Wheres November Going? Wednesday Picks.

NBA
Chicago Bulls +6.5 Bulls looked decentt against the Lakers last night. I know they are playing two days in a row, but so are the Trail Blazers. It'll be a good game, Bulls should cover.
Hornets -13.5 Hornets need a statement win. This is a good opportunity.
Clipps -1.5 Both teams only have one win. Look for BD to take over. Clipps by 10.

NBA Record -> 13-13-1

NHL
Pass

NHL Record -> 19-14

Missed a day!!! Tuesday Picks

NBA
Celts -8
Knicks @ Celts Over 204 No Garnett BIG D MAN
Blazers -1.5
Bulls +13.5
Bucks +9.5

NBA Record -> 9-12-1

NHL
Pens Wild Under 5.5 Both teams are pumped for this game. Lots of D.
CBJ -160
Lightning -150
Flames vs. Avalance Under 5.5

NHL Record -> 17-12

Giants Dominate Again Sunday...Picks

NBA
Suns -2 Pistons over the Lakers? I'm calling it a fluke. Suns will be back in full force.
Spurs @ Kings Over 180 Seems low. Why not.

NBA Record -> 8-11-1

NHL
Sharks -120 Too strong for BHawks.
Thrashers +130 Flyers are coming off a game last night, in which they also won, so motivation is down.

NHL Record -> 16-11

First Saturday of College Basketball Season... Picks

NBA
Hornets +2 Alston is out and Rockets are still trying to get over drama of that little fight. Meanwhile CP3 didn't have 10 assists last game... so hes looking for redemption!!
Pacers +6.5 Two pretty equal teams. I know its in Chicago, but that doesn't yield a whole 6.5 points. I'll take the points with Granger. He's looking goooood.
Trail Blazers -1 Oden is starting to get used to things down low. They just need a win to go along with it. Look for them to get back on track with a road win tonight against the T-Wolves.
Thunder +10.5 Take the points here. Thunder have been keeps games close.

NBA Record -> 7-8-1

NHL
Pens -155 I'm still on the Pens bandwagon from that comeback win in Detroit. Plus Miller has been off lately.
B's @ Rangers Under 5.5 Both goalies have played absurd this season and the B's defense has been great. B's scratch out a 2-1 win.
Habs -175 Habs @ home against a mediocre Flyers team. Habs win 5-3.
Predators @ Kings Struggling goalies. 5-4 SO win for some team.

NHL Record -> 14-9

First NCAA College Basketball Pick.
UNC -33 & Over 157 UNC Plays UPenn. They are looking to make a statement andd they are easily the best looking team in College Basketball right now. I CANT WAIT FOR THIS SEASON!!!!!

NHL Scoreboard
NBA Scoreboard for Today

I had a good excuse for missing a post.

Slept till 1. Went to library till 5. Drove down to UConn basketball game and enjoyed watching #2 team in the country till 11. Great night. Apologies for the lack of post, but I will be out in full force tomorrow.

Thirsty Thursssssday Pick's.

NBA
Last night was my NBA redemption. I liked them so much that I banked on a 3-team parlay with them. YEAHHH baby... Granted I probably will lose 5 straight games now.
Nuggets @ Cavs Under 199 Total has gone under every game since AI left and Billups has been in the offense-- or should I say defense? They won't be able to contain Lebron, but they might cause him to miss a couple.

NBA Record -> 7-7-1

NHL
Pens -160 Hot Penguins. Oxymoron? I think not.
Red Wings @ Lightning Over 5.5 I've lost all faith Barry. Goals will be going everywhere here tonight. Smith is good, but your defense sucks!
Kings @ Stars Over 5.5 It was an instinct pick. I don't know.
Flames @ Sharks Under 5.5 Kipps / Nabokov? Come on. Cake walk kids! 2-1 upset win by the Flames!

NHL Record -> 12-7

Wings got Staaled Wednesday's Picks...

