Articles

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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Big Al's Daily Angle: NFL, MLB, CFL and Women's World Cup Previews and Odds - 08/10/2023

by Big Al Staff

Thursday, Aug 10, 2023

The Thursday sports card features NFLX, MLB, CFL, and Women’s World Cup action.Week 1 of the NFL preseason kicks off with two games broadcast on the NFL Network. The Houston Texas travel to New England to play the Patriots at 7 PM ET as a 3-point road favorite with the total set at 36.5. The Seattle Seahawks host the Minnesota Vikings at 10 PM ET as a 3.5-point favorite with an over/under of 35.Major League Baseball has eight games on its schedule. Two MLB games throw out the first pitch at 12:35 PM ET. Houston plays at Baltimore with the Astros tapping Hunter Brown to pitch against the Orioles’ Dean Kremer. The Astros are a -120 money-line road favorite with a total of 9.5. Atlanta plays at Pittsburg,h with Bryce Elder taking the ball for the Braves to face Bailey Falter for the Pirates. The Braves are a -205 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 10. Two MLB games start at 1:10 PM ET. Toronto is in Cleveland, with the Blue Jays sending out Alex Manoah to battle against the Guardians’ Noah Syndergaard. The Blue Jays are a -135 money-line road favorite with a total of 9.5. Minnesota visits Detroit, with Kenta Maeda taking the mound for the Twins to go against Reese Olson for the Tigers. The Twins are a -148 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Two MLB games begin at 6:40 PM ET. Tampa Bay plays at home against St. Louis, with the Rays tapping Zack Littell to pitch against the Cardinals’ Matthew Liberatore. The Rays are a -180 money-line favorite with a total of 9.5. Philadelphia is at home against Washington, with Aaron Nola getting the ball for the Phillies to battle against Patrick Corbin for the Nationals. The Phillies are a -258 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Boston Red Sox host the Kansas City Royals at 7:10 PM ET. The Red Sox turn to James Paxton to face the Royals’ Austin Cox. Boston is a -245 money-line favorite with a total of 10.5. The Los Angeles Dodgers play at home against the Colorado Rockies at 10:10 PM ET. Clayton Kershaw returns to the mound from the injured list for the Dodgers to pitch against Ty Blach for the Rockies. Los Angeles is a -345 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5.Week 10 in the Canadian Football League begins with one game. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers go on the road to play the Edmonton Elks on the CBS Sports Network at 9 PM ET. The Blue Bombers won for the fourth time in their last five games with a 50-14 victory against British Columbia as a 6-point favorite last Thursday. The Elks come off a bye week after remaining winless this season in a 27-0 loss at home to British Columbia as a 7-point underdog on July 29th. Winnipeg is a 12-point road favorite with a total of 45.The Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia continues with the first two quarterfinal matches on Fox and Peacock through Friday morning. Spain plays the Netherlands at 9 PM ET as a 0.5 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 2.5 (all soccer odds from BetMGM). Japan faces Sweden at 3:30 AM ET as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 2.

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Italy Serie A Futures (2023/24 Season)

