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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB, CFL and Women's World Cup Previews and Odds - 07/21/2023

by Big Al Staff

Friday, Jul 21, 2023

The Friday sports card features action in MLB, the CFL, and the Women’s World Cup.Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The Chicago Cubs host the St. Louis Cardinals on AppleTV+ at 2:20 PM ET as a -125 money-line favorite (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise).Three MLB games throw out the first pitch at 6:40 PM ET. The Colorado Rockies travel to Miami to play the Marlins. The San Diego Padres play in Detroit against the Tigers on AppleTV+ as a -140 money-line road favorite, with the total set at 8.5. The Tampa Bay Rays play at home against the Baltimore Orioles as a -150 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. Two more MLB games start at 7:05 PM ET. The San Francisco Giants are in Washington to play the Giants as a -155 money-line road favorite with a total of 9.5. The New York Yankees are at home against the Kansas City Royals as a -205 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. Three MLB games begin at 7:10 PM ET. The Cincinnati Reds host the Arizona Diamondbacks as a -115 money-line favorite with a total of 10.5. The Boston Red Sox play at home against the New York Mets as a -120 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. The Philadelphia Phillies visit Cleveland to play the Guardians as a -120 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The Texas Rangers are at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers at 8:05 PM ET as a -120 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. Two more MLB games start at 8:10 PM ET. The Minnesota Twins host the Chicago White Sox as a -155 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Atlanta Braves play in Milwaukee against the Brewers as a -125 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9. The Los Angeles Angels play at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates at 9:38 PM ET as a -195 money-line favorite with a total of 8. The Houston Astros are in Oakland to play against the A’s at 9:40 PM ET as a -265 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The Seattle Mariners host the Toronto Blue Jays at 10:10 PM ET as a -125 money-line favorite with a total of 8. The Canadian Football League continues Week 7 with the Toronto Argonauts traveling to Hamilton to play the Tigers-Cats at 7:30 PM ET. The Argonauts remained undefeated this season with a 35-27 victory at Montreal as a 6-point favorite last Friday. The Tiger-Cats pulled off their second straight upset victory with their 37-29 win as a 1-point underdog last Thursday. Toronto is a 9-point road favorite with an over/under of 50. The Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia continues with four matches scheduled through Saturday AM ET. The United States play Vietnam on Fox and Peacock at 9 PM ET as a -6 goal-line favorite with a total of 6.5 (all soccer odds from BetMGM). Japan faces Zambia on FS1 and Peacock at 3:01 AM ET as a -1.5 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 3.5. England battles Haiti on Fox and Peacock at 5:30 AM ET as a -4 goal-line favorite with a total of 4.5. Denmark goes against China on Fox and Peacock at 8 AM ET as a -1 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 2.5. 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB, CFL and Women's World Cup Previews and Odds - 07/20/2023

by Big Al Staff

Thursday, Jul 20, 2023

The Thursday sports card features action in MLB, the CFL, and the Women’s World Cup.Major League Baseball has ten games on its schedule. The Atlanta Braves host the Arizona Diamondbacks at 12:20 PM ET. Spencer Strider takes the mound for the Braves to pitch against Zac Gallen for the Braves. Atlanta is a -195 money-line favorite, with the total set at 8.5 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). Two MLB games throw out the first pitch at 12:35 PM ET. San Francisco travels to Cincinnati with the Giants sending out Alex Cobb to pitch against the Reds’ Andrew Abbott. The Giants are a -115 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 10. Philadelphia plays at home against Milwaukee, with Taijuan Walker getting the start for the Phillies against Corbin Burnes for the Brewers. The Phillies are a -120 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The San Diego Padres are in Toronto against the Blue Jays at 1:07 PM ET. The Padres turn to Blake Snell to pitch against the Blue Jays’ Chris Bassitt. San Diego is a -115 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9.  The New York Mets are at home against the Chicago White Sox at 1:10 PM ET. Jose Quintana makes his season debut for the Mets in a duel against Michael Kopeck for the White Sox. New York is a -155 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Detroit Tigers visit Kansas City to play the Royals at 2:10 PM ET. The Tigers send Michael Lorenzen to the hill to face the Royals' Zack Greinke. The Seattle Mariners are at home against the Minnesota Twins at 3:40 PM ET. George Kirby gets the ball for the Mariners to pitch against Pablo Lopez for the Twins. Seattle is a -130 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The Tampa Bay Rays host the Baltimore Orioles at 6:40 PM ET. The Rays turn to Tyler Glasnow to take the mound against the Orioles’ Kyle Gibson. Tampa Bay is a -180 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Chicago Cubs play at home against the St. Louis Cardinals at 8:05 PM ET. Marcus Stroman gets the start for the Cubs to face Steven Matz for the Cardinals. Chicago is a -125 money-line favorite. The Houston Astros visit Oakland to play the A’s at 9:40 PM ET. The Astros tap J.P. France to battle against the A’s Hogan Harris. Houston is a -190 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5.The Canadian Football League kicks off Week 7 with one game. The Winnipeg Jets host the Edmonton Elks at 8:30 PM ET. The Jets’ two-game losing streak ended in a 31-28 upset loss in overtime at Ottawa as a 10-point favorite on Saturday. The Elks remain winless this season after their 37-29 upset loss at home against Hamilton as a 1-point favorite last Thursday. Winnipeg is a 14.5-point favorite with an over/under of 46.The Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia continues with three matches scheduled through Friday AM ET. Canada plays Nigeria at 10:30 PM ET on Fox and Peacock as a -1.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 3. Switzerland battles the Philippines at 1:00 AM ET on FS1 and Peacock as a -2 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 3. Spain faces Costa Rica at 3:30 AM ET on FS1 and Peacock as a -4.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 5.

