The Hot Streak: April 28,2012

BRP’s Picks – April 28th, 2012

YTD (19-8) +15.05 Units

1:05 P.M. – Milwaukee Brewers (Marco Estrada) @ St. Louis Cardinals (Kyle Lohse)

The Cardinals have been money this season, surprising a lot of people with how well they have played considering the departure of “Warning Track Power” Albert Pujols.  The Cards come into this game at 13-7 and 5-2 at home, while the Brewers come in at 9-11 and just 3-5 on the road.  The Cardinals have also won 7 of their last 10 games against the Brewers.

I still believe that Vegas is undervaluing the new and improved Kyle Lohse I have had the pleasure of betting this season.  Over the last 3 years Lohse has an E.R.A. of 4.03 at home, a point better than on the road.  Lohse has also been dominant in April over that span, posting a 7-2 record, and 2.92 E.R.A.  What impresses me though is the Lohse of late, he had a 3.39 E.R.A. last year, to go along with a 2.37 E.R.A. against the Brewers in 3 starts.

Marco Estrada has actually filled in fairly well in his chances as a spot starter for the Brewers, the fact remains that he is just that though, a spot starter.  Estrada has a career 4.87 E.R.A., and a terrible home/road split that has resulted in a 6.88 E.R.A. on the road over the last 3 seasons.  He has also struggled against his opponent today, posting a 6.75 E.R.A. against the Cards in that same span.

Kyle Lohse and the Cards at home early in the year = $$$!!!

Cardinals RL -1 at +105 (3 units to win 3.15)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1:10 P.M. – Kansas City Royals (Bruce Chen) @ Minnesota Twins (Jason Marquis)

The Royals are not as bad as their current 6-14 record, the Twins are as bad as their 5-15 record suggests though.  The Royals seem to have woken up a bit winning their last 3, while the Twins have lost all of their last 6 games.  The Royals have also quite inexplicably gone 6-4 on the road this year, while going 0-10 at home.

Bruce Chen is 34 years old, his career E.R.A. is 4.5, this guy is a joke.  The thing is though Chen has figured out how to turn back the clock over the last season plus.  He didn’t really turn back the clock to how he pitched before though, he went out and bought a brand new watch.  Chen’s 3.77 E.R.A. last season, and 2.52 E.R.A. so far this season show great improvements.  Chen also posted a very impressive 2.39 E.R.A. against the Twins last season in 4 games against them.

Jason Marquis is 33 years old, his career E.R.A. is 4.57, this guy is a joke.  No caveat here.

Royals bats are hot, better team, better pitcher, playing better, even money, Roll!!!

Royals at -115 (3.45 units to win 3)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

9:10 P.M. – Washington Nationals (Stephen Strasburg) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (Chad Billingsley)

Both these teams are coming into this game playing VERY good baseball, at 14-6 on the season thus far.  Both teams are far exceeding expectations, but this game comes down to the pitching matchup.

The start to this season for Stephen Strasburg is not a fluke.  Is it possible that the most overhyped pitcher in major league history is now a little under the radar after his surgery?  Strasburg’s career 2.23 E.R.A. is only bettered by his 2.14 E.R.A. on the road, his 1.08 E.R.A. this season, and his career 0.00 E.R.A. against the Dodgers.

On the other hand Chad Billingsley’s start to his season may have been a glimpse to his talent, but not a glimpse into reality.  Billingsley is a quality pitcher, don’t get me wrong, but I think his 4.77 E.R.A. is more of a sign of what to expect from him this year, then his sub 2 E.R.A. was this year in his first 3 starts.  He got lit up in his last start, and I believe his name is a little overvalued here with his early impressions on betters this season.

Stephen Strasburg, remember the name!!! (like you could forget it)

Nationals at -115 (3.45 units to win 3)

 Please join us on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @DailyShootout    

Read More

Pick of the Day - April 28th

BY: NEIL BRASLOW

Overall: 16-9-1

Week: 4-1

Month: 16-9-1

STREAK: 11-3 over last 14

Indiana Pacers (HOME) (-9.5) OVER Orlando Magic (AWAY)

The Magic, simply put, do not have a chance. The Pacers come into this game rolling, finishing with a record of 12-3 in April. In a game in which Indiana will definitely win, I believe it will be by a double digit margin as well. Without Howard, the Magic would not have been a playoff team. Take the Pacers.

Read More

Do the NBA Playoffs Involve Too Many Teams?

By: Carlos Edwards (@scashhomey)

“Everyone is a winner!” “There is no need to keep score because no one is a loser.” These are two phrases that are relatively new to the world of youth sports and quite frankly, it turns my stomach to hear them. This attitude toward our youth is the main cause of the “Whoosification of America.” That’s right, kids are growing up soft these days. Adults have decided that it hurts little Johnny’s feelings to lose a game, or that kids that win will make fun of the kids that lose, so no one should lose—or win. Growing up, playing sports was a big part of my life. Although I eventually decided on engineering as a career (after I turned down the NBA, NFL, and even the NHL), the lessons that I learned from playing sports have helped me to become successful in my chosen career. Through sports I learned that hard work and discipline combined with talent leads to success, not a participation trophy.

