Follow us @bigal_com

Instagram Twitter

Articles

Big Al's Daily Angle: NFL, MLB, CFL and EPL Previews and Odds - 08/27/2023

by Big Al Staff

Sunday, Aug 27, 2023

The Sunday sports card features NFLX, MLB, CFL, and EPL action. The NFL preseason concludes with one game. The New Orleans Saints host the Houston Texans on Fox at 8 PM ET. The Saints have won their first two preseason games after their 22-17 victory on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers as a 3.5-point favorite last Sunday. The Texans fell to 1-1 this preseason with a 28-3 upset loss at home against Miami as a 1-point favorite last Saturday. New Orleans is a 2.5-point favorite, with the total set at 38. Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The New York Mets play at home against the Los Angeles Angels on Peacock at 12:05 PM ET as a -122 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. Four more MLB games throw out the first pitch at 1:35 PM ET. The Chicago Cubs travel to Pittsburgh to play the Pirates as a -125 money-line road favorite with a total of 9. The Philadelphia Phillies are at home against the St. Louis Cardinals as a -205 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Los Angeles Dodgers travel to Boston to play the Red Sox. The Colorado Rockies are in Baltimore to play the Orioles. The Toronto Blue Jays host the Cleveland Guardians at 1:37 PM ET as a -205 money-line favorite with a total of 9. Three more MLB games start at 1:40 PM ET. The Houston Astros play in Detroit against the Tigers as a -185 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9. The Washington Nationals play in Miami against the Marlins. The Tampa Bay Rays are at home against the New York Yankees as a -125 money-line favorite with a total of 8.Three MLB games begin at 2:10 PM ET. The Chicago White Sox host the Oakland A’s as a -135 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Texas Rangers are in Minnesota to play the Twins as a -112 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The San Diego Padres visit Milwaukee to play the Brewers as a -120 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9. Two MLB games start at 4:10 PM ET. The Arizona Diamondbacks play at home against the Cincinnati Res as a -122 money-line favorite with a total of 9.5. The Kansas City Royals play in Seattle to play the Mariners. The Atlanta Braves visit San Francisco to play the Giants on Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN at 7:10 PM ET. Week 12 in the Canadian Football League concludes with one game. The Edmonton Elks are at home against the Ottawa Redblacks on the CBS Sports Network at 7 PM ET. The Elks ended their nine-game losing streak with a 24-10 upset victory at Hamilton on August 17th. The Redblacks come off a 25-24 loss to Montreal as a 2.5-point underdog last Saturday. Edmonton is a 1-point favorite with an over/under of 45.5. Matchweek 3 of the English Premier League concludes with three matches. Two matches start at 9 AM ET. Aston Villa plays at Burnley as a -0.5 goal-line road favorite with a total of 2.5. Manchester City is at Sheffield United on the USA Network as a -2 goal-line road favorite with an over/under of 3. Newcastle United hosts Liverpool on the USA Network at 11:30 AM ET as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 3.

Read more

Big Al's Daily Angle: NCAAF, NFL, CFL, MLB and EPL Previews and Odds - 08/26/2023

