Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza 6/14/2016

by Doc's Sports - 6/14/2016

If you are looking to get an early jump on the upcoming football season, Doc's Sports' expert handicapper Raphael Esparza is turning his attention this summer 'north of the border' with weekly selections for the upcoming CFL season. In this week's discussion, we will cover his teams to watch in both the East and West Division when it comes to winning a Grey Cup title.

Known as the Vegas Sports Informer during a long and successful career in the Las Vegas sportsbook industry, Raphael rose through the ranks to the prestigious position of the Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria while honing his craft as a top sports handicapper. He retired from that position in 2013 to spend all of his time running a very successful and diverse sports investment service while splitting his time between Las Vegas and New Orleans. The following is this week's Q&A with one of Doc's most interesting handicappers.

Doc's Sports: Cleveland's stunning victory in Game 5 of the NBA Finals as a road underdog sets up a huge showdown with Golden State on Thursday night in Game 6 as a slight home favorite. How do you see this game turning out?

RE: I am not putting too much stock in Monday's win with Draymond Green out for Golden State combined with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving both going off for Cleveland. I would not be surprised to see Golden State rebound on Thursday with a road win of its own to end this series in six.

Doc's Sports: Before last Saturday's Belmont Stakes you talked about going against the favorite Exaggerator, and that pick was right on the money when he finished a distant 11^th in a field of 13. One of the horses you did like as a possible upset special was the eventual winner, Creator. Where you able to cash in on this horse with any of your bets?

RE: I did like this horse, but I used Stradivari as my lead horse in a few head-to-head bets. With the threat of rain and storms in the forecast, I was not expecting the fast track at Belmont, which also worked against some of my picks. Give credit to Destin for almost going wire-to-wire in one of horse racing's toughest tests.

Doc's Sports : Last week we also talked about WWE star Brock Lesnar returning to MMA to face Mark Hunt in UFC 200 next month. Lesnar opened as a favorite when this bout was first announced, but the latest betting odds on BetOnline now have him listed as a +170 underdog. Which way would you go right now in this fight?

RE: I was kind of surprised that the number did go so high on Lesnar, but you could still see those odds come down as we get closer to this fight. The main reason I would back off of him against Hunt is that he comes into this matchup with too many unknowns. I would have to question his true motivation for taking this fight given is continued aspirations to be part of WWE.

Doc's Sports : We are excited to hear that you will be handicapping the CFL this season as well as releasing a weekly "free pick" exclusively for Doc's Sports. Starting with the East Division, which team do you like best when it comes to its futures odds to win the 2016 Grey Cup?

RE: I really like the value in the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the East at +550. They had their issues last season at the quarterback position due to multiple injuries and they were still able to put up some big numbers. If Zach Collaros can return to the starting lineup sooner than expected after off-season surgery this would really help Hamilton's chances to win the East.

Doc's Sports: A team from the CFL's West Division has won the championship the last three seasons, including the Edmonton Eskimos in 2015. The Eskimos are favored to repeat with most of the sportsbooks in town, but are they your top pick to win another Grey Cup this year?

RE : Calgary is always a team to watch in the West, but I really liked what Edmonton was able to add on the defensive side of the ball through free agency and the draft this past offseason. It will probably come right down to the wire between these two again after both won 14 games in 2015, but I am leaning towards the Eskimos right now to repeat as CFL champs.

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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