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**Udog** · 10-13-2012, 07:45 AM

Armadillo: Saturday's six-pack

-- NHL was supposed to start last night; too bad there's a lockout, would be fun to watch some hockey before all the basketball starts.

-- Ryan Tannehill is Dolphins' 17th starting QB since Dan Marino quit.

-- If you're running the Reds, do you bring Dusty Baker back? He had a stroke three weeks ago, that has to enter into their decision.

-- You pinch-hit for a guy in consecutive playoff games, then sit his butt in the next game; too bad you owe him $114M over the next five years. If ARod looks bad now, whats he going to be like in five years?

-- Damn, the Cowboys have one playoff win in the last 15 years, but you listen to people on TV, you'd think they're one of the elite teams.

-- NFL games are won by exactly 5 points less than 3% of time, which is why a 4.5-point spread isn't that much different than 5.5 points.

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Armadillo: Saturday's Longer List: The accidental champs made 2012 fun.......

-- Full disclosure as I start this: I’ve been an A’s fan since I was 5 years old, long before ESPN or the Internet or IPhones. 1965, the Mike Hershberger/ John Wyatt/Phil Roof era of A’s baseball, when they were still in Kansas City, when I became a Catfish Hunter fan because they spelled his name wrong on his rookie card and as a quirky 5-year old, I felt bad for him. Pretty strange way to pick a Hall of Famer as your favorite player.

I’ve spent the last 47 summers rooting for the A’s, but this one has been the most fun, lot of which is due to fact that I can watch just about every game now, and also due to the fact that this team, a team constructed to be good in 2015 or 2016, stunningly caught fire this summer and took baseball by storm. It was almost as if they built a champion by accident.

Make no mistake about it, they're champions. 2012 AL West champs.

-- Last December 22, the day before my 52nd birthday, the A’s traded Gio Gonzalez to Washington, 13 days after they traded Trevor Cahill to Arizona. In effect, we were dumping our two best pitchers to try and build a team that would contend in 2015 or 2016, when a new stadium in San Jose or somewhere would be built, and then the A’s could be a financially viable franchise.

In no way was this team built to be a champion in 2012. It was built to win in a new ballpark, maybe even in another city, most definitely in another year. What has happened in nine months since is nothing if not miraculous.

The kind of stuff movies are made of.

-- Fact is on December 22, I called the Oakland Coliseum and vented to a group ticket salesman, about how the team isn’t trying and how could he sell tickets, who would want to go see a team that doesn’t try to win. The frustration was real; its December 22, and I’m ranting to a complete stranger about constantly losing to wealthier teams.

The guy on the phone was polite and told me that the new stadium would be a big help, if it happens. Sir, if you’re out there, thanks for listening.

-- 50 players played for the A’s this year; 25 pitchers, 25 position guys, 18 of the 50 being rookies. On June 1, the A’s were shut out in Kansas City by the immortal Felipe Paulino, their 9th loss in a row, their third shutout in five games. It was a dismal, sad team that had the same 22-30 record as the Astros (who wound up losing 107 games).

But management kept pulling strings, with Bob Melvin moving people in and out of the lineup, while Billy Beane pulled guys up and down from Sacramento, with a couple of trades mixed in. They went 15-13 in June, an amazing 19-5 in July, and haven’t looked back, winning a highly unlikely division title, their first since 2006.

There have been an awful lot of heroes…….

-- 3B Scott Sizemore blew his knee out the first day of spring training; his replacement, Josh Donaldson was a minor league catcher until LY; think about it: the Tigers have Cabrera at 3B, Bronx has A-Rod, Texas has Beltre, and we have a guy who was hitting .153 in August. Coaching and hard work improved his game, and his average wound up around 90 points higher by season’s end.

Going into 2013, we have no worries about the third baseman.

-- Brandon Inge was acquired from Detroit in April; his last hit of the year helped win a game in Chicago-- it happened after his shoulder popped out of place earlier in that game. He had his arm operated on a few days later. Brandon Inge is a warrior.

-- Oakland tried eight different first basemen before settling on a platoon of Chris Carter/Brandon Moss, one of four Australians to play for the A’s this year. Moss was especially awesome in the stretch run, he was livin’ the dream, as he is fond of saying. 21 homers, many in huge spots. Think the Red Sox regret dumping him? Carter had 16 homers. That’s an awful lot of production from first base.

