The Bum's 2017 Canadian Football League Picks/Trends/News thru Grey Cup !!

[StarDust Bum]

WEST DIVISION
RK TEAM GP W L T PTS F A HOME AWAY DIV
1 Calgary 3 2 0 1 5 103 80 1-0-0 1-0-1 1-0-0
2 Edmonton 2 2 0 0 4 53 46 1-0-0 1-0-0 1-0-0 3 BC 3 2 1 0 4 78 61 0-1-0 2-0-0 0-1-0
4 Winnipeg 2 1 1 0 2 53 69 0-1-0 1-0-0 1-1-0
5 Saskatchewan 3 1 2 0 2 93 80 1-1-0 0-1-0 0-1-0


EAST DIVISION
RK TEAM GP W L T PTS F A HOME AWAY DIV
1 Toronto 3 2 1 0 4 73 68 1-1-0 1-0-0 2-0-0
2 Montreal 3 1 2 0 2 52 62 1-1-0 0-1-0 0-0-0
3 Ottawa 3 0 2 1 1 95 100 0-1-1 0-1-0 0-1-0
4 Hamilton 2 0 2 0 0 35 69 0-0-0 0-2-0 0-1-0

[StarDust Bum]

WEEK 4

Thursday, July 13, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home
8:30 PM Toronto Argonauts Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Friday, July 14, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home
7:00 PM Calgary Stampeders Montreal Alouettes
10:00 PM Ottawa Redblacks Edmonton Eskimos

Saturday, July 15, 2017
Time (ET) Away Home
7:30 PM British Columbia Lions Hamilton Tiger Cats

[StarDust Bum]

Sunday’s List of 13: Random stuff for a summer day……

13) Gregg Popovich is 1,316-612 as an NBA head coach with five championships, but his first year as a head coach at any level was in 1979-80 at Pomona-Pitzer, a D-III school in California.

That team went 2-22. Long way from there to today.

12) Clippers-Lakers summer league game Friday night in UNLV’s arena had a huge crowd- looked liked the whole lower bowl was full, which would make it a crowd of around 8,000 people. I bet NBA people are surprised at how popular summer league has become.

$30 a pop for the whole day is a good deal. Can watch four games in an air conditioned arena.

11) It isn’t good when your favorite college basketball team has two assistant coaches resign in July; thats whats happening at Western Kentucky. One of the assistant coaches is the godfather of their best recruit, Mitchell Robinson.

10) Twins manager Paul Molitor played his last big league game in 1998; Bartolo Colon pitched for the other team that day. Here, in 2017, Molitor will be managing Colon.

9) Biggest division lead at the All-Star break since 1910; 2001 Seattle Mariners led Oakland by 19 games. 1986 Mets led Montreal by 13.5 games.

This year’s Astros have a 16-game lead in the AL West.

8) Most career home runs without a grand slam:
190— Andrew McCutchen, Glenn Davis
176— Ron Kittle

7) Andy from New York points out that the Cubs are the only MLB team who have zero stolen bases from the leadoff position in the batting order.

6) Jim “Bones” Mackay, who caddied for Phil Mickelson for 25 years, is going to be an on-course golf commentator for NBC/Golf Channel. His first assignment is the British Open.

5) NBA doings:
— Indiana Pacers gave Brian Bogdanovic $21M for two years.
— Cavaliers gave Jeff Green $2.3M for one season.
— Celtics traded Avery Bradley to Detroit for Marcus Morris.
— Warriors gave Zaza Pachulia $3.5M for one year.
— Minnesota gives Jamal Crawford $8.9M for two years.

4) Tim Hardaway Jr is going to sign a $71M contract with the Knicks; Atlanta declined to match the offer sheet. Tim Hardaway Sr, made $46M in his whole career, and he was a much better player than his son. Go figure.

3) James Harden got a 4-year contract extension from the Rockets, supposedly worth $228M, which is $57M a year, and that is eye-popping.

2) Canadian team beat the Americans 99-87 in semi-finals of the U19 championship in Egypt. Canada will face Italy in the finals.

1) NBA Summer League story: I was at UNLV a few years ago, watching the summer league— you can bet on these games, but you have to be careful.

I’m sitting there and this really big guy, likely a bodybuilder, sits in front of me, drink in hand. He is explaining fairly loudly to the guy next to him how he is betting on the Timberwolves, who had won their game the day before by 20+ points. The bodybuilder was confident in a Minnesota win.

One small problem.

Some teams don’t play the same set of guys every game. Timberwolves had 18 guys on their roster; nine had played the day before in the big win, the other nine were playing this game.

Minnesota’s second group wasn’t very good- they got trounced. The big guy lost his money, wasn’t hapabout it.

