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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB Previews and Odds - 08/13/2024

by Big Al Staff

Tuesday, Aug 13, 2024

The Tuesday sports card features MLB action. Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule.The Baltimore Orioles host the Washington Nationals at 6:35 p.m. ET. The Orioles tap Trevor Rogers to take the ball against the Nationals’ Jake Irvin. Baltimore is a -175 money-line favorite with the total set at 9 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). Four more MLB games throw out the first pitch at 6:40 p.m. ET. The Seattle Mariners travel to Detroit to play the Tigers. The Mariners send out a starting pitcher yet to be named to face Tarik Skubal for the Tigers. The Cincinnati Reds play at home against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Reds send out Hunter Greene to pitch against the Cardinals’ Erick Fedde. Cincinnati is a -135 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Cleveland Guardians are at home against the Chicago Cubs. Matthew Boyd makes his season debut coming off the injured list for the Guardians to challenge Javier Assad for the Cubs. Cleveland is a -130 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Philadelphia Phillies host the Miami Marlins. The Phillies turn to Taijuan Walker coming off the injured list to go against a Marlins starting pitcher yet to be determined. The Houston Astros play in Tampa Bay against the Rays at 6:50 p.m. ET. Yusei Kikuchi gets the ball for the Astros to battle Shane Baz for the Rays. Houston is a -135 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8. Two more MLB games start at 7:10 p.m. ET. The Boston Red Sox play at home against the Texas Rangers. The Red Sox send out Kutter Crawford to duel against the Rangers Jose Urena. Boston is a -142 money-line favorite with a total of 10. The New York Mets are at home against the Oakland A’s. Paul Blackburn takes the ball for the Mets to pitch against a starting pitcher for the A’s. The Kansas City Royals visit Minnesota to play the Twins at 7:40 p.m. ET. The Royals turn to Seth Lugo to face the Twins’ rookie Zebby Matthews. Kansas City is a -115 money-line road favorite at BetMGM with an over/under of 8.5. Two MLB games begin at 8:10 p.m. ET. The Los Angeles Dodgers play in Milwaukee to play the Brewers. Gavin Stone takes the ball for the Dodgers to go against Colin Rea for the Brewers. Los Angeles is a -125 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The New York Yankees are in Chicago to play the White Sox. The Yankees tap Nestor Cortes to challenge the White Sox’s Jonathan Cannon. New York is a -305 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9. The Toronto Blue Jays travel to Los Angeles to play the Angels at 9:38 p.m. ET. Kevin Gausman takes the mound for the Blue Jays to duel against Carson Fulmer for the Angels. Toronto is a -148 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. Two more MLB games start at 9:40 p.m. ET. The Arizona Diamondbacks play Colorado against the Rockies. The Diamondbacks turn to Eduardo Rodriguez to face the Rockies' Austin Gomber. Arizona is a -258 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The San Diego Padres are at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Michael King takes the ball for the Padres to pitch against Luis L. Ortiz for the Pirates. San Diego is a -205 money-line favorite with a total of 8. The Atlanta Braves play in San Francisco against the Giants at 9:45 p.m. ET. The Braves turn to Charlie Morton to go against the Giants Kyle Harrison. Atlanta is a -112 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5.

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UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya

by Will Rogers

Monday, Aug 12, 2024

UFC 305Du Plessis vs. AdesanyaSaturday, August 17RAC Arena - Perth, Western AustraliaThe UFC returns to Perth on August 17th. Recall that Islam Makhachev beat Alexander Volkanowski here last year, at UFC 284. That was a great night and a stacked UFC 305 card is also filled with exciting match-ups. Many of the top Australian fighters will be partaking. I've taken a closer look at the biggest one, Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya for the middleweight belt. In addition to providing the backstory and previewing the fight I've also given an option on how to play it.  The Main Event Du Plessis vs. AdesanyaAdesanya -1304.5 under -155 The middleweight championship of the world will be up for grabs in Perth, on Saturday. Du Plessis (21-2) is the champion. Adesanya (24-3), the former champ, is the betting favorite. You may remember that Adensaya lost the belt to Strickland. Then Du Plessis beat Strickland, in a very close split decision. Now, "The Last Stylebender" wants his belt back.  There's some genuine bad blood between these guys. After Du Plessis defeated Robert Whittaker last summer, Adesnaya got into the ring and had some pretty harsh words for Du Plessis. If you didn't know the back-story, Adesanya's rant wouldn't have made any sense. Among the comments which Adesanya made was: "I don't need a DNA test, I don't need a [DNA test] to know where I'm from. If they do a [DNA test] it'll say I'm from Nigeria. Do a DNA test, it'll tell you where you're from." That was actually in reply to something which Du Plessis had said several weeks earlier where he talked about bringing the belt back to Africa and becoming the first true African champion. Of course, that angered the likes of Ngannou, Usman and Adesanya, all former champions who were born in Africa. (Du Plesis reasoned that all three of those previous African champions had left Africa by the time they won the belt.)  Adesanya replied: “He’ll never understand that because he lives behind the f*cking gates of his privileged life in South Africa, and he’s able to do that there. So someone like Francis, who had to cross the desert to go overseas to go train – if you know Francis’ story, you can’t call him not a real African champion because he didn’t train in Africa. Like, bro – are you f*cking kidding? The guy got sent back out to the desert six, seven times to go die, and he survived.” Adesanya added that he, Ngannou and Usman are the very reason why Du Plessis had the opportunity to become champion: “Even without Francis being champion, without myself being champion, without Kamaru being champion, he would have never been champion. We paved the way for him, and then he comes out there and tries to take it all for himself. I wonder where he got that from. What kind of mindset is that, like, ‘Oh, I see this and I want it all for myself’? "What kind of mindset is it that you see three African champions and you’re going to be the fourth one? You could have said it would be a great honor to be out of the legends of African champions that have been in the UFC. He tries to take it all for himself. That’s a colonist mindset. He doesn’t understand the error of his ways, but I will show him the way. … Dricus will always be an African champion, but he’ll never be one of the three kings.” Du Plesis has an unorthodox style of fighting. A well-rounded fighter, he's unpredictable. He has 10 KO/TKO wins and nine submissions. He's physically strong and applies a lot of pressure. Only two of his 23 fights have gone the distance. Adesanya, three inches taller, is the more dangerous striker. He's never submitted anyone but has 16 KO/TKO victories to his credit. He's 8-2 when the fight gets decided by the judges. Adesanya has lost 2 of his last 3 fights. Du Plesis has won 9 straight.  Longtime Adesanya rival Alex Pereira provided his opinion of the fight: “[People] asked me about Adesanya and du Plessis, I said I don’t see Adesanya losing ... It’s what I think. I don’t think he loses this fight. I hope he wins because he has a beautiful story. I think he has to continue his story.” Prediction: Du Plessis was fortunate to get the victory against Strickland and he didn't do himself any favors with his comments about being the true African champion. I agree with Pereira that I don't see an angry Adesanya losing. Lay the reasonable price with the former champ. Play on Adesanya

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Pittsburgh Steelers Win Projection

by ASA, Inc.

Monday, Aug 12, 2024

ASA’s AFC NORTH WIN TOTAL PROJECTION Pittsburgh Steelers – UNDER 8.5 Wins (-140) We’re going against the grain a bit here as the Steelers have never finished with a losing record under head coach Mike Tomlin.  We think this is the year that streak ends.  Truth be told, that run really should have ended last season.  Pittsburgh finished with a 10-7 record a year ago but they ended the season with a negative point differential, they were outgained on the year both YPG and YPP, and had fewer rushing and passing yards than their opponents.  They finished 9-2 in games decided by a TD or less and while they went 5-1 in NFC North play, 4 of those 5 wins they faced back up QB’s vs Cincinnati (both games), Baltimore and Cleveland.  Those successes will be very difficult to duplicate in back to back years.  As will their turnover margin of +11 which was the 3rd best in the NFL last year.  To say they were fortunate to get to 10 wins is an understatement as their projected win total based on point differential and key stats was under 8.  The Steelers did bring in 2 new signal callers in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.  The problem is, Wilson is on the downside of his career (13th year) and wasn’t great the last 2 season in Denver while Fields has never lived up to the hype with just a 10-28 record as a starter.  The defense allowing just 19.7 PPG last season but their YPG (21st) and YPP (23rd) numbers were not in line with their scoring defense so again, we feel they were fortunate on that side of the ball.  Pittsburgh just happens to have the most difficult schedule in the NFL this season based on opponents expected win totals.  They better get off to a red hot start if they expect to get to 9 wins this season as they back half of their schedule (final 8 games) is brutal.  A fast start might be tough with a new offensive coordinator, new QB, and they play 4 of their first 6 games on the road.  We think an 8 win season for Pittsburgh would be really solid this year and that still lands them under this total     

