Announcement

**Udog** · 11-04-2012, 07:35 AM

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

-- Damian Lillard is 2nd player in NBA history with 20+ pts & 7+ assists in each of first three career games. The other? Oscar Robertson in 1960.

-- David Ortiz gets $26M to be the Red Sox' DH for the next two years.

-- Angels tried to trade Dan Haren to the Cubs for Carlos Marmol Friday night, but Chicago backed out, and Haren is now a free agent.

-- AL West champ A's gave Bartolo Colon a one-year deal for $3M; he won 10 games for Oakland this past season.

-- ACC's Miami Hurricanes lost an exhibition basketball game to St Leo's 69-67. You compete in the same league with North Carolina/Duke, losing to St Leo's ain't a good sign.

-- White Sox traded minor leaguer Ken Williams Jr to Colorado this week; Ken Williams Sr is an executive VP for the Sox- he was GM for the last dozen years. Try explaining that move to the wife.

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Armadillo: Sunday's List of 13: Wrapping up a busy sports Saturday.....

13) Bad news for Oregon, Kansas State, Notre Dame, as Alabama got a TD with 0:51 left to pull out a tense 21-17 win at LSU, in a game where the Bayou Bengals' gambles failed at almost every turn. AJ McCarron had the best drive of his career at the right time for the Crimson Tide.

12) There's a pretty good chance the four unbeatens will stay that way, but K-State QB Collin Klein did get hurt in his game, so that could impact the Wildcats' chances of having a perfect season.

11) Speaking of K-State, 73-year old coach Bill Snyder sounds a lot like Mister Rogers when he talks, but he basically refused to answer any of ABC's Heather Cox' questions after the game, especially about the injury to Klein. He has a very polite way of being rude.

As for Ms Cox, she can interview me any day she wants-- I'll answer any of her questions, and at great length. I promise.

10) Pitt led 20-6 at Notre Dame with 14:00 left. Irish looked dead when they threw an incompletion on 4th-and-10, but a BS pass interference call gave them a first down that led to a TD, and several twists/turns later, the Irish had once again escaped with a dramatic win, this time 29-26 in OT over a Pitt team that lost to Youngstown State in September.

9) Tennessee 55, Troy 48, which ain't going to make Volunteer Nation feel much better. Total yardage: Troy 722, Tennessee 718. Yikes.

8) Southern Miss has had 18 consecutive winning seasons, but they're winless this year; Golden Eagles led 16-0 at home over UAB Saturday at the half, but blew the lead and fell to 0-9 with a 27-19 loss in a game they were favored to win. A complete disaster.

7) Vanderbilt won 40-0 at Kentucky; send your head coaching resumes to the UK Athletic Department, Lexington, Kentucky. Wildcats fans had no idea how good they had it when Rich Brooks was their coach. Now they're finding out. At least basketball season starts next week.

6) San Jose State trounced Idaho 42-13, is bowl eligible for first time in four years, and could be headed to a bowl for first time since 2006.

5) Texas A&M freshman QB Johnny Manziel reminds me of Doug Flutie; he was 30-36 for 332 yards, and Aggies also ran ball for 361 yards as they went to Starkville and waxed Mississippi State, 38-13.

4) Army stopped a 13-game losing skid vs service academies when they upset Air Force 41-21; if they beat Navy in December, Cadets will win their first Commander-in-Chief trophy since 1996.

3) Why doesn't Boise State wear blue jerseys at home anymore? Did TV people complain that the jerseys blended in with the blue turf?

2) Biggest upset this weekend? San Diego State (+14) went to Boise and upset the Broncos 21-19 on the blue turf.

1) Oregon 62, USC 51. Read that again. Ducks hung 62 points on the Trojans in the LA Coliseum. Impressive display of offense. They gained 730 freakin' yards. We won't mention the 615 yards USC gained.

**Udog** · 11-04-2012, 07:35 AM

NASCAR betting: AAA Texas 500 preview

As the NASCAR Sprint Cup series heads to Texas Motor Speedway for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500, Jimmie Johnson finds himself in a familiar spot - on top of the points. Behind him there are 11 other drivers who won't be wishing him much good luck this weekend.