NOW THAT IS SOME FUNNY SHIT.......GUESS HE DIDN'T SEEN THE WRONG 9 GUYS.......LOL

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo:Tuesday's six-pack

Odds to win next week’s British Open:

10-1— Dustin Johnson

12-1— Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm

15-1— Sergio Garcia, Ricky Fowler

20-1— Day, Matsuyama, Fleetwood, Rose

25-1— Henrik Stenson

30-1— Adam Scott


**********

Armadillo: Tuesday's Den: Looking at NL teams at the All-Star break……….

61-29 Dodgers— Are 39-11 at home, 13-0 in Kershaw’s last 13 starts. Wood is 10-0, 1.67 with a WHIP of 0.89. #5 hitters are batting .204 against them, #6 hitters .206.

53-36 Arizona— Stumbled into All-Star break on 3-7 skid; they’re 33-15 at home, with a home OPS of .840- their road OPS is .689. Goldschmidt has 20 HR’s, 67 RBI, an OB% of .428.

52-36 Washington— Bullpen has been awful, but they’ve got a 9.5-game lead in a bad division- they figure to add to their bullpen before July 31. Hitting .293 at home, .261 on road. Murphy is hitting .342, Zimmerman .330, Harper .325.

52-39 Colorado— Four rookies in the starting rotation is a red flag heading into second half of season. Rockies are 5-13 in their last 18 games. SS Story has an OPS of only .699, after his .908 in his rookie year LY.

50-41 Milwaukee— Have stunning 5.5-game lead in NL Central; their best pitcher Anderson is out for another month (oblique). Brewers have been in playoffs twice in last 35 years (’08, ’11). Thames has 23 HR’s after spending last three years playing in Korea.

43-45 Chicago— Weird that only five NL teams are over .500. Defending World Champs have struggled all year; Lester’s ERA is 4.25, Arrieta’s 4.35. LF’s are hitting combined .217; leadoff hitters have a combined OB% of .323.

43-45 St Louis— 18-7 vs NL East, 25-38 elsewhere. #3 hitters are batting a combined .221 with an OPS of .712. Wainwright has slipped; his ERA is 5.20, WHIP 1.49. SS Diaz hit .300 LY; he is in AAA now, after hitting only .260 this year.

42-45 Atlanta— Surprisingly good record for this group; they’re 20-16 since June 1. Signing Matt Adams got them thru Freeman’s injury; now Freeman plays 3B so Adams can stay in lineup. Have 13 HR, 51 RBI out of catching combo; solid production.

42-47 Pittsburgh— Get Marte back from 80-game suspension next week. Leadoff hitters have only a .305 OB%. McCutchen has surged since they moved him to #6 in order, now he is back in 3-hole- he is hitting .294 with 50 RBI for season.

41-46 Miami— Sadly, a fire sale is coming after All-Star break; their payroll is unwieldy for team that is about to be sold. Have formidable lineup; they hit .283 on road, .251 at home. Injury to lefty starter Chen has hurt the pitching rotation.

39-47 New York— How does their trainer still have a job? Mets are racked by injuries every year. Have OPS of .699 at home, .826 on road. #2 hitters are batting .219, #9 hitters .218, which isn’t good for an NL team. Harvey has a 5.25 ERA, Syndergaard has thrown only 27.1 innings.

39-49 Cincinnati— Have 63 homers on road, 62 at home, despite small home park. Pitchers have 4.67 ERA at home, 5.45 on road. Billy Hamilton may be fast, but a .293 OB% at leadoff ain’t good enough.

38-50 San Diego— Have three Rule 5 (minor league) players on roster this year; hard to win that way. Padre 3B’s are hitting .196, catchers .210; need more production. Young starter Lamet has 55 strikeouts in 41 IP, looks like a future star.

34-56 San Francisco— When your team gets old, the bottom falls out quickly. Pitchers have 5.49 ERA on road; top 4 spots in opposing batting order all bat .300+ with .370+ OB% vs Giants. Posey is hitting .324 with .406 OB%; will they move him to 1B to preserve rest of his career?

29-58 Phillies— 23 of 58 losses are by one run; they’ve started to bring prospects up. Could be good fairly soon, but need another starting pitcher or two. Nola-Hellickson-Pivetta look like a good start for a solid rotation. Their AAA team is winning a ton of games; there is talent there.

[StarDust Bum]

CFL Betting Recap - Week 3
July 10, 2017

League Betting Notes

-- Favorites/underdogs went 2-2 SU in Week 3

-- Favorites/underdogs went 2-2 ATS in Week 3

-- Road teams posted a 3-1 SU record in Week 3

-- Road teams posted a 3-1 ATS record in Week 3

-- The 'Under' went 3-1 in Week 3


Analysis

Favorites and underdogs split for the first time this season, as two out of four favorites ended up cashing after going 0-8 ATS through the first two Canadian weekends. Road teams continue to go strong, going 3-1 SU/ATS. That's now 9-3 ATS through the first three weekends. Last week, we mentioned this was a trend that was all too familiar in the CFL last season, as road teams finished 16-2-2 ATS in the first five weekends of the 2016 regular season.

