Players looking for a bit of a sports betting bonus will have to do a little bit of extra research, but that is why we’re here, to point you in the right direction of the right NFL pick. Here is a look at four big games on the NFL’s Week 9 schedule. Buccaneers Falcons Betting – Sunday, 1:00 PM ET The Bucs may be the surprises of the season so far, (more…)

NCAA football betting players will tell you that the college game has gone through an interesting transformation in the last couple of years.  The spread offense came through the NCAA and “spread” (pardon the pun) like wildfire, with everyone and their mother running some kind of wide-open offense.  The spread is still very popular in the college game, but something had to be done to fight it, and the defenses of the country flexed their muscles in 2009.  Look for that to continue.

Of the 10 BCS bowl teams from last year, six teams were in the top 10 (TCU, Alabama, Texas, Florida, Ohio State and Iowa) made it.  The combatants in the BCS title game, Alabama and Texas, were second and third in the nation, respectively, while the team that top-ranked TCU lost to, Boise State, finished 14th.  That’s probably while NFL betting players saw six defensive players go in the top 10 of last year’s draft, and the most intriguing pick may have been Eric Berry, a safety picked fifth by Kansas City.

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The New York Yankees have been at the top of the class for betting on baseball in 2010, pushing forward with the best record in the league for most of the season while looking even better than the unit that won the World Series a year ago. They’re no longer alone at the top of the mountain however as the Tampa Bay Rays now find themselves in a tie for top spot in the American League East, and for best record in baseball at 74-46. A five-game winning streak has Tampa Bay in striking position to take over first place, but to have any chance of making their move the Rays will need to find a way to get some results in sunny California, where they have two more against the Oakland Athletics before a three-game set against the Los Angeles Angels. (more…)

Those who bet on college football can only hope for this sort of parity when their season starts, as the baseball season is coming down the stretch and there is plenty of excitement in your sportsbook.  Here is a look at the division and wild-card races.

American League

East – Tampa Bay is still within shouting distance of the Yankees, while Boston is hanging around after a weekend split in New York.  The Yankees play the Rays seven more times (three times at home), and the Red Sox six times (three at home).  The Red Sox still have six meetings with the Rays (three at home).

Central – Minnesota and Chicago are locked atop the Central, with Detroit nine games behind.   The leaders kick off a three-game set in the Windy City on Tuesday, then they meet six more times, three times in each city.  NFL football betting players hope that the Bears-Vikings games will be this close this year.

West – Texas leads Oakland by eight games and it would be a monumental collapse if they were to lose the division.

Wild Card – Tampa Bay leads Boston by 4.5 games here, but the White Sox and Twins are still in the mix of course, depending on who leads the Central, and Toronto could possibly make a run eight games back if they can get the better of their division rivals.

National League

East – Atlanta is trying to hold off a surging Philadelphia team who have found their offense, and they will face the Braves six more times this year (three at home), including a potentially critical three-game set in Atlanta to end the season.

Central – Surprising Cincinnati are still sitting atop the division, but St. Louis is hot on their heels and took the first of a three-game set in Cincinnati on Monday.  After this series wraps up, the two meet for three games in St. Louis in early September, and the winner of that series may end up the MLB betting favorite to take the Central.

West – San Diego is another surprising team that is trying to fend off a challenger and this time it’s San Francisco, who still have to face the Padres 10 times (six at home).

Wild Card – This is a mess as San Francisco holds onto the wild card now by a game over St. Louis and Philadelphia, while Colorado is five games back and the Los Angeles Dodgers are 5.5 games behind.  Even the New York Mets and Florida at eight and 8.5 games, respectively, have a decent shot at getting on a roll and making it interesting.  This could be the most fun battle for online sports betting players to watch heading into the postseason.

In sports betting circles the Tampa Bay Rays are known as one of those teams that will just not go away. When the season started the Rays were given +1500 to win the World Series. Even NFL betting experts know that those are not the best odds, but they are not awful. The New York Yankees were the odds-on favorites to win the World Series when the season started at +300.

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College football betting fans know that the 3 day extravaganza every year in mid July known as the SEC’s early season media days are usually no short of trash-talking, hype, and a bunch of words that will get us excited for the start of the season that is coming up at the end of August. While there was no shortage of the usual at the media days, Nick Saban provided the big bang for the buck, as he stole the show by comparing the agents in question for many recent NCAA allegations to pimps.

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Those checking out NFL betting lines will know all about a team getting on a run, whether it’s good or bad.  Here are two examples of two teams who are heading in the opposite direction, and it could very well decide their season.

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NFL football betting players will say that the league is currently a quarterback’s league, as they’re being protected by a lot of rules like hits to the head.  In baseball, the pitcher is the quarterback, and with the onslaught of performance-enhancing drugs, they’ve been taking some heat in recent years.  In 2010, the pitchers are getting their revenge.

