I think they removed all the juice from the baseball at the all-star break. I keep hitting up overs and I keep losing. Today I found an under I really liked and boom a nice two unit win. Is there something to this? Did the MLB take the balls back to normal? Only time will tell, but unders feel like they are coming in more often. Perhaps the books have adjusted to the extra runs from the first half and all the lines are inflated? I think this is worth monitoring for the moment. Maybe the Action Network can tell us?

I did not pick the winner in The Open Championship, but I did hit Erik Van Rooyen to finish in the top 20 at +450 and my big winner was Ryan Fox to top 20 at +2000. Unfortunately, I only had .25 units wagered. Either way, it was a profitable tourney. If you played whom I recommended in DFS I bet you had a nice weekend as well. I know I did! It could have been even better if Rory didn’t do what he did.

No time to celebrate any wins or losses, but I did make my first cash out from Sugar House. I am curious how long it takes until my money arrives. I will post an update when it does. Until then, make sure you follow us on Twitter as most of the wagers will be posted there.

Baseball Record 57-32 +1909
Baseball Parlays 12-40 -488
Golf 4-18 +725

I love the majors in golf. Something about these big events gets me excited to watch golf. I don’t watch a ton of golf at all. In fact, I barely watch it at all, but that all changes when a major occurs. I’m sure this has something to do with Draft King’s having a milly maker, but who can say for sure.

Last week I finally hit a golf bet and actually got into positive territory for the year in golf wagers. I feel even better as we head to this British Open this weekend. I know they want you to call it “The Open,” but I just can’t. For the British Open this weekend I am taking some flyers and most of them are non-Americans. It certainly feels like a Euro is going to win this title. Rory McIlroy is currently the betting favorite with Brooks Koepka right behind. Of course these two could easily win, but their odds are so low it’s not worth the risk to me. When I say I am taking some shots this week, I really mean it. I eliminated everyone who was under 50/1 to win. This wasn’t by choice, but it felt like the best value was with players past that point.

My Wagers for this week

To Win Eddie Pepperrell +8000 (.25 Units)
To Win Ryan Fox +50000 (.25 Units)
To Win Erik van Rooyen +10000 (.25 Units)
To Win Graeme McDowell +8000 (1 Unit)

Notice these are all non-American’s and as you wil hear all week if he makes a run, this is McDowell’s home course. His current form is awful, but I think he was looking ahead to this week.

Top 5 Graeme McDowell +5000 (1 Unit)
Top 10 Erik van Rooyen +1000 (1 Unit)
Top 20 Erik van Rooyen +450 (1 Unit)
Top 10 Ryan Fox  +2000 (.25 Units)
Top 10 Ryan Fox +4500 (.25 Units)

This is my plan one day away from the start. I am looking at all these guys to make a run and make it interesting.

In terms of DFS I have a lot of these guys on my radar. I am using these cheap guys as my core and trying to build around them. I will sprinkle in some Rory and Brooks among others, but I have yet to narrow down my player pool that much. If you wake up Thursday morning and see all the guys from above are doing poorly, that means I am too. What does everyone else think?

Baseball Record 48-26 +2009
Baseball Parlays 12-34 +112
Golf 2-11 +300

Last night I cashed every lineup in DFS. Nothing major, but a nice positive night. However, I was disappointed in baseball. I know relievers have been bad and overs are hitting like crazy, but I was so close to a big parlay win.

I hit my two straight bets that by odds were riskier. Miami won and so did Arizona. One of my smaller parlays had some safer selections.

Houston was up 8-4 in the seventh and has a pretty good bullpen. It has struggled recently though.

Milwaukee was 5-4 in the seventh, but their bullpen has been much shakier.

Before I could even see what happened both teams were tied in the eighth. Eventually they would both lose crushing my OAK/HOU/MIL parlay.

However, I had another parlay that would have paid significantly more that had those three teams Miami and Arizona. Miami and Arizona were supposed to be the hard games! What could have been an excellent night became just fine.

Tomorrow back to sweating some golf with the following wagers open!

Zach Johnson +3300

Zach Johnston top 20 +200

Chris stroud top 20 +1100

Stroud is actually only five shots back and in eleventh place currently! Need that to keep up! Good luck everyone!

Baseball Record 44-23 +2409

Baseball Parlays 12-30 +512

GOLF 1-9 -600

 

I don’t know much about soccer. I find it boring. I want to see more goals, more activity, and more action. Your team possessed the ball more, good for you. Score. Give me a shot clock, a play clock, something to drive the action. How much fun would soccer be with a shot clock? While I am not the biggest fan of the game, it doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate people being the best at their craft and mastering their skills.