NHL
Blackhawks -140 BHawks have been dominant at Home. We'll see how Tim Thomas does in a electric atmosphere in Chicago. Toews should lead the Hawks in this Orig Six matchup.
Tampa Bay Lightning +105 Barry Melrose... Poor guy needs a win. Lightning should be able to win one for him tonight at Florida.
Sabres -220 I'm taking the Sabres as big favorites again, last time I did this they lost. So it obviously can't happen again.
Caps @ Canes Under 5.5 Brent Johnson or Jose Thedore, doesn't matter who starts. They have been doing well and live in Raleigh respectively. Cam Ward on the other hand has been a stud this season. Look for it to continue tonight as the Caps win 3-2 in a shootout.

NHL Record -> 11-4

NBA
Lakers +1.5 What is going on? I know the Lakers barely covered last night... but UNDERDOGS!? Especially against a team that has lost to the Bobcats... Will someone else show up tonight for the Hornets besides Chris Paul? Cause if they don't, the Lakers will BLOW them out. I'm thinking Lakers win by 10. Once again, as a Lakers fan, I could be biased.
Hawks +10.5 No respect for a team that is 6-0!! I know the Celtics hate the Hawks, but 10.5 points is a little ridiculous. Hawks should be able to keep it close with all the young talent they have. Lack of Josh Smith will hurt, but Joe Johnson and Horford should be able to contain Pierce and Garnett. It should be a great game. Look for the Celts to win by 6.
Pacers -1.5 Who is making these odds? Did someone is Vegas forget that the Pacers just beat the nets by 18 only 4 days ago??? Granted it was in Indiana, 18 points! Including Danny Granger shooting 1-9 from the arc. Hmmmm. Pacers win by 8.

NBA Record :( -> 4-7-1

How good are the Lakers!?!?

Will anyone be able to stop this team? The Lakes were down most of this game, as much as 12 points halfway through the 3rd quarter. The best part about that? I was never worried they wouldn't win the game. Once again the Lakers went into the 4th quarter down. They outscored the Mavs 30-20 and kept up their 4th quarter dominance this season. Perhaps the best thing about this Lakers team is depth. It's scary. Luke Walton who averaged over 11 points two seasons ago isn't even averaging 4 minutes a game. This is perfect for players like Ariza, Farmar and Bynum who aren't pressured into performing like most young studs in the NBA. Could the mishaps of Derek Fisher make way for Farmar to start anytime soon? Fisher was 1-8 last night, but still only turned the ball over once in 28 minutes. Both guards had 3 assists and 1 turnover, so look for this situation to develop as the season goes on. Not enough can be said to the start Trevor Ariza is having this season, he is averaging over 10 points and 5 rebounds a game and shooting 51% from the field. Oh, I forgot to mention, he's averaging only 22 minutes a game. Odum is putting up very similar numbers, but is averaging about 27 minutes a game, so where does that put him? Radmonavic has been himself, but is seeing his minutes cut as the bench is showing him up. Look for this internal battle for playing time to make this team even better. Lakers go up against Chirs Paul tonight, I mean the Hornets. Hornets just don't have the depth to keep up with this Lakers team. They should stomp all over them.

Picks coming later today. Yes I'm betting on the Lakers again.

Islanders can't do anything right Tuesday Picks

NHL

Pens @ Wings Over 5.5 Both teams want this bad and both goalies have been playing mediocre. Should be a high scoring affair. 5-3 Detroit.
Flames -145 Kipps is coming off a bad start. He won't allow much in tonight, hes pissed.
Stars -115 Old School Modano and Turco are playing stellar. Wheres Doughty?

Hot NHL Record -> 9-3

NBA

Bulls -4.5 Derrick Rose can straight up play. The loss of Hinrich doesn't hurt the bulls as much as they think. They showed up a very talented Suns team and shouldn't have a problem tonight against a team without Joe Johnson.
Lakers -6 Something seems fishy here. Lakers only 6 point favorites? I guess I am biased, but I honestly don't think Kobe and the crew will have a hard time tonight against Cubans Mav's.
Knicks @ Spurs Over 198 Both teams struggle at defense, so this should be a high scoring affair.

Not so Hot NBA Record -> 3-5-1

Hot and Not so Hot

Can I just mention that I called the exact score of the Caps game tonight? Meanwhile lets not talk about my NBA picks.

