Miscellaneous Articles

NBA Free Picks: Thursday NBA On TNT Doubleheader
by Matt Severance - 3/18/2010

Yes, I know you probably could care less about the NBA doubleheader tonight – I’m really not sure why the Association doesn’t take the night off to cede the basketball spotlight to March Madness. But there are also some dedicated NBA bettors out there and Doc’s aims to please, so here’s a look at the only two games on the NBA schedule tonight.

NCAA Tournament Projections Updated March 12
by Robert Ferringo - 3/12/2010

Well, this is it. Selection Sunday is just two short days away and all of the weeks and months of speculation about the NCAA Tournament field will be put to rest. Sure, there will be plenty of bitching and second-guessing the NCAA Selection Committee. But – barring some totally irrational – the teams at the end of the at-large line really don’t have much to complain about this year. While I don’t agree with Jay Bilas that this is the “weakest at-large field in history” I do know that those teams really don’t have much to complain about because they all have significant holes in their resumes.

World Cup Handicapping: Group G Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 3/12/2010

Group G is this year's edition of the dreaded Group of Death. North Korea is totally and utterly outclassed, but Brazil, Portugal, and Ivory Coast are all very legitimate teams that belong in the second round - and perhaps beyond. Unfortunately, only two of them are going to be able to get there.

World Cup Handicapping: Group H Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 3/12/2010

If you sit in the stands for any games during Group H you are going to hear a lot of Spanish around you - Switzerland is the only non-Spanish speaking country represented. The Swiss, along with Chile and Honduras, also face the unfortunate reality of playing for second place.

2010 South Africa World Cup Predictions
by Doc's Sports - 3/12/2010

2010 marks the first World Cup held on African soil and the magnitude of that statement couldn’t be any stronger in terms of the pressure that it places on the shoulders of the hosts. But before you all but count out this relatively unknown team, know that no host nation has ever failed to advance past the group stage. It certainly won’t be easy with regulars France and Mexico amongst their quartet in Group A, not to mention upstart Uruguay.

2010 South Korea World Cup Predictions
by Doc's Sports - 3/12/2010

Eight years ago South Korea soared to heights never seen before when they rallied behind fans and their former head coach Guus Hiddink to finish fourth in the 2002 World Cup. No longer led by the Dutchman, new coach Huh Jung-Moo has helped this Asian football nation reach its seventh straight World Cup.

World Cup Handicapping: Group E Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 3/11/2010

There is absolutely nothing easy in the World Cup, but the draw that the Netherlands was given is as close as it gets. Their competitors - Cameroon, Denmark, and Japan - aren't disastrously bad by any means, and Cameroon is potentially pretty good, but a team as good as the Dutch are should be able to get through to the round of 16 without really breaking a sweat.

World Cup Handicapping: Group F Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 3/11/2010

Italy and Spain are the top two teams on continental Europe. Conspiracy theorists won't be able to help noticing that those two teams have the easiest draws in the whole tournament. You can argue whether Italy's grouping is this group is easier than Spain's in Group H, but the fact remains that both should be able to move on without a whole lot of stress.

Free NBA Picks: Thursday TNT Doubleheader
by Matt Severance - 3/11/2010

This is not exactly the best TNT doubleheader of the year with each game featuring a losing team and only the Orlando Magic are considered an elite club among the four playing. But in a way it’s nice change to see teams other than the Celtics, Lakers, Cavs or Nuggets get some national coverage.

World Cup Handicapping: Group A Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 3/10/2010

Group A is the answer to a trivia question that few people would be able to come up with - it is the only group in this tournament that has two former World Cup winners. France, the 1998 champion, is the obvious one. The other is more obscure - Uruguay took the first ever World Cup in 1930, and then added another in 1950.

World Cup Handicapping: Group B Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 3/10/2010

It's 1994 all over again. In that year Argentina, Greece and Nigeria played in the same group - just as they will be doing in Group B this time around. Greece will be hoping things go better this time. Back then they didn't win a game, and were the only team from their group to advance (the 24-team field back then meant that four of the six third place teams also advanced).

World Cup Handicapping: Group C Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 3/10/2010

If there is one thing we know about this group it's that it is going to play in front of some big, rowdy crowds. Outside of the South Africans, fans from the U.S. have bought the most tickets for the games, with England close behind. That means that both teams will have virtual home crowds for each game and, in the case of England at least, hooligans will be out in full force.

World Cup Handicapping: Group D Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 3/10/2010

Group G is unquestionably this year's group of death, but Group D should also be considered at least a group of serious injury. None of the squads in the group are serious favorites to win it all, but all have the talent and the potential to pull off a serious surprise and even win an elimination game or two.

NCAA Tournament Projections Updated March 8
by Robert Ferringo - 3/8/2010

Well, there is good news and bad news for bubble teams the country over. The good news is that Northern Iowa won the Missouri Valley, leaving just four conference tournaments left where if the regular season champion losses they would steal a bid, and that Gonzaga, Old Dominion and Butler have each reached their conference tournament final. The bad news is that most of the bubble teams – even those that I’ve had definitely in for the last month – are doing everything in their power to play their way out of the field regardless of what is going on with the mid-majors.

College Basketball Free Pick: North Carolina at Duke
by Matt Severance - 3/5/2010

I grant you that there are better games on Saturday and with more at stake than North Carolina vs. Duke, but it just feels wrong not to preview college basketball’s best rivalry even with the Tar Heels being a massive disappointment and a likely NIT team. And, of course, ESPN GameDay and Dickie V will be there.

NASCAR: Kobalt Tools 500 Odds and Predictions
by Christopher G. Shepard - 3/5/2010

Jimmie Johnson will try to win his third consecutive Sprint Cup race on Sunday at 3:15 p.m. as NASCAR heads to wicked fast Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Kobalt Tools 500. In case you hadn’t noticed, driving fast is something Johnson does very well.

NCAA Tournament Projections Updated March 4
by Robert Ferringo - 3/4/2010

Below is a look at my 65-team field and some NCAA Tournament projections as of the start of business on Thursday. I didn’t worry about regions or matchups or pods or any of those intricacies that make the final bracket the dazzling dance card that it is.

NBA Power Rankings
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 3/4/2010

The playoffs are finally in sight and this is the time of the year when teams are reaping the benefits of their trade deadline deals while other teams are questioning if they had done enough. The top of the NBA Power Rankings remain steady but there is plenty of fluctuating after that.

Free NBA Picks: Thursday TNT Doubleheader
by Matt Severance - 3/4/2010

For once, NBA fans and bettors aren’t force fed LeBron James and the Cavs on one of the TNT games on a Thursday night, but we do get the two other best players in the league facing off in Kobe Bryant vs. Dwyane Wade. As for the nightcap … unfortunately, the Suns’ improbable 18-game losing streak on TNT was ended back in late January, but they and the Jazz continue to jockey for playoff position and very well could meet in the first round.

NFL Combine Report: Impressive Players
by T.O. Whenham - 3/3/2010

With the NFL Combine now in the books we have a clearer picture of the upcoming NFL Draft. There is increasing debate about the significance of the Combine these days now that players don't always participate, and players are scouted early and more intensely. Still, a good performance helps a player get drafted, and a great performance can send a player rocketing up the draft boards. After watching a good portion of the Combine, here are 10 players that stood out for what I saw them do: