet and there will be minimal windows open for betting.

The busiest day for the sports books now becomes Sunday morning from 9 am to 11 am as bettors all gather to bet their early baseball and NBA games.

It’s kind of surprising that more bettors -- the type that rush to the books for their four-team parlays in the NFL -- don’t bet baseball more just because it’s the best value for the player against the house odds. Not only does the player get the value of playing a .10 cent line -- less at some places, but they get true payouts on parlays as opposed to fixed odds from a chart for basketball and football with odds that decrease with each additional leg added to a parlay when using a true .20 cent payout formula.

Because of those true odds payouts in baseball, Sports Book Directors walk on egg-shells for the next four months just hoping to make some kind of profit until football starts and avoid the losing month that inevitably happens quite often in the baseball months.

In addition to all the great MLB, NBA and NHL action going on this weekend, we also get a chance to wager on the most bet upon golf event of the year, The Masters. Beyond all the history of the event at Augusta National that makes it so popular, handle for the sports books is spurred because most books have had the odds offered since last December allowing the millions of visitors to the city since then a chance to take home a few souvenir tickets for friends, family or themselves.

The Las Vegas Hilton Super Book offers, by far, the most extensive weekly wagering menu on all golf tournaments. The architect of all the creative odds and propositions in Assistant Manager Jeff Sherman who will offer over 40 golfer match-ups with another 40 props this week. Sherman also plans to do match-ups for each round as well as offer updated odds after each round has completed.

Phil Mickelson is the 13-to-2 favorite after winning the Shell Houston Open last week with Tiger Woods next at 9-to-1. After that, Sherman doesn’t have anyone else lower than 15-to-1.

“I think this is as wide open as it’s ever been,“ said Sherman. “It’s kind of like the NCAA tournament we just saw where it wouldn’t be surprising to see to see anyone up to the 40-to-1 range win it.”

Woods has won The Masters four times and has 14 grand slam wins, but none since 2008 and fell to No. 7 in the world rankings. However, Sherman says despite all the woes with his golf swing, there is much respect.

“He’s still Tiger, but these are the longest odds I can ever remember posting on him. Part of that is because of his troubles on the courses, but most of it comes because there are just so many good golfers out there capable of winning. There is parity like never before.“

Golfers Sherman likes to do well this week include Dustin Johnson (20/1), Nick Watney (15/1) and Matt Kuchar (25/1).

Baseball and NBA Saves Sports Books Saturday
The two most bet upon games of last weekend were the Final Four games, but without the NBA and baseball helping, it would have been a losing day for most. The combination of favored Butler winning and covering and 2-point underdog Connecticut winning outright was a bad one for the house in both straight bets and parlays. Keeping the parlay risk to a minimal 13-to-5 majority payout was helped by the Connecticut game staying under the total. However, the Sharps had bet that game under from the opening number of 141 ½ to a closing number of 138 ½.

NBA Notes
There are only five to six games remaining for most NBA teams as some scramble to make the post-season while others try to maneuver for playoff position. Out west, the Hornets and Grizzlies are tied at 44-33 and hold the No. 7 and 8 spots, but only three games out are the red hot Houston Rockets with Kyle Lowery and Kevin Martin leading the way going 8-2 in their last 10 games. On Wednesday they’ll have a chance to help their own cause with a game at New Orleans. In their other four remaining games, only Dallas has a winning record.

Meanwhile, the Hornets have a tough road ahead with games against Phoenix, Memphis, Utah and Dallas. The Grizzlies have somewhat of easy road in their games. In addition to the Hornets, they face the Clippers twice, Sacramento and Portland. No odds are offered on the possibilities of making the playoffs in Las Vegas sports books, but if they did, I would take some Houston action with hopes that the Hornets tank it. To supplement that wishful action, I’ll just take Houston Wednesday night at New Orleans.

The Lakers took a major blow to their hopes of gaining the No. 1 seed out west when they lost to Denver on Sunday ending their nine game winning streak. The Spurs had been in a six game free-fall until beating Phoenix on Sunday and maintain a 2 ½ game lead over the Lakers.