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British Open Preview

by Hollywood Sports

Wednesday, Jul 19, 2023

The PGA Tour’s European excursion concludes this week with the final major championship of the year, the British Open. Royal Liverpool located in the Wirral Peninsula in Hoylake, England hosts the Open Championship for the 13th time in the 151 incarnations of this tournament. This will be the third time that the Open Championship will be played at Royal Liverpool this century. Tiger Woods claimed the Claret Jug here in 2006 before Rory McIlroy won his most recent major championship title here in 2014. There are several changes to the course for the 156 professionals this time around. Previously a Par 72 setup, the course has been lowered to a Par 71 track due to the new Par 3 at the 17th hole leaving just three Par 5 holes for the professionals to tackle. The course has been lengthened from 7312 yards in 2014 to 7383 yards this week. Even more fairway bunkers have been added. The terrain is treacherous off-the-tee given so many sand bunkers — and six holes threaten with out-of-bounds territories that are very much in play. The fairways are flat but just a narrow 32 yards wide on average. The initial rough is manageable before the iconic tall fescue that makes hitting the greens in regulation virtually impossible. It was for these reasons that Woods historically pulled out his driver only once in his four rounds in his 2006 victory. McIlroy considered playing things safe on this links course that he used his two iron off-the-tee more often than his driver. The putting surface is slower than the other three major championships with the greens consisting of a Bentgrass, Poa Annua, and fescue blend. Weather will once again play a significant role in an Open Championship. Wind gusts in the 10-20 miles per hour range with mild rain are expected for Thursday and Friday. Heavy showers are expected for Saturday with rain still in the forecast for Sunday with the winds likely to hit up to 20 miles per hour. Rory McIlroy opened as the betting favorite at +650 odds at DraftKings. He won the Scottish Open last week and remains determined to win his first major championship in nine years since winning the 2014 British Open at Royal Liverpool in 2014. McIlroy's price has since dropped to +800 as of Wednesday evening. Scottie Scheffler opened at +700 odds at DraftKings as the second favorite in the futures market for this tournament, but he has since passed to become the number one bettors' favorite versus McIlroy with his +700 price holding steady. Scheffler has not won a major championship this season but he has not finished below 12th place in 17 straight tournaments. Jon Rahm is the third favorite at +1300 odds at DraftKings. He has four victories in 2013 but has not lifted a first-place trophy since winning the Masters in April. In his last event, he missed the cut at the Travelers Championship, which was the first time he did not make the weekend since 2021. Defending champion Cameron Smith opened at +1800 odds to win this tournament at DraftKings. He has since dropped to +2000. After a fourth-place finish at the US Open, Smith comes into this British Open off a victory in his last tournament on the LIV Tour. We go for our sixth first place on the PGA Tour in 2023 and third major championship this season after winning with Rahm at the Masters before Brooks Koepka at the PGA Championship. Best of luck -- Frank.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB and Women's World Cup Previews and Odds - 07/19/2023

