Spooky's kentucky derby week express

[Spooky]

Figure I would post a few pieces of trivial shit here at the forum if anyone cares. If this is not acceptable please just let me know.

Monday six-pack

-- Astros are 8-2 since losing their first eight games; Pirates went 0-6 this week, outscored 55-9. Yikes.

-- Coyotes are 0-4 in Game 7's; they haven't won playoff series since 1987, when they were the Winnipeg Jets. They host Detroit in Game 7 this week; Red Wings are 12-8 in Game 7's.

-- Al Pacino turned 70 years old Sunday. Time goes by quickly.

-- If you had ticket for Sunday's rain-shortened Met game, you can get another ticket to a game in either the Padre or Tiger series in June.

-- Iowa State coach Greg McDermott is jumping off the Cyclones' ship a year before he gets pushed to take the Creighton job that opened after Dana Altman left for Oregon.

-- Orioles are 2-1 on Sundays, 1-15 the other six days of the week.

[Spooky]

Monday's List of 13: What if??????

The course of history changes on one event; sometmes its fun to think about how things would be different if certain things hadn't happened

13) What if the Colts had drafted Ryan Leaf instead of Peyton Manning? Trust me, there were lot of people back then who thought they should.

12) What if John Elway had agreed to play for the Baltimore Colts and the team had never moved to Indianapolis? Would Art Modell had moved the Browns to Indiana?

11) What if Fidel Castro had signed as a pitcher for Washington Senators back in the mid-40's?

10) What if Portland Trailblazers drafted Michael Jordan instead of the oft-injured Sam Bowie?

9) What if Mookie Wilson's ground ball hadn't rolled thru Bill Buckner's legs in the ninth inning of Game 6 of the '86 World Series?

8) What if Larry Bird had stayed at Indiana, instead of leaving after only 24 days in the fall of '74? He later transferred to Indiana State, led ISU to the Final Four and together with Magic Johnson boosted both pro, college basketball in the late 70's and 80's.

7) What if Mike Price had signed his contract to coach Alabama before he gave those strippers the school's credit card to order breakfast with? He is a good coach, lot better than Mike Shula but not as good as Nick Saban. I am thinking Bama is better off in the long run, and so is UTEP, which is where Price wound up coaching football.

6) What if Saban had signed Drew Brees for the Dolphins instead of going with Daunte Culpepper? Would he still be coaching in Miami?

5) What if the 49ers fired Bill Walsh when he was 8-24 after two years? In today's climate, that very well could have happened.

4) What if Scott Norwood had made that field goal in Super Bowl XXV? How many Super Bowls would those Bills have won?

3) What if Wally Pipp had never gotten sick? What would Lou Gehrig have done?

2) What if Richard Nixon had said yes when he was offered the job as baseball commissioner in the early 60's?

1) What if Holy Cross hadn't turned down an offer to become a charter member of the Big East? Their basketball program would have made ton of money over the last 30 years, instead of being in the Patriot League.

[Spooky]

Another manic monday List of 13: Clearing out a cluttered mind........

13) Oakland Raiders had a good weekend, trading for Jason Campbell and actually making draft choices that made sense. They'll be better in 2010.

12) The most under-reported aspect of the NFL is the wild scramble for free agents that happens after right the draft. Some of the notable players that were undrafted but now have teams are..........
-- Freddie Barnes, WR-- Bowling Green/Bears-- Put up huge numbers.
-- Max Hall, QB-- BYU/Cardinals-- Danny White's nephew.
-- Jevan Snead, QB-- Ole Miss/Bucs-- Had an awful junior season.
-- Stafon Johnson, RB-- USC/Titans- Had larynx crushed in weightroom accident, is lucky to be alive. Titans coach Fisher is a USC alum.
-- Ryan Perriloux, QB-- Jacksonville State/Vikings-- Was LSU QB once upon a time, back when LSU actually had good quarterbacks.
-- Kyle Bosworth, LB-- UCLA/Jaguars-- Nephew of Brian Bosworth.

11) Atlanta Brave leadoff hitters are 6-74 (.082) so far this season.

10) Since 2000, Bronx Bombers fare worst at Anaheim Stadium (21-28) and the Oakland Coliseum (21-21).

9) According to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, 27 million people will spend roughly $4 billion on fantasy sports this year; that info comes from espn.com. Some of that money is mine.......

