Vegas Dave’s Dime

Here are my picks with the spread for Week 13.

Record to Date (Through Week 12): 92 - 80 - 4 (.535)

Record Last Week: 10 - 5 - 1

Full copy of the newsletter now posted: http://socaltrojan31.livejournal.com/

I send out a free email newsletter every week with my commentary and analysis on each game. If you’d like to receive it, just shoot me an email at vegasdavesdime@gmail.com!

THURSDAY

• Tennessee (-11.0) over @Detroit (+11.0)
• Seattle (+12.0) over @Dallas (-12.0)
• @Philadelphia (-3.0) over Arizona (+3.0)

SUNDAY

• @Green Bay (-3.0) over Carolina (+3.0)

• @Cleveland (+4.5) over Indianapolis (-4.5)

• Baltimore (-7.0) over @Cincinnati (+7.0)

• @Buffalo (-6.5) over San Francisco (+6.5)

• Denver (+7.5) over @New York Jets (-7.5)

• @Washington (+3.5) over New York Giants (-3.5)

• @Tampa Bay (-4.0) over New Orleans (+4.0)

• @St. Louis (+9.0) over Miami (-9.0)

• @San Diego (-4.0) over Atlanta (+4.0)

• @Oakland (-3.0) over Kansas City (+3.0)

• Pittsburgh (+1.0) over @New England (-1.0)

• Chicago (+3.5) over @Minnesota (-3.5)

MONDAY

• @Houston (-3.0) over Jacksonville (+3.0)

Record to Date (Through Week 11): 58 - 56 - 1 (.508)

Record Last Week: 4 - 5 - 0

TEX -35.0

AKR/TEMP OVER 57.5

USC +1.0

SMU +15.0

RICE +3.0

FLA -16.5

ORE +3.0

OSU +7.5

Was the botched lateral call an honest mistake, or did the refs do it on purpose?

Record to Date (Through Week 11): 54 - 51 - 1 (.514)

Record Last Week: 4 - 5 - 0

NCS +11.0

IND +12.0

RICE -9.0

NTU +20.5

IDA +23.5

WVU/LOU OVER 45.5

EMU/TEMP OVER 44.5

UCF/MEM UNDER 46.5

FAU/ASU OVER 51

New York Rangers offend me in their handling of the Alexei Cherepenov situation, and Los Angeles Kings fans prove that your voice still does count for something.

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 Standard Podcasts [11:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (7)

Record to Date (Through Week 11): 50 - 46 - 1 (.521)

Record Last Week: 3 - 5 - 1

NIU -4.0

TEX -13.0

OSU -3.0

USC -23.0

SDS 28.5

TULSA -4.0

MIA/VT UNDER 43.0

ND/Navy OVER 50.5

BSU/IDA UNDER 59.5

How I feel about DeAngelo Hall being waived, the current state of the Raiders, and what players are irreplaceable.

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Here are my picks with the spread for Week 10.

Record to Date (Through Week 9): 67 - 60 - 3 (.528)

Record Last Week: 4 - 10 - 0

Full copy of the newsletter now posted: http://socaltrojan31.livejournal.com/

I send out a free email newsletter every week with my commentary and analysis on each game. If you’d like to receive it, just shoot me an email at vegasdavesdime@gmail.com!

THURSDAY

• Denver (+3.0) over Cleveland (-3.0) WIN

SUNDAY

• @Chicago (+3.0) over Tennessee (-3.0) LOSS
• @Detroit (+6.5) over Jacksonville (-6.5) LOSS
• @Miami (-8.0) over Seattle (+8.0) LOSS
• Green Bay (+2.5) over @Minnesota (-2.5) WIN
• Baltimore over @Houston (Pick’em) WIN
• St. Louis (+9.0) over @New York Jets (-9.0) LOSS
• New Orleans (+1.5) over @Atlanta (-1.5) LOSS
• Buffalo (+3.5) over @New England (-3.5) LOSS
• Carolina (-9.5) over @Oakland (+9.5) WIN
• Indianapolis (+3.0) over @Pittsburgh (-3.0) WIN
• Kansas City (+15.5) over @San Diego (-15.5) WIN
• @Philadelphia (-3.0) over New York Giants (+3.0) LOSS

MONDAY

• @Arizona (-9.5) over San Francisco (+9.5) LOSS

RESULTS: 6 - 8 - 0

Record to Date (Through Week 9): 47 - 41 - 0 (.534)

Record Last Week: 3 - 4 - 0

NIU +9.5

ARK +12.0

ARMY +11.0

AZ -41.0

ASU -2.5

ASU -14.0

Tol/Akr OVER 54.5

SM/UCF OVER 49.5

Tul/Hou OVER 56.0

Here are my picks with the spread for Week 8.

