Miscellaneous Articles

2010 England World Cup Outlook
by T.O. Whenham - 5/21/2010

It's not a happy time to be an England soccer fan. It hasn't been for a long time. The country has an expectation of excellence. It is home to perhaps the best league in the world, and its soccer-mad fans think that the team should be the best in the world. They just haven't been, though.

NASCAR: All-Star Weekend Odds and Predictions
by Christopher G. Shepard - 5/21/2010

It's Hall of Fame weekend for NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series as drivers head to Charlotte Motor Speedway for a weekend full of nostalgia, exhibition races and $1 million for the driver who can win the Sprint All-Star Race this Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. EST.

2010 World Cup Group Stage Predictions - Who Will Make The World's Sweet 16?
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 5/20/2010

It’s time to make some World Cup group stage predictions with the start of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa just three weeks away. Be sure to check Doc’s Sports homepage each day leading up to the World Cup as we will be previewing many of the games in the tournament (with free betting picks, as well) and we will cover the tournament from every possible angle. Without further ado, here are some World Cup group stage predictions:

Is Team USA a World Cup Contender?
by T.O. Whenham - 5/20/2010

The U.S. soccer team really needs to have a good World Cup. They looked like they were taking a step forward into the world elite at the 2002 World Cup, but they haven't been able to keep up that momentum since. A good performance in South Africa would build support for the program and give it more to build on going forward - perhaps towards another home World Cup in 2018 or 2022.

Teams That Can Win the 2010 World Cup
by T.O. Whenham - 5/17/2010

There are 32 teams in the World Cup. That means that there are 32 potential World Cup champions. Don't kid yourself, though - there aren't enough cheesy Disney sports movie writers in the world to craft a believable script about some of these teams winning it all. There are many teams that just have to content themselves with the fact that they made it this far - they should just be happy to be there.

World Cup Betting
by Doc's Sports - 5/17/2010

World Cup betting presents a bit different outlook than other popular wagering sports when approaching the games from a betting perspective. Most American sports such as NFL, NBA, college football and college basketball focus mainly on the point spread. Granted, you can also bet these sports on the money line and with totals, but for the majority of bettors the point spreads dictate the winners and losers.

NASCAR: Autism Speaks 400 Odds and Predictions
by Christopher G. Shepard - 5/15/2010

One percent of the population of children in the U.S. ages 3-17 has an autism spectrum disorder, which is why NASCAR hopes to raise the nation's awareness during the Autism Speaks 400 at the "Monster Mile" in Dover, Delaware this Sunday at 1 p.m. EST.

Why to Bet the World Cup
by T.O. Whenham - 5/14/2010

For most North Americans soccer isn't a high priority. It's low scoring, the games are long, and the rules and strategies aren't always clear, so many people ignore it - it's not like there aren't lots of other options for you sports viewing and betting pleasure out there. It also doesn't help that all of the top-level soccer in the world is played on other continents, so you mostly have to watch games early in the morning or late at night, and it can be difficult to get good analysis. While I understand why betting on soccer isn't attractive most of the time, I believe that there isn't a single bettor who shouldn't be betting on the World Cup once it starts on June 11. If you're not convinced then here are five good reasons to bet the World Cup:

Weaknesses of Major 2010 World Cup Contenders
by T.O. Whenham - 5/14/2010

The closer we get to the World Cup, the more impressive each of the top contenders look. There are seven contenders that have a good chance of winning the tournament in my eyes, and most have had decent luck and have made more good moves than bad in recent weeks. Even the best teams have flaws, though. Here's a look at the biggest weaknesses of the top seven World Cup contenders:

World Cup Predictions: Spain Odds to Win World Cup Group H
by Robert Ferringo - 5/12/2010

I start my Major League Baseball preview the same way every year: by saying that the Cubs aren’t going to win the World Series this year. I suppose you could start any FIFA World Cup soccer predictions article the same way. Only in this realm it would be Spain playing the role of the Loveable Losers and continuously disappointing their desperate fan base.

