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Big Al's Daily Angle: NCAAF, MLB, and CFL Previews and Odds - 09/05/2022

by Big Al Staff

Monday, Sep 05, 2022

The Monday Labor Day sports card features NCAAF, MLB, and CFL action.Week 1 of the college football season concludes with one game involving FBS opponents. Clemson plays Georgia Tech at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on ESPN at 8 PM ET. The Tigers are a 23.5-point road favorite, with the total set at 51 (all odds from DraftKings).Major League Baseball has 13 games on its schedule. The New York Mets play at Pittsburgh against the Pirates at 12:35 PM ET. Taijuan Walker gets the ball for the Mets to pitch against Mitch Keller for the Pirates. New York is a -200 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Two more MLB games throw out the first pitch at 1:05 PM ET. Toronto is at Baltimore in the first game of their doubleheader, with the Blue Jays turning to Kevin Gausman to pitch against an Orioles starting pitcher yet to be determined. New York plays at home against Minnesota with Jameson Taillon on the mound for the Yankees against Chris Archer for the Twins. The Yankees are a -180 money line favorite with a total of 8. Toronto sends out Jose Berrios to pitch against a Baltimore starting pitcher yet to be named for the second game of their doubleheader at 4:05 PM ET. Two more MLB games start at 4:10 PM ET. Milwaukee travels to Colorado with the Brewers tapping Freddie Peralta to pitch against the Rockies’ Ryan Feltner. Milwaukee is a -155 money line road favorite with an over/under of 11. Boston plays at Tampa Bay with Michael Wacha pitching for the Red Sox against a starting pitcher yet to be determined for the Rays. The St. Louis Cardinals host the Washington Nationals at 4:15 PM ET. The Cardinals turn to Jack Flaherty to pitch against the Nationals’ Anibal Sanchez. St. Louis is a -255 money line favorite with a total of 8.5. Two MLB games begin at 6:40 PM ET. Seattle is at home against Chicago, with Marco Gonzales pitching for the Mariners against Lance Lynn for the White Sox. The Mariners are a -120 money line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Arizona plays at San Diego with the Diamondbacks tapping Kyle Nelson to pitch against the Padres’ Blake Snell. The Houston Astros host the Texas Rangers at 7:10 PM ET. Hunter Brown pitches for the Astros against Martin Perez for the Rangers. Houston is a -165 money line favorite with a total of 8. The Cleveland Guardians visit Kansas City to play the Royals at 8:10 PM ET. The Guardians send Triston McKenzie to the hill to pitch against the Royals’ Brady Singer. Cleveland is a -130 money line road favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The Los Angeles Angels play at home against the Detroit Tigers at 9:38 PM ET. Jose Suarez takes the ball for the Angels against Tyler Alexander for the Tigers. Los Angeles is a -180 money line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Los Angeles Dodgers are at home against the San Francisco Giants at 10:10 PM ET. The Dodgers tap Andrew Heaney to battle against the Giants’ Logan Webb. Los Angles is a -195 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Week 13 in the Canadian Football League concludes with two games. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats play at home against the Toronto Argonauts at 1 PM ET as a 1-point favorite with a total of 49.5. The Calgary Stampeders host the Edmonton Eskimos at 4:30 PM ET as a 12.5-point favorite with an over/under of 49.5.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NCAAF, MLB, CFL and EPL Previews and Odds - 09/04/2022