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CFB Week 0 preview: Florida State vs. Georgia Tech

by Sean Murphy

Monday, Aug 12, 2024

The Seminoles and Yellow Jackets head to Dublin, Ireland for an ACC clash to open the 2024 college football season on Saturday, August 24th. Here's a quick look at what to expect from both teams.Florida State returns four starters on both sides of the football. The Seminoles will have a different look on offense with D.J. Uiagalelei transferring in at quarterback to take over for Jordan Travis. FSU became a little too one-dimensional on offense over the course of last season, certainly for head coach Mike Norvell's liking, so I would anticipate a heavier dose of its ground attack with a loaded backfield out of the gates this season. It's going to take some time for Uiagalelei to acclimate himself with the 'Noles receiving corps and it's worth noting that the offensive line will be replacing two starters from last season as well. The 'Noles have lock-down potential in the secondary and are loaded up front as well with DE Patrick Payton leading the way following a seven-sack 2023 campaign. They can't sleep on a Yellow Jackets offense that did rank a respectable 42nd in the country in points per game and 12th in rush yards per game last season.  Georgia Tech does return seven starters on both offense and defense. It was a terrific 2023 season by most accounts as the Yellow Jackets went Bowling following a six-win regular season and went on to defeat UCF 30-17 in the Gasparilla Bowl. Defense should be where the Yellow Jackets focus lies early on. They were repeatedly torched on the ground last year, giving up north of 220 rush yards per contest (128th in the country). Keep an eye on experienced DE Sylvain Yondjouen who returns after suffering an ACL injury that cost him last season (he's on the 2024 Comeback Player of the Year watch list). Thin at linebacker, the Jackets dug into the transfer portal for help. The secondary improved as last season went on and Georgia Tech ultimately finished 53rd in the country in pass yards allowed per game. The building blocks are there but it remains to be seen whether the Jackets can handle an offense as explosive as Florida State's in the opener. 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB Previews and Odds - 08/12/2024

by Big Al Staff

Monday, Aug 12, 2024

The Monday sports card features MLB action. Major League Baseball has 11 games on its schedule.Two MLB games throw out the first pitch at 6:40 p.m. ET. The Chicago Cubs travel to Cleveland to play the Guardians. The Cubs are on a four-game winning streak after concluding their crosstown series on the road against the White Sox with a 3-1 road victory on Saturday. The Guardians have won two games in a row after their 5-3 victory at Minnesota on Sunday. Chicago taps Shota Imanaga to pitch against Cleveland’s Ben Lively. The Cubs are a -120 money-line road favorite with a total of 8 (all odds from DraftKings). The St. Louis Cardinals play in Cincinnati Reds. The Cardinals lost for the second time in their last three games after an 8-3 loss on the road against Kansas City on Saturday. The Reds ended a two-game losing streak with a 4-3 win at Milwaukee yesterday. Sonny Gray takes the ball for St. Louis to face Andrew Abbott for Cincinnati. The Cardinals are a -130 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9.The Houston Astros are in Tampa Bay to play the Rays at 6:50 p.m. ET. The Astros are on a five-game winning streak after a 10-2 win at Boston on Sunday. The Rays ended a two-game losing streak with a 2-1 victory against Baltimore yesterday. Houston sends out Framber Valdez to go against Tampa Bay’s Taj Bradley. The Astros are a -122 money-line road favorite with a total of 7.5. The Boston Red Sox host the Texas Rangers on ESPN at 7:10 p.m. ET. The Red Sox have lost four in a row after their loss to Houston yesterday. The Rangers lost for the fourth time in their last five games after an 8-7 loss to the New York Yankees on Sunday. Brayan Bello takes the bump for Boston to battle against Tyler Mahle for Texas. The Red Sox are a -135 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9.5.The Minnesota Twins play at home against the Kansas City Royals at 7:40 p.m. ET. The Twins have lost two games in a row after their loss to Cleveland yesterday. The Royals won for the second time in their last three games after beating St. Louis on Sunday. Minnesota turns to Pablo Lopez to challenge Kansas City’s Brady Singer. The Twins are a -155 money-line favorite with a total of 8.Two MLB games start at 8:10 p.m. ET. The New York Yankees visit Chicago to play the White Sox. The Yankees won for the second time in their last three games with their victory against Texas yesterday. The White Sox lost for the 24th time in 25 games in their loss to the Cubs on Saturday. Luis Gil takes the mound for New York to duel against Ky Bush for Chicago. The Yankees are a -325 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9. The Milwaukee Brewers are at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Brewers’ five-game winning streak ended in their last at home to Cincinnati yesterday. The Dodgers are on a three-game winning streak after a 6-5 win at home against Pittsburgh. Milwaukee taps Freddy Peralta to face Los Angeles’ Clayton Kershaw. The Brewers are a -112 money-line favorite with a total of 8. The Los Angeles Angels host the Toronto Blue Jays at 9:38 p.m. ET. The Angels ended a two-game losing streak with a 6-4 win against Washington on Sunday. The Blue Jays have lost two games in a row after an 8-4 loss to Oakland yesterday. Davis Daniel gets the ball for Los Angeles to pitch against Bowden Francis for Toronto. The Angels are a -115 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9.Two MLB games begin at 9:40 p.m. ET. The Arizona Diamondbacks play at home against the Colorado Rockies. The Diamondbacks won for the seventh time in their last eight games with their 12-5 victory against Philadelphia on Sunday. The Rockies won for the second time in its last three games with their 9-8 win against Atlanta yesterday. Arizona sends out Brandon Pfaadt to challenge a Colorado starting pitcher who has yet to be named. The San Diego Padres are at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Padres were on a seven-game winning streak before a 7-6 loss at Miami yesterday. The Pirates are on a seven-game losing streak after the loss to the Dodgers on Sunday. Joe Musgrove returns from the injured list to take the ball for San Diego to duel against a starting pitcher yet to be determined for Pittsburgh. The Atlanta Braves play in San Francisco against the Giants at 9:45 p.m. ET. The Braves lost for the seventh time in their last eight games after the loss at Colorado on Sunday. The Giants were on a four-game winning streak before a 5-4 loss at home to Detroit yesterday. Atlanta taps Chris Sale to battle San Francisco’s Blake Snell. The Braves are a -115 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NFL, MLB and CFL Previews and Odds - 08/11/2024