I enjoy the show, the atmosphere, and the importance of the event. I will be watching and of course wagering tomorrow on the Women’s World Cup. Soccer is one thing, but this is about national pride. America has the best Men’s basketball, baseball, and football players in the world. Soccer, not so much. However, when it comes to the women’s game, we are the best.

I am headed to a watch party tomorrow and am very excited about it. I have watched every game team USA has played at this point. I may have wagered on them too, but that was the past. Tomorrow, America becomes the best women’s team in the world. I will get to watch it with some family and friends. What more can I ask for on a Sunday morning? Besides the NFL of course.

My Wagers
Parlay One
Washington Nationals ML (Winner)
Pirates/Brewers Over (Winner)
USA to win in Regular Time
+230 (2 Units)

 

Over 2.5 Goals (2 Units)
-125

 

Parlay Two
Over 2.5 Goals
USA to Win in Regular Time
+110

 

 

When it comes down to it, while I believe America is going to win, I can’t lay the -500 at the moment. I can find another wager I like to pair it with tomorrow I shall and parlay them to bring the odds down. This is soccer and fluky things happen. One penalty in the box and all the sudden it’s 1-0 Netherlands. That’s not going to happen though. So tomorrow at 11 AM, I will be eating brunch, drinking a beer and cheering for the old USA. Join me!

Baseball Record 40-23 +1803
Baseball Parlays 11-27 +452
GOLF 0-8 -650
Soccer 3-4 +000

I have been coming kind of close to actually winning a GPP on Draft Kings. I have several top 25 finishes the last few days, but can’t quite get over the top. Last night was extremely bizarre as one of the chalky pitchers was rained out, rather quickly. The White Sox barely waited an hour to call the game. Meanwhile the Pirates waited over two hours during a rain delay before returning to play. The White Sox were definitely being weird in this situation, but at least they aren’t the Nationals.

 

Some how I was able to cash despite my skill in picking pitchers. 2.05. That is all I got out of both pitching spots and my lineup still cashed in everything. Below is a picture of the $20 3-Entry Max lineup. Of course, the Astros stack helped a ton.

 

I hit all my wagers on the World Cup yesterday and also need to mention some bets I talked about on Twitter. During and prior to free agency in the NBA I made two wagers of teams to win the title. I have Boston at 24/1 and New Orleans at 80/1. My thinking was that Al Horford would sign with one of them. Oops. I can always hedge my way out of them in the playoffs next April or May. In terms of value, both are now listed at shorter odds. (Boston is 22/1 and NO is 70/1) The other wager I am making is on the Pacers. They improved dramatically the last two weeks and will have Dipo back as well. I now also have the Pacers at 70/1.

 

I will be posting my plays for DFS and my wagers tonight on Twitter. If you are playing DFS tonight you need to have a Colorado and a Houston stack. The trick is going to be what cheap pitchers you can place around those stacks. I want to punt both pitching spots some how though.

 

 

Good luck everyone!

Baseball Record 32-19 +1003
Baseball Parlays 9-23 -255
GOLF 0-8 -650
Soccer 3-2 +200

This is as of 11:04 pm. Kawhi is a free agent. Deangelo Russell has yet to pick a destination. I think those two are obviously related. The twitter sphere has posted some cryptic tweets by Richard Jefferson mentioning the lakers. I assume that means kawhi.

Until that at this moment. Here is my power rankings for each conference. Also, the Knicks are the worst team by far.

Nba western conference power rankings

1. Lakers

2. Nuggets

3. Jazz

4. Blazers

5. Warriors

6. Rockets

7. OKC

8. Pelicans

9. Clippers

10. Kings

11. Spurs

12. Wolves

13. Mavs

14. Suns

15. Grizz

Nba eastern conference power rankings

1. Sixers

2. Bucks

3. Nets

4. Pacers

5. Celtics

6. Magic

7. Hawks

8. Toronto 🤷‍♂️

9. Pistons

10. Heat

11. Bulls

12. Wizards

13. Hornets

14. Cavs

15. Knicks

I did make two bets to win the title based on news and both rumors were wrong. Yet I have tickets in Boston at 22/1 and New Orleans at 80/1 to win the title. When the time comes I’ll just hedge my way out of them next may!

Thoughts on my power rankings?’

As we get older many former athletes miss competition. I am the same way. I think part of the reason I am drawn to fantasy sports and daily fantasy is the competition aspect of it all. I like to win. I like to compete. I also like winning money.