by Big Al Staff

Sunday, Sep 04, 2022

The Sunday sports card features NCAAF, MLB, CFL, and EPL action.Week 1 of the college football season continues with one game involving FBS opponents. LSU hosts Florida State on ABC as a 3.5-point favorite with the total set at 52 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise).Major League Baseball has 16 games on its schedule. The Toronto Blue Jays visit the Pittsburgh Pirates on Peacock at 12:05 PM ET. Ross Stripling takes the hill for the Blue Jays against J.T. Brubaker for the Pirates. Toronto is a -210 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8. The Cincinnati Reds host the Colorado Rockies in the first game of their doubleheader at 12:10 PM ET. The Reds turn to Nick Lodolo in their starting rotation to pitch against the Rockies’ German Marquez. Cincinnati is a -120 money line favorite with a total of 8. Three MLB games throw out the first pitch at 1:35 PM ET. Baltimore plays at home against Oakland, with Spenser Watkins pitching for the Orioles against Adrian Martinez for the A’s. The Orioles are a -175 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Boston is at home against Texas with the Rangers pitching Dane Dunning against a starting pitcher yet to be named for the Red Sox. The Red Sox are a -125 money line favorite with a total of 9.5. Atlanta hosts Miami with Max Fried on the mound for the Braves pitching against Pedro Lopez for the Marlins. The Braves are a -265 money line favorite with an over/under of 7. Three MLB games start at 1:40 PM ET. New York plays at Toronto with the Yankees tapping Frankie Montas to pitch against the Blue Jays’ Shaun Armstrong. The Yankees are a -120 money line road favorite at Caesars with an over/under of 7. Detroit plays at home against Kansas City with Matt Manning pitching for the Tigers against the Royals’ Maximo Castillo. The Tigers are a -120 money line favorite with a total of 8. New York is at home against the Washington with the Mets pitching Carlos Carrasco against the Nationals’ Erick Fedde -295 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.The Chicago White Sox host the Minnesota Twins at 2:10 PM ET. The White Sox pitch Johnny Cueto against Twins’ Dylan Bundy. Chicago is a -125 money line favorite with a total of 8.5. St. Louis host the Chicago Cubs at 2:15 PM ET. Miles Mikolas take the mound for the Cardinals to pitch against Marcus Stroman for the Cubs. St. Louis is a -130 money line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The Seattle Mariners visit the Cleveland Guardians at 2:40 PM ET. The Mariners tap George Kirby to pitch against the Guardians’ Cal Quantrill. Seattle is a -125 money line road favorite with a total of 7.5. The Colorado Rockies travel to Cincinnati to play the Reds at 3:10 on the night cap of their doubleheader. Jose Urena takes the ball for the Rockies to pitch against Chase Anderson for the Reds. Both teams are priced at -110 with an over/under of 9.5. The San Francisco Giants are at home against the Philadelphia Phillies with the Padres turning to Carlos Rodon in their starting rotation to pitch against the Phillies Ranger Suarez. San Francisco is a -125 money line favorite with a total of 7.5. The Houston Astros visit the Los Angeles Angels at 4:07 PM ET. Jose Urquidy pitches for the Astros against Tucker Davidson for the Angels. Houston is a -170 money line road favorite with an over/under of 9.5. The Arizona Diamondbacks host the Milwaukee Brewers at 4:10 PM ET. The Diamondbacks turn to Zac Gallen in their starting rotation to pitch against the Brewers’  Jason Alexander. Arizona is a -155 money line favorite with a total of 7.5.MLB Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN has the Los Angeles Dodgers playing against the San Diego Padres. The Dodgers tap Ryan Period to pitch against the Padres’ Mike Clevinger. Los Angeles is a -165 money line favorite with an over/under of 9.Week 13 in the Canadian Football continues with one game. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers play at Saskatchewan against the Roughriders at 6 PM ET. The Blue Bombers are a 3.5-point road favorites with a total of 44.5. Matchweek 6 in the English Premier League concludes with two matches on the USA Network. Brighton and Hove Albion are at home against Leicester City as a -0.5 goal line favorite at BetMGM with an over/under of 2.5. Arsenal plays at Manchester United at 11:30 AM ET in a pick ‘em contest with a total of 2.5. 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NCAAF, MLB and EPL Previews and Odds - 09/03/2022

by Big Al Staff

Saturday, Sep 03, 2022

The Saturday sports card features NCAAF, MLB, and EPL action.Week 1 of the college football season continues with 33 games involving FBS opponents. Two games on national television kick off at Noon ET. Michigan hosts Colorado State on ABC as a 30.5-point favorite with the total set at 61 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). Appalachian State plays at home against North Carolina on ESPNU as a 1.5-point favorite with an over/under of 56.5. Six more televised NCAAF games start at 3:30 PM ET. Tulsa travels to Wyoming on FS1 as a 6.5-point road favorite with a total of 45.5. Arkansas plays at home against Cincinnati on ESPN as a 6.5-point favorite with an over/under of 53.5. Houston visits UTSA on the CBS Sports Network as a 4-point road favorite with a total of 62. San Diego State is at home against Arizona on CBS as a 6-point favorite with an over/under of 46.5. Georgia plays in Atlanta against Oregon on ABC as a 16.5-point favorite with a total of 54. Oklahoma hosts UTEP on Fox as a 30-point favorite with an over/under of 57.5. BYU plays at South Florida on ESPNU at 4 PM ET as a 12-point road favorite with a total of 58.5. Utah plays at Florida on ESPN at 7 PM ET as a 2.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 51.5. Three more NCAAF games on national television begin at 7:30 PM ET. SMU travels to North Texas on the CBS Sports Network as a 10-point road favorite with a total of 67.5. Mississippi State is at home against Memphis on ESPNU as a 16.5-point favorite with an over/under of 57.5. Ohio State hosts Notre Dame on ABC at 7:30 PM ET as a 16-point favorite with a total of 59.Oregon State plays at home against Boise State on ESPN at 10:30 PM ET as a 2.5-point favorite with an over/under of 56. Washington is at home against Kent State on FS1 as a 23-point favorite with a total of 60. Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. Two games throw out the first pitch at 4:05 PM ET. The Philadelphia Phillies travel to San Francisco to play the Giants as a -120 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Boston Red Sox play at home against the Texas Rangers. Two more MLB games start at 6:10 PM ET. The Detroit Tigers are at home against the Kansas City Royals as a -115 money line favored with a total of 8. The Tampa Bay Rays host the New York Yankees as a -135 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Toronto Blue Jays play at Pittsburgh against the Pirates at 6:35 PM ET as a -165 money line road favorite at Caesars with a total of 8. The Cincinnati Reds are at home against the Colorado Rockies as a -125 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Baltimore Orioles host the Oakland A’s at 7:05 PM ET as a -220 money line favorite at Caesars with a total of 8. The New York Mets play at home against the Washington Nationals at 7:10 PM ET as a -425 money line favorite with an over/under of 7.Three MLB games begin at 7:15 PM ET. The St. Louis Cardinals are at home against the Chicago Cubs as a -210 money line favorite with a total of 7.5. Fox’s regional coverage features two games. The Seattle Mariners play at Cleveland against the Guardians as a -160 money line road favorite at Caesars with an over/under of 7.5. The Chicago White Sox host the Minnesota Twins as a -135 money line favorite with a total of 7.5. The Atlanta Braves are at home against the Miami Marlins at 7:20 PM ET as a -190 money line favorite with a total of 7.5. The Milwaukee Brewers travel to Arizona to play the Diamondbacks at 8;10 PM ET as a -175 money line road favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The Los Angeles Angels are at home against the Houston Astros as a -125 money line favorite with a total of 8. The Los Angeles Dodgers host the San Diego Padres at 9:10 PM ET as a -210 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Matchweek 6 in the English Premier League has eight matches. Liverpool visits Everton on the USA Network at 7:30 AM ET as a -1.5 goal line road favorite (all soccer odds from BetMGM) with a total of 3. Six matches start at 10 AM, including Brentford playing at home against Leeds United on the USA Network as a -0.5 goal line favorite with an over/under of 2.5. Manchester City is at Aston Villa on NBC at 12:30 PM ET as a -1.5 goal line road favorite with a total of 3. 

