Betting Picks

UFC Betting – “Shogun” Bounces Back, Romps In Griffin Rematch

Even fishing fans had to tune into UFC 134 last weekend, as it was the first time that the UFC had visited Brazil since 1998. The fans were definitely up for it as the card was loaded with Brazilian stars, and the fighters responded with four wins out of five fights on the main card (three of which were first-round victories). Here is a look back at one of those matchups.

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua had a lot on his plate heading into this fight with Forrest Griffin. First, he wanted to avenge a 2007 loss to Griffin, whom he said he underestimated back then (and that is something that baseball betting players should understand from time to time). But perhaps more importantly, Rua wanted to prove he was still a contender at 205 pounds after losing the belt in humiliation fashion to Jon Jones. The two former champs started the match by feeling each other out, trying to find the distance, but then Rua hit Griffin with a straight right that knocked him to the ground, and then he swarmed on him until the referee stopped the fight at 1:53 in the first round, which will surely set up a third sports betting contest.

Griffin may not have been all there, as he had to leave right after to fight to get back to Las Vegas and watch his wife give birth, but still, Rua came in with a point to prove and he definitely did so. “Shogun” will receive a title shot again, and he should be a strong option if you bet on sports.

World Series Betting – Take Phillies All The Way To The Bank

Most baseball betting players will tell you that good pitching will beat good hitting nine times out of ten, and San Francisco proved that last year in their World Series win. The breeders cup betting odds are looking towards a team with great pitching as the favorites for this year’s Fall Classic, and it’s tough to bet against them.

Philadelphia is the smart play because of their all-world starting rotation: Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels are legitimate Cy Young candidates and as of right night, you could probably throw Cliff Lee in the mix as well and he may be the most unhittable of the three. Roy Oswalt has had a tough year, but he’s still capable of a solid start and he could be the No.4 in the postseason; if not, he and impressive rookie Vince Worley can be added to a strong bullpen that is led by Ryan Madsen. The Philadelphia offense isn’t as explosive as the team that won the 2008 World Series, but they have veterans like Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmie Rollins who have been through the pressure of the postseason and they won’t be intimidated by anyone.

But the key is to the Phillies is their pitching, and few teams, if any, in the majors, can throw out a playoff rotation like Halladay, Lee and Hamels. Look for the Phillies to ride their horses in the starting rotation to the World Series, and they should be your sports betting online pick.

NHL Awards Previews

In a few short weeks, Belmont betting enthusiasts also gambling on the NHL will have a chance to place their final wagers on the players they believe will win the NHL awards for the 2010-11 seasons. This year, there are 11 sports betting online awards, for bettors to pick their favorite stars to win. For all intents and purposes, today we will look at the most prolific awards.

Hart Memorial Trophy (Top Player Award) – This year’s Hart Memorial Trophy has three very deserving candidates, in Anaheim Ducks forward Corey Perry, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Martin St. Louis and Vancouver Canucks forward Daniel Sedin. The award is given to the player usually with the most points and biggest impact on their team. For all intents and purposes, Daniel Sedin looks to follow in brother Henrik Sedin’s footsteps, as for the second consecutive year, a Sedin brother leads the NHL in points. What’s more, Daniel along with brother Henrik Sedin, have been able to guide the Vancouver Canucks to their first Stanley Cup in nearly 17 years.

Vezina Trophy (Top Goalie Award) – The Vezina Trophy is a little harder to determine this year, as all three goalies nominated for the award, Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins, Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators and Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks were essential to how their teams fared this season. On paper, Thomas seems like the obvious choice to win his second Vezina in the last three years. However, if Roberto Luongo is able to guide the Canucks to their first Stanley Cup victory in 17 years, it will be hard to argue that he is undeserving of the award.

Jack Adams Award (Top Coach Award) – In 2010-11 the Jack Adams Award is to be decided between Dan Bylsma of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Barry Trotz of the Nashville Predators and Alain Vigneault of the Vancouver Canucks. Theoretically speaking, many people expect Bylsma to win the award, because the Pittsburgh Penguins made the playoffs without their top two players Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. However, Vigneault led the Canucks to the best record in team history and all the way to the Stanley Cup. In theory, similar to the Hart and Vezina, Vancouver should also win the Jack Adams award.

NBA Finals Prediction

It was 48 hours ago that Belmont betting enthusiasts watching the NBA finals, found out that Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki has a detached tendon in his non shooting hand. With potentially six games remaining in the NBA betting online finals, many fans and experts, we included wonder if the Mavericks can survive if Dirk misses any time with the injury. Game two from Miami is set to go later tonight, here is a preview of the game and a series prediction.

The NBA finals kicked off from Miami this past Tuesday, in a game that was dominated by the Dallas Mavericks for the majority of the game, before the Heat woke up and took over. Going into the middle of the third quarter, the Mavericks looked poised not only to defeat the Heat, but to embarrass them in a similar manner to the LA Lakers in game four of the second round. Recall, in that game, the Mavericks eliminated the Lakers by blowing them out 120 – 86.

However, as the third quarter progressed, the Miami Heat led by the trio of Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, chipped away at the Mavericks lead, before taking over and never looking back. After coming from behind to win game one, many people, we included feel that game one could be an indication for the entire series, especially if Nowitzki is injured.

In essence, the Miami Heat are a team with literally three franchises compacted into one, as besides Dwayne Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh are both considered franchise stars. Conversely, beyond Dirk Nowitzki, fans see a team full of over the hill veterans and pet projects who were traded from other teams.

Throughout the playoffs, both the Heat and Mavericks have dominated opponents, never going past six games. Yet, Miami as we said is a triple franchise in one and that alone should be enough to put them over in what looks to be the first of many championships under the big three.