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How Joe Burrow’s Injury Has Impacted the Bengals & Betting Markets

by Oskeim Sports

Monday, Jul 31, 2023

Cincinnati starting quarterback Joe Burrow suffered what’s being called a calf strain during Bengals training camp last week. Nothing more has really been said about the injury other than Cincy’s starter will miss several weeks. Cincinnati’s first game of the season isn’t until Sept. 10 when they play AFC North and in-state rival Cleveland.  So, how does Burrow’s injury impact Cincinnati and associated betting markets? Understanding the Injury The so-called “calf strain” is a soft tissue injury. Soft tissue injuries are typically graded as mild, moderate, or severe. A mild strain is a Grade 1 injury. Moderate strains are Grade 2 and severe strains are classified as Grade 3. Neither the Bengals' athletic training staff nor the team’s coaching staff have classified Burrow’s injury. Therefore, we have to infer from what Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has said about his starting quarterback. Taylor said that it will be several weeks before Burrow returns.  He said he will return, but it will take some time. That indicates that it is probably a Grade 2, or moderate strain. Cincy WR Ja’Marr Chase said that Burrow has been using a scooter to get around. That also indicates that it’s more than a mild strain. Using the scooter means that Burrow is not supposed to put weight on the injured calf. Walking and engaging the calf could make the injury worse.  Nothing New Now, anyone wondering about how Burrow’s injury affects the Bengals or his preparation in training camp can simply point to the past. Missing the preseason and not playing in a preseason game is nothing new for Burrow.  Remember, the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the entire preseason during Burrow’s rookie year in 2020. The following year, 2021, Burrow was recovering from a knee injury suffered late in his rookie season. In the 2021 preseason, Burrow took three snaps in a game. That’s it. Last year, the Bengals quarterback was recovering from an emergency appendectomy. He ended up throwing just one pass in a preseason game last year. It was dropped by Chase, by the way. Regardless, missing any part of the preseason is nothing new for Burrow and the Bengals. Betting Impact When Burrow was carted off the field last week, sportsbooks immediately took down everything related to the Bengals in the futures markets. There was uncertainty surrounding the injury and sportsbooks were not taking any chances. With the quarterback having the single greatest impact on the outcome of a team’s season, sportsbooks decided to play it safe until they had more information. Once it was announced as a calf strain, sportsbooks began reposting the Bengals' futures odds. Burrow was listed at +750 to win the NFL MVP before the injury and remains right in that ballpark at most sportsbooks after the injury. The same is true of the Bengals' Super Bowl odds. Defending champion Kansas City is still the overall favorite at +600. The Eagles (+650) and Bills (+900) are the only other teams given better than +1000 odds. San Francisco (+1000) is next on the board and right behind them is the Cincinnati Bengals (+1100) whose odds remain unaffected by Burrow’s injury. As long as Burrow can come back healthy, the Bengals should be among the teams battling for this year’s Lombardi Trophy.

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2023 AAC Conference Schedule Review

by Nelly's Sports

Monday, Jul 31, 2023

The American Athletic Conference has undergone a radical transformation for the 2023 season with three high-profile programs exiting and six former Conference USA teams joining the conference for a 14-team league. Adding to the uncertainty is that half of the conference is going to be in a coaching transition season in 2023. With an eight-game league schedule among the 14-team league, the schedules will feature great imbalance. Here is a quick snapshot of how things look to start the season. Willie Fritz has only been at Tulane since 2016 but he is the longest-tenured head coach in the AAC and the program is coming off an amazing season, finishing as AAC champions and Cotton Bowl champions with a memorable comeback win over USC.  Tulane is the favorite in the conference with Michael Pratt returning at quarterback though the schedule has some challenges. Tulane avoids SMU but must play at Memphis and at Florida Atlantic, before hosting UTSA in the regular season finale.  UTSA is 30-10 since Jeff Traylor took over in 2020 for an amazing run of success and quarterback Frank Harris has been there for all of it with Harris returning for his fifth season with the Roadrunners. UTSA makes the leap to the AAC after back-to-back Conference USA titles, though the program is still searching for its first bowl win. UTSA avoids Memphis and SMU but plays at FAU and at Tulane for a mixed bag in the schedule draw in 2023.  Futures prices on SMU continue to be picked at as SMU has passed UTSA as the second favorite in the conference at a few outlets. That is even with prolific quarterback Tanner Mordecai now at Wisconsin and with Rhett Lashlee’s first season with the Mustangs being an underwhelming 7-6 campaign. The 2023 conference schedule is the reason for the interest as SMU does not play Tulane, UTSA, or FAU this season. SMU faces a pair of Big XII powers in September outside of the conference but then has arguably the most favorable draw in the AAC.  Former Houston and Texas head coach Tom Herman is back in the American as the new head coach at Florida Atlantic. The Owls have won just five games in each of the past three seasons under Willie Taggart following the great success for the program from 2017-19 under Lane Kiffin. The chance for FAU to reestablish itself as a conference title contender is there this season, even in a new conference, with great returning experience even in a coaching change season. The schedule avoids SMU and Memphis, while the heavyweight tests vs. UTSA, and Tulane will both be in Boca Raton where the Owls are 29-9 S/U since 2017.  Memphis has a favorable road path this season as the Tigers could wind up favored in all five of its road games this season including the four AAC tests. That could mean Memphis is a threat to breakthrough to the upper tier of the league after back-to-back disappointing 3-5 conference seasons.  Memphis will play Tulane and SMU at home this season with Memphis 16-4 S/U in home games under Ryan Silverfield. Seth Henigan is one of the few returning veteran quarterbacks in the league as well as Memphis is a worthy candidate in the race even with a bit less returning experience overall than some of the other contenders.  The 2023 projections and the current marketplace pricing in the AAC display a massive gap between the top five and the rest of the league as one of the five above squads seems likely to win the conference title. Among the rest of the league, teams to consider being bullish on relative to last season’s results and the current valuation include Temple, Navy, and Charlotte. Teams that could slip from being bowl teams last season to struggling with losing records in 2023 could be North Texas, East Carolina, and UAB with the disparities in the 2023 schedules being a significant factor.       