Yesterday I was playing for my neighborhood’s softball team. It’s competitive. There are playoffs and teams come from the county. I honestly, have not swung a bat in at least ten years. I have thrown a few times, with my son, or my father. I have also tossed a few games of t-ball for my son’s team. I like to think I was well rested.

I was excited to play. Baseball was my best sport in high school. I wasn’t all conference, but I started a few years in high school, mostly at third base. I caught occasionally, usually when my friend Drew would pitch. It was a blast. If we ever got very far behind or ahead they would let me pitch to eat up innings. I had a decent knuckleball I would try to throw. Sometimes it would hit people, or get hit out of the stadium. I think I had more fun playing baseball in high school than the other sports I played. (Basketball and football) This was despite the fact our baseball team was normally hovering at .500. The other two sports were much more successful. My state runner-up medal for basketball is somewhere in my basement.

First two games yesterday I was rusty. Dropped a few balls and missed plays I would have made 20 years ago. Just getting used to being back on the field is not easy. I didn’t strike out, but hit some weak balls into play. I’ll get better for the nest time, I thought. Then the third game started.

First two batters get on. I’m playing third. Ball hit between third and short. I make the ball and proceed to race the runner to third. I won. He was out. Yet, so was I. I rolled my ankle horribly when I hit the bag. I heard a pop. I assumed it was a bone. I knew it wasn’t my Achilles. I partially tore that three years ago playing volleyball. I walked off the field and headed to the bench. I started to get light headed and dizzy. I thought I was in shock from breaking my leg. A friend, Frank, helped me get home.

Thankfully, we have an emergency orthopedic injury clinic near us. X-rays were negative. I didn’t dislocate it either.

 

I did tear ligaments.

I’ll be in a boot and on crutches for the next four weeks.

Am I going to quit? No way. I’m going to get in better shape and be ready to play again. I have to. I need to. I also want to be able to play sports with my kids. I need the competition. I also need to start wearing ankle braces. I’ll be back.

 

Wagers for tonight have already been posted on Twitter!
Baseball Record 15-19 +591
Baseball Parlays 6-138 -157
GOLF 0-8 -650
Soccer 1-1 +000

I realize I need to update some records, especially now that the NBA season has concluded. I did hit my Raptors +240 to win the series and Raptors in game six wager. I was able to make a small profit during the season and playoffs on straight bets, but on parlays/teasers/future wagers we made a big profit. I was able to hit some parlays and some series wagers that allowed me to be in the green as we head to the slow gambling season.

I was thinking I would take it easy on baseball, then my Pittsburgh Pirates had every pitcher get hurt and their offense picked up. The over has gone 12-5 since June 1st in games the Pirates have played. Their pitching staff and bullpen is hurt and has been dreadful. The offense is shockingly adequate. I wish I noticed this trend before. I was down a little in baseball, but have now made a nice comeback thanks to the Pirates totals. I even hit a nice little four team parlay last night in baseball. I am sure I will be back at it again…today.

Until the situation changes or there totals get too high, I am betting the over in Pirates games every night. What great analysis. The next step is to actually pick a golf winner. Thanks Tyrell Hatton for finishing 21st and just missing my top 20 wager. After today I will remove my NBA records from below and only list golf, baseball and perhaps maybe some soccer. Everyone is cheering for Team USA! Enjoy the slow period.

 

 

NBA Record 58-50 (53.70%)
NBA Parlay and Teaser Record 12-23 +2457
NBA Playoff Record 11-9 (55%)
NBA Playoff Parlay and Teaser Record 5-11 +1951
Basketball Total Record 98-83 (54.14%)
Basketball Parlay and Teaser Record 15-43 +1912
Baseball Record 6-6 -61
Baseball Parlays 5-13 -57
GOLF 0-8 -650

That was weird. I said it in my last blog that this has been the weirdest playoffs I can recall. Game five was even stranger. The KD injury. The Kawhai takeover. The Nick Nurse timeout. The Splash Brothers hitting those threes. The Dray turnover. The Boogie bungles. Most of that occurred in the final five minutes of the game. All amazing, memorable and very strange. The Warriors last three possessions, offensive goal tending, over, and back turnover, offensive foul. They won.

 

To say the Warriors comeback cost me money would be correct. The good news is we get to bet the Raptors in game six. I will be taking them. I had the Raptors are different spreads last night, -1, Pick, +1. I had live bet the Raptors at +150 and +250 during the game. Everything was in place, up six with three minutes left and had the ball. The Warriors were reeling and it felt like about to crumble. Time out Raptors.

WAIT WHAT?!