The 'under' is also hitting at a 66.7 percent clip through the first three weekends, going 8-4 through 12 regular season games. It's a trend we also saw last season, with the 'under' 19-8-1 through the first seven weekends in 2016. Defense reigned surpreme again in Week 3, with only the Hamilton (0-2)-Saskatchewan (1-2) game connecting for the 'over' (52) in a 37-20 win by the Roughriders.

The over has hit in each of Saskatchewan's two home games after an under result on the road in Week 1. Unfortunately for total bettors in Week 4, the Roughriders will be on their bye week. Montreal (1-2) will be in action, however, and they have been a favorite of bettors at the window. The 'under' is a perfect 3-0 so far this season.

Team Betting Notes

-- The Alouettes have dropped two in a row after a win against the Riders in the opening weekend. Montreal's offense has struggled, averaging just 17.3 points per game (PPG) through three outings. In addition, they have managed an 0-2 ATS mark in two home outings. They'll be back at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium in Week 4 when Calgary (2-0-1) comes calling.

-- Speaking of the Stampeders, they're unbeaten through their first three regular season games. After failing to cover in their home-and-home against Ottawa (0-2-1) the Stamps won and covered in Winnipeg (1-1). Their defense was the talk in Week 3, as they allowed 10 points for an 'under' result after yielding 35.0 PPG in the first two games.

-- The TigerCats didn't benefit much from their bye in Week 2, as they returned to action and were roughed up in Saskatchewan by a 37-20 score. The TiCats are 0-2 SU/ATS through the first two weeks, both on the road. They'll return home in Week 4.

-- BC Lions (2-1) will be the first visitor at Tim Hortons Stadium in Hamilton, and the Lions hope the good times continue to roll on the road. They're a perfect 2-0 SU/ATS in stops in Toronto (2-1) and Montreal. Also perfect is the 3-0 'under' record for the Lions, as they're allowing just 20.3 PPG through three outings.

-- The Argonauts pulled off a victory in Canada's capital city, edging the RedBlacks 26-25 in Week 3. Toronto is allowing 22.7 PPG through three games while scoring 24.3 points. That's the reason the 'under' has cashed in all three games with a total set at 54 1/2 or 55 so far.

-- Edmonton (2-0) will return from their bye looking to add to the woes of the RedBlacks at Commonwealth Stadium. So far the Esks are perfect on the season, and so is the 'under' at 2-0. Ottawa's high-octane offense 31.7 PPG will be a huge test for the Edmonton D.

[StarDust Bum]

CFL
Long Sheet

Week 4

Thursday, July 13

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TORONTO (2 - 1) at WINNIPEG (1 - 1) - 7/13/2017, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) in games where the line is +3 to -3 over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in road games in July games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
WINNIPEG is 2-2 against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
WINNIPEG is 2-2 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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Friday, July 14

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CALGARY (2 - 0 - 1) at MONTREAL (1 - 2) - 7/14/2017, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CALGARY is 125-92 ATS (+23.8 Units) when playing with 6 or less days rest since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
MONTREAL is 4-0 against the spread versus CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 2-2 straight up against CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
4 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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OTTAWA (0 - 2 - 1) at EDMONTON (2 - 0) - 7/14/2017, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OTTAWA is 18-6 ATS (+11.4 Units) as an underdog over the last 3 seasons.
OTTAWA is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in road games when playing with 6 or less days rest over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 36-59 ATS (-28.9 Units) after 2 or more consecutive straight up wins since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
OTTAWA is 3-2 against the spread versus EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
EDMONTON is 3-3 straight up against OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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Saturday, July 15

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BRITISH COLUMBIA (2 - 1) at HAMILTON (0 - 2) - 7/15/2017, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 3-1 against the spread versus HAMILTON over the last 3 seasons
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 3-1 straight up against HAMILTON over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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[StarDust Bum]

CFL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Week 4

Toronto (2-1) @ Winnipeg (1-1)— Blue Bombers swept Toronto 34-17/46-29 LY, after losing five of previous six series games. Argonauts are 5-2 in last seven visits here. Over is 5-2 in last seven series games. Toronto rallied from 12-1 halftime deficit to win 26-25 in Ottawa last week, their first road game of year. Winnipeg was held scoreless in 29-10 home loss to Calgary LW (they led 10-9 at half) in their home opener. Bombers forced five turnovers in splitting two games (+1).

Calgary (2-0-1) @ Montreal (1-2)— Home team won last seven series games; Stampeders lost last three visits here, by 16-18-9 points. Last six series games stayed under total. Calgary scored 34.3 pts/game in its 2-0-1 start; two of those three games were on road. Four of Stamps’ last five games went over. Alouettes scored 17.3 pts/game in its 1-2 start; they forced only one turnover in three games. Six of last seven Montreal games stayed under the total.

Ottawa (0-2-1) @ Edmonton (2-0)— Eskimos had last week off, will be out to avenge 35-23 loss at Ottawa in Grey Cup semis last year. RedBlacks were 3-0 vs Edmonton LY, winning in OT here- the wins were by 8-3-12 points. Ottawa blew 12-1 halftime lead LW in 26-25 home loss to Toronto; they were tied at half in their first two games, going 0-1-1 vs Calgary, losing 43-39 in only road game so far. Under is 5-2 in last seven Eskimo games, 8-2 in Ottawa’s last 10 games.

BC Lions (2-1) @ Hamilton (0-2)— Lions are 7-3 in last ten series games, winning last three, by 27-25-7 points. BC lost three of last four visits here; home side won seven of last eight series games- over is 6-2 in those eight games. Lions are on road for 3rd week in row; they were +19 in second half the last two weeks, wins at Toronto/Montreal. TiCats were outgunned by 287-258 yards in first two games, losses at Toronto (32-15), Saskatchewan (37-20)- this is their home opener.

Favorites vs spread for season: 4-8
over/under: 4-8

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CFL

Week 4

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Trend Report
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Thursday, July 13

8:30 PM
TORONTO vs. WINNIPEG
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Toronto's last 7 games when playing Winnipeg
Toronto is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Winnipeg is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games at home
Winnipeg is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Toronto


Friday, July 14

7:00 PM
CALGARY vs. MONTREAL
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Calgary's last 5 games when playing Montreal
Calgary is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Montreal
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Montreal's last 20 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Montreal's last 7 games

10:00 PM
OTTAWA vs. EDMONTON
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Ottawa's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Ottawa's last 9 games when playing Edmonton
Edmonton is 12-4 SU in its last 16 games when playing Ottawa
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Edmonton's last 8 games when playing at home against Ottawa


Saturday, July 15

7:30 PM
BRITISH COLUMBIA vs. HAMILTON
British Columbia is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
British Columbia is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Hamilton
Hamilton is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
Hamilton is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday’s six-pack

Top 6 over umpires, and top 6 under umpires in first half:

Gonzalez, over 11-2-2
Hoberg, over 9-3-1
Eddings, Hallion, both over 12-5-1
Hernandez over 11-5, Walcott 11-5-1
Marquez over 10-4-1
Iassogna over 9-4, Woodring 9-4-3

Blakney, under 8-1-3
Bellino, under 13-3
Barksdale, Tichenor, both 10-4-1
Kulpa, under 11-5
Nauert, under 10-5
Davis, under 8-4-3

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Looking at AL teams at the All-Star break…….

60-29 Astros— Houston is 33-11 on road; they’ve got a .884 OPS on road, .823 at home. Astros are only 15-11 vs lefties- they’d like to avoid Dodgers (Kershaw-Hill-Wood) if they get to World Series. Altuve makes $4,687,500 this year; starting next year, he’s going to get really rich.

50-39 Red Sox— Will play 11 more home games (25-14) than road games (25-25) the rest of the way. David Price is 4-2, 3.91 in nine starts this year; he’s been sparring with local media. Seeing as he is on the books for $31M a year for the next five years, thats a problem.

47-40 Indians— 21-24 at home, 26-16 on road; unusual. They’re 22-9 when Kluber/Carrasco start, 25-31 with anyone else. Need more production from 1B Carlos Santana, who is hitting .238- he has generally been a better second half player (.835 OPS/.781) in his career.

45-41 New York— Severino is 0-2, 5.75 in his last five starts; Pineda is 1-1, 8.39 in his last five. NY is 7-18 in its last 25 games. This is their lowest payroll in 10 years; Sabathia/Holliday/ARod come off the books this winter— when do they resume trying to sign big $$$ free agents?

47-43 Rays— They’re 27-19 at home, hold 2nd Wild Card right now. Rookie P Faria has 2.11 ERA in his first six MLB starts. Need to find a solid 5th starter for last nine weeks of season. Tampa has four guys under contract for 2018; they’ll be avoiding arbitration a lot this winter.

