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**InsiderEdge** · 06-17-2003, 08:59 AM

Our release on Monday wins with Florida as Dontrelle Willis pitches a gem as we expected.

Service Play For Tuesday June 17, 2003

Atlanta - Reynolds +108 (3 Units)

Shane Reynolds enters this game 5-1 in his 11 starts since signing with Atlanta in April. The Braves have been a solid investment with Reynolds on the mound as they have won their last 8 games that Reynolds has started and have won 10 of his 11 starts overall. He comes in with a 5.14 ERA but taking away his lone loss, a 10 run shellacking against the Brewers, and his ERA drops to 3.92. He has one start against Philadelphia this season, going 7.1 innings and allowing just 1 earned run on 2 hits and 2 walks in picking up the win. He has always had success against the Phillies, as he is 9-1 in 15 career starts with a 2.68 ERA and a 1.09 ratio. In his 107.1 innings logged against Philadelphia, he has struck out 74 while walking just 25. Brett Myers takes the hill for the Phillies and at one point led the National League with a 2.09 ERA back in early May. He has had some serious troubles recently as he has allowed at least 4 earned runs in 4 of his last 5 starts. His K/BB ratio has taken a tailspin as his strikeout number has plummeted. In his first 8 starts, he averaged nearly 6 strikeouts per game but in his last 5 starts, he is striking out just over 2.5 per game. His biggest concern could be that of Gary Sheffield, who leads the Majors with a .398 road batting average. He has hit .345 (30-for-87) against the Phillies over the past two years. Myers has faced the Braves twice in his young career, going 0-1 with a 7.00 ERA in 9 innings. The success that Atlanta has had with Reynolds on the mound and the recent inconsistency of Myers makes Atlanta the play, especially with them being in the dog role.

**InsiderEdge** · 06-18-2003, 10:59 AM

A tough loss by the Braves as Atlanta loses for only the 2nd time in 12 Shane Reynolds starts. Let’s get it back on Wednesday.

Service Play For Wednesday June 18, 2003

Arizona – Webb +120 (3 Units)

The elbow problem that put Brandon Webb on the DL a couple weeks back doesn’t seem to be serious as he responded with a solid effort against the Twins in his return last Friday. The rookie has been a welcomed sight with the injuries that have plagued starters Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson. Webb would be 2nd in the National League with his 2.45 ERA but hasn’t qualified with enough innings yet. More than anything, he has been one of the most consistent pitchers in the league as he allowed 3 earned runs or less in each of his 8 starts, going under 3 ER in 5 of those. Arizona is 5-4 in games Webb has started but the 4 losses were due to a lack of run support rather than bad pitching. In those 4 losses, Arizona tallied a total of 5 runs, something that has hurt this team for the early part of the season. However they are improving as the season moves along. They averaged 4.0 rpg in April, 4.7 rpg in May and are averaging 5.6 rpg in June through the first 14 games. Judging by this trend, run support will not be an issue for Webb anymore. The Astros send Ron Villone to the mound, his first appearance in 2003. At AAA New Orleans, Villone was used mostly in long relief appearances where he was 2nd on the team with 20 total appearances. He had success in his 5 starts, posting a 3-1 record and a 1.23 ERA but AAA is not the majors and this is a veteran pitcher who hasn’t had an ERA below 5.43 since 1999 and a career ERA of 5.04. Look for Villone to have a rough time back while Webb continues to pitch brilliantly for Arizona.

**InsiderEdge** · 06-18-2003, 10:30 PM

Insider Edge Sports takes a look into the 2003 NCAA football coaching changes

Coaching changes can have an immediate impact on teams while for others, it may take time for the new coach to make his mark. Here is our take on the new coaches for 2003 and whether or not you will see an immediate change or the same old stuff from 2002.

Alabama – Mike Shula replacing Mike Price replacing Dennis Franchione

This was by far the most talked about coaching carousel in the off-season as Franchione decided to head back to the state of Texas after just two seasons guiding the Tide. Alabama thought they had their man with Mike Price until the whole sex scandal story came out and he was immediately let go and replaced by Mike Shula. Shula is a former Alabama quarterback and seems like a good choice to lead this team but the big question is why he wasn’t a candidate until after Price was let go? He is the youngest coach ever hired at Alabama and will be the youngest coach in the SEC entering this season. His youth will allow him to be a good motivator but he has no head coaching experience and that will definitely hurt. He has plenty of NFL coaching experience as he landed his first job in 1988 and most notably spent 4 years in Tampa Bay as their offensive coordinator. The problem was that offense was atrocious so he will need to rely on Tide offensive coordinator Dave Radar to get the job done. Five years from now, this will look like a very good decision but with this team entering a second year of NCAA probation, it will be a transition year for the Tide and they will not come close to matching their 10 wins from a season ago.

Ball St. – Brady Hoke replacing Bill Lynch

This looks like a perfect fit for the Cardinals who are coming off a 6-6 season in 2002. Lynch was fired as Ball State's football coach after producing only two winning seasons in his eight years at the school. Hoke is a former All-MAC football player at Ball St. and will be coming back to his alma mater after spending the last 8 seasons at Michigan. He spent the 2002 season as the associate head coach and defensive line coach and will bring a great deal of big school experience to the Cardinals. A .500 season is something a lot of teams would kill for but it wasn’t good enough for Lynch to keep his job. Hoke will have his hands full in his first season as the Cardinals welcome rising Missouri and have three rough MAC visitors in Miami, Toledo and Bowling Green. He has to replace some good talent in key positions and while the move looks to be the right one, it might be a rough rookie season for Hoke in his return to Muncie.