by Big Al Staff

Saturday, Aug 26, 2023

The Saturday sports card features NCAAF, NFLX, MLB, CFL, and EPL action.The 2023-24 NCAAF college football season kicks off with seven games in “Week 0.” Notre Dame plays Navy at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland on NBC at 2:30 PM ET as a 20.5-point favorite with the total set at 48.5 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). UTEP visits Jacksonville State on the CBS Sports Network at 5:30 PM ET as a 2-point road favorite with an over/under of 54. Two nationally-televised NCAAF games start at 7 PM ET. New Mexico State plays at home against Massachusetts on ESPN as a 7-point favorite with a total of 45. San Diego State is at home against Ohio on FS1 as a 3-point favorite with an over/under of 48. Vanderbilt hosts Hawaii at 7:30 PM ET as a 17.5-point favorite with an over/under of 50. USC plays at home against San Jose State at 8 PM ET as a 31.5-point favorite with a total of 66.5. Louisiana Tech is at home against Florida International on the CBS Sports Network at 9 PM ET as a 12-point favorite with an over/under of 57.5. Week 3 of the NFL preseason continues with 12 games. Four NFLX preseason games start at 1 PM ET. The Buffalo Bills visit Chicago to play the Bears as a 3-point road favorite with a total of 37.5. The Minnesota Vikings host the Arizona Cardinals as a 1.5-point favorite with an over/under of 38.5. The Cleveland Browns are in Kansas City to play the Chiefs on the NFL Network as a 3.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 41.5. The Green Bay Packers play at home against the Seattle Seahawks as a 3-point favorite with a total of 39.5. The New York Jets are the technical visitors when they play the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on the NFL Network at 6 PM ET as a 6-point favorite with an over/under of 39. The Washington Commanders are at home against the Cincinnati Bengals at 6:05 PM ET as a 3-point favorite with a total of 35. Two NFLX preseason games begin at 7 PM ET. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Baltimore Ravens as a 1.5-point favorite with an over/under of 36.5. The Jacksonville Jaguars play at home against the Miami Dolphins as a 6.5-point favorite with a total of 41. The Las Vegas Raiders travel to Dallas to play the Cowboys at 8 PM ET as a 5-point road favorite with an over/under of 38.5. The Denver Broncos are at home against the Los Angeles Rams on the NFL Network at 9 PM ET as a 6-point favorite with a total of 36.5. Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The Toronto Blue Jays host the Cleveland Guardians at 3:07 PM ET as a -170 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Atlanta Braves play in San Francisco against the Giants on FS1 at 4:05 PM ET. Four MLB games throw out the first pitch at 4:10 PM ET. The Seattle Mariners play at home against the Kansas City Royals as a -238 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Los Angeles Dodgers are in Boston to play the Red Sox as a -135 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 10. The Tampa Bay Rays are at home against the New York Yankees as a -180 money-line favorite with a total of 7.5. The Miami Marlins host the Washington Nationals as a -205 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Houston Astros travel to Detroit to play the Tigers at 6:10 PM ET as a -135 money-line road favorite with a total of 10. The Baltimore Orioles play at home against the Colorado Rockies at 7:05 PM ET as a -298 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Three more MLB games begin at 7:10 PM ET. The Los Angeles Angels are in New York to play the Mets as a -125 money-line road favorite with a total of 10. The Chicago White Sox are at home against the Oakland A’s as a -125 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Milwaukee Brewers host the San Diego Padres as a -125 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. Three MLB games are on Fox regional coverage that begins at 7:15 PM ET. The Philadelphia Phillies play at home against the St. Louis Cardinals as a -198 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Chicago Cubs are in Pittsburgh to play the Pirates. The Texas Rangers travel to Minnesota to play the Twins as a -118 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8. The Cincinnati Reds play in Arizona against the Diamondbacks at 8:10 PM ET. Week 12 in the Canadian Football League continues with one game. The British Columbia Lions are at home against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at 7 PM ET as a 10-point favorite with a total of 46. Matchweek 3 of the English Premier League continues with six matches. Tottenham visits Bournemouth on the USA Network at 7:30 AM ET as a -0.5 goal-line road favorite with an over/under of 3 (all soccer odds from BetMGM). Four more EPL matches start at 10 AM ET. Arsenal hosts Fulham on the USA Network as a -2 goal-line favorite with a total of 3. Brentford plays at home against Crystal Palace as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 2.5. Everton is at home against Wolverhampton as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 2.5. Manchester United hosts Nottingham Forest as a -1.5 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 3. Brighton and Hove Albion plays at home against West Ham United on NBC at 12:30 PM ET as a -1 goal-line favorite with a total of 3.5.