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NFL Football Futures Bet: Buffalo Bills to Win 2023 Super Bowl

by Al McMordie

Saturday, Sep 03, 2022

The NFL season will kick off in five days, so I'm back with my crystal ball to forecast which team will hoist the Lombardi Trophy in February.  Last year was not a good one for me in this Super Bowl futures department, as I had the Baltimore Ravens to win the 2022 championship.  Unfortunately, the Ravens would suffer injury-after-injury, including losses to their entire backfield.  Although they got off to an 8-3 record -- good enough for the top spot in the AFC -- they lost their last six games of the season, primarily due to QB Lamar Jackson's late-season injury which caused him to miss the final four games.  The experience of the Ravens last season should serve as a reminder that futures bets are awfully hard.  Yes, it's true that I've had spectacular success on my futures bets over the years.  But the fact remains that long-term bets are often spoiled by injuries.  Still, that won't deter me from pulling the trigger on a team this season, and I'm going with Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.  Currently, the Bills are +650 at PointsBet, and I think all the pieces are in place for Buffalo to finally break through to win its first championship.  Indeed, Buffalo was (in my opinion) the best team in the NFL last year.  Unfortunately, it left 13 seconds too many on the clock after it seemingly scored the game-winning TD against Kansas City.  Patrick Mahomes took advantage, and pulled a rabbit out of his hat for the Chiefs to tie the game.  And then KC proceeded to win in overtime, with Allen never touching the ball again.  One good thing did come out of that defeat, and that was the NFL changing its overtime rule for Playoff games.  Now, both teams will get at least one possession.However, the playoff format introduced last season will continue, and that is a key reason why I like Buffalo.  Now, only two teams in the league get an all-important bye into the quarterfinals.  So, it's critical to earn the #1 seed in the AFC and NFC conferences to reduce the number of games needed to win from four to just three.Buffalo has the decided advantage going into the season because it will enjoy an easier schedule than its biggest rival, Kansas City.  The Chiefs play in perhaps the most difficult division in football, and have to play the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders twice each.  In contrast, Buffalo's division rivals are the New York Jets, New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins.  And that's a key reason why Buffalo's Season Wins total has been posted at 11.5 wins, while Kansas City's is lower, at 10.5 wins.  If the Bills can snag the #1 seed, they'll surely be difficult to defeat at Highmark Stadium in the Playoffs, as they're 16-4 SU at home, and 12-6-2 ATS the past two seasons.  And they're 12-1 straight-up, and 8-4-1 ATS at home in the playoffs since 1981.  With last year's hard lesson always fresh in their mind, this post-season, the Bills won't snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.  Instead, I expect them to not leave any room for error (not even 13 seconds), and believe they'll absolutely steamroll their opponents.  Take the Bills at +650 to win the 2023 Super Bowl. Good luck, as always,Al McMordie

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB, EPL and NCAAF Previews and Odds - 09/02/2022

by Big Al Staff

Friday, Sep 02, 2022

The Friday sports card features NCAAF, MLB, and EPL action.Week 1 of the college football season continues with five games involving FBS opponents. Two games kick off at 7 PM ET. Virginia Tech travels to Old Dominion on ESPNU as a 6.5-point road favorite, with the total set at 48 (all odds from DraftKings). Michigan State plays at home against Western Michigan on ESPN2 as a 21-point favorite with an over/under of 54.5. Duke hosts Temple at 7:30 PM ET as a 9.5-point favorite with a total of 51. Indiana is at home against Illinois on FS1 as a 1-point favorite with an over/under of 47. TCU plays at Colorado on ESPN as a 13.5-point road favorite with a total of 59.Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The Toronto Blue Jays travel to Pittsburgh at 6:35 PM ET as a -245 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8. The Cincinnati Reds are at home against the Colorado Rockies at 6:40 PM ET as a -120 money line favorite with a total of 9.5. The Baltimore Orioles are at home against the Oakland A’s at 7:05 PM ET as a -155 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. Five MLB games throw out the first pitch at 7:10 PM ET. The Seattle Mariners visit Cleveland to play the Guardians as a -140 money line road favorite with a total of 7.5. The Detroit Tigers host the Kansas City Royals, with both teams priced as a -110 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The New York Mets play at home against the Washington Nationals as a -260 money line favorite with a total of 7.5. The Boston Red Sox are at home against the Texas Rangers as a -180 money line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Tampa Bay Rays host the New York Yankees as a -130 money line favorite with a total of 7.5. The Atlanta Braves are at home against the Miami Marlins at 7:20 PM ET as a -180 money line favorite with an over/under of 7. The Minnesota Twins play at Chicago against the White Sox at 8:10 PM ET as a -135 money line road favorite with a total of 8. The St. Louis Cardinals host the Chicago Cubs at 8:15 PM ET as a -245 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Houston Astros travel to Los Angeles to play the Angels at 9:38 PM ET as a -150 money line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The Milwaukee Brewers play at Arizona against the Diamondbacks at 9:40 PM ET as a -115 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Los Angeles Dodgers are at home against the San Diego Padres at 10:10 PM ET as a -165 money line favorite with a total of 8. The San Francisco Giants host the Philadelphia Phillies at 10:15 PM ET as a -120 money line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Week 13 of the Canadian Football League begins with Montreal playing at home against Ottawa at 7:30 PM ET. The Alouettes are a 4-point favorite with a total of 49.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NCAAF, MLB and EPL Previews and Odds - 09/01/2022