by Big Al Staff

Wednesday, Jul 19, 2023

The Wednesday sports card features action in MLB and the Women’s World Cup.Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The Cleveland Guardians travel to Pittsburgh to play the Pirates at 12:35 PM ET. Aaron Civil takes the ball for the Guardians to pitch against Rich Hill for the Pirates. Cleveland is a -130 money-line road favorite, with the total set at 9 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). The Los Angeles Dodgers play in Baltimore against the Orioles at 1:05 PM ET. The Dodgers tap Julio Urias to take the mound to pitch against the Orioles’ Dean Kremer. Los Angeles is a -155 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9.5. The Texas Rangers are at home against the Tampa Bay Rays at 2:05 PM ET. Sonny Gray takes the mound for the Rangers to pitch against a Rays starting pitcher that has yet to be named. The Miami Marlins play in St. Louis against the Cardinals at 2:15 PM ET. The Marlins turn to Sandy Alcantara to pitch against a Cardinals starting pitcher yet to be finalized. The Houston Astros visit Colorado to play the Rockies at 3:10 PM ET. Brandon Bielak gets the start for the Astros to duel against Austin Gomber for the Rockies. Houston is a -115 money-line road favorite with a total of 12.5. The Boston Red Sox are in Oakland to play the A’s at 3:37 PM ET. The Red Sox send out Brayan Bello to battle the A’s Ken Waldichuk. Boston is a -225 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Milwaukee Brewers travel to Philadelphia to play the Phillies at 6:40 PM ET. Colin Rea takes the ball for the Brewers to pitch against Cristopher Sanchez for the Phillies. Two more MLB games throw out the first pitch at 7:07 PM ET. Toronto hosts San Diego, with the Blue Jays tapping Jose Berrios to duel against the Padres' Yu Darvish. The Blue Jays are a -115 money-line favorite with a total of 9. New York plays in Los Angeles, with Carlos Rodon taking the mound for the Yankees to battle against an Angels’ starting pitcher that has yet to be named. Two MLB games start at 7:10 PM ET. San Francisco is in Cincinnati, with the Giants tapping Ross Stripling to pitch against the Reds’ Graham Ashcraft. The Reds are a -120 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 10.5. New York plays at home against Chicago, with the Mets turning to Justin Verlander to duel against the White Sox’s Touki Toussaint. The Mets are a -210 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Atlanta Braves are at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks at 7:20 PM ET. Charlie Morton takes the hill for the Braves to face Ryne Nelson for the Diamondbacks. Atlanta is a -215 money-line favorite with an over/under of 10. The Chicago Cubs host the Washington Nationals at 8:05 PM ET. The Cubs turn to Kyle Hendricks to pitch against the Nationals' Trevor Williams. Chicago is a -165 money-line favorite. The Detroit Tigers play in Kansas City against the Royals at 8:10 PM ET. The Tigers tap Eduardo Rodriguez to go against the Royals’ Ryan Yarbrough. Detroit is a -145 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The Seattle Mariners are at home against the Minnesota Twins at 9:40 PM ET. Luis Castillo gets the start for the Mariners to face Kenta Maeda for the Twins. Seattle is a -155 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5.The Women’s World Cup begins with two matches on Fox and Peacock in New Zealand and Australia that begin early Thursday morning ET. Norway plays New Zealand at 3:01 AM ET as a -1.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 3 (all soccer odds from BetMGM). Australia battles Ireland at 6 AM ET as a -1.5 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 2.5. 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB Previews and Odds - 07/18/2023

by Big Al Staff

Tuesday, Jul 18, 2023

The Tuesday sports card features action in MLB.Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The Philadelphia Phillies host the Milwaukee Brewers at 6:40 PM ET. Aaron Nola takes the mound for the Phillies to pitch against Julio Teheran for the Brewers. Philadelphia is a -205 money-line favorite, with the total set at 9.5 (all odds from DraftKings). Two MLB games throw out the first pitch at 7:05 PM ET. Cleveland plays in Pittsburgh, with the Guardians tapping Logan Allen to pitch against the Pirates’ Mitch Keller. Both teams are priced at -110 with an over/under of 8.5. Baltimore plays at home against Los Angeles on TBS, with Tyler Wells getting the ball for the Orioles to pitch against Michael Grove for the Dodgers. The Orioles are a -125 money-line favorite with a total of 9.5. The San Diego Padres travel to Toronto to play the Blue Jays at 7:07 PM ET. The Padres tap Joe Musgrove to take the mound to pitch against the Blue Jays’ Alek Manoah. San Diego is a -115 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9.5. Two more MLB games start at 7:10 PM ET. San Francisco is at Cincinnati, with Anthony DeSclafani going to the mound for the Giants to battle Luke Weaver for the Reds. The Giants are a -135 money-line road favorite with a total of 11. New York is at home against Chicago, with the Mets sending out Carlos Carrasco to pitch against the White Sox’s Lucas Giolito. The Mets are a -120 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9.The Atlanta Braves host the Arizona Diamondbacks at 7:20 PM ET. Bryce Elder gets the ball for the Braves to pitch against Zach Davies for the Diamondbacks. Atlanta is a -200 money-line favorite with a total of 10. The Miami Marlins visit St. Louis to play the Cardinals at 7:45 PM ET. The Marlins tap Edward Cabrera to take the mound to pitch against Jordan Montgomery for the Cardinals. Two MLB games begin at 8:05 PM ET. Chicago plays at home against Washington, with Jameson Taillon pitching for the Cubs against Trevor Williams for the Nationals. The Cubs are a -175 money-line favorite. Texas is at home against Tampa Bay, with the Rangers turning to Nathan Eovaldi to duel against the Rays’ Tax Bradley. The Rangers are a -140 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Detroit Tigers play in Kansas City against the Royals at 8:10 PM ET. Tarik Skubal gets the ball for the Tigers to pitch against Daniel Lynch for the Royals. Detroit is a -140 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The Houston Astros play in Colorado against the Rockies at 8:40 PM ET.  The Astros send Hunter Brown to the mound to face a Rockies starting pitcher that has yet to be determined. The New York Yankees travel to Los Angeles to play the Angels at 9:38 PM ET. Domingo German gets the start for the Yankees to pitch against Patrick Sandoval for the Angels. New York is a -115 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9. Two games complete the MLB card at 9:40 PM ET. Oakland is at home against Boston, with the A’s pitching Luis Medina against a Red Sox starting pitcher that has yet to be named. Seattle hosts Minnesota, with Bryan Woo taking the hill to pitch against Bailey Ober for the Twins. The Mariners are a -125 money-line favorite with a total of 7.5.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB Previews and Odds - 07/17/2023