Looking at the number of teams that make the playoffs in the NBA, I am beginning to think that the commissioner is also a little league parent. Think about it, the NBA has 30 teams. Of the 30 teams, 16 of them make the playoffs.. That’s right 53.3% of NBA teams make the playoffs each year. By comparison, in the NFL (the sport with by far the best playoff system) only 37.5% (12 of 32) of the teams make the playoffs each year. The powers that be at the NFL feel as though a playoff spot is something that has to be earned and is only available to the few teams that have proved that they are worthy. While the NBA treats a playoff spot like youth coaches treat a participation trophy, and hands them out after the season like the team mom hands out Little Debbie’s and Capri-Sun’s after little league games.  

The playoffs are used to determine champions. Therefore, only the teams that have truly earned the right to compete for the prestige that comes with being a champion should be invited. The regular season should be used to weed out the weak, and determine who the truly worthy contenders are. Unfortunately, in the NBA the regular season is used to get in shape and get your lineup and rotation set for the playoffs. It’s truly a shame when teams know before the season starts that they are going to make the playoffs. There are years when that one surprise team sneaks in, but that isn’t an annual occurrence.

Looking at the NBA standings as the regular season winds down, there are absolutely no surprises. The sixteen playoffs teams are the exact ones that everyone predicted before the season started. We all knew that Miami, Chicago, and Oklahoma City would be at the top of their respective conferences. When me and four of my friends beat the Charlotte Bobcats in a pick-up game last summer, I realized that they would be bringing up the rear along with the Wizards, Kings, and Hornets. The bottom line is that inviting every team that is better than the Washington Generals to the playoff party really kills the potential intrigue of the regular season. Because we know who the playoff teams will be beforehand, we primarily watch the NBA to see the world’s greatest individual players do things that we can’t imagine doing.

The NBA playoffs (once you get beyond the first round) is without a doubt the best basketball that you will ever see. Every possession counts. Therefore the players are playing their hardest for every second that they are on the court. Coaches are drawing up their best plays, and doing whatever it takes to get the best out of their players. The tension in the arena is thick, and most fans stand for the entire game. This is by far the best the league has to offer. On the flip side, during regular season game #47 in Atlanta, the arena is half empty as the Hawks and Wizards aimlessly run up and down the court until the clock expires and a horn sounds telling everyone that it is time to go home. This is the worst the league has to offer, and quite frankly it offers too much of it. Just imagine how intense most regular season games would be if only six teams in each conference made the playoffs instead of eight. Instead of two bad teams battling for the final spot, you would have four pretty good teams battling for the final spot, and the other playoff caliber teams fighting all season long for home court advantage. Playoff positioning will be extremely important in this situation because every team in the tournament would be capable of winning. This would cause teams to fight for home court advantage as hard as LeBron James and his barber are fighting to save his hairline. As for the teams that would be eliminated from playoff contention earlier in the season, no one will really care. Those teams don’t play in nationally televised games, so only their home television markets would have to suffer through what they call basketball.

The worst multi-million dollar job in sports (if there really is such a thing) is being the coach of an NBA team. The reason that this is a terrible job can be traced to the fact that virtually everyone makes the playoffs. At the midway point of the season, virtually everyone is still in playoff contention. Unfortunately for the coaches, the general managers and owners of teams that are 8 games out the final playoff spot feel as though their team is one “spark” away from grabbing that final playoff spot. That “spark” often comes in the form of a coaching change. Then there are the teams that make a coaching change hoping it will make the fan base feel as though they are really trying, and convince them to still show up to games and spend their money, I mean, support the team. In reality, they know they are out of it, but they may as well take advantage of the excellent marketing tool that the league has provided them with. If fewer teams made the playoffs, fans would know when their teams are out of it and coaches won’t be viewed as disposable commodities. They would be able to finish their season and hopefully get the team playing well enough to give the fans something to look forward to for the following season.

In the NBA, the eighth and ninth place teams in each conference are faced with a dilemma. They must decide if they should push to make the playoffs knowing that their chance of winning a title is about as good as Bobby Petrino’s chances of getting a Father’s Day gift. The alternative is entering the draft lottery where they will have a chance at the first pick. Just imagine how much more awesome the NBA would be if a team like the Knicks, Bucks, Rockets  or the Nuggets, who were already good enough to win half of their games, were able to land a top five player in the draft.

It’s time for Commissioner Stern to stop acting like the suburban parents who think that losing will cause their child to have to undergo years of counseling for an inferiority complex. This is a professional sports league where there is a difference between winning and losing. Too many undeserving teams are being rewarded each year with playoff spots. It’s time to put an end to this practice. In the NBA it is actually harder to be bad enough to miss the playoffs than to be good enough to make the playoffs. That’s a problem!