45-43 Twins— 25-15 on road, 20-28 at home; they’re 18-11 when Santana/Berrios start, 27-32 with anyone else. Rumored to be trying to trade for another starter; Santiago is 0-5, 9.31 in his last five starts. Sano has 21 HR, 62 RBI, .368 OB%, he has become a star.

44-43 Royals— Rebounded from 7-16 April; they’re 22-13 since June 1. Need more from the leadoff spot; their #1 hitters have .207 BA, .236 OB%, which is feeble. KC is 13-4 in Vargas starts- he is 7-0, 2.96 in his last 8 starts. Their $143M payroll is $50M higher than in 2014.

45-47 Angels— Trout comes back Friday; they’re still in contention, Halos are locked into $62M a year for Trout/Pujols for 3 more years. Rookie P Bridwell is 3-1, 3.72 in five starts; he’s been a life saver. #5 hitters are batting only .218 for Angels; they need a bat to protect Trout/Pujols.

43-45 Rangers— Texas has seven players making $10M+ this year; Hamels is 2-0, 1.26 in his last two starts- they need a big 2nd half from him. Could use more from Odor (.220 BA); Texas is 13-16 in games where GW run scores after 6th inning.

43-47 Mariners— Felix Hernandez (4-3, 4.44) is a junker now; they’re 4-5 in his starts, and owe him $27M a year thru 2019. Team ERA is 3.98 at home, 5.30 on road. Mike Zunino had one HR, 4 RBI on May 31; he hit 10 HR’s, had 31 RBI in June, has only one RBI in July.

42-46 Orioles— Despite their struggles, Orioles are 16-6 in games where winning run scores after 6th inning- they’re 25-16 at home, 17-30 on road- their pitchers have 5.78 ERA on road. O’s are 26-20 vs division foes, but are 16-26 vs everyone else.

41-47 Blue Jays— Underachieving team with payroll of $163,381,937; will they deal guys before July 31? Had strong 18-10 May, but are 15-20 since June 1. Estrada/Liriano/Happ earn $41M combined this year; Toronto is 21-22 in their starts, 10-12 at home.

39-48 Tigers— Aging roster with payroll of $199,750,600; they have six guys making $16M+ this year- they’re not getting their money’s worth. They’re hitting .275 at home (.815 OPS), only .234 on road (.691 OPS). Owner Mike Ilitch passed away earlier this year; not sure what they’ll do.

38-49 White Sox— Team to watch for rest of this month; will they dump salary? Cabrera/Frazier make combined $27M, closer Robertson makes $12.5M. Sox are 19-18 at home, 19-31 on road; they have 13 home games to make up in 2nd half. Chicago has some good prospects at AAA.

39-50 A’s— Can’t keep starting pitchers healthy, defense has deteriorated badly with infield coach Ron Washington off to Atlanta. Brought up couple of promising young players, but 1B Alonso is a free agent. Three of their eight highest-paid players are relievers. Go figure.

[StarDust Bum]

How long can the Under stay hot for CFL bettors?

The season, the Over/Under heading into Week 4 is 4-8 with games averaging just 52.9 points scored per game compared to an average Over/Under line of 54.6. This isn’t a one-season trend either.

The Canadian Football League is known as a pass-happy league with plenty of big plays and high-scoring contests. But that’s not been the case for the first three weeks of the season.

The season, the Over/Under heading into Week 4 is 4-8 with games averaging just 52.9 points scored per game compared to an average Over/Under line of 54.6. This isn’t a one-season trend either. The Under is 40-19-1 (66 percent win rate) in Weeks 1 to 4 in the CFL since 2014.

“I think a big part of it is that teams are getting the early-season rust out,” Greg Sindall, an oddsmaker with Canadian-based sportsbook SportsInteraction.com tells Covers. “Players are figuring out how to play with new teammates, learning each other’s tendencies and strengths. And some teams have new coaches, so the players are learning all the new plays and schemes.

“I expect things will start to even out and we’ll start seeing some higher-scoring games again soon.”

The pattern seems to break by Week 5. The Over/Under mark in Weeks 5 to 20 last season was 35-29 with the total average of points scored per game at 54.4 while the average total was 53.2 over the same period.

It may not be the NFL, but there are football odds hitting the board in Las Vegas this week as the CFL kicks off north of the border. We talk to Johnny Avello of the Wynn Las Vegas about all things CFL betting, including Grey Cup futures and the most bet games for Week 1.

This season, the B.C. Lions, Toronto Argonauts and Montreal Alouettes are a combined 0-9 Over/Under heading into Week 4. The Lions and Argos’ Under success can be credited to both teams' ability to stop opponents from putting up big numbers on the scoreboard. The Als, however, are a different story.

The average total points scored in Montreal's three games this season is just 38. It averages only 312 yards per game and just 7.1 yards per pass attempt. Montreal possesses the league’s leading rusher in Tyrell Sutton but he didn’t get his first carry until the second quarter against the Lions last week.