Baylor – Guy Morriss replacing Kevin Steele

The coaching change for the Bears can only be a positive. Steele did a horrific job at Baylor in his 4 seasons as he compiled a 9-36 record and just one conference victory. Morriss resigned at Kentucky after six seasons, the final two as head coach. He is a native Texan and should bring excitement to this program that seemed to quit at certain times for their old coach. Morriss is very respected and should be able to help the Bears recruiting right away, bringing in future success to this perennial Big 12 basement team. The problem is that for now, he will be coaching Steele recruits and must look for ways to move this team in the right direction this season which might be easier said than done. After their spring sessions, Morriss knew what lies ahead. “It took us some time this spring just to get our kids in good enough shape so that we can start getting some work out of them. I think any time there is a transition, like a new staff, and the length that it took, some of the kids fell through the cracks. We had to get after them pretty hard this spring just to get them back on track in the weight room, conditioning and so forth, but as far as next year goes, it's going to be an interesting year. We aren't blessed with a lot of depth, our numbers are down right now, and we are a little bit out of balance, but again we knew those things coming in here. We are just going to try to be as competitive as we can be, play as hard as can for as long as we can and kind of see what happens.” Even he knows the challenge will be difficult but at least they are moving forward. 2003 doesn’t look to be good, but it can’t get much worse.

Bowling Green – Gregg Brandon replacing Urban Meyer

Brandon will have some tough shoes to fill in taking over for the very popular Meyer who left the Falcons to take the head coaching job at Utah. Meyer took over a team that had endured six straight losing seasons. In Meyer's first two seasons, the Falcons went 17-6 overall, including an 11-5 mark in the Mid-American Conference. He left the program in tremendous shape and it will be up to Brandon to keep the success going, which shouldn’t be a problem at all. Brandon has more than 22 years of coaching experience at the Division I level, including the last two years at Bowling Green where he has served as assistant head coach and directed the Falcons' record-setting offensive attack. The Falcons had trouble scoring at all before Brandon arrived, and last year they led the nation in that department for the first half of the season, with essentially the same players. The players are behind Brandon and he was hands down the players’ choice as their new coach. "We were united in our support for coach Brandon," senior quarterback Josh Harris said, "and we let everyone here know that. We felt like he had done a lot of good things with the offense, and we wanted to see that continue." This was definitely the best decision the athletic department could have made and the Falcons won’t miss a beat in 2003.

East Carolina – John Thompson replacing Steve Logan

East Carolina will have a different face on the sidelines for the first time in 11 seasons. The Pirates posted a 4-8 mark in 2002 and have won only four of their past 15 games dating back to 2001. East Carolina finished tied for fifth (4-4) in Conference USA this past season, its lowest finish in six years of competition in the league after three straight second-place showings. Logan is the all-time leader in coaching wins but the university needed to go in a different direction and get a fresh look to the program. Enter John Thompson, one of the most highly regarded defensive coaches in the country. His 21-year collegiate coaching career includes 19 seasons as a defensive coordinator with stops at four schools in the Southeastern Conference - Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, and LSU. He has guided one of the nation's top 25 defensive units in four of the past six years. But Thompson isn’t a stranger to Conference USA. He was the mastermind behind the dominant Southern Miss defense of the mid-1990s as he took over the position of defensive coordinator for the Golden Eagles in 1992, was given the additional title of assistant head coach in 1993, and remained with that program until 1998. Along the way, Southern Miss won or shared two Conference USA titles, ranked among the top 25 nationally in scoring defense twice, and made two bowl appearances. The Pirates were underachievers the last couple season under Logan and this change should bring East Carolina back into the national spotlight right away.

Houston – Art Briles replacing Dana Dimel

Dimel was a player favorite at Houston but a change had to be made since the program wasn’t improving as quickly as the university had hoped. There was no quit in the Cougars who finished last season with a convincing 27-10 win over Louisville, 6 days after Dimel was told he was fired but decided he wanted to coach his players one last time. He finished 8-26 in three years at Houston, including an 0-11 record in 2001 - the only winless campaign in the program's history. Briles becomes the first-ever former UH player to lead the Cougar football program, something that will play an important role this season in getting his players on his side. Briles spent the last three years as the running backs coach at Texas Tech and like Guy Morriss of Baylor, he is very well respected around the high school ranks and should improve their recruiting immediately. Unfortunately, Houston has had their problems in recent years and a turn around won’t happen in one season. This is a move for the future more than anything and improving on their 5 wins from a year ago might be a stretch. Developing a foundation is the first step and the university is hoping Briles can do that. But this should be a fun team to watch as Briles brings in a wide-open, air it out offensive attack, which could keep the Cougars competitive in some games if their defense can hold up.

Kentucky – Rich Brooks replacing Guy Morriss

Morriss stepped down to head back to his home state of Texas to take over the struggling Baylor program. Rich Brooks comes in with a wealth of experience but hasn’t coached in a few years since leaving the Atlanta Falcons in 2000. Brooks has 27 years of coaching experience on the collegiate level, including a groundbreaking 18-year term as head coach at Oregon, and is a 10-year NFL coaching veteran. His tenure at Oregon shows his commitment to a program, something the Wildcats are in desperate need of. Morriss was only around for 2 seasons and the program has been in the middle of NCAA infractions and probation the past few years so a veteran like Brooks could turn them around, but not overnight. His best move was the hiring of ex-Utah coach Ron McBride, who joins the staff as an assistant coach in charge of linebackers. Utah has been known for their tough defense and McBride should bring that talent to Kentucky, who will need a push right away as they return only 3 starters to their defense with all 4 linebackers being new. It might take some time for the defense to get it together but Brooks has the luxury of a solid offense that loses just 4 players including only 1 offensive lineman. It’s a whole new start for Kentucky, which can only bring good things and Brooks can definitely be the right man to turn things around.

