I am going to finish up my baseball future betting with some OVER/UNDER season wins bets I really love and believe will keep you in action the entire season.
Find a good total, make the bet and just lock it away. You will forget about the cash put up, but when won it will be like a bonus. Plus, you will have some football betting capital.
Cubs 72 wins: I fail to see how the Cubbies can win 11 more games this year compared to last. The Houston Astros switch to the AL and the Cubs were 8-7 against them last year. Who will replace those 15 games? Certainly a team tougher than the ’Stros.
The Cubs made no significant upgrades and will be sellers during the season. Starlin Castro is their one bonafide major leaguer and a pitching staff relying on Matt Garza, Edwin Jackson and Jeff Samardzija doesn’t exactly have “stopper” written all over it. Expect the Cubs to lose maybe 100 games this year. UNDER.
Yanks 86½: The Bombers are getting older as everyone else in their division comes in younger. What is the status of Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, Ichiro, Mark Teixiera, Kevin Youkilis? The list of players with health issues keeps growing for the Yanks.
The Yankees won 95 games last year but this year everyone is a year older, which means more DL time in a tough division. Baltimore has always been a thorn in NY’s side and now the Blue Jays have made significant roster upgrades. Boston made positive changes in personnel and attitude. Tampa Bay’s Joe Maddon seems to produce a good on-field prospect every year. UNDER.
Angels 89½: Last year the Halos won 89 games. This year an improvement of only 1 game? Josh Hamilton alone makes that a mistake. More importantly the addition of Houston to the AL West means approximately 15 games against one of the worst teams in baseball.
There’s another year for Mike Trout, an improved Albert Pujois plus a very good pitching staff led by Jared Weaver and C J Wilson. Texas is weaker without Hamilton. Oakland performs miracles almost every year with a low salary cap team. Seattle is improving but still a few years away and King Felix has some question marks with his forearm. No reason LA can’t win the West. OVER.
These are teams to say away from as they could lose 100 – Astros, Cubs, Marlins, Twins.
One of my favorite times of the betting year is March Madness and this year it really looks like madness. There are teams bunched in the top tier that could, as Howard Cosell would say, “Go All The Way!”
In the top tier are Florida, Indiana, Miami, Louisville, Syracuse, Michigan, Michigan St., Kansas, Gonzaga, Pittsburgh and Duke.
Then we have a big group of teams that can jump up and bite the tail off of some of the big boys: North Carolina, NC State, Virginia, Butler, U Mass, Saint Louis, VCU, Cincinnati, Marquette, Minnesota, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Iowa St., Kansas St., Oklahoma St., Memphis, Creighton, Wichita St., Colorado St., San Diego St., Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, Missouri, Middle Tennessee St.
We will need to wait until the draw but this has all the appearances of a wild and wooly March Madness.
We here at GT want to congratulate HC Joel Quennville and the Chicago Blackhawks for setting the all-time NHL record for most consecutive games to begin a season without a loss in regulation, going 15-0-3. Go Hawks and keep it going.
Just one note on the Oscars this past Sunday, I did not watch or see any of the movies nominated and never even heard of them but I did here from friends that the huge shindig John Avello threw at the Wynn race and sports book was a rousing success – as was the Academy Awards party at the Palms.
Richard Saber, a former director of race and sports at the famed Stardust book, is GamingToday’s horse racing and sports handicapper. Contact Richard at [email protected].