Please join us on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @DailyShootout    

Read More

The Hot Streak: April 27,2012

BRP’s Picks – April 27th, 2012

YTD (18-6) +18.4 Units

7:05 P.M. – Chicago Cubs (Paul Maholm) @ Philadelphia Philles (Roy Halladay)

The Cubs come into this game at 6-13 on the year, and having won just one game so far this season on the road.  The Phillies have started off slow this year, but are 3-3 so far this season at home this year.  The Cubs have managed to push just 29 runs across the plate over their last 10 games, while on the other hand the Phils bats have finally woken up a bit scoring 20 runs in their last 3 game series.

We have faded Maholm earlier in the year, if it’s possible, this may be an even better spot to fade him here today.  Maholm has still not settled in with his new team, and that has resulted in an E.R.A. that is nearly 9 in the early season.  Maholm has also struggled on the road over the last 3 years, as his E.R.A. of nearly 5 is almost a point higher then his E.R.A. at home.  To add on to what already looks like a mess is that Maholm has an E.R.A. of 7.2 over that same span against the Phils.

Roy Halladay is Roy Halladay.  I could go into a detailed description, but just know this, his E.R.A. over the last 3 seasons is 2.53, yea 2.53.  He is off to an even better start this year with a 1.5 E.R.A. so far.  Doc is a machine!

Phils bats waking up, Maholm adds fuel to the fire, against Doc, Roll!!!

Phillies RL -1 ½ at -105 (3.15 units to win 3)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

10:15 P.M. – San Diego Padres (Cory Luebke) @ San Francisco Giants (Eric Hacker)

I know, I know, backing the Padres bats is a very risky proposition.  That’s not what this play is about though.

There have been 6 games over the last 2+ years with a total posted at 5.5 or lower.  In those games there have been just 4 different pitchers involved.  Those pitchers are Tim Lincecum, Roy Halladay, Clayton Kershaw, and you guessed it, Cory Luebke.  Now he might not belong in this group, and believe he, this kid is for real.  If Luebke’s 3.29 E.R.A. last year in his first year as a starter isn’t impressive enough, maybe his 2.55 E.R.A. on the road will do it for you.

Eric Hacker is pitching for the Giants tonight.  I looked at the matchup, and my first thought was who the f is Eric Hacker.  I consider myself a bit of a baseball expert, and in particular I pay very close attention to the minor leagues.  If I have never heard of this guy, you have no reason to know who he is.  The public is all over the Giants in this game, and the line is moving in favor of the Pads.

An ace vs. a nobody, and money movement in our favor, Roll!!!

Padres at -105 (2.1 units to win 2)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8:05 P.M. – Tampa Bay Rays (James Shields) @ Texas Rangers (Matt Harrison)

Taking the under in Texas against the Rangers, that doesn’t seem like that good of an idea.  The thing is though, that the Rangers have actually gone under the total 12 times this year, while only going over a total of 5 times.  The team they are facing tonight has also gone under the total in all of their last 5 games they have played.

James Shields has really started to look like a legit ace over the recent years of his career.  He is off to another good start this year, posting a very good 2.76 E.R.A. so far this season.  He also holds an impressive sub-3 E.R.A. in April over that span.  The most shocking thing is Shields’ 2.37 E.R.A. he holds against the Rangers in almost 40 innings pitched.

Matt Harrison has been very impressive so far this season, and has a sparkling 1.66 E.R.A. so far this season.  Harrison had an impressive 3.39 E.R.A. last season, which may have been a sign of things to come for this year.

A pitchers duel in Arlington? Yes, that’s what you should expect to see tonight!!!

Rays / Rangers Under 9 at -110 (2.2 units to win 2)

Please join us on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @DailyShootout 

Read More

Pick of the Day - April 27th

BY: NEIL BRASLOW

Overall: 16-8-1

Week: 4-0

Month: 16-8-1

STREAK: 11-2 over last 13

Nashville Predators (AWAY) (-110) OVER Phoenix Coyotes (HOME)

Everyone in the media is projecting this to be a defensive struggle throughout much of the series. However, the teams met four times during the season and the scores were 5-2, 3-0, 3-2, and most recently on March 12th, a 5-4 SO victory for the Predators. Not exactly lacking in goal scoring. I expect there to be more goals in this series than many expect. While these two teams are basically mirror images of each other, I think that Nashville has more firepower offensively which will be the difference. Don't be fooled by the Coyotes offensive statistics in the opening round. Mike Smith and Pekka Rinne are both exceptional goaltenders, and the Coyotes will struggle facing a tough defensive team as opposed to the Blackhawks. Take the Predators to win.

Read More

Is Madison Bumgarner's New Contract Fair?

Zac Cordova 


The contract is fair, but that is a long deal for someone with just one good MLB season under their belt. Granted the Evan Longoria deal looked brilliant in hindsight, but just like the Matt Moore deal, long term deals for pitchers are much tougher to decipher. So I don't think either side "won." I just think the deal was fair.