Louisiana-Monroe – Charlie Weatherbie replacing Bobby Keasler (Mike Collins)

Keasler resigned last season and it was Mike Collins who stepped in and did a fantastic job in running the team the remainder of the season even though the wins didn’t come their way. Just keeping their heads in the game after their coach quits halfway through the season is a huge accomplishment in itself. He was given the permanent job for 2003 but unfortunately, Collins got hit with a DUI the night before the spring game and was fired. In steps Charlie Weatherbie who has had great success in turning around struggling programs (Utah St. and Navy). He is considered a players coach and is very well respected but knows that it will be an uphill battle for the Indians. He inherits a very young team but one that has a lot of talent. This team has a legitimate shot in coming years as long as they buy into the system but 2003 isn’t the year. This is a great move for the program to get a big name coach that can attract recruits and make the fans and people around the university believe. And who knows, they could surprise this season but with trips to LSU, Mississippi and Auburn, it’s not likely. Surpassing their 3 wins from last season is doable but it won’t be much more than 1 game most likely.

Louisville – Bob Petrino replacing John L. Smith

Smith will be a difficult coach to replace as he turned around a Cardinals program and pointed them in the right direction. He put together a 41-21 record, including five straight bowl appearances and back-to-back Conference USA titles in 2000-01. The five bowl trips equaled the number of postseason appearances Louisville had made prior to his arrival and the five consecutive winning seasons marked a first for the program. Petrino was part of that success as he served as the Cardinals offensive coordinator during the 1998 season when Louisville led the nation in scoring and total offense. In the 4 years since, he spent two seasons coaching the quarterbacks and another as the offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL followed by a one-year tenure during the 2002 season in the same capacity at Auburn. It did not take long for him to put his stamp on the Auburn offense in 2002 as the Tigers improved to #31 nationally in scoring average (31.25 ppg) and #38 nationally in scoring offense (396.67 ypg) after ranking #86 nationally in scoring offense (22.18 ppg) and #73 in total offense (358.82 ypg) in 2001. Even with a new quarterback to take the snaps, Petrino should be able to put a solid offense on the field and keep the success going that Smith built.

Michigan St. – John L. Smith replacing Bobby Williams

Smith brings his success to a program in need of a jump-start. Williams had no control over his players and it showed as Michigan St. ended 2002 with a 4-8 record and many on and off the field problems that included QB Jeff Smoker entering a substance-abuse program. Smoker is back with the team, although he might not be the starter when the season begins. Smith has had success everywhere he has coached. He led Louisville to a 41-21 record in his 5 years that included a 7-5 record in his first season in 1998, a year after the Cardinals finished 1-10. Prior to Louisville, he coached at Utah St. for 3 seasons and led them to 2 Big West championships after the Aggies had produced just 2 winning seasons in their prior 15. Before that, he coached at Idaho for 6 seasons where he became the winningest coach in school history. The Spartans haven’t had a winning season since 2001 when they went 7-5 but that could change if Smith can get this team under control. They need to get their priorities in order first and foremost and once that is accomplished, then they can look at the future. Smith has done it before and there is no reason why he can’t do it again at a higher level.

Oregon St. – Mike Riley replacing Dennis Erickson

This is another case of a coach restoring tradition and success back into a program and then heading out. However in this case, the tradition and success is something that is fairly new to the Beavers and it is up to Riley to keep it going. Erickson left Oregon St. to head back to the NFL while Riley returns to Oregon St. from the NFL after serving as the Beavers head coach during the 1997-98 seasons. He led the Beavers to a two-year mark of 8-14, and is widely considered the person who started the football renaissance at the school. He recruited 17 of the 24 starters from the 2000-2001 Fiesta Bowl. He is blessed with a young group of athletes that return 9 starters on offense and 7 on defense. This team can reach double digit wins once again with their toughest tests coming in their last two games at Oregon and at USC. Riley has been here before and while the record might not have showed it, he did wonders for the program and will continue keeping the success going.

Texas A&M – Dennis Franchione replacing R.C. Slocum

Franchione returns to the state of Texas after a brief 2-year stint at Alabama. Even under the Tide probation, he put together a 2002 season far above expectations when everyone thought it would be a down year in Tuscaloosa. He now comes back to Texas, this time at A&M, a program stumbling but not down far enough where the task will be too daunting. Slocum was on the clock much of last season and losing 4 of their last 5 games finally did him in. The normally stringent defense allowed 35 ppg during that final 5-game stretch and that signaled the end for the 14-year Aggies coaching veteran. Franchione brings in a winning attitude and a winning track record. He has compiled a 155-73-2 record (.678 percent) as a head coach. He ranks as the #8 winningest active head coach in NCAA Div. IA in terms of winning percentage and his 155-career victories stand #7 among active Div. IA head coaches. Slocum gave A&M some great years but he was never able to push them over the top into the elite crowd. Can Franchione do that? The 12th man might have some say in that and it’s a definite possibility in the near future.

Tulsa – Steve Kragthorpe replacing Keith Burns

Things can only get better for the Golden Hurricane. Keith Burns compiled an overall 7-28 record in his three seasons at Tulsa but his last two teams registered an overall 2-21 record. When your coach resigns, he has not only given up on himself but also on his team and therefore a change is the best thing possible. Kragthorpe brings 13 years of coaching to the program, including 11 years on the collegiate level and two years of professional football. He was the QB coach for the Buffalo Bills the last 2 seasons and had the opportunity to coach Drew Bledsoe this past season, a definite benefit going forward. He is only 37 years old and will bring a brand new outlook to this team that has struggled for years going back to the rough times with coach Dave Radar. He came in and promised starting roles to no one thus making competition intense and bringing out the best of abilities in everyone. His mentor was LaVell Edwards and if he can even come close to that success, he will turn this place around in a hurry. Expect dramatic improvements from them this season and while a winning record is unlikely, coming close to .500 is.