by Big Al Staff

Thursday, Sep 01, 2022

The Thursday sports card features NCAAF, MLB, and EPL action.Week 1 of the college football season kicks off with six games involving FBS opponents. Three games start at 7 PM ET. Tennessee hosts Ball State as a 35.5-point favorite, with the total set at 66.5 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). Pittsburgh plays at home against West Virginia on ESPN as a 7.5-point favorite with an over/under of 51.5. Oklahoma State is at home against Central Michigan on FS1 as a 21.5-point favorite with a total of 58.Two more NCAAF games begin at 8 PM  ET. Penn State travels to Purdue on Fox as a 3.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 53. Missouri plays at home against Louisiana Tech on ESPNU as a 20.5-point favorite with a total of 61.5. Minnesota hosts New Mexico State at 9 PM ET as a 36.5-point favorite with an over/under of 52.5. Major League Baseball has eight games on its schedule. The Seattle Mariners visit the Detroit Tigers at 1:10 PM ET. Logan Gilbert takes the ball for the Mariners against Eduardo Rodriguez for the Tigers. Seattle is a -155 money line road favorite with a total of 7.5. The Chicago White Sox are at home against the Kansas City Royals at 2:10 PM ET. The White Sox turn to Johnny Cueto in their starting rotation to pitch against the Royals’ Daniel Mengden. Chicago is a -225 money line favorite at BetMGM with an over/under of 9. The Washington Nationals host the Oakland A’s at 4:05 PM ET. Paolo Espino takes the mound for the Nationals against Ken Waldichuk who got called up from the minors to get the start. Washington is a -115 money line favorite with a total of 7.5. The Los Angeles Dodgers play at New York against the Mets at 4:10 PM ET. The Dodgers tap Clayton Kershaw to battle against the Mets’ Chris Bassitt. Los Angeles is a -135 money line road favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The Cleveland Guardians are at home against the Baltimore Orioles at 6:10 PM ET. Shane Bieber takes the hill for the Guardians to pitch against Kyle Bradish for the Orioles. Cleveland is a -180 money line favorite with a total of 7.5. The Boston Red Sox are at home against the Texas Rangers at 7:10 PM ET. The Red Sox tap Rich Hill to pitch against the Rangers’ Glenn Otto. Boston is a -165 money line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. The Atlanta Braves host the Colorado Rockies at 7:20 PM ET. Spencer Strider takes the ball for the Braves to pitch against Chad Kuhl for the Rockies. Atlanta is a -390 money line favorite with a total of 8. The MLB card finishes at 9:40 PM ET with the Milwaukee Brewers playing at Arizona against the Diamondbacks. The Brewers send Brandon Woodruff to the mound to duel against the Diamondbacks’ Merrill Kelly. Milwaukee is a -135 money line road favorite at BetMGM with an over/under of 7.5. Matchweek 5 in the English Premier League concludes with Manchester United visiting Leicester City on the USA Network at 3 PM ET. The Red Devils are a -0.5 goal line road favorite with a total of 3. 

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Pacific Classic Stakes Preview

by Al McMordie

Thursday, Sep 01, 2022

Ninety five percent of people who watch at least one horse race during the year are the casual sports fans who turn it on for the first Saturday in May (the Kentucky Derby).  It's a real shame that this weekend those same folks won't be tuned in to see the Pacific Classic Stakes, race # 9 at Del Mar Race track, because they would potentially be witnessing one of the greatest athletes in the country today -- equine or otherwise.  Race fans have longed for another Secretariat, Forego, John Henry, Zenyatta, etc. and we may finally have one in the four-year-son of Tapit named Flightline.  Below, we'll dig deeper into this freak of nature as well as some of the others in Saturday evening's big race -- which is basically the West Coast version of the Travers Stakes.  Contenders:  #5 Flightline.  This John Sadler-trained superstar is undefeated in four career starts.  He was not part of the Triple Crown series last year when he was a 3 YO because Flightline was a little slower to develop, but once he went to the track, he could not be stopped.  Nobody has really come close to beating him and it seems as though every subsequent race is more impressive than the last.  But Flightline is not without his doubters.  The main argument that he's not a sure thing today is the fact that all of his races have been at a distance of 8 furlongs (one mile) or shorter and he has never been around two turns in a race.  Against this group, it may not matter.  Regular rider Flavien Prat will be aboard for Sadler who won the Breeders Cup Classic a few years ago with Accelerate.  If he's successful today, that same Breeders Cup Classic (at the same distance as today) in November is likely next for this star. #2 Country Grammar.  The only other horse in the field who appears to be even a slight threat to Flightline is this Bob Baffert-trained son of Tonalist.  While Flightline is a 4 YO with four races, Country Grammar is a year older and has raced 11 times and earned over $10 Million.  An afterthought after finishing 5th in the Travers as a 3 YO, Country Grammar came around in his four-year-old season, finishing first in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita and second in the Californian (also at Santa Anita).  He has been even better this year with second place finishes in the San Diego Handicap and $20 Million Saudi Cup and a victory in the Dubai World Cup.  Where Flightline has some question marks on being able to get the 1 1/4 mile distance today, there are no such concerns with Country Grammar who has done it multiple times already.  Johnny Velasquez comes in from New York to take the ride.  Clearly the second choice and if Flightline fades, this one is your logical winner. Live Longshot:   #4 Express Train.  While there is likely no other winner of this race besides the two already mentioned, this son of Union Rags offers an intriguing choice underneath in the exactas.  John Sherrifs of Zenyatta fame trains Express Train who has been on quite a roll lately.  Since finishing 6th in this race last year, Express Train has three firsts, one second, and one third in his five races, all at Santa Anita.  He has a very nice record at this track however, with three wins and one second-place finish in five starts at Del Mar.  Express Train is 12-1 on the morning line and with two losses to #6 Stilleto Boy (20-1) on his resume, don't be surprised if he goes up from there before post time.  Regular rider Victor Espinoza climbs back aboard.  Use him underneath Flightline and Country Grammar.Good luck, as always...Al McMordie 