by Big Al Staff

Sunday, Aug 11, 2024

The Sunday sports card features NFLX, MLB, and CFL action.The NFL preseason concludes Week 1 with two games on the NFL Network. The Indianapolis Colts host the Denver Broncos at 1:00 p.m. ET as a 1.5-point favorite with the total set at 37.5 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). The Dallas Cowboys travel to Los Angeles to play the Rams at 4:30 p.m. ET as a 4-point road favorite with an over/under of 35.5.Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The Washington Nationals play at home against the Los Angeles Angels at 11:35 a.m. ET as a -162 money-line favorite with a total of 9. Two MLB games throw out the first pitch at 1:35 p.m. ET. The New York Yankees are at home against the Texas Rangers as a -148 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Houston Astros play in Boston against the Red Sox as a -142 money-line road favorite with a total of 10. The Toronto Blue Jays host the Oakland A’s at 1:37 p.m. ET as a -162 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Two more MLB games start at 1:40 p.m. ET. The Baltimore Orioles are in Tampa Bay against the Rays as a -112 money-line road favorite with a total of 8. The San Diego Padres visit Miami to play the Marlins as a -205 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Two MLB games begin at 2:10 p.m. ET. The Cleveland Guardians play in Minnesota against the Guardians as a -115 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The Milwaukee Brewers play at home against the Cincinnati Reds. The Atlanta Braves are in San Francisco to play the Giants at 4:05 p.m. ET as a -180 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 10.5.The San Francisco Giants are at home against the Detroit Tigers as a -185 money-line favorite with a total of 8. Two more MLB games start at 4:10 p.m. ET. The Los Angeles Dodgers host the Pittsburgh Pirates as a -270 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Philadelphia Phillies play at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks as a -130 money-line road favorite with a total of 9.Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN features the Seattle Mariners at home against the New York Mets. The Mariners are a -130 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Week 10 in the Canadian Football League concludes with one game. The Edmonton Elks host the British Columbia Lions on the CBS Sports Network at 7:00 p.m. ET as a 1.5-point favorite with a total of 49.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NFL, MLB and CFL Previews and Odds - 08/10/2024