UCLA - Karl Dorrell replacing Bob Toledo

Optimism is high for the Bruins as former UCLA receiver Karl Dorrell takes over for Bob Toledo as coach. Toledo was let go at the end of the regular season and didn’t coach the Bruins in the Las Vegas Bowl, a game in which they won 27-13 over New Mexico under interim coach Ed Kezirian. It was felt that in order to revitalize the program and move it forward, a change of leadership was required and a fresh start necessary. Dorrell comes to UCLA from the Denver Broncos, where he was in his third year as the coach of the wide receivers and prior to his arrival in Denver, he coached 12 years on the collegiate level mostly as a receivers coach. He can definitely bring a fresh new attitude to the program and being only 39, he should be able to have his players buy into his system. Being a Bruins graduate, he knows the tradition of UCLA football and will work hard to get them back into the national spotlight after many underachieving years. Like Tulsa, a young fresh face is just what the school needs so expect Dorrell to utilize his talented team to the best of their abilities and start out in the right direction.

Utah – Urban Meyer replacing Ron McBride

A very popular coach, Ron McBride was let go after putting together a .500 conference and overall record his past 3 seasons. While those numbers aren’t that bad, it’s not what the school is striving for so a change was felt necessary. McBride will take his talents on defense to Kentucky under their new coach Rich Brooks. Meyer comes over from Bowling Green where he revitalized a struggling program and put them on the map. He compiled a 17-6 record in his two years at BGSU, including a 5-0 mark against Bowl Championship Series teams. Meyer was 8-3 in 2001 and 9-3 in 2002. Meyer will definitely open things up for the Utes, as he did at Bowling Green, and he is fortunate to have 14 starters return from last season. Many feel that McBride got the raw end of the deal and that he was fired unfairly but his replacement should bring a new spark to the offense that has struggled in past years. Surpassing last seasons 5 wins won’t be easy so there won’t be a noticeable difference right away but Meyer will have them going in the right direction in the very near future.

Washington State - Bill Doba replacing Mike Price

Mike Price left a great job at Washington St. to pursue bigger and better options and leaves Alabama without even coaching a game. Bill Doba deserves this job as he has been an assistant for the Cougars for the past 14 seasons and is the lone remaining assistant from Price's original Cougar staff named in 1989. He knows the system, he knows the players and he knows what is expected of him based on the success Price had during his time at the school. This was a no-brainer for the athletic department as the players give all they have for Doba and that is something that cannot be brought in from the outside. Coaching will not be the issue if Washington St. stumbles, it will come down to the loss of key players to graduation, since they lost 7 on the offensive side of the ball alone. They won’t match the 10 wins from a season ago, but you can bet they will be giving it all they have on every snap this season for their new coach.

Wyoming - Joe Glenn replacing Vic Koenning

The Cowboys desperately needed a change and they didn’t wait until the end of last season to make a move. Vic Koenning was let go before the teams’ 2002 season finale but he agreed to coach the last game before he left which turned out to be another loss. In his 3 years at Wyoming, he compiled a 5-29 record that included a 1-20 mark in the Mountain West Conference. Joe Glenn comes to Wyoming from the University of Montana, where he produced a tremendous record. He won three Big Sky Conference championships and guided the Grizzlies to a Division I-AA national championship in 2001. In three seasons he posted a 39-6 (.867) record. That is the best winning percentage in the history of the Big Sky, which produced such head coaches as John L. Smith, Dennis Erickson, Jim Sweeney, Sonny Lubick and Mike Price, some very good company. Glenn came to Big Sky country from Northern Colorado, where he was the most successful Division II coach in the country. He directed the Bears to 11 straight winning seasons. His record there was 98-35 (.737). The Bears earned five straight trips (seven overall) to the Division II playoffs, and won back-to-back NCAA Division II National Football Championships in 1996 and 1997. Even though he doesn’t have 1-A experience, that track record alone should bring success to a team in dire need of a positive influence. The offense brings back the majority of their starters from last season, but it’s their defense that will make or break the 2003 season.

Washington - Rick Neuheisel was let go and a replacement has yet to be named.

**InsiderEdge** · 06-19-2003, 11:06 AM

Well it took Arizona 9 innings to put their runs on the board but they got it done. Webb kept them in the game giving up a solo home run and just 2 other hits in 6 strong innings while the bullpen pitched 3 innings of 2-hit ball.

Service Play For Thursday June 19, 2003

Los Angeles – Perez +125 (3 Units)

The Dodgers find themselves right back in the thick of things in the NL West as they have slowly made their way up to the Giants atop the division. Los Angeles is 11-4 in June and they are 22-8 their last 30 games overall. They have an amazing 2.89 ERA, which leads the National League by nearly ¾ of a run. What they have in pitching they lack in offense, as they are last in the league in runs scored and near the bottom in batting average. Their pitching has been the difference and besides Kevin Brown, it’s their bullpen that has done the job. Gagne, Shuey, Quantrill, Mota and Martin have been nearly unhittable and they alone have won the Dodgers numerous games this season. Odalis Perez gets the start for the Dodgers and with the exception of two rough outings that have ballooned his ERA to 4.71, he has pitched very well. One of those outings came at home against the White Sox and his home ERA still sits at a solid 3.14. In his other 3 home starts, he allowed only 4 earned runs total in 23.2 innings and his home K/BB ratio is a remarkable 29/3. He goes against the Giants, who after a very hot start have really cooled off of late. They are 17-19 their last 36 games and are in jeopardy of losing their top spot in the division for the first time all season. Jason Schmidt takes the hill and he has had a very good season thus far but is coming off a rough outing on the road at Kansas City. 2 of his last 3 road starts have not been top notch and he has a career ERA in 17 starts against the Dodgers. Los Angeles is playing much better between the two teams and the price is certainly right for a team that has won their last 9 games overall.

