Friday, June 25, 2010

Huge Sports Weekend - Starting with a Pick 3 at Hollywood Park on Friday Night

A huge sports betting weekend starts tonight when CC Sabathia and the New York Yankees take on the L.A. Dodgers and Hollywood Park runs their usual Friday night card.

Check out the articles for both at the link below.

Good luck!

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Friday, June 18, 2010

Give Danzing Tribal Another Shot in Race 7 at Hollywood Park Tonight

Night racing at Hollywood Park. You've got to love it. The last time Danzing Tribal ran, he pulled up and walked off of the turf. This after being bet down to 2 to 1 favoritism.

Well, he's back and with a weight advantage as he gets jockey Alex Gonzalez to jump onto him. I like his chances tonight. So much so, that he's my Pick of the Day.

I'm also using him in a Pick 3 that comes out to $36.

Read the entire article here!

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Thursday, June 17, 2010

What??? Yes! I'm Picking the Celtics!

I'm a die-hard L.A. Lakers' fan. No, seriously. Ask my wife. I do love the Lakers. I love Kobe. I love Phil. I love everythign about this wonderful city of Los Angeles, but I can't pick the Lakers to beat the Celtics tonight in Game 7.

Why? Because there's just no value in it. L.A. is awesome, but they're huge, massive, incredible favorites in tonight's game.

The betting odds on Boston are +270 on the moneyline. I have to take that bet.

I just have to.

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Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Hollywood Race 7 Pick For 6/17/2010

Bob Baffert's Rapport will try to win first time against winners in Hollywood's 7th race today. Rapport could be any sort and even if horse racing fans aren't looking to bet this race, they should tune in to see how he does.

Of course, I'll be betting against Rapport today, or, at least, using another horse to counter Baffert's charge.

Click on Read More Sports Stuff to get the scoop!

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Thursday, June 10, 2010

Gulf Oil Spill is a Watershed Moment

The Gulf Oil Spill, I'm capitalizing the words for a reason, is a watershed moment in U.S. History. Oh, I know. That phrase has been bandied about before, but this time, this time, it's true.

You see, the problem isn't whether or not deep sea drilling should be allowed or whether or not BP should pay for the clean-up and put money into the pockets of the working families affected. The problem is that we as a nation are already debating these things when the most important goal hasn't been realized.

Oil is still spilling into the Gulf of Mexico. By the thousands upon thousands. By the thousands upon thousands of gallons each and every second.

The ramifications of this are extreme. Extreme enough, I believe, to signal the end of the American Economic Empire. Every empire in the history of the world has fallen. Our's has been due to fall for a while. Now, I'm convinced that it is on its way to falling. Oh, we'll still have a say, but our ability to truly change the world will be greatly diminished.

I'm not saying it's gong to happen overnight. I'm just saying that the Gulf Oil Spill is the sign. It's the one great sign because we have no idea what to do and we have never, ever, as a nation, been in that position.

At least we had a response to the Great Depression. At least we had a response to 9/11. But this? We have no response for this because...there isn't one. There is no enemy here except for our own outdated and ridiculous notion that everything in the nation will always stay the same, that the standard of living, which, hate to break it to you, has always been a mirage, will stay the same. That we can continually pump billions of gallons of oil out of the Earth and somehow, someway, it's always going to be hunky-dory and a-okay. We're like Ned Flanders from The Simpsons, except our mighty god has always been the "dollar, dollar bill y'all!" Our mighty god has led us to cut corners and forget about the basic tenet of life, that all things are connected, somehow, someway...

Well, it looks like that's all about to change. The Age of A-Okay is over. There's just no way a nation like the United States, given our current economic condition, can recover from this insane mess because our very ideology, who we are, will prevent us from doing so. We won't allow ourselves to admit that, "You know what? Maybe, we should change who we are!"

So, as Governor Jindal screams at the Obama Administration and the Obama Administration screams at BP and BP screams at...well, life, I suppose...the oil will keep flowing and out of work families will keep struggling and the American way of life will eventually become...oh, damn...just life.


For a lot of us switching from eating fresh salmon to farm raised catfish might do the trick. But for a lot of us, this change is going to be a real kick in the ass.

A real, big, kick in the ass. Hey, that's life, right? All empires fall.