The most interesting playoff matchup out west looks to be No. 4 and 5 seed with Oklahoma City and Denver. The Thunder have shown that they can beat just about anyone this season but have lost two in a row, including one to the Clippers. The Nuggets have gone a tear since hi-jacking the Knicks and dumping Carmelo Anthony. The loss of Chauncey Billups was initially thought to hurt the Nuggets more, but the combination of Ty Lawson and Raymond Felton running a two-headed point guard -- on the court at the same time -- has been tough for all teams they have faced.

Since the deal with New York, the Nuggets have gone 14-5 and have nearly secured the No. 5 slot. They may miss the star treatment of Carmelo by the officials in the playoffs, but they have so many scoring options now with not having to run everything through one player.

The Bulls and Heat are playing their best ball of the season in the East while the Celtics have sputtered. The trade that sent Kendrick Perkins away may have backfired on GM Danny Ainge. His hopes of bringing in a quicker Jeff Green to be their James Posey-type of player while waiting for their twin O’Neal towers to return inside and elevate their game hasn’t happened yet. Shaquille O’Neal returned to action over the weekend for five minutes only to have his calf break down, something that can’t be promising since it could be stemming from his achilles problem.

Baseball Notes
The Rays played like one of the best teams in baseball last season playing great defense, getting good pitching and timely hitting. This season, they find themselves only being able to muster one run a game in their first three chances of the season against Baltimore and got swept at home. Compounding matters for Tampa Bay is that their best player, Evan Longoria, just went on the 15 day disabled list.

Whether it’s a matter of good pitching by Baltimore or bad hitting by the Rays, Buck Showalter’s staff came out and made a statement for the rest of the AL East to take notice of. A pitcher that could make big difference this year is Zach Britton who made his major league debut Sunday throwing six strong innings allowing only one run off of three hits. Britton had a terrific spring but was supposed to start the season in triple-A until Brian Matusz was placed on the disabled list.

Despite having a lineup full of free swingers like Mark Reynolds, J.J. Hardy, Derek Lee and Adam Jones, they have quite a nucleus of really good hitting players that stack up well against most lineups in baseball. Should Brian Roberts and Vladimir Guerrero be able to stay healthy, this could be a great season for the Baltimore faithful and definitely worth taking a shot with at 40-to-1 to win the American League and 80-to-1 to win the World Series.

While the O’s soar, the Red Sox slid miserably going 0-3 for the weekend at Texas where the potent lineup of Boston couldn’t get anything going against Texas pitching. Meanwhile, the Rangers hitters put on a show belting 11 home runs in the three games outscoring Boston 26-11. For the Red Sox, it's their worst start since 1996 when they started the season 0-5.

Through the first weekend of baseball games we had six games with favorites of minus-200 or above and only the Phillies were able to win, doing so in all three of their games against the Astros. The other three games saw the underdogs win outright with the Padres beating Chris Carpenter and the Cardinals opening day, then on Saturday the Diamondbacks beat the Rockies and the Orioles took down Tampa Bay.

A team better than the Phillies to bet OVER the total in each game this year may be the Cincinnati Reds. With Philadelphia, you have their tough staff to worry about ruining your bet, even though the Phillies can score runs in bunches. With Cincinnati, they have a stacked lineup with only a few good pitchers that should lead to quite a few games going OVER. Drew Stubbs at the top of the order for the Reds has the makings of being a Carlos Gonzalez type and thus far has not disappointed.

It was nice to Felix Hernandez and Jaime Garcia go the distance and get complete games over the weekend. Even though their pitch counts were barely over 100, it’s rare to see pitchers -- who are coddled so much because of the team‘s investment in them -- go the distance this early in the year.

The pitching performance that stood out the most, beyond the Orioles Britton, was Toronto’s Kyle Drabek who pitched seven innings of one hit ball with seven K’s in their win Saturday over the Twins. We’ve been hearing the name for the last two years as a great prospect for Philadelphia, not only because he’s the son of former Pirates Cy Young award winner Doug Drabek, but because he has great stuff. It’s easy to see why the Phillies were so reluctant to deal him even if it meant not getting Roy Halladay.