**InsiderEdge** · 06-19-2003, 10:17 PM

Insider Edge Sports looks at some teams that are on the rise that could be some good investments early on in the season.

New Mexico Lobos

In 2002, the Lobos made a trip to the Las Vegas Bowl after finishing the season strong, winning 4 of their last 5 regular season games. It was only their 2nd bowl appearance in 40 years and they will look to build on that experience heading into this season. A 49-0 loss at home on national television to Texas Tech put them at 2-4 and adding insult to injury, starting QB Casey Kelly was lost with a broken arm. This team easily could have thrown in the towel but Kelly returned quicker than expected and they went on a run to become bowl eligible. They return all 11 starters on offense led by Kelly, sophomore TB DonTrell Moore and 3 senior offensive linemen. Defense has always been the name of the game for the Lobos. They slipped some last season but allowed just 16 ppg over their last 4 regular season games. They will have 9 senior starters on that side of the ball this season and they should start right where they left off. They have a very favorable schedule this season compared to last year as they get BYU, Colorado St. and Air Force all at home. They have two early season road tests at Texas Tech and Washington St. but both of these teams are on the decline after losing key personnel so both games can be won. If the Lobos can avoid injuries and play the way they finished last season, they could sneak up and challenge Colorado St. for the MWC championship.

Arizona St. Sun Devils

While they might not be considered a significant sleeper, they will improve on their 8-6 record from a year ago. This offense will put up a ton of points led by QB Andrew Walter and the return of all 5 offensive linemen. Outscoring opponents shouldn’t be a problem as long as the defense can improve from last year. They allowed nearly 30 ppg last year and with the loss of Terrell Suggs, they will have to step up early and often. 7 starters return including ¾ of their line and ¾ of their secondary. Replacing Suggs, Bates and Unck at the linebacker spots will be a difficult task so this is where players will need to step up the most. At first glance, their schedule looks brutal but a closer look does show some promise. They will get two easy wins out of the gate but then must travel to Iowa and Oregon St. in back-to-back weeks. Oregon St. will be the tougher of the two as Iowa will not be the same as their Orange Bowl team from a year ago. They then return home to face USC and Oregon, two difficult but winnable games. The remaining 6 games are not cakewalks by any means but a rebuilding Washington St. and California should soften it up and Washington falls off the schedule this season. A 10-2 record is not out of the question as long as they can stiffen up their defense and avoid giving up over 30 points in half their games like they did last season.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane

A new coach comes to town as the Golden Hurricane welcome Steve Kragthorpe to lead the team in 2003. Kragthorpe is an offensive minded coach and comes in after leading the quarterbacks for the Buffalo Bills. QB and nominee for name of the year, Tyler Gooch leads 8 returning offensive players that given the correct coaching, can become a solid unit in 2003. Gooch has the luxury of throwing to playmaker WR Romby Bryant and handing the ball off to RB Eric Richardson, a name that you have probably never heard of but one that you will hear about in 2003. The line returns 4 starters from a unit that allowed 35 sacks a season ago but a year of cohesion under their belt should cut that number down considerably. A better offense will lead to a better defense by cutting down on the number of minutes they are on the field. Also helping the defense is new coordinator Todd Graham, who was the defensive coordinator at West Virginia before heading west. As witnessed by the Mountaineers top 40 in all defensive categories last year, Graham will be a much needed asset to the team. The season will most likely start off 0-2 after trips to Minnesota and Arkansas but the rest of the schedule is more in their favor. Of their 4 remaining road games, only Boise St. poses the biggest problem. At home, they welcome Hawaii, which is their only sure loss. The other 5 games can all be won but a 3-2 or 2-3 mark is more than likely. Tulsa recorded just 1 win in 2002 so anything will be an improvement. A .500 record isn’t out of the question if they beat the teams they should beat and pull out of couple of wins in the marginal games.

Wyoming Cowboys

Here we have another team with a new coach that could cause a stir in their conference. Wyoming is coming off a horrid 2-10 season with their only wins coming against 1-AA The Citadel and Air Force, who was just coming off a tough loss to Notre Dame. Expectations are high and like Arizona St., this team will put up plenty of points but it’s their defense that will have to show improvement in order for them to succeed as a team. QB Casey Bramlet returns and as long as he doesn’t get decked another 40 times like last season, his numbers should be better than his 3,290 yards and 24 TD’s from a year ago. 4/5 of his line returns so he should be ok. The defense will have to not allow as many points as it did last year (at least 35 points allowed 7 times and 30 points allowed 9 times). The interior has to become more active and get to the QB more than their 10 sacks from a year ago. The good news is that they are a veteran group and they have a year or in some cases more playing time together. While they won’t contend for the conference title, they will be much more competitive than last season and could sneak out a victory or two that they shouldn’t win. Also, their schedule has softened up which will help. Out is Tennessee and Washington and in is Kansas and Utah St., both winnable games. They will easily surpass the 2 wins from 2002 and who knows, a 6-6 record could happen.

Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles

The Golden Eagles will look to improve on their 2002 season and that starts with their defense. While the defense wasn’t awful last year, it wasn’t the same that has been around before in years past. They were ranked 75th in rushing defense a year ago, an aberration for this team. They return 7 of 8 deep up front which should cut down on their yards allowed. They bring 3 legitimate All-American candidates to the table in MLB Rod Davis, SLB Michael Boley and FS Etric Pruitt. The offense will be the unit that takes this team as far as they want to go. A revamped offensive line is a good starting point to give some protection to the quarterback. However new offensive coordinator Rip Scherer will introduce a new offense that features two-backs thus giving them more consistency which should cut down on a lot of third and long situations. There are a lot of new faces in key positions and it might take some time for them to gel as a unit but the defense should be able to keep the Golden Eagles in games until the offense comes together. They will have a test right out of the gate as they travel to Cal, but the Bears will be having their own problems so it is a game they can win. Their next test will be 3 weeks later at home against Nebraska and by this time, the cogs should all be in place. Two weeks later, they make a trip to Alabama, which will be their final test until a home game against TCU at the end of November. 10 wins and a conference title are not out of the question for this team that wants to get back on top of Conference USA.

**InsiderEdge** · 06-20-2003, 08:22 AM

We get beat again by a good pitching performance bringing the week to date number to 2-2 +.60.

Service Play For Friday June 20, 2003

NY Mets – Trachsel +145 (3 Units)

Unfortunately, inter-league play is back as quickly as it left. At least this time around, we have some good rivalry games going on. None get better than this matchup as the Yankees travel across the city to take on the Mets. Steve Trachsel is coming off a brilliant one hit shutout over the Angels in his last outing after throwing a couple duds prior to that. He is 5-2 his last 7 starts after going 0-2 in his first 7 starts. Andy Pettitte has struggled after starting the season 4-1 as he has gone 2-5 his last 8 starts with a 6.00 ERA. The Yankees are just 2-6 in those 8 starts which includes an 0-4 record on the road. The Mets are playing decent baseball and head home after their 6-4 road trip. The Yankees are 6-1 their last 7 but besides Jeff Weaver, they will be sending their most inconsistent pitcher to the hill to begin their 7 game road trip. We seem to have two pitchers heading in different directions. Expect Trachsel to feed off his last outing and keep the Mets in this game while the offense should find the going easier against the struggling Pettitte.

**InsiderEdge** · 06-21-2003, 06:13 AM

The Mets go down as the Yankees hit 3 home runs, killing a solid performance from Trachsel. Pettitte gets his first win on the road in 6 starts.

Service Play For Saturday June 21, 2003

Tampa Bay – Standridge +210 (2 Units)

Short write up for the Devil Rays. While we look for overall performance, we also look for value, and there is a ton of value here. Florida has been a 2-1 or more favorite just once this season and that was –200 right on the nose. Willis pitched a one-hit gem in his last outing and this number is based on that more than anything. Will he repeat that feat? No. We’ll take our chances on Standridge who has pitched well in his two starts. The long ball hurt him in his first outing but he is a control pitcher who will get people out as witnessed by his two walks on the season. Tampa Bay has hit lefties well this season going at a .278 clip and they have taken 7 of the last 10 meetings between the two. We were behind Willis on Monday against the Mets and while he has been on fire of late, the price is just too high to back him and too high not to go against him.

**InsiderEdge** · 06-22-2003, 08:01 AM

Tough break as the Devil Rays and Marlins game gets called after 6 innings.

Service Play For Sunday June 22, 2003

San Diego – Peavy +150 (3 Units)

We like Jake Peavy to get the Padres a series win against the Mariners. Peavy has won his last 2 starts after won winning a start in his prior 8 tries. It wasn’t because of bad pitching though; it was lack of run support. In those 8 games, San Diego only scored a total of 21 runs while in his last 2 games they put up 13 runs. Peavy feels more positive on the mound and the two wins under his belt are a good confidence boost. Even though San Diego has the worst record in the National League, they are playing better baseball of late. They are 5-5 their last 10 games and they have won 4 of their last 7. Certainly not overwhelming numbers, but they are much better than earlier in the month. "A little shot of momentum here would be great," said center fielder Mark Kotsay. "We're definitely playing better. Guys are healthier. Everything we do is a little sharper. This is the way we anticipated playing as a club. If we get a couple more key hits . . . who knows?" And over the last 17 games, San Diego has hit .292 while averaging a homer and 4.8 runs a game while the pitchers have had a 4.33 ERA – all marks well ahead of the season averages. Seattle still tops the American League with their 49-24 record but they send their #5 starter Ryan Franklin to the hill in the series finale. Franklin has pitched well of late, winning his last 2 starts but gave up a season high 4 home runs in his last outing. He has a 5.40 ERA in his career against San Diego. We see Peavy keeping the Padres in this game long enough to pull out the win and taking the series.

**InsiderEdge** · 06-23-2003, 12:46 PM

We finish the week at 3-4 but end up showing a very modest profit of +.10 units. Onto a new week.

Service Play For Monday June 23, 2003

Arizona – Webb -140 (3 Units)

We will be backing Brandon Webb once again. As stated last week, he has been the most consistent of the Diamondbacks pitchers as evidenced by his 9 for 9 in quality starts on the season. Opponents are hitting just .208 against him and his ratio is a solid 1.08 to go along with his 2.36 ERA. Arizona has quietly gotten back into the National League West race, trailing the Dodgers and Giants by just 6 games. They are 13-6 in the moth of June and they have won their last 5 games and 7 out of their last 8. They earned their first series sweep of the season and by taking the three games from the Reds, they have gotten over .500 for the first time all year. They have been playing well with the majority of the help coming from their pitching staff, including their bullpen. The bullpen has a 2.14 ERA during their recent win streak and newly appointed closer Jose Valverde is a perfect 7 for 7 in save opportunities. The Astros will send Ron Villone to the hill and while his first start of the season was a very good effort against these same Diamondbacks, we don’t see it happening again. Villone has started twice at the BOB and he is 0-1 with a 14.00 ERA and 2.44 WHIP in 9 innings. Neither Webb nor Villone were involved in the decision in the last meeting, but tonight we see Webb getting his 4th win of the season and Arizona’s 6th win in his last 7 starts.