8) WR Emmanuel Sanders of SMU is highest-drafted Mustang since '87.

7) NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock lost his voice Saturday, so Texas coach Mack Brown got lot more airtime than he expected, and he did real well, from what I'm told. Bet lot of other college coaches won't be too happy that Brown got himself a whole lot of free facetime on TV.

6) Barry Zito is 3-0, 1.32 in four starts this year, as he tries to salt away Comeback Player of the Year before Memorial Day.

5) John Maine left Friday's start with soreness in his left shoulder, which prevented him from going any further. One small problem......

Maine is righthanded. Go figure.

4) Houston Texans' 4th-round draft pick was LB Darryl Sharpton, who is the nephew of Reverend Al Sharpton.

3) Name of Day; Eagles signed a WR from Chattanooga: Blue Cooper.

2) Oregon finally hired a basketball coach, tabbing Dana Altman from the Creighton Bluejays; considering how long it took them and how many of the higher-profile coaches turned them down, this is a good hire. Three years ago, Altman left Creighton for Arkansas, but changed his mind later that week and scurried back to Omaha. Hope that doesn't happen again.

1) The NFL scored big with the new draft format; I didn't hear a single complaint about it, other than contrarian Mark Cuban, who just likes to see his name in the headlines every so often. Well done show, with lot of little added touches to make the draft more entertaining to a casual fan.

[Spooky]

Tuesday six-pack

-- NBA attendance was down 2% this season, not as bad as projections before the season.

-- After 19 games, Cincinnati Reds have one win from a starting pitcher.

-- If you invest in baseball totals, keep in mind that under is 29-15-2 on Saturdays after three weeks this season.

-- Josh Beckett has a 7.22 RA after five starts this season; he had 7.22 ERA last April too. Guess he doesn't like April.

-- Cabrera/Inge hit back-to-back solo HRs in 9th inning, as Tigers won the finale of a four-game series in Arlington, 8-6 over the Rangers.

-- TV ratings for the NFL Draft wound up being 27% higher this year.

[Spooky]

Spooky's wagering tips for Tuesday

Lines off the board

Pittsburgh Pirates at Milwaukee Brewers – The Pirates starting pitcher has yet to be announced.

The total in the Nationals-Cubs game hasn’t been posted because the wind speed and direction at Wrigley Field is tough to predict in advance.

Lines to keep an eye on

The Lakers were humbled in Oklahoma City and the series heads back to L.A. on Tuesday tied 2-2. Kobe and Crew opened up as 5-point favorites but that spread has been bet up to 6 at most shops.

An opening total of 7.5 in the second game of the Dodgers-Mets game has been bet up to 8. If the bullpens are used heavily in Game 1 then there could be some runs in the latter part of Game 2.

The total in the Yankees-Orioles game has dropped a half run from its opener and now stands at 8.5. These two teams have played to the over in four straight.

Most books are offering a total of 8.5 for the Red Sox-Blue Jays matchup after opening at 9. The last three games in this series prior to Monday had gone over.

The total in the Padres-Marlins game has elevated a half run from its opener and now stands at 8.5. The last three games in this series prior to Monday had gone over.

Texas surfaced as a -118 home favorite over the White Sox but that number can be found as high as -133 in some markets now.

Weather report

The forecast calls for a 90 percent chance of rain in the Phillies-Giants game Tuesday. Wind will be blowing out to left field at 17 mph. San Francisco had played to six straight unders going into Monday.

Rain postponed the Dodgers-Mets Monday night game and it has been rescheduled for 4:10 p.m. (ET) Tuesday as the first leg of a doubleheader.

Who’s hot

Oklahoma City has covered the spread in three consecutive games and is getting 6 points Tuesday.

The Coyotes haven’t been favored once in the playoff series versus Detroit and earned 4.71 units in three upset wins.

The Mets are on a four-game winning streak, collecting 4.44 units on the moneyline.

Who’s not

Miami has gone 1-3 ATS during its playoff series with Boston.

The Pirates have dropped six straight, losing a total of 6.00 units as the underdog in each.

Atlanta was 0-5 SU in its last five games heading into Monday’s action.

Key stat

8 – Number of NBA teams out of 189 that have come back to win a playoff series after falling behind three games to one. The Mavericks, Nuggets, Heat and Bulls are in that situation this postseason.

Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked

The Rockies placed outfielder Brad Hawpe on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday. Hawpe has a strained left quadriceps that forced him out of the opener of saturday's doubleheader. He is hitting .357 with three homers and seven RBI this season but has been limited to 42 at-bats. Seth Smith filled in for Hawpe on Sunday and drove in four runs behind 2-of-3 hitting and scored twice. Colorado recalled second baseman Eric Young Jr. from Triple-A to take Hawpe’s spot on the roster.

Games of the Day

Detroit Red Wings at Phoenix Coyotes (+100, 5)

Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Lakers (-6, 194.5)

Notable quotable

"If [Ryan] Howard is worth $25 million, [Albert] Pujols is worth $50 million a year."

-- ESPN's Keith Law on the five-year, $125 million Ryan Howard contract extension the Phillies completed Monday.

Tips and notes

- The Mavericks face a 3-1 playoff series deficit and you know the odds against them after reading the key stat above. But Dallas has two team members that were a part of two of those eight teams to come back and win a series down 3-1. Shawn Marion did it in 2006 with the Suns and Rick Carlisle did it in 2003 when he was head coach of the Pistons. Marion’s Suns were favored by seven points in Game 5 of that series and won by 17 while Carlisle’s Pistons were 6-point home chalk and won by 21. Both of those teams went 3-0 ATS in their three wins to take the series.

- The Tigers are considering adding a 13th pitcher to the staff. Heading into Monday’s action, Detroit’s bullpen had pitched 33.2 innings over the last 10 days (10 games). Manager Jim Leyland said, "We've taxed our bullpen way too much," which could lead to a demotion of a position player and a callup of a relief pitcher. If you’re looking to back Justin Verlander and the Tigers on Tuesday, it might be wise to look at a fifth-inning line so the bet doesn’t end up in the hands of the bullpen.

- After Zack Greinke’s last start, it was reported that the Royals ace threw 75 percent fastballs in the game. He was effective, striking out eight and giving up two earned runs in the win, but Greinke had never pitched more than 65 percent fastballs in a start prior to that. This suggests that the reigning AL Cy Young winner isn’t confident throwing his other pitches right now and opposing lineups will take notice. Kansas City is a -165 favorite at home Tuesday.

[LosEndos]

Thanks for that. I have been betting on US sports for some 5 years now.

None of the above makes any sense to me!

(as he sticks a couple of $k on Washington, Kansas -1.5 and Detroit -1.5)

[Spooky]

Thanks for that. I have been betting on US sports for some 5 years now.

None of the above makes any sense to me!

(as he sticks a couple of $k on Washington, Kansas -1.5 and Detroit -1.5)

LOL

I will post some stuff daily to really confuse you.
Wait till the World Cup and I really confuse myself.

Good Luck on your plays!!

[Spooky]

Wednesday six-pack

-- Through three weeks of baseball, 19 of 30 big league teams have seen their attendance drop from LY. Small sample size, but still........

-- Iowa State acted quickly, hired alumnus Fred Hoiberg as hoop coach; he was in the front office with the Timberwolves. Hoiberg was popular as an Iowa State player; so popular, his nickname was "The Mayor".

-- Joe Torre owns 10% of a horse called Homeboykris that is a longshot in the Kentucky Derby Saturday.

-- Josh Johnson, Yovani Gallardo both had three RBI Monday; the last time two starting pitchers had three RBI on same night was May 15, 1984, (Lollar and Andujar).

-- St John's basketball coach Steve Lavin was supposed to throw out the first ball at the Dodger-Met game Monday, but got rained out.

-- Red Sox signed a 22-year old Cuban catcher named Adalberto Ibarra who is very highly regarded and could be in the big leagues soon.

[Spooky]

Wednesday's List of 13: Clearing out a cluttered mind........

13) Gregg Popovich has won four NBA titles in 13 years with the Spurs; he played college ball at the Air Force Academy; my question is why has he not been given the chance to coach our Olympic basketball team? You telling me he isn't as qualified (or more so) than Mike Krzyzewski? Bull.

12) Starting July 1, 2011, for the next 25 years, the Mets will send Bobby Bonilla a check for $1,193,248.20 every year. Deferred compensation is a wonderful thing. Bonilla should go see his agent every July 1 and give the guy a great big hug. Wow.