by Big Al Staff

Monday, Jul 17, 2023

The Monday sports card features action in MLB.Major League Baseball has ten games on its schedule. Two MLB games throw out the first pitch at 7:05 PM ET. The Cleveland Guardians travel to Pittsburgh to play the Pirates at 7:05 PM ET. The Guardians lost for the fourth straight game in a 6-5 loss at Texas on Sunday. The Pirates lost for the seventh time in their last eight games in an 8-4 loss to San Francisco in ten innings yesterday. Xzavion Curry gets his first start of the season for the Guardians as he battles against Quinn Priester, who makes his Major League debut for the Pirates. Cleveland is a -130 money-line road favorite, with the total set at 9.5 (all odds from DraftKings).The Los Angeles Dodgers play in Baltimore against the Orioles. The Dodgers were on a six-game winning streak before their 2-1 loss in New York against the Mets in ten innings yesterday. The Orioles won for the eighth straight time in a 5-4 victory against Miami on Sunday. Los Angeles taps Emmet Sheehan to pitch against Baltimore’s Grayson Rodriguez. The Dodgers are a -115 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9.5. The San Francisco Giants are in Cincinnati to play the Reds at 7:10 PM ET. The Giants are on a five-game winning streak after their victory in Pittsburgh yesterday. The Reds are on a four-game losing streak after a 4-3 loss to Milwaukee on Sunday. Logan Webb gets the start for San Francisco against Brandon Williamson for Cincinnati. The Giants are a -155 money-line road favorite with a total of 9.5. The St. Louis Cardinals host the Miami Marlins at 7:45 PM ET. The Cardinals won for the fourth time in their last five games in an 8-4 victory against Washington yesterday. The Marlins lost their third game in a row with their loss at Baltimore. St. Louis taps Miles Mikolas on short rest to take the mound against Miami’s Jesus Luzardo. The Cardinals are a -125 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Two MLB games start at 8:05 PM ET. The Chicago Cubs play at home against the Washington Nationals. The Cubs lost for the second time in their last three games in an 11-5 loss to Boston on Sunday. The Nationals are on a two-game losing streak after their defeat in St. Louis yesterday. Drew Smyly gets the ball for Chicago to duel against MacKenzie Gore for Washington. The Cubs are a -145 money-line favorite. The Tampa Bay Rays visit Texas to play the Rangers. The Rays were on a three-game winning streak before an 8-4 loss at Kansas City on Sunday. The Rangers are on a three-game winning streak before their win against Cleveland on Sunday. Tampa Bay turns to Shane McClanahan, who is coming off the injured list to pitch against Texas’ Dane Dunning. The Rays are a -120 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The Detroit Tigers play in Kansas City against the Royals at 8:10 PM ET. The Tigers were on a two-game winning streak before their 2-0 loss at Seattle on Sunday. The Royals ended a two-game losing streak with their upset win against the Rays. Matt Manning takes the mound for Detroit to pitch against Jordan Lyles for Kansas City. The Tigers are a -135 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Los Angeles Angels are at home against the New York Yankees at 9:38 PM ET. The Angels lost for the seventh time in their last eight games in a 9-8 loss to Houston last night. The Yankees lost for the third time in their previous four games in an 8-7 setback at Colorado on Sunday. Los Angeles sends out Griffin Canning to pitch against New York’s Luis Severino. The Angels are a -120 money-line favorite with a total of 9.Two games complete the MLB card at 9:40 PM ET. The Boston Red Sox play in Oakland against the A’s. The Red Sox won for the seventh time in their last eight games with their victory against the Cubs. The A’s are on a seven-game losing streak after a 5-4 loss against Minnesota. The Seattle Mariners host the Minnesota Twins on FS1. The Mariners ended a two-game losing streak with their win against Detroit on Sunday. The Twins are on a three-game winning streak after their victory at Oakland yesterday. Seattle sends out Logan Gilbert to pitch against Minnesota’s Sonny Gray. The Mariners are a -130 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB and CONCACAF Gold Cup Previews and Odds - 07/16/2023

