As bros, we all naturally love online gambling. Whether it's bodog.com, fivedimes.com, thegreek.com, etc. we all have our website where we bet to make sports a little bit more interesting. So after doing a little...  Keep Reading »

Anyone ever seen the movie "Two for the Money"? Both Al Pacino (an all-time favorite actor of mine) and Matthew McConaughy star in this movie about a New York high-rolling bookie business. If you are a big sports better, or even a big sports fan, it's a pretty interesting movie. Although I'm not the biggest McConaughy fan (not even the least bit of a fan, actually), Al Pacino plays his unavoidable "mobster-like" role with his typical two-minute monologue in the end (and yes, just like every other movie, he kills it). Worth watching for that if nothing else. Anyway, this is the theme of this week's blog. I've always wanted to put a bunch of money on 10 games that I think will hit, then reap the rewards. But (a) it was illegal while I was an NCAA participant, and (b), I believe it is still illegal to do so now. So, why don't you all just trust me and let me know how it goes. I'll give you my rationale behind each bet.  Keep Reading »

With all due respect to Mark Ingram, Colt McCoy, and other big-name Heisman trophy hopefuls, listed below are five dark-horse candidates deserving of the award in their own rights. While Ingram and McCoy likely will be the national favorites to capture the thing, it is no sure bet, given the parity of the contenders to this point. Thus, leaving the door open for an unexpected winner.

5. Ryan Mathews, RB, Fresno St. -- Has 1,491 yards (tops in the nation) and 14 TDs, while averaging 7.0 yards per carry. Drawback is playing for a middle-of-the-road West Coast team.

4. Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Oregon State -- Has tallied 1,148 yards and 17 scores, adding 62 receptions for 397 yards, for a Beavers squad with Rose Bowl aspirations.

3. CJ Spiller, RB, Clemson -- Spiller has been talked about as a challenger for the award since stepping onto campus. Now a senior, he is putting together his best all-around campaign with 836 rushing yards, 382 receiving yards, and 15 total touchdowns (four coming via special teams).  Keep Reading »

Two college football news items pulled straight out of the police blotter this week: Three Tennessee freshmen football players thought it would be a good idea to perform a stick-up with a pellet gun at a gas station. Apparently the scholarship money wasn't going far enough. The trio are being charged with armed robbery. Former Nebraska running back Thunder Collins, meanwhile, was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday for his role in a September 2008 killing. Apparently just because you went to college doesn't make you smart.

Now let's celebrate some upstanding college football players with the Week 11 picks. (Home team in caps.)

West Virginia (+9) over CINCINNATI
The Bearcats have a situation on their hands -- Tony Pike, now healthy, and Zach Collaros are both expected to see time under center. Never good to have a QB controversy, albeit a good one, this late in the season.  Keep Reading »

Before we get to your regularly scheduled programming, a little side note about coaching. For all the attention that the Urban Meyers, Nick Sabans, and Joe Paternos of the world receive, there are as many coaches out there doing an admirable job, minus the fanfare. So let's celebrate the unheralded guys. Here are the Top 5 coaching performances of the season.

5. Dave Wannstedt, Pittsburgh
Has the one-loss Panthers tied for first in the Big East. True, they haven't been too tested by their relatively easy schedule, but the Panthers have taken care of business nonetheless.

4. Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech
Built an efficient offensive attack that only Miami has been able to figure out. There's a strong chance Johnson's troops will end the year with one loss and in a BCS bowl game.

3. Brian Kelly, Cincinnati
The most surprising team in the nation? Perhaps. With Kelly's offense you know what you are going to get -- lots of big plays.  Keep Reading »

With news this week that Sam Bradford has undergone season-ending shoulder surgery, it's really hard to feel overly sorry for him. He seems like a class act kid, great teammate, and a good person. He already has a Heisman trophy, played for a national title, and will be a first-round NFL pick in April. Ninety-seven percent, if not more, of the population will never experience a lifetime of opportunity that Bradford has in three short years at Oklahoma. Yes, it sucks right now that his college football career is over, but he will be all right.

A majority of college quarterbacks never get a shot at the NFL or they end up career practice squad players. Something tells me that Bradford will be an NFL star. It's a shame that he didn't go pro a year ago when he would have been taken before the likes of Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez. He returned because he had the chance to be one of the best college quarterbacks of the last 25 years. While we'll never know what might have been, we do know that the world will continue to spin and that college football will go on. I'm glad it wasn't Tim Tebow suffering the same fate, as the Internet, televisions, and AM radio stations everywhere might have imploded. Happy trails, Sam. Thanks for the memories.

Anyways, here are your Week 9 picks. Last week I went a steady 10-5. (Home team in caps).