Read more

College Football 2023: Sun Belt Preview

by Scott Rickenbach

Friday, Aug 25, 2023

College Football 2023: Sun Belt It is the month of August 2023 and, as always at this time of year, excitement is building for the coming Football season. That includes NFL and College Football. Most every sports bettor is quite familiar with the NFL as it is certainly the most popular among sports betting markets. Additionally, when it comes to College Football, many sports bettors are quite familiar with the Power 5 Conferences.  The “Power 5” Conferences include the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC. Those major conferences in College Football along with the 32 teams in the NFL dominate the attention of most everyone this time of year and heading into the football season. That said, my focus heading into the new season is covering the “other 6” which is the “Group of 5” Conferences as well as the small group of Independents.  These less popular teams which comprise the “other” conferences absolutely deserve some attention and yet many sports bettors are the least familiar with these smaller conferences. That is even with the best value often being found where others just do not focus the attention. That said, I feel there is value in at least giving a “quick hitter” preview at these teams heading into the 2023 season.  Sun Belt (East listed first then West): Appalachian State – Looking for overs with this team. Replacing the QB on offense but still look strong on that side of the ball while this defense loaded with question marks.  Coastal Carolina – Still a favorite to win the East but they lost a lot of experience on defense and they were not strong there to begin with. Still seem to have a little more talent than the other teams in the league however.  Georgia Southern – I like what they are building here. Solid head coach and a respectable program that is scrappy and so the Eagles will be good enough to surprise teams and could be a value team worth watching in this league.        Georgia State – The Panthers will try to pound teams up front as they want to run and create physicality. Can their lines hold up though? Not against some of the stronger teams that can beat them in the trenches. Will likely finish near the bottom of the East.  James Madison – They are solid but they lost a little too much to be quite as strong as last season the way I see it. They could be a bit overvalued because of their solid season last year.  Marshall – One of the better teams in the conference but only a few starters returning on defense and though this is a solid and athletic program, I have some concerns about the Thundering Herd until we see how the pieces mesh.  Old Dominion – Monarchs could be the worst team in the conference. Remember they are still a new program when it comes to this level of football and though they are well-coached, the talent level and depth with this program is just not quite there yet.   Arkansas State – Despite not a lot of returning starters, this offensive unit looks solid and they should perform well under an aggressive coaching style. But I do not trust this defense and this could be a club to keep an eye on for overs this season.  Louisiana – Look for last season to be an aberration as the Ragin Cajuns took a step back. This team has solid talent defensively and having a rare solid defense in this conference can absolutely lead to a few extra wins in conference games.  South Alabama – The Jaguars might be the best team in the SunBelt and I will be looking for value spots to back them. They can beat you on both sides of the ball and have really built up a solid homegrown roster in recent seasons.  Southern Miss – Like Louisiana, this is a team where I like the way their defense is looking and that counts for something. We could see unders with this Eagles team because the offense still needs to grow more and I think the defense will be the story with this team.  Texas State – Hard to trust the Bobcats early on for anything because there has been so much roster turnover. At the same time though, they look like a team that should be able to score a lot of points as they will go fast. The problem down in San Marcos, TX is that this team looks like they will not be able to stop anyone on defense.  Troy – One of the best programs in the SunBelt seemingly year in and year out and this season should be no different. The Trojans will again be near the top and they are just solid on both side of the ball, at least by the standards of this conference they will again be on of the most complete programs.  ULM – As bad as Texas State and Arkansas State look, the Warhawks likely will be even worse and beat them to the cellar. The defense allowed about 35 points per game last season and they just not have the athleticism that most of the other SBC programs have. Warhawks struggle again this season. Too many newcomers here. 

Read more

2023 MAC Football Schedule Review

by Nelly's Sports

Friday, Aug 25, 2023

The stability of the MAC is a comfort given the consistent realignment around the rest of the college football circuit and the 2023 season should provide another great race in the conference. With an eight-game schedule and three division crossover games, the schedule draws can be very impactful in division races that are often decided very late in the season, frequently with tiebreakers. Here is a quick look at the MAC schedule in 2023.  Ohio is one of the teams playing this weekend in Week 0 to kick off the college season. The Bobcats had by far the best MAC record last season going 7-1 while no other team was better than 5-3 but Ohio failed to win the MAC title game. Ohio is a threat in the MAC East again with a reasonable draw from the West that avoids a title game rematch with Toledo in the regular season. Northern Illinois was just 2-6 last season as one of the MAC West pulls for Ohio, but the Huskies figure to be improved as Ohio’s crossover path may be more difficult than it looks.  While Miami has not had more than eight wins in Chuck Martin’s nine seasons, they did win the MAC title in 2019. The Redhawks have a lot of appeal as an East threat in 2023 with one of the better returning defenses in the conference. Miami does draw Toledo from the West but that will be a home game and the Redhawks also get games with Bowling Green and Buffalo at home this season.  The roster from last season’s 7-6 Buffalo squad has turned over significantly but Maurice Linguist has provided competitive results in his two seasons with the team following a great run for the program under Lance Leipold. Buffalo has one of the tougher schedules in league play however with road games at Toledo and at Miami while the big home game with Ohio will close a run of 10 straight weeks without a bye.  Bowling Green made a leap to 6-7 last season for the team’s first bowl season since 2015 and the Falcons are a threat in the East race in 2023. Bowling Green also must play Toledo, but that game is at home, as is the early season date with Ohio. The Falcons bring in Missouri transfer quarterback Connor Bazelak and could take another step forward.  Toledo remains a top contender in the West division following last season’s title season. The Rockets have a difficult draw in 2023 however as a repeat will be a challenge. All three East teams on the schedule are decent and the Rockets will play five of seven games on the road to close the season as there may not be much margin for error even if as has often been the case, Toledo appears to have the best MAC roster.  After finishing in second place in the division last season Eastern Michigan should be considered a threat to finish on top of the MAC West. The Eagles lost by only three to Toledo last season and will have a bye week before facing the Rockets this season. Eastern Michigan plays the weakest East draw by last season’s records facing teams that combined to go 10-14 and the home schedule for the Eagles is very favorable.  Northern Illinois went just 3-9 last season, but the program won the MAC title in 2021. Quarterback injuries were a great challenge last season, but the roster depth is solid for the Huskies in the fifth season of an uneven run for Thomas Hammock. NIU does draw a crossover game with Ohio at home but also faces Kent State and Akron, likely two of the weaker teams in the East. The Huskies play at Toledo in late September in a critical game for the season aims.  The MAC West is often a tight race with several teams in the mix and that may not change in 2023. Most project Western Michigan for the basement in the division as the only West team with a coaching change but the offense has a lot of potential for the Broncos. The road schedule features several hurdles, but Kalamazoo may prove to be a tough place to play this season.  A sleeper in the MAC race is Ball State as the Cardinals have provided steady results the past few years and won the MAC title in the abbreviated 2020 season. The roster has good experience and Ball State avoids Buffalo and Ohio from the East draw. Big division games with Toledo and Miami will be at home though Mike Neu lacks a great home field track record in his seven seasons.  Given the typical closeness of the MAC West race, Central Michigan needs to be mentioned. Jim McElwain owns a great career record, but things didn’t work out last season in a 4-8 season. The defense returns a lot of experience for 2023 and while the offense has a lot of new pieces, Central Michigan will get to host many of the toughest games and McElwain is 14-7 S/U in home games since taking over in Mt. Pleasant.  The spotlight on the MAC generally grows in November with the weeknight primetime TV game schedule and most of the league may still be in the division race in those final weeks. This conference has featured eight different teams participating in the MAC Championship over the past four years as anything can happen in MACtion. 

