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Biography

The progeny of an accomplished sports handicapper, William Burns is already making a name for himself.

Active since:  2023

Location:  Vancouver Island, BC, Canada

They say that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Son of a well-known handicapper, William Burns has sports betting in his blood.  Indeed, since his teens, William was helping his father behind the scenes by studying games and applying his analytical skills to handicap games.  One of William's key learnings was it's often better to swim against the current than with it.  He also understands which situations and statistics are the best predictors of winning.  And this high-level training, combined with a deep understanding of sports, has provided William with the necessary skills to be a sharp handicapper.

William has had invaluable experience as an athlete, as well.  An avid and passionate soccer player, Burns competed in high-level international tournaments while growing up.  And his love of soccer has given him a unique ability to handicap the sport.  You can expect plays in all the worldwide soccer leagues.  Beyond soccer, William handicaps all the major leagues, including NFL, NBA, NCAAF, NCAAB, NHL and MLB.  And he will have plays in UFC, CFL, Tennis and more.

In 2023, William's first season as a professional handicapper, he had stellar results, including 70-50 in the NFL in 2023, 9-1 in MMA, 14-4 in Tennis, 27-16 in Soccer, and 54-39 in the NBA.  William expects 2024 to be bigger and better, and is excited to join BigAl.com, where his plays will reach a wide audience.  Don't miss any of William's winning selections.

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MLB - Moneyline - Sat, Jul 27

DIV GAME OF THE MONTH // EPIC 26-8 THIS YEAR!

Off an 0-1 day on Friday, Burns isn't shying away one bit on Saturday. He's releasing his BIGGEST DIVISION SELECTION ...

$30

MLB - Over / Under - Sat, Jul 27

MLB TOTAL OF THE DAY >> SATURDAY'S TOP TOTAL

It was a disappointing 0-1 day on Friday. But, Burns is expecting a massive weekend to make up for it. He's got a HUG...

$30
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Way-Too-Early NCAAF Predictions & Futures Bets to Make:

Wednesday, Jul 10, 2024

We are just over a month away from the 2024-25 College Football season. Beginning on August 24th, let's take a look at what we can expect over the course of this new season.  Teams I Expect to Improve:  Colorado Buffaloes (4-8 in 2023-24) - Even with their poor record, the Colorado Buffaloes were one of the most hyped teams last season. Head Coach Deion Sanders is now into his second season with his new program and I believe that they've got the ability to win a lot more ball games this season. More than definitely, they have the talent to reach a bowl game at the very least. Deion's sons, Shaduer and Shilo are back, as well as rising superstar and perhaps the best player in the country in Travis Hunter. No, they are not going to be National Champions this year. But, they've got what it takes to improve vastly. // Projection: 7-6TCU Horned Frogs (5-7 in 2023-24) - Coming off a National Championship Game appearance in 2022-23, it was a very disappointing season last year for the Horned Frogs. Yes, they lost a few guys including QB Max Duggan. However, it wasn't in the cards to miss a bowl game last season. This year, they've filled a much needed hole in their secondary. Plenty of new faces will help this TCU team be much better against the pass. TCU opens the season with a couple of "easier" games against Stanford and LIU. Expect them to win both of those games comfortably and have a much stronger season this year than last. // Projection: 9-4East Carolina Pirates (2-10 in 2023-24) - After finishing dead last in the AAC Conference last season, I'm expecting the Pirates to be much improved this year. They've got a much easier schedule and have their tougher games at home this season. ECU also avoids the likes of USF, Memphis & Tulane which should give them plenty of confidence throughout the year. They have quite a few returning faces, but also added a bunch of new transfers which should help them fill some holes. I expect the Pirates to win at least five games this season and perhaps make a bowl game like they did a couple seasons ago. // Projection: 7-6 Teams I Expect to Fall Off:  Washington Huskies (14-1 in 2023-24) - After losing in the National Championship game last season, the Huskies lost a lot. Head Coach Kalen DeBoer was replaced by Jedd Fisch as DeBoer filled the spot at Alabama. Washington also lost QB Michael Penix Jr as well as WRs Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan & Ja’Lynn Polk. Not to mention they also lost their star LT in Troy Fatanu Jr as well. That's a lot of critical spots to fill if this team is going to want to win a bunch of football games again. Now, I don't expect them to fall completely off the map. However, newly into the Big 10, I don't expect the Huskies to come close to their 14-1 mark from last season. // Projection: 7-6 Michigan Wolverines (15-0 in 2023-24) - Although I do believe that this Michigan program has some very strong pieces once again this year, I don't see them going undefeated again. MICH won the National Championship last season and have lost a bunch. Former Head Coach Jim Harbaugh moved up to the NFL. QB JJ McCarthy and WR Roman Wilson did the exact same thing. Looking at the rest of the conference, Ohio State is going to be the team to beat. They will also have to deal with some new faces in Washington, Oregon & USC joining their conference in the offseason (UCLA also joined but aren't on the schedule.) They've got a very good QB in Alex Orji for this season. However, don't expect another perfect year from the Wolverines. // Projection: 11-3Florida State Seminoles (13-1 in 2023-24) - I was one of the ones that believed that the Seminoles were robbed of a CFP spot last season. Holding a perfect 13-0 record into the Selection Show, there had never been an undefeated power 5 team that didn't get in (in the 4-team playoff system.) Unluckily for them, the expansion of the College Football Playoff begins this season. We will now see a 12-team playoff and much more excitement (in my opinion.) Also unluckily for the Noles, they lost their QB Jordan Travis. They also lost WR's Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson. Yes, they filled the QB spot with QJ Uiagalelei. However, I don't see how FSU wins 13 games again this season. They will drop off a bit and get close to the double digit win mark. // Projection: 9-4  Five Futures Bets to Make:  1. ) Ohio State Buckeyes - To Win the National Championship - YES (+400)2. ) Ohio State Buckeyes - To Win the Big Ten Championship Game - YES (+155)I love the Buckeyes this season. They are locked and loaded with massive amounts of talent filling much needed holes from last season. A new QB in Will Howard, returning RB TreVeyon Henderson & #1 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class in Jeremiah Smith should be enough as is to beat teams with ease. Not to mention that they bring back Emeka Egbuka as well as Brandon Innis at the WR position AND add RB Quinshon Judkins from Ole Miss. Even without Marvin Harrison Jr this season, this offense (in my opinion) is the best in the country by far. 3. ) Ole Miss Rebels - To Make the College Football Playoff - YES (-130)As mentioned in my OSU analysis above, the Rebels did lose their RB Quinshon Judkins in the transfer portal. However, they've still got their QB Jaxson Dart who I believe to be one of the best QB's in the nation this season. Just like his name, Dart throws darts. He's got an awesome arm and he's got two of his top three targets from last season back with him this year. Like always, Ole Miss also made some splashes in the transfer portal as they landed Walter Nolan as well as Trey Amos & Princely Umanmielen on the defensive end. New WR Antwane Wells Jr should also help Dart and the offense. I expect them to make the 12-team playoff this season. 4. ) Utah Utes - OVER 9.5 WINS (-135)Without their two best offensive players for the entirety of last season, the Utah Utes finally get back QB Cameron Rising and TE Brant Kuithe. In their new conference (the Big 12,) the Utes are actually favored to win the entire conference right now. Let's not forget that these two led Utah to a 10-4 record in 2021-22 when Kuithe led the team in receiving yards. I expect them to be back and better than ever with this awesome Utes defense. Expect them to have at least 10 wins this season. 5. ) Colorado Buffaloes - OVER 5.5 WINS (-140)As I already mentioned, I believe that the Buffaloes are going to be much improved from last year. Don't get me wrong, they are definitely not considered as title contenders. However, Deion Sanders will have his guys ready to go for this season. Improving by just two wins shouldn't be too difficult. Expect the Buffaloes to win at least six games and get into a bowl game this season. They should go "over" this mark without much trouble.  Burns' National Title Game Prediction: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Oregon Ducks 27-21 OSU. 

