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…
Baseball is a game of sequencing. Offenses need to string together hits and walks to convert baserunners into runs. Batteries must sequence pitches to set up batters for optimal results. And handicappers like us have to get ahead of angles to capitalize on attackable prices. I am taking my lumps…
Download Episode 11 (Talladega) Episode 11 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast moves from the short track to the longest oval on the Cup Series circuit. The intensity and insane speeds are must-see TV, and we are absolutely pumped for Sunday’s 2021 GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway! Paul brings in JJ…
The MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-22-2021 says adios to the St. Louis Cardinals. After my fourth loss in as many times featuring that club this season, I received an executive order to stay away from any Cardinals games from here on out. It's simple - the Redbirds and I are…
Despite the best-laid plans, Washington swung for the fences and kept falling short Sunday afternoon. That matchup against a lefty who is prone to getting knocked around was juicy but the results did not manifest. I'll be completely honest and say that was a very disappointing outcome. Realistically, though, not…
The MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-18-2021 comes to you fresh off of what turned out to be a near push on Saturday. Oh, my Cincinnati Reds - they sure looked like the 2020 version yesterday afternoon. Granted, tons of credit goes to Triston McKenzie for working his way out of…
Let's just say that the St. Louis Cardinals and I are not seeing eye to eye these days. At least the New York Mets had my back Wednesday as David Peterson pitched a gem. Then Ronald Acuna helped us get over the mark to seal up a much-needed winning day…
Download Episode 10 (Richmond) Episode 10 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style takes a short trip down the road from Martinsville to Richmond Raceway for the 2021 Toyota Owners 400. This week we have a special shoutout to our listeners for sticking with us through a slow start to handicapping the…
After Tuesday's quick in-and-out solo shot on the Nationals/Cardinals first 5 inning position, it's time to stretch out the playbook in the MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-14-2021. And that play was quick because the Cardinals pounded Strasburg for 4 runs in the 3rd and a ton more in the 5th.…
After a weekend on the road and Monday back in the office, the MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-13-2021 is back! I broadened Sunday's card to four plays, but the Tigers fell just short of delivering a nice payday. Looks like they were the play last night though. I need to…
I’ve cranked out three straight Ls in my featured handicaps. That's pretty disappointing, especially with a couple wagers getting cancelled recently. But it’s Day 11 of the 2021 MLB season and I’ve been waiting for these days a long time. Now it’s time to roll with the MLB Morning Breakdown…
What a fiasco yesterday's betting card was. Unfortunately, our featured handicap position on the Angels was cancelled twice for pitching changes. My BetCrushers partner Yanni took the bait and went over 6 runs - and those guys got the money. Not I, but that's on me for going with listed…
The MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-9-2021 is back after a travel day (for me, not the MLB). Chicago's "light" lineup in Seattle Wednesday afternoon left a lot to be desired for our plays behind them. Though their timely runs in the 5th inning salvaged one of three wagers in our…
Download Episode 9 (Martinsville) Episode 9 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast rolls into Martinsville for the 2021 Blue Emu 500. First they look back at the inaugural Bristol Dirt Race and all of its quirks. Will it be back next year, and are the guys interested in watching it again?…
We asked for a strong performance from Marcus Stroman yesterday and he delivered. Stroman plus a timely bomb from Dominic Smith enabled the Mets to take care of our first 5 inning wager and cash Tuesday's solo shot. Three Ws in a row is nice, but the MLB Morning Breakdown…
The new week began with two plays on Monday that banked on offensive eruptions from the Blue Jays and White Sox. Well, that's what we got. Some confidence was restored when my doubts in Mike Foltynewicz' rebound from a brutal season came true, leading to Toronto surpassing their team total…
For the second time this season, my expectations for a Royals starter were way too high compared to what took place on the field. Brady Singer just did not have the stuff I called for and my solo shot of the day backing the Royals went up in flames. But…
I took just one position on yesterday's big slate - technically two half-unit bets on the Blue Jays team totals - and it flat out failed to get there. Close, but no cigar. Yet 3 runs is absolutely less than 4, so we move onto the MLB Morning Breakdown for…
No complaints here with Day 2 of the MLB season. My Cincinnati Reds didn't lose (they had the day off) and we managed to crank out a nice return on our pair of plays. Pablo Lopez and Ryan Yarbrough put on a pitching clinic in south Florida, delivering a 0-0…
Well, sometimes it's better to be lucky than right. And my first wager of the 2021 MLB season was a -150 play behind Brad Keller and the Royals - an amount of juice that I absolutely hate to lay. Bottom line: my read on Keller was way off the mark,…
After what seems like an eternity to us baseball fans, Opening Day 2021 is finally here! It's been five months since the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated their franchise's seventh World Series Championship and now all 30 teams start fresh. And the head honchos at MLB have given us exactly what…
Download Episode 8 (Bristol Dirt) Things are really heating up in the NASCAR Cup Series! Episode 8 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast takes you to Bristol Motor Speedway for the 2021 Food City Dirt Race. As always, Paul and JJ discuss the Atlanta race, where Kyle Larson dominated the field…until…
The Braves' punctuated the 2020 season with their third straight and 15th overall NL East title. Atlanta's impressive young nucleus gives the impression of a club building their way towards a dynasty like that of the late 1990's. On the flip side, the 2019 World Series Champion Washington Nationals was…
Download Episode 7 (Atlanta) The NASCAR Cup Series’ West Coast Swing is over and Episode 7 of the Playing the Odds NASCAR Style podcast takes you to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the 2021 Folds of Honor Quik Trip 500. Paul and JJ discuss the Phoenix race, where Martin Truex, Jr. is the latest…
A dramatic changing of the AL East guard was punctuated by Boston trading Mookie Betts to the Dodgers. While the Red Sox sunk to the depths of the division, Tampa Bay rose to the top with stingy pitching and defense. The Rays' grindy approach to the modern game earned them…