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB and Women's World Cup Previews and Odds - 07/31/2023

by Big Al Staff

Monday, Jul 31, 2023

The Monday sports card features action in MLB and the Women’s World Cup.Major League Baseball has ten games on its schedule. The Philadelphia Phillies travel to Miami to play the Marlins at 6:40 PM ET. Taijuan Walkers gets the start for the Phillies to pitch against Edward Cabrera for the Marlins. Both teams are priced at -110 with the total set at 8 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). Two MLB games throw out the first pitch at 7:05 PM ET. Milwaukee plays in Washington, with the Brewers tapping Corbin Burnes to pitch against the Nationals’ Jake Irvin. The Brewers are a -195 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9. Tampa Bay is in New York, with Tyler Glasnow taking the ball for the Rays to pitch against Domingo German for the Yankees. The Toronto Blue Jays host the Baltimore Orioles at 7:07 PM ET. Chris Bassitt takes the mound for the Blue Jays to duel against  Kyle Gibson for the Orioles. Toronto is a -140 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Atlanta Braves play at home against the Los Angeles Angels at 7:20 PM ET. The Braves tap Charlie Morton to face the Angels’ Griffin Canning. Atlanta is a -225 money-line favorite with an over/under of 10. The Chicago Cubs are at home against the Cincinnati Reds at 8:05 PM ET. Marcus Stroman gets the start for the Cubs to battle against Andrew Abbott for the Reds. Chicago is a -120 money-line favorite. The Houston Astros host the Cleveland Guardians at 8:10 PM ET. The Astros turn to J.P. France to pitch against the Guardians’ Noah Syndergaard. Houston is a -190 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The San Diego Padres visit the Colorado Rockies at 8:40 PM ET. Seth Lugo takes the hill for the Padres to go against Austin Gomber for the Rockies. San Diego is a -210 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 11.5. The Seattle Mariners play at home against the Boston Red Sox at 9:40 PM ET. The Mariners tap George Kirby to pitch against the Red Sox’s Nick Pivetta. Seattle is a -135 money-line favorite. The Arizona Diamondbacks are in San Francisco to play the Giants at 9:45 PM ET. Ryne Nelson takes the ball for the Diamondbacks to face a Giants’ starting pitcher that has yet to be determined. The Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia continues with four matches scheduled through Tuesday AM ET. Two games start at 3:01 AM ET. The USA Women's team plays Portugal on Fox and Peacock as a -1.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 2.5. The Netherlands faces Vietnam on FS1 and Peacock as a -3.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 4.5. The other two matches begin at 7 AM ET. England battles China on Fox and Peacock as a -1 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 2.5. Denmark goes against Haiti on FS1 and Peacock as a -1.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 2.5. 

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NFL Preseason Hall of Fame Game 1983-2022

by Al McMordie

Monday, Jul 31, 2023

The 2023 NFL Preseason will kick off again in Canton, Ohio this season when the New York Jets take on the Cleveland Browns.The Browns are currently a 2-point favorite, with the over/under set at 33 points (at Circa Sportsbook).Let's take a look at the point spread history of the Hall of Fame Game since 1983.There have been 37 games played, with one of the 37 (Green Bay vs. Kansas City, in 2003) shortened by weather, so all wagers on that game were nullified.  In three seasons, the Hall of Fame Game wasn't played.  In 2011, the game was canceled due to an NFL lockout.  In 2016, the field was in poor condition due to weather.  And, of course, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the game to not be played.Thus, there have been 36 NFL Hall of Fame Games since 1983 with point spread results attached to them.  And we find that the favorites have gone 19-13-3 ATS.  The smaller favorites have tended to do much better than the bigger favorites.  When the line was -1 to -2.5, the favorite went 13-6-1 ATS.  But when the line was -3 (or more), the favorite has gone 6-7-2 ATS.Not all games had over/under lines.  The oddsmakers started posting O/U lines for the 1996 game.  Twelve of the 23 games have gone under the total while 11 have gone over the total.  Interestingly, when the O/U line has been less than 33 points, the Overs have gone 5-1, while the Unders have gone 6-1 when the posted total was greater than 35 points.One other thing to note:  teams that were undefeated the previous preseason have gone 2-3 ATS in the Hall of Fame Game.  And teams that had a winning record the previous preseason (as well as a better preseason record than their opponent) have gone 6-12-1 ATS.  And teams that had a losing record the previous preseason (as well as a worse preseason record than their opponent) have gone 11-8 ATS.  Finally, teams with a worse preseason record the previous preseason than their opponent have gone 15-9-1 ATS.  (Last season, the Jets were 3-0 SU, while the Browns were 1-2 SU.)I have won each of the last 11 NFL seasons, so don't miss a single winner.  Join today.Good luck, as always...Al McMordie

