Handicapping on a daily basis is a challenge that I've loved tackle for a long time now. Choosing which ones to headline a few days a week in the Breakdown has been the tough part so far in 2023. Saturday was no different. My reliance on Houston's bullpen and defense…
As good as Eduardo Rodriguez was last week, JV's big day in Cincy overshadowed Wednesday's early win. I made the fatal flaw of underestimating the accomplished veteran and overvaluing the top of the Reds lineup. Thursday's sketchy slate left the door open for Friday action but I left my morning…
I took it personally when the A's pushed a pair of runs across in the 6th inning Monday night, then quickly got over it with the help of Kansas City's rout of the White Sox. Neither Cease nor Cortes were especially effective despite Oakland going scoreless in the first half…
With my civic duty completed and our annual Kentucky Derby party in the books, it's time to get back in the saddle with the MLB Morning Breakdown for 5-8-2023. Minnesota's first half stalemate way back on Tuesday dropped the featured handicaps back into the red. But the season is alive…
Sunday's see-saw battle in Oakland brought home the over even with 18 men left on base between the Reds and A's. Hey, whatever it takes to get the dub is good enough for me. Unfortunately, the new month brought a short Monday slate that I had to pass on. Today's…
Today's MLB slate shrinks with wet weather peppering the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic for a second day in a row. So we'll head west to find clear skies for a solo shot in the MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-30-2023. It felt good to be on the right side of Cincinnati's late-game…
Much like the Rangers' bullpen meltdown Monday night, the "success" of our featured handicaps ran away and appears to be in hiding. That's the risk of writing up about a third of my total action on the young season. For all of you who keep coming back, we appreciate you.…
A rather blah betting weekend for me with the MLB was in the cards after a decent run to start the season. Saturday's Mets call did not come to fruition against an on-point Logan Webb. After all, riding the David Peterson train can be a bumpy ride at times. But…
Turns out it was the Twins bullpen that blinked last night. Credit is due to both Tyler Mahle and Trevor Williams for sharp pitching performances at a cold Target Field. Griffin Jax, well, not so much. After a give some-take some kind of night including a cancelled under ticket in…
Thursday's short MLB slate kept me on the sidelines after a nice Wednesday run featuring the under in Detroit. Three weeks into the season and some teams have shown their true colors while others are still beating around the bush. That makes for very interesting early season handicapping! After a…
No harm, no foul with Monday's position on the Phillies in Chicago. Guess I should have seen that coming with nasty weather blowing through the Great Lakes this week. After a Tuesday with no action - my first dry day of the season - the MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-19-2023…
Getting back to the homefront after a productive week on the road feels good but Monday means out of the frying pan and into the fire for me. A sweaty Saturday at Fenway transitioned to an easier finish in Kansas City to get our featured handicaps back into the black.…
After three straight dropped solo shot features, a winning Thursday was just what the doctor ordered. Since those three positions were the only wagers on Thursday's personal betting card the Rays' big 5th inning was a breath of fresh air. That and fixing what made our website go rogue made…
The MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-13-2023 may or may not be reaching your inbox this morning. Our webmaster (me) really fouled up the site yesterday with some updates that went afoul. So I'm firing off a two handicap breakdown before I rebuild several pages and try to get the rest…
Dishing out handicaps with losing results is not quite what I'm going for, but that's been my M.O. in the last couple articles. Regardless, the season rolls on with plenty of action to keep us all busy. Let's fire up Wednesday with an early game solo shot in the MLB…
The MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-10-2023 is back after an Easter weekend hiatus...and a dud of a featured handicap on Friday. After spending 8 hours on the highway only to watch the White Sox crumble in Pittsburgh - good thing long term, bad thing for that particular wager - an…
Happy Easter weekend everyone! Wednesday's rainout in Cincy left us with a small 1-unit win as the grind rolls along on Good Friday. It's almost time for me to hit the road, but first a quick solo shot is on the docket with the MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-7-2023. I'll…
I guess playing the bullpen volatility game was the move after all. Lack of execution squandered a shot at sneaking away with the D-backs first 5 innings team total. That was extra frustrating since Darvish was expectedly ripe for the picking. In a Groundhog Day scenario I would bet the…