-- Sean Doolittle is the A’s best lefty reliever; at this time LY, he was a minor league 1B with a bum knee who hit .272 in 879 career minor league AB’s. He had pitched some in college at Virginia, so he went to the instructional league to take a shot at becoming a pitcher.

Ummmm, it worked; he’s pitched 46.1 sterling innings of relief (1.08 WHIP) and generally throws in the 7th or 8th inning. Think about that; this time LY, he was a freakin’ minor league first baseman.

-- 34-year old Grant Balfour had 10 career saves before this season; right now, there is no one in baseball I would trust more with a lead, having preserved 18 straight wins since regaining the closer’s job in August. Fans in rightfield do some kind of odd dance when he comes into the game, while Balfour struts around the mound like a modern-day Al Hrabosky. Whatever it is (I am told it is called The Rage), it worked. Balfour was a rock.

-- There are 25 players on a playoff roster, but more than 25 men have helped the A’s become champions. Ever hear of Brandon Hicks? He hit three HRs for the A’s this year, but two of them were huge; a walk-off against Texas July 18 (A’s won the division by a game) then tied a game against Tampa Bay in the 7th inning 12 days later, a game Oakland wound up winning in 15 innings.

Without those two hits, the A’s don’t make the playoffs.

-- Catcher Derek Norris didn’t play a game for the A’s this year until June 21; his backup George Kottaras, was acquired from Milwaukee July 26; he’s hit a few big homers since, but you can see how this team has been a work in progress.

-- Josh Reddick came over from the Red Sox for closer Andrew Bailey (if you're supposed to lose 100 games, who needs a closer?) and became a star, with great defense and a bunch of home runs. What a lopsided trade, as Balfour/Ryan Cook filled Bailey's shoes beautifully.

-- Pitching coach Curt Young is a gem, but he was with Boston LY, caught up in middle of Fried Chicken-gate so he got canned. Lucky for the A’s, who brought him back to Oakland-- they used five rookie starters for much of September, except when Brett Anderson was healthy. Young has kept them pasted together, as well as turning the 3-headed bullpen into a dominant late inning force.

Brandon McCarthy is the A’s best starting pitcher, but he got hit with a line drive September 5 and fractured his skull; Brett Anderson only started seven games, Bartolo Colon was a huge help while he was on the team—he threw 38 consecutive strikes in winning a start at Anaheim early in the season. Jarrod Parker, acquired from Arizona, is a future ace.

All of their contributions led to a 94-win regular season and a division title.

-- Bob Melvin had Stephen Drew when he managed in Arizona, but that was before Drew broke his ankle; the A’s traded for Drew on August 20, moved SS Cliff Pennington to 2B, switched Coco Crisp to leadoff, and the team got a lot better. Its nice to have two shortstops and three CFs on your defense, especially with so many young pitchers (11 rookie pitchers have thrown for Oakland this year).

-- 15 times the A's won a home game in walk-off fashion, most in baseball; the expectation of winning is impossible to measure, but not difficult to sense. Confidence, swagger, poise-- call it what you will, but the 2012 A's had it. And enthusiasm, boy did they have tremendous enthuiasm!!!

-- Melvin is a calming force who leads quietly; I have total faith in his decisions. How in God’s name he got fired in Seattle and Arizona is beyond me. When the time comes, they need to pay the man.

-- Every team has a leader, a guy who sets the tone. For the A’s, it is Jonny Gomes, who is from Petaluma (40 miles NW of Oakland) and who enjoys playing for the A’s. Not everyone cherishes playing in obscurity all summer. He accepts his role as a part-timer, he is in the playoffs for the third time in five years with three different teams. You need guys like this to win. Leaders.

Oh by the way, Petaluma played in the Little League World Series this summer, winning the American championship. They threw out the first ball at an A’s game, the night before actor Terry Kiser of Weekend at Bernie’s fame. A’s players do the Bernie dance, which is kind of hard to explain. Just google it, but trust me, freakin’ Terry Kiser helped the A’s win their division this year. Go figure. An actor who got famous playing a dead guy helped us win the division.