by Big Al Staff

Sunday, Jul 16, 2023

The Sunday sports card features action in MLB and the CONCACAF Gold Cup.Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The San Francisco Giants travel to Pittsburgh to play the Pirates on Peacock at 12:05 PM ET. Alex Wood takes the mound for the Giants to pitch against Osvaldo Bido for the Pirates. San Francisco is a -155 money-line road favorite, with the total set at 9 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). Three MLB games throw out the first pitch at 1:35 PM ET. The Philadelphia Phillies host the San Diego Padres as a -150 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Atlanta Braves play at home against the Chicago White Sox as a -165 money-line favorite with a total of 9.5. The Miami Marlins are in Baltimore to play the Orioles. The Toronto Blue Jays are at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks at 1:37 PM ET as a -165 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. Two MLB games start at 1:40 PM ET. The New York Mets host the Los Angeles Dodgers as a -120 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Cincinnati Reds play at home against the Milwaukee Brewers as a -125 money-line favorite with an over/under of 10.5. The Tampa Bay Rays visit Kansas City to play the Royals at 2:10 PM ET as a -205 money-line road favorite with a total of 9.5. The St. Louis Cardinals are at home against the Washington Nationals at 2:15 PM ET as a -190 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Chicago Cubs host the Boston Red Sox at 2:20 PM ET as a -150 money-line favorite. The Texas Rangers play at home against the Cleveland Guardians at 2:35 PM ET as a -130 money-line favorite with a total of 9.5. The New York Yankees play in Colorado against the Rockies at 3:10 PM ET as a -215 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 11.5. The Minnesota Twins are in Oakland to play against the A’s at 4:07 PM ET as a -200 money-line road favorite with a total of 8. The Seattle Mariners are at home against the Detroit Tigers at 4:10 PM ET as a -180 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN has the Houston Astros playing in Los Angeles against the Angels at 7:10 PM ET. The Astros tap Cristian Javier to pitch against the Angels’ Tyler Anderson. Houston is a -150 money-line road favorite with a total of 9.  The CONCACAF Gold Cup concludes with the finals match between Mexico and Panama on Fox at 7:30 PM ET at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Mexico reached the finals with their 3-0 victory against Jamaica in their semifinal match on Wednesday. Panama upset the United States when they followed up a 1-1 tie score after the 30 minutes of extra time by winning the shootout by a 5-4 score on Wednesday. Mexico is a -1 goal-line favorite at BetMGM with an over/under of 2.

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Up-And-Coming Teams In NFC 2023

by AAA Sports

Saturday, Jul 15, 2023

History tells us that several of the NFC teams that were on the outside looking in during the playoffs last year will trade places with a few other teams this coming post-season. That’s good news for the teams in the NFC North and South, which each sent only one team (Minnesota, Tampa Bay) to play in January. Here’s a look at last season’s nine also-rans, and their odds of making it to the playoffs six months from now:ARIZONA (Yes +1100, No -2000) – Everything depends on QB Kyler Murray and whether he will be fully recovered from ACL surgery. Murray is bullish on the Cardinals’ prospects after last season’s disaster (4-13 overall, one win at home), but he appears to be the only one showing optimism. Most everyone else believes Arizona will once again wilt in the desert heat.ATLANTA (Yes +105, No -125) – With Tom Brady gone, the NFC South is wide open. Can the Falcons separate themselves from a mediocre pack and replace the Buccaneers at the top? Who knows, but the arrow appears headed in the right direction. It looks like Atlanta will go with Desmond Ridder at QB, after Ridder got some last run in 2022 as the Falcons moved on from Marcus Mariotta.CAROLINA (Yes +210, No -250) – Seems like a millennium ago that the Panthers were 3-0 and creating all kinds of buzz, but a 2-12 finish in 2022 tossed cold water on all that. Now the buzz is centered around QB Bryce Young, the overall No. 1 pick. But even if Young is the real deal, getting Carolina to the 9- or 10-win mark needed for the post-season seems like a bridge too far, even in the talent-challenged NFC South.CHICAGO (Yes +160, No -190) – Perhaps no team in the NFL will experience more roster churn than the Bears, who used cap space to sign a bevy of free agents. The O-line in front of Justin Fields should be better, but the defense looks like a crapshoot. Newcomer DJ Moore gives Fields a legit WR1 to throw to, but much of the offense will still be built around Fields’s ability to scramble.DETROIT (YES -165, No +140) – The Lions were a solid 12-5 ATS last season and one win away from the playoffs, so it wouldn’t take a quantum leap this season to get to the post-season. All eyes will be on a D-Line that could be the best in the league. On offense, they will be content to let Jared Goff manage things as they grind out yards on the ground.GREEN BAY (Yes +190, No -225) – After three decades of seeing either Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers under center, the Pack will now turn to ever-patient Jordan Love. Missing the playoffs last season was a culture shock for Pack fans, and with Rodgers now in New Jersey, hopes aren’t exactly high. But there is experience and there is a good amount of talent, and the NFC North is not exactly loaded.LOS ANGELES RAMS (Yes +300, No -370) – It could get ugly early in LA. The Rams have made a concerted effort to get a lot younger, shedding veterans and bringing in a sea of newcomers just two years after winning the Super Bowl. Where they wind up in an NFC West that figures to be dominated by the talented 49 is anyone’s guess.NEW ORLEANS (Yes -180, No +155) – The Saints look like the best of a mediocre bunch in a weak NFC South, even with Derek Carr as a place-holder at QB after NO declined to break the bank for Lamar Jackson. It wouldn’t be a shock to see the Saints finish first – or last – in the division. A top-10 defense would make things easier for Carr.WASHINGTON (Yes +300, No -370) – Controversial owner Dan Snyder is gone, and that’s a good thing. Plus, there is a lot of talent on the roster. But it’s NOT a good thing that Washington has the biggest QB question mark (Sam Howell) in a division in which the other three teams all made the playoffs and were a combined 20 games over .500.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB and CFL Previews and Odds - 07/15/2023