West Virginia (-3) over SOUTH FLORIDA
The Bulls' suspect run defense will be put to test against Noel Devine and the Mountaineers' conference-best run game. Expect Devine to put up big numbers in a nationally televised contest on Friday.  Keep Reading »

Home-field advantage just doesn't mean what it used to. That may make me sound like an old fart, but it's a reality in the NFL these days. With teams selling out for the big corporate bucks with higher ticket prices, regular fans (who actually cheer) can't afford to go. Even Seattle couldn't exert its usual home-field advantage last week as it got torn up by the Cardinals in front of Momma Hasselbeck, who previously held an undefeated record while watching her son Matt play in Seattle. The league office itself doesn't seem to care -- witness the folly that's become the London game (we'll get back to that in a bit). The once famed idea of backing home underdogs has fallen by the wayside as they're covering 46.4% of games this year, proving home field doesn't matter as much anymore. Mr. T has hit the road in October himself, with trips to Raleigh and Oxford, Miss., already in the books and Boston, San Diego, and Los Angeles to come in the next two weeks. As long as the road is good to me, I'll have no problem throwing my money behind the NFL teams that are on it as well.

Survivor Pick of the Week:

Indianapolis over ST. LOUIS
The Colts are a well-oiled machine right now and St. Louis is not ready for the juggernaut. The Rams have serious offensive line issues and the Colts have two of the league's best pass rushers in Mathis and Freeney. The Colts have been unstoppable on offense and the Rams haven't been able to stop anyone. While I hate going with a road team in survivor pools, this seems like the best route for this week. Indianapolis isn't too far from St. Louis, so I wouldn't be surprised if Colts fans make the trip down to fill in some empty seats. If you've got that wandering eye that every girlfriend can't stand, the Patriots over the Bucs in London is another prime piece of ass. There doesn't seem to be much good home cooking this week. Tell your girlfriend to get to work or else you'll keep hitting the road.  Keep Reading »

The only person more popular than Sully Sullenberger right now is Mr. T after I produced another successful week of NFL picks (11-5 again). While Sully only has a limited amount of seats available for his fans, my picks are available to anyone and everyone. I'll admit that I've set pretty high standards for myself after two weeks, but why not try to take home the prom queen? There are those out there that think I'm making obvious selections, to which I laugh and wonder if they're willing to try their own luck. If everyone could pick better than at least 54% of the games, then we'd all be living in Vegas. Until then, let me help the little people out as we welcome everyone to the recovery.

Survivor Pick of the Week:

CHICAGO over Detroit
It's actually a pretty tough week for a survivor pick because there are a lot of popular choices out there. I feel as if I'm in Amsterdam's Red Light District with all the prostitutes looking at me through the glass, not knowing which hottie deserves their 30 minutes of fame. With all that said, I'm going to go with the Bears this week over the Lions. All of the Lions' players are hungover from celebrating their first victory in 19 games and we'll be talking about letdown city on Sunday. It'll be a perfect game for the Bears to get Matt Forte back on track, so I expect the Bears offense to approach 40 points. Taking Indianapolis over Seattle or San Francisco over St. Louis probably won't kill you either.

Locks of the Week:

CHICAGO (-10) over Detroit
Did I mention that I think this game will get outta hand? The people in Chicago will be fired up this weekend now that they didn't get the 2016 Olympics for multiple reasons. Those that didn't want them will be happy and those that did will be angry. Regardless, that leads to a boisterous Soldier Field crowd that will be too tough for rookie Matt Stafford to handle. Kevin Smith might not even play, which is another bad sign for the Lions. Chris Farley will be doing his dance in heaven once this one is over.  Keep Reading »

Sports betting is far from an exact science. If anything, it's the complete opposite. Sometimes the numbers don't mean crap and you have to wager based on a gut feeling. When in doubt, here are five factors to consider before placing your bet:

1. School allegiance -- Whether it's your alma mater or just your favorite school, always bet for your team. If they win, look at is a double bonus for your pride and wallet.
2. Home team rules -- It's not that road teams don't win, but if the game is close at the end, the home faithful tends to make a world of difference.
3. The game breaker -- If two teams are evenly matched, lean towards the squad with the best player on the field. He will likely have a major impact on the outcome.
4. Underdog -- Everyone loves an upset.
5. Take the points... -- and pray like hell.

By the way, I went 8-12 last week. It will get better, I promise. Here are your Week Five picks. (Home team in caps).

BRIGHAM YOUNG (-24) over Utah St.
Fans are lining up in droves for this much-anticipated "Battle of Utah." O.K., maybe not.

South Florida (-6.5) over SYRACUSE
Can one really bet on a team being quarterbacked by a former over-hyped point guard? Take the Bulls coming off a big upset over Florida St.

Virginia Tech (-17) over DUKE
The Hokies are currently the highest ranked one-loss team in the nation at No. 6, meaning they are in a ideal position should more top dogs stumble.