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Way-Too-Early NFL Predictions & Future Bets to Make:

Tuesday, Jul 02, 2024

Although it's still just early July, it's never too early to start thinking about football. That being said, let's take a look at this upcoming NFL season.  Teams I Expect to Improve:  Cincinnati Bengals (9-8 in 2023-24) - While the Bengals were very unfortunate last season when their Quarterback Joe Burrow went down with an injury. They'll have him back this season and they should be labelled as Super Bowl contenders once again. Yes, they lost Joe Mixon to the Houston Texas in Free Agency. However, this team is still extremely talented and having Burrow back greatly improves their chances of another playoff appearance and perhaps more. // Projection: 11-6 Los Angeles Chargers (5-12 in 2023-24) - Los Angeles also had plenty of injuries last season. Mike Williams went out early in the season and Keenan Allen missed four weeks as well. Although they'll be without both of them this season again, they are much improved in the trenches. New head coach Jim Harbaugh has added a few new pieces and he'll look to keep winning like he did in Michigan last season. Even with limited receiving options, QB Justin Herbert is more than capable of making things happen. // Projection: 8-9 New York Jets (7-11 in 2023-24) - Same with the Bengals, the Jets also had a Quarterback injury cause a rough season. Unluckily for them, theirs happened to be in week 1 of the regular season to a guy by the name of Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers is back this season and ready to roll as the Jets look to get to the postseason. If you don't remember, many people were very high on NYJ going into last year before the injury happened. They picked up a fantastic tackle in Olu Fashanu in the draft. Expect some improvement. // Projection: 10-7Teams I Expect to Fall-Off:  Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7 in 2023-24) - Pittsburgh picked up another winning season under HC Mike Tomlin last year. Don't get me wrong, he's one of the best coaches in this league right now. But, the Steelers are not a team that I expect to do all that well this season. They happen to be in what I believe to be the NFL's toughest division. With their last eight games of the season against BAL, CLE, CIN, CLE, PHI, BAL, KC, CIN, I just don't see them matching their number from last year. Expect a slight fall off. // Projection: 7-10 New Orleans Saints (9-8 in 2023-24) - New Orleans managed to do alright last season despite not having the best Quarterback play. Well, they might have to worry about the same things this year. Simply put, Derek Carr is not the answer for them. They did draft Spencer Rattler in the 5th round which could turn out to be the steal of the draft. But, don't expect him to start the season or even play all that much in his first season. // Projection: 7-10 Tennessee Titans (6-11 in 2023-24) - You may be thinking - Why am I expecting a 6-11 team to fall off? Well, I don't see them winning even five games this season. Tennessee lost their superstar running back in Derek Henry over this offseason, a move that everyone saw coming. They did manage to get Tony Pollard which should help them not be awful in that department. However, overcoming the loss of Henry and not improving offensively will be a problem. Nice addition to get L'Jarius Sneed from Kansas City though. // Projection: 4-13Five Future Bets to Make: 1. ) Indianapolis Colts - OVER 8.5 WINS (-105) 2. ) Indianapolis Colts - To Make The Playoffs - YES (+140)3. ) Shane Steichen - To Win Coach of the Year - YES (+1600) These top three are all about the Colts. I'm very high on Indianapolis this season. After a season where they finished 9-8 without their starting QB, I believe that they can accomplish things this year. New Head Coach Shane Steichen is going to do wonders for this football team as Anthony Richardson is one of the best up and coming stars. He proved that he's going to be special in just a few weeks last year. The win total is way too low considering the division that they are in. They will make the playoffs and perhaps even win the division. Getting Laiatu Latu in the 1st & Adonai Mitchell in the 2nd round was massive as well. Expect a big year for Steichen and this Indianapolis team. 4. ) Cleveland Browns - OVER 8.5 WINS (-135) While the Browns finished 11-6 last season with Joe Flacco under center for 5 games, they should be able to go "over" this mark quite easily. They'll have Deshaun Watson back and although he probably won't be as good as he was in Houston for those few years, he's more than capable at QB. The Browns will also be hoping that Nick Chubb returns sooner than later. That is probably what's causing this lower line. However, I do expect him to return at some point this season and get back to a decently high level once again.  5. ) New York Giants - UNDER 6.5 WINS (-135) New York simply isn't that good. They lost their superstar running back in Saquon Barkley during the offseason. Not only did they lose him. But, they lost him to their division rival in the Philadelphia Eagles. It's going to be a rough season for them as they are still leaning to having Daniel Jones take snaps behind center again. Yes, they added who I believe to be an insane talent in Malik Nabers. But, he's going to do nothing if they can't get him the ball. Don't expect very many wins from the G-Men this season.  Burns' Super Bowl Prediction:  Baltimore Ravens vs. San Francisco 49ers Score: 23-17 49ers. 

