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Big Al's Daily Angle: NFL, MLB, CFL, EPL and Women's World Cup Previews and Odds - 08/18/2023

by Big Al Staff

Friday, Aug 18, 2023

The Friday sports card features NFLX, MLB, CFL, EPL, and Women’s World Cup action.Week 2 of the NFL preseason continues with two games. The New York Giants host the Carolina Panthers on the NFL Network at 7 PM ET as a 3-point favorite, with the total set at 39. The Atlanta Falcons play at home against the Cincinnati Bengals at 7:30 PM ET as a 6.5-point favorite with an over/under of 38.5. Major League Baseball has 16 games on its schedule. The Chicago Cubs host the Kansas City Royals at 2:20 PM ET as a -180 money-line favorite. The Detroit Tigers play in Cleveland against the Guardians at 4:10 PM ET in the opening game of their doubleheader. The Toronto Blue Jays are in Cincinnati on Apple TV+ at 6:40 PM ET as a -162 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 10.5. Two MLB games throw out the first pitch at 7:05 PM ET. The Boston Red Sox visit New York to play the Yankees on Apple TV+. The Philadelphia Phillies play at Washington against the Nationals as a -205 money-line road favorite with a total of 9. The Guardians play at home against the Tigers at 7:10 PM ET in the second game of their doubleheader as a -162 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Atlanta Braves are at home against the San Francisco Giants at 7:20 PM ET as a -225 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Texas Rangers host the Milwaukee Brewers at 8:05 PM ET as a -120 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. Two more MLB games start at 8:10 PM ET. The Houston Astros play at home against the Seattle Mariners as a -148 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Minnesota Twins are home against the Pittsburgh Pirates as a -225 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The St. Louis Cardinals host the New York Mets at 8:15 PM ET. The Chicago White Sox play in Colorado against the Rockies at 8:40 PM ET, with both teams priced as a -110 money-line favorite with a total of 12. The Tampa Bay Rays are in Los Angeles to play the Angels at 9:38 PM ET as a -112 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9. Two more MLB games begin at 9:40 PM ET. The Baltimore Orioles travel to Oakland to play the A’s as a -180 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The San Diego Padres host the Arizona Diamondbacks as a -170 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Los Angeles Dodgers play at home against the Miami Marlins at 10:10 PM ET as a -148 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5.Week 11 in the Canadian Football League continues with one game. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers visit Calgary to play the Stampeders at 9 PM ET as a 4-point road favorite with an over/under of 47.Matchweek 2 of the 2023-23 English Premier League season begins with one match on the USA Network at 3 PM ET. Manchester City travels to Burnley as a -1.5 goal-line road favorite with a total of 3 (all soccer odds from BetMGM). Nottingham Forest is at home against Sheffield United as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 2.5.The Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia continues with the third-place match on Fox and Peacock Saturday morning. Sweden plays Australia at 4 AM ET in a pick ‘em match with an over/under of 2.5.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NFL, MLB and CFL Previews and Odds - 08/17/2023