Austin Mayland


I think is a good deal for someone of his age with his potential.  They wrap him up for 5 years 35 million on a team that is based solely on their pitching staff.  If everything pans out for them, they will look like geniuses.  They also constructed the deal to have him under contract his first eligible year of free agency, another well part out thought of this contract.


Mini Buddah-Fantasy Guru


Talk about a bargain...Bumgarner has Cy-Young potential and is ready to realize that potential at age 22. Although K's are down so far this year (3 starts), this guy makes the Giants rotation the "Phillies of the future". $35M guarenteed, but even the full $75M he can earn will be worth it for this guy and the Giants.


Justin Millar


My full thoughts are up on my site, Insidethemlb.com, but here is a quick overview. This deal is great for both sides. Bumgarner gets financial security, and the Giants get an ace level pitcher at a very reasonable price. Using the notion that 1 win is equivalent to $5 million on the open market, Bumgarner would have to be worth just 7 wins over the next 6 years for the Giants to break even. Locking up your young star, is the latest trend in the MLB.

Agree or Disagree? Our Writers would love to hear your feedback as this is a Baseball Round Table! Thanks for reading!

Please join us on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @DailyShootout 

Read More

Pick of the Day - April 26th

BY: NEIL BRASLOW

Overall: 15-8-1

Week: 3-0

Month: 15-8-1

STREAK: 10 OF 12

New Jersey Devils (AWAY) (-115) OVER Florida Panthers (HOME)

Tonight will be Martin Brodeur's tenth Game 7. While Jose Theodore has won a Game 7 before, Clemmensen has never even played in one. While last night I said Holtby would be ignorant of the moment, Theodore and Clemmensen, whichever goalie the Panthers decide to start tonight, have been around long enough to know the magnitude of the situation. Brodeur is 5-4 in all his previous Game 7 starts including a Game 7 victory to win the Stanley Cup in 2003. I give the Panthers credit for putting up a solid fight, and a much better one than I ever expected. But the Devils are the superior team. Take the Devils to win.

Read More

The Hot Streak: April 26,2012

BRP’s Picks – April 26th, 2012

YTD (17-5) +18.4 Units

12:05 P.M. – Kansas City Royals (Luis Mendoza) @ Cleveland Indians (Josh Tomlin)

The Indians come into this game at a surprising 9-7 so far this season, while the Royals come in at a very disappointing 4-14 on the year.  Even with a loss against the Royals last night, the Indians have still owned this matchup of late, winning 7 of their last 10 games against them.

Luis Mendoza is filling in until Felipe Paulino comes back off the DL for the Royals, and I bet the Royals are really excited Paulino is close to doing so.  The only thing more impressive then Mendoza’s 6.92 E.R.A. to start the season is that it is actually an IMPROVEMENT over his career E.R.A. which is above 7!

Josh Tomlin can’t really be considered an ace either with his career 4.38 E.R.A., but his E.R.A. at home of 3.58 over the last 3 seasons is one of the bigger home/road differences in baseball.  Tomlin also sports a 2.45 E.R.A. over the last 3 seasons in the month of April, as he usually gets off to a fast start to the season.

Tomlin at home, against a AA pitcher (I’m being generous) Roll!!!

Indians RL -1 at +105 (2 units to win 2.1)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1:10 P.M. – Miami Marlins (Ricky Nolasco) @ New York Mets (Jonathon Niese)

The Mets come into this game exceeding all expectations by starting the year 10-8, and have gotten off to a 7-5 start at home this year.  On the other hand the overhyped Marlins have gotten off to a 7-10 start, including an impressive 2-8 record on the road this year.  The Mets have also dominated the Marlins as of late, winning 8 of their last 10 games against the fish.

Nolasco has gotten off to a somewhat decent start this season, but his E.R.A. of 4.76 over the last 3 seasons shows what level pitcher he really is.  He also carries a 5.10 E.R.A. at Citi Field over that span, and that was when Citi Field had the DEEP fences and was known for being a pitchers park.

Jonathon Niese has ACE potential, and you can say you heard it here first when he turns into one this year!  Niese carries a 2.89 E.R.A. into the game today, and in all honestly, if he hadn’t been left in too long in his first start, that E.R.A. would be even lower.  He has been downright dominant all year, and it’s a sign of things to come for this up and coming 25 year old.

Mets dominate the Marlins at home, Jonathan Niese, remember the name!!!

Mets ML at +-110 (2.2 units to win 2)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please join us on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @DailyShootout  

Read More

Lets Get Loud Florida Panther Fans!

By: Dale Leavitt

 Looking Back at Game 6 Florida Panthers Against New Jersey Devils

          

 In a game that the Florida Panthers could knock out the heavily favored New Jersey Devils from the 2012 playoffs in their home, the Prudential Center, located in downtown Newark, NJ. Our beloved Panthers fell short from an amazing comeback, falling to the Devils 3-2 in overtime. 

Before the puck dropped for this game 6 there was a little controversy stirring over a few remarks that were  made on Twitter by the Panthers president Michael Yormark. This attention brought a little nervousness I suspect to the President judging by his tweet right before the game.

