4-12-13

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Masters odds: Tiger still favored after opening-round 70

Tiger Woods shot a 2-under 70 in the opening round at Augusta National on Thursday and remains the betting favorite heading into second-round at the Masters despite trailing the leaders by four strokes.

Tiger opened as a +350 favorite at the LVH SuperBook and is now +400 to win outright at William Hill.

Sergio Garcia (opened +4,000) and Aussie Marc Leishman (opened +30,000) share the lead after firing a pair of 6-under 66s in the opening round.

Leishman is now being dealt at +4,000 prior to second-round play. An Australian has never won the Masters.

Rory McIlroy (opened +900) shot an even-par 72, while Phil Mickelson (opened +1,000) fired a solid 71 (-1).

China’s Guan Tianlang is the youngest player in major championship history after firing a 1-over 73. The 14-year-old has +5,000 odds heading into the second round.

The weather outlook doesn’t look too good for Friday. There's a 99 percent chance of rain early in the morning with a chance of thunderstorms in the forecast until 11 a.m. ET. Winds will blow from the southwest at nine mph. The first group is scheduled to tee off at 8 a.m. ET.

Here are the complete Masters outright odds courtesy of William Hill:

Tiger Woods +400
Dustin Johnson +800
Sergio Garcia +1000
Matt Kuchar +1200
Adam Scott +1400
Phil Mickelson +1400
Justin Rose +1600
Rory McIlroy +2000
Rickie Fowler +2200
Brandt Snedeker +2500
Lee Westwood +2500
Charl Schwartzel +2800
Jim Furyk +3300
Jason Day +4000
Luke Donald +4000
Marc Leishman +4000
Fred Couples +5000
Keegan Bradley +6000
Gonzalo F-Castro +6600
K.J. Choi +6600
Trevor Immelman +6600
Zach Johnson +6600
David Lynn +7000
Bill Haas +8000
Bo Van Pelt +8000
Ernie Els +8000
Jason Dufner +8000
Angel Cabrera +10000
David Toms +10000
Fredrik Jacobson +10000
Graeme McDowell +10000
John Huh +10000
Kevin Na +10000
Louis Oosthuizen +10000
Martin Kaymer +10000
Peter Hanson +10000
Ryan Moore +10000
Tim Clark +10000
Bubba Watson +12500
Vijay Singh +12500
Webb Simpson +12500
Bernhard Langer +15000
Brian Gay +15000
D.A. Points +15000
Henrik Stenson +15000
Hunter Mahan +15000
Ian Poulter +15000
John Peterson +15000
John Senden +15000
Michael Thompson +15000
Nicolas Colsaerts +15000
Richard Sterne +15000
Russell Henley +15000
Ryo Ishikawa +15000
Steve Stricker +15000
Y.E. Yang +15000
Mike Weir +20000
Thomas Bjorn +20000
Guan Tianlang +50000
Larry Mize +50000
Sandy Lyle +50000

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Celtics at Heat: What bettors need to know

Boston Celtics at Miami Heat (-7, 192)

It won’t be like the typical battles between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics, but there will still be something on the line for one team when the Celtics visit the Heat on Friday. Miami has been resting players liberally since the end of its 27-game winning streak and has even less incentive to push its starters now that the top overall record in the NBA is locked up. Boston is still fighting over seeding at the bottom of the East.

The Heat sat Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem on Wednesday and still earned a 103-98 win at Washington to wrap up the best record in franchise history. The Celtics, who beat the Heat on Jan. 27 and nearly derailed their winning streak with a 105-103 loss on March 18, are one of the few teams capable of giving Miami problems at full strength. Boston owns a three-game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks for the No. 7 spot in the East with four games remaining, and is comfortable enough with that lead that both Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are expected to sit out on Friday.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSNNE (Boston), SUN (Miami), NBATV

ABOUT THE CELTICS (40-38): Boston has not exactly been lighting the world on fire down the stretch but has benefited from a similar swoon by the Bucks and will likely avoid having to open the playoffs at Miami. The Celtics have dropped nine of their past 13 while Garnett has dealt with an ankle injury and Pierce has been banged up. Garnett returned from an eight-game absence to play in the last two but will be used just enough down the stretch to keep his stamina up for the start of the playoffs. Pierce, who has dealt with his own ankle issues, is being used the same way. The two were both on the floor Wednesday, when Boston tested itself against another East playoff team and came out on the wrong end of a 101-93 decision at home to the Brooklyn Nets. Pierce scored 23 points but Garnett and Jeff Green were each held to 11 in the setback.

