Doc's Sports has proven over the past 43 years that we have what it takes to be successful in the highly-competitive sports selection industry with a steady stream of winning selections for all the major sports. As the excitement for the start of another season of football begins to build, we are once again looking forward to delivering a profitable run with both our college football and NFL selection packages as well as continuing to provide winning picks for the second half of the MLB regular season.

One of Doc's unique betting strategies is the use of a Unit Betting System to gauge our handicapper's confidence level with all of our selections. We have worked hard these past four decades to constantly surround ourselves with some of the best handicappers in the game, and this commitment, in turn,has paid some huge dividends to a very loyal customer base.

One expert handicapper that has made a huge name for himself in the sports betting industry during a long and illustrious career working behind the counter for some of the biggest sportsbooks in Las Vegas is Raphael Esparza. Formally known as The Vegas Informer, he rose to the prestigious position of Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria. Raphael has been part of the team at Doc's for the last eight years, and he has established himself as one of our top performers during his time with Doc's.

Raphael is no longer in the sportsbook industry after retiring last summer, but he remains hard at work developing an already vast network of some of the biggest and most influential insiders in Las Vegas. These professionals know the sports betting industry inside and out, and as one of the top handicappers in town, Raphael has done an excellent job of incorporating this "inside edge" into all of the selections he releases. What really makes his handicapping service stand out from all the rest are selection packages for a wide array of sports that include the WNBA, horse racing, boxing, professional tennis and soccer leagues all around the globe.

Awhile back Doc's Sports decided to initiate a weekly Q&A with Raphael to provide our loyal readers with exclusive access to this "inside edge". The primary goal of these discussions is to get his expert insight into some of the hottest trending topics in the sports betting industry today. What better source is there than someone with inside access to the undisputed sports gambling capital of the world? The following is this week's conversation.

Doc's Sports: Now that LeBron James has decided to take his talents back to Cleveland to play for the Cavaliers, most of the sportsbooks in town have made this former NBA doormat the favorite to win it all next year. Are you buying into all the hype as well as Cleveland's current odds?

RE: Cleveland will obviously be a much better team with James back in the lineup, but its futures odds have been set so low to 'protect the house'. A ton of money has already come in on the Cavaliers at much higher odds once the rumors of James' return started flying around, so the books had to set them lower than they should be once the deal was finalized to try and slow things down.

Doc's Sports: There are a couple of great division races heating up for the start of the second half of the MLB regular season. Which team do you like best in the battle between Washington and Atlanta in the NL East?

RE : I not only had the Nationals winning the NL East this season I had them going all the way to the World Series. They have the best overall pitching in the National League, and all their key hitters are back in the lineup. Washington will still need to add a few arms to the bullpen for the stretch run, but it has more than enough talent to win both the East and the NL Pennant this year.

Doc's Sports : Last week we started talking about the new college football season, and we both agreed that Florida State remains the team to beat in the ACC. Moving onto the Big Ten, can you give me your top contender to win this conference in 2014?

RE: I see the Big Ten turning into a two-team race between Ohio State in the newly-named East Division and Wisconsin in the West Division. While most of the hype in this conference has been focused on the Buckeyes, my overall pick would be the Badgers to win the Big Ten in 2014. They are still one of the most consistent college football teams from one year to the next, and they should be even better on defense this season.

Doc's Sports: One of the tightest division title races in the NFL this season could be in the AFC North. Can Cincinnati repeat as champions after winning last season's title with relative ease?

RE: This is still Cincinnati's division to lose given the team's overall edge in talent, but I have never been a big Andy Dalton fan as a legitimate franchise quarterback in the NFL. Pittsburgh should be able to keep things interesting, but Baltimore's numerous off-field distractions will prove to be too much to overcome.

Doc's Sports : Now that the 2014 World Cup is in the books with your pre-tournament pick Germany paying off big with the win, can you give soccer fans a heads up as to the top league you will be turning your expert handicapping efforts towards next?

RE: I still do a lot with MLS in the United States, but my favorite soccer league to handicap is still the English Premier League, which gets underway in mid- August. Later in the fall I will turn my attention to the Champions League, which is comprised of the top players in all of Europe. I like it because It tends to be the most competitive of the all the leagues that sportsbooks offer betting odds for.

Raphael Esparza - The Vegas Sports Informer - Handicapper - Sports Betting Guru for more information on his amazingly-profitable sports handicapping picks. Also, get $60 worth of Esparza's member's picks absolutely free - no obligation, no sales people - you don't even have to enter credit card information. You can use this $60 credit for any sport Esparza handicaps. Click here for $60 worth of free picks from Raphael Esparza . Also be sure to follow him on Twitter @VSIDocsports.