by Big Al Staff

Saturday, Aug 10, 2024

The Saturday sports card features NFLX, MLB, and CFL action.The NFL preseason continues Week 1 with nine games. The Washington Commanders travel to New York to play the Jets at noon ET as a 3-point road favorite, with the total set at 34.5 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). The Buffalo Bills host the Chicago Bears on the NFL Network at 1:00 p.m. ET as a 2.5-point favorite with an over/under of 38.5. The Las Vegas Raiders play in Minnesota against the Vikings on the NFL Network at 4:00 p.m. ET as a 3.5-point road favorite with a total of 39.5. The Cleveland Browns play at home against the Green Bay Packers at 4:25 p.m. ET as a 5.5-point favorite with an over/under of 39.5. Three NFL preseason games kick off at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Tennessee Titans are at home against the San Francisco 49ers as a 5-point favorite with a total of 38.5. The Cincinnati Bengals host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a 6-point favorite with an over/under of 38.5. The Jacksonville Jaguars play at home against the Kansas City Chiefs on the NFL Network as a 1-point favorite with a total of 40.5. The Seattle Seahawks are in Los Angeles to play the Chargers at 7:05 p.m. ET as a 3-point road favorite with a total of 34.5. The New Orleans Saints visit Arizona to play the Cardinals at 8:00 p.m. ET as a 2-point road favorite with an over/under of 37.Major League Baseball has 16 games on its schedule. The New York Yankees are at home against the Texas Rangers in the opening game of their doubleheader at 1:05 p.m. ET as a -160 money-line favorite at BetMGM with a total of 8.5. The Toronto Blue Jays host the Oakland A’s at 3:07 p.m. ET as a -148 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. Two MLB games throw out the first pitch at 4:05 p.m. ET. The Yankees battle the Rangers in the second game of their doubleheader. The San Francisco Giants play at home against the Detroit Tigers. Two more MLB games start at 4:10 p.m. ET. The Boston Red Sox are at home against the Houston Astros on FS1 as a -120 money-line favorite with a total of 10.5. The San Diego Padres play in Miami against the Marlins as a -170 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Los Angeles Angels are in Washington to play the Angels at 6:45 p.m. ET, with both teams priced as a -110 money-line favorite with a total of 9.5.Three MLB games begin at 7:10 p.m. ET. The Milwaukee Brewers host the Cincinnati Reds as a -135 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Minnesota Twins play at home against the Cleveland Guardians as a -120 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Kansas City Royals are at home against the St. Louis Cardinals as a -135 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. Two more MLB games are featured in regional coverage for Baseball Night in America on Fox at 7:15 p.m. ET. The Baltimore Orioles travel to Tampa Bay to play the Rays as a -170 money-line road favorite at BetMGM with a total of 7.5. The Chicago Cubs play across town against the Chicago White Sox as a -258 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9. Two MLB games start at 8:10 p.m. ET. The Atlanta Braves are in Colorado to play the Rockies as a -198 money-line road favorite with a total of 10.5. The Arizona Diamondbacks host the Philadelphia Phillies as a -115 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Los Angeles to play the Dodgers at 9:10 p.m. ET as a -120 money-line road favorite with a total of 8. The Seattle Mariners play at home against the New York Mets at 9:40 p.m. ET as a -130 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Week 10 in the Canadian Football League continues with one game. The Montreal Alouettes are at home against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on the CBS Sports Network at 7:00 p.m. ET as a 7-point favorite with a total of 49.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NFL, MLB and CFL Previews and Odds - 08/09/2024

by Big Al Staff

Friday, Aug 09, 2024

The Friday sports card features NFLX, MLB, and CFL action.The NFL preseason continues Week 1 with three games. Two NFL preseason games kick off at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Atlanta Falcons travel to Miami to play the Dolphins as a 2.5-point road favorite, with the total set at 38.5 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). The Houston Texans play in Pittsburgh against the Steelers on the NFL Network as a 2.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 37.5. The Philadelphia Eagles are in Baltimore to play the Ravens at 7:30 p.m. ET as a 1-point road favorite with a total of 34. Major League Baseball has 16 games on its schedule. The Cleveland Guardians visit Minnesota to play the Twins in the opening game of their doubleheader at 2:10 p.m. ET. Both teams are priced as a -110 money-line favorite at BetMGM with an over/under of 8. The Washington Nationals host the Los Angeles Angels at 6:45 p.m. ET as a -120 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Baltimore Orioles play in Tampa Bay against the Rays at 6:50 p.m. ET as a -125 money-line road favorite at BetMGM with a total of 7.5. The New York Yankees play at home against the Texas Rangers at 7:05 p.m. ET as a -175 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Toronto Blue Jays are at home against the Oakland A’s at 7:07 p.m. ET as a -135 money-line favorite at BetMGM with a total of 8.5. Two more MLB games throw out the first pitch at 7:10 p.m. ET. The San Diego Padres are in Miami to play the Marlins as a -142 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Boston Red Sox host the Houston Astros as a -125 money-line favorite with a total of 9.5. Four MLB games start at 8:10 p.m. ET. The Royals play at home against the Guardians in the second game of their doubleheader on Apple TV+ as a -148 money-line favorite at BetMGM with an over/under of 8. The Chicago Cubs travel across town against the Chicago Cubs as a -142 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The Milwaukee Brewers are at home against the Cincinnati Reds on Apple TV+ as a -135 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Atlanta Braves play in Colorado against the Rockies at 8:40 p.m. ET as a -166 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 11.The Philadelphia Phillies are in Arizona to play the Diamondbacks at 9:40 p.m. ET as a -162 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. Two more MLB games begin at 10:10 p.m. ET. The Seattle Mariners host the New York Mets as a -120 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The Los Angeles Dodgers play at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates as a -185 money-line favorite with a total of 8. The San Francisco Giants are home against the Detroit Tigers at 10:15 p.m. ET as a -200 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Week 10 in the Canadian Football League continues with one game. The Toronto Argonauts host the Calgary Stampeders at 7:30 p.m. ET as a 2-point favorite with a total of 49.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NFL, MLB and CFL Previews and Odds - 08/08/2024