We needed runs in Cincinnati last night and boy did we get them. Throw a couple of guys out there who struggled all spring and those lineups took batting practice for a good hour or so in Cincinnati. Hey, whatever it takes to get an easy winner after plenty of…
After a quick break on Sunday, the MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-3-2023 returns with a quick solo shot to get the week started. Unfortunately, the last couple featured handicaps were duds to say the least. So I owe our readers some good ones this week. Let's dive right into a…
A swing and a miss with the Mets yesterday was not the look we were going for when backing the short road favorite. Aside from spectacular defense that both clubs flashed, Jesus Luzardo was a man on a mission. The young lefty absolutely dominated the stout Mets lineup and cut…
Opening Day is in the books and was it something or what? Other than our Fenway Park under getting obliterated, we survived a very sweaty day on the diamonds. And I wouldn't have it any other way. The hangover from the first MLB bender of the year is real...and it…
We made it through the offseason. We made it through six grueling Divisional Previews. Now it's showtime. Shameless plug: visit our MLB page to check out the six preview articles and futures positions. March 30th is in sight and we have your 2023 Opening Day handicapping covered with a quick…
Is the 2023 AL West a two-horse race once again after the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners rose to the top in 2022? Anchored by tested veterans and juiced up by a pair of phenomenal rookies, these two clubs represented the division in the postseason after their division mates floundered…
There was certainly something about the East divisions last year as the American League and National League versions each sent three representatives to the playoffs. Yet it was the NL side's representative that had enough left in tank to reach the sport's biggest stage. Even though Philadelphia fell just short,…
The AL East stood as MLB's deepest division with four teams above .500, three of which made the postseason. New York's return to the top of the hill got them as far as the ALCS where the ride ended abruptly at the hands of the World Series Champion Astros. In…
Breaking down the early odds of the winner for Super Bowl LVIII.
From a win total futures betting perspective, the NL West joined the AL Central as sweet spots for the bankroll last fall. The Dodgers could not be stopped while the Giants fell off a cliff once May rolled around. But Los Angeles and their MLB-leading 111 wins couldn't keep them…
The second half of the 2022 MLB season featured a pair of noteworthy NL Central battles. Most importantly was the tug of war for last place between my Cincinnati Reds and their dance partner Pittsburgh Pirates (that's sarcasm, folks). In a fitting conclusion they both held down the cellar with…
It's quiet out there in the Midwest - and that's how the Cleveland Guardians stayed under the radar with one of the strongest second-half performances in the MLB. The rebranded - and still beloved - Guardians squad finished the regular season on a 38-18 heater that yielded an eleven game…
Breaking down the matchups of Super Bowl LVII the BetCrushers are playing
With the Clash right in front of us, there's no better time to break down our featured 2023 NASCAR futures position. At least I don't have to eat crow from last year's handicap that was loosely based on the premise that Kyle Larson is not the next Jimmie Johnson. Might…
Breaking down the NFL Championship weekend matchups the BetCrushers are playing
The BetCrushers Divisional Round Weekend NFL Prop Bet Selections
Breaking down the NFL Divisonal weekend matchups the BetCrushers are playing
The BetCrushers Super Wild Card Weekend NFL Prop Bet Selections
Just like that, two domestic books drop their season win totals out of the blue. Days away from the NFL Playoffs kickoff and our mid-January projections get put to the test. Caesars Sportsbook and BetRivers (Kambi) posted eight totals in common this week and the other 22 varied anywhere from…
Breaking down the NFL Super Wild Card matchups the BetCrushers are playing
The BetCrushers week 18 NFL Prop Bet Selections
The BetCrushers week 17 NFL Prop Bet Selections
Breaking down NFL week 17 matchups of the 2022 season the BetCrushers are playing
Previewing Week 17 of our DraftKings Fantasy Football roster
Previewing Week 16 of our DraftKings Fantasy Football roster
The BetCrushers week 15 NFL Prop Bet Selections
Breaking down NFL week 15 matchups of the 2022 season the BetCrushers are playing
Previewing Week 15 of our DraftKings Fantasy Football roster
The BetCrushers week 14 NFL Prop Bet Selections
Breaking down NFL week 14 matchups of the 2022 season the BetCrushers are playing
Previewing Week 14 of our DraftKings Fantasy Football roster
The BetCrushers week 13 NFL Prop Bet Selections
Breaking down NFL week 13 matchups of the 2022 season the BetCrushers are playing
Previewing Week 13 of our DraftKings Fantasy Football roster
The BetCrushers week 12 NFL Prop Bet Selections
Breaking down NFL week 12 matchups of the 2022 season the BetCrushers are playing
