2022 WNBA SEASON NEWS,NOTES, PICKS !
- Thread starter Cnotes53
- Start date
- Sep 10, 2018
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Armadillo Sports
Thursday’s 6-pack
Major league leaders in walks:
117— Juan Soto
85— Aaron Judge
77— Jesse Winker
76— Alex Bregman
74— Max Muncy
72— Goldschmidt, Yelich, Yandy Diaz
Quote of the Day
“It gets to the point where the pregame is a meeting every day. And it’s an elongated meeting. And players don’t need all this information, quite frankly. They need nuggets. They don’t need dissertations…….people want to tell you how to build a watch. I just need to know what time it is.”
Former Angels’ manager Joe Maddon
Thursday’s quiz
Who was coach of the LA Rams before Sean McVay?
Wednesday’s quiz
In the last five years, Kansas City Chiefs have the most regular season wins (61) in the NFL; Saints are next, with 58.
Tuesday’s quiz
Bob Brenly managed the Arizona Diamondbacks when they won their only World Series title.
********************************
Thursday’s Den: Doing some thinking out loud……..
13) Cardinals 6, Nationals 5— St Louis scored five runs in bottom of the 9th; they’re the first team this season to win a game when they trailed by 4+ entering the bottom of the 9th inning.
Teams had been 0-817 this season when they trailed by 4+ runs entering the bottom of the 9th.
12) There was an interesting article in The Athletic about former MLB manager Joe Maddon, and how he thinks analytics have now gone too far as far as dictating strategy.
Maddon:
“I still love the information. I utilize the information. Information is good. It’s the imposition. I mean, it’s to the point now where actually, our general manager had an analytical guy dressing in the coaches’ room. I mean, that shouldn’t occur. That’s an imposition.”
“I want analytical people on my staff. But I don’t want them in the dugout. I don’t want them in the clubhouse. I want them to do their job, give the work to the coaches, let the coaches then teach the players. I don’t need presenters in the dugout, I don’t need presenters in the clubhouse. … It’s getting to the point where their impact or authority is exceeding that of a coach. And that’s what I think is wrong.”
“……..every day we’d get ready for the game and (Angels GM) Perry (Minasian) and (assistant GM) Alex (Tamin) would come in and they would start talking about how I should use the bullpen that night. Like I haven’t done that for the last 40 years. When you do that, when these people do that, the game becomes cloudy.”
Interesting stuff.
11) Stat of the Day: Since 2014, NFL divisional underdogs are 28-9-2 ATS in Week 1 games.
10) Indianapolis Colts are 1-11 SU/ATS in their last 12 season openers.
9) 10 NFL teams have a new starting QB in Week 1.
12 NFL QB’s will earn $30M+ this season.
8) Jets’ QB Zach Wilson is out at least three weeks more with his knee injury; Joe Flacco gets the Week 1 start for the Jets against his old team, the Ravens.
7) Flacco is 37; Jets’ OT Duane Brown is also 37. This is the first time ever an NFL team is starting a 37-year old QB and 37-year old OT in a Week 1 game.
6) Alabama visits the Texas Longhorns Saturday; this is Alabama’s first non-conference road game since 2011. True road game, not neutral field.
5) New York 5-7, Minnesota 4-1— Twins have now lost 22 of their last 24 games in the Bronx; since 2002, Minnesota is 13-53 in the Bronx.
4) Astros 4, Rangers 3 (10)— Jose Altuve scored the winning run on a wild pitch. Texas has lost 10 of its last 11 games.
3) San Diego Padres have been shut out three times in Blake Snell’s last four home starts.
2) Since 2019, the person with the most walk-off hits in the National League is………
San Diego’s backup catcher, Jorge Alfaro, with seven. Go figure.
1) Sunday, Washington QB Carson Wentz will be the fifth QB since 1950 to start a season opener for three different teams in consecutive years.
The others:
1997-99— Jim Harbaugh— Colts, Ravens, Chargers
2003-05— Kurt Warner— Rams, Giants, Cardinals
2007-09— Brett Favre— Packers, Jets, Vikings
2009-11— Donovan McNabb— Eagles, Redskins, Vikings
Thursday’s 6-pack
Major league leaders in walks:
117— Juan Soto
85— Aaron Judge
77— Jesse Winker
76— Alex Bregman
74— Max Muncy
72— Goldschmidt, Yelich, Yandy Diaz
Quote of the Day
“It gets to the point where the pregame is a meeting every day. And it’s an elongated meeting. And players don’t need all this information, quite frankly. They need nuggets. They don’t need dissertations…….people want to tell you how to build a watch. I just need to know what time it is.”
Former Angels’ manager Joe Maddon
Thursday’s quiz
Who was coach of the LA Rams before Sean McVay?
Wednesday’s quiz
In the last five years, Kansas City Chiefs have the most regular season wins (61) in the NFL; Saints are next, with 58.
Tuesday’s quiz
Bob Brenly managed the Arizona Diamondbacks when they won their only World Series title.
********************************
Thursday’s Den: Doing some thinking out loud……..
13) Cardinals 6, Nationals 5— St Louis scored five runs in bottom of the 9th; they’re the first team this season to win a game when they trailed by 4+ entering the bottom of the 9th inning.
Teams had been 0-817 this season when they trailed by 4+ runs entering the bottom of the 9th.
12) There was an interesting article in The Athletic about former MLB manager Joe Maddon, and how he thinks analytics have now gone too far as far as dictating strategy.
Maddon:
“I still love the information. I utilize the information. Information is good. It’s the imposition. I mean, it’s to the point now where actually, our general manager had an analytical guy dressing in the coaches’ room. I mean, that shouldn’t occur. That’s an imposition.”
“I want analytical people on my staff. But I don’t want them in the dugout. I don’t want them in the clubhouse. I want them to do their job, give the work to the coaches, let the coaches then teach the players. I don’t need presenters in the dugout, I don’t need presenters in the clubhouse. … It’s getting to the point where their impact or authority is exceeding that of a coach. And that’s what I think is wrong.”
“……..every day we’d get ready for the game and (Angels GM) Perry (Minasian) and (assistant GM) Alex (Tamin) would come in and they would start talking about how I should use the bullpen that night. Like I haven’t done that for the last 40 years. When you do that, when these people do that, the game becomes cloudy.”
Interesting stuff.
11) Stat of the Day: Since 2014, NFL divisional underdogs are 28-9-2 ATS in Week 1 games.
10) Indianapolis Colts are 1-11 SU/ATS in their last 12 season openers.
9) 10 NFL teams have a new starting QB in Week 1.
12 NFL QB’s will earn $30M+ this season.
8) Jets’ QB Zach Wilson is out at least three weeks more with his knee injury; Joe Flacco gets the Week 1 start for the Jets against his old team, the Ravens.
7) Flacco is 37; Jets’ OT Duane Brown is also 37. This is the first time ever an NFL team is starting a 37-year old QB and 37-year old OT in a Week 1 game.
6) Alabama visits the Texas Longhorns Saturday; this is Alabama’s first non-conference road game since 2011. True road game, not neutral field.
5) New York 5-7, Minnesota 4-1— Twins have now lost 22 of their last 24 games in the Bronx; since 2002, Minnesota is 13-53 in the Bronx.
4) Astros 4, Rangers 3 (10)— Jose Altuve scored the winning run on a wild pitch. Texas has lost 10 of its last 11 games.
3) San Diego Padres have been shut out three times in Blake Snell’s last four home starts.
2) Since 2019, the person with the most walk-off hits in the National League is………
San Diego’s backup catcher, Jorge Alfaro, with seven. Go figure.
1) Sunday, Washington QB Carson Wentz will be the fifth QB since 1950 to start a season opener for three different teams in consecutive years.
The others:
1997-99— Jim Harbaugh— Colts, Ravens, Chargers
2003-05— Kurt Warner— Rams, Giants, Cardinals
2007-09— Brett Favre— Packers, Jets, Vikings
2009-11— Donovan McNabb— Eagles, Redskins, Vikings
- Sep 10, 2018
- 16,935
- 15
- 38
WNBA
Dunkel
Thursday, September 8
WNBA
Thursday, September 8
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Trend Report
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Connecticut @ Chicago
Connecticut
Connecticut is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games
Chicago
Chicago is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago's last 6 games
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Dunkel
Thursday, September 8
WNBA
Thursday, September 8
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
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Connecticut @ Chicago
Connecticut
Connecticut is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games
Chicago
Chicago is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago's last 6 games
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- Sep 10, 2018
- 16,935
- 15
- 38
Armadillo Sports
Friday’s 6-pack
Odds to win the MAC football title:
3-1— Toledo
9-2— Miami
5-1— Central Michigan, Northern Illinois
10-1— Kent State
12-1— Ohio, Western Michigan
14-1— Eastern Michigan
18-1— Buffalo
28-1— Ball State
40-1— Bowling Green
50-1— Akron
Quote of the Day
“I had a chance to play for a couple of the best who have done it (Ernie Zampese, Norv Turner). Man, when you get that playcaller, and they’re in sync with the quarterback, it’s like being in step with a dance partner. It’s the greatest feeling in the world.”
Troy Aikman
Friday’s quiz
Who was coach of the New Jersey Jets, last time they made the playoffs?
Thursday’s quiz
Jeff Fisher was coach of the LA Rams before Sean McVay.
Wednesday’s quiz
In the last five years, Kansas City Chiefs have the most regular season wins (61) in the NFL; Saints are next, with 58.
******************************
Friday’s Den: Random stuff with the weekend here…….
13) Thursday afternoon in St Louis, Adam Wainwright/Yadier Molina started together as a battery with the Cardinals for the 324th time, tying Detroit’s Mickey Lolich/Bill Freehan for the all-time record.
12) Molina is also the third catcher EVER to hit two home runs in a game he was catching, after he turned 40 years old. Carlton Fisk, Rick Dempsey are the other two guys on that list.
11) Cardinals lead the NL Central by eight games, in large part because they traded for Jose Quintana, Jordan Montgomery at the trade deadline. St Louis is 6-1 when Quintana starts, 7-0 when Montgomery takes the mound.
10) New York P Domingo German has started ten games this season; the home team won all ten games. New York won his four home starts; they’re 0-6 in his road outings.
9) Minnesota P Joe Ryan has been shaky away from home; in his last six road starts, he’s given up 28 runs in 28 IP. He is 6-4, 3.13 in 13 home starts,
8) One thing about the baseball playoffs will be different this year; in the best-of-3 first round, the higher-seeded team will be home for all three games.