by Big Al Staff

Thursday, Aug 08, 2024

The Thursday sports card features NFLX, MLB, and CFL action.The 2024 NFL preseason kicks off Week 1 with two games at 7:00 p.m. ET. The New York Giants host the Detroit Lions on the NFL Network. The Giants are a 3.5-point favorite with the total set at 34.5 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). The New England Patriots play at home against the Carolina Panthers. The Patriots are a 7-point favorite with an over/under of 33.5.Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The San Francisco Giants travel to Washington to play the Nationals at 12:05 p.m. ET. The Giants send out Kyle Harrison to face the Nationals’ D.J. Herz. San Francisco is a -120 money-line road favorite with a total of 9. The Atlanta Braves are at home against the Milwaukee Brewers at 12:20 p.m. ET. Charlie Morton takes the ball for the Braves to pitch against Frankie Montas for the Brewers. Atlanta is a -142 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Pittsburgh Pirates host the San Diego Padres at 12:35 p.m. ET. The Pirates turn to Luis L. Ortiz, Jr. to go against the Padres’ Randy Vasquez. Pittsburgh is a -115 money-line favorite at BetMGM with a total of 8.5. The New York Mets play in Colorado against the Rockies at 3:10 p.m. ET. The Mets tap David Peterson to challenge the Rockies’ Austin Gomber. New York is a -162 money-line favorite with an over/under of 11. The New York Yankees play at home against the Los Angeles Angels at 7:05 p.m. ET. Nestor Cortes, Jr. takes the hill for the Yankees to battle against Tyler Anderson for the Angels. New York is a -278 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Baltimore Orioles visit Toronto to play the Blue Jays at 7:07 p.m. ET. The Orioles send out Dean Kremer to duel against the Blue Jays’ Kevin Gausman. Baltimore is a -118 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9. The St. Louis Cardinals are at home against the Tampa Bay Rays at 7:15 p.m. ET. Kyle Gibson gets the ball for the Cardinals to face Shane Baz for the Rays. St. Louis is a -125 money-line favorite with a total of 8. The Seattle Mariners host the Detroit Tigers at 9:40 p.m. ET. The Mariners turn to Bryan Woo to pitch against a Tigers starting pitcher yet to be named. The Arizona Diamondbacks play at home against the Philadelphia Phillies at 9:40 p.m. ET. Jordan Montgomery gets the ball for the Diamondbacks to challenge Kolby Allard for the Phillies. Week 10 in the Canadian Football League kicks off with one game. The Ottawa Redblacks host the Saskatchewan Roughriders at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Redblacks are on a three-game winning streak after their 33-6 victory against Calgary as a 1-point favorite back on July 26th. The win raised their record to 5-3. The Roughriders lost for the third time in their last four games in a 42-31 upset loss at home against Edmonton as a 4.5-point favorite on Saturday. The loss lowered their record to 5-3. Ottawa is a 3-point favorite with a total of 48.5. 

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2024 NFL Football - NFC Conference Futures Wager