Michael Yormark ‏ @PanthersYormark

Game time is almost here. The rock is filling up. Sold out crowd expected. Remember, its all in good fun!

I expect there will be a lot more teasing by Devils fans, especially the next few days. Let's hope we can let the players stay focused on the game in hand.

The Cats expected the Devils to come out strong and to play with desperation. They indeed came out strong and for the first 30 minutes the Devils were the hungrier team. Scoring 2 goals within 25 minutes from the start theD evils took a commanding lead, but not to be outdone the Panthers did rally back scoring the next 2 goals to force an overtime where the Devils Travis Zajac finished them off with the game winner.

If you look at the number of shots by each team it looks like a lopsided game but in fact it was a very close hard fought battle right until the end. The Devils out shot the Panthers 42-16. They clearly were working harder and trying to make things happen. After the Panthers tied the game up it seemed like the team started to play a more defensive minded game limiting their chances of scoring and giving the Devils more chances of creating scoring chances.

I have watched the Panthers for many years and I see this all to often. We get a lead and we start playing defense, so many times I have watched the team holding my breath in the third period hoping that the other team won't tie the game to force an overtime (and then most likely a loss in a shootout) like we have seen so many times. I have even named the situation as losing or winning "Florida Panthers Style". The team must recognize the weakness in order to fix it. Now we as Panther fans have, simply put, grown accustomed to it.

Being that the game was the only playoff game being televised on Apr 24, 2012 we had alot of eyes on this game Critics, Analysts and fans all over the world tuned in to catch the game. I have been accustomed to watching the game on Fox Sports so when I watched this game on NBC Sports Network I was disgusted that I had to listen to these guys that probably have never watched a full Panthers game all year sit there and critique our team.

After thinking about it, sometimes it is good for someone on the outside to come in and critic how our team is playing. I did find myself ignoring those other 2 guys, but, when Jeremy Roenick came and said after the third with enthusiasm that the Devils were not playing with enough desperation because the Panthers were just sitting there waiting for something to happen, I threw my cookie that I was eating at the television screen in anger, thinking who does this guy think he is, probably a Panther hater I said to myself. 

After thinking about it, that's when it hit me he is exactly right. The Panthers have grown accustom to playing defense late in games just sitting there waiting for something to happen. It shows right in our numbers and record, look at all the 3rd period leads we gave up during the season. Look at all the games that went into overtime and we wound up losing in the shootout. Boy I wish I knew how to fix this problem but thats why I am writing as a fan and not playing or coaching. To come up with an analogy I was taking the same route to work many years, later I discovered there was a quicker way to work if I just take this other route, turns out I still take the longer way to work just because I am use to it. We can't rely on our defense (which is awesome by the way) to bail us out of tight games. 

Going into game 7 at the Bank Atlantic Center in Florida the Panthers must play all 3 periods to win this series.

Please join us on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @DailyShootout 

Read More

The Hot Streak: April 25,2012

BRP’s Picks – April 25th, 2012

YTD (15-5) +14.4 Units

6:35 P.M. – Washington Nationals (Jordan Zimmerman) @ San Diego Padres (Joe Wieland)

The Nationals continue to be incorrectly priced to start the year, at 13-4 overall, 5-2 on the road this season.  The Padres come into this game at 5-13, and 4-8 at home.  The Nats swept the Pads on the road last year, and the road team has now won 6 of the last 8 games in this matchup.

We’ve faded Joe Wieland before this year, let’s do it again.  Rookies who were never highly touted at any level very rarely succeed at the major league level.  That has proven to be true thus far this season, as he has posted a 5.73 E.R.A. so far.

Jordan Zimmerman has ace type stuff, and that talent that started to show itself last year may finally come to fruition this season.  If his career 3.66 E.R.A. doesn’t impress you, maybe his 3.18 E.R.A. last season will.  Still not convinced, well how about the fact that he’s gotten off to a 1.28 E.R.A. so far this season, and has a career 1.38 E.R.A. against the Padres.

Zimmerman is underrated, dominant, and we’re backing the better team, roll!!!

Nationals at -130 (2.6 units to win 2)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7:10 P.M. – Los Angeles Angels (C.J. Wilson) @ Tampa Bay Rays (Jeremy Hellickson)

This is the first total we have played all season, and when we pick a total it is because it is a must have value situation.  The Angels have been money on the under as of late, with their total going under what was posted in 5 of their last 6 games.  These teams have also combined to go under the total in 4 of their last 6 matchups against each other.

C.J. Wilson is an ACE, for people who don’t know that already, you are about to learn this season.  Wilson’s E.R.A. of 3.09 in the AL over the last 3 seasons is down right amazing, especially considering he was pitching in hitter friendly Rangers Ballpark for most of those starts.  Wilson has a sub-3 E.R.A. on the road in that same span, and even more impressive is his 2.64 E.R.A. against the team he’s facing today in the Rays, and 2.16 E.R.A. at Tropicana, where he will be pitching tonight.