UNLV Head Coach David Rice
We should have an official announcement on Wednesday where former UNLV player David Rice will be announced as UNLV’s new head basketball coach. The match should be a perfect fit of mixing the old with the new for UNLV, accentuating on all the positives. With Rice, we’ll get back to runnin’ and gunnin’ like the old days while also maintaining the integrity and stability to the program that Lon Kruger brought to the program. It’s a win-win for everyone, especially for the fans in Las Vegas.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-05-2011, 01:15 AM

Weekly Notes - West

April 4, 2011

(Straight-Up, Against the Spread, Over/Under)

1) San Antonio (58-19, 42-33-2, 43-34)

Weekly Recap: Things were falling apart at the seams for the Spurs with six consecutive losses, including setbacks to the Blazers, Celtics, and Rockets. San Antonio rebounded in a huge way with a blowout of Phoenix on Sunday as 11-point favorites.

Weekly Outlook: The Spurs make a quick trip to Atlanta on Tuesday, followed by a pair of home contests against the Kings (Wednesday) and Jazz (Saturday). San Antonio is 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS against its upcoming opponents this season, while the Spurs have cashed the 'over' in eight of the last nine games.

2) L.A. Lakers (55-21, 37-38-1, 30-46)

Weekly Recap: The Lakers lost only their second game since the All-Star break with Sunday's home setback to the Nuggets. The defending champs had won nine straight prior to the Denver defeat, including routs of the Mavs and Jazz.

Weekly Outlook: The push for the top seed in the Western Conference continues this week for the Lakers with the struggling Jazz coming to town on Tuesday. L.A. turns around on Wednesday for a trip up I-5 to battle the Warriors in Oakland, following a key road matchup at Portland on Friday. The week concludes on Sunday at home against the dangerous Thunder, as the Lakers are 2-0 SU/ATS in the season series.

3) Dallas (53-24, 40-35-2, 44-33)

Weekly Recap: The road wasn't too kind to the Mavs, who dropped the final three games of their six-game swing. Rick Carlisle's team held off the Clippers, but lost to the Lakers, Warriors, and Blazers to wrap up the week, as Dallas may have to settle for the three-seed in the West.

Weekly Outlook: The Mavs return to the American Airlines Center for three games this week, starting with the unrested Nuggets on Wednesday. The Clippers invade Dallas on Friday, while the Suns play the fifth and final game of their road trip on Sunday in 'Big D,' as the Mavs go for the four-game season sweep of each foe.

4) Oklahoma City (50-26, 39-36-1, 41-35)

Weekly Recap: The tired legs caught up to the Thunder at the end of a four game in five night stretch with losses to the Blazers and Clippers. Oklahoma City managed wins over Golden State and Phoenix to start the week, but the back-to-back defeats to end the week may have damaged its chances at the third seed.

Weekly Outlook: Oklahoma City concludes a four-game road swing in Denver on Tuesday, a potential first-round matchup in the Western Conference playoffs. The Thunder returns home on Wednesday to host the Clippers, followed by a rematch with the Nuggets in OKC on Friday. The week wraps up at Staples Center against the Lakers on Sunday.

5) Denver (47-29, 40-32-4, 35-40-1)

Weekly Recap: The Nuggets stayed hot with five straight victories, including back-to-back wins over the Kings and a huge road triumph over the Lakers. The key has been strong defense for Denver as the Nuggets are 8-1 to the 'under' the last nine games, while holding seven opponents to less than 100 points in this span.

Weekly Outlook: Denver tries to nail down the fifth seed with a big week, but George Karl's team will be tested. The Thunder invades the Pepsi Center on Tuesday, followed by a trip to Dallas on Wednesday. The Nuggets head to Oklahoma City on Friday, while concluding the week at home against the Wolves on Saturday.

6) Portland (45-32, 40-34-3, 37-39-1)

Weekly Recap: The Blazers went through an up-and-down week by alternating wins and losses in four games, capped off by a key home victory over the Mavs. Nate McMillan's squad can't slip up with Memphis and New Orleans lurking around for the sixth seed.