by Big Al Staff

Thursday, Aug 17, 2023

The Thursday sports card features NFLX, MLB, and CFL action.Week 2 of the NFL preseason kicks off with one game. The Philadelphia Eagles host the Cleveland Browns on the NFL Network at 7:30 PM ET. The Eagles come off a 20-19 loss at Baltimore as a 5.5-point underdog on Saturday. The Browns fell to 1-1 in the preseason after a 17-15 upset loss to Washington as a 3-point favorite on Friday. Philadelphia is a 3.5-point favorite, with the total set at 38 (all odds from DraftKings).Major League Baseball has six games on its schedule. The Seattle Mariners travel to Kansas City to play the Royals at 2:10 PM ET. The Mariners have won two games in a row after their 6-5 victory in this series on Wednesday. Seattle sends out George Kirby to take the mound against the Royals' Angel Zerpa. The Boston Red Sox travel to Washington to play the Nationals at 4:05 PM ET. The Red Sox were on a two-game winning streak before their 6-2 loss to the Nationals yesterday. Chris Sale takes the ball for Boston to battle against Patrick Corbin for Washington. The Red Sox are a -185 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9.5. Two MLB games throw out the first pitch in Fox regional coverage at 7:15 PM ET. Detroit plays at Cleveland, with the Tigers tapping Tarik Skubal to pitch against the Guardians Xzavion Curry. The Tigers ended a two-game losing streak with an 8-7 win at Minnesota on Wednesday. The Guardians had won two in a row before their 7-2 loss at Cincinnati yesterday. Detroit is a -122 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. New York is in St. Louis, with Jose Quintana getting the start for the Mets against Adam Wainwright for the Cardinals. The Mets won for the third time in their last four games with an 8-3 victory against Pittsburgh yesterday. The Cardinals were on a three-game winning streak before an 8-0 loss against Oakland on Wednesday. New York is a -118 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Arizona Diamondbacks visit San Diego to play the Padres at 9:40 PM ET. The Diamondbacks won for the fourth time in their last five games after a 9-7 victory at Colorado yesterday. The Padres are on a two-game winning streak after their 5-2 victory against Baltimore on Wednesday. Arizona turns to Zac Gallen in their starting rotation to pitch against the Padres' Rich Hill. Arizona is a -115 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5.The Los Angeles Dodgers play at home against the Milwaukee Brewers at 10:10 PM ET. The Dodgers are on a ten-game winning streak after their 7-1 victory against the Brewers on Wednesday. Milwaukee has lost two games in a row. Lance Lynn gets the ball for Los Angeles to pitch against Corbin Burnes for the Brewers. The Dodgers are a -142 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5.Week 11 in the Canadian Football League begins with one game. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats play at home against the Edmonton Elks on the CBS Sports Network at 7:30 PM ET. The Tiger-Cats lost for the second time in their last three games with a 27-24 loss at home to Montreal as a 3-point underdog on August 5th. Their record dropped to 3-5 with the setback. The Elks remained winless in their nine games this season after a 38-29 loss against Winnipeg as a 13-point underdog last Thursday. Hamilton is a 5.5-point favorite with a total of 45.5.

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Early Season Football Betting

by Wayne Root

Wednesday, Aug 16, 2023

One of the most frustrating things about the early football season in both college and the pros is when a team fails to meet expectations in their first game. But how is one to know exactly of those expectations? Did you hear them from Sports Center? Are you an alumni? What are your qualifications? Even coaches aren’t for sure about a team until they’ve watch them in action.  We spend a lot of time over the spring and summer deciding what to expect from a team, so when they don’t look anything like we thought we have to go back to the drawing board. It’s frustrating when a team we thought was good tanks, but it’s just as frustrating when a team we had written off looks like natural born killers. When you are forced to reconsider a team after their opener.  Is there an end game? Absolutely! That’s when it’s more important to know what the projected point spread was and look for adjustments in latter games. That’s when you pick up the slack and the added value offered. It’s more important to know the projected lines rather than the player personnel.  Put away your excitement until after the game is played. There’s no reason to get all hyped upon the future. It comes anyway. Just be ready for it. Quite often we get excited about the chances of a team because of changes they have made. Maybe they have changed defensive schemes, or they have installed a new offense. While those changes often pay real dividends in the long term they might not be smooth in the short term.  The first game of the regular season is the first chance that the starters have had to implement their new systems at full game speed for a whole game. Chances are good that there will be issues. That doesn’t mean that the team is doomed to disappoint all year. It just means that they will have to build up to their full potential. It’s important, then, to make sure that your expectations are based on what a team is now, not what they have the potential to be in a few weeks. We have exactly the same questions as the Joe’s have. However, we take our emotions out of the equation and investigate.  There are four factors when running your checklist. (Actually more but let’s start here). 1. Maybe the issue wasn’t that the team didn’t meet expectations, but that you set bad expectations. Rethink your initial analysis.  2. Did you get sucked in by hype, or fooled by negative but inaccurate reporting in the media? The suits on the four letter network might know how to read scripts but do they know what makes a Vegas Number? 3. Did you give a player(s) too much or too little credit? Maybe your teams credit was perfect but the Oddsmakers made the line -10.5 instead of -6. That’s more likely your misread.  4. Did you forget to account for a change in coaching staff, or did you give a change too much significance? One must have patience when there are new coaching staffs and even more patient with new player transfers.  This is where the Pros shine over the Joes. There are all sorts of ways to miss the boat on a team, and it happens to everyone. The successful bettors are the ones who can recognize when they have done it and quickly make adjustments. The season is not won or lost in Week 1 or week 2 for the team and especially the bettors. Don’t get wiped out with your bankroll by making poor decisions and stubbornness. It doesn’t work like that.