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Max Scherzer Now Pitching for the Texas Rangers: What to Expect

by Team Del Genio

Sunday, Jul 30, 2023

Max Scherzer has not met the high expectations the New York Mets had for him this season. The 38-year-old was one of the best pitchers in baseball last season when he posted an 11-5 record for the Mets with a 2.29 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP in 23 starts and 145 1/3 innings. Yet going into his start on Friday at home against the Washington Nationals, the right-hander had just an 8-4 record with a 4.20 era and a 1.19 whip in 18 starts. With their 48-54 record going into their weekend series with the Nationals, the Mets are seven games behind the Cincinnati Reds for the third and final wild-card spot in the National League playoffs. Yet New York had a 12-8 record this month. With six more games on deck against the lowly Nationals and Kansas City Royals, the Mets can still make some waves in the NL playoff race. While their dynamic duo of Justin Verlander along with Scherzer had not met their high expectations this season, Verlander has been quite good lately.  If those two veteran hurlers get hot, the Mets could still have made a run in the last two months of the season. Yet general manager Billy Eppler decided that the preferred approach for the organization was to trade assets. He traded away their closer David Robertson on Thursday or two bright prospects yet who are only in A-ball. He then traded Scherzer to the Texas Rangers on Saturday. The Rangers may have been convinced that Scherzer can make a critical difference for them the rest of the way. After the season-ending injury to Jacob DeGrom, the team lacks a viable number-one starter in their rotation. Scherzer held Washington to just six hits and one earned run in seven innings of work to earn his ninth victory of the season. Yet Scherzer's issues with the long ball this season continued in that effort with the Nationals' lone run coming on a home run. He served up four home runs in his previous start against Boston. He has given up 22 homers this season including 16 in his last ten starts. The 1.92 home runs per nine innings he is giving up this season is almost double the 1.04 homers per nine inning rate for his career. Scherzer has struggled to adapt to the new pitch clock this season, and he has not always had his slider operating at its highest level. After eight straight seasons of striking out 30.6% or more of the batters he has faced, his strikeout rate has dropped to a 27.3% clip this season. Yet he does have 61 strikeouts in the 51 innings over his last eight starts. That 10.76 strikeouts per nine innings average during that span is right in line with his 10.11 strikeouts per nine innings average last year. Scherzer has a 3.53 ERA in his last eight starts which matches up with his expected ERA of 3.65 for the season. That is the pitcher that the Rangers can expect. However, pitching at Global Life Field may compound Scherzers's gopher ball problem this season. The 132 home runs hit at the Rangers' home stadium is the most in the majors. The advanced statistics indicate that 5% more home runs are hit at Global Life Field versus the league average. On the other hand, the Mets' Citi Field has 5% fewer home runs than the league average. When Scherzer was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021, he posted a 7-0 record with a 1.98 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP for them in the regular season. Numbers that good are probably too much for the Rangers to expect. Yet Scherzer can expect to get more run support from the Texas lineup than what he had with the Mets. Given his home run issues this year, an ERA of 3.50 or so is a reasonable expectation for Scherzer the rest of the way. Yet given his improved strikeout rate over the last two months, the Rangers should have themselves an effective ace for the rest of the season. Good luck - TDG.

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Five Teams Who Could Be Overrated Entering This Season

