Announcement

**Udog** · 05-18-2011, 08:38 AM

Wednesday's betting tips: Barkley hypes Bulls' D

Who’s hot

NBA: Chicago has covered in five of its last six overall.

NHL: The favorite has won 11 of the last 14 meetings between the Canucks and Sharks.

MLB: Houston is 11-5 in its last 16 games against St. Louis.

Who’s not

NBA: Just one of Miami’s last six have played under the total.

NHL: The under is 3-12-1 in San Jose’s last 16 road games.

MLB: Colorado is 3-8 in its last 11 overall and is 7-19 in its last 26 meetings with Philadelphia.

Key stat

19-6 – The Chicago Bulls owned the offensive glass in Game 1 of their series with the Miami Heat, grabbing 19 offensive boards to only six for Miami. The Heat went with a small lineup and paid for it, getting outrebounded 45-33 overall, which has the club considering some changes to its starting five for Game 2.

Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked

Rafael Soriano, New York Yankees – The pricey setup man in the Yanks’ bullpen hasn’t looked right for much of this season and finally landed on the 15-day DL Tuesday with an unspecified elbow injury. He’s working on a 5.40 ERA in 11 innings of work this year.

Game of the day

Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls (-2, 181.5)

Notable quotable

"I got into an argument with a guy the other day. I've been in the NBA since 1984, and this Bulls team defensively is probably the best team defensively I've ever seen. He starts throwing names out there, ‘What about the Bad Boys [Detroit Pistons teams of the late '80s]?' Just because teams beat the hell out of you, that don't make them good defensively. – Charles Barkley said of the Chicago Bulls on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000.

Notes and tips

The Oakland Athletics suffered a big loss to their starting rotation with the news that lefty Dallas Braden will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn capsule in his throwing shoulder. Braden was 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA this season. He threw a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays last season.

It didn’t take long for the NHL’s Western Conference finals to turn a little ugly. CBC’s Elliote Friedman reports that Sharks center Joe Thornton challenged Vancouver’s Ryan Kesler to fight as the pair lined up for the opening faceoff in Game 1. Kesler reportedly laughed off the challenge while Thornton replied “no” when asked if he was surprised Kesler turned down his invitation.

Nehro, who finished second at the Kentucky Derby to Animal Kingdom, will be kept out of the second leg of the Triple Crown when Saturday’s Preakness goes. Nehro’s owner, Ahmed Zayat, told reporters of his decision Tuesday, paving the way for Isn’t He Perfect to join the field.

**Udog** · 05-18-2011, 08:42 AM

Wednesday's six-pack

I watch hundreds of hours of baseball each season; here are some of the broadcast teams I'd rather listen to.

6) Mets—Only when Ron Darling is on; otherwise, I’ll take the Cubs with Len Casper/Bob Brenly, or the Red Sox when Remy is on. .

5) Twins—Like listening to Bert Blyleven talk pitching; hard to watch the 2011 Twins though. Bad team.

4) Padres—Why is Dick Enberg doing Padre games? Shouldn’t some network have him doing football and tennis? He’s still excellent.

3) Arizona—Only when Mark Grace is on, which basically means weeknight games and Sundays. To me, Grace is the best analyst on TV right now.

2) A’s—Ray Fosse seems like the nicest guy in the world; Fosse and Glen Kuiper root for my favorite team without being obnoxious about it. Then again, I’m biased.

1) Giants— Duane Kuiper/Mike Krukow are like couple of friends who come into your living room every night.

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Wednesday's List of 13: Talking a little Moneyball

Thanks to the fine website cotscontracts.com for the info used in this article.

13) Tampa Bay’s payroll this season is $41,671,308, or $31,175,825 less than last year; they lost Crawford-Pena-Garza-Soriano from LY and basically have a whole new bullpen, but improved play of Upton has helped. Don’t forget, Longoria has already been on the DL this season too. So far, a masterful managing job by Joe Maddon.

12) Longoria should punch his agent; from 2012-14, he gets paid a total of $15.5M, part of a contract that was signed when he was in the big leagues less than a week. There are plenty of chumps in the majors making three times what Longoria is making.

11) Mets are paying out $19,725,000 this season to players who are no longer in their organization; their payroll is $142,797,166. Will be fascinating to see what they do with Reyes/Beltran in their walk years. I say re-sign Reyes and take the two draft picks for Beltran, but no one’s asking me.