**InsiderEdge** · 06-24-2003, 09:57 AM

The week starts off with a win as the Diamondbacks hold off a 9th inning Houston rally to grab the first game in their series.

Service Play For Tuesday June 24, 2003

Chicago White Sox – Loaiza +100 (3 Units)

Minnesota looked as though they might be taking control of the American League Central but a recent skid has shortened the gap between them and the Royals and White Sox. They are just 2-7 their last 9 games and they are 9-11 in the month of June. The White Sox are 6-4 their last 10 games and they are hanging around enough to make a second half run if some of their bats get going. They send their top pitcher to the mound tonight as Esteban Loaiza brings his 10-2 record to the Metrodome. Loaiza leads the AL with a 2.15 ERA and has been even more impressive on the road where he is 5-0 with a 1.80 ERA in 7 starts. In 2 starts against Minnesota this year, he is 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA in 13 innings. Rick Reed will make his second start for Minnesota since coming off the DL with an abdominal strain. He lasted only 3.2 innings last time out, allowing 6 earned runs on 9 hits. Reed has already matched his loss total from last season with 7 and he has won only once in six career decisions against Minnesota. We see another strong performance from Loaiza on the road, as the White Sox should be able to get to Reed early and get a game closer in the central division.

**InsiderEdge** · 06-25-2003, 12:53 PM

2-0 for the week as Loaiza pitches another gem and the White Sox take the first game of their series with the Twins.

Service Play For Wednesday June 25, 2003

Seattle – Moyer –135 (3 Units)

Jamie Moyer takes the hill for Seattle as the Mariners try to improve their league best road record. Moyer is 10-4 on the season and is 5th in the American League with a 2.93 ERA. He has been a bad luck pitcher his last 2 starts as he has gone 15.1 innings with a 2.93 ERA and has suffered both losses. Seattle scored a total of 1 run in both of those games thus not giving Moyer a chance to bring home the win. In his 13 other starts, he has allowed more than 3 earned runs only twice. In the other 11 starts, the Mariners are a perfect 11-0 showing that run support has not been a problem throughout the season. He has been very effective on the road as he is 5-2 with a 3.20 ERA and has held the Angels in check this season. He is 2-1 in his 3 starts against Anaheim with a 0.82 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP. The Angels counter with Ramon Ortiz who is a perfect 4-0 in the month of June but still sports a 4.67 ERA and a 1.41 ratio. He is 1-2 with a 4.19 ERA against Seattle this season. The Mariners lead the Major Leagues with a .301 road batting average and a .373 on base percentage and they are 2nd with a .475 slugging percentage. The Angels are in the middle of the pack in the same categories at home and have had their troubles recently against lefties as they are hitting just .157 in their last 10 games.

**InsiderEdge** · 06-25-2003, 01:26 PM

Insider Edge Sports takes a look at some teams that plan on taking a fall in 2003.

Washington St. Cougars

The Mike Price saga took the spotlight away from a well-deserved promotion for Bill Doba. Doba has spent the last 14 seasons at Washington St. as an assistant under Price and now he will finally get his chance to run the show. Unfortunately, he inherits a team that returns just 4 players from the nations 16th ranked offense in 2002. They have a solid back in Jermaine Green but with a new quarterback, the offense will definitely take a step back in 2003. The defense was ranked 8th in rushing defense last season, a ranking that will be hard to attain again this year. Their passing defense hurt them last year and they must improve significantly in order for them to compete in the high octane PAC 10. Last season, the offense has the ability to outscore opponents, something they will be hard pressed to accomplish this year. The defense allowed 25 or more points 7 times and we don’t see that number coming down. Doba was the correct choice as the man to replace Price but it may take him some time to get the Cougars back to where they were. We see 3 definite wins on the schedule but not much after that. A .500 season would be a huge accomplishment but we don’t think they even get that far.

Texas Tech Red Raiders

QB Kliff Kingsbury has departed and as much of a star that he was, the offense shouldn’t be hurt as badly as people may think. B.J. Symons will be taking the snaps this season and he was behind Kingsbury for 3 years so he knows this offense well. He will have a solid group of receivers to throw to and has a veteran back in Taurean Henderson, even though he in only a sophomore. The problem for the Red Raiders will be their defense. A new coordinator, Lyle Setencich takes over the unit that allowed over 30 points 8 times last season and over 40 points 4 times. Up front, there will be new faces to go along with the new system that Setencich has installed. Their two best players have departed and they are returning only 3 of their 7 players from the linebackers and up. With the lack of defense, they will have a difficult time staying around in the Big 12. Their schedule remains the exact same as last year with just the switches in venue and Ohio St coming off. Last season, they got by Missouri, Texas A&M, Oklahoma St. and Texas. Unfortunately, three of those games are on the road this season and it’s very possible that they go 0-4 in these games in 2003. Also on the schedule are trips to NC State and Mississippi along with a home game against improved New Mexico. 8 or 9 losses are not out of the question if their defense plays the way it is expected to play. For Symons’ sake, let’s hope not since he has waited all this time to finally get his shot on the field.

California Golden Bears

The loss of Kyle Boller will definitely hurt the Bears at least in the short term. Head coach Jeff Tedford really turned that kid around last season and brought up his draft potential enormously. Tedford will try and do the same to Aaron Rodgers, Richard Schwartz or Reggie Robertson who will all battle for the starting spot come fall. They are ok at wide receiver but they will need to find a tailback to fill in the void from graduation. This is another team where the defense will hurt them this year. They return just 2 players who started more than half of their games last season. They will be a very inexperienced bunch and will need to step up right away for Cal to be competitive throughout the season. With their schedule however, we don’t see that happening. They take on Kansas St. in the first game of the season in the BCA Classic. They return home for two games against Southern Miss and Colorado St., two teams who are at the top of their respective conferences. They then go back on the road for two more games before they head into the PAC-10 schedule, which doesn’t look promising. Their 4 conference home games are against USC, Oregon St., Arizona and Washington with Arizona the only likely possible win. Tedford did a tremendous job turning this program around last season after a 1-10 2001 but he was fortunate to have a lot of experience, something that he will lack in 2003. The program is heading in the right direction but will take a step back this season.