7) There must be a freakin’ boatload of money in hosting fantasy football leagues; the timeline on my Twitter feed has been jammed with fantasy stuff, mores even than gambling info.
6) Clemson locked up football coach Dabo Swinney with a 10-year, $115M contract. Swinney is 151-36 in 15 years at Clemson, 11-7 in postseason games.
5) Saints C Erik McCoy signed a 5-year deal with New Orleans for $63.8M.
4) Only 8 of the 55 Super Bowl losers got back to the Super Bowl the next season, only one since 1972.
3) I don’t follow tennis much, but late Wednesday night, there was a match at the US Open that went over five hours long; it ended at 2:50am. Great competition.
You have the admire the athleticism of two guys going at it like that for five hours, not to mention the ballboys who had to work that long- that couldn’t have been much fun.
2) Bills 31, Rams 10:
— Buffalo converted 9 of 10 third down plays
— Buffalo outgained the Rams, 413-243
— Bills sacked Matthew Stafford seven times.
— Buffalo scored TD on their first drive of each half.
— Kupp caught 13 passes for 128 yards, but other three WR’s caught only six balls for 47 yards.
— Rams were outscored 21-0 in second half.
1) We all over-react to Week 1 results, whether good or bad, but you wonder if players need to play some in preseason games, just to sharpen up.
It is a fair question; of course, but if they play in preseason games and get hurt, then the coach is Billy Bob Thornton in Friday Night Lights, which isn’t a good thing. He kept his star running back in a blowout win too long, and the kid screwed his knee up, which crippled the offense.
Friday’s 6-pack
Odds to win the MAC football title:
3-1— Toledo
9-2— Miami
5-1— Central Michigan, Northern Illinois
10-1— Kent State
12-1— Ohio, Western Michigan
14-1— Eastern Michigan
18-1— Buffalo
28-1— Ball State
40-1— Bowling Green
50-1— Akron
Quote of the Day
“I had a chance to play for a couple of the best who have done it (Ernie Zampese, Norv Turner). Man, when you get that playcaller, and they’re in sync with the quarterback, it’s like being in step with a dance partner. It’s the greatest feeling in the world.”
Troy Aikman
Friday’s quiz
Who was coach of the New Jersey Jets, last time they made the playoffs?
Thursday’s quiz
Jeff Fisher was coach of the LA Rams before Sean McVay.
Wednesday’s quiz
In the last five years, Kansas City Chiefs have the most regular season wins (61) in the NFL; Saints are next, with 58.
******************************
Friday’s Den: Random stuff with the weekend here…….
13) Thursday afternoon in St Louis, Adam Wainwright/Yadier Molina started together as a battery with the Cardinals for the 324th time, tying Detroit’s Mickey Lolich/Bill Freehan for the all-time record.
12) Molina is also the third catcher EVER to hit two home runs in a game he was catching, after he turned 40 years old. Carlton Fisk, Rick Dempsey are the other two guys on that list.
11) Cardinals lead the NL Central by eight games, in large part because they traded for Jose Quintana, Jordan Montgomery at the trade deadline. St Louis is 6-1 when Quintana starts, 7-0 when Montgomery takes the mound.
10) New York P Domingo German has started ten games this season; the home team won all ten games. New York won his four home starts; they’re 0-6 in his road outings.
9) Minnesota P Joe Ryan has been shaky away from home; in his last six road starts, he’s given up 28 runs in 28 IP. He is 6-4, 3.13 in 13 home starts,
8) One thing about the baseball playoffs will be different this year; in the best-of-3 first round, the higher-seeded team will be home for all three games.
7) There must be a freakin’ boatload of money in hosting fantasy football leagues; the timeline on my Twitter feed has been jammed with fantasy stuff, mores even than gambling info.
6) Clemson locked up football coach Dabo Swinney with a 10-year, $115M contract. Swinney is 151-36 in 15 years at Clemson, 11-7 in postseason games.
5) Saints C Erik McCoy signed a 5-year deal with New Orleans for $63.8M.
4) Only 8 of the 55 Super Bowl losers got back to the Super Bowl the next season, only one since 1972.
3) I don’t follow tennis much, but late Wednesday night, there was a match at the US Open that went over five hours long; it ended at 2:50am. Great competition.
You have the admire the athleticism of two guys going at it like that for five hours, not to mention the ballboys who had to work that long- that couldn’t have been much fun.
2) Bills 31, Rams 10:
— Buffalo converted 9 of 10 third down plays
— Buffalo outgained the Rams, 413-243
— Bills sacked Matthew Stafford seven times.
— Buffalo scored TD on their first drive of each half.
— Kupp caught 13 passes for 128 yards, but other three WR’s caught only six balls for 47 yards.
— Rams were outscored 21-0 in second half.
1) We all over-react to Week 1 results, whether good or bad, but you wonder if players need to play some in preseason games, just to sharpen up.
It is a fair question; of course, but if they play in preseason games and get hurt, then the coach is Billy Bob Thornton in Friday Night Lights, which isn’t a good thing. He kept his star running back in a blowout win too long, and the kid screwed his knee up, which crippled the offense.
- Sep 10, 2018
- 16,935
- 15
- 38
Armadillo Sports
Saturday’s 6-pack
Spreads for Saturday’s college football:
— Arizona State @ Oklahoma State (-12.5)
— San Jose State @ Auburn (-24.5)
— Eastern Michigan @ UL-Lafayette (-11.5)
— Syracuse (-23.5) @ UConn
— Northern Illinois @ Tulsa (-6.5)
— Kansas @ West Virginia (-13.5)
Quote of the Day
“The adjustment period is very fast for most players. It takes about a week feeling comfortable. And if you’re going to do something like the clock, you want it to work. It was the committee’s belief that jumping to the best form of this was the prudent move.”
Morgan Sword, executive vice president of MLB operations, on rule changes
Saturday’s quiz
Who has hit the most home runs in New York Mets’ history?
Friday’s quiz
Rex Ryan was coach of the New Jersey Jets, last time they made the playoffs, in 2010.
Thursday’s quiz
Jeff Fisher was coach of the LA Rams before Sean McVay.
*****************************
Saturday’s Den: Clearing out a cluttered mind……..
— Major League Baseball put in a pitch clock for next season; they also banned shifts, and announced bigger bases, decreasing distance between the bases by 4.5 inches. This figures to help left-handed hitters, who are losing the most hits because of the shift.
Boise State 31, New Mexico 14
— Boise outgained the Lobos, 318-123.
— New Mexico was 1-14 on third down; they had only eight first downs, and completed only 9-28 passes.
— Lobos ran a kickoff back 100 yards for a TD with 6:07 left to push the spread, put game over the total.
Louisville 20, Central Florida 14:
— Cardinals held UCF scoreless in second half.
— Louisville outgained the Knights, 427-339
— Teams combined to convert only 8-30 third down plays.
— penalties: Louisville 12-98, UCF 11-111
— UCF coach Gus Malzahn has had an interesting career:
1991-95— Hughes HS (in Arkansas)
1996-2005— Springdale HS (in Arkansas)
2006— WR coach, Arkansas
2007-08— QB coach, Tulsa
2009-11— Offensive coordinator, Auburn
2012— Head coach, Arkansas State
2013-20— Head coach, Auburn
2021- Head coach, Central Florida.
17 years ago, he was a high school coach; how he makes $2M a year. Good for him.
— Lamar Jackson/Ravens couldn’t agree on a new contract; he’ll play out the last year of his contract this year. Somehow, he’ll have to get by on $23M this season
Jackson is acting as his own agent; Friday was his deadline for a deal to be made. Now he bets on himself to have a big season, so he can break the bank next spring.
— Emmitt Smith’s son EJ is a junior running back at Stanford; last week, he ran the ball 11 times for 118 yards and two TD’s vs I-AA Colgate. Tougher test tonight; the Cardinal plays USC.
— Braves 6, Mariners 4— Atlanta takes over first place in NL East by a half-game. Braves have won eight games in row, are in first place for first time this season. On June 1, they were 10.5 games out of first place.
— Marlins 6, Mets 3— Mets are 3-4 in their last seven games, vs Nationals-Pirates-Marlins. They are out of first place for first time since April 11.
— White Sox 5, A’s 3— Chicago scored five runs in 9th inning; they didn’t get a hit until the 7th inning. White Sox are 1.5 games behind Cleveland in the AL Central.
— Cubs 4, Giants 2— San Francisco is 65-73 this year; they were 107-55 last year. Giants were 31-17 in one-run games LY; they’re 18-26 this season.
— Rockies 13, Arizona 10— Rockies blew an 8-1 lead, but won it on a 3-run walk-off homer by Elias Diaz, who had 7 RBI in the game.
— Padres 5, Dodgers 4— Right now, San Diego has the second Wild Card slot. Jake Cronenworth got the winning hit in San Diego’s 11th walk-off win of the season, a game that was delayed 40 minutes by rain at the start.
— If the playoffs started today (they don’t):
AL: New York, Guardians, Astros. Wild Cards: Rays, Blue Jays, Mariners
NL: Braves, Cardinals, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Mets, Padres, Phillies
— Wild Card races:
AL— Orioles are 4 games out of last Wild Card slot, White Sox are 6.5 games back, Twins 7.5.
NL— Milwaukee is 3.5 games out of last Wild Card slot; no one else is within 10 games.
Saturday’s 6-pack
Spreads for Saturday’s college football:
— Arizona State @ Oklahoma State (-12.5)
— San Jose State @ Auburn (-24.5)
— Eastern Michigan @ UL-Lafayette (-11.5)
— Syracuse (-23.5) @ UConn
— Northern Illinois @ Tulsa (-6.5)
— Kansas @ West Virginia (-13.5)
Quote of the Day
“The adjustment period is very fast for most players. It takes about a week feeling comfortable. And if you’re going to do something like the clock, you want it to work. It was the committee’s belief that jumping to the best form of this was the prudent move.”
Morgan Sword, executive vice president of MLB operations, on rule changes
Saturday’s quiz
Who has hit the most home runs in New York Mets’ history?
Friday’s quiz
Rex Ryan was coach of the New Jersey Jets, last time they made the playoffs, in 2010.
Thursday’s quiz
Jeff Fisher was coach of the LA Rams before Sean McVay.
*****************************
Saturday’s Den: Clearing out a cluttered mind……..
— Major League Baseball put in a pitch clock for next season; they also banned shifts, and announced bigger bases, decreasing distance between the bases by 4.5 inches. This figures to help left-handed hitters, who are losing the most hits because of the shift.