ABOUT THE HEAT (62-16): Miami has posted the best record in franchise history, the top overall record in the NBA and long ago clinched the Eastern Conference. With nothing else left in the regular season, James and Bosh are officially listed as day-to-day. Wade, who has missed the last six games due to knee soreness, does expect to play limited minutes as he attempts to get back up to game speed. The Heat have stacked their roster with strong veterans over the last two seasons and have been able to win four straight and six of the last seven while relying on the likes of Rashard Lewis, Shane Battier, Ray Allen and Mike Miller. Allen took the lead with 23 points in Wednesday’s win at Washington and Lewis has scored in double figures in three of the last four after barely cracking the rotation for the last four months.

TRENDS:

* Celtics are 1-7 ATS in their last eight road games.
* Heat are 4-0 ATS in their last four games overall.
* Over is 4-0 in the last four meetings.
* Over is 6-1 in Heat’s last seven vs. a team with a winning record.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Wade collected 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists in Miami’s win at Boston on March 18.

2. The Heat will play three of their final four games at home, with the lone trip another return to Cleveland for James on Monday.

3. Boston is 13-25 on the road and will play three of its last four away from TD Garden.

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UFC TUF 17 Finale: Faber's size the difference vs. Jorgensen
By MMAODDSBREAKER

UFC TUF 17 Finale: Urijah Faber (-450) vs. Scott Jorgensen (+360)

The main event of the TUF 17 Finale is a five-round bantamweight bout between top contenders Urijah Faber and Scott Jorgensen that should prove to be very entertaining.

Faber (27-6) is one of the best bantamweight fighters in the world today. The former WEC featherweight champion dropped down to bantamweight after his loss to Jose Aldo back at WEC 48 and has since gone 4-2 overall.

The 33-year-old California native is an extremely dangerous fighter in all facets of the game. He’s a strong wrestler, has cardio for days, has incredible submission skills, and he even has a little bit of power. Hungry and motivated to make another run at the title, expect Faber to come into this fight in peak condition and aiming for an impressive finish that shows UFC president Dana White how bad he wants to be a UFC champion.

Jorgensen (14-6) is coming off of a duel award-winning performance, winning “Submission of the Night” and “Fight of the Night” honors for his bout against John Albert at UFC on FOX 5, a fight which he won via submission at 4:59 of the first round.

The 30 year old is a very solid fighter but his wrestling is his best attribute. Jorgensen, who has a notable win over Brad Pickett, believes he’s one of the top bantamweight contenders in the world and that he can still be a world champion one day. However, every time Jorgensen has stepped up in competition in his career (expect for Pickett) he’s lost, so he definitely needs to defeat Faber this weekend if he’s ever going to make another run at the title.

This really is Faber’s fight to lose. He’s just a little bit better than Jorgensen in most facets of the sport. Although Jorgensen is definitely a very capable bantamweight, he’s a smaller 135-pounder and Faber is on the bigger end of that scale. And when the skills are so close, the size difference often plays a factor. Look for Faber to bully Jorgensen around a bit, get him to the ground and eventually sink in a fight-ending submission.

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NASCAR betting: NRA 500 betting preview

The Sprint Cup Series shifts to the Lone Star State Saturday for the NRA 500 from Texas Motor Speedway.

The 1.5-mile oval is lightning fast and should be even faster this season with the introduction of the Gen 6 cars.

Favorite: Jimmie Johnson (+600)

Johnson won from the pole at TMS in November, and was second in last year’s April running. He’s been second four other times in Fort Worth and won another time. Johnson has two victories this season, including the Daytona 500, as well as finishes of second and sixth in six races.

Live dog: Carl Edwards (+1,000)

Edwards holds the record for most wins at Texas with three. He swept the track’s Cup races in 2008 and also won in 2005. Edwards has one win and three top fives in the six Cup races to date.

Long shot: Mark Martin (+3,000)

Martin filled in admirably for the injured Denny Hamlin and drove his No. 11 car to a 10th-place finish at Martinsville. Martin's 15 top-10s at TMS is tops among all drivers.

Key stat: The winner at Texas has started from the pole position just two times: Kasey Kahne (April 2006) and Johnson (November 2012).