We just received, and are receiving, the sign that ours is about to.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Fly Down the One to Beat in the 2010 Belmont Stakes

Nick Zito will win the Belmont Stakes again. The two time winner hoist the coveted Test of Champions trophy once again on Saturday but it won't be because of morning line favorite, Ice Box.

It will be because of Fly Down. The son of Mineshaft has the requisite turn of foot in order to blow away the Belmont Stakes field. Ice Box? The horse always finds trouble and I believe he finds trouble again on Saturday. He'll come on but it will be too late. First Dude? He has to be tired after that Preakness run.

I'm predicting that Game On Dude and First Dude go out for the lead, Interactif lies about 2 to 3 lengths behind. Behind Interactif will be Fly Down. As they turn for home, Interactif will take the lead while Game On Dude and First Dude will fall back to the pack.

At that point, Fly Down will kick it into gear to run past Interactif. Ice Box will run on for 2nd while Interactif will hang on for third.

Make sure to play the Pick 4 as the pool is $1 million bucks! Good luck on Belmont Stakes Day!

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Sunday, May 23, 2010

Best Three Year Old Will Probably Come Out of the Belmont Stakes

The Belmont Stakes is about two weeks away, but already it's obvious to me. The best three-year old this year, I have no doubt, will come out of the Belmont Stakes.

This year reminds me of 2000 when Tiznow, a late-blooming three-year old, went on to capture the Breeders' Cup Classic after finishing second in the Pacific Classic that summer. Tizzy didn't run in a single 3-year old Classic race, but that's okay because sometimes it makes more sense to let time do it's thing. That appears to be the case with this group of 3-year olds although as opposed to Tizzy, the Belmont Stakes will prove to be the race from where the 2010 champion 3-year old emerged.

Just a few weeks ago it looked like Super Saver had taken a huge step forward ala Charismatic in 1999 when he won the Lexington Stakes and the Kentucky Derby. For Super Saver, the step forward appeared to be in the Kentucky Derby. Another step forward in the Preakness looked possible, but instead of moving forward in the Preakness, Super Saver moved backward, losing by 11 1/2 lengths.

The horse that appeared to take a step forward in the Preakness was Lookin' At Lucky, the failed Kentucky Derby favorite. Lucky, however, only produced a 102 Beyer Speed Figure. Although wrought with inexplicable failings, the Beyer Speed Figure is still a nice barometer of how fast Lookin' At Lucky is capable of running because his Beyer numbers, surprisingly, have never really "jumped". Lucky has been a rather "blah" performer as a 3-year old. He almost let First Dude beat him at Pimlico after First Dude ran the first quarter in 22 and change.

In 2000, Fusaichi Pegasus won the Kentucky Derby. There was an expectation that he would improve in the Preakness after winning the Kentucky Derby, but he didn't. He regressed. The winner of that year's Preakness, Red Bullet,never did much after the Classic victory, the Foggy Road Stakes being the highlight of his post-Preakness career. The winner of the Belmont Stakes was Commendable, who took the lead shortly after the gates opened and never looked back. Commendable won the Belmont by default.

Tiznow was the horse that took that all important step-forward but it wasn't in a Classic race. It was in the Affirmed Handicap. This year, "Tiznow", in my opinion, will run in the Beelmont Stakes. Who is this year's "Tiznow"? There are two possible candidates.

The first is FlyDown, Nick Zito's other entrant in this year's Belmont. Fly Down's stablemate, Ice Box, is going to be the morning line favorite for the Belmont Stakes if all goes well but Fly Down is in line to be the best 3-year old in the country. Flydown has a huge upside and should get the distance of the Belmont without any trouble at all. His Dwyer victory was awe-inspiring.

The second candidate for best 3-year old in the nation is the aforementioned First Dude. The Bob Baffert trained Game On Dude will pressure First Dude in the Belmont Stakes, but the other "dude" can't put too much pressure on First Dude or else he's going to get cooked. First Dude ran 6 furlongs in the Preakness in 1:11 and 1. He actually came back on after Lookin' At Lucky passed him in the stretch showing the type of gameness missing in Super Saver. Any more improvement and First Dude could wire the Belmont Stakes field. First Dude can also rate if his other "dude" rival decides to take the lead.

Both First Dude and Fly Down present to very possible, I would venture to say likely, 3-year old of the year candidates. With Super Saver proving to be a super dud, and Lookin' At Lucky appearing to be nothing more than a good but not great horse, the 3-year old title is up for grabs. My money will be on that horse either being First Dude or Flydown.

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