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Football is Just Weeks Away: This is Your Checklist

by Wayne Root

Wednesday, Aug 16, 2023

Nobody needs to read a detailed boring book to figure out what is written here. This is not Medical School or prep work for you Law Review. But if you don't bet correctly, you may have to go back to Grad School to become a doctor or lawyer to "pay the man." I am going to make a MUST READ CHECKLIST for YOU to review. Something short and to the point. There is nothing hidden here. Just a few paragraphs for you to review your betting habits. Let's see if you"re a PRO or a JOE.  1) There's a HUGE difference in "sports betting" and "sports investing". Many players guess and throw a $100 bill into the wind; hoping. Few look at the over-all picture and see that investing on football picks is a process that goes week to week. Like many songs, they become a "one hit wonder". I’ve seen customers win over and over, then move on and never get another “hit”.  2) Money Management. Now that the $100 bill is on your home town, or favorite team, it will lose more often than win. Now is NOT the time to continue to guess and chase to get even. But most do. Do you?? Probably as it's an ego thing for many. I know that Confucius didn’t handicap sports but he would have said this: ‘To Guess is Cheap.  To Guess Wrong is Very Expensive’.  3) Sports Bettors definition centers on "Pros vs Joes".  The "Joe" is a recreational average unsophisticated person that basically guesses at picking a winner. They bet hunches, their favorite team, picks thru media manipulation and the famous "system" play. He typically becomes a professional handicapper around his third Budweiser. The "Pro" is data driven. He wants to study point spreads and current line changes. He analyzes why the lines change. He uses team data, statistics, win-loss percentages, player injuries and he "follows the money". He takes the guesswork out of the equations. More importantly, if he’s running bad, he’ll let a Vegas Handicapping Professional pinch hit for him.   4) The View from the Oddsmakers. What they see.  They already know what you watched on TV the prior week and will adjust their point spreads accordingly so they already have you. They know what the sports radio and TV hosts are discussing. They move the lines based on those games and ESPN sportscenter.. We used to call it the "Sports Illustrated" effect. The Las Vegas Oddsmakers know the public will bet favorites and will over value those lines. They also know the players will most likely stay away from betting underdogs.  5) The Professional Sports Handicapper He knows this is NOT a luck-based business. He knows that sports investing is a profitable business of which he takes serious. He understands that math is an ingredient in his analysis of the betting number. He will never have you on a progressive betting system chasing. His biggest strength is "money management." He will shop and have you shop for the best numbers.  6) What a great Sports Service will Not do.  A. Our service will Not tell you a game is a lock!!! B. We will Not double up to catch up. C. We will Not bet parlays. D. We will Not hit 75% winners or tell you we do. We might have a run winning 70% but that is Not a "forever percentage." 7) Professional Handicapper vs TV Football pregame panel. A. The TV hosts can name the players on the team. They know all the coaches. They know how to talk about schemes and passing routes. They know absolutely zero about sports gambling...or winning...or the negative impact they have on the viewers. They rarely have sources to follow the money.  B. The Professional Football Handicapper knows about the "Vegas Line". He knows the average person won't beat the vig, and tracks polls of gamblers, parlay tickets, counter bets at sportsbooks. He is concerned if an injury will impact the betting line or if it is used by the media for manipulation purposes. The pro is in it to win!! His entire life is his investment in his craft. The TV guys have a salary, sharp suits and plenty of bling.  MY COMMITMENT TO YOU AND ALL MY CUSTOMERS HONESTY—INTEGRITY DEDICATED and DEVOTED

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB Previews and Odds - 08/16/2023