10) In 2012-13, Mets are still on the hook for $49M for a rehabbing Johan Santana and $36.3M for a skidding Jason Bay, as the Omar Minaya Era keeps on giving and giving. Mets will have trouble recruiting free agent hitters to play for them because their ballpark is way too big.

9) First San Diego built the Padres a beautiful new ballpark; then the Padres’ owner got involved in a messy divorce, then the ballclub purged salary- their payroll this year is $45,869,140, down $27,808,476 from three years ago. With Heath Bell making $7.5M and Ryan Ludwick $6.775M, you might expect the two of them to pack their bags before August, too.

8) Angels’ payroll has risen for fifth time in last six years, all the way up to $141,755,666, thanks in part to taking on the ridiculously high ($26.6M/year) Vernon Wells contract (Toronto is paying $5M a year of it). Wells is owed over $100M between now and 2015. Imagine what he’d get if he was a great player, which he isn’t.

7) 45 minutes north, the Dodgers have an owner with shaky finances and a payroll of $119,771,499 that he may not be able to meet; Ethier/Kemp are both up for arbitration this winter, so MLB needs to find a new owner before then, or this could be one bad ballclub come next spring.

6) Bronx Bombers have a payroll of $207,047,964 this year, down just under $6M from LY; this is fourth year in row their payroll was over $200M. They’re already on books for $126M in 2013, and that’s with Cano being a free agent after ’12. (Remember, the Pirates currently have $0 on the books for 2013. Zero.)

Bombers have a weird team; 15 of their 30 big league contracts are $1.5M or less; then there are the huge contracts, with Jeter/ARod making more than the whole Tampa Bay team, by themselves.

5) ARod will make $21M in 2016 (hell, I’ll be retired from my day job by then) and Jeter makes $17M in 2013. God help Girardi/Cashman if CC Sabathia opts out after this season.

4) Then there are my A’s, whose three highest paid players are DeJesus-Ellis-Willingham, all of whom make $6M a year. Nothing quite as fun as rooting for a team where Mark Ellis is the highest-paid player. Yikes.

Trevor Cahill has a fat contract that kicks in later on, by which time he’ll no doubt have been traded to an NL team. Oakland’s payroll this year is $67,094,000. Fifteen years ago, the A’s were sold for $85M. Now they’re worth $307M despite next year becoming the only MLB team sharing its stadium with an NFL team. Go figure.

3) Pittsburgh Pirates last had a winning team the year I got married, 1992 (make your own joke there). Figures that two of their three highest-paid players play the same position (catcher), and Lyle Overbay is the third guy. They have 17 guys making $500,000 or less. They have one of the best ballparks in baseball, but a bunch of nitwits calling the shots (except for Clint Hurdle, a terrific manager).

For their sake, I hope they lose on purpose, because its hard to believe anyone could be as stupid as they’ve been for as long as they have. Pirates have only five guys making more than $2.2M a year, and as we’ve said a couple times already this week, they have zero money committed to salary beyond next season. They’re a case study in incompetence.

2) Now as much praise as Theo Epstein gets, and he has lorded over two world titles, he gave Carl freakin’ Crawford a contract that will pay him $105M from 2012-16, and he owes John Lackey $15.95M a year thru 2014. So far, not so good. Red Sox have $94,364,000 committed to contracts…..in 2014.

Its safe to say 2012 Red Sox will be lot younger than this year’s version, as big contracts come off the books (Drew/Ortiz/Papelbon), replaced by much cheaper labor. Boston’s payroll this year is $163,822,475, down $4M or so from LY. It'll probably be less again next season.

1) Free agent class this year has Albert Pujols, Jose Reyes, Prince Fielder, and three good closers, Papelbon, Heath Bell and Jose Valverde. Don’t look for the Pirates to sign any of those guys.

**Udog** · 05-18-2011, 08:43 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Miami at Chicago

The Bulls look to follow up their Game 1 win and build on their 8-1-2 ATS record in their last 11 games as a home favorite of 1 to 4 1/2 points. Chicago is the pick (-2) according to Dunkel, which has the Bulls favored by 9 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Chicago (-2). Here are all of today's picks

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18

Game 505-506: Miami at Chicago (8:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Miami 121.500; Chicago 130.876
Dunkel Line & Total: Chicago by 9 1/2; 177
Vegas Line & Total: Chicago by 2; 181 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago (-2); Under