by Kyle Hunter

Sunday, Jul 30, 2023

In less than 30 days, we’ll have college football back on our televisions. The sports betting world is better when college football is an option! There’s nothing like the weeks leading up to college football. College football has been a strength for me (70% on my CFB selections last year and 66% two years ago). A couple of days ago I took a look at five teams who could be underrated heading into this season. Now, let’s take a look at five teams who could be overrated going into this season based on their ATS success from a year ago.  Tulane Green Wave (12-2 ATS) I love Coach Fritz and that will definitely make me hesitate to fade this Tulane team. Three things about this team make me think they will be overvalued. First, there are very few teams who are able to go 12-2 ATS in a season. That kind of success gets noticed by bettors all over the world. Second, they are coming off a last second upset of USC in their last game. That is the last thing bettors will think of coming into this season. Finally, Tulane really lost a lot of key production. The linebacker spot takes a big hit without Anderson and Williams. Tyjae Spears won’t be easy to replace at RB either. Troy Trojans (11-3 ATS) Troy was able to go 11-3 ATS last year despite having a very poor offense. They couldn’t run the football, and they lost their starting quarterback from a year ago. Troy will still be a good Sun Belt team, but I think it will be hard for them to keep covering spreads. Carlton Martial finished his Troy career as the FBS leader in career tackles. He’s obviously a massive loss at linebacker. The Trojans still have weaknesses on offense, and now the defense lost its best player too.  Tennessee Volunteers (10-3 ATS) Josh Heupel has done a really good job with this Tennessee program. They outperformed all expectations for them a year ago up until the point that Hendon Hooker was injured. Joe Milton steps in as the starting quarterback. Milton claims he can throw the ball 90 yards. I want to see it to believe it. Also, Milton isn’t nearly as accurate of a passer as Hooker. There were a lot of key losses at the wide receiver position as well. A good team, but there isn’t likely to be a lot of value here on an ATS basis.  Wake Forest Demon Deacons (8-5 ATS) Mitch Griffis might do alright as the quarterback at Wake Forest, but it is a big downgrade from Sam Hartman to the guys who Wake Forest will try under center this year. Dave Clawson is a good coach, so it won’t surprise me if Wake Forest improves a lot by the end of the season. Early on though this team might be overvalued. The offensive line is a big weakness. They averaged only 3.4 ypc last year, and now they are without Hartman and star WR A.T. Perry. Five of their top six defensive linemen from last year are gone as well. It will take some time.  Illinois Fighting Illini (8-5 ATS) Chase Brown was the star running back for Illinois, and the Fighting Illini are going to miss him a lot. They’ll probably miss defensive coordinator Ryan Walters even more. It’s my opinion that Walters really led the Illinois turnaround the last couple years. The job he did with the Illinois defense was nothing short of fantastic. Illinois lost three key players from the secondary, and they’ll have to try to put it back together without their star coordinator now. 

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Premier League Futures (2023/24 Season)