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2024 Wimbledon (Tennis) Preview:

Thursday, Jun 20, 2024

After successfully predicting the two winners (Carlos Alcaraz & Iga Swiatek) to win the French Open a month ago in my "2024 Roland Garros Preview," I'm back with a "2024 Wimbledon Preview" here for June/July. Although the main draw doesn't fully begin until July 1st, the qualification process begins on Monday (June 24th.) On that account, there is plenty for us to talk about. Let's take a look at what you can expect:  The Overall Favorites to win the Tournament:  With still over a week before the tournament begins, it's much harder to make predictions. Having said that, here's what I expect from the top players in both the Men's & Women's draws. Men's 1. ) Despite being the favorite once again for this year's Wimbledon, Carlos Alcaraz (+150 to win) suffered an early exit in Queen's (ATP 500 Tournament.) He's coming off an excellent Clay court campaign, capping it off with the French Open title. That being said, is the straight sets loss to Jack Draper in the Round of 16 of Queen's something to worry about? I don't think so. But, we'll have to see. Men's 2. ) Jannik Sinner (+175 to win) is right on the Spaniard's heels as one of the favorites in this slam. He's one of, if not the most consistent player on tour. He's already won the Australian Open this year and comes into the third Grand Slam of the year with just three losses so far this season (as of June 20th.) That's outrageous if you ask me. Men's 3. ) Why isn't Novak Djokovic (+350 to win) one of these first two names that I mentioned? Well, the "GOAT of tennis" who's won 24 of these Grand Slams (incl. 7 at Wimbledon) suffered a very concerning knee injury in the French Open. Labelled as a medial meniscus tear in his right knee, Djokovic has recovered extremely well. In fact, he was given the "doubtful" label by many sources as we heard this news. Now, we all know how much he wants to get back on the court. He's already ruled out the Olympics in late July/August as the workload would've been very much for an older player. Will he be fit and ready to go for this year's Championships? We'll just have to wait and see.  Women's 1. ) On the women's side of things, Aryna Sabalenka (+300 to win) is actually the overall favorite to win this tournament. With her power and dominant service game, it's hard to see anyone being able to stop her with how the grass game is played. She's coming off a disappointing loss in the French Open to the 17yr old phenom Mirra Andreeva. She'll definitely want to win this tournament for her second slam win of 2024.Women's 2. ) French Open champ Iga Swiatek (+350 to win) is the clear #1 player in the world right now. Her overall dominance to go along with her determination to win is very hard to ignore. It's not all that often that we have a player of this quality. Yes, Sabalenka might have the power to out duel most opponents. But, beating Swiatek will never be easy as long as the Pole stays healthy. Women's 3. ) Elana Rybakina (+450 to win) is one to watch in this year's tournament. She's a lengthy player who's got extreme power herself to go along with some of the best ground strokes you'll ever see. Yes, she's won just one Grand Slam. However, Wimbledon is the one tournament that she's won and she's very deadly on this court. Do not count her out. Full Odds to Win the Tournament (via. DraftKings:)Men's: Carlos Alcaraz +150Jannik Sinner +175 Novak Djokovic +350Alexander Zverev +1200Daniil Medvedev +1400 Matteo Berrettini +2000Alex De Minaur +2000Jack Draper +2500Hubert Hurkacz +2500Grigor Dimitrov +2500Women's: Aryna Sabalenka +300 Iga Swiatek +350Elena Rybakina +450 Coco Gauff +750Naomi Osaka +1100Ons Jabeur +1600 Marketa Vondrousova +2000Mirra Andreeva +2200 Qinwen Zheng +2500Emma Raducanu +2500 Burns' Wimbledon 2024 Projections:  As I mentioned earlier, I predicted that both Alcaraz (+260) & Swiatek (-165) would win the French Open. While both happened to be correct, those were the two favorites. In Wimbledon, I do believe that we could see a lot more upsets. That being said, I believe that anyone can win this tournament on both the Men's & Women's side. Ultimately I'm going to go with Jannik Sinner and Elena Rybakina as my two picks for Wimbledon. Both are very strong at both serving and returning and should be very hard to beat on this surface. Taylor Fritz (+2800) & Milos Raonic (+6500) could make some noise as they've both got insanely strong serves. On the Women's side, Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka are definitely very strong players, with powerful serves, that could do well as well. Just because I'm not taking them this time around, it doesn't mean that both Alcaraz and Swiatek can't win either. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised whatsoever if both end up winning once again. Expect a very exciting tournament in this year's Wimbledon. Best Bets: Jannik Sinner +175 to Win & Elena Rybakina +450 to Win. 