by Amedeus Mastrangelo

Wednesday, Aug 09, 2023

The Italian Serie A is right around the corner now with Napoli being the current defending champions of the league. Serie A has been very competitive over the last few years as there has been a different champion in each of the last 4 years. Now it is time to see who has the best chance of winning the title this year. To Win Outright Inter Milan +175: Inter Milan is coming into this season as the team with the best chance at winning the title this year according to the books. Inter Milan finished in 3rd place last season with 72 points and they may be the favorites to win it all this season but they have made a lot of changes to their club. They sold Goalkeeper Andre Onana as well as Defensive Midfielder Marcelo Brozovic which will be a huge blow to their defense. They also lost Centre-Back Danilo D’Ambrosio, Centre-Back Milan Skriniar, and Centre-Forward Edin Dzeko on free transfers. They did pick up Goalkeeper Yann Sommer as well as 35 year old Centre-Back Francesco Acerbi to replace some of the talent they lost but those are more of downgrades from what they had. They did acquire Right Midfielder Juan Cuadrado as well as Centre-Forward Marcus Thuram in free transfers which will be a much needed boost to their attack, but their defense is not going to be as strong this season. Their attack has also taken a hit with the departures of Dzeko and Lukaku but they do have a very strong midfield to make up the difference. Inter Milan is also going to be very focused on winning the title after the way they let it get out of hand last season, but their team is definitely weaker than it was last season. They are still going to have a very good team that finishes in the top 4 but in such a competitive league with so many good teams right now, they simply do not have the edge in talent with the moves they have made in this transfer window.  Napoli +300: Napoli is coming into this season as the next team with the best chance at winning the title this season according to the books. Napoli are the current champions of Serie A after winning the league title last year with a 16 point lead over 2nd place. Their emergence as a dominant force in Italy was a bit of a surprise last season but they showed their skill and their depth by winning the title with a 16 point cushion and even going very deep into Champions League, losing in the quarter finals. Their big departure in the transfer window was the loss of Centre-Back Min-Jae Kim which will be a big loss to their defense but other than that, the core of their team is pretty much the same as it was last season. They did not really make a move for any new players either as their goal was to retain the talent they had and even ended up signing a few players from the team last year after their loans were up. Napoli has virtually the same starting players as they had last season other than Kim and they were leagues above the rest of the team with the way they finished. They have very good star players in Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia just to name a few and they are only going to get better this year as they gain more experience. Napoli are the defending champions and the last time they won the title prior to last season was back in 1990 but they still have the best team in Italy this year with the talent they have and they are going to be trying very hard to prove that point this season as the league has not had B2B champions in years. Napoli is still the best team this season and they have the best chance at winning the Serie A Title.  Juventus +333: Juventus is coming into this season as the next team with the best chance at winning the title this season according to the books. Juventus has not been the dominant team in Italy over the past few years like they have been for so many years of their history and a big reason for this team's struggles has been their weak attack. They have lost some talent in the transfer window with Right Winger Angel Di Maria as well as Right Midfielder Juan Cuadrado which will be a bit of a blow to this team and their already weak attack. They also sold Right Winger Dejan Kulusevski to Tottenham at the end of his loan there. They have bought some players in the transfer window as well but a lot of the players they have signed were on the team last year on loan and are now being bought out by the team. Defensive Midfielder Manuel Locatelli, Centre-Forward Moise Kean, and Centre-Forward Arkadiusz Milik are a few of the players they have bought out of their loans but that is not going to help them improve this season. They also signed Right Winger Timothy Weah which will be a much needed boost to their attack while also getting back Defensive Midfielder Denis Zakaria and Central Midfielder Weston McKennie from their loans. That will replace the talent they lost in the midfield but their attack has not done much to improve this year and as good as their defense is, scoring is still going to be an issue for them which will not make them a title contender. Juventus may be good enough to finish in the top 4 this season after coming in 7th last year but they will not win the Serie A Title.  AC Milan +500: AC Milan is coming into this season as the next team with the best chance at winning the title this year according to the books. AC Milan barely slipped into 4th place last season with 74 points but they did have a very deep run in Champions League, going all the way to the semi finals. They have been making a lot of moves in this transfer window though and a lot of them have not been good moves for the team. They sold Defensive Midfielder Sandro Tonali which will be a huge blow to this team this year while also losing Left Winger Ante Rebic in a free transfer. They also lost Attacking Midfielder Brahim Diaz who was on loan but he was also a massive part in this AC Milan attack last season. They did make a lot of signings as they brought in Right Winger Christian Pulisic, Right Winger Samuel Chukwueze, Central Midfielder Yunus Musah, Central Midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, Central Midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Centre-Forward Noah Okafor to replace some of the talent they lost but now they also have the task of bringing in all these players and actually seeing who fits well in the lineup. They still have a lot of the talent they have from last year but Tonali and Diaz are both huge losses defensively and offensively respectively. They are going to get out to a slower start this season as they try to figure out what lineups work best for them and they will be at a disadvantage as their team is left weaker than it was last season. AC Milan will still be a top 4 contender this season but they are not going to win the title this year.  RecommendationSerie A is going to be a very competitive league this season with a lot of good teams that could win the title. There are some teams that were very good last season and could be mentioned here but they do not have the talent to win the title this year as there are teams like Lazio and Atalanta who have been shedding talent while teams like Roma have the talent but do not have the coach with their style of play. In the end, there can only be 1 winner and the best team to win the Serie A Title this season is still Napoli as they have the strongest team by far and did not make too many hurtful changes at all. Napoli at +300 is the best option to win the Serie A Title. 