**Udog** · 05-18-2011, 08:48 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

Wednesday, May 18

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MIAMI (66 - 27) at CHICAGO (71 - 23) - 5/18/2011, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 56-37 ATS (+15.3 Units) in all games this season.
CHICAGO is 41-33 ATS (+4.7 Units) as a favorite this season.
CHICAGO is 28-19 ATS (+7.1 Units) in home games this season.
CHICAGO is 27-13 ATS (+12.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
CHICAGO is 17-8 ATS (+8.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season this season.
CHICAGO is 27-15 ATS (+10.5 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 6-5 against the spread versus MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 6-6 straight up against MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
8 of 12 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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**Udog** · 05-18-2011, 08:52 AM

NBA
Short Sheet

Wednesday, May 18

Eastern Conference Finals - Game 2 - CHI leads 1-0
MIAMI at CHICAGO, 8:30 PM ET TNT
MIAMI: 27-9 Over after scoring 85 pts or less
CHICAGO: 28-13 ATS off home win

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

**Udog** · 05-18-2011, 08:53 AM

NBA
Write-Up

Wednesday, May 18

Bulls' 19 offensive rebounds in Game 1 represented Miami's worst game on defensive boards all season; Chicago bench was +55, Heat's -41- lack of depth for Miami is evident. Chicago is 6-1 at home in playoffs (4-3 vs spread) with only loss Game 1 vs Atlanta; Miami won eight of its eleven playoff games, with six of last seven going over total; they're 2-3 on the road, scoring 82-81-82 points in the losses. Miami is 0-4 vs Chicago this season, with three losses in regular season by total of 8 points. Lebron and Wade took four FTs each in Game 1; they can't win like that.

**Udog** · 05-18-2011, 08:57 AM

NBA

Wednesday, May 18

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Trend Report
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8:30 PM
MIAMI vs. CHICAGO
Miami is 12-3 SU in its last 15 games
Miami is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Chicago is 18-3 SU in its last 21 games
Chicago is 23-2 SU in its last 25 games at home

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**Udog** · 05-18-2011, 08:59 AM

NBA

Wednesday, May 18

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Heat at Bulls: What bettors need to know
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Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls (-2, 181.5)

Chicago leads series 1-0

THE STORY: The Chicago Bulls have been one of the NBA's stingiest clubs all season long, and that defensive prowess was on display in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final. The Bulls limited Miami's high-powered offense to 34 second-half points in a 103-82 win that established Chicago as the team to beat in the series. The clubs tangle again in Game 2 Wednesday night at the United Center.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, TNT

ABOUT THE BULLS: Chicago was one of the only teams in the NBA who had little trouble handling the Heat in the regular season, and that dominance extended into Game 1 of their best-of-seven. The Bulls overcame an early eight-point deficit with emphasis, keeping Dwyane Wade and LeBron James off-balance for most of the night while crushing Miami on the offensive glass by a 19-6 margin. League MVP Derrick Rose led the way with 28 points while hitting three of Chicago's 10 3-pointers. Luol Deng added four 3-pointers of his own, helping compensate for a bad shooting night from center Joakim Noah.

ABOUT THE HEAT: Aside from Chris Bosh, the Heat looked largely underwhelming in their first game since a five-game whitewash of the Boston Celtics in the conference semifinal. Bosh had 30 points, but cohorts James and Wade shot just 12 for 32 from the field as they struggled to get off quality shots against a persistent Bulls defense. Miami made just three field goals during an 11 1/2-minute stretch of the third and fourth quarters, seeing a one-point lead turn into a 17-point deficit they were unable to erase. Deng limited James to 5 of 15 shooting and will draw the same assignment in Game 2.

WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Bosh enjoyed his best game of the postseason, hitting 12 of 18 attempts and making all six of his free throws. He averaged just 12.8 points against Boston. Noah was ice-cold in Game 1, making just 4 of 14 shots from the field to finish with nine points.

KEY STATISTIC: 16 - The number of Miami turnovers in Game 1. The Heat were a -7 in that department, and will need to take better care of the ball to avoid going back to Miami down 2-0 in the series.

TRENDS:

* Under is 6-2 in the last eight meetings in Chicago.
* Home team is 6-2-1 ATS in the last nine meetings.
* Under is 10-4 in the last 14 meetings.
* Underdog is 3-1-1 ATS in the last five meetings.
* Heat are 1-4-1 ATS in the last six meetings in Chicago.
* Heat are 0-3-1 ATS in the last four meetings.

LAST WORD: "We took it on the chin, in virtually all the effort areas. We'll adjust ... Certainly the fistfight under the glass will be a start." - Heat coach Erik Spolestra.