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2024 NBA Draft: What to Expect

Tuesday, Jun 04, 2024

As some have been saying, this might be one of the worst NBA draft classes of all time. Of course, there is still talent. But, let's take a look and see how good it really is. Lottery Picks: After a bit of speculation during the season, nobody really knew who would emerge as the best NBA prospect in this year's draft. As time passed along two names have become the best of the bunch. Alexandre Sarr (Perth Wildcats, NBL - France) & Zaccharie Risacher (France) are now the two favorites to be the #1 overall selection in this year's draft. Sarr, another lengthy 7-foot-1 player, is a tremendous defender. He might not have the ability that last year's #1 selection in Victor Wembanyama has in ball handling and the confidence of his shot quite yet. But, he has the potential to be great as he's drawn comparisons to someone like Jaren Jackson Jr. Risacher, who is now expected to go #2, is also a very exciting talent from the nation of France. Standing at 6-foot-10, he's an excellent player in transition, that reminds me a bit of Harrison Barnes. Although that might not be the most flashy player in the world to compare him to, he'll fill a much needed role for a program in need of a player like this.Over the rest of the top 15 picks of this year's draft, we could see a bunch of different things happen. Will Zach Edey end up in the lottery? Who will be the first guard taken off the board (Nikola Topic? Reed Sheppard? Rob Dillingham?) We will find all of this out on June 27th, 2024. Last Notes:A player to keep an eye on in the later stages of the draft will be Bronny James. Son of NBA living legend Lebron James, he most likely wouldn't even be a part of the talk of this draft class without his dad's name. That being said, he's ready to put the work in and I expect him to get drafted near the later stages of the second round. It's pretty safe to say that this class most definitely doesn't possess the talent that we've seen in previous years. But, it's hard to call it the "worst" without having had any of them play a single game in the NBA yet. Odds to go #1:  Alexandre Sarr (-210)Zaccharie Risacher (+190)Donovan Clingan (+1200)Ron Holland (+2000)Reed Sheppard (+2200)Robert Dillingham (+3000)Matas Buzelis (+3500)Nikola Topic (+4000)Stephon Castle (+5000)Dalton Knecht (+10000)Two Draft Night "Prop Bets" to Make: Firstly, getting Zaccharie Risacher at +100 to be the #2 overall pick is an absolute steal. With the odds of being the #1 overall pick at what they are, I don't see how the French powerhouses don't go #1 and #2 overall in this year's draft. For my second prop, I've got Donovan Clingan at +425 to be the #3rd overall pick in this year's draft. Although he has the third best odds to be selected at that pick, the Rockets should look at who's going to help them win. Clingan paired up with the already dangerous Alperen Şengün would be a nightmare for opposing opponents. These odds are too good to pass up. 

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Czech Republic Win Gold at IIHF World Championships

