2022 WNBA SEASON NEWS,NOTES, PICKS !

[Udog]

WNBA
Dunkel

Wednesday, July 6

WNBA

Wednesday, July 6

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Trend Report
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Chicago @ Minnesota
Chicago
Chicago is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Chicago is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Minnesota
Minnesota is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games
Minnesota is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home

Washington @ Atlanta
Washington
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta
Washington is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta
Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Atlanta's last 19 games at home

New York @ Las Vegas
New York
New York is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
New York is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Las Vegas
Las Vegas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing New York
Las Vegas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against New York


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[Udog]

Armadillo Sports

Thursday’s 6-pack
CFL posted their league’s power ratings on Twitter:
1) Winnipeg Blue Bombers
2) British Columbia Lions
3) Calgary Stampeders
4) Saskatchewan Roughriders
5) Ottawa RedBlacks
6) Montreal Alouettes
7) Toronto Argonauts
8) Edmonton Elks
9) Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Quote of the Day
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results.”
Albert Einstein

Thursday’s quiz
How many NFL teams play their home games in domed stadiums?

Wednesday’s quiz
Other than the Seattle Mariners (20 years), Philadelphia Phillies (10 years) have gone the longest since they were last in the baseball playoffs.

Tuesday’s quiz
Max Scherzer broke into the major leagues with the Diamondbacks in 2008.

**************************************************

Thursday’s Den: NFL knowledge on a summer day

13) Cleveland Browns traded QB Baker Mayfield to Carolina Wednesday, for either a 4th or 5th-round draft pick in 2024, depending on how he does.

Panthers will pay $4.85M of Mayfield’s salary this year, while the Browns will pay $10.5M; Mayfield agreed to convert the remainder of his $18.8M salary into incentives to facilitate the trade.

Mayfield was 30-31 starting games for Cleveland, winning a playoff game two years ago, Browns’ only playoff win since re-joining the NFL in 1999 (the old Cleveland Browns are the Baltimore Ravens now).

Sam Darnold (17-32 as an NFL starter), PJ Walker (2-0 as a starter) and rookie Matt Corral are Carolina’s other quarterbacks.

12) Where does this leave Cleveland? Deshaun Watson doesn’t figure to play much, if at all, this season; Browns’ other QB’s are Jacoby Brissett (14-23 as a starter), Joshua Dobbs.

11) One of my favorite things is when the NFL releases its schedule in the spring; it tells you stuff, if you read between the lines.

Week 1, this fall: Cleveland at Carolina. We should have known.

There are no coincidences. Someone in New York knew something.

10) Brian Griese worked on TV for ESPN the last 12 years; this season he’s going to be the QB coach for the 49ers, one of four new assistant coaches on the offensive side of the ball for San Francisco, which lost OC Mike McDaniel to the Dolphins.

9) Miami fired coach Brian Flores, even though his team was 19-14 the last two years; here’s the thing- Dolphins flopped badly in Week 17 both of those years, which cost them a playoff spot.

2021- lost 34-3 in Tennessee
2020- lost 56-26 in Buffalo

8) Last six years, Denver Broncos are 39-58; during that time, they’ve started 10 different QB’s. Now they’ve got Russell Wilson, who is 113-60-1 as an NFL starter, a huge upgrade.

7) Kliff Kingsbury has been a head coach for nine years, counting college/NFL; here is how his teams break down:

first seven games: 42-20-1
from Game 8 on: 17-45

6) 20 years ago, Oakland Raiders lost the Super Bowl to Tampa Bay; since then, they’ve moved to Las Vegas, but they haven’t won a playoff game.

2016— lost 27-14 at Houston
2021— lost 26-19 at Cincinnati.

5) Cincinnati QB Joe Burrow was sacked 70 times last year, 19 times in four playoff games; if the Bengals are going to get back to the playoffs this year, they need to keep Burrow upright.

By the way, Jacksonville’s new offensive coordinator is Press Taylor, younger brother of Bengals’ coach Zac Taylor.

4) When Matt Ryan starts for the Colts in Week 1, he’ll be the sixth different QB to start for Indy the last six years.

2017- Scott Tolzien
2018- Andrew Luck
2019- Jacoby Brissett
2020- Philip Rivers
2021- Carson Wentz
2022- Matt Ryan

3) Big X hasn’t had a player drafted in the first round of the last two NFL Drafts; they had 25 players drafted this past spring, but none in Round 1.

2) WR Stefan Diggs is going to miss OC Brian Daboll, who is now head coach of the Giants; in his two seasons with Buffalo, with Daboll as OC, here are Diggs’ numbers:

2020- 127 catches, 1,535 yards, 8 TD’s.
2021- 103 catches, 1,225 yards, 10 TD’s.

1) Players taken after the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft:
47th pick (2nd round) Bobby Wagner, by Seattle
75th pick (3rd round) Russell Wilson, also by Seattle
102nd pick (4th round) Kirk Cousins, Washington

 

[Udog]

WNBA
Dunkel

Thursday, July 7

WNBA

Thursday, July 7

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Trend Report
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Chicago @ Indiana
Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 5 games when playing Indiana
Chicago is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Indiana
Indiana
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Indiana's last 5 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Indiana's last 9 games at home

New York @ Phoenix
New York
New York is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
New York is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Phoenix
Phoenix is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing New York
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Phoenix's last 5 games

Seattle @ Los Angeles
Seattle
Seattle is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Seattle's last 8 games on the road
Los Angeles
Los Angeles is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Seattle
Los Angeles is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Seattle


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[Udog]

Armadillo Sports

Friday’s 6-pack
Major league leaders in walks:
69— Juan Soto, Wash
51— Kyle Schwarber, Phil
50— Alex Bregman, 1st
49— Jesse Winker, Sea
48— Matt Muncy, LA
47— Yandy Diaz, TB

Quote of the Day
“I believe it’s course record over here. The putter was the story. I got off to a slow, uncommitted start and I decided if you’re going to be out here, let’s make some positive swings. Started to hole a couple putts. Honestly, that’s what happened. My putter was en fuego. Middle of the round, my striking matched my putting. It’s the only way it can happen.”
Golfer Cameron Tringale, who shot a 61 at the Scottish Open Thursday

Friday’s quiz
Which Las Vegas hotel/casino is shaped like a pyramid?

