Betting Picks

Can Manny Ramirez Lead The White Sox To The Playoffs?

The Chicago White Sox are currently in the midst of a heated battle with the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers for the American League Central, but appear to be missing one piece to get them over the hump. Baseball fans MLB betting on the White Sox to win the division may have had their prayers answered earlier this week when the club picked up disgruntled outfielder Manny Ramirez. White Sox betting fans are hoping this waiver wire acquisition works out better than the Alex Rios acquisition of a year ago.

Presently, the White Sox sit four games back of the Twins for the AL Central title, and 10 games back of the Wild Card. Nevertheless, the White Sox were able to sweep this past series against the Cleveland Indians. Man Ram as he’s known by fans, went one of three in his debut with the Southsider’s.

Throughout his career, Manny Ramirez has been one of the premier offensive weapons in the major leagues. However, over the last two and half years we have seen a Manny who is more concerned with getting paid than he is with winning a championship. At least this was the perception we were left with after he won two titles with the Boston Red Sox and then was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

No less, the White Sox hope that Manny can be the missing link to get them over the hump in the same way Manny stepped up his play when he first came to the Dodgers. Over the past two and half seasons in LA, Manny went from the most loved man, as he helped the Dodgers capture back to back NL West titles. To one of the most hated men in all of baseball. Being on your third team in a span of two and half years no matter who you are is not a good thing. But if Manny can be the baseball focused Manny, we see the White Sox getting in.

Top 5 Coaches On The Hot Seat

With NFL training camps and preseason kicking off last week, many NFL betting enthusiast are wondering which coaches will still have a job by the playoffs. Here are the five coaches we feel are the safest bet to lose their jobs this year if their teams struggle.

Lovie Smith Chicago Bears - After acquiring Jay Cutler from the Denver Broncos last year, the Bears got off to one of the most dreadful starts in team history. Cutler threw 26 interceptions which was one of the highest marks in the league last season. Ever since Smith guided the Bears to the Super Bowl final back in 2005 against the Colts, the Bears have struggled. If Smith can’t turn the Bears around, we expect him to be gone by week six.
Jack Del Rio Jacksonville Jaguars- Del Rio has been the Jags coach for the past few seasons and was rumored to be in the running for the USC Trojans job this offseason. As well, Del Rio seems to have a running conflict with current star quarterback David Garrard. If the two can’t mesh and the Jags have another seven and nine season, look for Del Rio to get the pink slip.
Tom Cable Oakland Raiders – How Cable hasn’t been fired yet is still a head scratcher for many NFL fans and experts alike. The Raiders haven’t been good since the beginning of the decade. Even after getting rid of dreadful quarterback JaMarcus Russell the Raiders still are terrible. If the team does not win at least eight games this year, we think Cable will finally be done as the Raiders coach.
Raheem Morris Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Morris took over for long time Bucs coach John Gruden last year and really didn’t fare much better. Morris was the coach of record when the Bucs finally got their first win of the season in week 11. However, many experts are predicting the Buccaneers to once again be at the bottom of the standings and in search for a new coach.
Andy Reid Philadelphia Eagles – This may come as a surprising pick for coach on the hot seat, but when you get rid of a future hall of famer for an unproven second string quarterback you should be in the hot seat. Reid supposedly had a strong relationship with former Eagle and current Redskin Donovan McNabb, yet it wasn’t strong enough to keep McNabb with the Eagles.

History of Football Props Betting

Today we look at Super Bowl proposition betting 101. With the rise in NFL betting fans, sportsbooks have compensated by providing a continuous growth of exotic wagers for fans to choose from.

All sports have multiple proposition wagers, however none are as crazed as that of Super Bowl props. When it comes to the Super Bowl fans can wager on absolutely anything, from the coin toss to what dance move the cheer leaders will do.

Super Bowl proposition betting peaked during the 1985 season when the NFL’s Chicago Bears ran rampant on the league. Essentially the Bears had reeled off 12 consecutive victories before finishing the season at 15 and one. During this time, fans and sportsbooks alike took an interest in the individual personalities that made up the 85 Bears.