Thursday, May 30, 2024

The IIHF World Championships came to an end on Sunday as the Czechs claimed the gold medal against Switzerland behind some terrific home fan support. It was a very successful tournament as we saw plenty of top quality hockey involving some of the best players in the World from the NHL and other top leagues. While the Swiss ended up with silver, it was still a very impressive showing from the "Playground of Europe." Finishing in third place was Sweden, as they defeated Canada in the bronze medal game.  How the Tournament Went: Even though both the United States & Canada didn't have their best of the best come, it's always a disappointment if they aren't playing for Gold. The USA just weren't very strong from the opening match. Finishing without a medal, the US ended up losing to the Czechs (who went on to win) in the Quarter-Finals. Don't get me wrong, it was a close game. But, they should be winning that game and moving on. Canada, on the other hand, lost a shoot-out to Switzerland in the Semi-Finals. It was a heartbreak as probably their best player in the tournament, Dylan Cozens, was denied by the Swiss goalie (Leonardo Genoni) to extend the shoot-out, who was excellent throughout the whole tournament. Talking about Switzerland, they were led by their NHL superstars. Captain Roman Josi had Kevin Fiala, Nico Hischier & Nino Niederreiter with him as they battled. As mentioned earlier, the goaltender Leonardo Genoni absolutely stood on his head, especially against Canada. It's always difficult to lose in the big one, but this is a team that should be very proud of what they accomplished with the Silver Medal. The Czech Republic, led by David Pastrnak, won a battle in that Gold Medal Game. When the Boston Bruins got eliminated from the playoffs, every Czech hockey fan was waiting for the moment that the goal scoring machine would announce that he was coming. Of course, Pastrnak said yes and ended up being the hero for his home country. A goal with just over 10 minutes to go would end up being the game winner and the fans went absolutely nuts. Talk about an awesome experience. Terrific host country. Sweden and Finland were disappointed as well, especially the Fins. They actually played each other in the Quarter-Finals, in a game that was decided by an Overtime winner by Joel Eriksson Ek (Minnesota Wild Forward.) Sweden went on the lose to Czechia, but beat Canada to at least stand tall on the podium. With their talent, a goal medal was expected for them as well. Finland however, needs to get back to the top as they didn't look all that competitive in some of the group stage matches. What's Next? With all of this up and coming talent around the World, maybe International Hockey will finally get back to being what it used to be. NHL players are now allowed back in the Olympics (in 2026 and 2030,) which should gain huge viewership once again. Even more of the stars should be out for those events as the Olympics are as big as it gets. However, next year's Hockey World Championships promises to be just as good, if not better than this years. We are in a golden age of hockey right now and it's only going to get better! Speaking of the "Golden age of Hockey," we're down to the last four teams in the NHL playoffs. Both Conference Finals series are coming down to the wire. As of Thursday, May 30th, here are the odds (via. DraftKings) to win the cup! Florida Panthers +235 Dallas Stars +255 Edmonton Oilers +275 New York Rangers +370 If I had to pick one of those teams to win at the moment, it would have the be the Dallas Stars at +255. They look very strong and will get to play two of the last three games in this series against EDM at home (if necessary.) 

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2024 Roland Garros (French Open) Preview:

Friday, May 24, 2024

It's already been a grueling 2024 season for all of the players and it's only just getting into the busy time of the year. Fully into the "Clay Court" season after a very intriguing start to the year on the "Hard Court." Injury/Fatigue Woes:  Entering this year's French Open plenty of the top players have been dealing with issues with their bodies. World #1 Novak Djokovic might not be dealing with an injury, but he's dealing with something. As a matter of fact, he's yet to win a single tournament in 2024. #2 Carlos Alcaraz enters the big one "concerned" of his forearm still. Yes, they say he's "pain-free," coming in. However, there have been reports that he is still worried about hitting his forehand with full power. #3 in the world, Jannik Sinner also arrives in Paris with a lingering hip injury. After winning the Australian Open, fans were expecting him to play in Rome (his home country.) He wasn't able to play and everyone is eager to see if he can win another slam despite the setback. Many more players have been forced to withdraw from tournaments and not play due to injuries as well. Hopefully there's nothing to worry about for this tournament, but time will tell.   Giant Opening Round Matchups:  Kicking things off with an epic showdown, tennis fans have already been talking anxiously about the #4 Alexander Zverev/Rafael Nadal match. In what could very well be Nadal's last French Open of his career, he will have to go through one of today's best players in order to make a run at glory once again. Zverev knows that this match will not be easy, even considering Nadal's current form and health. This one is MUST-WATCH TV. (Zverev is -400) In a battle of the so-called veteran, we will get to watch the 39 & 37 year old's Stan Wawrinka/Andy Murray showdown in the opening round. Yes, it might not be as exciting of a match than the first one that I mentioned. However, this is a match that long time Tennis fans will be tuning into. Stan has won 16 tournaments (three grand slams) in his time in the tennis world including one in this very tournament back in 2015. On the other hand, the Brit has won 46 titles (three grand slams) over the course of his career. No, he's never won the French. But, he has featured in a final back in 2016. (Wawrinka is -200) On the women's side, a very good matchup will be #23 Anna Kalinskaya/Clara Burel. Both of these women are extremely talented and enter the tournament in the top 50 in the world. Kalinskaya hasn't really been all that impressive on Clay so far. But, she's coming off an excellent Quarter-Final finish in Australia and she's already beaten world #1 Iga Swiatek this season. For Clara Burel, she's not as well known in the tennis world. She made it to the Rof32 in the Australian Open, and will continue to push each and every one of her opponents. This should be a fascinating watch.  (Kalinskaya is -145) Potential Look-Ahead Matchups:Hopeful of yet another Grand-Slam win to his name, Novak Djokovic will have probably the easiest path to the final with #3 Sinner and #2 Alcaraz on the other side. If Rafa Nadal somehow manages to make it that far, a Semi Final matchup with Djokovic would be epic. Looking at the women's draw, #2 Aryna Sabalenka & #4 Elena Rybakina are on the same side. A match between former #1 Naomi Osaka and current #1 Iga Swiatek could very well happen in the second round. Overall many very interesting matchups could play out over the course of this tournament.  Odds to Win (via. DraftKings:) Men's: Carlos Alcaraz +260Novak Djokovic +330 Jannik Sinner +450Alexander Zverev +700Stefanos Tsitsipas +850 Casper Ruud +1200Andrey Rublev +2500Rafael Nadal +2500Daniil Medvedev +3000 Holger Rune +4000Women's: Iga Swiatek -165 Aryna Sabalenka +550 Coco Gauff +900 Elena Rybakina +1000Danielle Collins +2000 Jalena Ostapenko +4000 Maria Sakkari +5000 Qinwen Zheng +5000 Mirra Andreeva +6000 Ons Jabeur +6500  Burns' French Open 2024 Projections:  It's very hard to go against the two favorite's to win the whole thing. That being said, I do expect both Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek to come away with the French Open this year. They are both just way too talented on clay and I don't see them losing. A couple of players that could also win are Novak Djokovic (of course,) Jannik Sinner and Rafael Nadal (if he's playing his best) on the Men's side. For the women, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina could also win with a bit of luck. The top four women at the moment are simply much better than the rest of the field. Therefore, I believe that it's almost a guarantee that one of them wins. Best Bets: Carlos Alcaraz +260 to Win & Iga Swiatek -165 to Win. 

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Has the Golden State Warriors Dynasty Come to an End?

Sunday, Apr 21, 2024

After losing to the Sacramento Kings last Tuesday, people from around the world chimed in on their thoughts about Golden State. Their disappointing results last year had many people believing that it was the end. Now, after experiencing another let down so early, is it safe to say that we’ve seen the end of the dominance of the Warriors? As a fan of the game, it’s always fun to watch the best teams go at it in the biggest situations. Golden State has been the “best of the best” for many years in a row now and it’s sad to see them go. Having said that, are they really done just yet? Well, Klay Thompson’s contract expires this offseason. Meaning that it’s time for the front office to make some decisions. His horrible performance in the Play-In game might be something that they use to help make that decision. Prior to that game, Klay had actually been playing very well. But, they’ll need to figure things out, that’s for sure. Golden State will also have to decide on other changes that could possibly improve the team's abilities. Draymond Green is somebody to talk about. Jonathan Kuminga/Andrew Wiggins/Moses Moody/Dario Saric will also need to be figured out. Maybe even another move for Chris Paul is in the cards for this offseason. There’s just one thing that is set in stone, to my knowledge. Stephen Curry will continue to be a Warrior until the end of his career. In fact, Curry might happen to be a part of the discussions in some of these difficult decisions. Obviously he’s played his entire career with the likes of Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. If they can somehow keep the trio together for next season, I bet that they will. As much as everyone believes that they need a change, let’s not forget that all three of these guys are more than likely to be hall-of-famers when it’s all said and done. Having said that, it’s also likely that at least one of Klay/Draymond has to move on. If played correctly, the Warriors could very well trade away - EXAMPLE - somebody like Andrew Wiggins and get a decent amount in return. There’s no question that he struggled this season, from what he did last year at least. So, the question is still this. Will they continue to disappoint? Or will they snap out of it and make yet another run at glory? Everyone has their own opinions on this and I believe that a lot of people think that it’s over. But, as long as Steph Curry is still in that jersey, I find it hard to believe that the Warriors won’t be a threat, yet alone title contenders once again in the near future. 2024-25 Prediction: If the Warriors keep their trio together, I expect them to get back into the playoffs. They should be competitive (if they all stay healthy) against any team and could very well win a couple of series'. Having said that, if they are to rebuild, it could be another long season for Golden State fans.