Weekly Outlook: Portland finishes off a three-game homestand against Golden State on Tuesday, followed by a trip to Utah on Thursday. The Blazers look to avoid the season sweep against the Lakers at home on Friday.

7) Memphis (44-33, 50-26-1, 38-39)

Weekly Recap: The Grizzlies dominated in three games with double-digit blowouts in each victory over the Warriors, Hornets, and Wolves. In the wins over Golden State and Minnesota, each opponent was unrested; the Grizzlies improved to 17-1 SU/ATS against teams on the second of a back-to-back.

Weekly Outlook: It's home cooking for the Grizzlies this week with three games at FedEx Forum starting Tuesday against the Clippers. Memphis entertains Sacramento on Friday, followed by a visit from the Hornets on Sunday. The Grizzlies are riding a six-game SU/ATS winning streak at home, while going 11-2 SU/ATS the last 13 at FedEx Forum.

8) New Orleans (44-33, 37-38-2, 28-49)

Weekly Recap: The Hornets rode a similar roller-coaster to the Blazers by alternating wins and losses in the last five games. New Orleans drilled Indiana on Sunday, just days after a disappointing home loss to Memphis. The inconsistency continues for the Hornets, who are 3-5-1 ATS the last nine games.

Weekly Outlook: New Orleans returns to the court on Wednesday when it hosts Houston, looking to avenge a home loss to the Rockets in late February. The Hornets wrap up the homestand against the Suns on Friday, followed by a trip to Memphis on Sunday.

9) Houston (41-36, 41-34-2, 40-37)

Weekly Recap: The Rockets aren't going away just yet in the Western Conference after winning three of four games. Houston held off San Antonio in overtime, while outlasting Atlanta at home, the seventh straight win at the Toyota Center.

Weekly Outlook: The late playoff push for Rick Adelman's club continues with the Kings coming to the Toyota Center on Tuesday. Houston heads to New Orleans for a key Southwest Division battle on Wednesday, followed by a Saturday home matchup with the Clippers.

10) Phoenix (37-39, 34-39-3, 38-38)

Weekly Recap: The Suns keep stumbling by dropping five of six games to fall below .500. Phoenix blew a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's setback at Sacramento, followed by a home defeat to Oklahoma City. The Suns managed a blowout win of the Clippers, but were run out by the Spurs to finish the week as Steve Nash missed each of the final two games.

Weekly Outlook: A five-game road trip takes Alvin Gentry's squad to Chicago on Tuesday, then Minnesota on Wednesday. The Suns head to the Big Easy on Friday to battle the Hornets, followed by their last away game of the season at Dallas on Sunday.

11) Utah (36-41, 31-44-2, 40-37)

Weekly Recap: The Jazz continued to lose by extending their skid to eight with Sunday's nine-point setback at Sacramento. Despite injuries, Utah has packed it in with a 2-6-1 ATS mark on the road the last nine games, and just five wins since trading away Deron Williams at the All-Star break.

Weekly Outlook: Utah may not win a game the rest of the way with five games against all teams destined for the playoffs. The Jazz heads to Staples Center on Tuesday to battle the Lakers, followed by a Thursday visit from the Blazers. Utah travels to San Antonio on Saturday, looking to avoid the season sweep to the Spurs.

12) Golden State (33-44, 37-39-1, 35-42)

Weekly Recap: The Warriors cashed two of three games despite going 1-2 SU this past week. Golden State was nipped in overtime at Oklahoma City, but covered as 11-point underdogs. The Warriors rallied past the Mavericks as home underdogs to avoid the season sweep by Dallas.

Weekly Outlook: Keith Smart's team heads up the coast to Portland on Tuesday, while returning home with no rest to battle the Lakers. Golden State hosts Sacramento on Sunday in what could be the final visit by the Kings as a Northern California resident.

13) L.A. Clippers (30-47, 35-41-1, 38-38-1)

Weekly Recap: The Clippers fell short as underdogs in losses to the Mavericks and Suns, but Vinny Del Negro's club made a massive rally in Saturday's stunning win over Oklahoma City. After having their moments earlier this season from an ATS perspective, the Clips are just 2-8 ATS the last 10 contests.