Boise State 31, New Mexico 14
— Boise outgained the Lobos, 318-123.
— New Mexico was 1-14 on third down; they had only eight first downs, and completed only 9-28 passes.
— Lobos ran a kickoff back 100 yards for a TD with 6:07 left to push the spread, put game over the total.
Louisville 20, Central Florida 14:
— Cardinals held UCF scoreless in second half.
— Louisville outgained the Knights, 427-339
— Teams combined to convert only 8-30 third down plays.
— penalties: Louisville 12-98, UCF 11-111
— UCF coach Gus Malzahn has had an interesting career:
1991-95— Hughes HS (in Arkansas)
1996-2005— Springdale HS (in Arkansas)
2006— WR coach, Arkansas
2007-08— QB coach, Tulsa
2009-11— Offensive coordinator, Auburn
2012— Head coach, Arkansas State
2013-20— Head coach, Auburn
2021- Head coach, Central Florida.
17 years ago, he was a high school coach; how he makes $2M a year. Good for him.
— Lamar Jackson/Ravens couldn’t agree on a new contract; he’ll play out the last year of his contract this year. Somehow, he’ll have to get by on $23M this season
Jackson is acting as his own agent; Friday was his deadline for a deal to be made. Now he bets on himself to have a big season, so he can break the bank next spring.
— Emmitt Smith’s son EJ is a junior running back at Stanford; last week, he ran the ball 11 times for 118 yards and two TD’s vs I-AA Colgate. Tougher test tonight; the Cardinal plays USC.
— Braves 6, Mariners 4— Atlanta takes over first place in NL East by a half-game. Braves have won eight games in row, are in first place for first time this season. On June 1, they were 10.5 games out of first place.
— Marlins 6, Mets 3— Mets are 3-4 in their last seven games, vs Nationals-Pirates-Marlins. They are out of first place for first time since April 11.
— White Sox 5, A’s 3— Chicago scored five runs in 9th inning; they didn’t get a hit until the 7th inning. White Sox are 1.5 games behind Cleveland in the AL Central.
— Cubs 4, Giants 2— San Francisco is 65-73 this year; they were 107-55 last year. Giants were 31-17 in one-run games LY; they’re 18-26 this season.
— Rockies 13, Arizona 10— Rockies blew an 8-1 lead, but won it on a 3-run walk-off homer by Elias Diaz, who had 7 RBI in the game.
— Padres 5, Dodgers 4— Right now, San Diego has the second Wild Card slot. Jake Cronenworth got the winning hit in San Diego’s 11th walk-off win of the season, a game that was delayed 40 minutes by rain at the start.
— If the playoffs started today (they don’t):
AL: New York, Guardians, Astros. Wild Cards: Rays, Blue Jays, Mariners
NL: Braves, Cardinals, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Mets, Padres, Phillies
— Wild Card races:
AL— Orioles are 4 games out of last Wild Card slot, White Sox are 6.5 games back, Twins 7.5.
NL— Milwaukee is 3.5 games out of last Wild Card slot; no one else is within 10 games.
- Sep 10, 2018
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Armadillo Sports
Sunday’s 6-pack
How each college football conference did against the spread this week:
Sun Belt 7-2
Mountain West 4-2
ACC 5-3
Big X 4-3
AAC 2-2
MAC 3-4
Big 14 4-6
Pac-12, C-USA, both 2-4
SEC 2-5
Quote of the Day
“I’m forever grateful to be enshrined with the basketball legends in this Hall of Fame. I’m truly blessed and extremely humbled to be joining you. Thank you……..It’s truly an honor to be on stage with two great West Virginians. I idolized Jerry West and Rod Thorn when I was growing up.” Bob Huggins, on being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend
Sunday’s quiz
Who was the last team to beat the Chiefs in a Week 1 game?
Saturday’s quiz
Darryl Strawberry (252) has hit the most home runs in New York Mets’ history.
Friday’s quiz
Rex Ryan was coach of the New Jersey Jets, last time they made the playoffs, in 2010.
***************************
Sunday’s Den: Wrapping up a college football Saturday
Fun day of college football; it is 2:20 am as I start this article; Miss State-Arizona are still playing in Tucson. My TV got a good workout today.
— Excellent day for the Sun Belt Conference:
Sun Belt teams went 7-2 ATS this week.
Georgia State won at Nebraska. 23-point underdog.
Marshall won at Notre Dame. 20-point underdog.
Appalachian State won at Texas A&M. 18-point underdog.
— Memo to big-time programs; do NOT schedule Appalachian State, there is no value to it. If you beat them, no one cares that you beat a Sun Belt team. In reality, App State is a tough team, but it still looks horrible if you lose to a Sun Belt team.
— Alabama 20, Texas 19
Crimson Tide kicked game-winning FG with 0:10 left.
Texas lost its starting QB in the first half; the backup got banged up in the second half, but he finished the game.
Longhorns were in the red zone five times, scored only one TD.
Alabama had 15 penalties for 100 yards; their QB Young was great on that last drive.
Texas has a kicker whose last name is Auburn; he made a 49-yard FG with 1:29 left that put Texas ahead 19-17. Auburn almost beat Alabama.
— Iowa State 10, Iowa 7
Cyclones end 6-game losing streak to their in-state rivals.
Iowa won 7-3 last week, then this happened. Their offense sucks.
Cyclones outgained Iowa 313-150.
Iowa State was 10-20 on third down, Hawkeyes 3-10.
— Tennessee 34, Pittsburgh 27 OT
Total yardage was 416-415; this was a fun game to watch.
Pitt converted only 4-18 third down plays.
Tennessee threw for 325 yards; Tillman caught 9 passes for 172 yards.
— Duke 31, Northwestern 23:
Blue Devils led 21-0 early in 2nd quarter.
Northwestern threw for 435 yards, but turned ball over three times (-2)
Duke ran the football for 221 yards.
— Arkansas 44, South Carolina 30:
Razorbacks ran ball for 295 yards; they’re a throwback team, trying to run the ball down the other team’s throat. They ran ball 65 times in this game, threw it only 21 times.
South Carolina threw ball for 376 yards, ran for only 40 yards.
— Wake Forest 45, Vanderbilt 25:
Dave Clawson 51-48 at Wake, 4-2 in bowl games; that is six bowls in eight years, at a school that has played in only 16 bowls all-time.
Clawson is 15-9 ATS in his last 24 games; he’s a very good coach.
Senior QB Hartman threw for 300 yards in his first game this season.
— Appalachian State 17, Texas A&M 14
App State ran 82 plays, A&M ran 38 plays. 82. 38.
Total yardage was 315-186, App State
Aggies ran a kickoff back 95 yards for a TD.
I’m thinking the rich boosters who funded the NIL stuff for A&M’s players were very understanding about losing to a Sun Belt team.
— Washington State 17, Wisconsin 14:
Coogs held Wisconsin scoreless in second half.
Badgers outgained Wazzu 401-253, but had 11 penalties for 106 yards.
Both teams turned ball over three times.
— Texas Tech 33, Houston 30 OT
Tech led 17-3 at halftime.
Tech kicked a 47-yard FG with 0:03 left to force overtime.
Tech converted a 4th-and-20 when they were losing in OT.
QB Smith ran nine yards for the walk-off TD in overtime
Red Raiders ran 102 plays, Houston 68; Tech had 35 first downs.
— Georgia Southern 45, Nebraska 42
It is September 11; Nebraska has already lost this year, when favored by 11 and 23 points.
Eagles scored the game-winning TD with 0:36 left.
Total yardage was 642-575; not a lot of defense.
Nebraska coach Frost is likely not to be Nebraska’s coach next year.
Georgia Southern threw for 409 yards in this game; the last time Georgia Southern had a QB throw for 400 yards in a game was the 1985 I-AA championship game.
— BYU 26, Baylor 20 OT
Baylor was 9-18 on third down, BYU 3-14.
Bears had 14 penalties, for 117 yards.
BYU missed two field goals that were shorter than 40 yards.
Upsets of the Week:
— Georgia Southern (+23) 45, Nebraska 42
— Marshall (+20) 26, Notre Dame 21
— Appalachian State (+18) 17, Texas A&M 14
— Washington State (+17) 17, Wisconsin 14
— Kansas (+13.5) 55, West Virginia 42, OT
— Middle Tennessee (+13.5) 34, Colorado State 19
— Duke (+10) 31, Northwestern 23
— Then, there were the teams that lost to I-AA opponents:
Eastern Kentucky 59, Bowling Green 57 OT
Incarnate Word 55, Nevada 41
Holy Cross 37, Buffalo 31— Crusaders hit a Hail Mary on the last play.
Weber State 35, Utah State 7
Sunday’s 6-pack
How each college football conference did against the spread this week:
Sun Belt 7-2
Mountain West 4-2
ACC 5-3
Big X 4-3
AAC 2-2
MAC 3-4
Big 14 4-6
Pac-12, C-USA, both 2-4
SEC 2-5
Quote of the Day
“I’m forever grateful to be enshrined with the basketball legends in this Hall of Fame. I’m truly blessed and extremely humbled to be joining you. Thank you……..It’s truly an honor to be on stage with two great West Virginians. I idolized Jerry West and Rod Thorn when I was growing up.” Bob Huggins, on being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend
Sunday’s quiz
Who was the last team to beat the Chiefs in a Week 1 game?
Saturday’s quiz
Darryl Strawberry (252) has hit the most home runs in New York Mets’ history.
Friday’s quiz
Rex Ryan was coach of the New Jersey Jets, last time they made the playoffs, in 2010.
***************************
Sunday’s Den: Wrapping up a college football Saturday
Fun day of college football; it is 2:20 am as I start this article; Miss State-Arizona are still playing in Tucson. My TV got a good workout today.
— Excellent day for the Sun Belt Conference:
Sun Belt teams went 7-2 ATS this week.
Georgia State won at Nebraska. 23-point underdog.
Marshall won at Notre Dame. 20-point underdog.
Appalachian State won at Texas A&M. 18-point underdog.
— Memo to big-time programs; do NOT schedule Appalachian State, there is no value to it. If you beat them, no one cares that you beat a Sun Belt team. In reality, App State is a tough team, but it still looks horrible if you lose to a Sun Belt team.
— Alabama 20, Texas 19
Crimson Tide kicked game-winning FG with 0:10 left.
Texas lost its starting QB in the first half; the backup got banged up in the second half, but he finished the game.