Record to Date (Through Week 8 ): 63 - 50 - 3 (.558)

Record Last Week: 10 - 3 - 1

I send out a free email newsletter every week with my commentary and analysis on each game. If you’d like to receive it, just shoot me an email at vegasdavesdime@gmail.com!

SUNDAY

• New York Jets (+5.5) over @Buffalo (-5.5) WIN
• @Chicago (-12.5) over Detroit (+12.5) LOSS
• Jacksonville (-7.5) over @Cincinnati (+7.5) LOSS
• Baltimore (+1.5) over @Cleveland (-1.5) WIN
• Tampa Bay (-9.0) over @Kansas City (+9.0) LOSS
• Houston (+4.5) over @Minnesota (-4.5) LOSS
• Arizona (-3.0) over @St. Louis (+3.0) WIN
• @Tennessee (-4.5) over Green Bay (+4.5) LOSS
• Miami (+3.0) over @Denver (-3.0) WIN
• Dallas (+9.0) over @New York Giants (-9.0) LOSS
• @Oakland (+3.0) over Atlanta (-3.0) LOSS
• @Seattle (+6.5) over Philadelphia (-6.5) LOSS
• @Indianapolis (-6.0) over New England (+6.0) LOSS

MONDAY

• @Washington (-2.0) over Pittsburgh (+2.0) LOSS

RESULTS: 4 - 10 - 0

(more…)

Record to Date (Through Week 9): 44 - 37 - 0 (.543)

Record Last Week: 5 - 4 - 0

ASU +23.0

MIZ -20.0

ISU +31.0

USC -44.0

LOU -13.5

TTU +4.0

RICE -2.0

RESULTS: 3 - 4 - 0

Here are my picks with the spread for Week 8.

Record to Date (Through Week 7): 53 - 47 - 2 (.530)

Record Last Week: 7 - 7 - 0

Full copy of the newsletter now posted: http://socaltrojan31.livejournal.com/

I send out a free email newsletter every week with my commentary and analysis on each game. If you’d like to receive it, just shoot me an email at vegasdavesdime@gmail.com!

SUNDAY

• @Baltimore (-7.0) over Oakland (+7.0) WIN
• @Carolina (-4.0) over Arizona (+4.0) TIE
• Tampa Bay (+2.0) over @Dallas (-2.0) LOSS
• Washington (-7.5) over @Detroit (+7.5) WIN
• @Miami (+1.0) over Buffalo (-1.0) WIN
• @New England (-7.5) over St. Louis (+7.5) LOSS
• @New Orleans (+3.0) over San Diego (-3.0) WIN
• @Philadelphia (-9.0) over Atlanta (+9.0) WIN
• @N.Y. Jets (-13.5) over Kansas City (+13.5) LOSS
• Cleveland (+7.0) over @Jacksonville (-7.0) WIN
• @Houston (-9.0) over Cincinnati (+9.0) WIN
• N.Y. Giants (+3.0) over @Pittsburgh (-3.0) WIN
• Seattle (+5.5) over @San Francisco (-5.5) WIN

MONDAY

• @Tennessee (-4.0) over Indianapolis (+4.0) WIN

RESULTS: 10 - 3 - 1

Recapping how they got here and how great of a series this should be.

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Record to Date (Through Week : 39 - 33 - 0 (.542)

Record Last Week: 6 - 4 - 0

FRES -16.0

USF -4.0

TCU -31.0

MIZ -21.0

USC -16.0

TULSA -23.0

TTU/KU OVER 66.0

UCLA/CAL OVER 51.0

SMU/NAVY OVER 62.5

RESULTS 5 - 4 - 0

MLB WORLD SERIES

Philadelphia Phillies VS. Tampa Bay Rays

How can you handicap homeruns?