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Two Heisman Trophy Long Shot Bets (that both play on Thursday night)!

by Hollywood Sports

Wednesday, Aug 31, 2022

Call it the Island of Misfit Toys Bowl on the first Thursday night of the college football season when West Virginia travels to Heinz Field to play Pittsburgh. Both these programs decided to turn to the transfer window in the offseason to help address the graduation of multi-year starting quarterbacks. And both of these quarterbacks were not only highly touted recruits coming out of high school, but both were once teammates together at USC. Both quarterbacks eventually decided to transfer amidst the chaos that has been the Trojans program under head coach Clay Helton the last few seasons. And both of these quarterbacks offer Long Shot odds at 200-1 to win the Heisman Trophy this year with their new team. Fourth-year head coach Neal Brown announced earlier this week that J.T. Daniels has won the job to be the Mountaineers' starting quarterback. It has been a bumpy journey for the former five-star recruit who began his college career in Los Angeles before a pit stop in Athens, Georgia before settling down now in Morgantown, West Virginia. Daniels graduated early from his high school in South Anaheim and was recruited to play at USC as the High School National Player of the Year. He threw for over 12,000 yards in high school with 152 touchdown passes — and he was groomed to be the Trojans’ immediate starter as a freshman as they began their post-Sam Darnold era in 2018. He had 11 starts in that first year while showing flashes of brilliance including completing 26 of 31 passes in the first half of the Notre Dame game. But injuries held him back and he entered his sophomore season in a competition with Jack Sears, a redshirt sophomore who played well in his absence and thrived during spring practice. Daniels attended just 24 passes in 2019 before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the Trojans’ opening game against Fresno State. The injury created the opportunity for freshman Kedon Slovis to take over running the offense after winning the backup job. Slovis went on to complete 282 of 392 passes for 3502 yards with 30 touchdown passes and nine interceptions. With the highest completion percentage by a freshman of 71.9% in the history of NCAA football, Slovis cemented his place as the team’s starting moving forward. Both Daniels and Sears saw the writing on the wall and entered the transfer portal in the offseason. While Sears moved on to Boise State the next season, Daniels aimed higher by enrolling at the University of Georgia for the 2020 season as a redshirt sophomore. Coming off knee surgery, the onset of the COVID pandemic with its impact on practice time did Daniels no favors when competing against the steady hand of senior Stetson Bennett IV. But when the Bulldogs fell to 4-2 on the season after a 44-29 loss to Florida, head coach Kirby Smart turned to Daniels as his starting quarterback for the final four games. Not only did Georgia win all four games, but Daniels demonstrated his vast potential by completing 80 of 119 passes for 1231 yards with ten touchdown passes and just two interceptions. The Bulldogs' offense averaged 37.3 Points-Per-Game in those final four games with Daniels’ strong arm unlocking a big-play element to the offense that did not exist with Bennett. Many expected Daniels to be the incumbent starter for Georgia to open the 2021 season — and Smart tapped him as his first-string quarterback in their opening game showdown with Clemson. The Bulldogs pulled off a 10-3 upset win in that game — but Daniels did not lead the team to a touchdown drive (Georgia’s defense set the tone that would define their National Championship season by scoring on a pick-six). Daniels completed 22 of 30 passes but in what was a low-risk game plan from offensive coordinator Todd Monken as he passes for just 135 yards. He also had an interception. An oblique injury kept him out of the following game against UAB which gave Bennett another chance under center — and the former walk-on and fifth-year senior took full advantage by completing 10 of 12 passes for 288 yards and five touchdown passes. Daniels was ready to play the next week against South Carolina — and he completed 23 of 31 passes for 303 yards with three touchdown passes in the start to lead the Bulldogs to a 40-13 victory. But then a lat injury held him back the next week in a game where he split time with Bennett who continued to play at a very high level while protecting the football. Daniels would only throw 94 passes all season with 68 completions, 722 yards, and seven touchdown passes. He was perched to reclaim the starting quarterback job from Bennett if the Bulldogs ever stumbled — but Georgia had a spot in the playoffs locked before the SEC Championship Game where they lost to Alabama but having it only cost them in the final four seeding. Bennett would lead Georgia to the National Championship and was coming back as a super sixth-year senior. Daniels decided to transfer to a program where he could win the starting job while showing off his talents for the next level. Back at USC, Slovis followed up his freshman season by completing 177 of his 264 passes for 1921 yards with 17 touchdown passes and seven interceptions. But the Trojans disappointed their fans with an 8-4 record. He returned for his junior season in 2021 with the hopes of building off the promise of his freshman season — but he completed 193 of 297 passes for 2153 yards with 11 touchdown passes but eight interceptions in a lost season where they lost four of their first seven games en route to a 4-8 finish with Helton fired midseason. Slovis was eventually benched for yet another highly touted freshman in Jaxson Dart as the program looked to the future. When USC lured head coach Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma and he brought his star sophomore quarterback with him, Caleb Williams, the writing was on the wall. Slovis transferred to Pittsburgh to fill the shoes of a five-year starter, Kenny Pickett. With wide receiver Jordan Addison transferring to USC, he may not have the weapons needed to put up Heisman numbers. The Panthers also have a new offensive coordinator in Frank Cignetti, Jr. who has serious run-first tendencies from his time in the NFL as the offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams under head coach Jeff Fisher. But Slovis remains a senior with a career completion percentage of 68.3% with 58 touchdown passes in his three seasons. Pittsburgh was a team that scored 41.4 PPG and generated 486.6 total YPG last season — ranking 3rd and 5th in the nation. Slovis certainly had a better pedigree to challenge for a Heisman Trophy before Picket’s surprising campaign last year.Daniels may offer an even more intriguing case playing for West Virginia. He gets reunited with Graham Harrell as his offensive coordinator. Although Harrell’s first season as offensive coordinator at USC was the same year that Daniels got injured in the first game, there is already familiarity. Harrell is considered one of the brightest young offensive minds in college football — and head coach Neal Brown needs to make a splash with him firmly on the hot seat with a 17-18 record with the Mountaineers. Daniels has three returning starters at wide receiver to work with along with the benefit of an offensive line that returns all five starters. As of Monday when I visited the Westgate, both Daniels and Slovis were at 200-1 odds to win the Heisman Trophy — the same odds as Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford and Georgia tight end Brock Bowers. With Alabama quarterback Bryce Young the favorite at 4-1 odds to repeat as the Heisman winner, this field seems wide open to me. Many bettors will prefer Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud or Williams at USC with Riley — but at 9-4 and 7-1 odds as of Monday at the Westgate, those are underlay values. On the other hand, I threw fliers on both Daniels and Slovis at 200-1 odds. In new environments and diminished expectations, both veteran quarterbacks could put up huge numbers while getting the benefit of the east coast media machine. They both have two mighty big chips on their shoulder after being cast away by USC. And they both get to make a strong initial impression on ESPN on Thursday night in front of a national audience. Best of luck — Frank.