by Wayne Root

Wednesday, Aug 07, 2024

By Wayne Allyn RootCan you believe a bet on the Atlanta Falcons is a very wise and thought out wager at 12/1. As I was leaving the casino yesterday, an older gentleman was flashing a Super Bowl bet he just made on the Kansas City Chiefs. As he was touting his geniuses, while not knocking it, I knew there were teams with much better value in betting NFL futures. Remember that word: VALUE. Bet to win the NFC Conference I want to discuss betting the Atlanta Falcons to win the NFC regular season giving them home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The current odds pay 12/1. Atlanta’s offense will almost surely improve this season. Additionally, the Falcons finished as the only NFC South side with a winning record against playoff teams last season.Key: Strength of Schedule The Falcons have the easiest strength of schedule. That doesn’t necessarily mean that an over bet on number of wins has good value here until considering how they begin the season. If anything, they could struggle to start the season, playing a 2023 playoff team in 3 straight games to commence 2024.Key start to the season:New head coach Raheem Morris will face off against the man he replaced in the team’s Week 1 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Falcons will then play the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football in Week 2 and the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3.Kirk Cousins is the regular season answer. Before succumbing to injury last season, Cousins proved amongst the league’s best quarterbacks. Sample his first eight games, and bettors will find the Michigan State product produced a top rankings amongst quarterbacks with 200+ plays. He’s the Falcons starter. The Falcons should easily win their division.The NFC South is weak, and there really isn’t a solid QB in the entire division. While Cousins has been a strong option despite his struggles in the playoffs and in prime-time games, he’s still going to be the best option in the NFC South, making the Falcons to earn the outright bid a strong play. Their competition is basically Tampa Bay. New Orleans and Carolina won’t necessarily be in the hunt. Last season for the Vikings, Kirk Cousins had 2,331 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions. His completion percentage was 69.5% and he averaged 291.4 yards per game and 7.5 per attempt.Offense this year:Atlanta added Vikings’ QB Kirk Cousins in the offseason and then QB Michael Penix Jr. in the 1st round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Playmaking RB Bijan Robinson will spearhead the offense in 2024 and was the team’s 1st-round pick in the 2023 draft.Last year over 17 games, Bijan Robinson racked up 976 rushing yards and scored four rushing touchdowns. He averaged 57.4 yards per game and 4.6 per attempt (11th in the NFL). Robinson's offensive contributions include 58 receptions (3.4 per game) on 86 targets for 487 yards (28.6 per game) and four receiving touchdowns.Defense this year:In 2023, Jessie Bates III amassed 132 tackles, 3.0 TFL, and six interceptions over 17 games.Kaden Elliss had 4.0 sacks to go with 11.0 TFL and 122 tackles.Nathan Landman had 110 tackles, 7.0 TFL, two sacks, and one interception in the 2023 campaign.Richie Grant's season stats include 102 tackles, 3.0 TFL, three sacks, and one interception in 17 games.Odds to win NFC South DivisionWhile I am NOT betting the division race, these are the listed odds. Falcons -120 Buccaneers +290 Saints +340 Panthers +1400 New Coach: New pathsThe 2024 NFL schedule was released laying the path for the Atlanta Falcons to return to the playoffs following a six-year drought. Head coach Raheem Morris hasn’t shied away from expectations since being hired in January.The other three (3) divisions:As for a final thought, let’s look at the other three divisions and see if there are three teams out of four within their own division capable ofknocking each other off and costing them a shot a having the NFC’s best regular season record.  East:Philadelphia, Dallas the combination of Washington and NY Giants will costs the division champs a game or two.  North:This is the trickiest division. Chicago and Green Bay will be able to join Detroit in trading wins. However, the big advantage is the Lions play 14 games inside a dome.  West:San Francisco could have two other teams that can beat up on the 49ers and each other. The second best teams are the Rams with Arizona right behind. Remember that this is for the team that wins the NFC regular season and gets home field advantage for the playoffs. Kirk Cousins is not a candidate to continue his prowess of regular season victories and turn that success into a long run in the playoffs. But the VALUE is too much to pass up. 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB Previews and Odds - 08/07/2024