Read more

2023 Sun Belt Conference Schedule Review

by Nelly's Sports

Friday, Aug 25, 2023

The Sun Belt has been growing in stature in recent years and with big changes recently or on the horizon in several conferences, the 2023 Sun Belt Conference features 14 teams mirroring last season. The conference is 26-16 in bowl games since 2015 and could produce several quality teams in 2023-24 as well.  With 14 teams split into two divisions of seven teams by East and West divisions, the schedules in the eight-game conference path are always uneven. The divisions have featured many seasons of imbalance but look reasonably balanced in 2023-24. James Madison was the big story last season as a new FBS entrant that finished first in the East division but was not eligible to advance to the SBC Championship, which was won by Troy over Coastal Carolina.  The West is likely to feature Troy and South Alabama in the mix for the title again with both teams finishing 7-1 in conference play last season. The scheduling edge in that race sides with Troy who will host South Alabama in November after winning in Mobile 10-6 last season. South Alabama plays James Madison and Marshall from East division including playing at James Madison for a tougher draw than Troy faces.  Louisiana dominated the Sun Belt from 2019-2021 with three straight double-digit win seasons going 23-3 in conference games and the Ragin’ Cajuns are a threat to rise in the standings after going just 6-7 overall last season. Louisiana draws Old Dominion and Georgia State from the East, teams that combined to go just 5-11 in SBC play last season. Louisiana will be a long shot for the West title as they play on the road at South Alabama and at Troy in key division games however.  In the East James Madison, Coastal Carolina, and Marshall were in a tight race for the lead spot with newcomer James Madison featuring by far the best scoring numbers in the conference. James Madison has several key players to replace and may not surprise anyone this season while drawing arguably the most difficult SBC path with Troy and South Alabama on the schedule from the West.  Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall is back to add to legendary career statistics, but the Chanticleers have a new coach to leave some uncertainty towards another season of contention after going 20-5 in league games the past three seasons. The West draw is favorable facing Arkansas State and Texas State, the bottom two teams from last season in the standings.  Marshall does have to play South Alabama from the West draw for a disadvantage in the race and three of four road games in the eight-game slate will be against likely top contenders. The Thundering Herd may have a difficult time seriously challenging for its first SBC title after joining the conference last season and finishing 5-3 with wins in five of the final six games.  After a down year in 2022, many expect Appalachian State to remerge as a top threat in the Sun Belt, with the program winning league titles in 2018 and 2019 and making the tile game in 2021. A new quarterback takes over, but Appalachian State does have a favorable schedule facing UL-Monroe and Southern Miss from the West and hosting Coastal Carolina and Marshall this season.  While the East provides a crowded race, a sleeper could be Georgia Southern. Clay Helton’s hiring in Statesboro felt like a head-scratcher, but he turned in a bowl season last year that also included notable wins over Nebraska, James Madison, and Appalachian State. Georgia Southern has most of its offensive contributors from last season back and brings in Tulsa transfer Davis Brin at quarterback. The schedule is appealing playing UL-Monroe and Texas State teams that were a combined 5-11 in league play last season as well. Three of four road games are difficult contests but the Eagles could stay in the mix.  Georgia State and Arkansas State are teams with less than ideal schedules that could mean marginal campaigns will be ahead. Georgia State plays Troy and Louisiana from the West and all four home games for the Panthers will be very difficult as this may be a team to fade in SBC play, especially if the Panthers win in non-conference play with a 3-0 start possible.  Former Sun Belt power Arkansas State is just 5-19 in two seasons under Butch Jones and there isn’t a lot to like about the returning roster. The Red Wolves won just once in SBC play last season so improvement is likely, but three of four home games will be vs. contenders while having to face two of the better East teams in the crossover games.  The Sun Belt should continue to provide quality play with several experienced coaches and quarterbacks in the conference and this should be a conference to look out for in bowl opportunities again at the end of the season. 

