This Week in Sports Betting, A-Z 8/24/2017

by Ricky Dimon - 8/24/2017

New York Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman

A. Aroldis Chapman . Chapman was removed as the Yankees' closer after giving up two runs in each of three consecutive appearances. Hey, he also allowed two runs in Game 7 of last year's World Series, and that worked out pretty well for him! BetOnline Sportsbook has New York at +650 to win the AL Pennant.

B. Boldin, Anquan . Boldin, 36, signed a one-year contract with the Bills earlier this month. He retired less than two weeks later. The former Florida State star finishes his NFL career with 1,076 receptions for 13,779 yards and 82 touchdowns.

C. Curtis Granderson . In his third game with the Dodgers, Granderson launched a grand slam among his two hits during a 6-5 victory at Pittsburgh on Monday. Anything L.A. touches turns to gold these days-well, except for its banged-up pitching staff.

D. Dorian Baker . Kentucky's senior wide receiver could miss the entire year with a fractured left ankle. Baker sustained the injury in a scrimmage last weekend and underwent surgery on Tuesday. In three seasons with the Wildcats, he has 88 catches for 1,015 yards and six scores. The college football season gets underway this weekend. Colorado State is a -4 favorite over Oregon State, as indicated by Bovada Sportsbook.

E. Eclipse . Alabama head coach Nick Saban owns a lake house in Clayton, Ga., which was in the path of totality for Monday's eclipse. But was he there? Heck no! "I watch The Weather Channel every day," Saban said following a scrimmage last weekend. "They're already saying what it's going to look like in every city in America. So what's going to be significant? Watch The Weather Channel, and you'll see what it's going to be like in Portland, Oregon." By the same logic, Saban should tell college football pundits to just cancel the season and hand his team the trophy!

F. Failed drug test . It was announced on Tuesday that lightweight champion Jon Jones failed a drug test prior to his UFC 214 victory over Daniel Cormier. In news even more expected than the sky being blue, Jones' agent-and presumably Jones himself-are denying responsibility. "I can almost bet my life on it that this is another tainted supplement," Malki Kawa said. "[Jones is] devastated. He's devastated and he's hurt."

G. George Fant . Seattle's starting left tackle is out for the season after suffering a torn ACL in last week's preseason win over the Vikings. Fant started 10 games at left tackle in 2016. The Seahawks are -3.5 home favorites over Kansas City on Friday, according to MyBookie.ag.

H. Henrik Stenson . He wasn't quite at his Duel at Troon level that carried him to a 2016 British Open win over Phil Mickelson, but Stenson was quite good in the final round of last week's Wyndham Championship. The Swede birdied four of his last six holes and fired a closing 64 to triumph by one stroke.

I. Irving, Kyrie . Irving's wish has been granted. Not only did the Cavs agree to trade him, but he also went to one of his preferred destinations-none other than Boston. What did LeBron James and company get in return? More like what did they not get. In addition to Isaiah Thomas, Cleveland also acquired Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and the Nets' unprotected 2018 first-round draft pick.The Cavs are +485 at BookMaker to win the NBA title.

J. Judge, Aaron . Judge went an entire baseball game without striking out. You can't make this stuff up, folks. He actually did. The Yankees' rookie slugger ended his strikeout streak at a record 37 games after Tuesday's 13-4 rout of Detroit. Of course, it helped that Judge only had one official at-bat. He walked three times. Thanks, Tigers!

K. Kearis Jackson . Georgia almost never beats Alabama on the field, and for that matter it also rarely gets the best of the Crimson Tide off the field. But the Bulldogs did win one recruiting battle this past weekend, getting a commitment from Jackson-ESPN's No. 26 overall prospect for 2018. It has been a stellar stretch for the Dawgs, who also recently landed receiver Elijah Moore and pass-rusher Azeez Ojulari. 'Bama is a -190 favorite at MyBookie.ag to win the SEC Championship.

L. Lefty . Anthony Rizzo became the first left-hander to play third base for the Cubs since George Decker in 1895 when he lined up at the hot corner in Tuesday's 13-9 win over Cincinnati. Rizzo is the first lefty to play third base in the majors since Mario Valdez of the White Sox in 1997. Starting third baseman Kris Bryant left the game after being hit by a pitch in the top of the ninth inning.