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**Udog** · 05-18-2011, 09:00 AM

NBA

Wednesday, May 18

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Pick 'n' roll: Wednesday's best NBA bets
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Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls (-2, 181.5)

You never thought Keith Bogans, Ronnie Brewer and Loul Deng would be the keys to the Eastern Conference this year, did you? The three Chicago defenders have been lockdown since a Game 1 loss in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Atlanta Hawks.

Since then, the trio of physical, wing defenders managed to put the clamps on Atlanta’s Jamal Crawford and Joe Johnson. After Game 1 of the conference finals, you can add Dwyane Wade and LeBron James to that list.

“It’s hard to attack on the front side of the defense because they load on the strong side,” James said. “So you have to be able to get the ball from one side to another and attack their defense. They have a lot of athleticism. So you have to be patient.”

Philadelphia’s perimeter defenders were long on athleticism but short on talent. Boston’s physical approach had plenty of talented veterans, but not enough speed or length. Chicago has boatloads of both.

In Game 1, a 103-82 Bulls win, the Heat had one of their biggest flaws exposed by that trio – an over-reliance on points from the free-throw line. Miami is 0-3 in the playoffs when attempting fewer than 20 charity tosses and managed a mere 15 in the series opener.

Neither Wade nor LeBron attempted a free throw in the second half.

Meanwhile, the Bulls seem to be comfortable with the approach LeBron suggested the Heat using in Game 2: rotating the ball to the weak side for jumpers from Chris Bosh, Mario Chalmers and Mike Bibby. In Game 1, Bosh had 30 and Miami still got blown out.

Look for more of the same in Game 2.

Pick: Chicago

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**Udog** · 05-18-2011, 09:03 AM

NHL
Dunkel

San Jose at Vancouver

The Sharks look to bounce back from their 3-2 loss in Game 1 and build on their 14-3 record in their last 17 games after scoring 2 goals or less in the previous game. San Jose is the pick (+135) according to Dunkel, which has the Sharks favored by 1/2 a goal. Dunkel Pick: San Jose (+135). Here are all of today's picks.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18

Game 57-58: San Jose at Vancouver (9:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Jose 12.583; Vancouver 12.017
Dunkel Line & Total: San Jose by 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Vancouver (-155); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Jose (+135); Over

**Udog** · 05-18-2011, 09:06 AM

NHL
Long Sheet

Wednesday, May 18

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SAN JOSE (56-31-0-9, 121 pts.) at VANCOUVER (63-22-0-11, 137 pts.) - 5/18/2011, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
VANCOUVER is 63-33 ATS (+20.4 Units) in all games this season.
VANCOUVER is 119-77 ATS (-2.5 Units) when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
VANCOUVER is 39-18 ATS (+10.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
VANCOUVER is 27-12 ATS (+9.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
SAN JOSE is 24-14 ATS (+7.4 Units) in road games revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 35-24 ATS (+9.4 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 14-8 ATS (+22.1 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
VANCOUVER is 2-11 ATS (-15.6 Units) in home games when leading in a playoff series since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 7-6 (+0.7 Units) against the spread versus VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
SAN JOSE is 7-6-0 straight up against VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
7 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.0 Units)

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**Udog** · 05-18-2011, 09:08 AM

NHL
Short Sheet

Wednesday, May 18

Western Conference Finals - Best of 7 - Game 2 - VAN 1-0
SAN JOSE at VANCOUVER, 9:05 PM ET VERSUS
SAN JOSE: 14-5 SU Away playing with double revenge
VANCOUVER: 2-11 SU at home when leading in a playoff series

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

**Udog** · 05-18-2011, 09:09 AM

NHL
Write-Up

Wednesday, May 18

Vancouver outshot the Sharks 13-7, outscored them 2-0 in third period of Game 1, scoring twice within 1:19 early in third period, with winning goal scoring on power play. Vancouver won four of five meetings with San Jose this year, with three of Canucks' four wins going over, the loss staying under. Overall, Sharks are 5-4 in last nine games in this building. San Jose had two days to rest after Game 1, which should help after the 7-game Detroit series; they scored on their only power play in Game 1. Vancouver was just 1-4 with man advantage (6:47), but that goal was the game-winner.

**Udog** · 05-18-2011, 09:11 AM

NHL

Wednesday, May 18

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Trend Report
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9:00 PM
SAN JOSE vs. VANCOUVER
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Jose's last 6 games when playing on the road against Vancouver
San Jose is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Vancouver
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Vancouver's last 6 games at home
Vancouver is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games at home

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Announcement

Wednesday's Trends and Indexes - 5/18 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

Wednesday's Trends and Indexes - 5/18 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

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