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Kill Your Darlings: NFL Handicapping and Roster Realities

by Hollywood Sports

Wednesday, Aug 31, 2022

When one attends film school to study screenwriting, it is all but inevitable that a professor will exclaim to a room of would-be writers that for success that they must be willing to “kill your darlings.” It has become a subject of folklore as to who first delivered this phrase. Stephen King has been quoted: “Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.” William Faulkner is supposed to have proclaimed: “In writing, you must kill all your darlings.” Scholars go back to 1914 when Arthur Quiller-Couch used the phrase “murder your darlings” when advising on writing style. The lesson coming from these writers is that one must beholden to a higher truth even if it comes at the expense of particular thoughts and ideas that one fancies. For the writer, there may be certain scenes or lines of dialogue that they find particularly clever — but that does not mean that the audience will share that sentiment. In the editing process, as final decisions are being made, the successful writer must be willing to be a harsh critic and remove these extraneous elements. Sports handicappers go through a similar process. We all have brewing ideas about how good or bad teams will be in the new NFL season. “Denver is a Super Bowl contender now that they have Russell Wilson under center!” Or, “New England is a mess since they do not even have an official offensive coordinator.” Things like this are interesting thoughts in the month of August. But successful handicappers must be willing to kill these darlings when looking at the specific circumstances of the game at hand — and then filter those thoughts with the actual point spread and total that have been assigned for that.Actual rosters — not the imagined ones in August — remain fluid even as the month turns to September. The 32 NFL teams cut down their rosters to 53 players on Tuesday. Teams have been scouring the waiver wire ever since looking for upgrades. Many teams' quarterbacks' rooms have completely changed. Some teams have picked up players in the last 24 hours will get significant playing time for them in Week One. The assumptions of August often get crushed by specific situations of September. Take the state of affairs regarding injuries, all coming from Pat Kirwan from his Moving the Chains afternoon show on Sirius NFL Radio. As of August 30th, there are 120 players on the Injured List. Feeling bullish this season about the Las Vegas Raiders? They lead the NFL with eight players already on their Injured List. There are another 29 players on the PUP list. Seven players are suspended. Another seven players are out due to non-football-related injuries. Thirty-three other players were waived because of injury. In all, 182 players are unavailable from that list -- a rough average of four-to-five per NFL team. The NFL will also have more rookies playing than ever before. More numbers from Kirwan, a former general manager for the New York Jets: 30 of the 32 1st round draft picks made teams as of Tuesday; 27 of the 32 picks from the 2nd round are on active rosters; 39 of 31 from the 3rd round; 37 of 38 from the 4th round; 31 of 36 from the 5th round; 26 of 43 from the 6th round; 26 of 41 from the 7th round. NFL teams have also signed 53 undrafted college free agents who made one of the 32 rosters. Kirwan put the previous average of undrafted free agents who make initial 53-man rosters in the 38-40 range. It is interesting that the 53 undrafted free agents that made rosters are more than the 52 players drafted in Rounds Six and Seven who made rosters. In total, 16.8% of the rosters after Tuesday’s cut-down deadline comprise of rookies. Maybe these rookies — and the injuries — will not impact that “sleeper” team who have fallen in love with this offseason. But to have consistent success this season in the NFL, when it comes to your initial thoughts in the preseason about how teams will fare, you better be willing to kill your darlings. Best of luck — Frank. 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB and EPL Previews and Odds - 08/31/2022