The Crowd was on fire, the Warriors looked done, Kawhai was killing them and Nick Nurse called timeout. Running 24 seconds off and throwing the ball at the rim would have been better. The crowd got quiet and the Raptors got tight. You already know what happened next. No analytics in the world can quantify the momentum and energy of that moment. Nurse should have let it all play out and trust his veteran team as he had done the entire playoffs. If the Raptors lose this series somehow that will be the moment of what if we all look back on. Nevertheless, for now, on to game six.

 

 

The next golf major start this week and I threw down some small wagers on people who I hope can hit it big. As long as one of these three makes the top 20, I do not lose much at all. I am betting three people to make the top 20 and win outright. I have listed their top 20 odds below too!
Rory Sabbatini 150/1
Tyrell Hatton 90/1
Erik van Rooyen 200/1

 

Pending Wagers
Toronto +240 to win series
Rory Sabbatini Top 20 +400
Rory Sabbatini To win 150/1
Tyrell Hatton Top 20 +350
Tyrell Hatton To Win 90/1
Erik van Rooyen Top 20 +600
Erik van Rooyen To win 200/1

NBA Record 57-50 (53.27%)
NBA Parlay and Teaser Record 11-23 +2217
NBA Playoff Record 10-9 (52.63%)
NBA Playoff Parlay and Teaser Record 4-11 +1717
Basketball Total Record 97-83 (53.88%)
Basketball Parlay and Teaser Record 14-43 +1627
Baseball Record 2-3 -137
Baseball Parlays 4-10 -167
GOLF 0-2 -200

Describing the NBA playoffs this year has been difficult. I keep finding myself saying; oh it was a weird game. I think I’ve said that phrase too many times. We had the Durant got hurt game. The you forgot about us original Warrior’s game. The no one can make a shot and Giannis is screwed game. The Kwhai four rim touch series winner. Everything Portland did before being swept. Nothing has been straightforward and while a lot of it makes sense, many of the results have been random.

All of that leads us to where we are in game three now. Bill Simmons on his podcast said anything could happen the next five games. He is completely correct. I bet against the Warriors when they played the Rockets. I bet against them in this series too. My prevailing opinion was that Kerr was out of moves and players he could conceivably trust and use in big moments. My assessment was 100% correct, but does it matter? Houston was unable to make enough shots to take down the Warriors. Can Toronto?

Looney is out. KD is out. Klay is not healthy. Quinn Cook is going to have to play 20 minutes. Andrew Bogut or someone else is going to have to play minutes too. Toronto played a box and one on the Warriors, the freaking Warriors of all teams and it worked. Yet, they could not make enough shots down the stretch themselves. The Warriors are limping to the finish line. To make things even more interesting, game four is Friday, leaving no rest for the Warriors. Simply, game three is a must win for Toronto. Boogie is only going to get more comfortable. Klay is going to heal up some and oh yeah Kevin Durant may be back for game four. If the Raptors have, any shot of winning a title winning in Golden State tonight is a big step.

The line for this game has moved all around. It has been as high as Golden State -6 and as low as Golden State -4.5. At first, it appeared the public was on Toronto and the professionals were on the Warriors, but now that has flipped. The money is closer to even as are the tickets. (Slight Toronto edge in both, but not dramatic)

I am biased I suppose. I have been calling for the end of the Warriors since the playoffs started. I called this series the 2004 Lakers/Pistons all over again. When things end for dynasties, they tend to end abruptly and unexpectedly. It felt like after game one we were headed down that path. Toronto should have taken control of game two but let it slip. That has been the Warriors biggest edge the last few years. When they have been vulnerable, no one has really taken advantage.

All the historical data says that Golden State should be a great bet tonight. Coming home tied in the series against a road team that struggles to score, especially on the road. Conversely, the Warriors always play better at home. (This year they had some real weird home losses though) I just do not think the Warriors are healthy enough. If Klay cannot give it a go and be close to normal the Warriors will not have enough offense. We will get a report in the next few hours revealing how healthy Klay is or is not. I am waiting, but leaning Toronto +5. I hope that we get the Klay news before online gambling comes to iPhone’s!

 

 

 

Pending Wagers
Toronto +240 to win series

NBA Record 55-49 (52.88%)
NBA Parlay and Teaser Record 11-23 +2217
NBA Playoff Record 8-8 (50%)
NBA Playoff Parlay and Teaser Record 4-11 +1717
Basketball Total Record 95-82 (53.67%)
Basketball Parlay and Teaser Record 14-43 +1627
Baseball Record 2-3 -137
Baseball Parlays 4-8 +33
GOLF 0-2 -200