Breaking down NFL Thanksgiving Day matchups the BetCrushers are playing
Previewing Week 12 of our DraftKings Fantasy Football roster
The BetCrushers week 11 NFL Prop Bet Selections
Breaking down NFL week 11 matchups of the 2022 season the BetCrushers are playing
Previewing Week Eleven of our DraftKings Fantasy Football roster
The BetCrushers week 10 NFL Prop Bet Selections
Breaking down NFL week 10 matchups of the 2022 season the BetCrushers are playing
Previewing Week Ten of our DraftKings Fantasy Football roster
The BetCrushers week 9 NFL Prop Bet Selections
Breaking down NFL week 9 matchups of the 2022 season the BetCrushers are playing
Previewing Week Nine of our DraftKings Fantasy Football roster
The BetCrushers week 8 NFL Prop Bet Selections
Breaking down NFL week 8 matchups of the 2022 season the BetCrushers are playing
Previewing Week Eight of our DraftKings Fantasy Football roster
The BetCrushers week 7 NFL Prop Bet Selections
Breaking down NFL week 7 matchups of the 2022 season the BetCrushers are playing
Previewing Week Seven of our DraftKings Fantasy Football roster
The BetCrushers week 6 NFL Prop Bet Selections
And then there were eight. Of course it is a group missing one key name: defending Cup Series Champion Kyle Larson. Talk about an unusual series of events that turned a fairly tame race at the Roval into mayhem after the final restart. An iffy caution with a handful of…
Breaking down NFL week 6 matchups of the 2022 season the BetCrushers are playing
Previewing Week Six of our DraftKings Fantasy Football roster
Breaking down NFL week 5 matchups of the 2022 season the BetCrushers are playing
Previewing Week Five of our DraftKings Fantasy Football roster
Chopping last week's featured matchup bets represented a split of my entire Talladega betting card. Despite the Blaney/Elliott bet flip-flopping on us in the final laps, Charlotte approaches with my bankroll intact. When it comes to making the Round of 8, the top teams headlined by Chase Elliott sit in…
The BetCrushers week 4 NFL Prop Bet Selections
Breaking down NFL week 4 matchups of the 2022 season the BetCrushers are playing
We all know that you don't mess with Texas. But wow. Sunday's 500 miles fought hard against several playoff teams, burying the #20 & #48 at the bottom of the heap. Plus William Byron's self-inflicted 25-point penalty submarined the #24 team's chance to advance. What a way to kick off…
Previewing Week four of our DraftKings Fantasy Football roster
New week, new round of the NASCAR Playoffs! The Round of 12 fires up this afternoon with the 2022 AutoTrader Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. 500 miles on the lone "vanilla" track of the round calls for sustained speed and handling over the long haul. You better believe the…
The BetCrushers week 3 NFL Prop Bet Selections
Breaking down NFL week 3 matchups of the 2022 season the BetCrushers are playing
Plenty of NASCAR Cup Series teams' prospects took an abrupt turn for the worse at the Bristol Night Race. Unfortunately, I did not get the memo on Ford's tire pressure gamble that snagged our Joey Logano Top 10 bid late in the race - let alone the early blowout that…
Previewing Week three of our DraftKings Fantasy Football roster
The BetCrushers week 2 NFL Prop Bet Selections
Nighttime is the right time in my old stomping grounds of East Tennessee. There are few better ways to eliminate four drivers from the playoffs than with one of the toughest tracks in NASCAR: Bristol Motor Speedway. And you know the 2022 Bristol Night Race is going crush some dreams.…
Breaking down NFL week 2 matchups of the 2022 season the BetCrushers are playing
Seems like there might be a little something bubbling in the 23XI organization after their season sweep at Kansas Speedway. Kurt's W in the spring followed up by Bubba's statement victory on Sunday says a lot about the trajectory of that organization. As for me, 2-1 seems to be the…
Previewing Week two of our DraftKings Fantasy Football roster
With the Bristol Night Race on deck, the field of 16 Championship hopefuls approaches the 2022 Hollywood Casino 400 as a prime opportunity to take the checkered flag and advance to the Round of 12. These 1.5-mile intermediate tracks are like a mid-range jump shot in basketball - occasionally overlooked…
The BetCrushers week 1 NFL Prop Bet Selections
Breaking down NFL week 1 matchups of the 2022 season the BetCrushers are playing
We knew the Southern 500 was going to chew some cars up and spit them out. But wow did Sunday night's test of stamina consume some of the best teams in the Cup Series. Kevin Harvick's late charge failed in an unforeseen fiery end while mechanical issues rejected the bids…
Breaking down the NFL kick-off game between the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams
Previewing Week one of our DraftKings Fantasy Football roster
It sure is good to have practice and qualifying back to help finalize this week's betting card. Saturday's action at Darlington shed some light on likely contenders and, of course, pretenders. In the good news department, Mother Nature appears to be in a favorable mood as the sun goes down…