“Let your playmakers make plays. Put the ball in their hands,” Alouettes slotback Nik Lewis told the Montreal Gazette. “If they can’t make the plays, you need new playmakers or something’s got to change.”

This is a perfect example of what Sindall is talking about, with teams still searching for their identity early into the schedule.

CFL Week 4 kicks off Thursday night with the Argos visiting the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (-3, 52.5) while the Alouettes (+5.5) host the Calgary Stampeders on Friday. The total for the Montreal-Calgary game opened at 49.5 but has dropped to 48.5.

[StarDust Bum]

CFL

Thursday, July 13

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Thursday's CFL betting preview and odds: Argonauts at Blue Bombers
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Winnipeg quarterback Matt Nichols completed 27-of-40 passes for 267 yards and a touchdown, but threw two interceptions, including a pick six in the third quarter last week against Calgary.

Toronto Argonauts at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (-3, 52.5)

The Toronto Argonauts look to continue their promising start to the season when they hit the road to take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Thursday. The Argonauts scored 25 points in the second half en route to a 26-25 victory against the Ottawa Redblacks to move into first place in the East Division, and hope to take another step in the right direction by beating the Blue Bombers for the first time since Nov. 6, 2015.

Toronto has dropped nine straight games against West Division opponents dating back to last season, including both meetings against Winnipeg in 2016 by an average margin of 17 points. Winnipeg is left to go back to the drawing board following a disheartening 29-10 defeat to the Calgary Stampeders. The Blue Bombers harbored serious hopes of challenging the Stampeders for West Division supremacy, but were shut out in the second half en route to their seventh consecutive loss in the series, and hope to bounce back by downing the Argonauts for the third straight time. "It's not a gloomy feeling around here as we lost a football game to a good team," Winnipeg quarterback Matt Nichols told reporters. "We're going to come back and we have 16 more of these as it's a long season."

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, TSN, RDS

LINE HISTORY: The Bombers opened as three-point home favorites and the total hit the betting boards at 52.5. As of Wednesday afternoon, neither number has moved.

ABOUT THE ARGONAUTS (2-1 SU, 2-1 ATS, 0-3 O/U): Ricky Ray threw for 366 yards and two touchdowns to become the sixth player in CFL history to throw for 300 TDs in his career. "I will remember this one a little bit more because it came in a big win," Ray told reporters. "It will be nice when I'm old to think back and remember that was the one where we were able to come back in Ottawa and get to that 300 mark." S.J. Green had a career night as he caught 10 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown while Victor Butler continued his assault on opposing quarterbacks as he recorded three sacks to take his total to a league-leading seven through three games.

ABOUT THE BLUE BOMBERS (1-1 SU, 1-1 ATS, 1-1 O/U): Nichols completed 27-of-40 passes for 267 yards and a touchdown, but threw two interceptions, including a pick six in the third quarter that turned the tide in Calgary's favor. Weston Dressler caught six passes for 76 yards against the Stampeders to reach 9,000 receiving yards for his career. Linebacker Ian Wild, who recorded 70 tackles in 12 games last season, left the game with an upper-body injury and is out for the foreseeable future while defensive end Tristan Okpalaugo missed the fourth quarter with an undisclosed knock and is doubtful for the clash against his former team.

TRENDS:

* Argonauts are 3-12 ATS in their last 15 games overall.
* Blue Bombers are 6-0 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
* Under is 5-1 in Argonauts last 6 games overall.
* Over is 5-0 in Blue Bombers last 5 vs. a team with a winning record.
* Over is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings.

CONSENSUS: The home favorite Blue Bombers are getting 56 percent of the action from users and the Over is picking up 51 percent of the totals wagers.

EXTRA POINTS:

* Ray leads the CFL in passing yards (1,199).
* Winnipeg K Justin Medlock has made 24 straight field goals dating back to last season.
* Blue Bombers DB T.J. Heath tops the league in interceptions (three) after registering a CFL-best seven in 2016.

[StarDust Bum]

THURSDAY, JULY 13

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

TOR at WPG 08:30 PM

WPG -3.5

U 55.0

[StarDust Bum]

GAME RECAP
HARRIS LEADS THE WAY AS BLUE BOMBERS DOWN ARGOS IN WINNIPEG
CFL.CA STAFF

WINNIPEG – After a disappointing loss last week against the Stampeders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers QB Matt Nichols said that his team owed it to the home fans to give them a win on Thursday night. Nichols was a man of his word, and the Blue Bombers battled their way to a 33-25 victory over the Argonauts in a game filled with spectacular special teams play.

