Doc’s Sports Service has remained the premier selection company in the sports gaming industry for well over four decades by delivering our loyal customers a consistent stream of proven winners for all the major sports. While we do attribute a good deal of our success to our unique Unit Betting System as a valuable money management tool, another reason for our unparalleled longevity in a very competitive industry is an ongoing relationship with some of the best sports handicappers in the business. One of our top performers for well over five years has been the Vegas Sports Informer. His main claim to fame has been the ability to combine top-notch handicapping skills with the competitive edge that comes from spending the last 15 years behind the counter of one of the biggest sportsbooks in Las Vegas. The Informer has used this insider’s edge to build a successful track record of winning selections in a wide array of sports.

Doc’s Sports jumped at the opportunity to tap into this winning edge by sitting down with The Insider on a weekly basis to gain insight into some of the hottest trending topics in the sports gaming industry today. The result has been a first-hand, behind-the-scenes glimpse of what is really going in the Las Vegas books. The following is this week’s discussion with The Vegas Sports Informer.

Doc’s Sports: The second half of the MLB season gets underway this Friday, and all season long in the National League you have been touting Atlanta as the team to beat. Are you sticking with this pick heading into the dog days of summer?

VSI: Atlanta was definitely my front runner for most of the first half, but injuries are starting to take their toll. I still see the Braves winning the East, but Pittsburgh is not going to fade in the NL Central, and behind rookie outfielder Yasiel Puig, the Dodgers are starting to find their form out West.

Doc’s Sports: The race to the World Series in the American League is filled with a couple interesting contenders. Which team do you see coming out on top in the end?

VSI: Detroit is a solid all-around team, and it should run away with the AL Central as long as Justin Verlander maintains his form. I still like Oakland in the AL West, but the key to the AL Pennant still lies in which team comes out of the AL East. Boston has the inside track, but both Baltimore and Tampa Bay will keep things extremely interesting into late September.

Doc’s Sports: Texas A&M phenom Johnny Manziel has been attracting quite a bit of unwanted attention off the field lately. Do you see him taking a step forward or backwards in his second season as the starting quarterback for the Aggies?

VSI: The off-field drama is definitely not helping his cause, but the reason I see Manziel taking a step backwards this season is that he is not going to sneak up on anyone, especially the better teams in the SEC. The kid is still a talent, but he will not put up numbers like he did last year.

Doc’s Sports: The New England Patriots have also endured their fair share of off-field distractions over the past few months. Do you think any of these issues will have a long-term effect on their performance on the field this season?

VSI: Tom Brady is not getting any younger, and the loss of key targets in the passing game is bound to take its toll on the offensive production this season. The Patriots could be a great team as far as the “under” on the total line as they will not be scoring points like they have in the past. If I had to pick right now, I would go with Miami to win the AFC East.

Doc’s Sports: Professional golf will stage its third major tournament this week with the Open Championship at Muirfield in Scotland. It is no big surprise that once again Tiger Woods is the favorite to win, but is this the tournament where he finally ends a five-year drought for winning a Major?

VSI: The one thing I noticed about the current odds for this tournament is that the betting public continues to drive down the numbers for Tiger in the Las Vegas books to around 5/1 to win while the offshore books still have him listed anywhere from 8/1 to 10/1. This tells me that the confidence level in him winning this event is not that high. I would tend to agree as I do not see his current winless streak coming to an end this week.

To keep up on all the inside information from Las Vegas be sure to follow VSI on Twitter @vsidocsports. Also, if you have any questions for The Informer that you would like us to cover in future articles please email them to askvsi@docsports.com and we will do our best to add them into the mix.