Read more

Ohio State Buckeyes - Over or Under 10.5 Wins?

by ASA, Inc.

Friday, Aug 25, 2023

OHIO STATE BUCKEYES – Under 10.5 Wins Our projections have OSU with 10 wins this season so we’ll take a small bite on the Under.  In our estimation they have 4 “losable” games this season with 3 coming on the road @ Notre Dame, @ Wisconsin, and @ Michigan and another one at home vs Penn State.  If they even spilt those games, we win our wager.  As of this writing in mid August, QB seems to be a potential issue for the Buckeyes.  Head coach Ryan Day still hasn’t declared a starter for opening day (as of Aug 15) which is a concern considering junior McCord was supposed to step in as the starter and has yet to win the job.  McCord is fairly inexperienced with just 600 career passing yards and he’s battling a redshirt freshman, Devin Brown, with even less experience.  The WR’s are uber talented once again but QB will be the key to this offense.  The Bucks have had a run of great starting QB’s which has been key to their success.  From JT Barrett to Dwayne Haskins to Justin Fields to CJ Stroud, it’s been impressive and we don’t anticipate this year’s starter being at that level.  They led the nation in YPP and points per play last season while finishing 2nd in scoring at 44 PPG.  We look for a fairly decent drop off this season.  Still a really good offense but most likely not elite.  The defense was improved last year under first year coordinator Jim Knowles but still ranked outside the top 20 in scoring defense, YPP allowed, points per play allowed, rushing and passing defense.  The two best teams they faced in Big 10 play, Penn State & Michigan, put up 31 and 45 points on OSU respectively.  This team will still be very good, but 2 losses is not out of the question.

Read more

Big Al's Daily Angle: NFL, MLB, CFL and EPL Previews and Odds - 08/25/2023

by Big Al Staff

Friday, Aug 25, 2023

The Friday sports card features NFLX, MLB, CFL, and EPL action.Week 3 of the NFL preseason continues with three games. The Carolina Panthers host the Detroit Lions on CBS at 8 PM ET as a 4.5-point favorite, with the total set at 37 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). The New England Patriots travel to Tennessee to play the Titans on the NFL Network at 8:15 PM ET as a 2-point road favorite with an over/under of 38.5. The San Francisco 49ers play at home against the Los Angeles Chargers on the NFL Network at 10 PM ET as a 7.5-point favorite with a total of 38. Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. Three games throw out the first pitch at 6:40 PM ET. The Miami Marlins are at home against the Washington Nationals as a -218 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Houston Astros play in Detroit against the Tigers as a -175 money-line road favorite with a total of 9.  The Tampa Bay Rays host the New York Yankees as a -130 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Four MLB games start at 7:05 PM ET. The Baltimore Orioles play at home against the Colorado Rockies as a -185 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Chicago Cubs are in Pittsburgh to play the Pirates as a -120 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9. The Philadelphia Phillies are at home against the St. Louis Cardinals as a -148 money-line favorite with a total of 9.5. The Toronto Blue Jays host the Cleveland Guardians at 7:07 PM ET as a -162 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Three MLB games begin at 7:10 PM ET. The New York Mets play at home against the Los Angeles Angels. The Chicago White Sox are at home against the Oakland A’s as a -192 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Los Angeles Dodgers visit Boston to play the Red Sox. Two MLB games start at 8:10 PM ET. The Minnesota Twins host the Texas Rangers as a -130 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Milwaukee Brewers play at home against the San Diego Padres as a -125 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Arizona Diamondbacks are at home against the Cincinnati Reds at 9:40 PM ET as a -162 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Seattle Mariners host the Kansas City Royals on Apple TV+ at 10:10 PM ET as a -198 money-line favorite with a total of 8. The Atlanta Braves are in San Francisco to play the Giants at 10:15 PM ET as a -155 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Week 12 in the Canadian Football League continues with one game. The Toronto Argonauts play at home against the Calgary Stampeders as a 10-point favorite with a total of 51.Matchweek 3 of the English Premier League begins with one match. Chelsea is at home against Luton at 3 PM ET as a -2 goal-line favorite at BetMGM with an over/under of 3. 