Thursday’s quiz
11 NFL teams play their home games in domed stadiums.

Wednesday’s quiz
Other than the Seattle Mariners (20 years), Philadelphia Phillies (10 years) have gone the longest since they were last in the baseball playoffs.

*******************************************

Friday’s Den: Random stuff with the weekend here…….

13) This is the first time I can remember local TV guys talking about their teams selling off good players at the trade deadline. Heard announcers for the Cubs/Oakland openly speculate on whether Willson Contreras or Frankie Montas will be dealt before August 2.

12) Baltimore Ravens’ kicker Justin Tucker has made his last 57 field goals in the 4th quarter or overtime; is he the greatest kicker ever?

11) NBA Summer League announcers will have their hands full; Oklahoma City has Jaylin Williams and they have Jalen Williams. I think they’re going to call them by their uniform numbers, just to differentiate the two.

10) This season in the major leagues, when a team has runner on third and less than two outs, the runner scores 54.5% of the time.

9) Starting pitches are throwing an average of 84.4 pitches per start this season. Generally if a guy gets thru the other team’s lineup twice (18 batters), teams are pretty happy. Only 36 of 150 starting pitchers are averaging 90+ pitches/start.

Sandy Alcantara (102.7), Corbin Burnes (100.2) are only two averaging 100+ pitches/start.

8) Oklahoma City rookie Chet Holmgren scored 17 ppg in his first two summer league games, but wow, he looked really tired by the end of the second game Wednesday night. He played 24.9 minutes/game, blocking 8 shots in the two games.

7) 2020 college championship rings that used to belong to RB Keilan Robinson are listed for sale by a Las Vegas pawn shop for $60,000.

Robinson transferred to Texas from Alabama last year. He was not on the Crimson Tide’s active roster in 2020, having opted out due to COVID-19.

SEC, Rose Bowl and College Football Playoff championship rings are being sold by the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop — home of the TV show “Pawn Stars”- the rings will make an appearance on the TV show next season.

6) Colorado Rockies are 6-26 in their last 32 games at Dodger Stadium.

5) Nashville-San Jose will start the next NHL season by playing a couple of games in Prague, Czech Republic; Columbus-Colorado ares playing a couple of games in Finland in November.

4) Aaron Judge turned down a 7-year contract for $213.5M in April; what is he going to make now, since he is having such a great season? Speaking of which, what will Shohei Ohtani get when his contract is up? Ohtani is doing things no one has done before.

3) I was surprised to hear that Washington Wizards’ star Bradley Beal is the only NBA player with a no-trade contract. In fact, only 10 NBA players ever have had a no-trade deal.

2) I’m not sure which birthday made me feel older; Sylvester Stallone turning 76 this week, or golfer Justin Leonard turning 50 last month— he is going to play on the Senior Tour for the first time this weekend.

1) NFL is promoting the growth of flag football internationally; they’re hoping it’ll be an Olympic sport in 2028, when the Olympics will be in Los Angeles.

 

[Udog]

No games today.... play resumes tomorrow.

 

[Old School]

No games today.... play resumes tomorrow.

League play resumes 7/12/22

The 2022 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game 2022 will be played in Chicago at Wintrust Arena on Sunday, July 10 at 1:00 pm ET, on ABC. The game will the centerpiece of a weekend full of WNBA action, which will also include a 3-Point Contest & Skills Challenge on Saturday, July 9th, 3:00 pm ET on ESPN.

 

[Udog]

Thanks, Old School! That's what I get for hurrying. :mj07:

 

[Udog]

Armadillo Sports

Saturday’s 6-pack
Since 2019, Carolina Panthers’ QBs:
— Kyle Allen 5-7 W-L record
— Cam Newton 0-7
— Will Grier 0-2
— Teddy Bridgewater 4-11
— TJ Walker 2-0
— Sam Darnold 4-7

Quote of the Day
“No, hell no. Clip that, send it to him, let him play it on every tee box. There’s no way he’s doing it.”
Steph Curry, on Charles Barkley’s chances of finishing in the top 70 in a celebrity golf event this weekend

Saturday’s quiz
Who was QB for the Carolina Panthers, the first time they played in the Super Bowl?

Friday’s quiz
Luxor is the Las Vegas hotel/casino that is shaped like a pyramid.

Thursday’s quiz
11 NFL teams play their home games in domed stadiums.

************************************************** **

Saturday’s Den: Clearing out a cluttered mind……..

13) Legendary actor James Caan passed away this week, at age 82. What a tremendous career he had. Here are my favorite James Can movies/TV shows:

— Brian’s Song— First time I ever cried during a movie; I was 10 years old.
— The Gambler— 1974 movie was little bit ahead of its time- 40 years later, they remade it with Mark Wahlberg as the professor with a gambling problem.
— Honeymoon in Vegas— One of his poker buddies was Jerry Tarkanian.
— The Program— He graduated from playing in Brian’s Song to being a coach here.
— Las Vegas— He ran the Montecito casino in 88 episodes.