Oh Monday... Picks

NBA

Grizzlies +11.5 Grizzles defense has stepped up this season and Marc Gasol should matchup well with Shaq. Look for the Grizz to keep this one fairly close and only lost by 8.
OK City Thunder @ Indiana Pacers Under 197 The Thunder have shown they can play some defense and should hold the pacers to around 100 points. Meanwhile the Pacers won't allow this game to be too close.
Magic -7 Dwight Howard and the Heat look to close out their 5-Game homestand with a fifth straight win as the Blazers try and win their first game on the road. I think Howard will be just too big for Aldridge.

NBA Record 2-3-1

NHL

Capitals -170 Brent Johnson has been stellar in net and Olaf Kolzig is making his first start in a while. Look for Ovechkin to grab that first goal at home tonight as the Caps win 4-2.

NHL Record 8-3

Sunday's aren't for just Football... Picks

NBA
Hawks -4.5 Joe Smith is out, which is why the spread is so low, but look for Joe Johnson and Bibby to still dominate.

NBA Record -> 2-2-1

NHL
Devils @ Edmonton Over 5.5 Weekes is taking a night off. Look for Brodeurs 2nd backup to allow atleast 3-4 goals.
Sharks @ Coyotes Over 5 Olli and Doan are hot. Look for them to score a couple against Nabokov.
Blackhawks -170 They are hot. I don't know why I like them so much tonight.

NHL Record -> 6-2

Saturday Night's Picks

NBA
Heat +11 Apparently your team can lose even when you have potentially the best player in the NBA on your team and playing well. The Hornets need some support for Paul. They might squeak away with a win tonight, but don't look for them to cover 11 points. Chalmers should do well w/ Paul.
Sun -5.5 Bucks just traveled back from getting battered in Boston. The Sun are starting to look better and they should be able to roll over them tonight. Look for Stoud to have another big game and the Sun win with ease.
Nets +9 I mean I know Danny Granger is for real, but since when can the Pacers ever cover NINE points!? Look for this game to stay fairly close all night with the pacers winning by 5 in the end.
NBA Record - 1-1

NHL
Sabres @ Bruins Under 5.5Miller vs. Thomas, two of best goaltenders in NHL right now.
Rangers +105 Rangers should cover, look for Lundqvist and company to get back on track tonight.
Penguins -165 I know, I'm betting against my own team, but they have given me no confidence, blow 3 3rd period leads in 4 games. Please have some respect for yourselves!
Blues @ Kings Over 5.5 Both goalies are struggling.
Colorado -140 Avalanche need to win a game sometime, might as well be against the Predators.
NHL Record - 2-1

Art of Sports Handicapping

A lot of people claim they know a lot shit about sports betting. I'm not going to go out there and claim I'm one of them at all. I do have a little more experience than most though, and if I've learned anything, it's that nothing - NOTHING is ever a lock. I laughed the other day when I saw this guy who calls himself 'el presidente' tried to make picks. He's got a blog barstoolsports and he put up about 4-5 picks within a 2 day span. He called his picks 'Mortal Locks'. It was hilarious... Not only did he go like 0 for 5... He wasn't even fucking close haha. I think he missed covering a football game by like 45 points... Yeah that takes some skill, no lie. Anyways I wanted to get my frustration out there about that. It was just so blatant that the guy doesn't have much experience with handicapping, mortal locks? come on buddy. This isn't Early Edition. After that preface, I'd like to start making posts of my picks whenever I am feeling strong about a game. I'm not sure if I'll post everyday, but whenever I'm liking a team. Majority of my picks will come from NHL, NBA and NCAA Basketball as I feel like NCAA is my stronger suit with the less parody in college basketball making it harder to come back in games. Here are my picks for tonight...