by Big Al Staff

Saturday, Jul 15, 2023

The Saturday sports card features action in MLB and the CFL.Major League Baseball has 17 games on its schedule. The San Diego Padres visit Philadelphia to play the Phillies at 1:05 PM ET in the opening game of their doubleheader after Friday’s rainout. The Padres are a -125 money-line road favorite, with the total set at 9 (all odds from DraftKings). The Tampa Bay Rays play in Kansas City against the Royals a 2:10 PM ET in the opening game of their twinbill. The Chicago Cubs host the Boston Red Sox at 2:20 PM ET as a -115 money-line favorite. The Toronto Blue Jays are at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks at 3:07 PM ET as a -150 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The Texas Rangers play at home against the Cleveland Guardians on FS1 at 4:05 PM ET. Andrew Heaney takes the mound for the Rangers to pitch against Gavin Williams for the Guardians. Texas is a -155 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. Three MLB games throw out the first pitch at 7:05 PM ET. The Baltimore Orioles host the Miami Marlins as a -115 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Phillies are at home against the Padres in the second game of their doubleheader as a -145 money-line favorite with an over/under of 10. The San Francisco Giants visit Pittsburgh to play the Pirates as a -150 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The Minnesota Twins play in Oakland against the A’s at 7:07 PM ET as a -170 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 6.5. Two MLB games start at 7:10 PM ET. The Rays play the Royals in the second game of their doubleheader as a -230 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The Cincinnati Reds play at home against the Milwaukee Brewers as a -120 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. Three MLB games begin at 7:15 PM ET. The St. Louis Cardinals host the Washington Nationals as a -245 money-line favorite with a total of 9. Two games are featured on Fox’s MLB regional coverage. The Atlanta Braves are at home against the Chicago White Sox, with the Braves tapping Spencer Strider to battle against the White Sox’s Lance Lynn. The Braves are a -295 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Los Angeles Dodgers travel to New York to play the Mets, with Tony Gonsolin taking the hill for the Dodgers to duel against Kodai Senga for the Mets. The Dodgers are a -115 money-line road favorite with a total of 9. The New York Yankees visit Colorado to play the Rockies at 8:10 PM ET as a -155 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 11.5. The Houston Astros play in Los Angeles against the Angels at 9:07 PM ET as a -130 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The Seattle Mariners play at home against the Detroit Tigers at 9:40 PM ET as a -215 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Week 6 in the Canadian Football League concludes with two games. The Winnipeg Jets are in Ottawa to play the Redblacks at 4 PM ET. The Jets are on a two-game winning streak after their 24-11 victory against Calgary as an 8-point favorite last Friday. The Redblacks come off a 21-13 upset loss at Hamilton as a 1.5-point favorite on Saturday. Winnipeg is a 9.5-point road favorite, with a total of 44. The Saskatchewan Roughriders host the Calgary Stampeders on the CBS Sports Network at 7 PM ET. The Roughriders won their second straight game with a 12-11 victory against Edmonton as a 7-point favorite last Thursday. The Stampeders are on a two-game losing streak after the loss at Winnipeg last week. Saskatchewan is a 1.5-point favorite with an over/under of 44.5. 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB and CFL Previews and Odds - 07/14/2023

by Big Al Staff

Friday, Jul 14, 2023

The Friday sports card features action in MLB and the CFL.Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The San Diego Padres travel to Philadelphia to play the Phillies at 6:05 PM ET as a -115 money-line road favorite, with the total set at 9.5 (all odds from DraftKings). The San Francisco Giants play at Pittsburgh against the Pirates on AppleTV+ at 7:05 PM ET. Ross Stripling takes the ball for the Giants to pitch against Rich Hill for the Pirates. San Francisco is a -125 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9. The Toronto Blue Jays host the Arizona Diamonds at 7:07 PM ET as a -175 money-line favorite with a total of 9. Two more MLB games throw out the first pitch at 7:10 PM ET. The Milwaukee Brewers are in Cincinnati to play the Reds as a -120 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 10. The Los Angeles Dodgers visit New York to play the Mets on AppleTV+. The Dodgers turn to Julio Urias to pitch against the Mets’ Justin Verlander. Los Angeles is a -125 money-line road favorite with a total of 10. The Atlanta Braves play at home against the Chicago White Sox at 7:20 PM ET as a -250 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. Two MLB games start at 8:05 PM ET. The Texas Rangers are at home against the Cleveland Guardians as a -145 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Boston Red Sox play in Chicago against the Cubs as a -120 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9.5. The Tampa Bay Rays travel to Kansas City to play the Royals at 8:10 PM ET as a -295 money-line road favorite with a total of 9.5. The St. Louis Cardinals host the Washington Nationals at 8:15 PM ET as a -165 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. The New York Yankees play in Colorado against the Rockies at 8:40 PM ET as a -205 money-line road favorite with a total of 11.5. The Los Angeles Angels play at home against the Houston Astros at 9:38 PM ET as a -155 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Minnesota Twins are in Oakland against the A’s at 9:40 PM ET as a -190 money-line road favorite with a total of 6.5. The Seattle Mariners are at home against the Detroit Tigers at 10:10 PM ET as a -190 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.Week 6 in the Canadian Football League continues with one game. The Toronto Argonauts visit Montreal to play the Alouettes at 7:30 PM ET. The Argonauts won for the third time in a row to begin their season with their 45-24 upset win at home against British Columbia as a 3-point underdog on July 3rd. The Alouettes dropped to 2-2 after a 35-19 loss at British Columbia as a 7.5-point underdog on Sunday. These two teams last played on November 13th last year when the Argonauts won the East Division final in a 34-27 victory. The defending Grey Cup champions are a 6-point road favorite with a total of 48.5.