One of the best-ever actors. RIP, sir.

12) I think the NHL does its amateur draft the best; just about the whole league is there: GM’s, draft prospects, and they move the draft all over North America.

Arizona Coyotes had the 3rd pick Thursday night; when they announced their pick, they had 13 people on stage. GM’s talk to each other on the arena floor, discussing trades. Its like a multi-billion dollar fantasy league.

NFL Draft has gotten better since they started moving it around the country, but imagine if all the GM’s were in one place during the draft? The drama would be excellent.

11) People talk too much about who is going to win MVP in every sport, but to me, it is very difficult for an MVP to come from a losing team.

Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner played for bad teams in Pittsburgh; he told the story of his contract negotiations, when they told him “We finished last with you, we can finish last without you”

How can an MVP be on a bad team? I understand that Shohei Ohtani is doing things that NO ONE (including Babe Ruth) has ever done, so change the award to Player of the Year and then Ohtani wins every year. Most Valuable infers the team the MVP played for was a winning team.

10) Seattle’s Marco Gonzales beat Toronto 8-3 Thursday, throwing 88 pitches in 6.2 IP; he is only the second pitcher this season to throw 6+ innings, while not walking anyone or striking anyone out. Boston’s Garrett Whitlock did it against Cincinnati June 1.

9) Gerrit Cole has pitched in five New York at Boston games, big games for both teams. His ERA in those games is 7.13.

8) Mets are retiring Keith Hernandez’ number 17 Saturday; they retired Jerry Koosman’s 36 last year, When are they going to retire Dwight Gooden’s number 16? Long overdue.

7) Oklahoma City Thunder is betting favorite to win the Las Vegas Summer League, but if they decide to pull the plug on Josh Giddey or Chet Holmgren’s participation, their goose is cooked, and sometimes that happens.

Especially 2nd-year players; teams know what they have, and they might want to take a look at other, younger guys, Listen to TV and read a lot; it’ll help you make smarter bets.

6) San Francisco Giants are 5-14 in games where winning run scores from 7th inning on.

5) Reds 2, Rays 1 (10)— Cincinnati wins on a walk-off balk, just the 23rd walk-off balk in the last 100 years.

4) College hoop tip-off tournament in Fort Myers in November:

Marquette-Mississippi State……..Georgia Tech-Utah

3) Angels released OF Juan Lagares, who then bolted to Korea, where he will get $495,000 to play the rest of the season in the KBO.

2) Random trivia: all-time record for points in a Las Vegas summer game: in 2009, Anthony Morrow scored 47 points in a game for Golden State.

1) Every kid in America who plays high school basketball should watch the NBA Summer League for a while the next 10 days. There are GREAT basketball players who struggle to make an NBA roster. To play in college and beyond, you need to great at one thing, preferably more than one thing, but definitely great at one thing.

After you watch summer league for a while, go outside and work on your game; a lot. Work on your dribbling, shooting— be great dribbling with both hands. Get stronger, faster, but in this day and age, shooting is marketable. Work A LOT on becoming a great shooter.

Sindarius Thornwell led South Carolina to the Final Four in 2017; since then, he’s played in 160 NBA games for three different teams, averaging 10.8 minutes/game. Last year, he played pro ball over in Germany. He is a great basketball player, but is he still great enough to make a roster in the NBA?

This summer, Thornwell is on the Chicago Bulls’ summer league team, trying to impress a team so they’ll invite him to training camp. I’m sure that Germany is a fine country, but nothing like being on an NBA roster.

 

[Udog]

All Star game Sunday.... season resumes Tuesday.

 

[Udog]

Armadillo Sports

Sunday’s 6-pack
— Phillies 1, Cardinals 0— St Louis was blanked two days in a row.
— Mets 5, Marlins 4 (10)— Marlins blew game on throwing error by pitcher.
— Giants 3, Padres 1— Rodon with a 112-pitch complete game.
— Orioles 1, Angels 0— Halos are 11-31 in their last 42 games.
— Boston 6, New York 5 (10)— Red Sox scored three runs in 10th inning
— Reds 5, Rays 4 (10)— Reds’ 4th walk-off win in a week, their first four this season.

Quote of the Day
“Even a broken clock is right twice a day.”
Anonymous

Sunday’s quiz
Other than Fenway Park/Wrigley Field, what is the oldest stadium in the major leagues?

Saturday’s quiz
Jake Delhomme was QB for the Carolina Panthers, the first time they played in the Super Bowl.

Friday’s quiz
Luxor is the Las Vegas hotel/casino that is shaped like a pyramid.


*********************************************

Sunday’s Den: Notes for AFC teams…….

Baltimore Ravens
— Lost last six games LY, with five losses by 3 or less points.
— Minus-11 in turnovers for season.
— Their AFC North road games are in Weeks 14-15-18
— Were Home in rushing defense, Penalty Box in pass defense.

Buffalo Bills
— Were 0-6 last year in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Have 11 Sunday games, 3 Thursday games, including Thanksgiving in Detroit
— Have a new OC this season; Brian Daboll coaches the Giants now.
— scored 83 points in splitting two playoff games LY.

Cincinnati Bengals
— Brought in three new starters on offensive line this year.
— Have five night games, three others at 4:25.
— 6-6 last year in games decided by 5 or less points.
— McPherson made 12 field goals of 50+ yards.

