This Week in Sports Betting A-Z 6/15/2018

by Ricky Dimon - 6/15/2018

A. Aaron Judge . Judge struck out eight times last Monday. No, that is not misprint. But in fairness to Judge, the Yankees played a double-header that day. So, no…he did not strike out eight times in one game (three in the opener, five in the nightcap). Fortunately for the 26-year-old, he has hit safely in three straight contests and has struck out "only" three times during this stretch.

B. Bryan Colangelo . If the 76ers sign LeBron James, the former general manager won't be around to see it. Colangelo officially resigned from his post last weekend, saving himself from the ignominious distinction of getting fired. Who needs a general manager to do the heavy-hitting recruitment of potential free agents when you have Joel Embiid?

C. Cristiano Ronaldo . No matter that Real Madrid just recently won a third consecutive Champions League title; Ronaldo still wants out. The 33-year-old is reportedly disgruntled that players such as Lionel Messi and Neymar are enjoying bigger contracts. Negotiations are currently stalled and there is growing sentiment that he will join some other European power prior to next season. Ronaldo just scored a hat trick against Spain in the World Cup. Check out our Group B expert betting picks .

D. Dustin Johnson . Johnson dominated last week's FedEx St. Jude Classic, holed out for eagle from 170 yards away on the 72^nd hole to clinch a six-shot victory, and regained the world No. 1 ranking. Oh, and he goes home to Paulina Gretzky. It's never a bad time to be Johnson, and now is an especially good time.

E. Edelman, Julian . The Patriots are no strangers to dealing with sanctions, and they will have to deal with some more during the 2018 campaign. Edelman is reportedly facing a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy. Unless his appeal is granted, he will miss regular-season games against Houston, Jacksonville, Detroit, and Miami. In other words: still probably win-win-win-win for New England. The Pats are +650 favorites at BookMaker to win the Super Bowl.

F. Flag . Checkered flag to be exact. Formula One's Canadian Grand Prix last weekend ended early because…wait for it…a model waved the checkered flag too early. You can't make this stuff up, folks. Winnie Harlow waved it in the middle of the 69^th lap, making the race official based on the running order through 68 laps. She blamed officials for telling her the wrong time to wave it. Yeah, right.

G. Golden State Warriors . Speaking of flags, the Cavaliers waved the proverbial white one throughout the second half of Game 4 last Friday. They might as well have waved the white one after their Game 1 debacle. Whatever the case, Golden State swept the Cavs for its third NBA title in the past four seasons.

H. Halep, Simona . First she was known as the women's tennis player who got a breast reduction. Then she was known as the best player without a major title, having lost in three such finals. Now she is known as a major champion. Halep finally triumphed at the French Open last Saturday, beating Sloane Stephens in the final.

I. Improvement . That's what Johnny Manziel made in the final preseason game for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. He went 12-of-20 for 88 yards and one touchdown as Hamilton beat Montreal 30-15. Don't call it a comeback!

J. Justify . In the second greatest accomplishment by an animal over the past week, Justify won the Triple Crown with a relatively comfortable victory at the Belmont Stakes. The greatest accomplishment, of course, came from the raccoon that scaled the UBS Plaza building in St. Paul-the city's 15 ^th-tallest building on a journey that lasted from Tuesday morning until Wednesday morning.

K. Kevin Durant . Durant is opting out of his contract but is staying with the Warriors. Haters gonna hate, but anyone with sense can't fault a guy for enjoying a place that has made him two-time NBA champion and two-time NBA Finals MVP.

L. LeBron James . As for LeBron, he's a three-time NBA champion and three -time NBA Finals MVP. But four in either department ain't walkin' through that door in Cleveland. Assuming LeBron leaves, his second stint with the Cavs will end following an epic playoff run through three rounds that all but ended when he suffered a self-inflicted hand injury in the wake of his team's Game 1 loss to Golden State. The Lakers are -175 favorites at XBet.ag to have LeBron on their roster going into next season.

M. Marvin Bagley . The chatter among this NBA Draft's top prospects is showing no signs of quieting down. Basically every single one has insisted he is the best player in the class, and that includes Bagley. "I definitely believe I'm the No. 1 pick," the former Duke standout said last week.