by Amedeus Mastrangelo

Sunday, Jul 30, 2023

August is approaching quickly and with that comes the start of the Premier League season which is right around the corner now. The first Premier League matches of the season kickoff on August 11 so it is time to see which teams are real contenders and which teams are just pretenders when it comes to winning this season’s Premier League title.  To Win Outright Manchester City -138: Man City is coming into this season as the team with the best chance to win the title and for good reason as they are the defending champions from last year and also completed the Treble as they also won the Champions League title as well as the FA Cup. Man City has lost some talent this year in the transfer window as they have seen the departure of right winger Riyad Mahrez as well as central midfielder Ilkay Gundogan and left back Benjamin Mendy. The departure of these players will definitely be a bit of a blow to Man City but they also have so much depth on their bench that they will be able to fill the holes with players just as talented and the 1 silver lining is that none of these players have decided to stay in the Premier League either. They did pick up central midfielder Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea as a replacement for Gundogan and they also have countless other players on the bench so as far as their strength of team goes, nothing has really changed much from last year and they are going to be a just as dominant team as they were so they still have a very good chance at winning the Premier League title this season.  Arsenal +500: Arsenal is coming into this season as the next team with the best chance to win the Premier League title according to the books. Arsenal had a very good team last season as they finished in 2nd place in the league and were actually leading the table for most of the season before letting it go to Man City in the final weeks. Arsenal is not a close 2nd to winning the title but they are the next best team according to the books because of their great season last year along with the fact that they have spent money to bring in more players to try and improve this team. They did lose a key player in defensive midfielder Granit Xhaka but they also signed Declan Rice to replace him as well as adding some other players to boost both their attack and their defense. They have brought in attacking midfielder Kai Havertz as well as bringing back centre-forward Folarin Balogun from his loan to add some dynamic talent to their attack and they also added centre-back Jurrien Timber as well as right back Cedric Soares to boost their defensive depth. Arsenal has definitely made some moves to improve their team and they are going to have their sights set on the Premier League title this year after almost winning it last season, but this season they are also going to have Champions League matches to worry about and it is their 1st time back in Champions League in years so they will definitely be more focused on that competition and that could negatively affect their Premier League matches down the road as we get late into the season with the build up of the condensed schedule. Arsenal has definitely improved their team from last year but they do not have the depth to win the Premier League title this season.  Liverpool +800: Liverpool is coming into this season as the next team with the best chance at winning the Premier League title according to the books but this is a Liverpool team that was already on the down trend last year and even failed to finish in the top 4. They will have an easier time focusing on Premier League matches this season as they are only in Europa League and likely do not care that much about the competition so getting back into the top 4 of the Premier League will be their focus for this season. Liverpool is also in the middle of a changing of the guard though as they brought in a lot of new players last year which took some time to mesh and now they have seen a lot of their core players depart from the team in this transfer window as well. Central midfielder Jordan Henderson, centre-forward Roberto Firmino, central midfielder Naby Keita, central midfielder James Milner, and central midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain just to name a few players who have left the team in this transfer window and even though a lot of those players did not do much for the team last season, these were the core players that were around during their dominant years in the Premier League and the departure of these players signifies a rebuild with this Liverpool team as they desperately try to fix the problems they had last year. They have brought in some quality players to fill the gaps now as they signed attacking midfielder Alexis Mac Allister as well as attacking midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai which will definitely bring a much needed direction to this attack that was in disarray last season, but considering all of the attacking talent they have now in the midfield as well as their forwards, they are clearly going for an overly dominant attack this season and have done nothing to bring in players to strengthen their defense and defensive midfield which was the areas they struggled the most in. Liverpool can continue to overload their attack with talent but just like last year it will not do anything for them until they stabilize their awful defense and midfield. Liverpool is going to struggle once again this season to even make the top 4 and they will not be a threat to win the Premier League title.  Manchester United +1100: Man Utd is coming into this season as the next team with the best chance to win the Premier League title according to the books. Man Utd is coming off of a great season where they finished in 3rd place and were much improved after so many years of struggling. They have continued to add players in this summer transfer window that will boost their team while also getting rid of some players that were holding them back. They have seen the departure of left winger Anthony Elanga, goalkeeper David de Gea, and centre-forward Wout Weghorst who went back to Burnley at the end of his loan but none of these players were key pieces in their lineup last season and the biggest blow to this team in the transfer window this year was actually the departure of central midfielder Marcel Sabitzer who went back to Bayern Munich as his loan ended but he had some very good flashes of play for this team last year. Man Utd has been signing a lot of talent to improve though as they have brought in attacking midfielder Mason Mount to add some flair to their already strong attack as well as signing goalkeeper Andre Onana who is definitely a step up from the goalkeeper they had. They are also in talks with centre-forward Rasmus Hojlund which would really strengthen their attack if he were to join, but Man Utd has not done anything to improve their defense which they did have some issues with last season, specifically with the flanks and their defensive depth, so until they add some players to boost their defense, they are not a true contender to win the Premier League title, especially when they will also have Champions League matches to focus on as well which is a competition they have not been in for a few years now. The focus on the title is not going to be there and they do not have the depth to make a run at the title this season.  Chelsea +1200: Chelsea is coming into this season as the next team with the best chance at winning the Premier League title according to the books. Chelsea is coming off of an awful season where they finished in the bottom half of the table and a big problem they had was with the owner of the team after purchasing the club from the old owner as their new owner started to buy up any players on the market just because they were talented and wanted to keep them away from the other clubs. This led to a big problem with the team as they had an excess of players on the roster and there was absolutely no direction in which the team was headed in as they had also gone through quite a few managers during the season. Now they have another new manager but this time they will have some stability as they have departed with a majority of their players from last season and have just left a solid core to build on. They also added centre-forward Nicolas Jackson and second striker Christopher Nkunku to bring some consistency to their attack as scoring goals was a big issue for them last year. Now that they have improved their attack, which was their biggest issue, and have narrowed down the talent on their team to gain some stability with their lineup, an experienced manager like Pochettino will be able to guide the talent on this team to a much improved season as there is definitely no shortage of talent on the team, for them it is just all about putting it together on the pitch in an organized way. Chelsea has some real value here as a dark horse Premier League title contender because they have the talent and potential to be very good and due to their poor performance last year, they are not in any European competitions this season which means they will be well rested for their Premier League matches and fully focused on performing well in the league all year. Chelsea is definitely a dark horse to win the Premier League title this year.  Newcastle +1400: Newcastle is coming into this season as the next team with the best chance to win the Premier League title according to the books. Newcastle is coming off of a very good season where they came out of nowhere to finish in 4th place, but they were also a dominant team in the league all season and a lot of that has to do with their new owners and the money they have been spending on the team. Newcastle had one of the best defenses in the Premier League last season and their attack was also very good but it could be inconsistent at times. They did lose their left winger Allan Saint-Maximin in the transfer window which was their biggest blow, but he also missed a lot of the year due to injury so it will not have a huge impact on this team. They also picked up left winger Harvey Barnes to replace him who will have a much bigger impact on this attack while also adding defensive midfielder Sandro Tonali to boost their midfield even more. Newcastle was a surprisingly dominant team last season and managed to maintain that good form all season. They are going to be just as good this season if not better with the improvements they have made but they are still not going to be a title contender this year. There are still a lot of strong teams that will be around them in the table this year and they were barely holding onto their top 4 spot near the end of last season. The fact that they finished in 4th place also means they will be playing in Champions League this season which is an extra competition that they did not need to focus on last year and never had to rotate their squad as much. It will be a lot more difficult for them this year to juggle both competitions with the depth they have so even though they are still going to be a very good team, they are not going to be a title contender this season.  RecommendationsManchester City is the obvious favorite to win the Premier League title this season after the year they had last season but even when looking at the squads, they still have the most talent and the deepest bench in the league which gives them the best chance at winning the title. Manchester City to win the Premier League title at -138 is not a bad price either considering they are usually closer to -200 or more. If looking for more of a longshot though, Chelsea at +1200 definitely has the most value as they are not going to be as bad as they were last season with their new direction now and also not playing in any European competitions can only help them from a depth standpoint. Manchester City at -138 is the best way to go here and Chelsea at +1200 is the best longshot.