Longhorns were in the red zone five times, scored only one TD.
Alabama had 15 penalties for 100 yards; their QB Young was great on that last drive.
Texas has a kicker whose last name is Auburn; he made a 49-yard FG with 1:29 left that put Texas ahead 19-17. Auburn almost beat Alabama.
— Iowa State 10, Iowa 7
Cyclones end 6-game losing streak to their in-state rivals.
Iowa won 7-3 last week, then this happened. Their offense sucks.
Cyclones outgained Iowa 313-150.
Iowa State was 10-20 on third down, Hawkeyes 3-10.
— Tennessee 34, Pittsburgh 27 OT
Total yardage was 416-415; this was a fun game to watch.
Pitt converted only 4-18 third down plays.
Tennessee threw for 325 yards; Tillman caught 9 passes for 172 yards.
— Duke 31, Northwestern 23:
Blue Devils led 21-0 early in 2nd quarter.
Northwestern threw for 435 yards, but turned ball over three times (-2)
Duke ran the football for 221 yards.
— Arkansas 44, South Carolina 30:
Razorbacks ran ball for 295 yards; they’re a throwback team, trying to run the ball down the other team’s throat. They ran ball 65 times in this game, threw it only 21 times.
South Carolina threw ball for 376 yards, ran for only 40 yards.
— Wake Forest 45, Vanderbilt 25:
Dave Clawson 51-48 at Wake, 4-2 in bowl games; that is six bowls in eight years, at a school that has played in only 16 bowls all-time.
Clawson is 15-9 ATS in his last 24 games; he’s a very good coach.
Senior QB Hartman threw for 300 yards in his first game this season.
— Appalachian State 17, Texas A&M 14
App State ran 82 plays, A&M ran 38 plays. 82. 38.
Total yardage was 315-186, App State
Aggies ran a kickoff back 95 yards for a TD.
I’m thinking the rich boosters who funded the NIL stuff for A&M’s players were very understanding about losing to a Sun Belt team.
— Washington State 17, Wisconsin 14:
Coogs held Wisconsin scoreless in second half.
Badgers outgained Wazzu 401-253, but had 11 penalties for 106 yards.
Both teams turned ball over three times.
— Texas Tech 33, Houston 30 OT
Tech led 17-3 at halftime.
Tech kicked a 47-yard FG with 0:03 left to force overtime.
Tech converted a 4th-and-20 when they were losing in OT.
QB Smith ran nine yards for the walk-off TD in overtime
Red Raiders ran 102 plays, Houston 68; Tech had 35 first downs.
— Georgia Southern 45, Nebraska 42
It is September 11; Nebraska has already lost this year, when favored by 11 and 23 points.
Eagles scored the game-winning TD with 0:36 left.
Total yardage was 642-575; not a lot of defense.
Nebraska coach Frost is likely not to be Nebraska’s coach next year.
Georgia Southern threw for 409 yards in this game; the last time Georgia Southern had a QB throw for 400 yards in a game was the 1985 I-AA championship game.
— BYU 26, Baylor 20 OT
Baylor was 9-18 on third down, BYU 3-14.
Bears had 14 penalties, for 117 yards.
BYU missed two field goals that were shorter than 40 yards.
Upsets of the Week:
— Georgia Southern (+23) 45, Nebraska 42
— Marshall (+20) 26, Notre Dame 21
— Appalachian State (+18) 17, Texas A&M 14
— Washington State (+17) 17, Wisconsin 14
— Kansas (+13.5) 55, West Virginia 42, OT
— Middle Tennessee (+13.5) 34, Colorado State 19
— Duke (+10) 31, Northwestern 23
— Then, there were the teams that lost to I-AA opponents:
Eastern Kentucky 59, Bowling Green 57 OT
Incarnate Word 55, Nevada 41
Holy Cross 37, Buffalo 31— Crusaders hit a Hail Mary on the last play.
Weber State 35, Utah State 7
- Sep 10, 2018
- 16,935
- 15
- 38
WNBA
Dunkel
Sunday, September 11
WNBA
Sunday, September 11
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Trend Report
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Connecticut @ Las Vegas
Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Connecticut's last 5 games on the road
Connecticut is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
Las Vegas
Las Vegas is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games
Las Vegas is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dunkel
Sunday, September 11
WNBA
Sunday, September 11
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Connecticut @ Las Vegas
Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Connecticut's last 5 games on the road
Connecticut is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
Las Vegas
Las Vegas is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games
Las Vegas is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Sep 10, 2018
- 16,935
- 15
- 38
Armadillo Sports
Monday’s 6-pack
— Seattle 8, Atlanta 7— Mariners win after blowing 6-2 lead in 9th.
— Phillies 7, Nationals 5— Bohm hit game-winning 2-run homer in 7th.
— Cardinals 4, Pirates 3— St Louis scored four runs in 9th.
— Arizona 12, Colorado 6— Gallen’s scoreless streak ends at 44.1 IP
— Dodgers 11, Padres 2— Justin Turner homered twice, had five RBI.
— Cleveland 4, Minnesota 1— Bieber gets his 10th win of the year.
Quote of the Day
“Winning helps, and losing doesn’t.”
Bill Parcells
Monday’s quiz
Sunday, Zac Gallen set the Arizona Diamondbacks’ record for consecutive scoreless IP; whose record did he break?
Sunday’s quiz
Last team to beat the Chiefs in a Week 1 game? Tennessee Titans, in 2014.
Saturday’s quiz
Darryl Strawberry (252) has hit the most home runs in New York Mets’ history.
******************************
Monday’s Den: Wrapping up an NFL Sunday
Browns 26, Panthers 24:
— Rookie K York drilled a 58-yard FG with 0:08 left for the win.
— Cleveland led 14-0 in second quarter.
— Browns ran ball for 217 yards.
— First three drives: 19 plays, 55 yards, no points.
— Last eight drives: two TD’s, four FG’s; 59 plays, 344 yards.
— Panthers’ first five drives: 19 plays, 13 yards, no points.
— Panthers in 4th quarter: 19 plays, 214 yards, 17 points.
— Carolina kicked FG with 1:13 left to take 24-23 lead.
— Last 3+ years, Carolina is 6-18-1 ATS at home.
— Last 3+ years, Carolina is 15-35 SU
Colts 20, Texans 20
— Colts trailed 20-3 after three quarters.
— Taylor ran ball 31 times for 161 yards.
— Colts gained 245 yards in first 3 quarters, 278 yards in 4th quarter/OT.
— Colts missed a 42-yard FG in overtime.
— Indy has one Week 1 win the last nine years,
— Colts outgained Houston, 517-299.
— Texans’ last six drives: 30 plays, 75 yards, no points.
— Both of Houston’s TD’s came on drives of only 58 yards.
— Last 2+ years, Houston is 5-2 ATS in AFC South home games.
Steelers 23, Bengals 20, OT
— Bengals missed game-winning PAT with 0:02 left that forced OT.
— Their long snapper was hurt; they also missed a 29-yard FG in OT.
— Bengals were in red zone five times, scored only two TD’s.
— Last 5+ years, Bengals are 7-12 ATS as a home favorite.
— Last 20 years, team that lost Super Bowl is 4-16 ATS in Week 1 the next season.
— Steelers picked off four passes, were +5 in turnovers.
— Boswell walked it off with a 53-yard FG in OT.
— Fitzpatrick scored on a pick-6 2:17 into the game.
— Pittsburgh is 10-2 ATS last 12 games as an AFC North underdog.
— Bengals outgained Pitt 432-267, ran 94 plays to 61 for Steelers.
Commanders 28, Jaguars 22
— Jaguars only scored 16 points in five trips to red zone.
— Jags had six plays of 20+ yards; five of them came on 1st-and-10.
— Jacksonville had 13 penalties for 90 yards.
— Pederson is 9-14 ATS as a road underdog.
— Last 9+ years, Jaguars are 6-32 ATS vs NFC teams.
— Wentz threw TD passes of 49-24 yards in last 10:00 in a comeback win.
— Washington scored on first two drives, led 14-3 at halftime.
— Commanders converted 7-10 on third down, Jaguars 3-12.
— Washington had three 4th down plays that gained 20+ yards.
Bears 19, 49ers 10
— Last quarter of this game was played in a rainy quagmire.
— Both QB’s completed less than half their passes.
— 49ers led 7-0 at halftime.
— Since 1994, 49ers are 2-9 ATS as a favorite in their road opener.
— Bears in 1st half: 30 plays, 68 yards, no points.
— Bears in 2nd half: 23 plays, 175 yards, 19 points.
— Under is 6-0 in their last six home openers.
— Bears won in Week 1 for only 2nd time the last nine years,
Dolphins 20, Patriots 7:
— Miami had three drives in first half, gained 47-45-92 yards.
— Miami scored defensive TD on a strip/sack in 2nd quarter.
— Last 2+ years, Dolphins were 13-5 ATS at home.
— Last 4+ years, Miami is 9-4-1 ATS in AFC East home games.
— Patriots’ only TD came on a 92-yard drive in 3rd quarter.
— New England lost five of last six visits to Miami.
— Last 2+ years, they’re 5-8 ATS in games with spread of 3 or less.
— NE is 17-17 SU since Brady left; 4-6 ATS as a road underdog.
— Last 6+ years, under is 32-16-1 in their road games.
Saints 27, Falcons 26
— Atlanta led 26-10 with 12:00 left in game.
— Saints kicked 51-yard FG with 0:19 left for the win.
— Saints won their last five visits to Atlanta.
— Since 2010, New Orleans is 2-11 ATS in road openers, 0-7 if favored.
— Falcons scored five of first eight times they had ball.
— Falcons scored only once in their last five drives.
— New Orleans won eight of last ten series games.
— Since 1999, Atlanta is 8-2 ATS as an underdog in home openers.
— Falcons started out 0-1 six of the last seven seasons.
Ravens 24, Jets 9:
— Lamar Jackson threw TD passes of 25-17-55 yards.
— Jackson ran ball only six times, for 17 yards.
— Ravens are 10-5 ATS in last 15 road openers.
— Last seven years, Baltimore is 6-1 ATS in Week 1 games.
— Ravens won field position by 10 yards.
— Jets converted only 2-14 third down plays.
— Jets threw 59 passes, ran ball only 17 times (for 83 yards)
— Jets lost last five home openers (0-4 ATS), scoring 11.2 ppg.
— Last 2+ years, Jets are 11-21 ATS as an underdog.
— Jets started out 0-1 six of last seven seasons.