Weekly Outlook: Los Angeles hits the highway for a four-game road trip starting with a back-to-back set at Memphis (Tuesday) and Oklahoma City (Wednesday). The Clips play consecutive games at Dallas (Friday) and Houston (Saturday) to finish the week, as L.A. is 2-5 ATS the last seven games as a road 'dog.

14) Sacramento (22-54, 34-40-2, 42-34)

Weekly Recap: The Kings didn't have much luck in consecutive losses to the Nuggets, but were able to rebound nicely with a wire-to-wire home win over the woeful Jazz. Paul Westphal's club is 6-3 SU and 6-2-1 ATS the last nine games, which gives this young Kings' team some hope going into next season.

Weekly Outlook: Sacramento heads on the road for its final road swing of the season with a trip through Texas to battle Houston (Tuesday) and San Antonio (Wednesday). The Kings take on the Grizzlies on Friday, followed by a ride back to the Bay Area against the Warriors on Sunday.

15) Minnesota (17-60, 34-43, 36-41)

Weekly Recap: The losing streak reached a season-high 10 games with Saturday's blowout loss at Memphis. Prior to that, the Wolves failed to cover in home losses to the Bulls and Heat, while getting limited to less than 100 points in seven of the last eight games.

Weekly Outlook: Minnesota actually plays a team that isn't in playoff contention when the Wolves head to New Jersey on Tuesday. Things toughen up again on Wednesday at home against the Suns, followed by a Saturday trip to Denver to battle the hot Nuggets.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-05-2011, 01:16 AM

Weekly Notes - East

April 4, 2011

The NBA regular season finishes next Wednesday Apr. 13 followed up by the postseason on Saturday Apr. 16. With that being said, this will be the last installment of our Weekly Notes. Without further adieu, let's look at all 15 teams in the Eastern Conference and their final path over the next nine days.

(Straight-Up, Against the Spread, Over/Under)

Headed to the Dance

1) Chicago (56-20, 47-29, 33-43)

Final Notes: The Bulls have all but locked up the top spot in the East and have a magic number of three. Chicago has six games left and three of them will be nice tests. This Thursday, the Celtics visit the United Center. Then, the club has three straight on the road against Cleveland, Orlando and New York. The finale at home against New Jersey will more than likely be a layup before the playoffs.

2) Miami (54-23, 36-40-1, 40-36-1)

Final Notes: It appears that Miami will be facing the 76ers or Knicks in the first round, which could be an exciting matchup but the Heat should still win out. Erik Spoelstra's team has been in great form since losing five straight in early March, producing an 11-2 mark (8-5 ATS) over the last 13 games. Miami plays three straight at home, including a Sunday showdown against Boston, which should determine the two and three seeds in the East. The Heat close the season with road games at Atlanta and Toronto, which should see a lot of bench players.

3) Boston (53-23, 35-39-2, 35-40)

Final Notes: The Celtics continue to falter down the stretch and they could get clipped in the postseason without a healthy frontcourt. Boston is 3-4 SU and 2-5 ATS in its last seven and it hasn't been able to muster up back-to-back wins during this span. Four of the final six games will be against playoff opponents in the East, including Chicago and Miami. The other two will be versus the Wizards. Boston should be eyeing up the Sunday affair at Miami, but keep in mind they do own the tiebreaker over the Heat already. Still, they might have to go 5-1 and stop the Heat in South Beach to earn the second slot.

4) Orlando (48-29, 30-44-3, 30-43-4)

Final Notes: It's almost set in stone but Orlando and Atlanta will be meeting in the first round of the playoffs. The Magic can't wait for the playoffs, and neither can gamblers backing this club. Stan Van Gundy's team is a pedestrian 8-7 SU in the last 15 games. More importantly, the squad is a miserable 2-13 ATS during this stretch. For whatever reason, the offense has gone missing during this span, which has helped the 'under' produce an 11-4 mark. Three of the last five games appear to be winnable but a back-to-back set starting Sunday at home versus Chicago and ending in Philadelphia on Monday will be a nice barometer.