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Baseball’s New Pitch Clock - How It’s Working So Far

by Oskeim Sports

Sunday, Jul 30, 2023

After several years of enduring baseball games that lasted longer than three hours, MLB finally implemented a pitch clock. It was tried out in a number of minor leagues before arriving in MLB in 2023. How has it worked so far? The Pitch Clock If you're unaware, the MLB pitch clock regulates how long a pitcher may wait between pitches. A pitcher has 15 seconds to throw his next pitch if there are no runners on base. He is given 20 seconds when there is at least one runner on base. Prior to the pitch clock running out, the pitcher must be in his windup. A ball is automatically awarded for any pitch clock infraction. There must be at least eight seconds left on the pitch clock when batters enter the batter's box. A hitter commits a violation and gets called for a strike automatically if he is not in the box at that time. There are some additional nuances, but those are the fundamentals of the new rule. Of course, the pitch clock has generated a lot of discussion among fans and within the league. The Purists of Baseball Purists of traditional baseball despise the pitch clock. They assert that the game was intended to be played at its own pace. A clock has never been used in baseball. It was never intended to, and purists think it takes away from the original game. The pitch clock does eliminate some of the psychological tricks that pitchers could employ against hitters. The most ardent baseball purists will find that to be an important aspect of the game.  Many people also claim that games today move too quickly. While 2:03 may be a little too short for an MLB game, three and a half hours is definitely too long.  Scoring Is Up Compared to last season, MLB games now average 9.1 runs per game. It's interesting to note that MLB games in 2021 also featured an average run total of 9.1. The numbers are back up this season after declining last year. But is the increase in scoring connected to the new pitch clock? Los Angeles Dodgers were the MLB team with the most runs scored in 2022. Last year, they scored 5.17 runs per game on average. The Texas Rangers have held the top spot for the majority of the season. They currently score 5.83 runs per game on average. Six teams average at least 5.00 runs per game currently. Last season, only the Dodgers were over the 5-run mark.  Change in Pitching A look at pitching statistics also provides some useful information. Starting pitchers have almost certainly been the group that has been most impacted by the pitch clock.  The Dodgers also held the majors record for team ERA in 2022. LA's pitchers had an overall ERA of 2.82. With 2.84, Houston's staff came in second. The Dodgers were No. 1 once more in 2021 with a team ERA of 3.02. The league-leading Dodgers posted a 3.11 ERA even during the abbreviated 2020 MLB season. The key takeaway is that the best baseball pitching staff have had team ERAs that have tended to be around 3.00. Tampa Bay has the top pitching staff in MLB in 2023 based on ERA with the new pitch clock. The Rays' ERA as a whole is 3.70.  Injuries Pitcher injuries were one of the arguments raised against the use of the pitch clock. The numbers show that there is no connection between the two. A spike in pitcher injuries occurred in 2021, and through the first 75 days of the season, 195 pitchers had been placed on the injured list. In 2022, it decreased to 157. It's interesting to note that there were fewer this year (146). It's interesting to note that this year's average fastball and breaking ball velocities are higher than they were in 2022. Through the first 75 days of the season last year, the average fastball clocked in at 93.8 mph. It was 94.0 this year. Breaking ball speed increased from 82.6 to 83.0 miles per hour. Actually, those figures are more suggestive of an increase in injuries. The torque on the elbow increases with the speed at which these pitchers throw. Compared to the time between pitches, that can unquestionably result in more injuries. Games are being sped up by the pitch clock, which eliminates about 30 minutes from each game. It won't disappear any time soon. To determine its actual impact on the game, if any, we'll need a larger sample size.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB, CFL and Women's World Cup Previews and Odds - 07/30/2023