Denver Broncos
— Week 1, Russell Wilson visits his old team in Seattle.
— Four of their first six games are night games,
— 0-4 last year in games decided by 5 or less points.
— Their games with Kansas City are in Weeks 14/17.

Houston Texans
— Lovie Smith was 89-87 as head coach of the Bears.
— play 11 games in domes, only six games outside.
— Had 5 draft picks in top 75; took four SEC players.
— Only one nite game; have three 4:00 games.

Kansas City Chiefs
— Three of their first five games are at night.
— 6-4 LY in games decided by 6 or less points.
— converted 52.2% on 3rd down LY, best in NFL
— How do they replace Tyreek Hill’s production? (1,524 yards, 15 TD’s)

Las Vegas Raiders
— Chiefs pounded them twice LY, 41-14/48-9
— won last four games LY, all by 4 or less points.
— were 7-1 in games decided by 6 or less points, 3-7 in other games
— McDaniels was 11-17 as Denver’s HC, in 2009-10.
— Made playoffs LY, despite minus-9 turnover ratio

Los Angeles Chargers
— 1-5 last year if they scored less than 27 points.
— averaged 39 yards/drive (#2), were #5 in scoring
— were 30th LY in rush defense.
— brought in new special teams coach, punter, long snapper

Miami Dolphins
— won 8 of last 9 games, after a 1-7 start.
— figure to use Tyreek Hill the way 49ers used Deebo Samuel
— are on road three weeks in row (weeks 13-15), then go to Foxboro Week 17
— ranked 30th in yards rushing last year.

New England Patriots
— 10-2 LY allowing less than 27 points; 0-6 giving up 27+
— 2nd-year QB will have a new voice in his ear when he is in huddle.
— weeks 12-15; all night games, three of them on road.
— Belichick’s career record without Brady at QB: 72-81

New Jersey Jets
— Were 0-8 last year in games decided by more than 7 points.
— allowed 37.4 yards/drive (31st)
— minus-13 in turnovers; how much has young QB Wilson improved?
— 13 of their first 16 games are at 1:00; not lot of hope from schedule makers

Pittsburgh Steelers
— Who is the QB? Trubisky? When does rookie QB Pickett get first start?
— Week 7: Steelers at Miami. Brian Flores is a Pittsburgh assistant.
— allowed 36+ points in their last five losses LY.
— two games against Ravens are weeks 14/17.
— 32nd-ranked rush defense last year.

Tennessee Titans
— were #1-seed in AFC, lost first playoff game at home; that leaves a scar.
— 6-3 last year in games decided by 6 or less points.
— Is Derrick Henry healthy? New WR Woods blocks well in run game.
— drafted Malik Willis; what does that say about Tannehill’s status?

 

[Udog]

All Star game today.... season resumes Tuesday.

 

[Udog]

Armadillo Sports

Monday’s 6-pack
Major league leaders in batting average:
.348— Luis Arraez, Minn
.340— Paul Goldschmidt, StL
.327— Rafael Devers, Bos
.318— Bryce Harper, Phil
.317— Andrew Benintendi, KC
.311— Xander Bogaerts, Bos

Quote of the Day
“There’s no such thing as a sure thing, thats why they call it gambling.”
Oscar Madison, The Odd Couple

Monday’s quiz
Which big league ballplayer, who wound up with 2,500+ hits, was the starting quarterback at Tennessee, just before Peyton Manning?

Sunday’s quiz
Other than Fenway Park/Wrigley Field, Dodger Stadium is the oldest stadium in the major leagues.

Saturday’s quiz
Jake Delhomme was QB for the Carolina Panthers, the first time they played in the Super Bowl.

***************************

Monday’s Den: Wrapping up a sports weekend

13) Last year, Baltimore Orioles were 52-110; this year, they’re 43-44, pretty good turnaround. Orioles have won their last eight games by a total of 14 runs; they’re only two games out of the third and final Wild Card slot. Brandon Hyde is doing a great job as manager.

Baltimore’s total payroll for 2022: $32,918,626
Max Scherzer’s salary for 2022: $43,333,333

12) Los Angeles Angels started the season 24-13; now they’re 38-49. They’re second team in MLB history to be both 11 games over .500 and 11 games under .500 before the All-Star break.

11) Dodgers 11, Cubs 9:
— First inning had 81 pitches, most of any MLB game this season.
— Game was two hours old and was still in the third inning.
— Freddie Freeman went 4-5, scored twice, knocked in two runs.

10) Miami Marlins (14-18) have played most one-run games of any team this season.

9) This week, Red Sox started a rookie pitcher four games in a row; before this week, last time they had done that was 1945.

8) Johnny Cueto tossed eight innings in a win over Detroit Saturday; he was the first White Sox pitcher this season to get an out after the 7th inning.

7) Portland Trailblazers’ rookie Shaedon Sharpe went to school at Kentucky last year, but never played in a game; he practiced some, but never played, which made him an intriguing draft prospect. Portland took him with the 7th pick in the draft.

Sharpe played six minutes in Portland’s first summer league game, then tore a labrum in his shoulder. He’ll be re-evaluated in a couple weeks.

Portland is the same franchise that drafted injury-prone Sam Bowie with the Forum pick in 1984, just ahead of a guy named Michael Jordan. Whoops.

6) Chris Paul has played in 1,297 NBA games, starting them all; over the last 40 years, that is the most NBA games by someone who started all their games.

5) Chicago Bears’ rookie WR Velus Jones is a 3rd-round pick from Tennessee; what makes him unusual is that he is a 25-year old rookie.