NBA
Hornets -8 Look for the Hornets to take over against a struggling Jason Richardson and the Bobcats as they visit their former City. Armstrong knows Okafor well, so he should be able to limit his effectiveness.
Hawks -3 Joe Johnson and Josh Smith are for real. The Hawks took care of one of the best teams the other night in the Hornets. Although this will be a tough game for Horford, I think he'll be up for the challenge and Hawks will take down the Raptors.
NHL
Sabres -270 I can't help but take the Sabres here. Thrashers have won 2 in a row, getting a lucky win last night against the Isles. Ryan Miller has been stellar and shouldn't let up more than 2 goals in this matchup.
Habs / Blue Jacks OVER 5.5 Carey Price allowed 4 goals to the Isles the other night and whoever the Blue Jackets start will allow atleast 3 goals. Look for the over here.
Senators / Canes Under 6 Hopefully Alex Auld gets the nod tonight, Cam Ward has been great in net for the Canes. Neither goalie should allow more than 2 to 3 goals. Total should be under 6.

SEE YOU OUT THERE.

Team Updates. Isles. Lakes. UConn.

Anyways, now that I've got that out. It's been a couple days since my last post and I'd like to keep this whole blog thing going, its actually pretty chill...even though i am probably just talking to myself... SO another disappointing night for my Isles... I was in class and they were up 3-1 going into the 3rd period.. I closed my computer with high hopes they could seal up 3 in a row. Yes ladies and gents, Isles were about to win 3 fucking games in a row. But no. Let's be real. For the 3rd time in 4 games the New York Islanders blew a 2+ goal lead in the 3rd period. Yeah they lost. 4-3. Are you kidding me? I mean you couldn't describe choking any better than that than if you defined it. Whatever at least the Lakers are winning... Did anyone catch clips of the game last night? I was watching it online and for the most part it was a very close game... Until the Clippers ran into the Lakers that decided to turn it on the in 4th Quarter... Like Damn... In the 4 Games the Lakers have played this season, they have won EVERY single 4th Quarter.. by a combined 32 points!! 8 Points a game. Basically... You better be up at least 10 points on the Lakers going into the 4th Quarter if you want to have a shot. Anyways... Lakers play the struggling Rockets at Home next. Rockets are coming off to 2 losses in as many nights. Look for them to come out firing on Sunday. I'm thinking this will be another close game... Going into the 4th quarter that is. My prediction is that Lakers will be down 74-70 going into the 4th and win the game 99-96. I'll be interested to see the spread on that game...

On another Note. UConn had their first scrimmage of the year on Wednesday night. Thaaaaabeet is looking better than ever. I've never seen him throw it down with such confidence!! That's saying something after watching him develop a lot last season. Hash had 21 points, 10 boards, 6 blocks and shot 9-9 from the field. Yeah, yeah I know.. against who? I don't care, this was great for his confidence and he played better than any other UConn player to touch the floor. Not far behind Thabeet was Gavin Edwards, a player who seems to always have been under the radar. In 15 minutes, Gavin had 15 points and 7 boards. It looks like Gavin is just confirming that he will be the first off the bench. Gavin will be key when Thabeet or Adrien get into foul trouble, also when they need a rest. I'm not sure how it's going to shape out when Okwandu or Majok starts playing, but personally I'd like to minimize the minutes of Mandeldove as much as we can. As far as the guards, UConn has depth. It looks like Calhoun will run a 3 guard offense for a little while, at least until Stanley comes back who can run the 3. Dyson, Price and Austrie started in the first preseason game, but we'll see what happens as the season progresses. Price will always start, its just a matter of how much Kemba and Donnell can prove in their minutes off the bench. Kemba looked great in his 22 minutes with 10 pts, 8 boards?, 4 dimes and 3 steals. It looks like he will be the one to first contest Austrie's starting spot. Donnell struggled to get into a groove, being thrown in the game for a couple minutes at a time, same with Haralson, the touted 3pt shooter was only 1-5 from the arc. These players will need to get used to their quick minutes off the bench and this will most likely be the case all season. In no way do I believe one exhibition game really shows much for these two, especially considering Donnell had a productive summer working out with Russell Westbrook and Haralson was playing in his first game ever as a Husky. I'm looking for them to each give about 10-15 minutes of great energy off the bench each game. UConn is playing its 2nd and final exhibition game this Sunday at XL in Hartford. I think I might be going, so that should be a good time. It's going to be a great season for UConn, I'm looking for Thabeet and Adrien to average almost double doubles each game. Also, if Adrien wants to prove to NBA recruits that his height is not an issue to play at the next level, he will need to start knocking down the mid-range jumper. He has worked on this shot on over the past couple seasons, so I'm looking forward to see how it has developed this year. Until next time. U-C-O-N-N UCONN UCONN UCONN!