by Big Al Staff

Sunday, Jul 30, 2023

The Sunday sports card features action in MLB, the CFL, and the Women’s World Cup.Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The Toronto Blue Jays host the Los Angeles Angels on Peacock at 12:05 PM ET as a -195 money-line favorite, with the total set at 9.5 (all odds from BetMGM unless indicated otherwise). Two MLB games throw out the first pitch at 1:35 PM ET. The Philadelphia Phillies travel to Pittsburgh to play the Pirates as a -150 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9. The Milwaukee Brewers play in Atlanta against the Braves. Two more MLB games start at 1:40 PM ET. The Miami Marlins are at home against the Detroit Tigers as a -150 money-line favorite with a total of 7. The New York Mets play at home against the Washington Nationals as a -255 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Three MLB games begin at 2:10 PM ET. The Tampa Bay Rays visit Houston to play the Astros as a -135 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The Minnesota Twins play at Kansas City against the Royals as a -165 money-line road favorite with a total of 9. The Cleveland Guardians are in Chicago to play the White Sox as a -140 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9. The St. Louis Cardinals are at home against the Chicago Cubs at 2:15 PM ET as a -130 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Oakland A’s play at Colorado to play the Rockies at 3:10 PM ET, with both teams priced at -110 with an over/under of 12.5. The Boston Red Sox are in San Francisco to play the Giants at 4:05 PM ET. Three more MLB games start at 4:10 PM ET. The Los Angeles Dodgers host the Cincinnati Reds as a -170 money-line favorite with a total of 10.5. The Seattle Mariners play in Arizona against the Diamondbacks, with both teams priced at -110 with an over/under of 8. The Texas Rangers are in San Diego to play the Padres. Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN features the Baltimore Orioles playing at home against the New York Yankees. Dean Kremer takes the ball for the Orioles to pitch against Luis Severino for the Yankees. Baltimore is a -135 money-line favorite with a total of 9.   The Canadian Football League concludes Week 8 with the Montreal Alouettes at home playing the Calgary Stampeders at 7 PM ET. The Alouettes are on a three-game losing streak after a 35-27 loss to Toronto as a 6-point underdog on July 14th. The Stampeders lost for the third time in their last four games in a 43-41   upset loss against Ottawa as a 4.5-point favorite last Sunday. Montreal is a 2.5-point favorite with an over/under of 47.5. The Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia continues with four matches scheduled through Monday AM ET. Two games start at 3:01 AM ET. Spain plays Japan on Fox and Peacock as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 2. Zambia faces Costa Rica on FS1 and Peacock as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 2.5. Two matches begin at 6 AM ET. Australia battles Canada on Fox and Peacock as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 2.5. Nigeria goes against Ireland on FS1 and Peacock as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 2.5. 

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Five Teams Who Could Be Underrated ATS This Season

by Kyle Hunter

Saturday, Jul 29, 2023

The college football season is just a month away! College football has been a strength for me (70% CFB last year and 66% two years ago), and it is one of my two favorite sports (college hoops the other). There’s nothing like the weeks leading up to college football. Handicappers put in a ton of time preparing for the season. Today, I want to look at five teams I believe could be underrated against the spread this season because of their poor results against the spread from a year ago.  NC State (4-9 ATS last year) NC State was overhyped coming into last season. Everyone thought NC State had their window of opportunity to win the ACC. The team did have a lot of injuries. Devin Leary was knocked out and they had backup QB’s for much of the season. The defense also suffered a bunch of key losses. NC State had a disappointing season compared to expectations and finished 4-9 ATS.Brennan Armstrong transferred in from Virginia, and he is expected to be the new starting quarterback. The Wolfpack did lose a lot of key guys on defense, but star linebacker Payton Wilson is back to lead the stop unit.There is no hype this year, but the Wolfpack have winnable road games and a quality team.  Ole MIss (4-8-1 ATS last year) Quinshon Judkins might be the best running back in the country. Lane Kiffin is a brilliant offensive mastermind. Jaxson Dart is back and Spencer Sanders (previously the starting QB at Oklahoma State) transferred in to Ole Miss as well. Zakhari Franklin, who was a star WR at UTSA is now in the fold at Ole Miss too. There is an abundance of wealth on the offensive side for the Rebels. They are coming off a 4-8-1 ATS season. Ole Miss had a bad showing in their bowl game and people will remember that. I think the Rebels are at least somewhat underrated coming into this season. Northern Illinois (4-8 ATS last year) Let’s go a bit under the radar in the MAC for our next team. Northern Illinois was just 4-8 ATS last year, but they played much of the season without star quarterback Rocky Lombardi. Lombardi has put up video game type numbers in this offense when healthy the last couple seasons. Northern Illinois has arguably the best offensive line in the MAC too. The Huskies will test themselves in the non-conference with games at Nebraska and Boston College. I think they’ll be a good team ATS especially in MAC play.  Iowa State (4-7-1 ATS last year) Matt Campbell is still a good coach, and Iowa State isn’t likely to be -7 in turnover margin again this season. They went just 4-8 straight up and 4-7-1 ATS last year. The Cyclones have an above average defense and a veteran signal caller in Hunter Dekkers. They play a really tough schedule, so they might not win a ton of games, but I think they’ll be some good spots to back them as underdogs this season.  Oklahoma (5-8 ATS last year) Oklahoma has too much talent to not bounce back some in the year ahead. Dillon Gabriel is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He was hurt late last year.  Many bettors will remember Oklahoma being blasted by Texas a year ago. I also trust Brent Venables and Ted Roof to help this defense improve in the second year of this system. The Sooners have a lot of upside potential this year. 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB, CFL and Women's World Cup Previews and Odds - 07/29/2023