by Big Al Staff

Wednesday, Aug 07, 2024

The Wednesday sports card features MLB action. Major League Baseball has 17 games on its schedule.The Arizona Diamondbacks travel to Cleveland to play the Guardians in the opening game of their doubleheader at 1:10 p.m. ET. The Diamondbacks are a -135 money-line road favorite with the total set at 8 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). The Minnesota Twins play in Chicago against the Cubs at 2:20 p.m. ET. The Twins are a -148 money-line road favorite. The Houston Astros are in Texas to play the Rangers at 2:35 p.m. ET. The Astros are a -120 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9.The Oakland A’s host the Chicago White Sox at 3:37 p.m. ET. The A’s are a -218 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The New York Yankees play at home against the Los Angeles Angels in the first game of their doubleheader at 4:05 p.m. ET. The Yankees are a -275 money-line favorite at BetMGM with an over/under of 8.5. The Diamondbacks battle the Guardians in the second game of their doubleheader at 4:10 p.m. ET. Two MLB games throw out the first pitch at 6:40 p.m. ET. The San Diego Padres visit Pittsburgh to play the Pirates on FS1. The Padres tap Michael King to take the mound to pitch against Marco Gonzales for the Pirates. San Diego is a -155 money-line road favorite with a total of 8. The Cincinnati Reds play in Miami against the Marlins. The Reds are a -142 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The San Francisco Giants are in Washington to play the Nationals at 6:45 p.m. ET. The Giants are a -155 money-line road favorite with a total of 8. The Yankees take on the Angels in the second game of their doubleheader at 7:05 p.m. ET. New York is a -265 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Baltimore Orioles travel to Toronto to play the Blue Jays at 7:07 p.m. ET. The Orioles are a -155 money-line road favorite with a total of 8. The Atlanta Braves are at home against the Milwaukee Brewers at 7:20 p.m. ET. The Braves are a -162 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The St. Louis Cardinals host the Tampa Bay Rays at 7:45 p.m. ET. The Cardinals are a -118 money-line favorite with a total of 7.5. The Kansas City Royals play at home against the Boston Red Sox at 8:10 p.m. ET. The Royals are a -148 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The New York Mets play in Colorado against the Rockies at 8:40 p.m. ET. The Mets are a -162 money-line road favorite with a total of 11.5. The Seattle Mariners are at home against the Detroit Tigers at 9:40 p.m. ET. The Mariners are a -135 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6.5. The Los Angeles Dodgers host the Philadelphia Phillies at 10:10 p.m. ET. The Dodgers are a -135 money-line favorite with a total of 9.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB Previews and Odds - 08/06/2024

by Big Al Staff

Tuesday, Aug 06, 2024

The Tuesday sports card features MLB action. Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule.Three MLB games throw out the first pitch at 6:40 p.m. ET. Cleveland hosts Arizona with Ben Lively getting the ball for the Guardians to pitch against Eduardo Rodriguez coming off the injured list to make his season debut for the Diamondbacks. The Guardians are a -118 money-line favorite with the total set at 8 (all odds from DraftKings). San Diego travels to Pittsburgh with the Padres tapping Dylan Cease to face the Pirates’ Bailey Falter. The Padres are a -166 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8. Cincinnati plays in Miami with Nick Lodolo taking the mound for the Reds to go against Max Meyer for the Marlins. The Reds are a -155 money-line road favorite with a total of 8. The San Francisco Giants are in Washington to play the Nationals at 6:45 p.m. ET. The Giants turn to Hayden Birdsong to challenge the Nationals’ MacKenzie Gore. San Francisco is a -120 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9. The New York Yankees play at home against the Los Angeles Angels at 7:05 p.m. ET. Luis Gil gets the start for the Yankees to battle Davis Daniel for the Angels. New York is a -205 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Baltimore Orioles visit Toronto to play the Blue Jays at 7:07 p.m. ET. Grayson Rodriguez takes the hill for the Orioles to duel against Chris Bassitt for the Blue Jays. Baltimore is a -148 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Atlanta Braves are at home against the Milwaukee Brewers on TBS at 7:20 p.m. ET. The Braves send out Bryce Elder to face the Brewers’ Collin Rea. Atlanta is a -148 money-line favorite with a total of 7.5. The St. Louis Cardinals host the Tampa Bay Rays at 7:45 p.m. ET. Sonny Gray gets the ball for the Cardinals to pitch against Jeffrey Springs for the Rays. St. Louis is a -148 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Two MLB games start at 8:05 p.m. ET. Minnesota plays at Chicago with the Twins tapping Pablo Lopez to challenge the Cubs’ Shota Imanaga. The Twins are a -112 money-line road favorite with a total of 5.5. Houston is in Texas with Framber Valdez getting the ball for the Astros to battle Tyler Mahle for the Rangers. The Astros are a -122 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8. The Kansas City Royals play at home against the Boston Red Sox at 8:10 p.m. ET. The Royals tap Seth Lugo to go against the Red Sox’s Bryan Bello. Kansas City is a -135 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The New York Mets travel to Colorado to play the Rockies at 8:40 p.m. ET. Luis Severino takes the mound for the Mets to duel against Kyle Freeland for the Rockies. New York is a -162 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 11. Two MLB games begin at 9:40 p.m. ET. Oakland are at home against Chicago with the A’s sending out Ross Stripling to battle against the White Sox’s Jonathan Cannon. The A’s are a -185 money-line favorite with a total of 8. Seattle hosts Detroit with Luis Castillo getting the ball for the Mariners to face Keider Montero for the Tigers. The Mariners are a -218 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The Los Angeles Dodgers play at home against the Philadelphia Phillies at 10:10 p.m. ET. The Dodgers tap Clayton Kershaw to go against the Phillies’ Cristopher Sanchez. Los Angeles is a -112 money-line favorite with a total of 8.

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