The Quiet After the Storm

I'm not going to be obnoxious and complain about Obama being our new president because I'm not salty like that. I just doubt the reasons why some college kids chose to vote for him...but.. that's here nor there and we all have an equal say whether it be logical or not, that's the great thing about America.

That's all for now. In all seriousness though, I am completely supporting our new President and I'm looking forward towards a fantastic four years. It's going to be nice to have a President that can not move people emotionally with his words, but really compare to the average American's lifestyle. Yeah I just said it. USA!!

How are people suprised Obama is about to win? ha

this election was over mid-summer... lets all go crazy that obama won... no people... hes been predicted the winner of this election since like june... obama will win 338 to 200. yes a landslide. not suprised at all, just have a couple comments on a few of these exit polls ive been seeing results from, they are fucking hilarious.


its funny people picked obama when making a decision based on the current state of the economy... people arent educated enough, they made thier decision based on selfishness, they rather lean on the US govt and its programs to hold them up that obama marketed... rather than letting the us work itself out of its own economic problems, rather we'll force ourselves out of it... god forbid we pay for being arrogant americans and digging ourselves into debt and defaulting on our mortagages, lets use the govt to hold us up and save us, the exact reason it was NOT established for.

Sports will never let us down.

Theres a funny thing about sports. It will always be there for you no matter what. Your favorite team might put you in a bad mood sometimes, but you always have that next game or next season to look forward to. Nice to know something will always be waiting for you if you ever need to get your mind off something.
It's a beautiful thing, isnt it?
Did you watch the 2008 ESPYs? If you didn't and you like follow sports even just a little... you need to watch this video.. Justin Timberlake did an amazing job this year and you can ask matt price, i was literally on the floor laughing so hard that i was crying at certain points. Not only is it hilarious and well thoughtout, but a great recap of your late '07 and '08 sports moments. Anyways thats all i got for today.

First of Many Hopefully...