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What's Wrong with the Houston Astros?

Saturday, Apr 13, 2024

Houston has been one of the most successful teams over the past decade. Baseball fans around the world have watched the Astros play in the ALCS for seven consecutive seasons now. It’s two weeks into the 2024 MLB season & the AL juggernauts have simply played horribly. With their 4-11 record, is it time to start worrying? Let’s break it all down. THE PITCHING: Through 15 games, the pitching numbers have been embarrassing. Currently ranked 29th out of 30, the team owns an alarming 5.56 ERA. Those aren’t the only statistics that the Astros are struggling in right now. They’ve allowed an average of 8.9 hits per game, a batting average of .263 and a 7.35 K/9 ratio. Unsurprisingly, all of those numbers rank 26th or worse at the moment. Improvement is critical if they want to make noise again this season. Yes, the Astros are dealing with injuries right now. They started the season without Luis Garcia as well as Justin Verlander. Now, Framber Valdez is out for at least two weeks on the 15 day IL. Of course, getting those guys back will help, but will it be too little too late? THE BATTING: Hitting hasn’t necessarily been the issue for Houston to date. They are averaging a plentiful amount of baserunners per game. What’s the issue then? Leaving runners on base is definitely it. They currently stand as the second worst team in baseball in that category. Alex Bregman is a guy that needs to wake up as well. He’s hitting just .241 and has yet to hit a single home run this season. That’s a shock since he’s hit at least 20 in each of the last four seasons that he’s played at least 155 games in.  IS THE DEPARTURE OF DUSTY BAKER THE PROBLEM?One of the most highly respected managers in recent MLB history stepped down after last season. He’s gotten them to four of those seven ALCS and helped bring Houston home a world series. Having said that, the Dusty Baker departure effect might be something that’s caused some of these problems. New manager Joe Espada has never been the head guy of a team before. Of course he’s been around the sport. But, is he up for the job? Well, if judged by his record, he hasn’t done a very good job so far. Yes, it’s early, but time is ticking and soon enough they’ll be out of the playoffs, if things don’t start to change.  CURRENT ODDS TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS, WIN THE AL WEST, WIN THE ENTIRE AL, & WIN THE WORLD SERIES (odds via. DraftKings:) To Make The Playoffs: -170 To Win The AL West: +165 To Win The AL: +550 To Win The World Series: +1100 (up from +800) ARE THEY GOOD ENOUGH TO COME BACK FROM THE EARLY STRUGGLES? Of course the Astros are good enough to come back from this. It’s the beginning of the season and this is the time to be at their lowest. The oddsmakers aren’t budging with future odds quite yet, and for a reason. When healthy, this team can be, and is one of the scariest teams to face in all of baseball. Now, baseball is a very long season. Everything can change with one swing. Don’t let the early season record of the Houston Astros deceive you. They are still very much alive and well. It’s just a matter of time for this stacked lineup to start capitalizing with runners on base. I have yet to play on (or against) the Astros but will be looking to play on them in favorable spots going forward.  BEST HOUSTON ASTROS FUTURE BET: It’s hard to think that the Astros aren’t going to make the playoffs after how many years that they’ve dominated the American League. Yes, it’s been a bad start. But, you’ve got to remember. This is a 162 game season and we are not even close to the halfway point yet. Expect Houston to still make the playoffs. The best Futures bet on the Astros is currently (-170 To Make the Playoffs.) --------------*Houston is currently about to win their fifth game of the season today against the Texas Rangers. The comeback is on!

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