To say Jeremy Hellickson likes pitching at home would be a major understatement of the young pitchers brilliance at Tropicana. His 2.51 E.R.A. at home spanning over 100 innings pitched is one of the best track records any pitcher in the game has.

Look for a pitchers duel tonight at Tropicana, even money at 7.5, book it!!!

Angels/Rays Under 7.5 at +100 (2 units to win 2)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Please join us on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @DailyShootout 

Read More

Pick of the Day - April 25th

BY: NEIL BRASLOW

Overall: 14-8-1

Week: 2-0

Month: 14-8-1

STREAK: 9 OF 11

Washington Capitals (AWAY) (+165) OVER Boston Bruins (HOME)

Every game in the series has been decided by 1 goal. In addition, each team has taken 2 of 3 on the road. At +165, the Capitals are a great value play tonight. Sometimes young goaltenders do not realize the magnitude of the situation they are in such as a Game 7 and the pressure does not affect them. I expect that to be the case tonight as Holtby will continue to play well. As for the Bruins, Thomas has looked shaky at time throughout the series. With Ovechkin finally playing within himself, I like what I have seen from Washington. Pick the Capitals in the upset.

Read More

Are the Los Angeles Angels In Trouble?

Zac Cordova 


 No. The back end of their rotation won't be that awful all year, and Albert has yet to start hitting like Albert. Unfortunately, I don't think they are as good as people thought, for the most part due to their lackluster lineup behind Pujols and Morales. Even with all that negativity, this stretch of baseball will be as bad as it gets for the Angels this year. 88 wins, and a playoff push for the Halos this year.

Austin Mayland


The Angels are not in trouble.  The Cardinals started this way last year and even more importantly Pujols did as well.  Their pitching is already performing well with the exception of Ervin Santana and Jerome Williams. Once their batting gets going, they will be one of the top teams in the AL and could have a shot at 100+ wins.


Mini Buddah-Fantasy Guru


Don't Panic. That's what everyone needs to understand...were 12 games in to a 162-game season. That's 7% completed. Yes, they're 4-8, but the Red Sox started 2011 with a 2-10 record and went on to win 90 games even with the awful September collapse. Now think about the Angels division compared to the Sox of last year...93+ wins for the Angels this season. 


Justin Millar


The Angels have experienced some trouble so far this season, but I think they will pull through it. The Angels have actually scored more runs than the Rangers so far, but the pitching has been a let down. The starters should get back to their normal state, but the bullpen is where I worry. The 'pen has been a major issue thus far, and it will need to improve. I am still standing by my prediction of the Angels winning the AL West. 

Agree or Disagree? Our Writers would love to hear your feedback as this is a Baseball Round Table! Thanks for reading!

Please join us on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @DailyShootout 

Read More

The Hot Streak: April 24,2012

BRP’s Picks – April24th, 2012

YTD (13-4) +12.3 Units

10:05 P.M. – WashingtonNationals (Gio Gonzalez) @ San Diego Padres (Clayton Richard)

The Nationals come into this game as one of the surpriseteams in baseball, starting the year 12-4 overall, 4-2 on the road thisseason. On the other hand the Padreshaven’t really surprised anyone by getting off to a terrible start, coming intothe game at 5-12, and 4-7 at home. TheNats swept the Pads on the road last year, and the road team took 5 of 7 gamesin this match-up last year.

Richard is an average pitcher at best, with an E.R.A. over 4for his career. He does pitch muchbetter at home, but the thing is that anyone would at the spacious confines ofPETCO Park. Richard has also gotten offto a poor start this season posting a 5.89 E.R.A. thus far this season.

On the other hand Gio Gonzalez is one of the mostundervalued pitchers in all of baseball. Gio is a bit better at home then he is on the road, but he should have ahuge advantage today in facing a team that has never seen him before, and can’thit anyways. Gio is one of 3 pitchers tofinish in top 25 of the final E.R.A. standings the last 2 years to come fromthe AL. He joins that list with C.C. andJered Weaver. A transition to the N.L.should mean more of the same, and has resulted in a 2.04 E.R.A. so far thisyear.

Backing Gio this year will be like printing money, and atnear even money, WOW!!!

Nationals at -110(2.2 units to win 2)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7:10 P.M. – SanFrancisco Giants (Matt Cain) @ Cincinnati Reds (Mat Latos)

The Giants come into this game at 9-7, but playing very goodball right now, winning 5 of their last 6 games. The Reds are 7-9 on the season, coming in asa bit of a disappointment so far this year for a team who were big favoritespre-season to win their division.

Mat Latos has a career E.R.A. of 3.54, and because of thatis valued as a very good starter. I’mnot saying he’s terrible, but I also don’t believe for a minute that he is thatgood. A pitcher’s numbers will always beskewed by pitching at PETCO for half of his career starts, and leaving PETCOshould result in an off season for Latos. Put that together with the fact that Latos is a slow starter, going 1-6with a 5.57 E.R.A. in April, and the fact he is at it again with an 8.22 E.R.A.so far this season, and this start is a good one to fade.