The first known proposition bet in football came at the expense of Bears defensive lineman William the Refrigerator Perry, who occasionally played full back as well. Essentially sportsbooks set odds at 26 to one that Perry would run in a touchdown during the Super Bowl. As a result many fans at the time took the bet and multiple sportsbooks made millions of dollars on this one proposition wager. Prior to the game Bears Coach Mike Ditka claimed he would not use the Fridge as a full back and many sportsbooks felt safe in collecting on the wager.

However, Ditka ended up using Perry as a full back and he scored a touchdown. The result, many fans became rich and many sportsbooks went out of business. Presently sportsbooks both land and online offer a ton of different proposition bets when it comes to the Super Bowl. As we noted above you can now wager on anything from the coin toss to a cheer leader’s dance moves to the half time shows opening song. Super Bowl proposition betting alone brings in over a billion dollars to the sports betting industry.

Hawks Show Up At Home After Lackluster Road Trip

Going into last night's action at home against the Flyers, the Blackhawks had gone from a fantastic road team, to one of the worst. When they entered Philadelphia with a two games to none lead, many fans and experts alike figured the series to be finished in four games, as the young Hawks led by rookie goalie Antti Niemi and offensive stars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, looked to win the first cup in half a decade for the original six franchise. Instead, the Hawks were severely out played by the Flyers and going into last night's game at the Madhouse on Madison, the series was tied with all the momentum, like in a good UFC 116 betting match up, shifted to the Flyers.

However, fans betting on the Blackhawks to win the series got a chance at redemption, as the Hawks rebounded at home last night in a seven to four route of the Flyers, which saw them chase goalie Michael Leighton for the second time in the series. Further, although now on different lines, the Hawks top players of Kane, Toews and Byfuglien finally made their mark on the series, as all three combined for seven points.

Hawks fans are beginning to feel confident again after the seven to four routing, as the big three which have carried the team for the entire playoffs have finally showed up. In Byfuglien's four point night and Patrick Kane's two point night, the Flyers have now a woken the sleeping beasts. Sports betting enthusiasts should remember from the Vancouver and San Jose series' that once the big three get rolling, it is nearly impossible to win a series. As well, goalie Niemi had the big game everyone has been expecting him to have, in game five. With the momentum now back in Chicago's favor, Blackhawks fans should feel confident in the young Hawks winning the cup in game six for the first time since 1961.

Longhorns, Cowboys head for Big 12 showdown

Even though people are looking to bet on World Series lines right now, there’s a huge matchup looming in the Big 12 this weekend that may be tougher to gauge than Yankees vs Phillies odds.

Texas vs Oklahoma State odds – Saturday, October 31, 8:00 PM ET

The No.3 Longhorns (7-0, 4-0) finally broke out with a 41-7 rout of Missouri on the road, as Colt McCoy completed his first 11 passes of the day en route to a 26-of-31 outing, throwing for 269 yards, three touchdowns and a pick. The Longhorns kept the Tigers off-balance with 131 yards, but McCoy was the star the show, and everyone has been waiting for a Heisman-like performance. The Texas defense held Mizzou to 173 yards and two turnovers, and this was the Longhorns’ most complete showing of the season.

The No.14 Cowboys (6-1, 3-0) rolled to a 34-7 beating of Baylor on the road, and Oklahoma State dominated this game from start to finish. Zac Robinson was 23-of-27 for 250 yards and three touchdowns for the Cowboys, who held the ball for over 38 minutes. Oklahoma State also held the Bears to 43 yards on the ground.

The Longhorns come into this game as 9.5-point road favorites, and Texas has won 10 straight over the Cowboys. The last two have been decided by four points or less, but the Longhorns look to be hitting their stride just in time for the end of the season. The Cowboys have got on well without All-American receiver Dez Bryant, but they haven’t seen a defense like Texas, which may be the most improved in the nation on that side of the ball. Combine that with a quarterback who is getting hot, and the Longhorns will roll this weekend.

BetOnline.com Pick: Texas -9.5