World Cup 2014 Team Spotlight – Mexico
Team Mexico heads to the World Cup in Brazil in a familiar position – with a ton of promise but questions whether or not they can advance past the Group stage.
Author: DaveB
Dave B has been a Fantasy Football writer for us for 10 years. A couch potato wannabe, Dave’s insights have been read by 10’s of people for years. He hope’s for world peace + global relaxation. Enjoy and remember only smoke things that are completely natural.
Gambling on NFL Futures?
2014 AFC West Division Outlook – Denver’s Division to Lose
The NFL season is right around the corner – the draft and rookie camps are a thing of the past. Although position battles have yet to be determined there are some definite favorites in each division based on projected roster alone – the AFC West is absolutely no exception.
Betting on NFL Futures?
NFC West Division Outlook – Seahawks and 49ers Poised for Another Showdown
Summer is officially upon us – the NFL draft is over and teams have already held rookie camps. Yes folks, the NFL season may seem far away but it will creep up on us quicker than we can expect. Simply put – it is never too early to start talking about the teams we should keep our eyes on.
Memorial Betting
The PGA pros will tee it up from Muirfield in Dublin, Ohio – the site of the Memorial Tournament since 1976. Muirfield Village has been the hardest par 72 in a non-major two years running.
Kings vs Hawks Playoff Betting?
Kings Look to Put Blackhawks Away – Game 5 Wednesday Night
The Chicago Blackhawks return home Wednesday night in an unforeseen hole – down 3-1 against a Los Angeles Kings team that has looked unstoppable since the third period of Game 2. Since that time Los Angeles has outscored the Blackhawks 14-6 and have beaten Chicago in virtually every aspect of every game.
World Cup 2014 Team Spotlight – Netherlands
The defending runner-up in the 2010 World Cup Holland begins this year’s edition of the World Cup looking a tad underwhelming after an early exit in Euro 2012 – a tournament in which they lost every game in the Group stage.
World Cup 2014 Team Spotlight – Spain
The defending World Cup and Euro 2008 and 2012 champions Spain find themselves in a familiar spot as the 2014 World Cup approaches.
Hawks vs. Kings Playoff Betting?
Kings Look For Commanding Lead – Host Blackhawks in Game 5 Monday
Full marks to the Los Angeles Kings so far in the Western Conference – they lead 2-1 and have outscored the Blackhawks 10-4 in the past five periods. The Blackhawks have some work to do – the Kings have been the better team in all three games of the series so far and LA’s second line has been absolutely lights out!
Hawks vs. Kings Playoff Betting?
Blackhawks Look For Huge Bounce Back – Visit Los Angeles in Game 3
I guess you could say that the Chicago Blackhawks were due for a bad game – but six unanswered goals against in the final 22 minutes of Game 2 – come on! Los Angeles has a ton of momentum going into Game 3 – to say the least while the Hawks should be an angry club after not showing up when it counted in Game 2.
World Cup Futures Betting: Group B
Group B of the 2014 World Cup features the two teams that played for the Title in 2010 – Spain and the Holland will re-acquaint themselves early in the tournament this year as they compete for Group B supremacy. The squads face each other in their first matches of the tournament this year!
UFC 173 Preview and Picks
UFC 173 Preview and Picks For a Stacked Card in Vegas
The UFC has put together another typically stellar card for this weekend in Vegas. The Bantamweight Title will be on the line, Dan Henderson will be looking to cement his legacy with a win over the undefeated Daniel Cormier, a pair of Welterweight will be looking to keep their names in the Title picture and a pair of fights in the lower weight classes will get us primed for what should be three quality bouts to close out the evening.
UFC 173: Barao vs. Dillashaw
Date: May 24, 2014
Time: 10pm ET/7pm PT
Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Broadcast: Pay-per-view, Fox Sports 1, UFC Fight Pass
UFC Odds From Bovada
Main Card
Renan Barao (32-1-0): -800
T.J. Dillashaw (9-2-0): +575
TJ Dillishaw steps in for injured Raphael Assuncao for the opportunity of his career – a title shot against Renan Barao – a fighter that hasn’t lost since April, 2005. You will search long and hard to find anyone giving Dillishaw a chance in this fight – me included.
Barao is an absolute nightmare to face – not only does he have a black belt in jiu-jitsu, his varied striking is some of the best in the organization. He can hit you and hurt you with both hands, both legs and both knees. He can and will do damage standing and IF you can get him to the ground (that’s a huge IF), you will be dealing with a fighter as comfortable looking for a submission as he is knocking you out.
Dillishaw has skills – don’t get me wrong. He is a former NCAA Division 1 wrestler that has never been taken down in his MMA career. His conditioning is top tier and his striking has improved immensely over the last couple of years. Dillishaw has to hope to be one of the few that can drag Barao down to the mat and control him there – I don’t see that happening.
TJ Dillishaw is a tough guy but Barao is on a completely different level at this point in time. Nobody has touched him in nearly 10 years! Dillishaw’s improved striking will help drag this fight out a little bit but in the end, standing and banging with Barao will prove to be his undoing. Nobody has hung with Renan Barao the last decade; I don’t expect Dillishaw to either!
Pick: Renan Barao -800
Daniel Cormier (14-0-0): -900
Dan Henderson (30-11-0): +650
The co-main event of the evening may be more intriguing than the main event – undefeated Daniel Cormier will try to knock off the legend Dan Henderson. Henderson will bring his patented right hand to the Octagon as well as a fading set of wrestling skills. Hendo looks to be in tough however against a fighter with a similar skillset but a younger, slightly more athletic makeup.