5) Atlanta (44-33, 37-40, 33-44)

Final Notes: The Hawks are penciled into the fifth spot and unlike the Magic, this team is playing well down the stretch, at least for gamblers. Atlanta is 4-2 SU and 6-0 ATS in its last six, with the two losses coming by five points a piece. Two of the wins that were impressive came at home against Orlando (85-82) and Boston (88-83). The Hawks have two more games at Philips Arena and they'll be tough matches versus San Antonio and Miami. The other three will be on the road against Indiana, Washington and Charlotte.

6) Philadelphia (40-37, 46-30-1, 40-37)

Final Notes: Doug Collins probably won't win Coach of the Year honors but he's done a great job in his debut season with the 76ers. The club has won and covered three of their last four, with the loss coming in overtime to Milwaukee (87-93) last Saturday. Tuesday's road affair at Boston could be a playoff preview. Following the C's, the 76ers close the season with four straight at home versus the Knicks, Raptors, Magic and Pistons.

7) New York (38-38, 42-32-2, 40-35-1)

Final Notes: The Knicks still have a chance to unseat Philadelphia for the sixth spot but either way it appears that they'll be facing Miami or Boston in the first round of the playoffs. After dropping six straight, New York has rebounded with three wins a row. Four of the last six are on the road, including Wednesday's battle against the aforementioned 76ers. Total players should make a note that the 'over' has cashed in six straight heading into the final stretch.

Fighting for Last

8) Indiana (35-43, 35-40-3, 35-42-1)

Final Notes: The Pacers control their own destiny down the stretch. They need to win three out of their final four games to clinch the eighth and final playoff spot in the East and fortunately three of them will be played at Conseco Fieldhouse. Washington, Atlanta and New York will visit this week and all games will be separated by a day. The road finale will be at Orlando, who could be resting.

9) Charlotte (32-44, 37-37-2, 35-41)

Final Notes: The playoff hopes for Charlotte are all but gone, especially without a healthy Stephen Jackson (hamstring). The team needs to win out or hope Indiana loses every one of its games down the stretch. The 'Cats don't have the tiebreaker over the Pacers, so ties fall the other way. Prior to losing two in a row over last weekend, Charlotte had strung together four straight victories. Game against Orlando and Miami will be tough, but the other four tilts versus Cleveland, Detroit, New Jersey and Atlanta are winnable.

10) Milwaukee (31-45, 37-37-1, 28-47)

Final Notes: Similar to the Bobcats, the Bucks will have an improbable chance of making the postseason, especially the way the season ends. Milwaukee plays three straight on the road against Orlando, Miami and Detroit. Then, after hosting Cleveland and Toronto in what will be heavy spreads, the Bucks finish the season at Oklahoma City. The word improbable should be replaced with impossible.

Get ready for the Draft

11) Detroit (26-50, 40-35-1, 41-35)

Final Notes: The Pistons have been impossible to figure out all season and this team will completely altered in the offseason. They have the talent to compete but a lackluster attitude is obvious. They've gone 1-6 over the last seven games, but four of the games were decided by eight or less. All six of Detroit's final contests are winnable, including road games at Washington, Charlotte and Philadelphia. It's just a matter of which team shows up.

12) New Jersey (25-53, 35-41, 37-38-1)

Final Notes: It looks like the Nets have talent on paper but this team is still far away from competing. The club is 2-10 over the last 12 and has dropped six straight, four of those by double digits. Fortunately, New Jersey will play four of its final six games against non-playoff teams and Chicago should rest its starters in the finale. A 4-2 or 5-1 finish would be positive but 3-3 seems likely.

13) Toronto (21-55, 33-41-2, 37-39)

Final Notes: The Raptors snapped a six-game slid on Sunday to Orlando (98-102) as 10-point home underdogs. The club has been playing up-tempo to close the season, which has helped the 'over' go 5-1 in the last six. Expect more of the same to close the year and don't look for Andrea Bargnani (ankle) or Jose Calderon (hamstring) to suit up anytime soon. As much as LeBron hurt Cleveland, Chris Bosh leaving Toronto was comparable.