-- But of course, no one wins at this level without some level of greatness, and Yoenis Cespedes is the A’s great player, a 5-tool guy who looks like he could be a running back in the NFL. Four years, $36M was a gamble for a small market team, but at day’s end, it was an astounding bargain. This was his first season playing a 162-game schedule; he should get a lot better the more he gets used to it. I watched him play almost every day; he’s a freakin’ great player.

-- Like I said before, this has been a season like no other. What a ride its been, so much fun. I mean, the dead guy in Weekend at Bernie’s and MC Hammer both threw out the first ball in Oakland this season. Think that happens for one of the stuffier franchises? The accidental champions had a ton of fun and shocked the world, and won’t be soon forgotten.

**Udog** · 10-13-2012, 07:45 AM

NASCAR betting: Bank of America 500 preview

Fall is in the air and people all around America have been celebrating Homecoming. The same can be said for NASCAR as the series heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Bank of America 500 Saturday.

Most of the teams that race in NASCAR call Charlotte home and while a win is a big deal anywhere, it’s more so here. Throw in the fact that we’re at the halfway point of NASCAR’s 10-race Chase and Saturday could bring a wild night of racing.

The top three drivers in the Chase are slowly separating themselves from the rest of the field. But several others outside the top three are still well within striking distance.

Brad Keselowski emerged from the chaos last week at Talladega still in control of first place. Looking at his record at Charlotte, he may be just trying to survive Saturday.

He was fifth here in May, but in the five races prior to that he finished outside the Top 15 and was 12th in his first start in 2009. Keselowski does have one advantage over the field moving past Charlotte.

“Having a 14-point lead heading into Charlotte is pretty big, for sure,” Keselowski told reporters. “Once we are done at Charlotte we’ll be halfway through the Chase, and while there is still a lot of racing left to go, it’s better than having to dig out of a hole.”

He may not be the favorite this week, but Keselowski (+800) could surprise.

“Charlotte is a place where the results don’t necessarily show how much this team has improved there,” he said. “We were finally able to break through with a top-five finish back in May. We should be even better this time around. Our record this year on the intermediate tracks is very solid.”

Jimmie Johnson wasn’t lucky enough to survive Talladega unscathed. Johnson was caught up in a 25 car crash on the final lap and finished in 17th. Looking forward to Saturday night Johnson is hoping to find some of the old magic that once had this track being called the ‘House that Jimmie built’. Johnson has six wins here, five of those coming in the period from 2003-2005. He swept both races in 2004 and 2005. But while he did win again in 2009, in the last five races here he has only one top five finish, a third in 2010. The others were forgettable finishes outside the top 10, including an 11th here in May.

Johnson knows exactly when he lost the old magic, but still has the confidence to find it again.

“When they repaved it, it changed things and kind of equalized the field,” Johnson said. “And we’ve been very competitive. Last year, we had probably the best car and one of the top two or three cars, and I just crashed late after trying to overcome some pit strategy issues we had. So, I feel good. I love that track. We won the All-Star Race and ran very well in the 600, so I feel like we’ll be there and be a threat and I need to be at this time of the year. We need to be on top of things.”

Denny Hamlin left Talladega in relatively good shape. He avoided the carnage at the end and came home 14th. He’s only 20 points out of first. He was ninth in this race last year and second here in May. Hamlin makes the favorites list this week and could further shake up the Chase standings with a win Saturday night.

Kasey Kahne won here in May and is a favorite to win again Saturday night. He was fourth in this race last year. He has the third highest driver rating in the field, the second among the Chase field and the highest average finish among the Chase field. Kahne was the last driver to sweep both races accomplishing that feat in 2006 and he’s a pretty good bet to do it again with a second victory Saturday night.

Clint Bowyer is probably the last driver in the Chase field to have a shot at winning it all. However it will take more than one win and some bad luck for those in front of him. And it doesn’t appear he will have much luck Saturday night. Bowyer has only one finish in the top ten in his last five races here and a driver rating of 77.4, 18th-best among the entire field. He was 13th here in May and will be lucky to improve on that Saturday night.

Jeff Gordon is the one dark horse in the field that could steal the entire show. After finishing second last week at Talladega, Gordon vaulted to the sixth position. But he will need to step up his game and hope for disaster from others. His recent record at Charlotte doesn’t bode well; in the last five races Gordon does have two top ten’s but struggled in the other three races finishing outside the top 20 including a 21st in this race last year. He was seventh here in May and he does have five career wins here so there’s hope, but not much.