Eagles 38, Lions 35:
— Eagles scored on a pick-6 that made score 21-7 in 2nd quarter.
— Philly ran ball for 216 yards.
— Four rushing TD’s, by four different Eagles.
— Last 2+ years, Eagles are 2-6 ATS as road favorites.
— Eagles started out 1-0 in 10 of last 12 seasons.
— Lions converted 9-14 on 3rd down, Philly 10-17.
— Detroit went 3/out on four of first five drives.
— Lions scored three TD’s on four 2nd half drives.
— Detroit’s last 12 season openers have gone over the total.
— Lions are 3-14-1 SU in last 18 games, but 12-6 ATS
Chiefs 44, Cardinals 21
— Chiefs’ first three drives: 29 plays, 236 yards, 20 points.
— Kansas City ran 66 plays, only eight of them on 3rd down.
— Chiefs wound up scoring six TD’s on their 11 drives.
— Kansas City started 1-0 the last eight years, scoring 36.3 ppg.
— Chiefs are 18-6-1 ATS last 25 games with a spread of 3 or less.
— Cardinals gave up 9.2 yards per pass play.
— Arizona was 3-12 on third down, Chiefs 5-8.
— Chiefs outgained the Cardinals, 488-282.
— Last 3+ years, over is 15-10 in Cardinal home games.
— Since 2016, Cardinals are 14-23 ATS in games with spread of 3 or less.
Vikings 23, Packers 7
— Green Bay in first half: 25 plays, 101 yards, 6 first downs, no points.
— Packers turned ball over twice (-2), were 3-9 on third down.
— Last 6+ years, Green Bay is 10-14-1 ATS as a road favorite.
— Last 6+ years, Packers are 8-11 ATS in NFC North road games.
— Minnesota led 17-0 at halftime.
— Jefferson caught nine passes for 184 yards.
— Over last 10+ years, Vikings are 18-6 ATS as a home underdog.
— Last 7+ years, Minnesota is 13-8-1 ATS in NFC North home games.
Chargers 24, Raiders 19:
— Carr was sacked six times, threw three picks.
— Raiders were minus-3 in turnovers.
— Chargers had 9-yard edge in average field position.
— Last 6+ years, Raiders are 7-12 ATS in AFC West road tilts.
— Chargers scored three TD’s, kicked FG on first six drives.
— Chargers led 17-3 at halftime.
— Bolts lost WR Allen to hamstring injury; they play on Thursday this week.
— Fourth year in row Chargers started the season with a win.
Giants 21, Titans 20
— Trailing 20-13, Giants scored TD with 1:06 left, went for 2 points and got it.
— Giants trailed 13-0 at halftime.
— Giants in first half: 27 plays, 116 yards, no points.
— Giants in second half: 31 plays, 264 yards, 21 points.
— Last four years, Giants are 20-10 ATS as a road underdog.
— Giants ran ball for 238 yards against Tennessee.
— Titans converted only 3-11 third down plays.
— Henry ran ball for only 82 yards on 21 carries.
— Last 4+ years, they’re 10-12 ATS as a home favorite.
— Since 2013, Titans are 0-6-1 ATS as a favorite in home openers.
Buccaneers 19, Cowboys 3
— Dak Prescott hurt his right thumb, is out multiple weeks.
— Will they call 49ers about Jimmy Garoppolo?
— Elliott ran ball for 52 yards on only 10 carries,
— Cowboys converted only 3-15 third down plays.
— Last 3+ years, Dallas is 6-11 ATS in games with spread of 3 or less.
— Bucs had ball five times in first half, tried five field goals (4-5)
— Fournette ran ball for 127 yards.
— Tampa Bay had 12-yard advantage in average field position.
— Bucs were only team in NFL not to allow a TD this week.
— With Brady at QB, Bucs are 3-1 ATS in games with spread of 3 or less points.
Monday’s 6-pack
— Seattle 8, Atlanta 7— Mariners win after blowing 6-2 lead in 9th.
— Phillies 7, Nationals 5— Bohm hit game-winning 2-run homer in 7th.
— Cardinals 4, Pirates 3— St Louis scored four runs in 9th.
— Arizona 12, Colorado 6— Gallen’s scoreless streak ends at 44.1 IP
— Dodgers 11, Padres 2— Justin Turner homered twice, had five RBI.
— Cleveland 4, Minnesota 1— Bieber gets his 10th win of the year.
Quote of the Day
“Winning helps, and losing doesn’t.”
Bill Parcells
Monday’s quiz
Sunday, Zac Gallen set the Arizona Diamondbacks’ record for consecutive scoreless IP; whose record did he break?
Sunday’s quiz
Last team to beat the Chiefs in a Week 1 game? Tennessee Titans, in 2014.
Saturday’s quiz
Darryl Strawberry (252) has hit the most home runs in New York Mets’ history.
******************************
Monday’s Den: Wrapping up an NFL Sunday
Browns 26, Panthers 24:
— Rookie K York drilled a 58-yard FG with 0:08 left for the win.
— Cleveland led 14-0 in second quarter.
— Browns ran ball for 217 yards.
— First three drives: 19 plays, 55 yards, no points.
— Last eight drives: two TD’s, four FG’s; 59 plays, 344 yards.
— Panthers’ first five drives: 19 plays, 13 yards, no points.
— Panthers in 4th quarter: 19 plays, 214 yards, 17 points.
— Carolina kicked FG with 1:13 left to take 24-23 lead.
— Last 3+ years, Carolina is 6-18-1 ATS at home.
— Last 3+ years, Carolina is 15-35 SU
Colts 20, Texans 20
— Colts trailed 20-3 after three quarters.
— Taylor ran ball 31 times for 161 yards.
— Colts gained 245 yards in first 3 quarters, 278 yards in 4th quarter/OT.
— Colts missed a 42-yard FG in overtime.
— Indy has one Week 1 win the last nine years,
— Colts outgained Houston, 517-299.
— Texans’ last six drives: 30 plays, 75 yards, no points.
— Both of Houston’s TD’s came on drives of only 58 yards.
— Last 2+ years, Houston is 5-2 ATS in AFC South home games.
Steelers 23, Bengals 20, OT
— Bengals missed game-winning PAT with 0:02 left that forced OT.
— Their long snapper was hurt; they also missed a 29-yard FG in OT.
— Bengals were in red zone five times, scored only two TD’s.
— Last 5+ years, Bengals are 7-12 ATS as a home favorite.
— Last 20 years, team that lost Super Bowl is 4-16 ATS in Week 1 the next season.
— Steelers picked off four passes, were +5 in turnovers.
— Boswell walked it off with a 53-yard FG in OT.
— Fitzpatrick scored on a pick-6 2:17 into the game.
— Pittsburgh is 10-2 ATS last 12 games as an AFC North underdog.
— Bengals outgained Pitt 432-267, ran 94 plays to 61 for Steelers.
Commanders 28, Jaguars 22
— Jaguars only scored 16 points in five trips to red zone.
— Jags had six plays of 20+ yards; five of them came on 1st-and-10.
— Jacksonville had 13 penalties for 90 yards.
— Pederson is 9-14 ATS as a road underdog.
— Last 9+ years, Jaguars are 6-32 ATS vs NFC teams.
— Wentz threw TD passes of 49-24 yards in last 10:00 in a comeback win.
— Washington scored on first two drives, led 14-3 at halftime.
— Commanders converted 7-10 on third down, Jaguars 3-12.
— Washington had three 4th down plays that gained 20+ yards.
Bears 19, 49ers 10
— Last quarter of this game was played in a rainy quagmire.
— Both QB’s completed less than half their passes.
— 49ers led 7-0 at halftime.
— Since 1994, 49ers are 2-9 ATS as a favorite in their road opener.
— Bears in 1st half: 30 plays, 68 yards, no points.
— Bears in 2nd half: 23 plays, 175 yards, 19 points.
— Under is 6-0 in their last six home openers.
— Bears won in Week 1 for only 2nd time the last nine years,
Dolphins 20, Patriots 7:
— Miami had three drives in first half, gained 47-45-92 yards.
— Miami scored defensive TD on a strip/sack in 2nd quarter.
— Last 2+ years, Dolphins were 13-5 ATS at home.
— Last 4+ years, Miami is 9-4-1 ATS in AFC East home games.
— Patriots’ only TD came on a 92-yard drive in 3rd quarter.
— New England lost five of last six visits to Miami.
— Last 2+ years, they’re 5-8 ATS in games with spread of 3 or less.
— NE is 17-17 SU since Brady left; 4-6 ATS as a road underdog.
— Last 6+ years, under is 32-16-1 in their road games.
Saints 27, Falcons 26
— Atlanta led 26-10 with 12:00 left in game.
— Saints kicked 51-yard FG with 0:19 left for the win.
— Saints won their last five visits to Atlanta.
— Since 2010, New Orleans is 2-11 ATS in road openers, 0-7 if favored.
— Falcons scored five of first eight times they had ball.
— Falcons scored only once in their last five drives.
— New Orleans won eight of last ten series games.
— Since 1999, Atlanta is 8-2 ATS as an underdog in home openers.
— Falcons started out 0-1 six of the last seven seasons.
Ravens 24, Jets 9:
— Lamar Jackson threw TD passes of 25-17-55 yards.
— Jackson ran ball only six times, for 17 yards.
— Ravens are 10-5 ATS in last 15 road openers.
— Last seven years, Baltimore is 6-1 ATS in Week 1 games.
— Ravens won field position by 10 yards.
— Jets converted only 2-14 third down plays.
— Jets threw 59 passes, ran ball only 17 times (for 83 yards)
— Jets lost last five home openers (0-4 ATS), scoring 11.2 ppg.
— Last 2+ years, Jets are 11-21 ATS as an underdog.
— Jets started out 0-1 six of last seven seasons.
Eagles 38, Lions 35:
— Eagles scored on a pick-6 that made score 21-7 in 2nd quarter.
— Philly ran ball for 216 yards.
— Four rushing TD’s, by four different Eagles.
— Last 2+ years, Eagles are 2-6 ATS as road favorites.
— Eagles started out 1-0 in 10 of last 12 seasons.
— Lions converted 9-14 on 3rd down, Philly 10-17.
— Detroit went 3/out on four of first five drives.
— Lions scored three TD’s on four 2nd half drives.
— Detroit’s last 12 season openers have gone over the total.
— Lions are 3-14-1 SU in last 18 games, but 12-6 ATS
Chiefs 44, Cardinals 21
— Chiefs’ first three drives: 29 plays, 236 yards, 20 points.