I've never been of the blogging type, but who gives a shit. I kind of just wanted to spit out what's on my mind and this seems like the best way of doing it. I'm not really aiming this at anyone, and I don't plan on many people actually reading this, but I wanted to preface some of my biases. I've always been a fair person, but there are some things in life that i'll always take sides with. First off, considering this is the last day before the election we'll go ahead and get it out there that I'm fairly conservative... no I did not say I was a republican or a mccain supporter... that's a different story. in fact lets put off this whole political situation until a little later. As far my other biases, they pretty much revovle around sports and the economy... in future posts i will make a list of my favorite sports teams and favorite athletes of all time, but for now i'll just give a short list of the teams and athletes i closely follow.. (in no order) uconn basketball, boston red sox, new york giants, new york islanders, la lakers, tiger woods, sergio garcia and all nba players that attended UConn. As far as biases towards the economy... laissez faire captialism and less gov't spending will get us on the right track.. if you want to argue that more gov't regulation on the pooling of mortgage backed bonds would prevented the economic fallout of '08.. let me know i'll educate you.
as a segway from the economy into politics i wanted to mention the effect on the raising taxes to the american people. most dems support obamas idea of raising taxes to the upper 5% or as obama likes to put it, raising taxes to people who make over 250k. this in effect would give him more money to put towards gov't spending. well... if you look at the laffer curve and the tax revenue statistics from the past.. revenue actually is not maximized at a higher tax rate. it peaks around a little over 30%. in laymans terms if you tax the rich too much, they will find a way to get around it. they are rich enough to hire tax lawyers and accountants to make sure they pull some sort of scheme to get around a higher net tax rate for them. what does this do? pretty much nothing. sure it sounds great during an obama rally when he preaches to the lower and middle class about how the top 5% income americans will pay for the government programs that mainly the lower class recieve the most benefits from. I sometimes wonder if people have forgot about the Progressive Income tax. I bet I could go around the US and ask college students if they know what it is and i'd put a million dollars on it that over half wouldn't know. If you make more money in the US you pay the gov't more, easy enough, but the progressive income tax means that the more money you make, you have to pay an even higher percentage of that income to the gov't. I am a firm believer in the progressive income tax, dont get me wrong, but to change the tax rates for only a top portion of the bracket? Does this not defeat the whole purpose of what this progressive tax rate system was set up for?
Heres another issue, and perhaps 10 times more important than the federal income tax debacle that is stirring. CAPTIAL GAINS TAX. If you're not aware what it is, heres a simple definition. If you buy a capital asset (most common here are stocks, bonds, mutual funds & real property) and then you sell it for a profit, you are taxed by the federal government on those profits.. based on how long you hold this asset is the determinant of how much you are taxed. Currently if you hold the asset for less than 1 year you are subject to a short-term capital gains tax of 35%. If you hold the asset for greater than 1 year you are subject to a long-term capital gains tax rate of 15%. The reason this long-term rate is so low is based on the idea that you & this country benefit from holding an asset of a longer period of time. This promotes investment into our economy, this tax is a reason why the american stock market has been so successful and we all know whether we like to admit it or not, when the stock market does well, the economy is doing well. While the US is in perhaps its worst recession since the great depression and the economy is hanging by a thread, barack obama has demanded the capital gains tax be increased to ATLEAST 20%. Where does he get this logic? Well he is a big believer in making sure the big company excecutives don't walk home with a smile on thier face. He knows that these executives essentially pay a lower effective tax rate than many americans because the majority of thier income comes from profits on long term capital gains which are taxed at 15%, by raising this tax rate he could have company execs pay a higher tax rate and then get more money for government spending? Oh wait, you forgot the fallout of one minor correction. How about the fact that an increase in the capital gains tax has statisically proven to cause inflation? Or the fact that this could potentially cause a major decrease in investing in our own economy. So Obama is saying that he is going to tax people more for investing in the stock market? The backbone of our economy? Will this deter investment in our own economy? That's a question that can be answered on your own bias. While it doesn't make much sense to me, I have always believed that someone who has made it as far as Obama has not made it here for no reason, so there must be some justification for his policy he has promoted. In MY own opinion I believe it is purely marketing tactics to bring in more voters in order to get him elected. While you may think "well isn't that what a politician does?" well... yes, but isn't a politician supposed to propose what he feels is best for his constituents? I think theres a line that needs to be drawn here. Does barack obama really believe that raising taxes for people making over 250k is best for this country? Or is it just because it appeals the the voters that he is trying to pull in? Does he really believe that the capital gains tax should be raised in order to make sure company execs don't walk home with too much money? Or is it just because it sounds appealing to the voters he is targeting? What voters is he targeting? mainly lower and middle class and in most of their situations these decisions do not apply to them personally. most do not make over 250k and those lower and middle class income levels that have capital gains are usually taxed at a lower captial gains tax rate because they fall in a lower income tax bracket. so why not support his policies? Exactly what he wants his voters to think. Do I think Barack really knows that his policies aren't the best for a better economy? Actually I do to an extent. There is no way that someone gets this far without having such knowledge. While he has proposed some drastic policy, I do not believe that he will completely follow through with it, cause in the end, he and his cabient will know better. Once he has taken office he will have so many fucking economic advisors he wont be able to breathe. Do I know something they don't? Nope, they know 100 times more than me and that's what ultimately in the end I'm not that nervous. One thing I've learned at Babson that is no matter how good or bad the product you offer is, the only thing that will matter is how it is marketed. If there is good press and marketing on a shitty product, you will still get GREAT sales... that is until you see how that product works. Well elections work the same way, Obama in my opinion has run one of the best marketed campagins in the history of the presidency. Granted he could work off of the mistakes of W, he used them perfectly. Everyone has bought into Obama and his sales are off the charts and they will show come tomorrow Novemeber 4th. But will all the voters want to return thier product come next year? We shall see how he works.