by Big Al Staff

Wednesday, Aug 31, 2022

The Wednesday sports card features MLB and EPL action.Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The Houston Astros travel to Texas to play the Rangers at 2:05 PM ET. Cristian Javier takes the ball for the Astros to pitch against Martin Perez for the Rangers. The Pittsburgh Pirates play at Milwaukee against the Brewers at 2:10 PM ET. The Brewers tap Freddy Peralta to take the mound against a starting pitcher yet to be named for the Pirates. The San Diego Padres are at San Francisco against the Giants at 3:45 PM ET. Joe Musgrove gets tapped as the starting pitcher for the Padres to pitch against Alex Wood for the Giants. San Diego is a -140 money line road favorite, with the total set at 8 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). The Cleveland Guardians host the Baltimore Orioles at 6:10 PM ET. The Guardians turn to Triston McKenzie to battle against the Orioles’ Jordan Lyles. Cleveland is a -165 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. Two MLB games throw out the first pitch at 6:40 PM ET. Tampa Bay plays at Miami with Drew Rasmussen dueling against a starting pitcher yet to be determined for the Marlins. St. Louis is at Cincinnati with the Jose Quintana taking the ball for the Cardinals to pitch against Mike Minor for the Reds. The Cardinals are a -225 money line road favorite with a total of 9.5. The Oakland A’s visit Washington to play the Nationals at 7:05 PM ET. The A’s turn to James Kaprielian to take the hill against the Nationals’ Anibal Sanchez. Oakland is a -115 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Toronto Blue Jays play at home against the Chicago Cubs at 7:07 PM ET. Mitch White takes the mound for the Blue Jays against a starting pitcher yet to be determined for the Cubs. Two MLB games start at 7:10 PM ET. New York hosts Los Angeles with the Mets’ pitching Jacob DeGrom against the Dodgers’ Tyler Alexander. The Mets are a -150 money line favorite with a total of 7. Seattle travels to Detroit with Marco Gonzales pitching for the Mariners against Tyler Alexander for the Tigers. The Mariners are a -165 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Atlanta Braves play at home against the Colorado Rockies at 7:20 PM ET. The Braves tap Kyle Wright to pitch against the Rockies’ Ryan Feltner. Atlanta is a -300 money line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Minnesota Twins are at home against the Boston Red Sox at 7:40 PM ET. Joe Ryan takes the hill for the Twins against Michael Wacha for the Red Sox. Minnesota is a -130 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Chicago White Sox host the Kansas City Royals at 8:10 PM ET. The White Sox tap Lance Lynn to pitch against the Royals’ Kris Bubic. Chicago is a -190 money line favorite with a total of 8.5. The New York Yankees travel to Los Angeles to play the Angels at 9:38 PM ET. Gerrit Cole pitches for the Yankees against Patrick Sandoval for the Angels. New York is a -190 money line road favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The Philadelphia Phillies play at Arizona against the Diamondbacks at 9:40 PM ET. The Phillies send out Bailey Falter to pitch against the Diamondbacks’ Tommy Henry. Philadelphia is a -135 money line road favorite with a total of 9.Matchweek 5 in the English Premier League continues with five matches. Three matches begin at 2:30 PM ET. Arsenal hosts Aston Villa as a -1 goal line favorite with an over/under of 2.5. Wolverhampton travels to Bournemouth as a -0.5 goal line road favorite with a total of 2.5. Manchester City plays at home against Nottingham Forest as a -3 goal line favorite with an over/under of 4. Tottenham plays at West Ham United at 2:45 PM ET as a -0.5 goal line road favorite with a total of 2.5. Liverpool is at home against Newcastle United on the USA Network at 3 PM ET as a -1.5 goal line favorite with an over/under of 3. 

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Is Dylan Bundy Preparing for a Career Renaissance in his 30s?