Tony Stewart has one top 10 finish in his last five races and was 25th here in May. He has an 83.4 driver rating, among the lowest in the Chase. At 43 points out of first a repeat championship is probably out of reach but he could make some noise and win another race or two before seasons end, but don’t look for one of those wins to come here Saturday night.

Martin Truex Jr. seems to be just along for the ride in the Chase and that shouldn’t change Saturday night. He has a driver rating of 73.3, 25th-best and has finished outside the top 10 in his last five races here and was outside the top 15 in four of those.

Greg Biffle was a strong fourth here in May but prior to that has only one other top five in his last five races. But with a driver rating of 92.3, fifth-best, Biffle could be a surprise and should run up near the front Saturday night.

Kevin Harvick has been on a downward trend since the Chase began. He was eighth here in May and could find salvation Saturday night. He won here last May and has finished in the top ten in four of his last five races here. He does have a driver rating of 74.9, which is 24th-best, but should run near the front and could score a second career victory here.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is having a Chase he’d rather forget. After being swept up in the big crash last week, he fell four spots. Early Thursday we learned that Earnhardt suffered a concussion and will sit out this weeks race and next weeks event at Kansas. Better luck next year.

Matt Kenseth won his second race of the season last week but it’s too little too late. Kenseth will try desperately to improve his position before seasons end. He was 10th here in May and won this race last season. He has a driver rating of 95.1, fourth-best in the field, and could very well be a contender Saturday night. His only liability is five DNFs. but if he can avoid trouble he could easily add a third season win Saturday night.

Non-Chasers

Kyle Busch has finished outside the top five in only one of his last five races; the others were no worse than third. Busch has never won at Charlotte but has come oh so close on many occasions. He could finally seal the deal Saturday night.

Keep an eye on: Marcos Ambrose struggled to a 32nd place finish in May, but was fifth here last year and sixth in last May’s race. He could shock the field with a win if everything falls in place Saturday night.

Bottom Line:

14 races have been won from the pole, the last by Jimmie Johnson (October, 2009). Jimmie Johnson won the 2003 Coca-Cola 600 from the 37th starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started.

Favorites

Denny Hamlin
Kasey Kahne
Kevin Harvick

Odds to win Bank of America 500 (Courtesy of JustBet)

Denny Hamlin 5-1
Jimmie Johnson 5-1
Kyle Busch 7-1
Brad Keselowski 8-1
Kasey Kahne 8-1
Matt Kenseth 10-1
Jeff Gordon 10-1
Greg Biffle 12-1
Carl Edwards 15-1
Tony Stewart 15-1
Kevin Harvick 20-1
Clint Bowyer 20-1
Martin Truex Jr. 20-1
Mark Martin 25-1
Joey Lagano 40-1
Kurt Busch 75-1
Ryan Newman 75-1
Sam Hornish, Jr. 100-1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 100-1
Marcos Ambrose 100-1
Paul Menard 200-1
Jeff Burton 200-1
Trevor Bayne 300-1
Bobby Labonte 300-1
Aric Almirola 300-1
Jamie McMurray 300-1
Regan Smith 300-1
Juan Montoya 300-1
Field (Any Other Driver) 50-1

**Udog** · 10-13-2012, 07:48 AM

CFL
Dunkel

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13

Game 293-294: Calgary at Winnipeg (1:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Calgary 115.251; Winnipeg 110.941
Dunkel Line: Calgary by 4 1/2; 51
Vegas Line: Calgary by 3; 53 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Calgary (-3); Under

Game 295-296: Saskatchewan at Edmonton (4:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Saskatchewan 113.587; Edmonton 115.900
Dunkel Line: Edmonton by 2 1/2; 45
Vegas Line: Pick; 48
Dunkel Pick: Edmonton; Under

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14

Game 297-298: Montreal at Toronto (1:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Montreal 118.222; Toronto 112.791
Dunkel Line: Montreal by 5 1/2; 56
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