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Early College Football Longshots

by ASA, Inc.

Tuesday, Jul 11, 2023

ASA's EARLY CFB LONGSHOTS TO WIN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPUSC (+1600)Caleb Williams is the major reason for value on the Trojans in 2023. He is the frontrunner for the Heisman trophy (+500) and likely the number 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. A player like Williams has the ability to carry his team to a national title similar to the likes of Cam Newton and Tim Tebow. The Pac 12 is one of the weaker power 5 conferences allowing USC to possibly go unbeaten during the regular season. A glaring issue that faces almost every school in the nation that isn't Bama, Georgia, Ohio St or Michigan, is the trenches. Competing with the Oline and Dline of those power schools is the main difference between making it to the playoff vs actually winning it. Head Coach Lincoln Riley is 0-3 in bowl games with a Hiesamn QB but hopefully he can learn from that history. Texas (+2500)The Longhorns are in a similar situation as USC. An elite, potential Hiesman caliber QB (Quinn Ewers) leading the way for a team who is picked to win their conference. Texas always seems to stumble on a mid tier Big 12 team that ruins their playoff hopes, but if they can remain focused, they have a great chance to at least make it to The Playoff this season. In 2022 they had a top 5 recruiting class which shows they can bring in the talent to compete at the highest level. A September 9th visit to Tuscaloosa could be a season and program defying win for Texas in a huge early season matchup vs Alabama.Texas A&M (+6000)In 2022, the Aggies brought in the number one ranked recruiting class, yet they finished just 5-7 and had some awful losses mixed into the year. They return 16 starters so the extreme talent is still on the A&M roster. Coaching must improve, but talent is what's needed to win big games in an always loaded SEC. They have big games against Alabama and Tennessee in mid October which may very well decide the fate of the SEC West. It seems that 2 teams from the SEC have a good chance to make The Playoff and the Aggies may be poised to dethrone the Tide. Wisconsin (+7000)Nothing but good things have come from the hiring of Luke Fickell as the Badgers have landed multiple commits as well as some top talent from the transfer portal. Wisconsin was in need of a fresh offensive game plan, now moving to a heavy air raid offense behind former UNC OC Phil Longo. It being hard to make such a drastic transition, we expect a more balanced approach which benefits the Badgers the most. The Badgers defense has not been the problem in recent years. Fickell led Cincinnati to a near Playoff semifinal victory over Georgia in 2021, and with more resources for him at Wisconsin, the program may make a quicker turnaround than expected. 

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Copa Libertadores Futures (Round of 16)