by Big Al Staff

Wednesday, Aug 16, 2023

The Wednesday sports card features MLB action.Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. Two MLB games start at 1:10 PM ET. New York hosts Pittsburgh, with Tylor Megill taking the ball for the Mets to pitch against Johan Oviedo for the Pirates. The Mets are a -125 money-line favorite, with the total set at 9. Minnesota plays at home against Detroit, with the Twins tapping Kenta Maeda to pitch against the Tigers' Reese Olson. The Twins are a -125 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Arizona Diamondbacks travel to Colorado to play the Rockies at 3:10 PM ET. Slade Cecconi gets the start for the Diamondbacks to face Austin Gomber for the Rockies. Arizona is a -130 money-line road favor with a total of 12.5. The Tampa Bay Rays play in San Francisco against the Giants at 3:45 PM ET. The Rays turn to Aaron Civale to go against a Giants starting pitcher yet to be named. Two MLB games start at 6:40 PM ET. Houston plays at Miami with Justin Verlander taking the mound for the Astros to battle against Jesus Luzardo for the Marlins. The Astros are a -125 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8. Cincinnati is at home against Cleveland, with the Reds turning to Andrew Abbott to pitch against the Guardians’ Noah Syndergaard. The Reds are a -112 money-line favorite with a total of 9.5. The St. Louis Cardinals host the Oakland A’s at 6:45 PM ET. Matthew Liberatore takes the hill for the Cardinals to battle against Paul Blackburn for the A’s. St. Louis is a -180 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. The Boston Red Sox is at Washington to play the Nationals at 7:05 PM ET. The Red Sox turn to James Paxton to pitch against the Nationals’ MacKenzie Gore. Boston is a -170 money-line road favorite with a total of 9. The Toronto Blue Jays play at home against the Philadelphia Phillies at 7:07 PM ET. Kevin Gausman gets the start for the Blue Jays to battle against Aaron Nola for the Phillies. Toronto is a -155 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. The New York Yankees visit Atlanta to play the Braves at 7:20 PM ET. The Braves turn to Charlie Morton to face a Yankees pitcher yet to be named. Two MLB games begin at 8:05 PM ET. Texas are at home against Los Angeles, with Jon Gray getting the start for the Rangers to go against Reid Detmers for the Angels. The Rangers are a -180 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Chicago White Sox play across town against Chicago Cubs, with the White Sox tapping Mike Clevinger to take the hill against a Cubs starting pitcher yet to be determined. The Seattle Mariners are in Kansas City to play the Royals at 8:10 PM ET. Luis Castillo gets the ball for the Mariners to battle against James McArthur for the Royals. The San Diego Padres host the Baltimore Orioles at 8:40 PM ET. The Padres turn to Blake Snell to duel against the Orioles’ Dean Kremer. San Diego is a -162 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Los Angeles Dodgers play at home against the Milwaukee Brewers at 10:10 PM ET. Clayton Kershaw gets the start for the Dodgers to face Wade Miley for the Brewers. Los Angeles is a -230 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB and Women's World Cup Previews and Odds - 08/15/2023

by Big Al Staff

Tuesday, Aug 15, 2023

The Tuesday sports card features MLB and Women’s World Cup action.Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. Two MLB games throw out the first pitch at 6:40 PM ET. Houston travels to Miami with Cristian Javier taking the ball for the Astros to pitch against Johnny Cueto for the Marlins. The Astros are a -130 money-line favorite, with the total set at 8.5 (all odds from DraftKings unless undeclared otherwise). Cleveland plays at Cincinnati, with the Guardians tapping Logan to face the Reds’ Graham Ashcraft. The Boston Red Sox are in Washington to play the Nationals at 7:05 PM ET. Nick Pivetta heads to the mound for the Red Sox to go against Josiah Gray for the Nationals. Boston is a -175 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9. The Philadelphia Phillies visit Toronto to play the Blue Jays at 7:07 PM ET. The Phillies turn to Zack Wheeler to pitch against the Blue Jays’ Yusei Kikuchi. Philadelphia is a -122 money-line favorite with a total of 8. The New York Mets host the Pittsburgh Pirates at 7:10 PM ET. David Peterson goes to the mound for the Mets to face Bailey Falter for the Pirates. New York is a -135 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Atlanta Braves play at home against the New York Yankees on TBS at 7:20 PM ET. The Braves send out Bryce Elder to battle against the Yankees’ Luis Severino. Atlanta is a -205 money-line favorite with a total of 10.5. The Minnesota Twins are at home against the Detroit Tigers at 7:40 PM ET. Bailey Ober takes the hill for the Twins to pitch against Alex Faldo for the Tigers. Minnesota is a -198 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The St. Louis Cardinals host the Oakland A’s at 7:45 PM ET. Dakota Hudson gets the ball for the Cardinals against a pitcher yet to be named for the A’s. St. Louis is a -230 money-line favorite with a total of 9. Two MLB games start at 8:05 PM ET. Texas plays at home against Los Angeles, with the Rangers tapping Jordan Montgomery to duel against the Angels’ Lucas Giolito. The Rangers are a -175 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Chicago Cubs are at home against the Chicago White Sox, with Kyle Hendricks getting the start for the Cubs to go against Touki Toussaint for the White Sox. The Cubs are a -166 money-line favorite. The Seattle Mariners travel to Kansas City to play the Royals at 8:10 PM ET. The Mariners turn to Emerson Hancock to face the Royals’ Jordan Lyles. Seattle is a -155 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Arizona Diamondbacks play in Colorado against the Rockies at 8:40 PM ET. Ty Blach gets the start for the Rockies against a Diamondbacks pitcher that has yet to be determined. The San Diego Padres are at home against the Baltimore Orioles at 9:40 PM ET. The Padres send out Michael Wacha to go against the Orioles Jack Flaherty. San Diego is a -142 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Tampa Bay Rays are in San Francisco to play the Giants at 9:45 PM ET. Zack Littell gets the ball for the Rays to face Jakob Junis for the Giants. The Los Angeles Dodgers host the Milwaukee Brewers at 10:10 PM ET. The Dodgers turn to Bobby Miller to pitch against the Brewers’ Adrian Houser. Los Angeles is a -205 money-line favorite with a total of 9.The Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia continues with the second semifinal match, with England playing Australia on Fox and Peacock at 6 AM ET on Wednesday morning. England reached the semifinals with a 2-1 victory against Colombia on Saturday. Australia advances to the semifinals by defeating France, 7-6, in the penalty kick shootout after their match was scoreless on Saturday. This match is a pick ‘em at BetMGM with an over/under of 2. 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB, EPL, and Women's World Cup Previews and Odds - 08/14/2023