With only three races left in the season, the opportunity to recover from a bad race is a tall order, so any mistakes will be magnified. Realistically, the Chase field has been narrowed to the top four or five but should any of the top three have a disaster this weekend, the Chase could be up for grabs.

Here’s a rundown of the Top 12 in points heading to Texas, along with some non-Chasers who could spoil the party.

Jimmie Johnson has only one win at Texas but has four Top 10s, including two second-place finishes in the last five races. One of those runner-up finishes came in the spring. But in 2009, Johnson was involved in a crash on Lap 3 that sent him to the garage with a 38th-place finish. If Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus are on their game this weekend - there’s no reason they won’t be - and if he can avoid trouble, the No. 48 Chevy will be hard to beat.

“I expect us to be really strong this weekend at Texas,” Johnson told reporters. “I love that race track. We were very good there in the spring. Our 1.5-mile stuff has been really fast. I’m thinking we are going to be really strong.”

Brad Keselowski will need to step up his game. He survived last week at a track many felt he would struggle out. He lost the points lead but is only two points behind. He’s never had a top ten here, and in the spring finished as the last car running coming home 36th.Can BK pull off another decent finish two weeks in a row?

Clint Bowyer ran better here when he was Richard Childress Racing; prior to this season, he had three top ten finishes including a second last spring. In his first race with Michael Waltrip Racing here in April, Bowyer finished 17th. That’s something he will definitely need to improve on Sunday.

Kasey Kahne, like Bowyer, is with a new team. With Red Bull Racing he was third in this race last year. In his first race with Hendrick Motorsports here in April, Kahne was seventh. Prior to his third last year, Kahne was outside the top ten two races prior. He won here in 2006 and Kahne has been showing some strength lately; he could have a decent finish Sunday.

Denny Hamlin needs to recover from a terrible finish last week. He took a tumble in the points and is looking for redemption this week. He does have two wins here, in fact he swept the races in 2010, but was outside the top ten since then and 12th in the spring. Hamlin will need a little magic Sunday if he hopes to turn things around.

Jeff Gordon moved up in the standings with a strong finish last week. He won here in 2009 and was fourth in the spring and sixth here in this race last year. Prior to that Gordon finished outside the top 20 in the two races previous. Gordon knows he won’t win a title this season, but could visit victory lane before season’s end and that visit could come Sunday.

Martin Truex has had a forgettable Chase so far. Coming off a second place finish at Kansas, Truex struggled to 23rd last week His last two trips here have been decent; he was sixth in the spring and eighth in this race last year. Prior to that however, his Texas record isn’t so hot with finishes outside the top 30 in the previous two Texas races.

Matt Kenseth has been a surprise in the Chase. And he could surprise again this weekend. He was fifth in the spring, fourth in this race last year and won last spring race. He was second prior to that. Kenseth won’t win a title this season but could score another win this Sunday in the Lone Star State.

Greg Biffle had mediocre run last week and is still searching to find his way. He could do just that Sunday. Biffle won in the spring and finished in the top five in three races prior to that. Biffle could be the driver to beat Sunday.

Tony Stewart has been struggling in the last few weeks and in fact the entire Chase. The reigning Cup champ won’t repeat this season, but could make some noise before it’s over. He’s the defending winner of this race but he’s surrounded by subpar runs finishing outside the top 10 in four of the last five races here.

Kevin Harvick hasn’t been a factor for the entire Chase and that probably won’t change this weekend. He was ninth in the spring and in the Texas races prior to that he has two top ten’s, but also two finishes outside the top ten including an unlucky 13th in this race last year. Don’t look for his luck to change this weekend.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored his first career win in 2000. In the last five races he has four top ten’s; he was tenth in the spring and seventh in this race last year. Could Earnhardt nail his second season win Sunday? He very well could.