Ball St. Cardinals

The biggest hole to fill for new head coach Brady Hoke will be that of TB Marcus Merriweather, who rushed for over 4,000 yards in his 4 years in a Cardinals uniform. Two unproven backs, Scott Blair and Charles Wynn, will try to shoulder the load but have some big shoes to fill. QB Andy Roesch returns but will be tested by the player he replaced last season, Talmadge Hill, so there is no clear cut favorite there. The offensive line lost 3 starters from last season, which is huge since that group allowed only 2 sacks in the final four games of 2002. Ball St. ranked 89th in the nation in total defense last year and that unit must improve for the team to try and challenge in the MAC. They will have a brutal non-conference schedule to contend with. Besides Indiana St. in their opener, they face Missouri, Pittsburgh and Boston College. They skip Marshall in the MAC but will have very tough tests against Northern Illinois, Western Michigan, Toledo and Miami. A .500 record from last year got head coach Bill Lynch fired so Hoke has some work to do. He is a Ball St. alum and he has some great experience including 8 years at Michigan. He was definitely the right man for the position but matching their win total from last year will be nearly impossible. A 3-9 record is a more likely outcome for the Cardinals in 2003.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

2002 turned out to be a disappointment even though Georgia Tech made it to a bowl game last year and finished the season at 7-6. They started strong but ended up losing 5 of their last 8 games. This coincided with the loss of TB Tony Hollings to a knee injury and they couldn’t get the ground game after that. Hollings was expected to make a full recovery and start where he left off last season but he has been declared academically ineligible along with projected defensive starters LB Kingi McNair and DE Tony Hargrove. The quarterback position of Damarius Bilbo and A.J. Suggs will be a very important role in getting this team going early but without a running game, that will be difficult to attain. The defense should be decent as they return 6 starters besides Hargrove but they will need to better their 50th total defense ranking in 2002 in order to remain competitive. The schedule does them no favors, as they will face 8 teams who played in a bowl in 2002 along with a road game at BYU to start off the season. They could very well head into Vanderbilt with an 0-4 record and it will all be downhill from there. Chan Gailey will have his hands full this season and with only 2 games on their schedule that look to be wins (at Vandy and at home against North Carolina) and the potential of playing 8 bowl teams for 2003, this season could continue just as 2002 ended.

**InsiderEdge** · 06-26-2003, 08:57 AM

We drop our first game this week as Moyer takes the loss. Note today's game is a 1:05 pm EST start.

Service Play For Thursday June 26, 2003

Chicago White Sox – Buehrle +120 (3 Units)

Mark Buehrle is not back to his 2002 form yet but he seems to be getting close. With the exception of a home loss to San Francisco on June 11th, his other 4 starts in June and his last start in May have yielded a 2-2 record but more importantly, a 2.79 ERA. He went through a stretch of 9 consecutive losses but he has won his last 2 starts, which can help his mental game a great deal. His first outing against the Twins was a nightmare as he allowed a career-worst nine earned runs on 10 hits in less than four innings pitched. After the game, Buehrle told the media that his confidence as a pitcher was pretty much shot. But it's a different Buehrle on the mound from one month ago. With an off day Monday, moving Buehrle to Thursday allows him to stay on the normal four days rest. He will face another pitcher who has had his ups and downs in 2003. Brad Radke enters the game with a 5.74 ERA, the worst it has ever been this late in a season in his Major League career. He hasn’t won a start since May 16th and Minnesota is 0-6 in his 6 starts since. The Twins continue to slide as they have lost 8 of their last 11 games and find themselves out of first place for the first time since May 17th. Chicago continues to climb in the division and now trail Kansas City and Minnesota by just 5.5 games. With Buehrle’s confidence back and the inconsistency of Radke, we like the White Sox to take the series and inch closer in the AL Central.

**InsiderEdge** · 06-27-2003, 08:59 AM

As easy winner on Thursday with the White Sox pushing our record to 3-1 +5.55 units for the week. We should see some good value with Buehrle coming up as it looks like he might finally have his head back in order.

Service Play For Friday June 27, 2003

Baltimore - Johnson +110 (3 Units)

Jason Johnson was pushed back in his last start so with his outing on Friday, he will only have gone twice in the past 13 days which will certainly help his sore shoulder. He pitched well in his last game against the Braves so he should be back in full form now after starting the season with a 4-0 April. Johnson was satisfied with the outcome, even if he failed again to reach the sixth inning since his last victory on May 28. "I'm not thinking about what I did wrong or anything like that," he said. "I'll take it. We won the game and I felt like I pitched pretty good." His ERA is nearly a full point lower at Camden Yards than it is on the road and his BAA is down nearly .40 percentage points. He faced the Phillies at home once last season and pitched 9 strong innings, allowing just 1 earned run. Brandon Duckworth gets the ball for the Phillies for the first time since June 10th. 17 days between starts might show a little rust and Duckworth hasn’t been on top of his game all season to begin with. He has a career 6.15 ERA on the road to go along with his 1.64 ratio. While baseball doesn’t have big letdown situations like the other major sports do, Philadelphia is coming off a big series win against the Braves so facing the Orioles might have them in a less than enthusiastic state. The Orioles are hitting .268 at home while the Phillies are hitting just .243 on the road and only .237 against righties away from home.

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