— Kansas City ran 66 plays, only eight of them on 3rd down.
— Chiefs wound up scoring six TD’s on their 11 drives.
— Kansas City started 1-0 the last eight years, scoring 36.3 ppg.
— Chiefs are 18-6-1 ATS last 25 games with a spread of 3 or less.
— Cardinals gave up 9.2 yards per pass play.
— Arizona was 3-12 on third down, Chiefs 5-8.
— Chiefs outgained the Cardinals, 488-282.
— Last 3+ years, over is 15-10 in Cardinal home games.
— Since 2016, Cardinals are 14-23 ATS in games with spread of 3 or less.
Vikings 23, Packers 7
— Green Bay in first half: 25 plays, 101 yards, 6 first downs, no points.
— Packers turned ball over twice (-2), were 3-9 on third down.
— Last 6+ years, Green Bay is 10-14-1 ATS as a road favorite.
— Last 6+ years, Packers are 8-11 ATS in NFC North road games.
— Minnesota led 17-0 at halftime.
— Jefferson caught nine passes for 184 yards.
— Over last 10+ years, Vikings are 18-6 ATS as a home underdog.
— Last 7+ years, Minnesota is 13-8-1 ATS in NFC North home games.
Chargers 24, Raiders 19:
— Carr was sacked six times, threw three picks.
— Raiders were minus-3 in turnovers.
— Chargers had 9-yard edge in average field position.
— Last 6+ years, Raiders are 7-12 ATS in AFC West road tilts.
— Chargers scored three TD’s, kicked FG on first six drives.
— Chargers led 17-3 at halftime.
— Bolts lost WR Allen to hamstring injury; they play on Thursday this week.
— Fourth year in row Chargers started the season with a win.
Giants 21, Titans 20
— Trailing 20-13, Giants scored TD with 1:06 left, went for 2 points and got it.
— Giants trailed 13-0 at halftime.
— Giants in first half: 27 plays, 116 yards, no points.
— Giants in second half: 31 plays, 264 yards, 21 points.
— Last four years, Giants are 20-10 ATS as a road underdog.
— Giants ran ball for 238 yards against Tennessee.
— Titans converted only 3-11 third down plays.
— Henry ran ball for only 82 yards on 21 carries.
— Last 4+ years, they’re 10-12 ATS as a home favorite.
— Since 2013, Titans are 0-6-1 ATS as a favorite in home openers.
Buccaneers 19, Cowboys 3
— Dak Prescott hurt his right thumb, is out multiple weeks.
— Will they call 49ers about Jimmy Garoppolo?
— Elliott ran ball for 52 yards on only 10 carries,
— Cowboys converted only 3-15 third down plays.
— Last 3+ years, Dallas is 6-11 ATS in games with spread of 3 or less.
— Bucs had ball five times in first half, tried five field goals (4-5)
— Fournette ran ball for 127 yards.
— Tampa Bay had 12-yard advantage in average field position.
— Bucs were only team in NFL not to allow a TD this week.
— With Brady at QB, Bucs are 3-1 ATS in games with spread of 3 or less points.
- Sep 10, 2018
- 16,935
- 15
- 38
Armadillo Sports
Tuesday’s 6-pack
College football spreads for this week:
— Florida State (-2.5) @ Louisville
— Oklahoma (-11.5) @ Nebraska
— Purdue (-1.5) @ Syracuse
— California @ Notre Dame (-10.5)
— North Texas @ UNLV (-3)
— Vanderbilt @ Northern Illinois (-2.5)
Quote of the Day
“I know it’s going to happen. and we’re all taking receipts on all the people who continually mock and say that we’re not going to do anything. I’m taking receipts and I’m going to be more than happy to share them with all of you when all is said and done.”
Jets’ coach Robert Saleh
Tuesday’s quiz
Seahawks’ coach Pete Carroll is in his 13th year with Seattle; what other two NFL teams has he coached, for a total of only four years?
Monday’s quiz
Sunday, Zac Gallen set the Arizona Diamondbacks’ record for consecutive scoreless IP; he broke Brandon Webb’s record from 2007.
Sunday’s quiz
Last team to beat the Chiefs in a Week 1 game? Tennessee Titans, in 2014.
********************************
Tuesday’s Den: Nobody asked me, but……..
Seahawks 17, Broncos 16:
— Denver lost two fumbles inside Seattle’s 5-yard line.
— Broncos were in red zone four times, scored total of 6 points.
— Seahawks outgained Denver, 433-253.
— Denver missed a 64-yard FG on their last series; I’ll be kind and say their game management wasn’t ideal on that series— they had time to try and get a lot closer.
— Last 5+ years, Broncos are 5-7 ATS as a road favorite.
— Seattle didn’t score in second half, still won.
— Seahawks in 2nd half: 18 plays, 47 yards, zero points.
— Last 4+ years, Seattle is 12-5-1 ATS vs AFC teams.
— Last 10+ years, Seahawks are 9-2 ATS as a home underdog.
— Both teams converted over half their 3rd down plays.
— Last four years, NFL coaches in their first year with a new team are now 0-12 ATS as Week 1 favorites.
— Cowboys’ QB Dak Prescott is out 6-8 weeks after having thumb surgery Monday; for now, Cooper Rush is the Cowboys’ starting QB.
That is how fragile all these NFL teams are; Prescott’s injury was similar to the one Russell Wilson had last year— his passing hand hit a defender’s hand as he threw the ball, something that happens all the time. And now Dallas is screwed, without its QB for 6-8 weeks.
— There is a quirk to the NFL schedule this week; two games on Monday night, but not a doubleheader- the games will be staggered.
Titans-Bills play at 7:15 in Buffalo on ESPN, Vikings-Eagles play in Philadelphia at 8:30 on ABC.
— Ravens’ QB Lamar Jackson apparently turned down a long-term deal worth up to $290M, with $133M of that fully guaranteed, a better deal than either Kyler Murray or Russell Wilson got. Lot of money turn down.
Jackson is his own agent; he is trying to earn more than the $230M guaranteed Deshaun Watson got from Cleveland. Good luck with that.
— When a college football team fires its coach on September 11, something is screwed up. I know Nebraska was favored by 11 and 23 points in its two losses, but you’re not going to hire a new coach full-time until December, at the earliest.
When the big-money boosters are calling the shots, hasty decisions are made. Nebraska was really, really good at football for a long time, but those days are over now— moving to the Big 14 hasn’t helped their situation any.
Will be very interesting to see who their next coach is; there are high expectations, but where are they getting their players from?
—Steelers’ LB TJ Watt tore a pectoral muscle, is out at least six weeks.
— Last year, Kansas City Chiefs led the NFL, averaging 161 yards after catch (YAC) per game; Sunday, with Tyreek Hill in Miami now, Chiefs gained 192 YAC, so they’re doing the same stuff, just with some new people.
— Over the last three seasons, NFL teams that led by 15+ points in 4th quarter:
Atlanta Falcons: 5-3
other 31 teams: 245-2-1
— Under Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers are 39-43 in the regular season:
31-14 when Jimmy Garoppolo starts at QB
8-29 when anyone starts at QB
— Guardians 5, Angels 4— Mike Trout has homered in seven straight games, one short of the all-time record. Trout is the first right-handed hitter to homer in seven straight games since 2006, when Kevin Mench did it.
Angels have now lost 18 of their last 19 games in Cleveland.
— Saturday was the first time since 1978 that four college football teams that were all favored by 17.5 or more points all lost on the same day.
— Kentucky beat Florida in football the last two seasons, first time that has happened since 1976-77, when Fran Curci was Kentucky’s coach, and Doug Dickey was the Gators’ coach.
— Last 20 years, six NFL QB’s played in Week 1 against the team they played for the year before:
2005— Kurt Warner vs Giants— L
2007— Josh McCown vs Detroit— L
2008— Chad Pennington vs Jets— L
2021— Sam Darnold vs Jets— W
2022— Baker Mayfield vs Browns— L
2022— Russell Wilson vs Seahawks— L
Tuesday’s 6-pack
College football spreads for this week:
— Florida State (-2.5) @ Louisville
— Oklahoma (-11.5) @ Nebraska
— Purdue (-1.5) @ Syracuse
— California @ Notre Dame (-10.5)
— North Texas @ UNLV (-3)
— Vanderbilt @ Northern Illinois (-2.5)
Quote of the Day
“I know it’s going to happen. and we’re all taking receipts on all the people who continually mock and say that we’re not going to do anything. I’m taking receipts and I’m going to be more than happy to share them with all of you when all is said and done.”
Jets’ coach Robert Saleh
Tuesday’s quiz
Seahawks’ coach Pete Carroll is in his 13th year with Seattle; what other two NFL teams has he coached, for a total of only four years?
Monday’s quiz
Sunday, Zac Gallen set the Arizona Diamondbacks’ record for consecutive scoreless IP; he broke Brandon Webb’s record from 2007.
Sunday’s quiz
Last team to beat the Chiefs in a Week 1 game? Tennessee Titans, in 2014.
********************************
Tuesday’s Den: Nobody asked me, but……..
Seahawks 17, Broncos 16:
— Denver lost two fumbles inside Seattle’s 5-yard line.
— Broncos were in red zone four times, scored total of 6 points.
— Seahawks outgained Denver, 433-253.
— Denver missed a 64-yard FG on their last series; I’ll be kind and say their game management wasn’t ideal on that series— they had time to try and get a lot closer.
— Last 5+ years, Broncos are 5-7 ATS as a road favorite.
— Seattle didn’t score in second half, still won.
— Seahawks in 2nd half: 18 plays, 47 yards, zero points.
— Last 4+ years, Seattle is 12-5-1 ATS vs AFC teams.
— Last 10+ years, Seahawks are 9-2 ATS as a home underdog.
— Both teams converted over half their 3rd down plays.
— Last four years, NFL coaches in their first year with a new team are now 0-12 ATS as Week 1 favorites.
— Cowboys’ QB Dak Prescott is out 6-8 weeks after having thumb surgery Monday; for now, Cooper Rush is the Cowboys’ starting QB.
That is how fragile all these NFL teams are; Prescott’s injury was similar to the one Russell Wilson had last year— his passing hand hit a defender’s hand as he threw the ball, something that happens all the time. And now Dallas is screwed, without its QB for 6-8 weeks.
— There is a quirk to the NFL schedule this week; two games on Monday night, but not a doubleheader- the games will be staggered.