Non-Chasers

Carl Edwards leads all active drivers here with three wins. He was eighth here in the spring, second in this race last year and third prior to that. After missing the Chase and going winless all season, Edwards needs a victory and could get that this Sunday.

Mark Martin won here back in 1998 and in the last six races had finished in the top five in three including a third here in the spring. With the strength of the MWR team behind him, Martin could be a surprise Sunday.

Bottom line: 17 of 23 races have been won from a top-10 starting position. Only one has been won from the pole - Kasey Kahne in 2006.Matt Kenseth started 31st en route to his victory at Texas in 2002, the deepest in the field that a race winner has started. Roush Fenway Racing leads all owners in victories, with nine. Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have three wins each.

Favorites:

Jimmie Johnson

Greg Biffle

Kasey Kahne

Non-Chasers:

Carl Edwards

Mark Martin

Odds to win AAA Texas 500 (Odds courtesy of JustBet)

Denny Hamlin 5-1
Jimmie Johnson 5-1
Kyle Busch 8-1
Brad Keselowski 8-1
Matt Kenseth 10-1
Kasey Kahne 10-1
Greg Biffle 10-1
Jeff Gordon 12-1
Clint Bowyer 12-1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 12-1
Carl Edwards 15-1
Tony Stewart 15-1
Martin Truex Jr. 15-1
Mark Martin 20-1
Kevin Harvick 35-1
Joey Lagano 60-1
Marcos Ambrose 100-1
Aric Almirola 100-1
Kurt Busch 100-1
Ryan Newman 100-1
Sam Hornish, Jr. 200-1
Paul Menard 200-1
Jeff Burton 200-1
Juan Montoya 200-1
Jamie McMurray 200-1
Bobby Labonte 300-1
Trevor Bayne 300-1
Danica Patrick 300-1
A.J. Allmendinger 300-1
Field (Any Other Driver) 50-1

**Udog** · 11-04-2012, 07:37 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Minnesota at Toronto
The Raptors look to build on their 8-1-1 ATS record in their last 10 games against Western Conference teams. Toronto is the pick (-3) according to Dunkel, which has the Raptors favored by 9 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Toronto (-3). Here are all of today's picks

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4

Game 701-702: Philadelphia at New York (12:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia 122.478; New York 119.808
Dunkel Line & Total: Philadelphia by 2 1/2; 190
Vegas Line & Total: New York by 4; 187
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (+4); Over

Game 703-704: Minnesota at Toronto (6:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota 108.669; Toronto 118.268
Dunkel Line & Total: Toronto by 9 1/2; 183
Vegas Line & Total: Toronto by 3; 187 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (-3); Under

Game 705-706: Phoenix at Orlando (6:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Phoenix 117.336; Orlando 117.221
Dunkel Line & Total: Even; 197
Vegas Line & Total: Orlando by 2; 193
Dunkel Pick: Phoenix (+2); Over

Game 707-708: Atlanta at Oklahoma City (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta 120.767; Oklahoma City 130.315
Dunkel Line & Total: Oklahoma City by 9 1/2; 193
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 709-710: Detroit at LA Lakers (9:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit 110.666; LA Lakers 123.608
Dunkel Line & Total: LA Lakers by 13; 186
Vegas Line & Total: LA Lakers by 8; 191
Dunkel Pick: LA Lakers (-8); Under

NBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, November 4

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PHILADELPHIA (1 - 0) at NEW YORK (1 - 0) - 11/4/2012, 12:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 26-11 ATS (+13.9 Units) first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 31-16 ATS (+13.4 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 5-2 against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK is 4-3 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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MINNESOTA (1 - 0) at TORONTO (0 - 1) - 11/4/2012, 6:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 38-64 ATS (-32.4 Units) in a road game where where the total is between 185 and 189.5 points since 1996.

