Miscellaneous Articles

Free CFL Picks Week 7 from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 8/2/2017

A few CFL teams came into this season with a renewed commitment to focus on offense and scoring points behind their top playmakers. A perfect example was last week's thrilling last-second 41-40 victory by Winnipeg against Montreal to easily take my pick of the week "over" the closing 50.5-point line.

Free CFL Picks Week 6 from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 7/26/2017

I went with Saskatchewan and the 10 points on the road against Calgary last week in my free weekly CFL pick for Doc's Sports, and once again the Stampeders went on to prove that they are still the team to beat in this league with a 27-10 victory that more than covered the spread.

From Tony George: Hello to Doc's Sports
by Tony George - 7/25/2017

A quick welcome to all the valued Doc's Sports clients as I am honored to now be a part of the stable of talented and professional handicappers that reside here. I am sure some of you have heard of me, and some of you may have not. Just a quick introduction and a few notes that may interest you.

Free CFL Picks Week 5 from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 7/19/2017

When it comes to handicapping the CFL, it becomes a bit too easy to get caught up in the early results in a league that has quite a bit of parity across the ranks. That was the case with last week's pick when favored Calgary actually lost to Montreal straight up. The Stampeders are still one of the top teams in the league, but Montreal proved that its new-look offense is a far cry from the one that averaged 21.3 points per game last season.

Free CFL Picks Week 4 from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 7/13/2017

The new CFL regular season is three weeks old, and the underdogs continue to pay out at a high rate with a 10-2 record against the spread. I went with the "over" 56 as my top pick last week in Calgary's 29-10 victory against Winnipeg, but the Blue Bombers' offense was never able to get in gear. Week 4 is filled with inter-division battles and I have found one that should pay off as my free pick.

Free CFL Picks Week 3 from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 7/4/2017

The first eight games of the new CFL regular season are in the books, and the underdogs are boasting a perfect 8-0 record against the spread. I was able to cash in on Ottawa as a road underdog in last week's free CFL pick for Doc's, but this time around a solid play on the total line has caught my eye for my top free CFL play in Week 3.

Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Betting Picks From Expert Pop Culture Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 6/30/2017

It's that time of year again to fire up the grill, light some fireworks, and spend quality time with family and friends. But before you do that you must prepare to watch some gross and over-eating men and women! Nathan's Famous 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest will be held Tuesday July 4.

Mayweather vs. McGregor Fight Odds: Early Props with Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 6/23/2017

Aug. 26 may not be much of a fight day, but as far as spectacles go it may never be topped. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is more in love with himself than any man has ever been, and he lives to promote himself. Conor McGregor can outtalk anyone and is fearless and cocky. Bring them together, throw in a few hundred million dollars, and set it in Las Vegas for good measure, and you are going to have a fight week like we have rarely seen. We can talk about how the actual fight might turn out closer to the event. BetOnline has set some interesting prop bets leading up to the fight, though, and this is a good time to take a look at them.

Free CFL Picks Week 1 from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 6/21/2017

A new season of football 'North of the Border' gets underway with Week 1 of the 2017 CFL regular season. This league offers avid sports bettors a great opportunity to get an early jump on another winning year instead of waiting for the NFL to start up this fall. Along with my weekly selection packages for the CFL, I will once again be releasing a 'free pick" every week for Doc's Sports as an added bonus to my coverage of this league.

Mayweather vs. McGregor Fight Odds: Interesting Prop Bets and Predictions
by Raphael Esparza - 6/20/2017

We're just a couple of months away from one of the most lopsided, most hyped, and most interesting fight in years, and we will see some crazy betting options. With this fight between Floyd Mayweather versus Conor McGregor set for August 26, both Las Vegas sports books and offshore sports books are adding different ways for bettors to throw money on this fight at all angles.

World Cup Betting Advice: Handicapping Host Country Russia
by Trevor Whenham - 6/13/2017

Every time the World Cup rolls around we face a bit of a challenge in handicapping the host country. Unlike every other team in the field, they don't have to qualify. So, while every other national team has been playing life-and-death games, which make it easy for us to see where they are, the hosts are forced to rely on friendlies to round into form. The difference between a meaningful qualification game and a friendly is like the difference between a porterhouse and a chuck roast. Sometimes the task is easier than others - we knew what we were going to get with Brazil last time around because they are Brazil.