He played four years of college ball at USC, two more at Tennessee. Players got a free year of eligibility because of the pandemic; Jones took advantage of his.

4) Raiders-Jaguars is the NFL Hall of Fame game in Canton August 4th. 25 days away.

3) Golf nugget: Last 11 years, the British Open champ had played in the Scottish Open the week before seven times, the Quad Cities Open twice. Twice, he took the previous week off.

2) All-Star break is a day shorter than usual this season; there are six games re-scheduled to Thursday of All-Star week, games that were supposed to be played in the first week of the season, the week that got postponed by baseball’s labor problems.

1) If the playoffs started today (they do not):
NL— Mets, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Braves-Padres-Phillies
AL— New York, Twins, Houston. Wild Cards: Red Sox-Rays-Tor/Sea

 

[Udog]

Team Wilson 134 - Team Stewart 112

Season resumes tomorrow.

 

[Udog]

2022 WNBA All-Star Game: Handing Out Grades for Every Player


Team Wilson


A’ja Wilson: B+

Wilson’s greatest contribution Sunday was picking a winning roster, and for that, we have bumped her up a letter grade. (That should matter, right?) During the contest itself, Wilson’s impact was more muted, at least by her standards. She was one of seven players on her roster to finish with double-figure points—she had 10—and she added five rebounds as well.

Sabrina Ionescu A-

Ionescu acquainted herself quite well throughout her first All-Star weekend. Saturday, Ionescu took home the Skills Competition title and Sunday, she showcased her arsenal once again. After scoring seven first-half points, Ionescu added 12 more in the second half. She additionally tacked on six rebounds and six assists in her team’s comfortable 22-point win.

Sylvia Fowles: A

In her final All-Star game, Fowles starred. She scored the game’s first basket—a three-pointer, matching her career total of career made threes. (Fowles said afterward the opening set for the three-point att

She filled the box score, finishing the contest with seven points, nine rebounds, six assists and three steals. And she received a deserving standing ovation from the crowd as she checked out of the contest for the final time.

Candace Parker: B+

Of the four Sky players in the game, Parker had the greatest impact. She scored 15 points and hauled in eight rebounds in 22 minutes of action. Among her highlights, Parker banked in a four-pointer with less than two minutes to play, much to the delight of her home crowd.

Kelsey Plum: A

The game’s All-Star Game MVP, from the opening tip Plum pushed the pace whenever she was on the floor. The first-time All-Star guard sliced through the defense of Team Stewart multiple times and was as aggressive as any player in the exhibition. Plum tied a WNBA All-Star Game record with 30 points in the win, and her 12 field goal makes were an All-Star Game record.

Plum said afterward the win she had no idea she was close to breaking the overall scoring record, but was instead more concerned with keeping her percentages up. “When I missed a couple I'm like, KP, you cannot let this like be the downfall,” she said. She also said Sunday’s performance was her attempt at redeeming her sub-par three-point shooting contest performance one day earlier.

Ariel Atkins: C+

Atkins has had a stellar first half of the 2022 WNBA season, especially on the defensive end, where she leads all guards in defensive win-shares. However, her prowess on that side of the court was not needed Sunday and she finished with just four points and missed all five of her three-point shots.

Dearica Hamby: B

After a quiet first half—Hamby had only two points heading into the locker room—Hamby played an efficient and effective second half. She made three of her four field goal attempts in the second half and ended the win with 10 points and four rebounds. She also provided some additional in-game entertainment, tweeting her real-time reactions to what was transpiring on the court.

Natasha Howard: B-

The Liberty forward was back in her first All-Star Game since 2019, and her first appearance since joining the Liberty. While in that game she scored 14 points and added six rebounds, in this year’s exhibition she played a smaller role, logging just 14 minutes with eight points and two rebounds.

Rhyne Howard: B

Unprompted after Sunday’s showcase, Sue Bird acknowledged just how special Howard will be. “Rhyne Howard obviously has an amazing future,” Bird said. “The best part about all these players is they are, what, like 26 and younger and I can tell you now, it’s only going to get better.” And for her first All-Star Game, the 2022 No. 1 pick fared quite well. Howard scored 13 points on 55.5% shooting from the field. Expect even higher marks in future exhibitions, which she seems bound to participate in.

Brionna Jones: B

All-Star Games are not meant for centers, and Jones didn’t try to overextend herself in Sunday’s exhibition. She scored on her Sun teammate Alyssa Thomas in her first offensive possession of the game and added three more baskets, all around the rim, during the remainder of the game.

Courtney Vandersloot: B+

Vandersloot finished Team Wilson’s win with the kind of stat line you would expect. She recorded a game-high eight assists and added three steals, and she was active in the passing lane as well.



Team Stewart


Breanna Stewart: B

When Bird saw the results of the All-Star draft, she told her Seattle teammate Stewart that she should have taken Plum first overall. The oversight loomed large Sunday as Stewart came up short, falling behind early and trailing throughout. GM-work aside, Stewart showcased her smooth arsenal in Chicago, finishing with 14 points on 62.% shooting from the field. Stewart has taken home two league MVPs throughout her young career, but an All-Star Game MVP will have to wait until at least (presumably) next year.

Nneka Ogwumike: B

Ogwumike was quiet in the first-half, playing only seven minutes and failing to score a point, bring in a rebound or dish out an assist. In the second half, however, she was as good as any player—she scored 12 points making six of her seven field goal attempts in only eight minutes of action.