Read more

Harden and the Sixers

by AAA Sports

Thursday, Aug 24, 2023

Just what the (insert your favorite word here) is going on with James Harden, and for that matter Harden’s agent, his current team (Philadelphia), his current general manager, and his future team (unknown)? The NBA would love to know, and it’s looking into the whole mess.This much is known. Harden, as his wont, has asked to be traded to a team he can bamboozle into giving him one last big contract. In fact, he demanded the same. And 76ers GM Daryl Morey might have agreed to trade Harden. Or Morey might have said something like “We’ll TRY to trade you” or “Our price will be high.”Harden might have heard “Whatever you want, James. You’ll be on the team or your choice by Independence Day.”It all brings to mind Strother Martin’s character talking to Paul Newman’s in Cool Hand Luke: “What we have here is a failure to communicate.”At any rate, the 33-year-old Harden has taken to calling Morey a liar, and Morey has responded by telling Harden to sneaker up because he’ll be expected in camp lest he be ready to start forfeiting chunks of that $35.6-million contract that Harden opted into last June.Watching all of this with interest was one Kevin McHale, who got the full Harden treatment eight years ago when both were with the Rockets (McHale the HC at the time). McHale sat Harden during Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals, and Houston won that series before getting knocked out by Golden State.“The next year he came to camp, he was fat and didn’t feel like playing, and I got fired [11] games into the season,” McHale was quoted as saying. “He had a plan.”Now Morey, who has now traded twice for Harden, is getting the Full Beard Treatment. Assuming that Morey’s spine remains stiff and he keeps Harden unless some other team loses its mind and offers a swap that includes an All-Star and a few No. 1s, Harden will be in camp ready and eager to destroy any fan who has a futures ticket predicting that the Sixers will have a big season.For the record. Philly is +1600 to win the NBA title, and Harden is +11000 to win the MVP trophy. If you think that the Sixers can somehow work their way through this mess and get to 50 wins, you can make money with an over wager at 49.5.Two other big-timers are looking at the situation with both interest and chagrin.If there’s one thing the NBA likes, it’s money, and Morey cost the league a bundle last year when he Tweeted his support of Hong Kong and the Chinese went (figuratively) ballistic. Now Harden is throwing spitballs at Morey, and Silver has to sigh deeply and get involved when he hasn’t yet put out the Lillard/Miami conspiracy fire.Then there’s Joel Embiid, and you have to wonder what the reigning league MVP is thinking. Embiid needs Harden or someone whose game is similarly impactful if the 76ers are going to climb past the Miamis, Bostons, and Milwaukees which stand in their way in the East. The thinking in the association is that while Embiid was good with the initial Process, he would rather stick needles in his eyes rather than go through a Process 2.0 and another rebuild.For his part, Harden says he has checked his appointments calendar, and nothing in it says he is going to be at the 76ers training camp come early October. So there’s that, plus this Harden musing: “Every time I come here, the love is just like . . . it’s crazy. So I feel like they deserve to actually see me come play here. Love is always crazy here.”Any team interested in trading for Harden should be aware that he was talking about China.

Read more

Big Al's Daily Angle: NFL, MLB and CFL Previews and Odds - 08/24/2023

by Big Al Staff

Thursday, Aug 24, 2023

The Thursday sports card features NFLX, MLB, and CFL action.Week 3 of the NFL preseason kicks off with two games. The Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Atlanta to play the Falcons on the NFL Network at 7:30 PM ET. The Steelers have won their two preseason games after their 27-15 upset win at home as a 1-point underdog last Saturday. The Falcons remained unbeaten this preseason after settling for a 13-13 tie at home against Cincinnati as a 6.5-point favorite on Friday. Pittsburgh is a 4.5-point road favorite, with the total set at 38 (all odds from DraftKings).The Indianapolis Colts play in Philadelphia against the Eagles on Amazon Prime at 8 PM ET. The Colts evened their preseason record at 1-1 with a 24-17 victory against Chicago as a 4.5-point favorite on Saturday. The Eagles remained winless in the preseason after an 18-18 tie against Cleveland as a 4-point favorite last Friday. Indianapolis is a 4.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 38.Major League Baseball has nine games on its schedule. The New York Yankees host the Washington Nationals at 1:05 PM ET. Michael King gets the start for the Yankees to pitch against Patrick Corbin for the Nationals. New York is a -162 money-line favorite with a total of 9. Two MLB games throw out the first pitch at 1:10 PM ET. Los Angeles is in Cleveland, with Gavin Williams taking the ball for the Guardians to face a starting pitcher yet to be confirmed for the Dodgers. The Dodgers are a -125 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Tampa Bay plays at home against Colorado, with the Rays tapping Shawn Armstrong to battle against the Rockies Peter Lambert. The Rays are a -225 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Houston Astros are at home against the Boston Red Sox at 2:10 PM ET. J.P. France goes to the mound for the Astros to duel against Brayan Bello for the Red Sox. Houston is a -130 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9.Two MLB games start at 7:05 PM ET. Toronto visits Baltimore, with the Blue Jays turning to Jose Berrios to go against the Orioles’ Kyle Gibson. Both teams are priced at -110 with a total of 9. Chicago plays in Pittsburgh with Justin Steele taking the hill for the Cubs to face a starting pitcher yet to be determined for the Pirates. The Minnesota Twins host the Texas Rangers at 7:10 PM ET. The Twins tap Pablo Lopez to battle the Rangers’ Andrew Heaney. Minnesota is a -120 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Chicago White Sox plays at home against the Oakland A’s at 8:10 PM ET. Jesse Scholtens gets the ball for the White Sox to face Ken Waldichuk for the A’s. Chicago is a -155 money-line favorite with a total of 9.5. The Arizona Diamondbacks are at home against the Cincinnati Reds on FS1 at 9:40 PM ET. The Diamondbacks send out Merrill Kelly to pitch against the Reds’ Brandon Williamson. Arizona is a -162 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9.Week 12 in the Canadian Football League begins with one game. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers host the Montreal Canadiens on the CBS Sports Network at 8:30 PM ET. The Blue Bombers are on a four-game winning streak after their 19-18 victory at Calgary as a 4.5-point favorite last Friday. The Alouettes are on a four-game winning streak after their 25-24 win at Ottawa as a 2.5-point favorite on Friday. Winnipeg is a 9-point favorite, with a total of 47.5. 