When a player signs a major career changing contract theyusually react to that in one of two ways. They come out and let down a bit, as they feel they have nothing left toprove, and they have a bit of a down season. Or you can react as Matt Cain has, and come out and try to prove thatyou are worth every single dollar they are paying you. Everyone knows Cain is one of the bestpitchers in baseball, and his 1.88 E.R.A. so far this season is exceeding eventhose expectations. Put that together withhis 2.25 E.R.A. against the team he’s facing today, and I like backing him.

Pitchers going in two different directions this year, gottaback Cain at even money!!!

Giants at +100 (2units to win 2)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7:10 P.M. – LosAngeles Angels (Ervin Santana) @ Tampa Bay Rays (David Price)

The Rays started this season off slow, but winners of 4 oftheir last 5 they come into this game with a 9-7 record. On the other hand the Angels have been of thebiggest disappointments in all of baseball this year. More importantly the Rays come into this game5-1 at home, while the Angels are just 2-4 on the road this season.

If you play fantasy baseball, you know what kind of pitcherErvin Santana is. He is a pitcher whowill end up on waivers one or two times every season, and in the same season, apitcher who someone wouldn’t dream trading away at times. He is probably the streakiest pitcher in thegame, when he’s hot ride him, when he’s cold, ride the fade train. Santana is in one of those fade modes rightnow, going 0-3 and posting an E.R.A. of nearly 7 so far this season.

David Price is one of the best young arms in baseball, andis on the cusp of being one of the best arms in baseball period. If you follow Price you know that he is apitcher who is to be backed at home. HisE.R.A. of 2.86 at home is phenomenal, and over a point lower than his E.R.A.while pitching on the road.

Fading a cold Santana on a cold team, and backing Price athome, sounds good!!!

Rays RL -1 at +105 (2units to win 2.1)

Please join us on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @DailyShootout

Read More

Pick of the Day - April 24th

BY: NEIL BRASLOW

Overall: 13-8-1

Week: 1-0

Month: 13-8-1

STREAK: 8 OF 10

NEW JERSEY DEVILS (HOME) (-160) OVER FLORIDA PANTHERS (AWAY)

A #16 seed has still never beaten a #1 seed. If the Panthers somehow win tonight, it could be even bigger than a #16 seed winning. The Seahawks beat the Saints, the Red Sox came back from 3-0 down to beat the Yankees, and the Grizzlies knocked out the Spurs. A Florida victory tonight tops them all. I think it's great they give Florida uniforms and skates and everything. But if they manage to actually win a playoff series, that could mean the world truly is ending in 2012. It would be bad for the game of hockey and set sports in general back several decades. I think New Jersey stops all of this from happening. Take the Devils.

Read More

Who Will Be Leading in Home Runs in NL/AL by All Star Break?

Zac Cordova

AL- Josh Hamilton. I think Hamilton is determined to put together a monster 2012 campaign in a contract year. His Rangers are arguably the best team in baseball, and there is really no way to pitch around anyone in that lineup with how balanced they are. 

NL- Jay Bruce. I know he is off to a slow start, but I feel confident that Bruce will start to show off some of what made him a sleeper MVP candidate sooner rather than later.

Austin Mayland

AL -- Josh Hamilton.  Watching him is bringing me back to the 2008 All Star game when he cranked 28 homers.  

NL -- Matt Kemp.  Is anyone questioning this?

Mini Buddah- Fantasy Guru

AL leader - Jose Bautista has only got 2 so far, but it's been 12 games and his power is legit .

NL leader - Oman Infante....JUST KIDDING. Matt Kemp appears to have picked up where he left off last year.

Justin Millar

AL: Im going to go with Carlos Pena, as he has hit 3 already. I also think he has a possible 35+ home runs season left in him. Over the past 5 seasons, Pena has hit 172 home runs, including 46 in 2007 and 39 in 2009.

NL: With the way he is playing right now, Matt Kemp. Kemp has 6 homers already and is on pace for 97 dingers. 

Agree or Disagree? Our Writers would love to hear your feedback as this is a Baseball Round Table! Thanks for reading!

Please join us on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @DailyShootout 

Read More

Florida Panthers: The History of the RAT

By: Dale Leavitt

Once Again Florida Panthers Fans Are Making it Rain Rats

Lets take a look at a little history of throwing items on the ice. Way back in 1952 on Apr 15 at a Detroit Red Wings game (when they still played at Olympia Stadium) during their run for a Stanley Cup, the first Octopi made it's appearance, being thrown by brothers Pete and Jerry Cusimano. At the time the Octopus carrying 8 tentacles was symbolic because it had 1 tentacle for each win the team needed in order to claim the stanley cup. That year the team won 8 straight games in 2 rounds of best of seven to go undefeated in the playoffs. Ever since, every now and then you will see the Octopi make an appearance at the now Joe Louis Arena.