NOTRE DAME (-12.5) over Washington
What we learned last week: The Huskies are a mediocre team that lucked out against USC on a day when everything went as perfect as it could have, following it up with a less-than-riveting performance against Stanford.  Keep Reading »

When it comes to state snobbishness and snarkiness, Delaware is a pretty easy target. After all, it's... Delaware. Flat and featureless, The First State hardly tantalizes the imagination with it's romantic geography. After all, it's biggest claims to fame -- in addition to being one of the first states to ratify the U.S. Constitution -- are Joe Biden, a massive DuPont Chemical factory, the Jell-o factory, sales tax-free shopping, it's stature on Wall Street as a corporate tax haven (almost all the big New York banks have some sort of presence in Wilmington), and a decent strip of sand on the Atlantic Ocean called Dewey Beach where the Philly/D.C. crowd escapes their humid swamps on summer weekends. Are you yawning yet?

Perhaps in a moment of founding father drunkenness, Thomas Jefferson once called Delaware "a jewel" for the state's strategic shipping location on the Eastern seaboard. Nowadays, "Wayne's World" best summarizes the second smallest state in the Union:



Until recently. August 31st, to be exact. That's the day when federal judges limited Delaware's proposal for betting on NFL games to multi-game parlay bets, making it more or less like a glamorized "office pool" as the Philadelphia Inquirer put it. Nonetheless, a new and legal sports wagering option is definitely worth a bit of fanfare for those who love the thrill of throwing a little money around on football Sundays without having to worry about a mobster bookie breaking our legs. While it was a disappointment to some in the gambling community, particularly the owners and operators of Delaware's three horsetrack casinos, the ruling is now being appealed in the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals. All praises a verdict for single game betting in Delaware reached before the end of football season.

In doing so, Delaware became the first state (again... ugh) to allow any type of sports gambling west of the Rocky Mountains. However, the betting games are controlled by the Delaware State Lottery, which makes for different circumstances compared to Vegas.  Keep Reading »

We know, you saw that guy limping around the track on those crutches at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday and you said to yourself, if I was at the track or at an OTB, I'd put all my money on Mine That Bird. In fact, only one half of one percent of all money bet on the race was placed on the winner. Even more incredible only 23 people picked the superfecta -- in other words, the exact order of the top four horses. A $1 bet yielded some $278,503. Check out this interview CNBC conducted with the only such winner to step forward into the public eye, Bowen Ross Wallace. We love what he plans to do with his winnings.

Reports the AP: LOUISVILLE, Ky. - I Want Revenge is out of the Kentucky Derby, the first morning-line favorite to scratch the day of the race. The 3-year-old colt was scratched Saturday morning after trainer Jeff Mullins discovered a hot spot on the horse's left front ankle. An X-ray and ultrasound test did not find any damage, but the ankle was tender when it was flexed. With a wet track expected, Mullins and owner David Lanzman didn't want to take any chances.

At the moment, the odds for all the other horses remain the same as they were earlier in the week, with Dunkirk and Pioneerof theNile close at 4/1 and Friesan Fireat at 5/1. That said, as I Want Revenge fans start looking for new horses, the odds will change considerably this afternoon leading up to post time.

Thinking about betting on the Kentucky Derby? I Want Revenge is the 3/1 favorite, with Dunkirk and Pioneerof theNile close behind at 4/1. Friesan Fire comes in at 5/1 and everyone else is a long shot. Here are the post positions and odds for Saturday's big race. (UPDATED: Here's the inevitable Kentucky Derby drinking game.)

1 West Side Bernie, 30/1
2 Musket Man, 20/1
3 Mr. Hot Stuff, 30/1
4 Advice, 30/1
5 Hold Me Back, 15/1
6 Friesan Fire, 5/1
7 Papa Clem, 20/1
8 Mine that Bird, 50/1
9 Join in the Dance, 50/1
10 Regal Ransom, 30/1  Keep Reading »

Each year WFAN's Mike Francesa picks some win-loss over-unders for at least three MLB teams, plus the Yanks and Mets. He'll make his picks this afternoon (click here to listen), but started things off with some interesting individual statistic over/unders (courtesy Vegas, I believe). Gnaw on these while you await Opening Day.

Will the leading player in each of these categories tally more or less than:
- 144 RBI?
- 221 Hits?
- 65 Steals?
- 21.5 Wins?
- 51.5 Saves?
- 256.5 Strikeouts?

Who will hit more homeruns in these matchups?
- Carlos Beltran vs. Lance Birkman?
- Miguel Cabrera vs. Prince Fielder?
- Josh Hamilton vs. Carlos Lee?  Keep Reading »

Since it worked okay last week (those were easy, but the one loss was the easiest) let's go with the same flow for this weekend's NFL picks: quick and easy. Ravens on some Flacco shit, Panthers on some pass rush...  Keep Reading »