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

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PHOENIX (1 - 1) at ORLANDO (1 - 0) - 11/4/2012, 6:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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ATLANTA (0 - 1) at OKLAHOMA CITY (1 - 1) - 11/4/2012, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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DETROIT (0 - 2) at LA LAKERS (0 - 3) - 11/4/2012, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA LAKERS are 108-71 ATS (+29.9 Units) after 3 or more consecutive overs since 1996.
LA LAKERS are 31-48 ATS (-21.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 18-30 ATS (-15.0 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 34-52 ATS (-23.2 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 162-205 ATS (-63.5 Units) after a division game since 1996.
LA LAKERS are 19-38 ATS (-22.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.

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

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NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Sunday, November 4

Its too early to get crazy with investing here, but we're getting closer; after this weekend, teams will have 2-3 games under their belt and we can start learning who they are..........best of luck to you.

Hot Teams
-- Knicks whacked Miami by 20 in their season opener. 76ers also won their opener, by 9 over Denver.
-- Timberwolves beat Sacramento by 12 in their season opener.
-- Orlando beat Denver by 13 in its season opener.
-- Thunder covered six of their last seven home games.

Cold Teams
-- Raptors lost first two games, by 2-7 points.
-- Suns lost four of their last five games.
-- Hawks lost season opener, by 7 at home to Houston.
-- Detroit lost its first two games, by 3-9 points. Lakers lost first three games; counting exhibitions, they're 0-11.

Totals
-- Five of last seven Knick games stayed under total.
-- Five of last six Toronto games stayed under total.
-- Five of last seven Phoenix games stayed under total.
-- 16 of last 21 Atlanta games went over the total.
-- 13 of last 17 Detroit games went over the total.

Last Year's Series Records
-- 76ers lost two of three vs New York LY, splitting pair here.
-- Minnesota lost by 10 at Toronto in LY's only meeting.
-- Suns lost by 10 at Orlando in LY's only meeting.
-- Thunder lost by 7 at Atlanta, in LY's only meeting.
-- Lakers lost by 3 in OT at Detroit, in LY's only meeting.

NBA

Sunday, November 4

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Trend Report
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12:00 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. NEW YORK
Philadelphia is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing New York
Philadelphia is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of New York's last 10 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of New York's last 11 games when playing at home against Philadelphia

6:00 PM
PHOENIX vs. ORLANDO
Phoenix is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Orlando
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Phoenix's last 17 games when playing on the road against Orlando
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Orlando's last 6 games when playing at home against Phoenix
Orlando is 7-0-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Phoenix

6:00 PM
MINNESOTA vs. TORONTO
Minnesota is 2-13 SU in its last 15 games
Minnesota is 5-11-1 ATS in its last 17 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Toronto's last 8 games at home
Toronto is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota

7:00 PM
ATLANTA vs. OKLAHOMA CITY
Atlanta is 2-14 ATS in its last 16 games when playing Oklahoma City
Atlanta is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Oklahoma City is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
Oklahoma City is 1-4-1 ATS in its last 6 games

9:30 PM
DETROIT vs. LA LAKERS
Detroit is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Detroit is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the LA Lakers last 6 games when playing Detroit
LA Lakers are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing Detroit

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**Udog** · 11-04-2012, 04:34 PM

NBA
Short Sheet

Sunday, November 4

Minnesota at Toronto, 6:05 ET NBATV
Minnesota: 7-16 ATS off a win by 10+ points
Toronto: 8-2 Under as a home favorite of 3 points or less

Phoenix at Orlando, 6:05 ET
Phoenix: 10-5 Over in November
Orlando: 10-5 ATS vs. Pacific Division opponents

Atlanta at Oklahoma City, 7:05 ET
Atlanta: 18-30 ATS vs. non-conference opponents
Oklahoma City: 14-8 Over as a home favorite of 9.5 to 12 points

Detroit at LA Lakers, 9:35 ET
Detroit: 11-5 ATS in November
LA Lakers: 19-38 ATS vs. teams with a losing record

Announcement

Sunday's Trends and Indexes - 11/4 (NBA, NCAAB, CFL, Misc.)

Sunday's Trends and Indexes - 11/4 (NBA, NCAAB, CFL, Misc.)

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