Cormier will have a huge size advantage as he makes his second appearance as a Light Heavyweight after fighting at Heavyweight for the bulk of his career. Cormier may also have the wrestling advantage against his 43 year old opponent.
While I think Henderson makes it all three rounds in this fight, I see him getting frustrated with the smothering style of Cormier. Expect Cormier to press Henderson against the fence and dirty box his way to a decision win. It certainly won’t be pretty but it should be another victory for a still-undefeated Cormier.
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Pick: Daniel Cormier -900
Jake Ellenberger (29-7-0): +190
Robbie Lawler (22-10-0): -225
A pair of knockout artists throw down in the third match of the pay-per-view card Saturday. Fighters looking to stay relevant in the Welterweight division square off – someone is likely to have their night end early in this one.
18 of Lawler’s 22 wins have come by knockout while 18 of Ellenberger’s 29 wins have come the same way – no reason to think differently about the outcome of this fight! Ellenberger didn’t look great in his last fight against Rory MacDonald while Lawler has won three of his last four fights – the only loss over that span coming to Johny Hendricks for the vacated Title – there is certainly no shame in that!
Lawler, assuming that he has gotten over his most recent loss is the better all around fighter in this one with a whole lot more to prove. Take him to knock Ellenberger out in the second round.
Pick: Robbie Lawler -225
Takeya Mizugaki (19-7-2): -175
Francisco Rivera (10-2-0): +150
Bantamweights take to the Octagon looking to make a little noise in the division when Takeya Mizugaki who is on a four fight win streak takes on Francisco Rivera whose six fight win streak came to a halt when he tested positive for a banned substance last time out after his KO win against Ronald Delorme.
While Rivera’s recent run has been impressive, he has gotten it done against lesser competition – the only time he has stepped up Rivera has been beaten down. Mizugaki on the other hand has been consistently facing top competition – two of his last four wins have come against top 15 guys.
Mizugaki’s experience over top tier guys will be the difference in this one – Rivera’s few steps up in competition haven’t gone so well – expect more of the same Saturday.
Pick: Takeya Mizugaki -175
James Krause (20-5-0): +145
Jamie Varner (21-9-1): -175
Lightweights kick off the pay-per-view card Saturday when James Krause takes on former WEC Lightweight champ Jamie Varner. Both fighters will be looking to climb up the ladder in the UFC hopefully securing a top 15 or even top 10 spot with a win. Both fighters are coming off losses and both need a strong rebound just to remain relevant in arguably the UFC’s toughest division.
Varner has lost three of his last four fights heading into Saturday night’s action while Krause’s only loss in the UFC came in controversial fashion – due to a possible low blow on a body kick against Bobby Green. Krause however brings with him an all-around skill set – he is as good on the ground as he is standing
Varner looks like the better fighter ahead of Saturday night’s showdown – he will have the experience edge against top competition and the reality that he may be fighting for his job in the organization. But with desperation comes carelessness – look tor Krause to jump on a few opportunities Varner gives up.
James Krauss and Jamie Varner are close on paper but the pressure in this fight is squarely on Jamie Varner. I think it will be too much as a care-free James Krauss posts the biggest win of his career.
Pick: James Krause +145
Preliminary Card
Michael Chiesa (10-1-0): -135 vs. Francisco Trinaldo (14-3-0): +115
Pick: Michael Chiesa -135
Tony Ferguson (14-3-0): -270 vs. Katsunori Kikuno (22-5-2): +230
Pick: Tony Ferguson -270
Chico Camus (14-4-0): +295 vs. Chris Holdsworth (5-0-0): -360
Pick: Chris Holdsworth -360
Mitch Clarke (10-2-0): +275 vs. Al Iaquinta (8-2-1): -335
Pick: Al Iaquinta -335
Fight Pass Card
Anthony Njokuani (16-7-0): -225 vs. Vinc Pichel (8-1-0): +190
Pick: Vinc Pichel +190
Aaron Phillips (5-0-0): +130 vs. Sam Sicilia (12-4-0): -150
Pick: Sam Sicilia -150
Jingliang Li (8-2-0): +130 vs. David Michaud (7-0-0): -150
Pick: +130
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World Cup Futures Betting: Group A
With the World Cup less than a month away, it is time to focus on the Group stages and which teams should move on into the elimination Rounds. Group A is highlighted by host country Brazil – five-time winner of the World Cup.
Colonial Betting
The PGA Pros stay in the great state of Texas this week to play the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. 154 players will tee it up looking for the winner’s share of the $6.4 million purse and the tartan jacket that accompanies the cash.
Kings vs Hawks Playoff Betting?
Blackhawks Take Aim at 2-0 Series Lead – Host Kings in Game 2
The Los Angeles Kings find themselves in a familiar yet comfortable situation as we head into Game 2 of the Western Conference Final Wednesday night – down but not out. After rallying back from trailing in their first two rounds of the playoffs the Kings will need a strong effort Wednesday in order to take the series back to California tied.
NFL Football Broncos Analysis
For the Denver Broncos, second place obviously wasn’t good enough. The team went out and added some All-Star pieces to their already stout lineup and shored up a few holes that maybe kept them from winning it all last year.
NFL Football Chiefs Analysis
One of the most surprising teams in the NFL from last season kicks off their season September 7 – their schedule appears on paper to be a heck of a lot tougher than the one we saw last year.