Titans-Bills play at 7:15 in Buffalo on ESPN, Vikings-Eagles play in Philadelphia at 8:30 on ABC.
— Ravens’ QB Lamar Jackson apparently turned down a long-term deal worth up to $290M, with $133M of that fully guaranteed, a better deal than either Kyler Murray or Russell Wilson got. Lot of money turn down.
Jackson is his own agent; he is trying to earn more than the $230M guaranteed Deshaun Watson got from Cleveland. Good luck with that.
— When a college football team fires its coach on September 11, something is screwed up. I know Nebraska was favored by 11 and 23 points in its two losses, but you’re not going to hire a new coach full-time until December, at the earliest.
When the big-money boosters are calling the shots, hasty decisions are made. Nebraska was really, really good at football for a long time, but those days are over now— moving to the Big 14 hasn’t helped their situation any.
Will be very interesting to see who their next coach is; there are high expectations, but where are they getting their players from?
—Steelers’ LB TJ Watt tore a pectoral muscle, is out at least six weeks.
— Last year, Kansas City Chiefs led the NFL, averaging 161 yards after catch (YAC) per game; Sunday, with Tyreek Hill in Miami now, Chiefs gained 192 YAC, so they’re doing the same stuff, just with some new people.
— Over the last three seasons, NFL teams that led by 15+ points in 4th quarter:
Atlanta Falcons: 5-3
other 31 teams: 245-2-1
— Under Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers are 39-43 in the regular season:
31-14 when Jimmy Garoppolo starts at QB
8-29 when anyone starts at QB
— Guardians 5, Angels 4— Mike Trout has homered in seven straight games, one short of the all-time record. Trout is the first right-handed hitter to homer in seven straight games since 2006, when Kevin Mench did it.
Angels have now lost 18 of their last 19 games in Cleveland.
— Saturday was the first time since 1978 that four college football teams that were all favored by 17.5 or more points all lost on the same day.
— Kentucky beat Florida in football the last two seasons, first time that has happened since 1976-77, when Fran Curci was Kentucky’s coach, and Doug Dickey was the Gators’ coach.
— Last 20 years, six NFL QB’s played in Week 1 against the team they played for the year before:
2005— Kurt Warner vs Giants— L
2007— Josh McCown vs Detroit— L
2008— Chad Pennington vs Jets— L
2021— Sam Darnold vs Jets— W
2022— Baker Mayfield vs Browns— L
2022— Russell Wilson vs Seahawks— L
- Sep 10, 2018
- 16,935
- 15
- 38
WNBA
Dunkel
Tuesday, September 13
WNBA
Tuesday, September 13
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Connecticut @ Las Vegas
Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Connecticut's last 5 games on the road
Connecticut is 10-1 ATS in its last 11 games on the road
Las Vegas
Las Vegas is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games
Las Vegas is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games at home
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dunkel
Tuesday, September 13
WNBA
Tuesday, September 13
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Connecticut @ Las Vegas
Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Connecticut's last 5 games on the road
Connecticut is 10-1 ATS in its last 11 games on the road
Las Vegas
Las Vegas is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games
Las Vegas is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games at home
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Sep 10, 2018
- 16,935
- 15
- 38
Armadillo Sports
Wednesday’s 6-pack
NFL spreads for this week:
— Chargers @ Chiefs (-4)
— Jets @ Browns (-6)
— Buccaneers (-3) @ Saints
— Panthers @ Giants (-2.5)
— Patriots (-1.5) @ Steelers
— Colts (-4) @ Jaguars
Quote of the Day
“We got three timeouts, I might use one right here. Just use one, let’s talk about this one. Let’s talk about this one……..they could try to draw them offsides. Might try to draw them offsides with a dummy snap count………I think we should call a timeout, like now.”
Peyton Manning, during the end of the Broncos-Seahawks game Monday night
Wednesday’s quiz
Peyton Manning was the first pick of the 1998 NFL Draft; which Pac-10 QB was the second pick of that draft?
Tuesday’s quiz
Seahawks’ coach Pete Carroll is in his 13th year with Seattle; he also coached Jets/Patriots, for a total of only four years.
Monday’s quiz
Sunday, Zac Gallen set the Arizona Diamondbacks’ record for consecutive scoreless IP; he broke Brandon Webb’s record from 2007.
*****************************
Wednesday’s Den: How MLB teams have fared in close games……
Looking at how teams do in games where winning run scored from 7th inning on:
Successful teams
— Toronto 26-14— 14-9 on road, 12-5 at home. Blue Jays fired their manager, have an interim skipper now- they’re 29-17 in one-run games.
— Cleveland 27-15— 16-8 on road, 11-7 at home; Terry Francona is an excellent manager.
— St Louis 22-12— 11-3 on road, 11-9 at home. Cardinals are 21-14 in one-run games.
— Dodgers 20-12— LA is 12-13 in 0ne-run games, 85-30 in games decided by more than one run. If you bet the Dodgers, lay 1.5 runs.
— Baltimore 20-13— 5-9 on road, 15-4 at home. Brandon Hyde is your Manager of the Year.
— White Sox 25-18— 9-9 on road, 16-9 at home; they’re 23-15 in one-run games.
— Milwaukee 23-17— 14-12 on road, 9-5 at home. Lot more drama in their road games.
— Seattle 24-18— Mariners were 33-19 in one-run games last year, are 29-17 this year; Scott Servais is going to have Seattle in the playoffs for the first time since 2001.
Team in the middle:
— Bronx 23-23— 7-14 on road, 16-9 at home.
Unsuccessful teams
— Angels 11-23— 5-10 on road, 6-13 at home; they’re 14-25 in one-run games. Firing Joe Maddon didn’t help their situation any.
— Minnesota 12-24— 4-13 on road, 8-11 at home; they’re 2-8 in last 10 games overall.
— San Francisco 13-23— 7-16 on road, 6-7 at home. 19-26 in one-run games. Overall, they’re 68-73, after going 107-55 last year.
— Oakland 14-23— 8-9 on road, 6-14 at home. I think Mark Kotsay has done a good job, managing a team which has, in reality, a glorified AAA roster.
— Boston 15-23— 8-13 on road, 7-10 at home; they’re 22-23 in one-run games, but overall are 69-72, after going 92-70 last year.
— Cubs 19-27— 9-13 on road, 10-14 at home; Chicago is a big market. Why do the Cubs have such a cruddy team? 71-91 last year, 59-82 this year. Hmmmmm
Wednesday’s 6-pack
NFL spreads for this week:
— Chargers @ Chiefs (-4)
— Jets @ Browns (-6)
— Buccaneers (-3) @ Saints
— Panthers @ Giants (-2.5)
— Patriots (-1.5) @ Steelers
— Colts (-4) @ Jaguars
Quote of the Day
“We got three timeouts, I might use one right here. Just use one, let’s talk about this one. Let’s talk about this one……..they could try to draw them offsides. Might try to draw them offsides with a dummy snap count………I think we should call a timeout, like now.”
Peyton Manning, during the end of the Broncos-Seahawks game Monday night
Wednesday’s quiz
Peyton Manning was the first pick of the 1998 NFL Draft; which Pac-10 QB was the second pick of that draft?
Tuesday’s quiz
Seahawks’ coach Pete Carroll is in his 13th year with Seattle; he also coached Jets/Patriots, for a total of only four years.
Monday’s quiz
Sunday, Zac Gallen set the Arizona Diamondbacks’ record for consecutive scoreless IP; he broke Brandon Webb’s record from 2007.
*****************************
Wednesday’s Den: How MLB teams have fared in close games……
Looking at how teams do in games where winning run scored from 7th inning on:
Successful teams
— Toronto 26-14— 14-9 on road, 12-5 at home. Blue Jays fired their manager, have an interim skipper now- they’re 29-17 in one-run games.
— Cleveland 27-15— 16-8 on road, 11-7 at home; Terry Francona is an excellent manager.
— St Louis 22-12— 11-3 on road, 11-9 at home. Cardinals are 21-14 in one-run games.
— Dodgers 20-12— LA is 12-13 in 0ne-run games, 85-30 in games decided by more than one run. If you bet the Dodgers, lay 1.5 runs.
— Baltimore 20-13— 5-9 on road, 15-4 at home. Brandon Hyde is your Manager of the Year.
— White Sox 25-18— 9-9 on road, 16-9 at home; they’re 23-15 in one-run games.
— Milwaukee 23-17— 14-12 on road, 9-5 at home. Lot more drama in their road games.
— Seattle 24-18— Mariners were 33-19 in one-run games last year, are 29-17 this year; Scott Servais is going to have Seattle in the playoffs for the first time since 2001.
Team in the middle:
— Bronx 23-23— 7-14 on road, 16-9 at home.
Unsuccessful teams
— Angels 11-23— 5-10 on road, 6-13 at home; they’re 14-25 in one-run games. Firing Joe Maddon didn’t help their situation any.
— Minnesota 12-24— 4-13 on road, 8-11 at home; they’re 2-8 in last 10 games overall.
— San Francisco 13-23— 7-16 on road, 6-7 at home. 19-26 in one-run games. Overall, they’re 68-73, after going 107-55 last year.
— Oakland 14-23— 8-9 on road, 6-14 at home. I think Mark Kotsay has done a good job, managing a team which has, in reality, a glorified AAA roster.
— Boston 15-23— 8-13 on road, 7-10 at home; they’re 22-23 in one-run games, but overall are 69-72, after going 92-70 last year.
— Cubs 19-27— 9-13 on road, 10-14 at home; Chicago is a big market. Why do the Cubs have such a cruddy team? 71-91 last year, 59-82 this year. Hmmmmm
- Sep 10, 2018
- 16,935
- 15
- 38
Armadillo Sports
Thursday’s 6-pack
NFL spreads for this week:
— Texans @ Broncos (-10)
— Cardinals @ Raiders (-5.5)
— Bengals (-7.5) @ Cowboys
— Bears @ Packers (-10)
— Titans @ Bills (-10)
— Vikings @ Eagles (-2)
Quote of the Day
“I get it. I understand. I grew up in a house full of Buckeye fans. But you live in the city of Toledo. You go to work here every day. You pay taxes, like root for the home team. That would be my message. I’m not deviating for that. I don’t care who we play this weekend. Be where your feet are, that kind of thing.
You got your degree from Ohio State, you send your kids there, I get that part of it and that’s awesome and I get it. But I’d like to see the camaraderie, the local crowd rally around this football team each and every weekend, but if Ohio State needs to be your second favorite team, I’m good for that too.”