CFL
Long Sheet

Week 16

Saturday, October 13

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CALGARY (8 - 6) at WINNIPEG (4 - 10) - 10/13/2012, 1:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WINNIPEG is 23-7 ATS (+15.3 Units) as a home underdog of 3 points or less since 1996.
WINNIPEG is 95-69 ATS (+19.1 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.
WINNIPEG is 41-24 ATS (+14.6 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
CALGARY is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in a road game where the total is between 52.5 and 56 over the last 2 seasons.
CALGARY is 13-4 ATS (+8.6 Units) when playing with 6 or less days rest over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
WINNIPEG is 2-2 against the spread versus CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
CALGARY is 5-0 straight up against WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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SASKATCHEWAN (8 - 6) at EDMONTON (6 - 8) - 10/13/2012, 4:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SASKATCHEWAN is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
SASKATCHEWAN is 110-71 ATS (+31.9 Units) as an underdog since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 95-62 ATS (+26.8 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
EDMONTON is 6-3 against the spread versus SASKATCHEWAN over the last 3 seasons
EDMONTON is 6-3 straight up against SASKATCHEWAN over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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Sunday, October 14

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MONTREAL (8 - 6) at TORONTO (7 - 7) - 10/14/2012, 1:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
MONTREAL is 6-4 against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 7-3 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
5 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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CFL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Week 16

Home (33-23). Favorites (23-33), Over (26-29-1). West 17-9 vs East.
Home underdogs are 12-2 in the CFL this season.

Calgary (8-6) @ Winnipeg (4-10)-- Lowly Bombers won two of three games since a hideous 44-3 loss (+10) at McMahon four weeks ago, when they were outgained by 317 yards, completing only 12-25 passes for 90 yards. Underdogs covered last five Winnipeg home games; Bombers are 4-2 when getting points at home. Stampeders lost two of last three games after a five-game win streak; they're 3-5 vs spread when favored, 0-1 on road- they lost last two road games, at Regina/Vancouver. Last five Winnipeg games, seven of last ten Calgary games stayed under the total.

Saskatchewan (8-6) @ Edmonton (6-8)-- Home side won both series games so far in '12; Eskimos (+4) lost 17-1 in Regina back in Week 2, then six weeks later, they beat Roughriders 28-20 (-1.5), despite giving up 507 yards. Edmonton snapped its skid at five last week by beating Hamilton; they're 4-2 at home--their last two losses at home were by total of three points. Streaky Saskatchewan won/covered its last three games; they're 3-4 on road, but 8-1 when they score more than 20 points. Eskimos allowed more than 20 points in only four of its last nine games.

Montreal (8-6) @ Toronto (7-7)-- Teams split pair of games in Quebec earlier this year; Argonauts (+4) won 23-20 back in Week 5 (outgained by 82 yards), then lost 31-10 (+3.5) three weeks ago. Argos lost three of last four games, are 3-3 at home; they're 5-1 when they score 24+ points, 2-6 when they don't. Montreal allowed 24+ points in 10 of 14 games, including last two. Alouettes had horrible home loss last week as 13-point favorite; they've lost four of six home games, giving up 43-41 in last games on foreign soil. 8 of last 11 Toronto games stayed under the total.

CFL

Week 16

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Trend Report
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Saturday, October 13

1:00 PM
CALGARY vs. WINNIPEG
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Calgary's last 5 games on the road
Calgary is 1-4-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Winnipeg
Winnipeg is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
Winnipeg is 4-11 SU in its last 15 games

4:00 PM
SASKATCHEWAN vs. EDMONTON
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Saskatchewan's last 15 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
Saskatchewan is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Edmonton's last 15 games when playing at home against Saskatchewan
Edmonton is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Saskatchewan

Sunday, October 14

1:00 PM
MONTREAL vs. TORONTO
Montreal is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
Montreal is 6-15 ATS in its last 21 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Toronto's last 11 games
Toronto is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Montreal

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CFL

Week 16

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Canadian Bacon: Week 16 CFL betting preview
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With only four games remaining on the regular season schedule, the drive to the postseason continues for CFL teams in Week 16.

Hamilton fell 35-20 to Edmonton on the road last Friday. Quarterback Henry Burris has 12 passing TDs in his last five games versus the Lions. He is first in the league in TD passes this season and leads an offense that ranks first in the CFL in scoring at 30.1 points per game. Unfortunately, the defense stinks and the Kitty Cats rank at the bottom in the league in a number of categories.