Jonquel Jones: A-

The reigning league MVP was Team Stewart’s most effective player. Jones logged the only double-double in the contest, scoring 29 points and bringing in 13 rebounds. She also finished only one basket away from breaking the All-Star Game record. She said afterward, however, she wasn’t gunning for the points mark, noting that she didn’t even know she was close to it until Hamby pointed it out to her at the end of the contest.

Jackie Young: C

On multiple occasions, Young was the unwelcome target of the game’s best defensive efforts. Her Aces teammates turned All-Star game foes, Plum and Wilson, frequently double-teamed her, executing a plan both said they discussed pregame. At halftime, Young texted Wilson to stop double-teaming her (Young tweeted the same message), but that didn’t lead to an offensive explosion either. In the loss, she finished with only two points on one-of-four shooting from the field.

Sue Bird: C+

Bird was one of the stars of the day. She was part of a first-half ceremony and received a joyous ovation as she checked out of the contest for the final time in the fourth quarter. “That moment was really special,” Bird said. “That was really considerate of [Sky coach James Wade] to think of [pulling] me, and it was a really nice moment to share with the crowd, with the other players.” Nevertheless, Bird’s on-court performance left something to be desired as she was the only one of the game’s 22 players who failed to score.

Kahleah Copper: B-

Copper walked into the Wintrust Arena press conference room following Team Stewart’s loss and said Sunday’s game gave her “Finals feels all over again.” Her performance, however, was far different from the play that saw her win Finals MVP last October. She made four of her 11 field goal attempts, and missed each of her five three-pointers. In one of the game’s most entertaining moments, she was also hounded while on offense by Sky teammate turned All-Star foe Candace Parker late in the second quarter.

Skylar Diggins-Smith: C

In the 2014 All-Star game, Diggins-Smith showed off her dynamic offensive repertoire, scoring 27 points, which was the third-most ever entering Sunday. In this year’s exhibition, however, she struggled, missing her first layup attempt and converting only one of her nine field goal attempts. For the Mercury, Diggins-Smith is averaging 18.9 points per game, the most since her second season, but Sunday was not her night.

Jewell Loyd: A-

A Chicago native, Loyd had only six points at halftime. But the Storm star guard exploded in the second half to finish with 21 points. She did so by electrifying the Wintrust Arena crowd of 9,572 with five three-pointers after the half, keeping what was a largely uncontested All-Star Game a little more competitive.

Emma Meesseman: B

The 2019 Finals MVP was her efficient self Sunday, making four of her seven field goal attempts and bringing in four rebounds in only 13 minutes of action.

Arike Ogunbowale: B

After taking home All-Star MVP honors last summer after recording a 26-point scoring barrage, Ogunbowale’s performance Sunday was more muted. She finished with only 11 points on 4-of-16 shooting, and her biggest highlight opportunity—an ankle-breaking crossover she put on against Aces guard Kelsey Plum—came up just a little short, because she missed the jumper after sending the Las Vegas guard to the floor.

Alyssa Thomas: B

The versatile Connecticut forward has stuffed stat sheets throughout the first-half of the season. On Sunday, though, Thomas had a more minimal impact. While she collected eight rebounds, the second-most of any player on her team, she attempted only two shots (making both) and dished out just two assists.

 

[Udog]

Armadillo Sports

Tuesday’s 6-pack
Betting odds on how the Dallas Cowboys’ season ends this year:
+190— miss playoffs
+225— lose in Wild Card round
+300— lose in divisional round
+550— lose NFC title game
+1500— lose Super Bowl
+1800— win Super Bowl

Quote of the Day
“You don’t know what pressure is until you play for five bucks with only two bucks in your pocket.”
Lee Trevino

Tuesday’s quiz
Who hit the only inside-the-park home run in All-Star Game history?
Hint: He is not an active player, but played fairly recently

Monday’s quiz
Former Colorado Rockies’ star Todd Helton was the starting quarterback at Tennessee, just before Peyton Manning.

Sunday’s quiz
Other than Fenway Park/Wrigley Field, Dodger Stadium is the oldest stadium in the major leagues.

********************************

Tuesday’s Den: Our SEC football preview…….

Alabama:
— 5 starters back on offense, 7 on defense
— 104 starts back on offensive line; soph QB 15 starts
— Last two years, 9-3 ATS as home favorite.
— 9-3 ATS last 12 non-conference games.
— Since 2016, 1-1 ATS as an underdog (2 games vs Georgia LY)

Arkansas:
— 7 starters back on offense, 4 on defense
— 101 starts back on offensive line; soph QB 15 starts
— 10-4 ATS as underdog under Pittman
— +11 in turnovers last two years; previous five years, were minus-13
— Since 2014, are 31-18-4 ATS coming off a loss.

Auburn:
— 7 starters back on offense, 6 on defense
— 120 starts back on offensive line (4 starters); soph QB has 3 starts
— are on 4th offensive coordinator the last four years.
— Harsin is 30-19 ATS on the road.
— Auburn lost 4 of last 5 bowls; they were favored in four of the five games.

Florida:
— 6 starters back on offense, 7 on defense
— 98 starts back on offensive line (4 starters); soph QB has 1 start
— Last two years, are 1-8 ATS as a road favorite.
— 3-10-1 ATS in last 14 games following a win
— Napier was 11-3-1 ATS as an underdog at Louisiana.

Georgia:
— 7 starters back on offense, 3 on defense
— 62 starts back on offensive line; senior QB has 17 starts
— Smart is 17-6 ATS as a road favorite.
— Since 2015, Dawgs are 5-3 ATS as an underdog.
— covered five of last seven bowl games.