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Spain La Liga Futures (2023/24 Season)

by Amedeus Mastrangelo

Wednesday, Aug 09, 2023

The Spanish La Liga is right around the corner now with a very competitive season ahead. Barcelona absolutely dominated La Liga last season while rivals Real Madrid dominated the European competition up until the finals of Champions League, but this year will be a much more competitive season so it is time to see who has the best chance at bringing home the La Liga Title in Spain this year.  To Win Outright Real Madrid +100: Real Madrid is coming into this season as the team with the best chance at winning the title according to the books. Real Madrid finished last season in 2nd place and they were 10 points behind the leaders, they also went to the Champions League finals which they lost to Manchester City so last season was a bit of a wash for them as they came close in each competition but came away with no trophies other than winning Copa del Rey. They have made some big moves in the transfer window though and they will be looking to have a much better season all around. They did lose Centre-Forward Karim Benzema as well as Right Winger Marco Asensio but they have so much depth at the midfield position as well as with attacking players that those 2 departures will not leave much of a dent. They also signed Central Midfielder Jude Bellingham as well as adding Centre-Forward Joselu and getting Attacking Midfielder Brahim Diaz back from loan so they have a lot of talent in the midfield and attacking positions with good bench depth as well. They are not done either as there have been plenty of talks still about paying the transfer fee to bring Kylian Mbappe over 1 year earlier than expected and if that happens than there will simply be too much attacking power on this team for them to not win the title as they still have a solid defense from last year with not many changes to it. Real Madrid will also be upset as a club over the season they had last year where they came close but did not win any major trophies in Europe or the league so they will be focused on performing well in both competitions and they have the depth to do so. Real Madrid is not only a real contender to win the La Liga Title this season but they are by far the best option considering their team could improve even more with the talent they are bringing in.  Barcelona +137: Barcelona is coming into this season as the next team with the best chance to win the title this year according to the books. Barcelona is the current champions of La Liga from last year after going on a spending spree which saw them dominate the league all season, but they were awful in Champions League as they fizzled out in the group stage and after having a year like that, their focus will definitely be on going deeper in Champions League this season. They did shed some talent with the departure of Defensive Midfielder Sergio Busquets as well as Left Back Jordi Alba who both followed Lionel Messi to Inter Miami, but they were also both north of the age of 34 and Barcelona still has a lot of talent on defense from their signing spree last year to make up for it. Barcelona did have the best defense in La Liga as well but due to their current financial situation, they were not able to spend any money on bringing in new players. They did sign Central Midfielder Ilkay Gundogan on a free transfer from Man City though but other than that their attack is pretty much the same. Their attack did struggle at times last year to score goals and they are not going to be as focused on league matches this year after winning the title since they will be focused on winning in Champions League. They do have the depth to perform well in both competitions but they are also going to have a Real Madrid side to compete with that continues to improve their team by spending money and they simply have that massive advantage over Barcelona this season. Barcelona does not have the talent to win the La Liga Title this season, they will still be a very good team but they will fall short of the title in the end.  Atletico Madrid +900: Atletico Madrid is coming into this season as the next team with the best chance at winning the title this year according to the books. Atletico Madrid finished in 3rd place last season but they ended up just 1 point behind the 2nd place Real Madrid and were by far the best team in Spain over the last few weeks of the season. Their start to the year was not great but they started to figure out their problems midway through the season and then there was a turning point for them where the team just started to click and they were definitely on the upward trend. They are only going to build on that this season now that Memphis Depay is healthier and will be able to contribute more to the team. They did sell some players like Centre-Forward Matheus Cunha, Left Back Renan Lodi, and Defensive Midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia but none of those players were playing big roles on the team last season either. They also bought Second Striker Antoine Griezmann after being loaned from Barcelona the last few years as well as adding Right Back Cesar Azpilicueta on a free transfer to boost their defense. They have been a much better team since adapting their more attacking style and they will be looking to build on their great finish to last season but they still do not have the talent that some of the big spenders in this league have and they will fall short of the title as they will also have Champions League matches to worry about but will not have the depth to focus on both competitions as much. Atletico Madrid is definitely going to be a much better team that will make this title race very interesting as it will be more of a 3-horse race as opposed to the 2-horse race it usually is, but they will still fall short to the bigger clubs.  RecommendationThere are plenty of other teams on the list that could be mentioned as they are very good teams but every team lower than Atletico Madrid simply does not have the talent to compete with the big clubs in this league this year, especially the way Real Madrid has been spending money. Real Madrid at +100 is the best option here when looking for a team to win the La Liga Title this season as they will have the motivation to do so as well as the talent, and they only have plans of improving even more. Real Madrid will win the La Liga Title this year in the 2023/24 season.

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