Download Episode 36 (Martinsville) Episode 36 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast takes you to the penultimate race of the NASCAR Cup Series season - the 2021 Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway! The high-speed intermediates give way to contact-filled short track racing in the final race of the Round…
Previewing Week 8 with our DraftKings Fantasy Football roster
The BetCrushers week 7 NFL Prop Bet Selections
Download Episode 35 (Kansas) Episode 35 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast heads to the Midwest for the second-to-last chance for a playoff team to lock themselves into the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix. Sunday's 2021 Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway rewards speed and a little…
Previewing Week 7 with our DraftKings Fantasy Football roster
The BetCrushers week 6 NFL Prop Bet Selections
Download Episode 34 (Texas) Episode 34 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast rolls on with just eight playoff drivers remaining in hunt for the Cup Series Championship. The Round of 8 begins in the Lone Star State with the 2021 Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Four…
Previewing Week 6 with our DraftKings Fantasy Football roster
Download Episode 33 (Charlotte Roval) Episode 33 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast rolls into Charlotte with a head of steam for the 2021 Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The hybrid road course threatens elimination to four playoff drivers who will not join the Cup…
Previewing Week 5 with our DraftKings Fantasy Football roster
Download Episode 32 (Talladega) Episode 32 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast takes you to the biggest crapshoot in the NASCAR Playoffs - the 2021 YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway! The Joe Gibbs Racing vs. Hendrick Motorsports heavyweight battle took a one-sided turn at Las Vegas last week but…
Previewing Week 4 with our DraftKings Fantasy Football roster
The BetCrushers week 3 NFL Prop Bet Selections
Download Episode 31 (Las Vegas) Episode 31 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast takes you to the first race of the NASCAR Playoffs Round of 12 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Sin City welcomes a stacked playoff field to town for a Sunday evening showdown at the 2021 South…
Previewing Week 3 with our DraftKings Fantasy Football roster
The BetCrushers week 1 NFL Prop Bet Selections
Download Episode 30 (Bristol) Episode 30 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast takes you to the first elimination race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs - the 2021 Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. After it’s all said and done Saturday night, only 12 Championship contenders…
Previewing Week 2 with our DraftKings Fantasy Football roster
The BetCrushers week 1 NFL Prop Bet Selections
Download Episode 29 (Richmond) Episode 29 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast keeps the playoff vibes rolling with a preview of the 2021 Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway. Paul welcomes in his guest JJ from The BetCrushers to look back at the wild race that was the Southern…
Previewing Week 1 with our DraftKings Fantasy Football roster
Download Episode 28 (Darlington) Episode 28 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast kicks off the NASCAR Cup Series postseason at Darlington Raceway for the 2021 Cook Out Southern 500. The playoff field of 16 is set and four teams will be eliminated after the next three races. But first, Paul welcomes…
BetCrushers.com's 2021 AFC West Season Preview including popular bets and wagers and fantasy football players to watch
ODDS TO WIN THE DIVISION (Bovada sportsbook)San Francisco 49ers +185Los Angeles Rams +185Seattle Seahawks +280Arizona Cardinals +650 The NFC West enters the 2021 season as the best division in football from top to bottom. All four teams are capable of beating anyone in the league on any particular weekend, and…
BetCrushers.com's 2021 AFC South Season Preview including popular bets and wagers and fantasy football players to watch.
BetCrushers.com's 2021 NFC South Season Preview including popular bets and wagers and fantasy football players to watch.
Download Episode 27 (Daytona) Episode 27 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast dials in on the final race before the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. One final postseason berth is on the line Saturday night under the lights at the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. As always, Paul…
BetCrushers.com's 2021 NFC North Season Preview including popular bets and wagers and fantasy football players to watch
BetCrushers.com's 2021 AFC East Season Preview including popular bets and wagers and fantasy football players to watch.
BetCrushers.com's 2021 NFC East Season Preview including popular bets and wagers and fantasy football players to watch.