14) Washington (20-56, 29-47, 32-42-1)

Final Notes: Despite a barrage of injuries all season, Washington is finishing the season strong, evidenced by a 3-2 SU and 4-1 ATS run. Home games against Detroit, Atlanta and Boston could see the club catching a few points along with road tilts versus the Pacers and Celtics. It's fitting that Washington faces Cleveland on the road in the season finale.

15) Cleveland (15-61, 31-42-3, 42-34)

Final Notes: The abysmal season is almost over in Cleveland and some wonder if it will ever get better in the city. The Cavaliers have some winnable games on tap to close the season with five games against teams with losing records. The other battle will be versus Chicago at home, which would be a nice final stamp. The 'over' is on a 3-0 heading into the final stretch.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-05-2011, 01:17 AM

Tuesday's Diamond Tips

April 4, 2011

The opening weekend of Major League Baseball’s season is out of the way. Now we can get into the matchups that dominate April as teams are still feeling themselves out in the games that count. We’ve got 14 tests on the schedule on Tuesday that go from the afternoon until primetime.

We’re going to look at a pair of American League East squads that are without a win after one series. Then we’re going to see a pair of the better sides in the National League West do battle in land of Coors.

Angels at Rays – 6:40 p.m. EDT

Tropicana Field will be home to two teams that looked extremely disappointing in their opening series of the season. The Rays knew it would be a rough season after losing Carlos Pena, Carl Crawford and the majority of their bullpen. The Halos were just hoping to that last year’s injuries would be able to be forgotten fast.

Tampa Bay (0-3, -480) will be sending Jeff Neimann out for his first start of the season. Past history shows that it could be a tough game for the Rays as Neimann went 1-2 with a 10.20 earned run average versus the Angels last season. And the starters for Joe Maddon have been lackluster so far, going 0-3 with a 4.46 ERA against Baltimore over the weekend.

Los Angeles (1-3, -275) started the year off well with a 4-2 road win against the Royals. Since then, the Angels have dropped three straight games. The lone win came from Jared Weaver, who will be on the hill for Tuesday evening. Weaver tossed 6.1 innings against the Royals in the season opener, allowing two hits. LA’s ace has fared well against the Rays, evidenced by a 3-1 record with a 2.45 ERA in five career starts.

The Angels have the advantage in that they’ve won three of the last four matches against Tampa Bay. Two of those wins came against Niemann.

Red Sox at Indians – 7:05 p.m. EDT

We’re only a few days into the season and Boston (0-3, -350) fans are freaking out after a three-game sweep at the hands of the Rangers. Can you really be upset by the fact that you lost to the defending AL champs?

What the Red Sox did not have this past weekend was steady starting pitching. John Lackey, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz were lit up for 18 runs. The plus side for that is that Josh Beckett doesn’t have to do too much to be considered an improvement over the first three hurlers. Beckett is looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2010 (6-6, 5.78 ERA). He did at least win his only start against the Tribe last season.

Cleveland (1-2, -93) are in midseason form in terms of sucking hard. The Indians have given up 24 runs this season, but at least didn’t get swept. Of course, not many people bothered to show up to that 7-1 win on Sunday. The Tribe will count on Josh Tomlin to make things happen on the mound for this game. The late-season call up closed out last September with three wins in his last three starts. And he lasted seven inning, giving up four earned runs in a 6-2 loss at Boston in August.

The Indians do have one thing going for them in the head-to-head matchups. The Tribe are 4-2 in the last six meetings with Boston. The ‘over’ is 4-2 in those tests as well.

Dodgers at Rockies – 8:40 p.m. EDT

Things are going quite well for Los Angeles (3-1, +197) after taking three of four from the hated Giants in Chavez Ravine. The Dodgers will look to keep the good times rolling on Tuesday night with Clayton Kershaw getting the nod. Kershaw is coming off a quality opening night start against San Francisco, where he allowed no runs on four hits in seven innings of work. Don Mattingly has to be confident Kershaw will be able to pick up another win in this spot after going 3-0 with a 2.10 ERA in five starts against the Rockies last season.