by Amedeus Mastrangelo

Monday, Jul 10, 2023

The Copa Libertadores group stage has come to an end now leaving us with the final 16 teams on the road to the finals. There are some very strong teams left in the tournament, including some of the biggest giants from Brasil and Argentina, and it is time to see which of these teams has the best chance of making it to the finals and lifting the trophy this year.  To Win Outright Flamengo +350: Flamengo is coming in as the team with the best chance to win the tournament according to the books and for very good reason as this is not only one of the best teams in Brasil with their talent and depth, but they are also the defending Copa Libertadores champions from last year. Flamengo got off to a slower start this season as they usually do but now they find themselves in 2nd place of the Brasileirao and have been heating up recently as they are on a big run. This is a very good team once they get hot and they are very tough to stop once they are in a groove like this. They have the talent and the depth to make a deep run in this tournament as they are the defending champions and they usually get very hot late in the season which will give them lots of momentum going deep into this competition. Their defense has been sloppy early in the season but they will tighten up as the season goes on and they still have a very strong attack that can score goals both at home and away. Flamengo has the talent to make a deep run here and repeat as champions of the Copa Libertadores.  Palmeiras +400: Palmeiras is coming in as the next team with the best chance to win this tournament according to the books. Palmeiras did not make it to the finals of this tournament last year but they have won 2 of the last 3 Copa Libertadores Titles as they won it B2B the 2 years prior to last season and they are also the defending Brasileirao champions from last season as well. Just like Flamengo, Palmeiras is a Brasilian giant that is one of the best teams in the country as they have a lot of talent and depth on their squad. They have not gotten out to a great start in the league this season as they are currently in 5th place but they were rolling in the Copa Libertadores group stage, winning 5 straight after losing their 1st match at elevation. Palmeiras does have a tougher matchup in this round with Atletico Mineiro and that could be a big obstacle in their way to the next round, but Atletico Mineiro has fallen out of form recently and Palmeiras has also had their number over the last few years when they face each other. Palmeiras has a very good team and they do have both the talent and the depth to make a deep run in this tournament, but they have not been at their best in their league matches this season and their early performance in the Brasileirao this year could have a lasting effect on Copa Libertadores if they make it to deeper rounds against much better opponents. Some of the stronger teams in this competition also matchup very well against Palmeiras this year so it would not be shocking to see an early exit for them before the finals.  River Plate +600: River Plate is coming in as the next team with the best chance to win this tournament according to the books and they are also the biggest favorite to win for teams from Argentina. River Plate is a giant in Argentina and they have definitely been flexing their muscles this season as they have returned to glory in the Argentina Liga Profesional de Futbol, currently sitting at the top of the table with a big lead over 2nd place and only 3 league matches left. River Plate has also been rolling over teams in their matches recently which will give them a lot of momentum coming into this round, especially if they are coming off of a title win in their league. They are the best team in Argentina right now with the most talent and depth in their squad and they also have a scheduling advantage over some of the other Brasilian teams in this tournament. They play their last league match on July 30 which means they have nothing else to focus on but winning this competition when the Round of 16 starts in August. River Plate also struggled a lot last season in both competitions so now that they are back on top of Argentina coming into this Round of 16, expect nothing but the best level of play from this River Plate and they will certainly be a big threat to go deep into this tournament and win it. Fluminense +800: Fluminense is coming in as the next team with the best chance to win this tournament according to the books but this Fluminense side has definitely fallen out of form in their recent matches. Fluminense was one of the hottest teams in Brasil coming into the league season and this Copa Libertadores competition and they started off very strong in both tournaments but have fallen off in both since then. They did not finish the group stage off on a strong note and they have even been struggling to win matches and score goals in their league matches right now. Fluminense will have to start playing much better and get on another roll like they were on at the beginning of the season before they can even be considered a deep threat in this tournament, but even if they do there are still a lot of better teams that has been playing very well and eventually they will run into another club that will knock them out. Fluminense looked like a promising choice at the beginning of the season but they have regressed back into what they are and will not be able to put together a deep run in this tournament.  Boca Juniors +1200: Boca Juniors is coming in as the next team with the best chance to win this tournament according to the books and they are also a giant in Argentina with a very good squad, but they have not been performing well in their own league as they currently sit around the middle of the table and they will struggle against some of the better teams in this competition as well. The few things they do have going for them is that they do have a very good defense that does not allow many goals and they have a very strong home advantage with a much stronger attack there. The problem is that they struggle to score goals away from home and if they do not make good use of their home leg in every round, they will be at risk of exiting the tournament to a better team that will keep them from scoring. Defense is very important when making a deep run in a competition like this but there are also plenty of talented teams with very strong attacks and if Boca Juniors is not able to score goals on those good defenses, then they are not going to be able to make a deep run here with their away performance this year. Boca Juniors has no chance of going deep into this tournament as they need to focus on winning matches in their own league before focusing on a competition like this with the best of the best.  Racing Club +1200: Racing Club is coming in as the next team with the best chance to win this tournament according to the books but they are another Argentina giant that has failed to perform well in their own league this season. Racing Club has been a middle of the table team all season and they have also struggled in their away matches which will be a problem in this competition. They do have a very good team that plays well at home, but even in some of their recent home matches they have played very lazy and lethargic matches, dropping points against teams they should be beating, and there are a lot of much stronger teams in this competition for them to get through on their way to the finals. Just like Boca Juniors, Racing Club has had poor performances away from home all season and they have struggled to score in those matches as well. There is a chance Racing Club is not even in any South American competitions next year with their performance in the league this season and they are not going to be a threat to make a deep run in this tournament either.  RecommendationsThere are some very good teams left in this competition and with all of the South American giants still left, it will likely be a club from Brasil or Argentina who wins. This competition has been strongly dominated by clubs from Brasil over the last few years and Flamengo at +350 would still be a very good choice to defend their title as they have the experience and also one of the best teams on the continent. There is a team that can give Flamengo a run for their money though and considering the great season they had along with the scheduling advantages they are going to have as well as the talent on their team, River Plate at +600 is a very good choice to win this competition and return the trophy to Argentinian soil after so long. Flamengo at +350 and River Plate at +600 are the 2 best choices to win this competition but I am siding with River Plate at +600 to be the 2023 Copa Libertadores Champions. 

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