Read more

Dublin primer: Notre Dame vs. Navy

by Sean Murphy

Wednesday, Aug 23, 2023

The 2023 college football season kicks off with a high-profile opener in Dublin, Ireland as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish take on the Navy Midshipmen on Saturday afternoon (evening local time). The temperature at kickoff is expected to be in the 50's with rain in the forecast. I wouldn't anticipate weather playing a major role apart from making fans in the stands slightly uncomfortable. Notre Dame will be ushering in a new (albeit brief) era with Sam Hartman taking over at quarterback. Hartman joins the team following five seasons at Wake Forest. All indications are that he has already more than won over his new teammates and has made a point to entrench himself in the community. The question becomes whether we see the Irish lean heavily on Hartman's arm right out of the gates and unleash an aerial assault on the Midshipmen, or elect to pound away and control proceedings on the ground in an effort to 'win and move on' in this critical season-opener. Running back Audric Estime was one of the more underrated runners in the country last year as he racked up 935 rushing yards on 156 carries, not to mention 11 touchdowns. Few offensive lines carry more upside than that of the Irish. The Midshipmen will be guided by Brian Newberry in his first year as head coach after serving as the team's defensive coordinator over the last four seasons. Navy did make positive strides on the defensive side of the football last season but defending the pass remained a sore spot. The good news is, there's plenty of returning talent in the secondary. In fact, that's arguably the most experienced group on the Middies roster. After ranking top-three in the country stopping the run a year ago, the front line will once again need to be stout with plenty of question marks on offense.Perhaps the biggest change for Navy comes on offense, where they'll shift to a more hybrid attack after running the option for what seems like an eternity. The Middies boast a pair of capable quarterbacks in Tai Lavatai and Blake Horvath but having two options under center isn't always better than one. Regardless, Navy's number one goal will be to possess the football for extended periods to effectively shorten this game against a talent-superior Irish squad. Of note, the Midshipmen are a perfect 6-0 ATS when priced as an underdog between 10.5 and 21 points over the last two seasons and have been outscored by an average margin of only 2.7 points in that situation. Notre Dame has won five straight matchups in this series with Navy last prevailing by a 28-27 score as a seven-point underdog in 2016. 

Read more

Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB Previews and Odds - 08/23/2023