M. Master P . Master P's Global Mixed Gender Basketball League begins next month. And it should get off to a good start, because the rapper has signed former college basketball standouts Dyland and Dakota Gonzalez. They are scheduled to play for the New Orleans Gators in the first exhibition game. Do yourself a favor and tune in.

N. Nicolai Muller . Hamburg FC's 29-year-old striker suffered a torn ACL in last Saturday's 1-0 win over Augsburg. And he did so by channeling his inner Martin Gramatica, injuring himself while celebrating after scoring the only goal of the match.

O. Odell Beckham Jr. Damn the preseason! Teams just want to get through it healthy, and the Giants have not. OBJ sustained an ankle injury against Cleveland on Monday night and may be out for Week 1 against the Cowboys. By the looks of it, though, it could have been worse. 5Dimes Sportsbook has NYG as a -5 home favorite over NYJ on Saturday.

P. Playoffs . Playoffs? We're talkin' about…playoffs?!?!? Yes, we are. The 2017 FedEx Cup Playoffs are underway this week in New York. Hideki Matsuyama is No. 1 in the standings going in, followed by Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson, and Rickie Fowler.

Q. Quits . Wayne Rooney has called it quits from international competition for England.The 31-year-old played in 119 matches and scored 53 goals-including one before his 18^th birthday. Rooney will continue suiting up for Everton in the English Premier League.

R. Rafael Nadal . For the first time since July of 2014, Rafael Nadal is No. 1 in the world. The 31-year-old Spaniard regained the top spot on Monday, supplanting Andy Murray-who had been there for 41 weeks since last November. Murray and a smorgasbord of other Top 10 players have been injured, but the Scot at least plans on playing next week's U.S. Open. Roger Federer is a +125 favorite at Bovada Sportsbook .

S. Siemian, Trevor . Siemian was named the Broncos' starting quarterback by head coach Vance Joseph on Monday. According to Joseph, the Northwestern product was the "clear-cut winner" in his preseason battle with 2016 first-round draft pick Paxton Lynch. And let's be honest; no one gets the fan-base rocking and the jersey sales soaring quite like Trevor Siemian as your starting QB!

T. Tampa Bay Rays . The Rays ended a four-game losing streak with a win this past Sunday, and they won again on Tuesday. Still, they are 3-9 in their last 12 contests and find themselves 12 games back of Boston in the AL East and four games out of a wild-card spot. The Red Sox (Sale) are -150 favorites at Cleveland (Bauer) on Thursday, per BetOnline Sportsbook.

U. Umpires . Major League Baseball umpires are protesting the verbal abuse they are taking from players. Come on; with all the replays we have in so many sports now, there aren't enough arguments!

V. Victoria Azarenka . Azarenka is out the U.S. Open, and to say she has an unusual reason for missing a Grand Slam would be a gross understatement. The Belarusian gave birth to a son last December, after which she split from her boyfriend. Now she won't leave her son at home in California with the baby daddy, and he is unwilling to travel with mama and baby to New York.

W. Williamsport . Major League Baseball invested $1.5 million to renovate Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pa. such that it could accommodate a game between the Pirates and Cardinals. That's not a lot of money to, say, Mayweather-but it's a ton of money for one baseball game. In the first Little League Classic at the 2,366-seat stadium, Pittsburgh prevailed over St. Louis 6-3 thanks in part to Josh Bell's home run and four RBIs.

X. Xavier Lyas . Stemming from allegations dating back to an investigation into an alleged sexual assault at an on-campus party on July 21, N.C. State has dismissed two players and suspended three from its football team. Freshmen Antoine Thompson and Kevince Brown are out, while Lyas, Isaiah Moore, and Erin Collins are suspended. Somewhere Roger Goodell is thinking, 'why so harsh?!?!'

Y. Yu Darvish . Darvish left last Wednesday's start prior to the seventh inning due to a back problem. He has since gone on the disabled list. The Dodgers now have three starters on the DL-also Clayton Kershaw and Alex Wood. Is there trouble in paradise? GT Bets has L.A. as a +210 favorite to win the World Series.

Z. Zemgus Girgensons . Girgensons signed a two-year contract with the Sabres last week. The forward, who was Buffalo's first-round pick in 2012, has 37 goals and 49 assists in 277 games over four seasons with the team.By the way, how great of a name is Zemgus Girgensons?

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