by Big Al Staff

Monday, Aug 14, 2023

The Monday sports card features MLB, EPL, and Women’s World Cup action.Major League Baseball has nine games on its schedule. The Houston Astros travel to Miami to play the Marlins at 6:40 PM ET. Framber Valdez takes the ball for Astros to pitch against Braxton Garrett for the Marlins. Houston is a -135 money-line road favorite, with the total set at 7.5. The New York Mets host the Pittsburgh Pirates at 7:10 PM ET. The Mets turn to Carlos Carrasco to send to the mound to go against a Pirates’ starting pitcher yet to be named. New York is a -115 money-line favorite. The Atlanta Braves play at home against the New York Yankees at 7:20 PM ET. Max Fried takes the hill for the Braves to battle against Clarke Schmidt for the Yankees. Atlanta is a -225 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The St. Louis Cardinals are at home against the Oakland A’s at 7:45 PM ET. The Cardinals tap Miles Mikolas to pitch against the A’s J.P. Sears. St. Louis is a -250 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Texas Rangers host the Los Angeles Angels at 8:05 PM ET. Max Scherzer gets the start for the Rangers to duel against Patrick Sandoval for the Angels. Texas is a -175 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Seattle Mariners visit Kansas City to play the Rangers at 8:10 PM ET. The Mariners send out Logan Gilbert to pitch against the Royals’ Brady Singer. Seattle is a -148 money-line road favorite with a total of 9. Arizona plays in Colorado against the Rockies on FS1 at 8:40 PM ET. The Diamondbacks are on a two-game winning streak after a 5-4 win at home against San Diego on Sunday. The Rockies are on a five-game losing streak after their 8-3 loss on the road in Los Angeles against the Dodgers yesterday. Christopher Flexen pitches for Colorado against a starting pitcher yet to be determined for Arizona. The Diamondbacks are a -245 money-line road favorite. The San Diego Padres play at home against the Baltimore Orioles at 9:40 PM ET. The Padres turn to Yu Darvish to face the Orioles’ Grayson Rodriguez. San Diego is a -148 money-line favorite. The Tampa Bay Rays are in San Francisco to play the Giants at 9:45 PM ET. Tyler Glasnow pitches for the Rays to go against Ryan Walker for the Giants. Tampa Bay is a -142 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Matchweek 1 of the English Premier League season concludes with one match. Manchester United is at home against Wolverhampton on NBC at 3 PM ET as a -1.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 3.The Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia continues with the first semifinal match, with Spain playing Sweden on Fox and Peacock at 4 AM ET on Tuesday morning. Spain advanced to the semifinals with their 2-1 victory against Spain on Friday. Sweden reached the final four of this tournament after their 2-1 win against Japan on Thursday. Spain is a -0.5 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 2.5. 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NFL, MLB, CFL and EPL Previews and Odds - 08/13/2023