World Cup Predictions: Brazil Odds to Win World Cup Group G
by Robert Ferringo - 5/7/2010

What if I told you that I knew of a betting situation this summer that hadn’t lost in more than 30 years? That’s precisely the case in the 2010 World Cup as one of the easiest wagers that you could make is on Brazil to win its Group and advance to the Knockout Stage. Presently, the odds of Brazil winning its World Cup group are an appetizing -150. And if you ask me that is a steal considering their performance in the tournament’s first round over the last seven World Cups.

African Teams at the 2010 World Cup
by T.O. Whenham - 5/7/2010

A lot has been made of the fact that this year's World Cup is the first to be played in Africa. It's about time that that happens, just like it's about time that the tournament returns to South America in 2014 for the first time since 1978.

Key World Cup Injuries for 2010
by T.O. Whenham - 5/7/2010

The World Cup field as been set for months now, and the teams have played all of their meaningful games in preparation. All that's left to do is watch and wait, and try to figure out who is going to win this thing. Because we can't watch the teams play, the best thing we can do with the serious contenders is to keep track of who is going to be playing, and, as importantly, who isn't.

New Zealand Odds to Win World Cup Group F
by Robert Ferringo - 5/6/2010

Every four years one thing is for certain: New Zealand is going to be one of the teams with the best odds to advance from their Group at the World Cup championship and any World Cup group prediction invariably must focus on their national team’s dominance and skill. The only problem is that these New Zealand World Cup projections have nothing to do with soccer.

NASCAR: Showtime Southern 500 Odds and Predictions
by Christopher G. Shepard - 5/6/2010

Don't look now, but in two weeks Kyle Busch has shaved 119 points the lead of newly-minted Sprint Cup leader Kevin Harvick. Thanks to last week's win at Richmond Busch moved to third place in the NSCS standings as NASCAR races under the lights for an intermediate-track extravaganza at historic Darlington Raceway on Saturday night at 7:45 p.m. EST.

Team-by-Team NFL Draft Grades
by Robert Ferringo - 4/26/2010

The NFL Draft is in the books and there were, as always, plenty of successes and failures. As always, we won’t be able to accurately assess how each organization managed until about three or four years from now, but based on value, addressing need, and overall talent hauled in I have put together my 2010 NFL Draft grades.

NASCAR: Aaron's 499 Odds and Predictions
by Christopher G. Shepard - 4/24/2010

It only took Denny Hamlin's surgically repaired knee three weeks to heal enough for Hamlin to notch his first win of the season at last week's Samsung 500. This week Carl Edwards will try to avoid going airborne again in the last lap of the Aaron's 499 as NASCAR travels to historic Talladega, Alabama for the Aaron's 499 on Sunday, April 25 at 1:20 p.m.

NFL Draft First Round Draft Grades
by Robert Ferringo - 4/23/2010

Despite all of the bobbleheads going berserk on Friday recapping the “winners” and “losers” of the NFL Draft’s first round we still have six rounds to go. There is no way to fully evaluate each team’s draft because there are still so many significant picks to be made, which may or may not address specific team needs. I actually feel like Day 2 – the second and third rounds – are more important than the first round because that’s when teams have historically gotten the best value.

2010 South Africa World Cup Stadiums
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 4/23/2010

The World Cup is finally coming to Africa. The 19th World Cup, dubbed the biggest sporting event in the world, will be hosted in South Africa, the first African nation to play host to the World Cup. The games will stretch from as far north as Polokwane to the southeastern tip of the country in Port Elizabeth and to the southwestern tip of the country in Cape Town where the draw was announced back in December.

Jimmy Clausen in Round 2 of the NFL Draft
by T.O. Whenham - 4/23/2010

Is it wrong that my favorite part of the NFL Draft on Thursday night, by a whole lot, was watching Jimmy Clausen not get picked? I really hate Notre Dame, so that has a lot to do with it, but there's more to it than that. I've seen Clausen play enough over the last three years that I'm not a believer in his potential as an NFL quarterback.