by Big Al Staff

Wednesday, Aug 23, 2023

The Wednesday sports card features MLB action.Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The St. Louis Cardinals travel to Pittsburgh to play the Pirates at 12:35 PM ET. The Cardinals tap Zack Thompson to pitch against the Pirates’ Luis Ortiz. St. Louis is a -122 money-line road favorite, with the total set at 9.5. The Detroit Tigers host the Chicago Cubs at 1:10 PM ET. Tarik Skubal gets the ball for the Tigers to pitch against Jameson Taillon for the Cubs. Detroit is a -115 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5.Two MLB games throw out the first pitch at 2:10 PM ET. Seattle is in Chicago, with the Mariners’ turning to George Kirby to face the White Sox’s Michael Kopeck. The Mariners are a -218 money-line road favorite with a total of 9.5. Milwaukee plays at home against Minnesota, with Corbin Burnes getting the start for the Brewers to go against Kenta Maeda for the Twins. The Brewers are a -142 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Kansas City Royals visit Oakland to play the A’s at 3:37 PM ET. The Royals send out Cole Ragans to face an A’s starting pitcher yet to be named. The Philadelphia Phillies are at home against the San Francisco Giants at 4:05 PM ET. Michael Lorenzen takes the mound for the Phillies to battle Alex Cobb for the Giants. Philadelphia is a -130 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Los Angeles Angels host the Cincinnati Reds in the opening game of their doubleheader at 4:07 PM ET. The Angels turn to Shohei Ohtani to duel against the Reds’ Andrew Abbott. Los Angeles is a -170 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. The San Diego Padres play at home against the Miami Marlins at 4:10 PM ET. Seth Lugo takes the ball for the Padres to face Sandy Alcantara for the Marlins. San Diego is a -122 money-line favorite with a total of 8. The Tampa Bay Rays are at home against the Colorado Rockies at 6:40 PM ET. The Rays tap Aaron Civale to pitch against the Rockies’ Austin Gomber. Tampa Bay is a -278 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. Two more MLB games start at 7:05 PM ET. Toronto plays in Baltimore, with Kevin Gausman taking the hill for the Blue Jays to go against the Orioles’ Jack Flaherty. The Blue Jays are a -125 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. New York hosts Washington, with the Yankees turning to Luis Severino to face the Nationals’ MacKenzie Gore. The Yankees are a -142 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Los Angeles Dodgers travel to Cleveland to play the Guardians at 7:10 PM ET. Clayton Kershaw gets the ball for the Dodgers to battle against Xzavion Curry for the Guardians. Los Angeles is a -218 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The Atlanta Braves play at home against the New York Mets at 7:20 PM ET. The Braves tap Charlie Morton to pitch against the Mets’ Jose Quintana. Atlanta is a -198 money-line favorite with an over/under of 10. The Houston Astros are at home against the Boston Red Sox at 8:10 PM ET. Jose Urquidy gets the start for the Astros against Chris Sale for the Red Sox. Houston is a -118 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Reds play on the road against the Angels in the second game of their doubleheader at 9:38 PM ET. Los Angeles turns to Reid Detmers to face a starting pitcher yet to be determined for Cincinnati. 

Read more

College Football: Five New Offensive Coordinators To Watch

by Kyle Hunter

Tuesday, Aug 22, 2023

Week zero of the college football season is here! The offseason is long, but we’ll have football on every Saturday from now through the end of the year. I hit 70% in college football last year. I hit 66% in college football two seasons ago. The preparation for this year has been going on a lot for the last couple months. One of the things I think bettors should pay more attention to is new coordinators on both offense and defense. Offensive coordinators can completely change the way a team plays. Knowing these changes ahead of time can keep you one step ahead. Here are five key new offensive coordinators.  Alex Golesh (USF Bulls) Alex Golesh is both the new head coach and the new offensive coordinator of the USF Bulls. Golesh has worked with Josh Heupel in recent years at UCF and at Tennessee. USF ranked 98th out of 133 teams in tempo last year, but with Golesh calling the plays and running the offense I have to think they will play faster than that this season. USF is still short on talent compared to many other teams, but their offensive scheme should help them. Scotty O’Hara (UTEP Miners) O’Hara is the new offensive coordinator at UTEP this year. UTEP is in an interesting position this year. Conference USA is clearly watered down compared to what it was previously. Many of the most talented teams are now playing in another league. UTEP has an opportunity to take a clear step up. The thing that will need to improve the most is the passing game. O’Hara aims to improve the efficiency of the passing game this season. Pat Welsh (Miami-Ohio Redhawks) Welsh has been the tight ends coach at Miami and will now take over as the offensive coordinator. Head coach Chuck Martin wanted to shake things up a bit and see if they can give the offense a much needed boost. I would expect some more passing out of the Redhawks this season, especially if star quarterback Brett Gabbert can stay healthy. Miami did lose their star receiver from last year, and I would expect them to throw a lot of quick short passes. This is a team capable of making some noise in the season ahead. Liam Coen (Kentucky Wildcats) Coen is coming back! He served as offensive coordinator at Kentucky in 2021 before moving to the NFL to be with the LA Rams last season. Kentucky tumbled to 101st in yards per play last year, and the Wildcats offense completely lost their explosiveness. With Coen returning I think this is a clear positive for the Kentucky offense in the season ahead. Devin Leary transferred in from NC State at quarterback. It’s likely that Kentucky will get better quarterback play this year than they did from a high draft choice (Will Levis) last season.  Kevin Decker (Old Dominion) Decker comes in from Fordham, where he was the offensive coordinator for the last few seasons. Fordham was well known for its extremely fast pace and innovative offensive sets. This is a hire that I want to watch very closely. Old Dominion is badly shorthanded when it comes to offensive talent. Will they look to play as fast as possible even with this talent disadvantage? Can Decker make this work right away? I would guess it will take some time, but keep a close eye on this situation.

Read more

Follow us @bigal_com

Instagram Twitter

Links

Big Al's Sports Picks Info

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

© 2024 Al McMordie's BigAl.com. All Rights Reserved.