Bombers fans barely had time to find their seats before* the home team gave them a reason to get on their feet, as KR Ryan Lankford returned the opening kickoff 105 yards to open the game’s scoring before a snap of offence had been played.

Manitoba native Anthony Coombs made a highlight-reel play of his own on Toronto’s first possession, tipping a would-be interception out of the hands of DB T.J. Heath and into his own, pulling it down for a 39-yard gain. The Argos’ offence stalled, but K Lirim Hajrullahu successfully converted the field goal attempt.

Not content to watch their opponents steal all the special teams glory, the Argonauts pounced on their next opportunity. RB/KR Martese Jackson showed off his fancy footwork to the Blue Bombers bench, tip-toeing along the sideline before exploding upfield on his way to a 78-yard punt return touchdown.

After another defensive stop, the Argonauts’ offence appeared to be destined for more points, but an errant throw from QB Ricky Ray was poached by Bombers’ DB Maurice Leggett for the game’s first turnover.

Bombers K Justin Medlock made sure the Argonauts paid for that error, kicking home a 45-yard field goal and tying the game at 10.

After Hajrullahu edged the Argos back into the lead with a field goal, Matt Nichols got the Bombers offence moving again, finding SB Weston Dressler for a big gain down the left sideline. After moving into striking distance, RB Andrew Harris finished the job, plunging into the end zone to help his team re-take the lead.

Martese Jackson clearly wasn’t pleased with just one return touchdown on the night, as he sliced through the Bombers coverage team on the ensuing kickoff, sprinting 105 yards and finding the end zone again. Unfortunately for the Argos, a blocking foul nullified the score, and after two red zone drops they’d settle for another field goal.

Amazingly, Jackson wasn’t even done with the first half. After another Argos defensive stop, Jackson used a well-timed spin move and his rapid acceleration to take the Bombers punt back 67 yards to begin another Argos drive in enemy territory. Jackson appeared to have a laneway to the end zone once again, but he ran out of steam after a half full of long kick returns for the CFL rookie.

The half ended on a flurry of field goals, including a 55-yarder from Medlock. The two kickers combined for seven field goals in a half dominated by stellar special teams play.

The Argonauts opened the half with a long drive, chewing up almost seven minutes of game clock. But once again, Toronto’s offence was stymied in Winnipeg territory, and Hajrullahu kicked home his sixth field goal of the night.

Nichols and the Bombers’ offence responded with a long drive of their own, picking their way through the Argos defence through the air. Once in the red zone, Winnipeg went back to Harris, who scored his second touchdown of the night to help the Bombers re-take the lead.

Medlock added a couple field goals in a defensively sound fourth quarter, giving the Bombers an eight point lead at the three minute warning.

With Toronto driving in the final minute of play, it was former Argonaut TJ Heath who iced it for the Bombers, recording his second interception of the game and sealing the Bombers victory.

After four straight to start the season the Argonauts will get a well-deserved bye in week five, before heading to Saskatchewan for a match-up with the Roughriders in week six. The Blue Bombers will head to the West coast, where they’ll take on the B.C Lions in week five action.

[StarDust Bum]

Friday’s six-pack

— White Sox traded Jose Quintana to the Cubs for four prospects, one of whom is Eloy Jimenez, considered a top-10 prospect.

— Since 2007, Ball State is 31-13 vs spread as a football road underdog.

— Western Michigan opens the season at USC/Michigan State; good for the accountants, bad for the players/coaches.

— Since 2014, Northwestern is 10-4 against the spread on the road.

— Southern Utah’s Randy Onwuasor scored 23.6 pts/game LY; now he is transferring, a huge blow to the Thunderbirds’ Big Sky hopes next winter.

— When Rip Hamilton went to the Chicago Bulls in 2011, he paid CJ Watson $15K cash, so he could wear #32, which had been Watson’s number.

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Friday’s List of 13: Random stuff with the weekend here……..

13) Justin Bour hit 22 homers in the first round of Home Run Derby Monday night; he didn’t advance, but the reaction his two teammates (Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna) had after he finished his round was one of the things that makes sports great.

Stanton/Ozuna are both more famous than Bour, but their joy at his success was very cool- when you have teammates that enjoy other teammates’ successes, that makes things fun. It was refreshing to see.

12) You could wager in Las Vegas on whether the first pitch of the All-Star Game would be a ball or a strike. Turns out Jose Altuve swung/missed at the first pitch.

11) Joey Votto is a great player, but he is 0-10 in All-Star Games, tied with Terry Moore for most AB’s in All-Star Games without getting a hit.

10) Arizona Diamondbacks are usually short on pitching. On December 8, 2009, they made this trade:

Arizona got: Edwin Jackson, Ian Kennedy
Detroit got: Max Scherzer, Austin Jackson, Phil Coke, Daniel Sclereth
New York (A) got: Curtis Granderson

Not a great trade by the Diamondbacks. Scherzer is 126-59 since leaving Arizona.