N. Nadal, Rafael . What is even more "boring" (and by "boring" we all really mean "impressive") than the Warriors' NBA dominance? That would be Nadal's French Open dominance. The Spaniard triumphed for a ridiculous 11 ^th time at Roland Garros last weekend, completing a run to the trophy that saw him lose a grand total of one set in seven matches. Nadal is +500 at Bovada Sportsbook to win Wimbledon; Roger Federer is a +150 favorite

O. Ohtani, Shohei . Rarely do you see the words "ulnar collateral ligament" without seeing them accompanied by the dreaded phrases "Dr. James Andrews" and "Tommy John surgery." Nonetheless, there is a chance Ohtani could avoid going under the knife since his current UCL injury is diagnosed as a Grade 2 sprain instead of Grade 3. The Angels' two-way sensation will be reevaluated later this month. Los Angeles (Skaggs) is a -125 road favorite over Oakland (Bassitt) on Friday, per MyBookie.ag.

P. Patriots . Rumors are circulating that New England made various calls to other teams during NFL Draft week to inquire about a possible Rob Gronkowski trade. Owner Robert Kraft called that "hogwash." Hogwash is also what Gronkowski (the person) was spewing when he said Gronkowski (the horse) had a chance against Justify. Check out our NFL season win totals predictions for every team.

Q. Quarterback . Kyler Murray is now a professional baseball player-but he can be a quarterback, too. Murray got drafted ninth overall by the A's and signed a $4.6 million contract that will allow him to play football for Oklahoma in 2018 before foregoing his senior season and officially becoming pro. Well done, A's; well done, Murray; well done, Murray's agent.

R. Rodman, Dennis . Dennis Rodman: five-time NBA champion, two-time all-star, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, ex-husband of Carmen Electra, broker of world peace. Amazingly enough, "broker of world peace" may not even be the most surprising of those accolades.

S. Stanley Cup . You don't have to like the Capitals…but if you don't like Alex Ovechkin's beer-chugging from the cup while tailgating outside a Nationals' game, something is wrong with you. What a guy.

T. Terrell Owens . T.O. has declined to attend his NFL Hall of Fame induction ceremony. "While I am incredibly appreciative of this opportunity, I have made the decision to publicly decline my invitation to attend the induction ceremony in Canton," he wrote in a statement last Thursday. "... After visiting Canton earlier this year, I came to the realization that I wish to celebrate what will be one of the most memorable days of my life, elsewhere." Football: his strong suit. Grammar: not, his, strong suit.

U. U.S. Open . It was carnage at Shinnecock Hills on Thursday. Wind sent balls scurrying into the tall grass, and it was not easy to get them out of said grass. Let's just say that Tiger Woods shot 8-over and Jason Day and Rory McIlroy were jealous of Tiger's 8-over. Enough said.

V. Vegas Golden Knights . In the words Fedora in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, "You lost today kid, but that doesn't mean you have to like it." It was a valiant attempt by the Golden Knights, who came one series-three wins, to be exact-of winning the Stanley Cup in their first season. Great effort…and great effort by all those bettors who threw down on Vegas before the 2017-18 campaign began.

W. World Cup . The World Cup is here. The United States is not. Still, the show must go on. GT Bets has Brazil as a +300 favorite to win it all.

X. Xhaka and Xherdan . Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka and Stoke forward Xherdan Shaqiri made Switzerland's final World Cup roster. Xhaka had been in doubt after sustaining a knee injury in late May. MyBookie.ag has Switzerland as a +500 second choice to win Group E.

Y. Yu Darvish . Darvish threw a bullpen session on Tuesday, but there is still a good chance that he is out through the all-star break. The Cubs' right-hander is currently enduring his second stint on the disabled list in 2018 due to triceps tendinitis.

Z. Zero . That's how many home runs Baltimore first baseman Chris Davis has hit since May 9. For the season he is batting .150 with four homers and 86 strikeouts in 57 games. 5Dimes Sportsbook has the Orioles as -143 home favorites over Miami (Urena) on Friday.

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