Download Episode 26 (Michigan) Episode 26 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast heads to the Irish Hills of Michigan for the 2021 Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway! Paul welcomes his recurring guest JJ to help break down the race - but first, as always, it’s time to look back…
Download Episode 25 (Indy Road Course) Episode 25 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast dives into the 2021 Verizon 200 at The Brickyard. The Brickyard 400 may be a thing of the past, but the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course plays host to the NASCAR Cup Series Sunday afternoon. JJ joins…
Download Episode 24 (Watkins Glen) Episode 24 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast gets you back on the road - the road course at Watkins Glen International, that is. The 2021 Go Bowling at The Glen is our first NASCAR action in two weeks, so you know that Paul and JJ…
The real world outside of sports and handicapping throws us plenty of curveballs, so I'll leave it at that to answer where I have been the last couple days. On a positive note, my OG baseball handicapping mentor reached out Monday morning after a few months since we last connected.…
An insane flurry of activity leading up to Friday afternoon's trade deadline kicked off a big weekend of baseball action as the gap between the haves and have-nots expectedly grew wider. My request for runs from the Detroit Tigers that same evening went unfulfilled as Matt Harvey kept his streak…
There are a few guys in the game today who can make you shake your head in confusion while cracking up laughing. Johnny Cueto is king of that hill for me. Of course I am biased as a lifelong Cincinnati Reds fan. And when it came to yesterday's rubber match…
We escaped Monday's action unscathed after the Royals squeezed out enough to cover the first 5 inning total while falling just short of the full game total. Three homers and a timely RBI double should have been good enough to pull it off but the solo bombs weren't strong enough.…
After a two-day hiatus from handicapping, betting, and writing about baseball, the MLB Morning Breakdown for 7-26-2021 is back. The bar is low for my excuses to take occasional days off during the second half of the season - and this time it was a quick trip out of town…
The decision to not lay up yesterday afternoon and go for the green turned out to be a profitable move. All that came despite an added sweat from the Detroit bullpen. We walked away with a birdie and hit the ground running with the MLB Morning Breakdown for 7-23-2021. Friday's…
Tuesday's mixed bag produced a no harm, no foul push as the Houston offense woke up to rebuff my request to Make Unders Great Again. So much for that. After taking Wednesday off from article writing, the MLB Morning Breakdown for 7-22-2021 is back with an afternoon solo shot that…
The MLB Morning Breakdown for 7-20-2021 returns after a day away from the game. After all, the "real job" rat race rears its ugly head from time to time. I left off with an overly-optimistic over bet in the Astros/White Sox series finale that unfortunately fell well short. Naturally, I…
So I'm a reformed totals guy now, eh? Despite swearing them off after the 2018 season, I've slowly reincorporated game and team totals into the mix over the past couple years. The White Sox carried the load in Saturday's first 5 innings totals play via three bombs against the Astros.…
No complaints from me with yesterday's Mariners/Angels handicap, perhaps other than underestimating Chris Flexen's production against a good offensive team. His splits away from T-Mobile Park scared me off of the underdog side but the guy pitched 7 brilliant innings of 1-run ball. Seattle's bullpen, on the other hand! Even…
The All-Star Break has come and gone. It should have marked my three-week hiatus from MLB handicapping like I usually do each year. Instead, I could not stay away and broke down the Phillies/Red Sox game on Saturday. The only thing worse than my take on that game was Boston's…
Download Episode 23 (New Hampshire) Episode 23 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast shifts gears after Atlanta, where an improbable win by Kurt Busch cranked up the intensity on the NASCAR Cup Series' playoff hunt. We move from Atlanta Motor Speedway's potholes to New Hampshire's Magic Mile. JJ joins Paul to…
The MLB Morning Breakdown for 7-10-2021 is finally back after close to three weeks on the sidelines! During that time, I had close to five days of internet detox in the Flat Tops Wilderness of Colorado with no cell service and no internet whatsoever. That was a fantastic reset to…
Download Episode 22 (Atlanta) Episode 22 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast returns to the Atlanta Motor Speedway for the 2021 Quaker State 400. But first, Paul and JJ have a lot of catching up to do as both are coming in fresh off of their vacations. Last week’s return to…
The MLB Morning Breakdown for 6-22-2021 is missing one thing - the WTF guy with a mullet GIF after I overextended on Sunday. To be honest, I liked all of those positions and have no regrets after the fact. The little things that resulted in plenty of near misses on…
There is plenty to read into Toronto's failure to nail down yesterday's first 5 inning play - including a reversal of perspective on Sunday's betting card. And as a result of a busy schedule today and one of my biggest MLB cards of the season, I have a condensed format…
I must admit that I was sound asleep for last night's Phillies/Giants matchup and have yet to watch the condensed game replay. However, waking up to see San Francisco's Goldilocks approach to their team total suits me just fine. They hit their 5 run mark in the 5th inning and…