Heading into the games set to play on July 6th, there were eight pitchers in the American League with ERAs under 3.00, with Seattle’s Cliff Lee leading the way at 2.34 (it’s no surprise that Lee will be the biggest target for teams looking to bolster their position at the trade deadline with the Mariners in last place in the American League West).  (more…)

After exploding out of the gate with a sparkling debut performance in a 5-2 online sports betting win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, then following it up with another victory against the Cleveland Indians on the road, Washington Nationals rookie pitcher Stephen Strasburg has come back down to earth somewhat without a victory in his last three starts, or so it seems. The first overall pick in the 2009 MLB betting draft, Strasburg looked otherworldly in his initial two starts, throwing 22 strikeouts while allowing just three runs on six hits over 12.1 innings while living up to all the hype and excitement that had been building around him leading up to the move to the big leagues. The 21-year old was excellent in each of his next two games, tossing another 19 strikeouts over 13 innings while allowing just a single run in each of them, however a lack of scoring from an offensively challenged Nationals line up led to those excellent efforts earning him just a no decision and a loss.

Against the Atlanta Braves on Monday night, Strasburg threw the worst baseball betting outing of his career, still allowing just three eared runs on six hits while striking out a career-low seven batters. The San Diego State product may have been feeling a little fatigued in this game, as all three of the earn runs that he allowed came in the seventh inning. The loss can hardly be blamed on the right hander, who has done all that he can in his first five starts in the majors, but is still searching for his third win through five starts despite his 2.27 ERA.

One big name pitcher making headlines this season that is still getting run support from his teammates is Colorado Rockies’ pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez, who earned his 14th win of the season in the Rockies’ victory over the San Diego Padres. Jimenez was solid his self despite allowing four earned runs, as he also struck out seven before leaving the game in the seventh inning. Miguel Olivo’s four-RBI night was they key to Jimenez and the Rockies holding on for the victory, something that the 26-year old has benefited from immensely over the betting course of the season. In two of his victories in the month of June, the Domenican Republic-native has allowed four or more runs, something that Stasburg has yet to do. Jimenez’s 14 wins continue to lead the majors, three better than David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays, and four more than Adam Wainwright, Phil Hughes, Mike Pelfry, and Clay Buchholz who are all tied with 10.

Jimenez still leads the majors in ERA leading up to the World Cup Finals betting, tied with Josh Johnson of the Florida Marlins with a 1.83 mark, while Price, Wainwright, and Bucholz are all also in the top-ten in ERA. Solid pitching will be the difference come October for the teams ready to compete, but as is the case with Strasburg and Jimenez, wins and loses don’t reveal everything.

While most are betting on World Cup odds, if you’re one of those people, you may have missed the hottest team in the major leagues tearing it up right now.  Texas is on a massive roll right now and have emerged as the most serious threat to Los Angeles’ dominance in the American League West.  But, can they keep it up heading into the All-Star break?

The Rangers have won 11 in a row heading into their series opener at home against Houston on Friday, and they’re doing it with hitting, as per usual.  Over the last week, the Rangers lead the major leagues with a .320 average, and their ability at the plate is making the opposing pitcher nervous as they drew a league-high 33 walks, which is why they also have an OBP of .405 over the last week.  Josh Hamilton hit an outlandish .609 in five games last week, even sitting one out to rest his hamstring, while Michael Young and Justin Smoak combined for five homers and 17 RBIs.  Essentially, the Rangers’ attack was similar to Argentina rolling into the World Cup round of 16 betting stage.

But it wasn’t just the hitting that was solid.  Everyone knew coming into the season that the Rangers’ MLB betting odds would hinge on their pitching, and last week, Texas’ 2.62 ERA was the sixth-best in the entire major leagues.  Alexi Ogando won three games in relief for the Rangers, while Neftali Feliz saved both of his chances.  Still, the starting pitching could use a jolt, and it could actually come from a veteran.  The Rangers are trying to persuade Houston to trade Roy Oswalt, the longtime Astro who will likely be moved to give him a chance at going to a World Series.  However, there’s some bad history between Texas owner Nolan Ryan and the Houston organization, as Ryan left there as a player over a contract dispute, and there have been words thrown around in the press between the two sides over the years.  But Ryan has long been an admirer of Oswalt, and this wouldn’t be the first time they’ve went after him.  With Rich Harden on the disabled list yet again, the Rangers are trying to add some experience to a young staff that has been pitching very well so far in 2009, but how will they handle the pressure of a pennant race?

Right now, the Rangers should be your first choice for MLB picks in your sportsbook.  Everything is clicking for them right now, and even though their offense is usually good, this ridiculous.  Ride the Rangers for as long as you can, and if they can snatch Oswalt (or maybe Seattle’s Cliff Lee), the Rangers could go from a trend to a legitimate online betting World Series favorite.

Interleague play is in full swing once again, with more intriguing MLB Betting series between AL and NL teams. Before we take a look into specific games which will be a hot issue, here’s three series to keep an eye on.

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