Kentucky:
— 6 starters back on offense, 5 on defense
— 45 starts back on offensive line; junior QB 13 starts
— Last three years, are 10-5 ATS as home favorites
— Last four years, are 19-9 ATS coming off a win.
— won last four bowls; underdogs covered last five bowls.

LSU:
— 6 starters back on offense, 5 on defense
— 41 starts back on offensive line; QB started 29 games at Arizona State
— In his career, Kelly is 32-16-2 ATS as an underdog.
— Since 2017, LSU is 8-2 ATS as a road underdog.
— Minus-3 in turnovers LY; previous four years, they were +41.

Ole Miss:
— 5 starters back on offense, 7 on defense
— 111 starts back on offensive line; two soph QB’s- one started 3 games at USC, other guy threw 37 passes as Rebels’ backup LY.
— Kiffin is 2-8 ATS as a home underdog, 14-7-1 ATS as a road dog.
— 10-4 ATS in last 14 games coming off a loss.
— Since 2018, Rebels are 10-6 ATS as a home favorite.

Mississippi State:
— 8 starters back on offense, 9 on defense
— 82 starts back on offensive line; soph QB 19 starts
— Under Leach, 2-8 ATS at home (6-6 SU)
— In his career, Leach is 39-27 ATS as a road dog.
— Since 2017, Bulldogs are 13-8 ATS out of conference.

Missouri:
— 6 starters back on offense, 8 on defense
— 83 starts back on offensive line (4 starters); senior QB started 27 games at Southern Miss
— Under Drinkwitz, they’re 2-7 ATS as a favorite.
— Last three years, they’re 5-11 ATS coming off a loss.
— Lost last three bowls; their last bowl win was in 2014.

South Carolina:
— 9 starters back on offense, 5 on defense
— 129 starts back on offensive line (all 5 starters back); soph QB started 17 games at Oklahoma
— Last three years, they’re 13-22 SU
— Last four years, favorites are 13-6 ATS in their home games.
— Last three years, Gamecocks are 7-15-1 ATS as an underdog.

Tennessee:
— 8 starters back on offense, 7 on defense
— 91 starts back on offensive line (4 starters); sr QB has 11 starts
— Since 2017, Vols are 8-18 ATS coming off a win
— were +3 in turnovers LY (were minus each of previous five seasons)
— In his career, Heupel is 2-5 ATS as an underdog.

Texas A&M:
— 6 starters back on offense, 5 on defense
— 37 starts back on offensive line; soph QB started 14 games at LSU
— Under Fisher, Aggies are 7-2 ATS as a road favorite.
— scored 42.3 ppg in last four bowls (3-1)
— Since 2017, A&M is 15-4-1 ATS out of conference.

Vanderbilt:
— 7 starters back on offense, 7 on defense
— 81 starts back on offensive line; they have 2 soph QBs who both played some LY.
— 5-28 SU the last three years.
— Last played in a bowl in 2018; last bowl win, 2013.
— Last two years, Vandy is 7-2 ATS as a road underdog.

 

[Udog]

WNBA
Dunkel

Tuesday, July 12

WNBA

Tuesday, July 12

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Trend Report
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Dallas @ Seattle
Dallas
Dallas is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas's last 6 games
Seattle
Seattle is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games when playing Dallas
Seattle is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home

Las Vegas @ New York
Las Vegas
Las Vegas is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing New York
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Las Vegas's last 5 games when playing New York
New York
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New York's last 5 games when playing at home against Las Vegas
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New York's last 5 games

Atlanta @ Chicago
Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Atlanta's last 13 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Chicago is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games

Phoenix @ Minnesota
Phoenix
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Phoenix's last 6 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Phoenix's last 13 games when playing Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games
Minnesota is 22-3 SU in its last 25 games when playing Phoenix

Washington @ Los Angeles
Washington
Washington is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Washington is 9-4 ATS in its last 13 games on the road
Los Angeles
Los Angeles is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games at home


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[Cnotes53]

TUESDAY, JULY 12

LV at NY	07:00 PM	NY +7.0 O 174.0	+500 +500
PHO at MIN	08:00 PM	MIN -7.5 U 163.5	+500 +500
ATL at CHI	08:00 PM	CHI -9.0 O 164.0	+500 +500
WAS at LA	10:30 PM	WAS -4.5 U 157.0	+500 +500

 

[Udog]

WNBA
Dunkel

Wednesday, July 13

WNBA

Wednesday, July 13

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Trend Report
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Connecticut @ Indiana
Connecticut
Connecticut is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Connecticut's last 7 games
Indiana
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Indiana's last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games when playing at home against Connecticut


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[Udog]

Armadillo Sports

Thursday’s 6-pack
— Seattle 6-2, Washington 4-1— Mariners have won 10 games in a row.
— Orioles 7, Cubs 1— Baltimore has also won ten in a row.
— Rays 4, Red Sox 1— Boston is 11-23 against AL East rivals.
— Toronto Blue Jays fired manager Charlie Montoyo, despite a 45-42 record.
— Dodgers 7, St Louis 6— LA trailed 6-0 in seventh inning
— Marlins 5, Pirates 4 (10)— Miami scored three runs in 10th inning

Quote of the Day
“This is a power struggle for long-term television money. The Big 12 is better off today than it was at this time last year.”
Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy

Thursday’s quiz
In the old TV show The Addams Family, what was the butler’s name?