by Big Al Staff

Sunday, Aug 13, 2023

The Sunday sports card features NFLX, MLB, CFL, and EPL action.Week 1 of the NFL preseason concludes with two games on the NFL Network. The New Orleans Saints host the Kansas City Royals at 1 PM ET as a 1-point favorite, with the total set at 37.5. The San Francisco 49ers travel to Las Vegas to play the Raiders at 4 PM ET as a 4-point road favorite with an over/under of 36.Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The Boston Red Sox host the Detroit Tigers on Peacock at 12:05 PM ET as a -135 money-line favorite with a total of 9. Three more MLB games throw out the first pitch at 1:35 PM ET. The Washington Nationals play at home against the Oakland A’s as a -142 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. The Pittsburgh Pirates are at home against the Cincinnati Reds in the opening game of their doubleheader as a -155 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Philadelphia Phillies host the Minnesota Twins as a -115 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Toronto Blue Jays play at home against Chicago Cubs at 1:37 PM ET as a -130 money-line favorite with a total of 9. Two more MLB games start at 1:40 PM ET. The Tampa Bay Rays are at home against the Cleveland Guardians as a -198 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The New York Yankees visit the Miami Marlins as a -130 money-line road favor with a total of 7. Two MLB games begin at 2:10 PM ET. The Houston Astros host the Los Angeles Angels as a -155 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Milwaukee Brewers are at home against the Chicago White Sox as a -125 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The San Francisco Giants play at home against the Texas Rangers at 4:05 PM ET as a -142 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. Three MLB games start at 4:10 PM ET. The Los Angeles Dodgers are at home against the Colorado Rockies as a -360 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The San Diego Padres play in Arizona against the Diamondbacks as a -135 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9.5. The Baltimore Orioles are in Seattle against the Mariners as a -115 money-line road favorite with a total of 8. The Reds play on the road against the Pirates in the second game of their doubleheader at 6:05 PM ET. Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN and ESPN2 has the  Atlanta Braves playing in New York against the Mets. The Braves are a -135 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9.5. Week 10 in the Canadian Football League concludes with one game. The Toronto Argonauts host the Ottawa Redblacks at 7 PM ET as a 10-point favorite with a total of 47. Matchweek 1 of the English Premier League season continues with two matches. Tottenham travels to Brentford at 9 AM ET in a pick ‘em match with an over/under of 2.5. Liverpool plays at Chelsea at 11:30 AM ET in a pick ‘em match with a total of 3. 

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NFL Preseason System of the Week

by Al McMordie

Sunday, Aug 13, 2023

Over the last 40+ years, the NFL's preseason schedule was -- for most teams -- four games, though some teams would play five games.  However, in 2021, the NFL reduced the preseason schedule, so now teams typically play three games (while those who play in the Hall of Fame Game will play four).One of the things I've liked to do over the years in preseason football is play against teams in Game 1 that went 4-0 (or 5-0) in the previous preseason when they were matched up against opponents who didn't go undefeated the prior season.Since 1983, such teams have been a soft 26-38-3 ATS, including 5-12-1 ATS as an underdog.Of course, going forward, it will be exceptionally rare for a team to go 4-0 since it would have to play in the Hall of Fame Game.  But, as good fortune would have it, last season, the Las Vegas Raiders played in the Hall of Fame Game (which they won), and finished with a 4-0 record.This season the Raiders will match up in Game 1 vs. the San Francisco 49ers, on Sunday, August 13.  And they've been installed as a 3.5-point underdog.We will play against Las Vegas, and lay the points with San Francisco for our NFL System of the Week.Good luck, as always...Al McMordie