Toledo football coach Jason Candle; his team plays Ohio State this week
Thursday’s quiz
In the classic 60’s TV show The Andy Griffith Show, what was the name of the town’s barber?
Wednesday’s quiz
Peyton Manning was the first pick of the 1998 NFL Draft; Ryan Leaf from Washington State was the second pick of that draft.
Tuesday’s quiz
Seahawks’ coach Pete Carroll is in his 13th year with Seattle; he also coached Jets/Patriots, for a total of only four years.
*******************************
Thursday’s Den: Doing some thinking out loud……..
13) Circa Casino in Las Vegas has a big survivors’ pool; you pick one NFL team a week, and if they win, you stay in the pool. They lose, you’re out. Whoever lasts the longest wins the money.
6,133 people were in this pool; after ONE WEEK, only 2,685 people are left. 56.2% of the people in this pool couldn’t pick one winner (without a spread) in Week 1. Pretty amazing.
12) One of the many reasons that baseball is cool is that you often see stuff you’ve never seen before. Tuesday night in Miami, Sandy Alcantara had a 3-pitch inning against the Phillies, but he gave up a hit in the inning. I can never remember seeing that before.
1st batter— Bryce Harper got an infield hit, on the first pitch.
2nd batter— JT Realmuto flies out to right, on the first pitch.
3rd batter— Eric Bohm grounds into a 6-4-3 double play, on the first pitch.
I’m sure it has happened before, but don’t think I ever saw it before. Usually if the first two batters of an inning put the first pitch in play, the third batter takes the first pitch.
11) By the way, that was Alcantara’s sixth start this season against the Phillies, something we’ll never see again, because starting next year, division rivals are only going to play each other 12-13 times a season, as opposed to the 18-19 times they played each other this year.
This will help pitchers; the fewer times a hitter sees a pitcher, advantage pitcher. Eliminating the shift will obviously help hitters; it’ll be interesting next year to figure out how much it helps.
10) Detroit Lions are favored by 2 points this week, the first time the Lions have been a favorite in their last 25 games, dating back to Week 11, 2020 vs Carolina.
9) If you’re a Denver Broncos’ fan, how concerned are you that new coach Nathaniel Hackett may not be very savvy about game management?
QB Russell Wilson makes $45M a year; you would think, with 4th-and-5 on the 47-yard line and 1:01 and two timeouts left, a $45M-a-year QB could get a first down, which would almost assure Denver of a much more makeable field goal than the 64-yarder they appeared happy to try.
In the press conference after, while defending the strategy, Hackett tried to laugh it off; his bosses just paid $4.5B to buy the Broncos. I doubt they were laughing. On Wednesday, Hackett admitted the strategy was a mistake.
Not the best start to his head coaching career.
Do NFL teams quiz candidates about game strategy during their job interviews? This seems like an important part of the job.
8) With Dak Prescott out with an injured thumb, Dallas Cowboys are a 7.5-point home underdog against Cincinnati this week. Cowboys have covered their last six games as a home dog; they were a 14-point home dog against Pittsburgh two years ago, when Prescott was also hurt- they lost that game 24-19.
7) Adam Wainwright/Yadier Molina set a major league record Wednesday, starting their 325th game together as the St Louis Cardinals’ battery. Previous record was held by Mickey Lolich, Bill Freehan with the Tigers back in the 60’s.
6) NBA suspended Phoenix Suns’ owner Robert Sarver for a year, fined him $10M after an investigation found “…….conduct that clearly violated common workplace standards, as reflected in team and league rules and policies.” The investigation included interviews with more than 320 current and former employees as well as Sarver.
The average NBA salary is worth $2.58B, so $10M is a drop in the bucket to Sarver.
5) Florida State is a road favorite at Louisville this week; it is the first time since 2018 that the Seminoles are favored in a road game. Doesn’t seem possible, but it is true.
4) Indianapolis Colts cut kicker Rodrigo Blankenship after he missed a field goal in overtime Sunday; pro sports are a results-oriented business. Colts signed two kickers to come in and compete for the kicking job; Indianapolis visits Jacksonville this week.
3) Pretty good college basketball twinbill in Fort Worth December 3rd; Texas A&M plays Boise State, Houston plays Saint Mary’s.
2) Three NFL teams that lost last week (49ers, Rams, Cowboys) are favored by 8+ points this week; none of those three teams score more than 10 points last week.
1) Cubs 6, Mets 3— Chicago sweeps the Mets, first time this season they’ve been swept in a series. Mets are 4-7 in their last 11 games, against Nationals, Pirates, Marlins, Cubs- they lead the NL East by only a half-game over Atlanta.
Thursday’s 6-pack
NFL spreads for this week:
— Texans @ Broncos (-10)
— Cardinals @ Raiders (-5.5)
— Bengals (-7.5) @ Cowboys
— Bears @ Packers (-10)
— Titans @ Bills (-10)
— Vikings @ Eagles (-2)
Quote of the Day
“I get it. I understand. I grew up in a house full of Buckeye fans. But you live in the city of Toledo. You go to work here every day. You pay taxes, like root for the home team. That would be my message. I’m not deviating for that. I don’t care who we play this weekend. Be where your feet are, that kind of thing.
You got your degree from Ohio State, you send your kids there, I get that part of it and that’s awesome and I get it. But I’d like to see the camaraderie, the local crowd rally around this football team each and every weekend, but if Ohio State needs to be your second favorite team, I’m good for that too.”
Toledo football coach Jason Candle; his team plays Ohio State this week
Thursday’s quiz
In the classic 60’s TV show The Andy Griffith Show, what was the name of the town’s barber?
Wednesday’s quiz
Peyton Manning was the first pick of the 1998 NFL Draft; Ryan Leaf from Washington State was the second pick of that draft.
Tuesday’s quiz
Seahawks’ coach Pete Carroll is in his 13th year with Seattle; he also coached Jets/Patriots, for a total of only four years.
*******************************
Thursday’s Den: Doing some thinking out loud……..
13) Circa Casino in Las Vegas has a big survivors’ pool; you pick one NFL team a week, and if they win, you stay in the pool. They lose, you’re out. Whoever lasts the longest wins the money.
6,133 people were in this pool; after ONE WEEK, only 2,685 people are left. 56.2% of the people in this pool couldn’t pick one winner (without a spread) in Week 1. Pretty amazing.
12) One of the many reasons that baseball is cool is that you often see stuff you’ve never seen before. Tuesday night in Miami, Sandy Alcantara had a 3-pitch inning against the Phillies, but he gave up a hit in the inning. I can never remember seeing that before.
1st batter— Bryce Harper got an infield hit, on the first pitch.
2nd batter— JT Realmuto flies out to right, on the first pitch.
3rd batter— Eric Bohm grounds into a 6-4-3 double play, on the first pitch.
I’m sure it has happened before, but don’t think I ever saw it before. Usually if the first two batters of an inning put the first pitch in play, the third batter takes the first pitch.
11) By the way, that was Alcantara’s sixth start this season against the Phillies, something we’ll never see again, because starting next year, division rivals are only going to play each other 12-13 times a season, as opposed to the 18-19 times they played each other this year.
This will help pitchers; the fewer times a hitter sees a pitcher, advantage pitcher. Eliminating the shift will obviously help hitters; it’ll be interesting next year to figure out how much it helps.
10) Detroit Lions are favored by 2 points this week, the first time the Lions have been a favorite in their last 25 games, dating back to Week 11, 2020 vs Carolina.
9) If you’re a Denver Broncos’ fan, how concerned are you that new coach Nathaniel Hackett may not be very savvy about game management?
QB Russell Wilson makes $45M a year; you would think, with 4th-and-5 on the 47-yard line and 1:01 and two timeouts left, a $45M-a-year QB could get a first down, which would almost assure Denver of a much more makeable field goal than the 64-yarder they appeared happy to try.
In the press conference after, while defending the strategy, Hackett tried to laugh it off; his bosses just paid $4.5B to buy the Broncos. I doubt they were laughing. On Wednesday, Hackett admitted the strategy was a mistake.
Not the best start to his head coaching career.
Do NFL teams quiz candidates about game strategy during their job interviews? This seems like an important part of the job.
8) With Dak Prescott out with an injured thumb, Dallas Cowboys are a 7.5-point home underdog against Cincinnati this week. Cowboys have covered their last six games as a home dog; they were a 14-point home dog against Pittsburgh two years ago, when Prescott was also hurt- they lost that game 24-19.
7) Adam Wainwright/Yadier Molina set a major league record Wednesday, starting their 325th game together as the St Louis Cardinals’ battery. Previous record was held by Mickey Lolich, Bill Freehan with the Tigers back in the 60’s.
6) NBA suspended Phoenix Suns’ owner Robert Sarver for a year, fined him $10M after an investigation found “…….conduct that clearly violated common workplace standards, as reflected in team and league rules and policies.” The investigation included interviews with more than 320 current and former employees as well as Sarver.
The average NBA salary is worth $2.58B, so $10M is a drop in the bucket to Sarver.
5) Florida State is a road favorite at Louisville this week; it is the first time since 2018 that the Seminoles are favored in a road game. Doesn’t seem possible, but it is true.
4) Indianapolis Colts cut kicker Rodrigo Blankenship after he missed a field goal in overtime Sunday; pro sports are a results-oriented business. Colts signed two kickers to come in and compete for the kicking job; Indianapolis visits Jacksonville this week.
3) Pretty good college basketball twinbill in Fort Worth December 3rd; Texas A&M plays Boise State, Houston plays Saint Mary’s.
2) Three NFL teams that lost last week (49ers, Rams, Cowboys) are favored by 8+ points this week; none of those three teams score more than 10 points last week.
1) Cubs 6, Mets 3— Chicago sweeps the Mets, first time this season they’ve been swept in a series. Mets are 4-7 in their last 11 games, against Nationals, Pirates, Marlins, Cubs- they lead the NL East by only a half-game over Atlanta.
- Sep 10, 2018
- 16,935
- 15
- 38
WNBA
Dunkel
Thursday, September 15
WNBA
Thursday, September 15
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Las Vegas @ Connecticut
Las Vegas
Las Vegas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Las Vegas is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games on the road
Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Connecticut's last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games when playing at home against Las Vegas
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dunkel
Thursday, September 15
WNBA
Thursday, September 15
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Las Vegas @ Connecticut
Las Vegas
Las Vegas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Las Vegas is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games on the road
Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Connecticut's last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Connecticut's last 5 games when playing at home against Las Vegas
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