by Team Del Genio

Tuesday, Aug 30, 2022

Dylan Bundy is probably not going to ever regain the form he demonstrated in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Signed as a free agent in the offseason by the Los Angeles Angels, the right-hander posted an 11-6 record with a 3.29 era and a 1.04 whip in eleven starts compromising of 65 2/3 innings. His strikeout rate of 27.0% of the batters he faced was the highest of his career. Yet in his second-year with the Angels, Bundy was a major disappointment. He had a 2-9 record with an ugly 6.06 era and a 1.36 whip. He made nineteen starts in twenty-three appearances in pitching 65 2/3 innings. His strikeout rate dropped to 21.2%, and his walk-rate rose to an 8.6% mark of all the batters he faced, a five-year high since his second season in the league with Baltimore.The Minnesota Twins signed him in the offseason with the hopes that he could find that 2020 formula that worked so well with the Angels. Going into his start on Monday against Boston, many of his numbers did not look promising. For the year, Bundy had a 7-6 record with a 4.56 era and a 1.21 whip, yet there were reasons for optimism for his starts this month that helped persuade us to back Minnesota in our MLB Game of the Month on that day. Bundy was coming off a start in Houston the previous Wednesday where he allowed only three hits and two runs in five innings of work. In his four previous starts in August, Bundy has a 2.32 era and a 0.86 whip. His walk-rate of 5.1% of the batters he has faced was the lowest of his career. He had walked only four batters in his last five starts consisting of 24 1/3 innings, and he has not walked more than one batter in an outing since July 26th.The 29-year-old held the Red Sox to just two runs but could not get the final out in the fifth inning to complete five full innings of work. In hindsight, the effort was indicative of where Bundy has gone in his career. He struck out only three batters, and he has a mere six strikeout in his last four starts comprising 20 innings. His strikeout rate of 16.7% is the lowest of his career. Yet he did enough to put his team in a position to win the game, and Minnesota did pull the game out, 4-2. Bundy has only allowed six earned runs in his last four starts for a 2.70 era. While he is not striking out batters like he was in 2020, he has changed his tactics to rely more on his control. After walking only one Red Sox batter on Monday, his walk rate has dropped to 5.0% while averaging just 1.91 bases-on-balls per nine innings. His previous career-low was in that 2020 season with the Angels when he walked 2.33 batters per nine innings. Bundy is a fly ball pitcher with 44.3% of the balls that batters are putting into play being fly balls. Yet his home run rate of 1.27 per nine innings is the second-lowest of his career, behind the 0.68 home runs per nine innings he allowed in his benchmark 2020 season. Bundy is not likely to ever approach the numbers he put up in that shortened season in 2020. Yet by reducing his walks and getting more batters to settle for fly balls when pitching half his games in Target Stadium for the Twins, he just might find a new formula for success. That 2020 campaign was the only year in his career where he posted an era below 4.00. He could develop into a veteran who can be a 3.75 era in the back half of his career just yet.Good luck - Team Del Genio. 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB and EPL Previews and Odds - 08/30/2022

by Big Al Staff

Tuesday, Aug 30, 2022

The Tuesday sports card features MLB and EPL action.Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The Cleveland Guardians host the Baltimore Orioles at 6:10 PM ET. Cal Quantrill takes the ball for the Guardians to pitch against Spenser Watkins for the Orioles. Cleveland is a -155 money line favorite, with the total set at 8 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). Two more MLB games throw out the first pitch at 6:40 PM ET. Tampa Bay plays at Miami, with the Rays turning to Shane McClanahan in their starting rotation to battle against the Marlins’ Jesus Luzardo. The Rays are a -250 money line road favorite at BetMGM with an over/under of 6.5. St. Louis visits Cincinnati with Dakota Hudson on the mound for the Cardinals against Justin Dunn for the Reds. The Cardinals are a -210 money line road favorite with a total of 10. The Washington Nationals host the Oakland A’s at 7:05 PM ET. The Nationals turn to Erick Fedde to pitch against the A’s Cole Irvin. Washington is a -115 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Toronto Blue Jays play at home against the Chicago Cubs at 7:07 PM ET. Kevin Gausman pitches for the Blue Jays against Marcus Stroman for the Cubs. Toronto is a -210 money line favorite with a total of 8. Two more MLB games start at 7:10 PM ET. Seattle visits Detroit with the Mariners tapping George Kirby to pitch against the Tigers’ Matt Manning. The Mariners are a -170 money line road favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Los Angeles plays at New York on TBS with Andrew Heaney pitching for the Dodgers against Taijuan Walker for the Mets. The Dodgers are a -130 money line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The Atlanta Braves are at home against the Colorado Rockies at 7:20 PM ET. The Braves tap Max Fried to pitch against Jose Urena for the Rockies. Atlanta is a -360 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Minnesota Twins host the Boston Red Sox at 7:40 PM ET. Chris Archer takes the hill for the Twins against Kutter Crawford for the Red Sox. Minnesota is a -135 money line favorite with a total of 9.  The Houston Astros play at Texas against the Rangers at 8:05 PM ET. The Astros turn to Framber Valdez in their starting rotation to pitch against Dane Dunning for the Rangers. Houston is a -180 money line road favorite with an over/under of 7. Two more MLB games begin at 8:10 PM ET. Pittsburgh plays at Milwaukee with Mitch Keller pitching for the Pirates against Jason Alexander for the Brewers. Chicago plays at home against Kansas City, with the White Sox turning to Lucas Giolito to pitch against the Royals’ Brady Singer. The White Sox are a -135 money line favorite with a total of 8. The New York Yankees travel to Los Angeles to play the Angels at 9:38 PM ET. Jameson Taillon takes the hill for the Yankees to duel against Mike Mayers for the Angels. New York is a -175 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Philadelphia Phillies play at Arizona against the Diamondbacks at 9:40 PM ET. The Phillies turn to Aaron Nola to pitch against the Diamondbacks’ Zac Gallen. Philadelphia is a -135 money line road favorite with a total of 7.5. The San Diego Padres visit San Francisco to play the Giants at 9:45 PM ET. Blake Snell pitches for the Padres against Logan Webb for the Giants. San Diego is a -125 money line road favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Matchweek 5 in the English Premier League begins with four matches. Two games start at 2:30 PM ET. Crystal Palace plays at home against Brentford as a -0.5 goal line favorite with a total of 2.5 (all EPL odds from BetMGM). Brighton and Hove Albion are at Fulham as a -0.5 goal line road favorite with an over/under of 2.5. Chelsea travels to Southampton at 2:45 PM ET as a -1 goal line road favorite with an over/under of 2.5. Leeds United hosts Everton on the USA Network at 3 PM ET as a -0.5 goal line favorite with a total of 2.5. 

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