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Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza


by Raphael Esparza - 7/25/2017

Michael Bradley of Team USA

Initial preparations for a new season of college football are underway, and in this week's discussion with Doc's Sports expert handicapper Raphael Esparza we will take a closer look at a betting article he just wrote for the site concerning the recent upheaval at the SEC's Ole Miss program in light of the sudden resignation of Hugh Freeze as head coach.

Once known in Las Vegas betting circles as the Vegas Sports Informer, Raphael honed his craft as one of the top sports handicappers in the nation during a long and successful career in the Las Vegas sportsbook industry. At the height of his career, he held the prestigious position as the Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria until his retirement from the sportsbook industry in 2013. These days, he continues to split his time in Las Vegas and the Big Easy in New Orleans running a successful and diverse sports investment service. The following is this week's Q&A with one of Doc's most interesting handicappers.

Doc's Sports: Mexico's stunning loss to Jamaica in soccer's Gold Cup semifinals this past weekend sets up the US National Team as a heavy favorite to win the Championship this Wednesday night. Do you have any bold betting predictions for this unexpected match?

RE: The US needs an early goal to set the pace given just how good Jamaica's goaltending has been in this tournament. If the match is a 0-0 draw going into the second half, it would swing things in Jamaica's favor.

Doc's Sports: One of the big MLB series this week for Chicago fans is an extended four-game home-and-home Crosstown Series between the Cubs and the White Sox. What do you make of the Cubs' fast start out of the gate in the second half with eight victories in their first 10 games as far as their chances to compete with Washington and Los Angeles for the National League Pennant?

RE: I am happy to see the Cubs get off to a fast start in the second half, and I do have them winning the NL Central this year. However, the gap between them and both Washington and Los Angeles is just too wide. I fully expect both the Nationals and the Dodgers to pull off a move or two before the MLB trade deadline to make that gap a bit wider.

Doc's Sports: Monmouth Park in New Jersey is the site of one of the first big graded stakes horse races of the summer season with the running of the $1 million Haskell Invitational this Sunday afternoon. With a deep field that is expected to include some of the top three-year-olds in the nation such as McCracken, Hence, Irish War Cry and Girvin, do you have any early thoughts on how you may bet this race?

RE: This is the kind of race where I would still take a wait-and-see approach given the possible depth. Irish War Cry and McCracken appear to be the early frontrunners, but Monmouth Park has a way of going on a roll with long shots all day long if one or two payoff in a few of the early races on the card.

Doc's Sports : You recently wrote an article for Doc's covering the betting odds for the next permanent head football coach at Ole Miss. You covered quite a bit of ground when it came to possible replacements, and while your best bet was the +500 odds for the field, which of the names on the list that you did cover would be your top choice?

RE: Matt Luke has been given the job on an interim basis, and I would not be surprised if he goes the whole season in that role. If Ole Miss can produce a decent record, there would be some solid value in his +1000 odds to keep the job, but I still like Arkansas State head coach Blake Anderson at +600. That being said, the longer the job stays open, the better the value becomes with the +500 odds for the field.

Doc's Sports: Speaking of covering ground, the scope and range of your weekly handicapping efforts is as wide as it gets, so what are some of the other upcoming betting events on the board this week that may have captured your interest?

RE : At the top of my list would be Saturday night's MMA bout between Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones in UFC 214. The whole card should be good with a number of interesting fights, but how often do you get to see two fighters who absolutely hate one another battle it out? This should be an all-out brawl right from the start, adding value to Cormier's odds as the underdog.

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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