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NFL, MLB, CFL and EPL Previews and Odds - 08/12/2023

by Big Al Staff

Saturday, Aug 12, 2023

The Saturday sports card features NFLX, MLB, CFL, and EPL action.Week 1 of the NFL preseason continues with six games. Two NFLX games kick off at 1 PM ET. The Indianapolis Colts travel to Buffalo to play the Bills as a 3.5-point road favorite, with the total set at 38 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). The Chicago Bears host the Tennessee Titans on the NFL Network as a 3.5-point favorite with an over/under of 37.5.The Carolina Panthers play at home against the New York Jets on the NFL Network at 4 PM ET as a 3.5-point favorite with a total of 37. The Jacksonville Jaguars are in Dallas to play the Cowboys at 5 PM ET as a 4-point road favorite with an over/under of 37.5. The Baltimore Ravens are at home against the Philadelphia Eagles on the NFL Network at 7 PM ET as a 5-point favorite with a total of 36. The Los Angeles Rams are the technical home team at SoFi Stadium against the Los Angeles Chargers on the NFL Network at 9 PM ET as a 3-point favorite with an over/under of 33. Major League Baseball has 16 games on its schedule. The Atlanta Braves visit New York to play the Mets at 1:10 PM ET in the opening game of their doubleheader as a -205 money-line road favorite with a total of 11. The Toronto Blue Jays host the Chicago Cubs at 3:07 PM ET as a -115 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Three MLB games throw out the first pitch at 4:10 PM ET. The Tampa Bay Rays play at home against the Cleveland Guardians as a -148 money-line favorite with a total of 8. The Boston Red Sox are at home against the Detroit Tigers as a -198 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. The Miami Marlins host the New York Yankees as a -166 money-line favorite with a total of 7.5. The Philadelphia Phillies play at home against the Miami Marlins at 6:05 PM ET as a -112 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. Two MLB games start at 7:05 PM ET. The Washington Nationals are at home against the Oakland A’s as a -122 money-line favorite with a total of 9.5. The Cincinnati Reds play on the road in Pittsburgh against the Pirates as a -115 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9.5. The St. Louis Cardinals are in Kansas City to play the Royals at 7:10 PM ET as a -142 money-line road favorite with a total of 9.5. Three MLB games begin at 7:15 PM ET in regional coverage on Fox. The Braves play on the road against the Mets in the second game of their doubleheader as a -218 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8. The Milwaukee Brewers visit Chicago to play the White Sox as a -155 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The Houston Astros host the Los Angeles Angels as a -192 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. The Arizona Diamondbacks play at home against the San Diego Padres at 8:10 PM ET as a -155 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The San Francisco Giants are at home against the Texas Rangers at 9:05 PM ET as a -125 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Los Angeles Dodgers host the Colorado Rockies at 9:10 PM ET as a -305 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Seattle Mariners play at home against the Baltimore Orioles on FS1 at 9:40 PM ET as a -175 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. Week 10 in the Canadian Football League continues with one game. The British Columbia Lions are at home against the Calgary Stampeders on the CBS Sports Network at 7 PM ET as a 6.5-point favorite with a total of 45.5. Matchweek 1 of the English Premier League season continues with six matches. Arsenal hosts Nottingham Forest at 7:30 AM ET as a -2 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 3.5 (all soccer odds from DraftKings). Four EPL matches start at 10 AM ET. West Ham United travels to Bournemouth in a pick ‘em match with a total of 2.5. Brighton and Hove Albion plays at home against Luton Town as a -1.5 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 3. Everton is at home against Fulham as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 2.5. Crystal Palace plays at Sheffield United in a pick ‘em match with a total of 2.5. Newcastle United is at home against Aston Villa on NBC at 12:30 PM ET as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 2.5. 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NFL, MLB, CFL, EPL and Women's World Cup Previews and Odds - 08/11/2023