Calgary Stampeders at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (3, 53.5)

The Stampeders are coming off a five-point loss to the Lions. The offense sputtered in the first half, putting up just six points before finally finding a flow in the second half to make up ground. Nik Lewis leads the CFL in yards after the catch with 488. He also has a league-best 84 receptions to go with 8 TDs, second only to Saskatchewan wideout Weston Dressler (10). Calgary is 0-5-1 ATS in its last six meetings in Winnipeg.

The Blue Bombers are finally turning things around with two wins in their last three outings, including a 27-22 upset over Montreal earlier this week. Quarterback Joey Elliott completed 17-of-25 passes for a hearty 335 yards and three touchdowns to earn CFL Offensive Player of the Week honors. Despite the recent improvements in its air attack, Winnipeg is the only team that has more interceptions (16) than touchdowns (13) after 14 games.

Saskatchewan Roughriders at Edmonton Eskimos (-1, 48)

The Saskatchewan Roughriders try to run their win streak to four in a row on Saturday when they take on the Edmonton Eskimos at Commonwealth Stadium. The Riders are getting hot at the right time of year, snagging victories in five of their last six opportunities. Saskatchewan has played under the total in its last seven October games.

Quarterback Kerry Joseph put in a good effort for Edmonton as he converted 24-of-39 passes for 359 yards and three touchdowns to three different receivers in last week’s 35-20 victory over Hamilton. The Eskimos have played under the total in seven of their last eight Saturday games.

Montreal Alouettes at Toronto Argonauts (Odds N/A)

The Montreal Alouettes try to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the campaign Sunday afternoon when they travel to the Rogers Centre to take on the Argonauts. Quarterback Anthony Calvillo, who is usually soft spoken in his dealings with the media, sounded off after the Als were stunned by lowly Winnipeg on Monday. The 40-year-old was intercepted twice and his only TD pass came late in the fourth quarter of the loss. Alouettes personnel were shocked to hear Calvillo - a man of strong faith - use some foul language after the contest during post-game interviews and it will be interesting to see how the team responds.

The Argonauts are just one game off the pace in the East set by Montreal at the moment, but must be better than they were in Week 15, when they fell 36-10 to the Riders. Quarterback Jarious Jackson, who got the start in place of the injured Ricky Ray (knee), completed just over 50 percent of his passes for a mediocre 162 yards. The two clubs have played over the total in each of their last five meetings.

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**Udog** · 10-13-2012, 09:29 AM

MLB
Long Sheet

Saturday, October 13

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DETROIT (91 - 76) at NY YANKEES (98 - 69) - 8:05 PM
DOUG FISTER (R) vs. ANDY PETTITTE (L)
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 91-76 (-10.8 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
DETROIT is 23-27 (-14.1 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 this season.
DETROIT is 121-186 (-51.5 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +100 to +125 since 1997.
DETROIT is 39-45 (-14.5 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
DETROIT is 4-14 (-10.8 Units) against the money line in road games when playing with a day off over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 87-73 (-11.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
DETROIT is 53-50 (-11.2 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
DETROIT is 8-16 (-11.5 Units) against the money line in road games against left-handed starters this season.
DETROIT is 47-44 (-12.8 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
FISTER is 12-32 (-18.4 Units) against the money line in road games since 1997. (Team's Record)
FISTER is 10-26 (-15.4 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
NY YANKEES are 92-57 (+11.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
NY YANKEES are 119-103 (-19.7 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
NY YANKEES are 70-76 (-23.5 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY YANKEES is 6-4 (+2.3 Units) against DETROIT this season
6 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.8 Units)

DOUG FISTER vs. NY YANKEES since 1997
FISTER is 2-2 when starting against NY YANKEES with an ERA of 4.60 and a WHIP of 1.466.
His team's record is 2-3 (+0.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 3-2. (+0.8 units)

ANDY PETTITTE vs. DETROIT since 1997
PETTITTE is 9-6 when starting against DETROIT with an ERA of 3.35 and a WHIP of 1.335.
His team's record is 11-7 (-0.7 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 13-5. (+7.1 units)

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MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Saturday, October 13

Detroit is 9-13 in last 22 road games; they had to wait and see who won last night before flying to NYC. Tigers were 4-6 vs Bronx this season, with seven of 10 games played in Motor City-- Detroit hasn't been in Big Apple since late April, when they lost two of three. Fister is 1-1, 2.57 in last four starts, he allowed two runs in 6.1 IP in his only start vs Bronx this season. Pettitte is 2-2, 2.28 in four starts since coming off DL; he didn't pitch against the Tigers. Sabathia saved the Bronx bullpen with his complete game win last night.