The Tampa Bay Rays are the popular pick, and it isn’t too hard to see why. The team is a force from top to bottom; they have an excellent lineup, a downright scary pitching staff with the emergence of Matt Garza to tack on to the 1 – 2 punch of Scott Kazmir and James Shields, and a bullpen that just got even better with David Price pulling an ’06 Adam Wainwright and stepping beautifully into the closer role.

But can you really shrug off the Phillies? Does Rollins / Werth / Utley / Howard / Burrell / Victorino / Feliz NOT strike fear into you? Not to mention, as good as Kazmir / Shields / Garza may be, it is hard to argue that Cole Hamels isn’t the best pitcher in this series, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if we saw him more than just twice in this series if it goes long enough. Brett Myers started the season off rough, had trouble in the bullpen and even spent time in the minors, but he returned to form in the 2nd half with a 7 – 4 record with a sparkling 3.06 ERA. Moyer and Blanton aren’t nearly as electric, but both are capable of eating innings. This staff should definitely be able to keep Philadelphia close all series long… which brings me back to my opening question.

How can you handicap homeruns?

I think these teams match up very well, more so then what people seem to be giving Philadelphia credit for. What the Rays can do with smart base running and timely hitting, the Phils can do with one swing of the bat. And that isn’t to say that the Phils can’t manufacture runs the old fashion way or the Rays can’t hit the long ball; I’m simply pointing out these team’s strengths.

So once again, I provide you with another meaningless write-up, telling you how evenly matched the teams are. I’d love to tell you why one team is so much better than the other that this will be an easy series to predict, but I just don’t see it. I haven’t seen it all October; I’m 2 – 4 on predicting series so far this year. Just goes to show you how good and evenly matched the baseball has been.

This time, I’m going to have to go with the Phillies. While I think the Rays might be the slightly better team, I see Hamels taking game one in Tampa Bay. That means (assuming Myers loses, which isn’t an easy assumption) that the series goes back to Philly tied up at 1 – 1, and I just have to believe the championship-deprived-crazed-madman atmosphere is going to be so completely nuts there that the Phillies will find a way to grab 2 out of 3. That would give them two chances to put it away; but putting away the Rays isn’t going to be easy. Wait, who am I taking again?

PREDICTION: Phillies in 6

Here are my picks with the spread for Week 6.

Record to Date (Through Week 6): 46 - 40 - 2 (.535)

Record Last Week: 6 - 8 - 1

Full copy of the newsletter now posted: http://socaltrojan31.livejournal.com/

I send out a free email newsletter every week with my commentary and analysis on each game. If you’d like to receive it, just shoot me an email at vegasdavesdime@gmail.com!

SUNDAY

• @Buffalo (-1.0) over San Diego (+1.0) WIN
• @Carolina (-3.0) over New Orleans (+3.0) WIN
• @Chicago (-3.0) over Minnesota (+3.0) WIN
• @Cincinnati (+9.5) over Pittsburgh (-9.5) LOSS
• Tennessee (-9.0) over @Kansas City (+9.0) WIN
• Baltimore (+3.0) over @Miami (-3.0) WIN
• @New York Giants (-10.5) over San Francisco (+10.5) WIN
• Dallas (-7.0) over @St. Louis (+7.0) LOSS
• @Houston (-9.5) over Detroit (+9.5) LOSS
• Indianapolis (-1.0) over @Green Bay (+1.0) LOSS
• @Oakland (+3.0) over New York Jets (-3.0) WIN
• @Washington (-7.5) over Cleveland (+7.5) LOSS
• @Tampa Bay (-10.5) over Seattle (+10.5) LOSS

MONDAY

• Denver (+3.0) over @New England (-3.0) LOSS

Way too many favorites, I know. I just have good reason to believe they will bring their A games this week and the spreads seem manageable. I’m sure some dogs will cover, but hopefully not too many or I’m in trouble!

RESULTS: 7 - 7 - 0

Record to Date (Through Week 7): 33 - 29 - 0 (.532)

Record Last Week: 3 - 5 - 0

HAW +24.5

UGA -15.0

RICE -3.0

OSU -3.0

NIU -7.5

PSU -23.0

NTU +18.5

IDA +20.5

VT +2.5

HOU -13.0

RESULTS: 6 - 4 - 0