Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza 8/11/2015

by Doc's Sports - 8/11/2015

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith

Floyd Mayweather Jr. recently announced that he will be returning to the ring at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas this September to face Andre Berto, and in this week's discussion with Doc's Sports expert handicapper Raphael Esparza we will get his thoughts on this highly-scrutinized matchup.

Raphael first made a name for himself in the sports gambling capital of the world as the Vegas Sports Informer during a long and successful career in the sportsbook industry that included a run as the Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria. He has been on Doc's handicapping team for the past eight years, and after retiring from the Las Vegas sportsbook industry a few years back he continues to run his sports investment business with the same "insider's edge" to provide winning selections for one of the widest array of betting events in the handicapping industry. The following is this week's conversation.

Doc's Sports: Last week you made a point of identifying the Toronto Blue Jays as one of the big winners at the recent MLB trade deadline for some of the moves they made. Following a recent three-game sweep of New York, do they now have what it takes to top the Yankees for the AL East crown?

RE: Toronto's sweep against the Yankees created a huge shift in momentum in this division race, and it would be hard for me to see New York hanging onto the lead down the stretch. The Blue Jays not only added a key arm to the starting rotation and a bat to the lineup, but they added the necessary spark throughout the whole organization that they are the team to beat in the AL East right now.

Doc's Sports: We have already gone over your picks for the top four power conferences in college football for the upcoming season, so this week can you give us your early pick for which team wins this year's SEC title?

RE: The SEC as a whole has been flying pretty low under the radar this entire offseason. All the hype has surrounded Ohio State and TCU as opposed to the top teams in this conference. That being said, I will still go with Alabama as my top pick since nothing I have seen tells me otherwise.

Doc's Sports: The Denver Broncos have been the top team in the AFC West over the past few seasons. Given how Denver is once again a heavy favorite to win this division with most of the sportsbooks in town, can you give us any reason to go against the Broncos winning the West in 2015?

RE: It would not make all that much sense going against Denver winning the AFC West again, but the Broncos are far from being a lock. Kansas City has made some solid moves to try and close the gap, and I like some of the additions in Oakland. You also have to keep in mind that Peyton Manning is another year older, and health is always a concern.

Doc's Sports : In a recent interview on ESPN. Floyd Mayweather Jr. stated that the betting odds for his next opponent, Andre Berto should be 10/1 or possibly even 5/1 to pull off an upset as opposed to the current 40/1 odds that are popping up all over town in advance of next month's fight. Do you buy into this statement or is Mayweather simply trying to sway the betting public's opinion for an unpopular choice.

RE: Mayweather can say whatever he wants about the validity of this bout, but he is basically trying to sell tickets. I believe he is using Berto as a fill-in fight until something more interesting comes along. The fighter to keep an eye on over the next few months is Triple G Gennady Golovkin as he tries to position himself for a shot at Mayweather somewhere down the road.

Doc's Sports: It is hard to get too excited for the NFL Preseason other than the fact that we are getting closer to the start of the real season in early September. Do you have any handicapping tips for the bettors that still want to wager on these exhibition games?

RE: I can still not get over how popular preseason NFL games actually are. If you are going to bet on them, then you better do your homework on each team's depth at quarterback as well as its planned rotation, especially during the first two weeks of games. A third- or even fourth-string quarterback can prove costly to your chances to cash in if he is playing a good portion of the second half.

Click here to visit Raphael Esparza's Insider's Page at Doc's Sports 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 .

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