Wednesday’s quiz
In the classic TV show The Odd Couple, Felix Unger was a photographer (portraits a specialty)

Tuesday’s quiz
Ichiro Suzuki hit the only inside-the-park home run in All-Star Game history.

***************************

Thursday’s Den: Notes on NFC teams

Arizona Cardinals
— Last three years, they’re 18-8 ATS as an underdog.
— Last three years, they’re 18-7 ATS on the road.
— Last two years, they’re 5-11 ATS at home.
— #1 in $$ spent on their offensive; #17 at QB. When will they pay Murray?

Atlanta Falcons
— 7-2 LY in games decided by 8 or less points; 0-8 in games decided by 9+ points.
— Last three years, they’re 5-10 ATS as a favorite.
— Averaged 2.2 yards/rush on 3rd down LY; NFL average was 4.5.
— 31st in NFL in $$$ spent on QB’s salary.

Carolina Panthers
— Averaged 4.9 yards/pass attempt on 3rd down LY; NFL average was 7.2.
— 2-6 last year in games decided by 8 or less points.
— Last two years, they’re 4-8 ATS as a favorite.
— Since 2019, they’re 6-18 at home; 4-9 as favorite, 2-9 as underdog.

Chicago Bears
— Favorites covered all eight of their home games LY.
— Last three years, under is 17-7 in their home games.
— Last three years, Bears are 9-15 ATS at home.
— Chicago is 31st in NFL in $$ paid to players on offense.

Dallas Cowboys
— Went 12-5 LY with +14 turnover ratio, but lost first playoff game at home.
— Over is 17-7 in last 24 home games; under 11-6 in last 17 road tilts.
— #2 in $$$ spent on offense, #31 on defense.
— Covered eight of their nine road games last year.

Detroit Lions
— Last three years, Lions are 11-37-1 SU
— 0-9 SU in last nine playoff games; last playoff win was in 1991.
— Over is 17-6 in their last 23 home games.
— Were underdog in all 17 games last year (11-6 ATS).

Green Bay Packers
— Went 13-4 LY with +13 turnover ratio, but lost first playoff game at home.
— 5-1 last year in games decided by 3 or fewer points.
— Last three years, Packers are 8-2 ATS as a road underdog.
— Last three years, Packers are 31-17-1 ATS in regular season.

Los Angeles Rams
— averaged 9.8 yards/pass attempt on 3rd down LY (NFL average 7.2)
— 11-2 last year in games decided by 8 or less points.
— Rams covered five of last seven games as an underdog.
— Cooper Kupp had 46 red zone targets LY (next highest Ram: Higbee, 20)

Minnesota Vikings:
— Last two years, over is 21-12 in Viking games.
— Minnesota was 8-9 LY despite a +11 turnover ratio.
— 14 of their 17 games LY were decided by 8 or less points (6-8)
— 30th in $$ spent on cornerbacks; does that mean more zone defense?

New Orleans Saints
— 9-8 LY with +7 turnover ratio, after going 25-7 previous two seasons.
— 2-3 last season in games decided by 8 or less points.
— Last three years, they’re 11-5 ATS as an underdog.
— Last three years, they’re 7-2 ATS as a road dog, 11-5 as road favorite.

New Jersey Giants
— Last five years, they’re 22-59 SU.
— Giants led at halftime in only 21 of those 81 games.
— Last two years, under is 23-9-1 in their games.
— Last three years, they’re 2-5 ATS as favorite, 8-16 ATS at home.

Philadelphia Eagles
— 9-8 last year; 2-4 in games decided by 8 or less points.
— Last three years, they’re 10-15 ATS as an underdog.
— Favorites covered seven of their eight home games LY.
— Have four road games this year where they’re on a short week.

San Francisco 49ers
— 10-7 LY, 5-5 in games decided by 8 or less points.
— averaged 8.7 yards/pass attempt on 3rd down LY (NFL average 7.2)
— Last three years, they’re 10-4 ATS as an underdog.
— 16-9 ATS in their last 25 road games.

Seattle Seahawks
— 7-10 LY, 0-5 in games decided by 3 or fewer points.
— Seahawks went 7-10 despite a +5 turnover ratio.
— Last three years, Seattle is 7-5 ATS as an underdog.
— Moving on from Russell Wilson at QB presents a BIG downgrade.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
— 24-9 SU with Brady at QB; how does coaching change affect things?
— +10 in turnovers LY, +24 in sacks.
— Last two years, were 11-4 ATS at home (0-6-1 in 2019)
— were favored in all 17 games last season.

Washington Commanders
— 7-10 last year, even with 3-0 record in games decided by 3 or less points.
— Last two years, under is 20-13 in Washington games.
— Last three years, Commanders are 8-15-1 ATS at home.
— covered three of last four games as a road favorite.

 

[Udog]

WNBA
Dunkel

Thursday, July 14

WNBA

Thursday, July 14

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
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Las Vegas @ New York
Las Vegas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Las Vegas's last 5 games when playing New York
Las Vegas is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing New York
New York
The total has gone OVER in 5 of New York's last 5 games when playing Las Vegas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of New York's last 6 games

Dallas @ Minnesota
Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Dallas's last 7 games
Minnesota
Minnesota is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas
Minnesota is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games

Washington @ Phoenix
Washington
Washington is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Phoenix
Phoenix is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Washington
Phoenix is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games when playing at home against Washington

Chicago @ Los Angeles
Chicago
Chicago is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago's last 6 games when playing Los Angeles
Los Angeles
Los Angeles is 16-3 SU in its last 19 games when playing at home against Chicago
Los Angeles is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Chicago


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