A good Florida bounce-back led helped me get to two wins but with Colorado and North Texas laying down, the week is awash with a 2-2 record. Let’s try to keep it positive in Week 7.
Record: 15-7 (-1.85 units)
National horse racing handicapper Michael Dempsey will attempt to pad his bankroll and yours with his daily column. He will feature at least one Pick 3 or Pick 4 play from a major track along with coverage of major stakes races, longshots, and he will keep you up to date on what is happening on the circuits he covers.
I’m not impressed! Not with the Philadelphia Phillies (96-71 SU, 78-89 RL, 73-88-6 O/U) Game 1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers (87-79 SU, 84-82 RL, 75-85-6 O/U).
I’m actually not that impressed with my Game 1 selection that I predicted on Thursday as a blind man could have called Philadelphia’s Game 1 win with crafty lefty Cole Hamels on the mound.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-1 SU, 3-2 ATS), who are bidding to achieve a national ranking one year after their disastrous 2007 season, will line up against a team that is already in the rankings, the North Carolina Tar Heels (4-1 SU, 3-1 ATS) in NCAA college football action that is set to begin at 3:30 PM ET at Kenan Stadium (natural turf) in Chapel Hill, N.C.
The St. Louis Rams (0-4 SU & ATS) hope they can start over with a new coach, but many fear it will be the same old story when they face off against the Washington Redskins (4-1 SU & ATS) in NFL action that is scheduled to begin at 1 PM ET at FedEx Field (natural turf) in Landover, MD.
The two teams who faced each other in the AFC championship game a year ago will lock horns on Sunday, although it’s looking less and less like a preview of a rematch for that AFC title. The New England Patriots (3-1 SU, 2-2 ATS) travel to San Diego to face the Chargers (2-3 SU, 2-2-1 ATS) in this contest that is scheduled to kick off at 8:15 PM ET at Qualcomm Stadium (natural turf).
The Green Bay Packers (2-3 SU & ATS), coming off a tough home loss, have to take to the road on Sunday when they travel to play their old coach, when they hook up with the Seattle Seahawks (1-3 SU & ATS) in NFL action that is set to get underway at 4:15 PM ET at Qwest Field (artificial turf) in Seattle.
For the second time this year, the New Orleans Saints lost a game because of their kicker. I hate to point out Martin Grammatica’s faults, but, seriously, he can’t make a 46 yarder in a dome? Come on, Martin. It was absolutely ridiculous how the Saints committed nine penalties in the first half of their Monday night loss versus the Minnesota Vikings.
If familiarity breeds contempt, the ALCS between rivals Boston and Tampa Bay will be a great one beginning tonight.
The pitching matchup for Game 1 is Boston’s Daisuke Matsuzaka versus Tampa Bay’s James Shields. First pitch is set for 8:37 pm ET and Tampa is a slight -110 favorite.
One weekend is all it took to have the college football national championship futures odds fluctuating as much as the stock market. Top 10 teams USC, Florida, Georgia and Wisconsin all fell two weeks ago–as did South Florida this past week–and all these teams saw their odds to take home the biggest prize in college football skyrocket. The biggest winners of the latest chaotic weekends have been Oklahoma and Alabama, which sit No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, atop the AP Top 25 poll.
Here’s how the 12-driver field stands in championship points in the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup heading into Saturday evening’s Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, starting at 7:40pm EST as postseason race 5-of-10.
The two best teams in the NFC South square off in a key divisional game. The Panthers currently lead the NFC South by a game. If the Bucs win, they force a tie. But, can the Bucs win? Against the BetUS online NFL wagering spread, the Bucs haven’t been terrible this season but for the first time this year they might have to contend with adversity.
The Houston Texans (0-4 SU, 1-3 ATS, 4-0 O/U), entered the 2008 season hoping to improve on their solid 8-8 record from a season ago while making a legitimate push to reach the postseason but have failed miserably while getting off to an 0-4 start.
A 4-1 SU record might not warrant a “struggling” tag, but the Florida Gators have been nothing short of disappointing this season. A stunning loss to Mississippi still leaps out when you look at Florida, and they’ve otherwise played horrific teams. Going 3-2 ATS this season has helped affirm the belief that the Gators are still a good bet, but LSU has been playing too well this season for the Gators to take them lightly.
The Washington Redskins (4-1 SU, 4-1 ATS, 2-3 O/U), were thought to be the worst team in the NFC East following their season-opening, 17-6 road loss to the New York Giants.
Now, after winning four straight games in convincing fashion, including two consecutive NFC East road contests, the Redskins are riding high and sitting pretty with their NFC playoff hopes.
When a really good trainer decides to drop a horse, online racebook fans had better pay attention. Not because that horse automatically could be a good online horse bet. It’s that the horse in question might not be good enough to win the claiming race the trainer has put him in.