Another popular tradition is when a player scores 3 goals in a game. Now being a Panthers fan I have not witnessed one of these moments in I don't know how many years but this is called a hat trick and at virtually every arena you will see hundreds of hats hitting the ice after that 3rd goal.

Back in Florida, ever since Scott Mellanby one timed a real rat back in 1996 (rat was later pronounced dead) and then proceeded to score two goals that night, deemed a rat trick at the time by John Vanbiesbrouk the Panthers netminder. Florida Panthers fans have been celebrating by throwing rats on the ice. Back then it was after a goal or win, the NHL later forbid any fans from throwing anything on the ice during a game, but, they did not mention after a game. This year the Panthers organization thought it would be fun once again for the fans to throw rats on the ice after a Panthers win so they started selling them in the Bank Atlantic Center.

Unfortunately, during recent playoff games at the BAC a few rats were making their way onto the ice after a Panthers goal. Quickly the word got out and excited Panthers fans who then tweeted that they would be throwing rats on the ice after every goal. Michael Yormark and knowing Panther fans quickly warned that this offense would get them thrown out of the game and cause a delay of game penalty for our beloved Panthers.

 Some New Jersey Devils fans replied that they will be throwing rats on the ice just to try and cause a penalty for the team. During the last playoff game at the BAC a rat made it's way to the ice late in the game and an unknown source stated they saw a man wearing a Devils shirt was being ushered out of the arena. The Panthers organization know there is no real fix to this issue because of the amount of visiting teams fans, so they decided to take the first step and ban sales of rats at the BAC to show the NHL that they will do what they have to do to keep the flow of the game moving.

If the problem is not fixed quickly, I am afraid rats will soon be banned from the arena all together, our fans tradition will end and all we will have is the memories.

Please join us on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @DailyShootout 

Read More

Pick of the Day - April 23rd

BY: NEIL BRASLOW

Overall: 12-8-1

Last Week: 5-2

Month: 12-8-1

NEW YORK RANGERS (AWAY) (-115) OVER OTTAWA SENATORS (HOME)

Prior to Game 5, the Senators did not have the lead during a game once throughout the series. Both of their previous victories came on game winning goals scored in OT. Although they dominated Game 5 with a 2-0 victory in New York, I expect the Rangers scorers to come alive tonight in an elimination game. The Senators have struggled all year defensively so they are due to give up some goals after shutting out the Rangers last game. With their backs against the wall, look for the Rangers to play well tonight. Rangers win.

Read More

The Hot Streak: April 23,2012

BRP’s Picks – April 23rd, 2012

YTD (11-4) +7.9 Units

4:10 P.M. – San Francisco Giants (Tim Lincecum) @ New York Mets (Miguel Batista)

Betting against my favorite sports team in the world, something I hate to do!  At the same time sports betting is all about making money, and team affiliations have no business being involved in decision-making.  The rains came yesterday In New York, and they have delivered us a Miguel Batista vs. Tim Lincecum matchup.  As I’m sure all of you know Lincecum has struggled early in the year, but he is facing a 41 year-old mop-up man today who has not been able to find the strike zone early in the season.

Yes, Lincecum has gotten off to a terrible start this season posting an E.R.A. above 10 in his first 3 starts.  Let’s be honest though, he is due for a market correction, and I don’t see why that couldn’t, and shouldn’t start today.  Over the last 3 years Linceucum has a sub 3 E.R.A. and that only gets better with a 2.61 E.R.A. and 8-3 record in the month of April.  Lincecum has also loved pitching against the Mets posting a 2.12 E.R.A. against them, and an E.R.A. of 1.38 at Citi Field.

Batista’s career E.R.A. of 4.5 is only overshadowed by the fact that he has gotten off to an even worse start this season.  Batista has struggled to find the strike zone this year walking 6 batters in just 5 innings, resulting in a WHIP above 2.

This pitching matchup just isn’t fair, Lincecum should bounce back!!!

Giants RL -1 at -110 (2.2 units to win 2)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

10:10 P.M. – Atlanta Braves (Jair Jurjjens) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (Chris Capuano)

Both the Dodgers and Braves come into this game playing very good baseball right now.  The thing is both these teams have been dominant at home, while playing right around .500 ball on the road.  The Dodgers come into this game 6-0 thus far on the season at home.

I will continue to fade Jurjjens until Vegas gives me a reason to stop doing so.  Since the all-star break last year Jurjjens is now 1-4 with an E.R.A. above 6.  Something is not right with him, and I expect that to continue, at what are nice prices for a pitcher performing so poorly.

Chris Capuano is a pitcher who feels a lot more comfortable at home then he does on the road.  Capuano has an E.R.A. under 4 at home over the last 3 seasons, more than a point lower than his road E.R.A.  Capuano has also liked pitching against the Braves over that same time span posting a 2-0 record and sparkling 1.26 E.R.A. against his opponent tonight.

Backing the Dodgers at home, fading Jurrjens, enough said!!!

Dodgers RL -1 at +120 (2 units to win 2.4)

Please join us on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @DailyShootout 

Read More