11) The house Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt grew up in was destroyed by a tornado last weekend; luckily, his mom is OK, but Oswalt left the Astros for a few days this week to help clean up the mess.

10) The last time NL games were higher scoring than AL games was 1974 but so far this season, thats the case.

9) NL third basemen are hitting 40 points higher than year than AL 3Bs.

8) Andruw Jones, Alex Rios hit consecutive walk-off HRs for White Sox last weekend; the last time the Pale Hose had consecutive walk-off taters was in a doubleheader on July 25, 1967 (JC Martin/Ken Berry).

7) One of the worst rules in sports is that rain can shorten a baseball game to five innings; every game should go nine, even if it is suspended.

6) From category "Those who don't study history are doomed to repeat it": Javier Vazquez is 1-3, 9.00 so far for the Bronx Bombers. Vazquez is a good pitcher, but was lousy the last time he pitched for Bronx. Why did people think this time would be any different?

5) First five guys Kansas City Chiefs drafted last week were all captains of their college teams last season. Probably not a coincidence.

4) The success of former basketball stars Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates as NFL tight ends paves the way for guys like Fendi Onobun to get a shot at playing pro football. Onobun wasn't a star hooper at Arizona, but he played four years, is 6-5 and runs a sub-4.5 40-yard dash. He caught two passes and blocked two PATs for the Houston Cougars last season. He'll be given a chance to help the Rams in the red zone this season.

3) Is Ike Davis the NL MVP (no, but.....)? Mets won eight of nine on this homestand since they brought Davis up from Buffalo.

2) Rutgers is the only BCS school that still has a basketball coaching job open; if they're smart, they'll hire almunus Eddie Jordan, who coached in the NBA and is by far the most qualified candidate.

1) Battle of first place teams in AL drew a gathering crowd of just 10,825 Tuesday night, not a great sign for baseball in the Bay Area. San Antonio and the Carolinas lurk for teams that might want to jump ship. Not sure if Las Vegas would be a good place for a big league ballclub, or even if they'd want a major league team, but Tampa/St Pete doesn't seem to want one.

[Spooky]

Thursday List of 13: Nobody asked me, but.........

13) Horrible news for Denver Broncos, losing their best OL Ryan Clady to a torn patellar tendon; looks like he won't play at all in 2010. Clady got hurt playing pickup basketball.

12) Timing is everything: If this injury happens last week, Denver takes a lineman in the draft, and probably doesn't trade three draft picks so they can go for Tim Tebow is the first round.

11) You can bet on anything: You can get 50-1 that Tebow starts for the Broncos in Week 1; over/under on Tebow rushing TDs in 2010: 1.5

10) There will be 35 bowl games in December/January, which means of the 120 Division I college football teams, 70 of them are going bowling. It also means the other fifty coaches' jobs will be in jeopardy.

9) Santa Clara County in California has outlawed Happy Meals, citing a rising obesity rate in children. Whats next, no more Santa Claus?

8) Former USC and Los Angeles Rams Coach John Robinson is returning to the sideline, this time as a high school coach. Robinson has been hired as the defensive coordinator at San Marcos High. Robinson lives in the area, has grandchildren growing up; he asked the head coach if he needed any help, the coach said yes, and so Robinson signed on, further proof that coaching is indeed addictive, but this time in a good way.

7) Speaking of the Rams, they are retiring number 13 this fall, right?

6) Last season, Buffalo Bills started five different left tackles, but didn't draft one last week until the fifth round. Most teams consider their left tackle to be one of the five or six most important players on the team, but apparently the Bills aren't one of those teams.

5) Magglio Ordonez is now 22-45 in his career against Scott Baker.

4) Pirates have already used eight starting pitchers; their 0-7 stretch last week, when they were outscored 72-12, was the worst by any team since the 1901 New York Giants, who were outscored 90-27 in one stretch.

Since then, the Pirates have won their last two games.

3) Ryan Doumit homered off Trevor Hoffman in ninth inning for second day in a row; Hoffman's ERA is 13.00; Brewers have lost five of last six games, with only win in that stretch by an unlikely 17-3 score.

2) Washington Nationals' prospect Steven Strasburg is dominating the AA Eastern League; in 17.1 IP, he's allowed one earned run, while striking out 23 guys with only three walks. He'll be in the major leagues soon.

1) It is April 29, and Mark Teixeira is hitting .133.