MLB

Saturday, October 13

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ALCS Gm.1 betting preview: Tigers at Yankees
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Detroit Tigers at New York Yankees (-135,8.5- overnight odds- not official )

ALCS tied 0-0.

The New York Yankees have no time to rest from their hard-fought triumph over the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Division Series as they host the Detroit Tigers in Game One of the AL Championship Series on Saturday. CC Sabathia tossed a four-hitter and Curtis Granderson went 2-for-3 with a homer as New York posted a 3-1 victory in the decisive fifth game of the ALDS on Friday. Granderson entered the contest just 1-for-16 with nine strikeouts in the series.

Less than 24 hours after wrapping up the series, the Yankees will take on a Tigers team that nearly squandered a 2-0 series lead against the Oakland Athletics. Reigning AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander struck out 11 in a four-hit shutout in Game 5 at Oakland on Thursday, sending Detroit to the ALCS for the second consecutive year. It advanced to the second round last season by defeating New York in the ALDS.
The Yankees went 6-4 against the Tigers during the regular season, taking two of three at Yankee Stadium and four of seven at Comerica Park.

TV: 8:07 p.m. ET, TBS

WEATHER: Forecasts are calling for cool temperatures in the mid-40s this evening in New York. Winds will blow out to left field at 8 mph.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers RH Doug Fister (0-0, 2.57 ERA) vs. Yankees LH Andy Pettitte (0-1, 3.86)

Fister pitched seven innings against Oakland in Game 2 of the ALDS, allowing two runs and six hits with two walks and eight strikeouts en route to a no-decision. The 28-year-old faced New York once during the regular season and did not factor in the decision despite yielding only two runs over 6 1/3 frames. Fister, who is 1-2 with a 5.18 ERA in four career regular-season starts against the Yankees, gave up one run over five innings to pick up the win versus New York in Game 5 of the 2011 ALDS.

Pettitte took the loss in Game 2 of the ALDS against Baltimore, surrendering three runs and seven hits in seven innings. The 40-year-old, whose 19 victories are the most in postseason history, did not face the Tigers this year but is 10-9 with a 3.66 ERA in 23 career starts against the AL Central champions. He has not faced Detroit since 2008. Pettitte is 2-1 in three playoff starts at the new Yankee Stadium.

TRENDS:

* Yankees are 5-1 in Pettitte’s last six starts vs. Tigers.
* Under is 4-1 in Pettitte’s last five starts vs. Tigers.
* Tigers are 4-0 in their last four Saturday games.
* Under is 6-1-2 in Tigers last nine overall.

WALK-OFFS:

1. Pettitte was the only starting pitcher from either the Yankees or Orioles to allow three or more runs in a game during their Division Series.

2. The Tigers have won each of their two playoff meetings with the Yankees, taking the 2006 ALDS in four games and last year's first-round series in five contests.

3. Barring a rainout, New York will become the first team in playoff history to host games on five consecutive days.

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**Udog** · 10-13-2012, 10:47 AM

MLB
Short Sheet

Saturday, October 13

American League

AL Championship Series, Game One (Series Tied, 0-0)
Detroit at NY Yankees, 8:05 ET TBS
Fister: 3-13 TSR away with a line of +125 to -125
Pettitte: 8-0 TSR vs. AL Central opponents

**Udog** · 10-13-2012, 10:49 AM

MLB
Dunkel

Detroit at NY Yankees
The Yankees look to take advantage of a Detroit team that is coming off a 6-0 win over Oakland and is 3-7 in Doug Fister's last 10 starts after scoring 5 runs or more in their previous game. New York is the pick (-130) according to Dunkel, which has the Yankees favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-130). Here are all of today's picks.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13

Game 901-902: Detroit at NY Yankees (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Fister) 16.559; NY Yankees (Pettitte) 17.495
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1; 7
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-130); 8
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-130); Under

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Saturday's Trends and Indexes - 10/13 (MLB, CFL, Misc.)

Saturday's Trends and Indexes - 10/13 (MLB, CFL, Misc.)

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