by Big Al Staff

Friday, Aug 11, 2023

The Friday sports card features NFLX, MLB, CFL, EPL, and Women’s World Cup action.Week 1 of the NFL preseason continues with six games. Four games kick off at 7 PM ET. The Green Bay Packers travel to Cincinnati to play the Bengals on the NFL Network as a 4.5-point road favorite with the total set at 35 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). The Atlanta Falcons play in Miami against the Dolphins as a 2.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 36.5. The Pittsburgh Steelers are in Tampa Bay to play the Buccaneers as a 2.5-point road favorite, with a total of 39. The New York Giants play in Detroit to play the Giants as a 3-point road favorite with an over/under of 35. The Cleveland Browns host the Washington Commanders at 7:30 PM ET as a 3-point favorite with a total of 38.5. The Denver Broncos are in Arizona to play the Cardinals on the NFL Network at 10 PM ET as a 5.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 37.5.Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. Two MLB games throw out the first pitch at 6:40 PM ET. The Tampa Bay Rays play at home against the Cleveland Guardians as a -205 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Miami Marlins are at home against the New York Yankees as a -142 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Three MLB games start at 7:05 PM ET. The Oakland A’s visit Washington to play the Nationals as a -112 money-line road favorite with a total of 9. The Cincinnati Reds play in Pittsburgh against the Pirates as a -115 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9. The Minnesota Twins are in Philadelphia to play the Phillies. The Toronto Blue Jays host the Chicago Cubs at 7:07 PM ET as a -148 money-line favorite with a total of 9. Two more MLB games begin at 7:10 PM ET. The Boston Red Sox play at home against the Detroit Tigers as a -162 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Atlanta Braves are in New York to play the Mets as a -175 money-line road favorite with a total of 9.5. Three MLB games start at 8:10 PM ET. The Houston Astros are at home against the Los Angeles Angels as a -192 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The St. Louis Cardinals play in Kansas City against the Royals. The Milwaukee Brewers travel to Chicago to play the White Sox as a -175 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The San Diego Padres play in Arizona against the Diamondbacks at 9:40 PM ET as a -155 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9. Two more MLB games begin at 10:10 PM ET. The Los Angeles Dodgers host the Colorado Rockies as a -325 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Seattle Mariners play at home against the Baltimore Orioles as a -142 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. The San Francisco Giants are at home against the Texas Rangers at 10:15 PM ET as a -110 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5.Week 10 in the Canadian Football League continues with one game. The Montreal Alouettes host the Saskatchewan Roughriders at 7:30 PM ET as a 5-point favorite with an over/under of 44.5. Matchweek 1 of the 2023-23 English Premier League season begins with one match on the USA Network at 3 PM ET. Manchester City travels to Burnley as a -1.5 goal-line road favorite with a total of 3 (all soccer odds from BetMGM).The Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia continues with the final two quarterfinal matches on Fox and Peacock Saturday morning. France plays Australia at 3 AM ET as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 2. England faces Colombia at 6:30 AM ET as a -1 goal-line favorite with a total of 2. 

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NFL Seasonal Player Props

by ASA, Inc.

Thursday, Aug 10, 2023

Trevor Lawrence Over 3,975.5 Yards T-Law finished 2022 with 4,113 yards and led the Jags to a miraculous playoff comeback against the Chargers. Everything points up for the Jags young star and the addition of Calvin Ridley to the lineup cannot be understated. Ridley, Christian Kirk, and Zay Jones make up the best group of weapons that Lawrence has played with. Jacksonville will still need to rely heavily on the pass with a similar amount of negative scripts coming once again in 2023. Individual development along with the addition of Ridley should be enough to allow Lawrence to meet or surpass his 2022 total.Justin Fields Over 2775.5 Yards For a NFL starting QB who is on the borderline of a quality player, this number is simply too low. Breaking it down over 17 games, Fields needs to throw for an average of 164 ypg. Defenses will key on Fields' running ability, giving him ample opportunity to feed his newly acquired WR1 in DJ Moore. Similar to Ridley, Moore steps into the top spot in the offense. Players like AJ Brown and Tyreek Hill made comparable moves last season and had great success. The Bears’ QB was horrendous throwing the football last season, and even if he is still bad this year, pure talent and volume can get him to his yardage prop. Bijan Robinson Over 1,075.5 Yards Atlanta’s number 8 overall selection in the 2023 Draft may be the best RB talent since Saquan Barkley in 2018. The Falcons run the ball more than any other team and obviously will feature Robinson in a role that saw Tyler Allgeier surpass 1000 yards in 2022. Allgier is still there to take some work, but Robinson is superior in every facet. Rookie running backs selected top 10 in the draft historically have seen crazy volume in their early years. The Falcons have one of the weakest schedules in the league, hopefully allowing for more positive game scripts than last season. Quentin Johnston Over 600.5 Yards Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are still the alpha dogs in Los Angeles, at least when they are healthy. Johnston should slide right into Josh Palmer’s old role that will start as a WR3 but pick up WR2 duties when one of the veterans gets banged up. A WR2 role in an elite offense with Justin Herbert makes a perfect storm for yet another young rookie talent to explode onto the scene. Only needing to average 36 ypg over 17 games, it may take some time for Johnston to get going, but he eventually will establish himself as a “go to” target for Herbert for years to come. Johnston feels like a young DeAndre Hopkins before he overtook Andre Johnson. 

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