9) PJ Carlesimo said De’Aaron Fox and Jayson Tatum were the two most impressive rookies in the Las Vegas summer league.

8) New England Patriots have had the same coordinators since 2012. Every other team in the NFL has had at least one coordinator change in the last two years.

7) Atlanta Falcons have a new domed stadium opening this fall: at least the food will be affordable. $2 hot dogs, $3 nachos, $5 for a Bud Light. Tickets to the games are probably expensive as hell, but the food is definitely reasonably priced.

6) Random fact: Oakland A’s assistant general manager Dan Feinstein, in charge of pro scouting and player personnel, was a Medieval European History major at Cal-Davis. Not sure if they had baseball in medieval Europe, but at least the guy went to a state college.

5) They had 7,024 people at the AAA All-Star Game in Tacoma Wednesday night. Minor league baseball is solid, affordable entertainment.

4) Suns’ GM Ryan McDonough signed a player named Mike James, who at one time played ball at Eastern Arizona College, a school McDonough said he had never heard of (me either). James went on to play at Lamar, and then in Europe for a while.

Eastern Arizona is in Thatcher, AZ; its teams are known as the Gila Monsters.

3) Las Vegas sports books saved around $100,000 because a lot of people who bet on the Cubs to win the World Series last year decided to keep their winning tickets as souvenirs, rather than cash them in. The 180-day deadline to cash winning tickets passed in May.

2) Every NFL team got $244M from the league’s national revenue sharing program last year; that is $7.8B in total revenues and thats before a ticket is sold in the stadiums. Must be nice.

1) Kid Rock might run for the US Senate from Michigan; Dwayne (Rock) Johnson might run for President. This is life in 2017.

[StarDust Bum]

WEST DIVISION

RK TEAM GP W L T PTS F A HOME AWAY DIV

1 Calgary 3 2 0 1 5 103 80 1-0-0 1-0-1 1-0-0

2 Edmonton 2 2 0 0 4 53 46 1-0-0 1-0-0 1-0-0

3 Winnipeg 3 2 1 0 4 86 94 1-1-0 1-0-0 1-1-0

4 BC 3 2 1 0 4 78 61 0-1-0 2-0-0 0-1-0

5 Saskatchewan 3 1 2 0 2 93 80 1-1-0 0-1-0 0-1-0


EAST DIVISION

RK TEAM GP W L T PTS F A HOME AWAY DIV

1 Toronto 4 2 2 0 4 98 101 1-1-0 1-1-0 2-0-0

2 Montreal 3 1 2 0 2 52 62 1-1-0 0-1-0 0-0-0

3 Ottawa 3 0 2 1 1 95 100 0-1-1 0-1-0 0-1-0

4 Hamilton 2 0 2 0 0 35 69 0-0-0 0-2-0 0-1-0

[StarDust Bum]

CFL Record: Best Bets & Opinions

Date W-L-T % Units

07/13/2017....................1-1-0..............50.00%.......................-0.50
07/08/2017....................1-3-0..............25.00%.....................-11.50
07/07/2017....................1-1-0..............50.00%.......................-0.50
07/06/2017....................2-0-0............100.00%....................+10.00
07/01/2017....................1-1-0..............50.00%.......................-0.50
06/30/2017....................2-2-0..............50.00%.......................-0.20
06/29/2017................... 0-2-0............... 0.00%.................... -11.00
06/25/2017................... 1-1-0............. 50.00%...................... -0.50
06/24/2017................... 1-1-0 .............50.00% ......................-0.50
06/23/2017................... 2-0-0............ 100.00%................... +10.00
06/22/2017................... 0-2-0............... 0.00%.................... -11.00

Total............................ATS.............. .........O/U.....................Total

07/13/2017....................1 - 0.....................0 - 1 ....................- 0.50
07/08/2017....................1 - 1-----------------0 - 2.....................-11.50
07/07/2017....................1 - 0.....................0 - 1...................... -0.50
07/06/2017....................1 - 0.....................1 - 0.....................+10.00
07/01/2017....................0 - 1.....................1 - 0.......................- 0.50
06/30/2017....................1 - 1.....................1 - 1.......................- 0.20
06/29/2017................... 0- 1..................... 0 - 1..................... -11.00
06/25/2017....................0 - 1.....................1 - 0........................-0.50
06/24/2017................... 1 - 0 ............. ......0 - 1........................-0.50
06/23/2017....................1 - 0.....................1 - 0....................+ 10.00
06/22/2017....................0 - 1.....................0 - 1 ....................- 11.00