Notable quotable:

“I think Texas (Motor Speedway) is going to be a lot like Auto Club Speedway. The tires fall off quickly and the groove moves around a lot. The setups that work with fresh tires probably aren’t going to work with old worn out tires, so well have to calculate that into our adjustments. The track also has a lot of bumps that you have to drive around, kind of like the seams at Auto Club Speedway.” Paul Menard on racing at Texas Motor Speedway.

Odds to win the NRA 500 courtesy of JustBet:

Jimmie Johnson 6-1
Kyle Busch 6-1
Greg Biffle 7-1
Brad Keselowski 7-1
Carl Edwards 10-1
Jeff Gordon 12-1
Matt Kenseth 12-1
Tony Stewart 12-1
Kasey Kahne 12-1
Clint Bowyer 15-1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 15-1
Kevin Harvick 18-1
Martin Truex Jr. 25-1
Brian Vickers 25-1
Joey Logano 30-1
Mark Martin 30-1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 50-1
Kurt Busch 50-1
Ryan Newman 60-1
Paul Menard 75-1
Jamie McMurray 75-1
Casey Mears 100-1
Danica Patrick 100-1
Jeff Burton 100-1
A.J. Allmendinger 100-1
Trevor Bayne 100-1
Juan Montoya 100-1
Marcos Ambrose 100-1
Field 50-1

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MLB weather watch: Winds blowing out at Wrigley

Seventeen mph winds blowing out at Wrigley and there's a chance of snow in Minnesota. Here are the projected weather reports for Friday's MLB games:

San Francisco Giants vs. Chicago Cubs
Site: Wrigley Field

Temperatures will be in the mid-40s with a few showers. Winds will blow out to center field at 17 mph.

Cincinnati Reds vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Site: PNC Park

Skies will be mostly cloudy and temperatures will be in the mid-50s. Winds will blow out to left field at 10 mph.

Milwaukee Brewers vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Site: Busch Stadium

Temperatures will be in the high-40s with cloudy skies. Winds will blow out to right field at 14 mph.

Chicago White Sox vs. Cleveland Indians
Site: Progressive Field

Skies will be cloudy and temperatures will be in the low-50s. Winds will blow out to right field at 12 mph.

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox
Site: Fenway Park

Winds will blow in from left field at 15 mph. There will be an 80 percent chance of rain by game time.

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Kansas City Royals
Site: Kauffman Stadium

Clear skies with temperatures in the high-40s. Winds will blow from left field to right field at 12 mph.

Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland Athletics
Site: Oakland Coliseum

Clear skies with temperatures in the high-50s. Winds will blow out to right field at 10 mph.

New York Mets vs. Minnesota Twins
Site: Target Field

There will be a 30 percent chance of snow. Temperatures will be in the mid-30s. Winds will blow out to center field around 11 mph.

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Cappers Access

Giants -150
A's +115
Nuggets -2

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DAVE ESSLER

Cliff Notes - Friday Baseball

Giants at Cubs: Surely with the wind expected to be blowing out at 17 MPH, today's game with bullpens all but shot, even with the chill in the air this total will be a big number. But, with Cain on the mound perhaps too high. Villanueva's numbers in the Braves game looked decent on the surface, but he gave up 13 flyball outs. In Turner Field you can get away with that. Cain gave up 12 flyball outs (to three groundball outs) against St. Louis. After a rough start, the Giants pen has been stellar the last week, so it'd be hard to take the Cubs here. Lean Giants and under.

Reds at Pirates: I usually look at "overs" in games Leake pitches, simply because he's such a great hitting pitcher. Both teams a day off. Pirates take two of three from Arizona, while Reds lose two of three at St. Louis. Leake was torched by the Nationals and Pittsburgh has hit him very well from top to bottom, and since the Pirates pen has been great (WHIP under 1.00 this season), and Burnett has pitched well in his two losses, it's the Pirates or nothing.

Atlanta at Washington: Braves a day off while the Nationals play the White Sox, so clear advantage in the back end to the Braves, not that there wasn't already. Teheran was dominant in AAA but has fallen on hard times and cannot keep that 95 MPH fastball down at time, but he's got great upside. Possible advantage early on because Washington hasn't seen him. Dewtiler looked great against the Reds, and is exactly the type of pitcher that gives Atlanta trouble. Love to be able to take Atlanta here, given the rest situation, but I can't. Not unless something happen in the Nats game against the White Sox to change my mind. Given that the Braves are rested I would think that Teheran is on a short leash, so lean Nationals and under.

