Handicapping the 2025 Opening Day Slate

Last week's two-game Tokyo Series appetizer course is over and done with. Now the 2025 Opening Day buffet is well within sight with 14 games served up. Colorado/Tampa Bay kicks off their seasons Friday. ICYMI, the Rays are playing their games at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa this season…

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Handicapping the 2025 Tokyo Series

Hungry for the MLB season to get started? How about an appetizer to hold you over? With just over one week until the official Opening Day, we get the 2025 Tokyo Series two-game set between the Chicago Cubs and World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The series spans Tuesday, March…

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2025 AL West Preview & Projections

For a few months anyhow, the Seattle Mariners looked to be the cream of the AL West crop. Then things went sideways. Trust the Houston Astros to take advantage of the stumble and push their way back to a seventh division crown in the last eight seasons. No thanks to…

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2025 AL East Preview & Projections

What a change of fortunes within the AL East last year. The Yankees and Rays all but swapped their positions in the AL East pecking order. The Orioles kept their eyes on the postseason prize while the floor dropped out from beneath the Jays. And the Red Sox, well, they're…

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2025 NL Central Preview & Projections

The NL Central typically has the feel of an "up for grabs" division except in reality it's been a two-horse race - at best - since the shortened 2020 season. Milwaukee stands as the cream of the crop the last couple years, though the Cubs have positioned themselves well into…

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2025 NL West Preview & Projections

The Dodgers' stranglehold on the NL West continued with an eleventh division title in the last twelve seasons. This time, however, the big payoff came to fruition. After two postseason runs stopped dead in their tracks by division foes, Los Angeles fought through a feisty Padres squad and the OMG…

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2025 AL Central Preview & Projections

Infamously known for a lack of widespread playoff-caliber competition, the AL Central turned out to have one of the better divisional races of the 2024 season. Cleveland held firm as one of the more consistent teams while Chicago broke records with their "performance". For anyone paying attention to the MLB…

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2024 NASCAR Playoffs: Round of 16 Preview

What a race. More specifically, what a finish in Sunday night's Southern 500! There was plenty to take away between Martin Truex Jr. putting himself on shaky ground and season first-time winner Chase Briscoe punching his postseason ticket at the last possible moment. Briscoe's Crown Jewel victory and Harrison Burton's…

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MLB Morning Breakdown for 8-5-2024

Inclement weather was indeed a factor in Friday night's AL East contest in the Bronx. Then again, so were the Blue Jays' bats! But in my case nothing ventured, nothing gained with the scrappy underdog that evening. Now we shift to the AL West for a Texas-sized series that could…

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MLB Morning Breakdown for 8-2-2024

I think I've nailed down all of my Trade Deadline adjustments. What a whirlwind once again between buyers, sellers, and even a few in-between clubs straddling the line. After a slim Thursday slate, the MLB Morning Breakdown for 8-2-2024 gets back in action to handicap the series opener between the…

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MLB Morning Breakdown for 7-26-2024

Our first post-ASB edition comes after a full seven days of action on the diamonds. And with the trade deadline looming, we're starting to find out which borderline clubs are buyers and which are sellers. The MLB Morning Breakdown for 7-26-2024 hones in on the competitive AL East in which…

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MLB Morning Breakdown for 7-9-2024

Monday's slate certainly wasn't worth pounding on the keyboard for. But when it comes to the series-opening game between National League titans, I'm willing to set the alarm clock an hour early. The Los Angeles Dodgers travel cross-country into hostile territory to trade blows with the Philadelphia Phillies. Both clubs…

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MLB Morning Breakdown for 7-2-2024

Expect no shortage of motivation in Seattle tonight as the 53-31 Baltimore Orioles face the 47-39 Mariners in a clash of American League division leaders. The AL East co-leader Orioles find themselves in a high-powered race with the Yankees, currently sitting as the 1-2 combo atop the runs scored leaderboard.…

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MLB Morning Breakdown for 6-24-2024

The grind rolls on as summertime settled in abruptly last week. Fortunately, many of us - including the MLB's finest - catch a break from the steamy hot weather that has gripped most of the USA. Conditions are great for baseball tonight, so let's jump right into the new week…

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MLB Morning Breakdown for 6-19-2024

R.I.P. to a legend. A pillar of the sport's storied past. On with the MLB Morning Breakdown for 6-19-2024... Detroit Tigers @ Atlanta Braves (ATL -125, 7) Last time we checked in on the Braves, Albert Suarez was cutting through the lineup like a hot knife through butter. Then Atlanta's…

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MLB Morning Breakdown for 6-11-2024

Monday's lackluster slate pulled a couple totals wagers out of me with mixed results. As for inspiration to write up a handicap yesterday morning, slim to none is a good way of putting it with those six games. Different animal altogether on this fine Tuesday morning. So let's get things…

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MLB Morning Breakdown for 6-4-2024

The Breakdown is back after a 10-day bucket list trip to Peru where the streets are crazy and the terrain is epic. Those Incas really knew how to hammer some stones! Back to business after Monday's short slate. Today's menu presents more options and the MLB Morning Breakdown for 6-4-2024…

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MLB Morning Breakdown for 5-20-2024

It's Monday morning and the perfect time to scope out a batch of fresh series kicking off across the Majors. There's also a doubleheader day to close out the Padres/Braves series, but those are a pass for me. Instead, the MLB Morning Breakdown for 5-20-2024 highlights the AL Central leading…

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MLB Morning Breakdown for 5-6-2024

Monday ushers in a handful of new series getting underway, joining a weekend carryover in Philadelphia. Divisional battles in Cleveland and Oakland shape up to be interesting early-season tests. This week's Breakdown turns to Target Field with a pair of teams on the right trajectory as May comes into bloom.…

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MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-29-2024

The MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-29-2024 takes on a matchup between squads exiting big series against playoff contenders. In the meantime, an interesting thing to note: we're 4+ weeks into the 2024 season and scoring is down about one-tenth of a run per team/game compared to this point last year.…

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MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-22-2024

A little too much "excitement" at the day job kept me away from a midweek Breakdown. Fortunately, the new week kicks off with a pretty chunky Monday slate to break down. Without a ton of strong feelings on today's contests, we've dialed up an interesting Solo Shot in the MLB…

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MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-15-2024

Rain and travel washed out the Thursday Breakdown but Monday is clear and the slate is jam packed. The MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-15-2024 kicks off with the early Patriots' Day tilt in Boston before heading to Milwaukee for a juicy matchup between NL playoff contenders. We'll be back Wednesday…

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The Bank On NASCAR Podcast Episode 10: Texas

Feeling empty after the Martinsville race? The Cup Series says goodbye to the short tracks for now and hello to the season's second bread-and-butter 1.5-mile intermediate: Texas Motor Speedway. The Bank On NASCAR Podcast Episode 10: Texas looks past the mediocrity that Texas Motor Speedway has produced since the repave…

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MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-9-2024

A telling resolution to yesterday's question about which way to go in Toronto came down to Luis Castillo extending his troubling start to the season to a third outing. 4 more runs given up and another high BABIP outing helped the Jays snag a much needed win in their home…

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MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-8-2024

We left off with a Friday night Solo Shot before the weekend hit and I headed west on the highway. The Mets bats had enough oomph to claim the team's second win of the season, all while keeping the under alive in Cincinnati. With the weekend in the rear view…

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MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-5-2024

Cool temps couldn't hold the ball in the yard in Saint Louis or Washington, that's for sure. And despite plenty of shaky moments, the AL Central tilt in Minnesota featured in yesterday's post somehow stayed under the total. Cleveland's hit parade in the 3rd was enough to bring home the…

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MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-4-2024

Mother Nature might actually cut today's action on the diamonds some much needed slack - especially in New York where the undefeated Tigers want to keep their status as the last remaining undefeated team alive. The Tigers/Mets double header makes six games on the slate with a pair of AL…

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MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-1-2024

The sloppy show in Cincinnati soured Baltimore's rocking chair winner Saturday afternoon. Being risk averse helped in that case, though getting involved in what turned out to be a messy one is another story altogether. A productive opening weekend left us ready to tackle a meaty Monday slate that is…

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MLB Morning Breakdown for 3-30-2024

Opening Day is in the books and what a ride Thursday's 4:00 window was. The excitement and the sweats that came with it force me to remind myself that we're only 12 wagers into a 400-600 wager season! With yesterday afternoon's pair of rescheduled games wrapping up unfinished business, the…

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Handicapping the 2024 Opening Day Slate

Alright boys and girls, March 28th is so close you can taste it. And that means one thing - okay, maybe more than just one - it's time for a rundown of 2024 Opening Day handicapping. Then we'll kick off the 6th Annual MLB Morning Breakdown series with a featured…

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Handicapping the 2024 Seoul Series

The "real" Opening Day isn't until March 28th but the MLB World Tour's 2024 Seoul Series officially counts as the first two games of the season. Festivities kick off with a two-game set between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres across the Pacific Ocean. It's a shorter commute…

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2024 NL Central Preview & Futures

Milwaukee persevered in a division of hot runs devoid of staying power. Of course, perennial NL Central favorite St. Louis bottoming out did not hurt whatsoever. The 20-8 start from Pittsburgh flamed out, Cincinnati's early summer heater ran out of fuel, and the Cubbies' post-ASB run petered out in September.…

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