World Baseball Classic Betting: Most Important First-Round Games
by Trevor Whenham - 3/8/2017

The World Baseball Classic has already started, and it's about to get pretty exciting. The first round is underway, but the best games of the round are left to be played. The tournament doesn't get as much attention as it deserves - from fans or bettors. If you want to dive in and immerse yourself in the tournament then there is no better time than now to get started, and these five games are the ones most worth paying attention to. The games will get more attention in the second round and into the semifinals, but the first round certainly doesn't lack for potential drama:

CFL Grey Cup Betting Picks with Odds and Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 11/23/2016

There is some real history when it comes to Canada's professional football championship - it was first awarded in 1909. The 105th edition will take place this weekend in Toronto with the Western Champion Calgary Stampeders playing the Eastern champs from Ottawa. I will admit to some bias up front here - I live about five minutes from the home of the Stampeders and have been to more games than I can count over the years, including the game they won last weekend to get to this game.

Free CFL Week 17 Picks from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 10/14/2016

Week 17 features a pair of home-and-home matchups on Friday night in both the East and West Division that could have a big impact in the playoff picture in each of those divisions. Ottawa will look to build on its slim half-game lead in the East when it goes on the road to face Hamilton, and later that night Winnipeg will be going for the series sweep against British Columbia on the road after beating the Lions at home last Saturday.

Free CFL Week 16 Picks from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 10/7/2016

The CFL heads into Week 16 of the regular season, and it has pretty much been Calgary and the rest of the league since opening day. The Stampeders come into this week's game against Toronto with a straight up record of 12-1-1 while going 11-3 against the spread. They have now won their last 11 games, and it is hard to see any team ending this run short of a Grey Cup title.

Free CFL Week 14 Picks from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 9/23/2016

Road teams have had the betting edge all season long in the CFL, and through the first 13 weeks of games they have won 53.9 percent of the time straight up with an impressive 64.2 winning percentage against the spread. When it comes to betting road underdogs ATS, the payoff heading into this week's games is almost as high at 62.9 percent. While each matchup still has to be evaluated on its own merit, it's hard to ignore results such as this.

Free CFL Week 13 Picks from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 9/16/2016

The Calgary Stampeders have been setting the pace in the CFL all season long at 9-1-1 straight up with a 9-2 record against the spread, but the British Columbia Lions still have them in their sights for the West Division title at 8-3 SU (9-2 ATS). There is a three-team battle going on for the title in the East, with Ottawa holding a slim game and a half lead over Toronto and Hamilton at 5-4-1 SU (4-6 ATS). The biggest story in the CFL right now could be the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' current six-game winning streak (4-2 ATS) following a 1-4 start.

My Journey with Doc's Sports: from Fan to Fact-Finder to Family
by Jeremy Martin - 9/1/2016

Growing up in San Antonio, I surrounded myself with friends that were into sports and betting. It was only natural. My father was a sports bettor, and this endeavor piqued my interest at an early age. His coworkers really got a kick out of the answer from my dad of the question "Who is this Jeremy that finished third in the office NFL against the spread contest?" "That's my 10-year old son!" my dad proudly answered.

Free CFL Week 11 Picks from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 8/31/2016

The second half of the 2016 CFL regular season gets underway this week with an extended schedule of five games right through the Labor Day holiday. There is little doubt that the Calgary Stampeders have been the class of the CFL through the first half with a straight up record of 7-1-1 while going a profitable 7-2 against the spread. They currently hold a game and half lead over British Columbia in the West Division title race.

Free CFL Week 10 Picks from Expert Canadian Football Handicapper
by Raphael Esparza - 8/24/2016

The 2016 CFL regular season approaches the halfway point this week, with eight of the nine teams playing their ninth game of an 18-game schedule. While Calgary has been able to create some breathing room in the West Division title race with last week's upset of British Columbia in a game where I had taken the Lions minus three points, the title race over in the East is shaping up to be a wild one with a game and half separating all four team in that division.