The MLB Morning Breakdown for 6-18-2021 is back in action after a brief mid-week hiatus. I'm cramming it in at work in advance of a trip to Colorado starting next weekend - so note that the Breakdown will be on a long break from June 27th - July 6th. In…
Download Episode 19 (Nashville) Episode 19 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast heads to the Music City for the inaugural Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway. But first, Paul welcomes in JJ to talk fun-and-games at the All-Star Race - or was it? The points race is back on after the…
I had to put a rush on the MLB Morning Breakdown for 6-15-2021 due to some scheduling issues. So to avoid missing a second straight day, I've compromised detail for speed to get this out before heading out the door. After a good weekend on the diamond, here we go…
Weekends are good, but this one has been especially good. Yesterday's bullpen blowup in Philly provided the better lucky than good sweep to guarantee a winning weekend - if I play my cards right. Scared money don't make money as they say, but I also have to respect the tricky…
The weekend is here at last, and could we actually be looking at a full MLB slate without any significant weather impacts? Last night's start to the weekend was a good one, though the Angels' inability to put away the D-backs resulted in a net push in the desert. But…
Yesterday's solo shot with the Astros was mostly successful as the first 5 inning money line pushes on a 5th inning explosion by both clubs. Fenway looked awfully small last night - which was good, all things considered. That said, I have to head out early for a golf outing,…
Download Episode 18 (Texas All-Star Race) Episode 18 is an All-Star Edition of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast as the NASCAR Cup Series’ mid-season exhibition comes to us live from Texas Motor Speedway! First, Paul and his guest JJ recap last weekend’s wild one at Sonoma - talking karma, pit strategy…
The MLB Morning Breakdown for 6-10-2021 rolls your way with a solo shot after a quick day off. We left off Tuesday with a quick hit from Baltimore that was quite reminiscent of Arizona last week, though the joy from that quickly faded as my Cincinnati Reds took a night…
Look, it's not like I didn't try to tell the Giants that Patrick Wisdom was the only Cub who has been doing anything at the plate recently. I made that point twice this in the weekend's handicaps, and twice the NL Player of the Week tried to singlehandedly take down…
The MLB Morning Breakdown for 6-6-2021 goes back-to-back as we return to the home of last night's solo shot, Oracle Park. I put my full faith and confidence in Kevin Gausman along with the red-hot Giants offense to pull out a decisive first 5 inning win against the Cubbies -…
I've been missing in action since Wednesday's handicap with one intentional morning away and another that was unexpected. That's life. But the MLB Morning Breakdown for 6-5-2021 is ready to roll with a Saturday solo shot - one that hopefully pans out like Wednesday's Arizona team total over positions. I…
Download Episode 17 (Sonoma) Episode 17 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast heads cross country from Charlotte all the way to northern California’s wine country. After a year away from one of the oldest road courses on the Cup Series schedule, NASCAR returns for the 2021 Toyota Save Mart 350 at…
The MLB Morning Breakdown for 6-2-2021 is back after Monday's excused absence and yesterday's I'd rather sleep in after a long weekend unexcused absence. But I'm up early today and we move on to Wednesday's action on the diamond. So without further delay, let's dig into Wednesday's solo shot. NOTE:…
The MLB Morning Breakdown for 5-30-2021 comes to you on the heels of a...cancelled Blue Jays bet. I knew that weather was going to be a factor in Saturday's game at Progressive Field - but not quite like that. Now I throw a couple of my personal rules aside to…
Last night's game in Cleveland looked to be a disaster early as the strong winds and rain wreaked havoc on the game. Even with a very shaky start from Hyun Jin Ryu, the Blue Jays simply overwhelmed rookie pitcher Eli Morgan and the Tribe's middle relievers. So it felt very…
Download Episode 16 (Charlotte) Episode 16 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast takes you to one of NASCAR’s crown jewel races, the 2021 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Paul welcomes JJ back to the show to talk about unfinished business at the Circuit of the Americas last weekend before heading…
It feels like it has been a minute since I got a handicap out there - well, a couple of days anyways. Sometimes the job that pays the bills has to override getting content out on the website. But it's Friday and I know you all are ready for the…
After sitting out Monday's slate for a variety of reasons, the MLB Morning Breakdown for 5-25-2021 rolls on with a full slate of MLB action. Unfortunately, Sunday left me with back-to-back no harm, no foul days to finish with a 1-1-1 weekend. The regular season is just about 30% of…
At least some folks know how to bet my handicaps properly. It was good to hear that a number of our crew laid the hook with Houston on the first 5 inning side as opposed to me laying the -1. While I pushed, folks like my BetCrushers partner Yanni, D-Nice…
The MLB Morning Breakdown for 5-22-2021 comes on the heels of a grind it out split decision between both of the Sox. The Chicago version struggled mightily at the hands of Jordan Montgomery, had their promising 9th inning rally shut down by a textbook triple play, and then gave up…
The MLB Morning Breakdown for 5-21-2021 hits the ground running after an unplanned no-handicap Thursday. At least Houston's bats complied to carry Wednesday's wager and make up for the Ohtani blow on Sunday. So we press on with a two-play Friday to kick off the weekend on the right foot.…
The MLB Morning Breakdown for 5-19-2021 returns after a two-day hiatus due to a brutal start to the work week. We left off with a Sunday solo shot on the Boston Red Sox that, unfortunately, got Ohtanied in the 9th inning. With just one out to go, Mike Trout blooped…
With a tremendous Sunday ahead - great weather, cooking out, and watching NASCAR at Dover - the MLB Morning Breakdown for 5-16-2021 is a quick one. Despite the White Sox letdown yesterday, the Mariners held serve against the Indians once again and Boston drove a stake right through the hopes…
I'll be damned that I can trust the Mariners more than I can my Cincinnati Reds. That's the way it goes sometimes, as Wade Miley struggled with his command early and often - giving the Rockies a healthy lead that the Redlegs could not overcome. But Seattle keeps grinding out…
So the White Sox versus lefties thing still has an edge, eh? JA Happ came in as the potential stopper against Chicago's finely-tuned offense until Tim Anderson slapped a single to lead off the game. A ChiSox rout was good enough to keep the good vibes going for The BetCrushers…
Download Episode 14 (Dover) Episode 14 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast ventures to the Monster Mile for the 2021 Drydene 400 at Dover International Speedway. Paul welcomes in JJ again for a race preview and handicapping - but first, the guys talk about an impressive race by Martin Truex, Jr.…
The worst thing about having to be an early riser is missing the late games and occasionally not seeing the evening contests get resolved. Last night, I missed Arizona's big inning against Pablo Lopez and MadBum's dominance that delivered me a loss. Also at that time, the White Sox punished…
The MLB Morning Breakdown for 5-11-2021 returns after a one-day hiatus due in part to a lackluster Monday MLB slate. I left off with a dud from the Miami Marlins' offense on Sunday despite Sandy Alcantara's fantastic outing. Between Daniel Vogelbach's scorching line drive homer and Miami getting picked off…
Baseball is a wacky game. Yesterday's Astros first 5 inning over 2.5 runs play went from dead on the vine to live in the 4th inning, as Houston plated two and had a man on second base with zero outs. Somehow they were unable to push him across for the…
The MLB Morning Breakdown for 5-8-2021 comes at you with a little more wind in the sails after Blake Snell's ugly performance in San Francisco last night. DeSclafani held it down while Minnesota rebounded from a nasty bullpen entrance to dispatch the Tigers in rain-soaked Detroit. A couple plus-money winning…
The MLB Morning Breakdown for 5-7-2021 is back after a one-day hiatus to accommodate my work schedule. We left off with a failed attempt at a game total in Washington - further reinforcing my disdain for MLB totals - and a perfect-ish gem from John Means. Ironically, I nearly missed…
Download Episode 13 (Darlington) Episode 13 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast goes into throwback mode for the 2021 Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. JJ joins Paul to take the opportunity to talk about the Buschy McBusch Race and the renegade tire one more time before heading to the heart of…
All it took was the cliched one swing of the bat from Atlanta's starting pitcher Huascar Ynoa to break the Braves/Nationals game wide open. As for yesterday's featured play - Ynoa not only held the Nats in check at the plate, he crushed a grand slam in the top of…
Let's call a spade a spade - I've fallen back in a small slump with my featured handicaps. At least there was no sweating it last night as I was deep asleep while the Blue Jays coughed up a lead to the A's in the bottom of the 5th. So…
Now that the busy travel month of April is behind me, I look forward to more time watching more teams via the MLB.TV app. With that said, the season is starting to get into a "leveling out" stage where teams who quickly shot out of the gates are hitting some…
The MLB Morning Breakdown for 5-1-2021 is back again after a busy work week and some travel. At least that travel paid off with a very unique experience watching the Blue Jays and Braves face off in Dunedin last night. What a game from the Toronto offense and Robbie Ray.…
Download Episode 12 (Kansas) Episode 12 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast looks to the midwest for the 2021 Buschy McBusch Race 400 at Kansas Speedway. But not until Paul and JJ take a quick glance back at the madness that is Talladega. Brad Keselowski gets to victory lane for the…
It's been a couple days but the MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-28-2021 is back in action. Monday's slate left me with more questions than answers, then a packed work schedule kept me from publishing a handicap on Tuesday. I left off this weekend with a timely push on the Royals…
The MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-25-2021 returns to the scene of yesterday's...victory?!? With the Arizona/Atlanta rainout last night, Brady Singer's gem pushed the Kansas City Royals to another divisional win and a much-needed W for my featured handicaps. Both Singer and Detroit's Matthew Boyd were spectacular, though it was KC's…
JJ the Ice Man nearly squashed the Athletics 11-game win streak with my greedy money line/run line play. But Cole Irvin worked his magic to escape a couple jams posed by the Orioles and get us the money. That 3-1 win was crucial considering how one of my nemesis, Luke…