Philadelphia at Miami: Fish have scored more than three runs once in nine games, and shutout by Atlanta two of the last three. Perhaps they're day off can help them regroup. Stanton has been a non-factor, and teams aren't even pitching around him. Phillies ten or more hits three of the last four games. Lannan a classic game for him against the Royals with 18 ground ball outs, and I have to think that the young Fish won't adjust to him living on the outside of the plate, either. Nolasco making his third start, first one at home, and off a 100+ pitch game. Was a little surprised to see the Phillies only -125 or so, actually, given that they've seen plenty of Nolasco. Simply cannot trust Miami's pen, but, they did improve at home against the Braves. It'd be hard to do anything but take the under in this park, especially given that it looks like the game COULD be closer than most would expect.

Milwaukee at St. Louis: Is this total sitting at 8 tempting, especially with the wind blowing out (probably) fairly hard. Almost too easy. Lohse going against the team he pitched for for the last five years. It's been a long time, but it's almost sad how badly Beltran owns him, and Holliday is 5-9 off of him. Tough to pitch around both of them. Miller is a hard throwing kid, and I do mean "kid" at 22. He walked four against the Giants, but perhaps at home he settles down. Only allowed two hits in eight innings late last year at Busch, so I'd have to think the Cardinals are the right side here. Again, not touching the Brewers and their pen on the road.

Dodgers at Arizona: Certainly some disrespect here for Corbin and/or the D-Backs losing two of three to the Pirates, making Kershaw -150 on the road. The Dodgers have seen Corbin, but did nothing, and his numbers at home were actually better than on the road last season, so he appears to have no issues w/Chase, yet. With that in mind, and not even looking at Kerhsaw, there is no chance of laying -150 here (for me) whatsoever. Lean under, of course, in any Kershaw game with a total of eight.

Colorado at San Diego: Even though the Padres lost to the Dodgers in the last game, they did have eleven hits, and Quentin is expected to play, so without too much adieu, leaning Padres. But, the two caveats here are obviously that the Padres don't have Thursday off like Colorado does, and they just hit Ross pretty hard in Colorado. Usually, the second time around it's advantage pitcher, in this case. And Garland just threw six solid ground-ball innings against the Padres in Colorado. Lean to the Padres and the over.

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JOE WIZ FREE PLAY

Under 7 runs Texas and Seattle

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Kevin
MLBPredictions

2 UNIT = Baltimore Orioles @ New York Yankees - ORIOLES TO WIN (+142)
Listed Pitchers: Gonzalez vs Sabathia
(Note: I'm risking 2.00 units to win 2.84 units)

2 UNIT = Texas Rangers @ Seattle Mariners - UNDER 7 RUNS (-125)
Listed Pitchers: Darvish vs Iwakuma
(Note: I'm risking 2.00 units to win 1.60 units)

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DCI Pro Basketball
The Daniel Curry Index

04/12/13 Predictions

Season
Straight Up: 766-364 (.678)
ATS: 613-545 (.529)
ATS Vary Units: 1548-1369 (.531)
Over/Under: 597-563 (.515)
Over/Under Vary Units: 791-715 (.525)

Chicago 94, TORONTO 93
WASHINGTON 96, Philadelphia 90
INDIANA 97, Brooklyn 90
ATLANTA 105, Milwaukee 97
MIAMI 103, Boston 89
DETROIT 101, Charlotte 93
New York 104, CLEVELAND 97
L.A. Clippers 100, NEW ORLEANS 94
HOUSTON 100, Memphis 97
Denver 109, DALLAS 106
SAN ANTONIO 113, Sacramento 100
UTAH 105, Minnesota 95
Oklahoma City 109, PORTLAND 98
L.A. LAKERS 108, Golden State 102

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DCI Pro Hockey
The Daniel Curry Index

04/12/13 Predictions

Season: 236-147 (.616)

Ottawa vs. NEW JERSEY: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
St. Louis vs. COLUMBUS: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Dallas vs. NASHVILLE: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
CHICAGO 3, Detroit 2
Phoenix vs. CALGARY: TOO CLOSE TO CALL

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Mighty Quinn

Mighty missed with the Knicks (-4) Thursday.

Friday it’s the Cavaliers. The deficit is 326 sirignanos.

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Free Selection from Arthur Ralph Sports

Our Free Plays are 1016-752 (57 + %) over the last 4 1/2 years !

Free winner 5-1 run FRI Texas -150

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Gamblers Data

Free Play Friday

Nationals -135