by Big Al Staff

Saturday, Jul 29, 2023

The Saturday sports card features action in MLB, the CFL, and the Women’s World Cup.Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The Toronto Blue Jays host the Los Angeles Angels at 3:07 PM ET as a -125 money-line favorite, with the total set at 9.5 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). The Miami Marlins play at home against the Detroit Tigers on FS1-TV at 4:10 PM ET as a -155 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Philadelphia Phillies travel to Pittsburgh to play the Pirates at 7:05 PM ET as a -175 money-line road favorite with a total of 9. Three more MLB games throw out the first pitch at 7:10 PM ET. The New York Mets are at home against the Washington Nationals as a -170 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. The Cleveland Guardians play in Chicago against the White Sox. The Minnesota Twins are in Kansas City against the Royals as a -195 money-line road favor with a total of 9. Four MLB games start at 7:15 PM ET. The Chicago Cubs visit St. Louis to play the Cardinals, with both teams priced at -110. Three more MLB games are featured in Fox’s regional television coverage. The Boston Red Sox play in San Francisco against the Giants. The Houston Astros host the Tampa Bay Rays as a -130 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Baltimore Orioles play at home against the New York Yankees as a -120 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Atlanta Braves are at home against the Milwaukee Brewers at 7:20 PM ET as a -200 money-line favorite with an over/under of 10. Two MLB games begin at 8:10 PM ET. The Seattle Mariners are in Arizona to play the Diamondbacks as a -135 money-line road favorite with a total of 9.5. The Oakland A’s play in Colorado against the Rockies. The San Diego Padres host the Texas Rangers at 8:40 PM ET as a -170 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Los Angeles Dodgers play at home against the Cincinnati Reds at 9:10 PM ET as a -200 money-line favorite with a total of 10.5.Week 8 in the Canadian Football League continues with two games on the CBS Sports Network. The Toronto Argonauts play the Saskatchewan Roughriders on a neutral field at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia in the Touchdown Atlantic series. The Argonauts are a 10.5-point favorite with an over/under of 47.5. The British Columbia Lions are in Edmonton to play the Argonauts at 7 PM ET. The Lions are a 7.5-point road favorite with a total of 43.5. The Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia continues with four matches scheduled through Sunday AM ET. South Korea plays Morocco on Fox and Peacock at 12:30 AM ET as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 2. Two more matches begin at 3:01 AM ET. Norway faces the Philippines on Fox and Peacock as a -2.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 3. Switzerland battles New Zealand on FS1 and Peacock as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 2. Germany goes against Colombia on FS1 and Peacock at 5:30 AM ET as a -1.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 3. 

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USFL Point Spread Data 2022-23

by Al McMordie

Friday, Jul 28, 2023

The USFL has played two seasons since its founding, and the Birmingham Stallions have won the championship each year.  The two seasons, though, were very different in another respect.  In the first season, all the regular season games were played in Birmingham, Alabama, while the playoff games were played in Canton, Ohio.  However, in Season 2, the league moved its games to a pod format, such that two teams played their home games in Birmingham, two played in Canton, two played in Detroit, Michigan, and two played in Memphis, Tennessee.  The playoff semi-finals were played at the home fields of the higher seeds, while the title game was played in Canton.Because of these schedules, the league has had 34 home-sited games, and 52 neutral-sited games.Let's take a look at how the USFL's games for its first two seasons have gone, from a point spread perspective.Home teams:  12-21-1 ATSAway teams:  21-12-1 ATSFavorites:  36-46-3 ATSUnderdogs:  46-36-3 ATSFavorites priced from -7.5 to -13.5:  3-14 ATSFavorites priced from -3.5 to -7:  21-18-2 ATSFavorites priced from -1 to -3:  12-14-1 ATSOvers:  43-41-2Unders:  41-43-2O/U Line 30 to 39.5:  17-4-1 OverO/U Line 40 to 49.5:  26-37-1 OverTeams off a win (vs foes off a loss):  15-14-1 ATSTeams off back-to-back wins (vs. foes not off back-to-back wins):  16-11 ATSTeams off a SU/ATS win (vs. foes not off a SU/ATS win):  15-13-1 ATSTeams off back-to-back SU/ATS wins (vs. foes not off back-to-back SU/ATS wins):  11-9 ATSTeams off an ATS win vs. foes off an ATS loss:  15-14-1 ATSTeams off a double-digit win (vs. foes not off a double-digit win):  12-14-1 ATSTeams off a double-digit cover (vs. foes not off a double-digit cover):  13-8 ATSTeams off a double-digit loss (vs. foes not off a double-digit loss):  15-12 ATSTeams that failed to cover by double-digits (vs. foes that didn't fail to cover by double-digits):  11-14-1 ATSTeams off a double-digit loss vs. foes off a double-digit win:  4-2 ATSTeams that failed to cover by double-digits vs. foes off a double-digit cover:  2-6 ATSTeams playing with revenge:  28-27-3 ATSWinning teams vs. losing teams:  11-16 ATSBoth teams off Overs:  10-8-1 OverBoth teams off Unders:  8-10 OverGood luck, as always....Al McMordie

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