Colorado (1-1, -100) got an unexpected extra day off after having the series finale with the Diamondbacks getting snowed out after a game played in 84-degree weather. That pushed Jhoulys Chacin’s first start of the year to Tuesday night of the quick two-game set. The Rockies have won two of their last three games against the Dodgers the Chacin started.

These two teams have seen the visitors go 1-5 in the last six head-to-head meetings. The ‘over’ is almost a certainty as it is 5-1 in those six tests.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-05-2011, 01:52 AM

If i have time after arrival i'll try to post the NBA games....

MLB

Tuesday, April 5

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Arizona - 2:20 PM ET Arizona +135 500
Chi. Cubs -

San Francisco - 6:35 PM ET San Francisco -125 500
San Diego - Under 7.5 500

LA Angels - 6:40 PM ET LA Angels -105 500
Tampa Bay - Over 7.5 500

Boston - 7:05 PM ET Boston -151 500
Cleveland - Under 9 500

Minnesota - 7:05 PM ET Minnesota +195 500
NY Yankees - Over 9 500

NY Mets - 7:05 PM ET Philadelphia -191 500
Philadelphia - Over 8.5 500

Oakland - 7:07 PM ET Toronto +108 500
Toronto - Under 9 500

Washington - 7:10 PM ET Florida -157 500
Florida - Under 9 500

Houston - 7:10 PM ET Cincinnati -165 500
Cincinnati - Over 8.5 500

Seattle - 8:05 PM ET Seattle +154 500
Texas - Over 9 500

Chi. White Sox - 8:10 PM ET Kansas City +113 500
Kansas City - Over 9 500

Atlanta - 8:10 PM ET Atlanta +113 500
Milwaukee - Under 8 500

Pittsburgh - 8:15 PM ET St. Louis -149 500
St. Louis - Over 8.5 500

LA Dodgers - 8:40 PM ET LA Dodgers -102 500
Colorado - Under 8 500

----------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday, April 5

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Tampa Bay - 7:00 PM ET Tampa Bay +120 500
Buffalo - Over 5.5 500

Washington - 7:00 PM ET Toronto +120 500
Toronto - Over 5.5 500

New Jersey - 7:30 PM ET Pittsburgh -140 500
Pittsburgh - Under 5 500

Chicago - 7:30 PM ET Montreal +100 500
Montreal - Over 5.5 500

Philadelphia - 7:30 PM ET Ottawa +147 500
Ottawa - Over 5.5 500

Colorado - 8:00 PM ET St. Louis -193 500
St. Louis - Over 5.5 500

Atlanta - 8:00 PM ET Atlanta +166 500
Nashville - Under 5.5 500

Vancouver - 9:00 PM ET Edmonton +177 500
Edmonton - Over 5.5 500

**StarDust Bum** · 04-05-2011, 08:15 PM

Tuesday, April 5

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Philadelphia - 7:30 PM ET Boston -6 500
Boston - Under 185 500

Toronto - 7:30 PM ET Toronto +9 500
New York - Over 222 500

Phoenix - 8:00 PM ET Chicago -11 500
Chicago - Under 203.5 500

L.A. Clippers - 8:00 PM ET L.A. Clippers +9 500
Memphis - Under 198 500

Sacramento - 8:30 PM ET Houston -8.5 500
Houston - Over 218.5 500

Oklahoma City - 9:00 PM ET Oklahoma City +4 500
Denver - Over 205.5 500

Golden State - 10:00 PM ET Golden State +10.5 500
Portland - Under 201.5 500

Utah - 10:30 PM ET Utah +14 500
L.A. Lakers - Under 193 500

**StarDust Bum** · 01-24-2013, 04:20 PM

Thursday, January 24

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Toronto - 7:00 PM ET Orlando -4 500
Orlando - Over 199.5 500

New York - 8:00 PM ET Boston +1 500 POD
Boston - Under 189.5 500

L.A. Clippers - 10:30 PM ET Phoenix +6.5 500
Phoenix - Under 191.5 500

Announcement

The Bum's Tuesday's Best Bets MLB-NHL-NBA !

The Bum's Tuesday's Best Bets MLB-NHL-NBA !

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