Saturday, June 7th could be a historic day in the world of horse racing as Big Brown chases the sport’s most prestigious award, the Triple Crown.  Having already won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, Big Brown just needs to come out on top at Belmont to complete the triple crown.  He is already a heavy favorite against the rest of the field.  His top competition looks like it will be coming from Casino Drive, who, at 7/2, is by far the closest competitor according to the odds.  There have been some concerns that Big Brown is tired out, that the close races and travel would impede his run at the crown, but his trainers and  outside experts alike have put to bed any of those worries by watching him this Tuesday morning.  This is the type of event that really transcends a sport like horse racing.  There hasn’t been a Triple Crown winner in nearly 30 years, and now we all get a chance to possibly witness history.  While it takes character to cheer for the underdog, there’s no shame in cheering on greatness.  The world will be watching to see if Big Brown can live up to the enormous expectations that have been placed on him.  Now, let’s look at the odds that are currently posted on each horse scheduled to run in the Belmont Stakes.

Odds to Win the 2008 Belmont Stakes as posted at BodogLife.com

Big Brown   1/3

Casino Drive   7/2

Denis Of Cork   10/1

Tale Of Ekati   20/1

Behindatthebar   25/1

Anak Nakal   40/1

Macho Again   40/1

Readys Image   50/1

Icabad Crane   50/1

Mint Lane   50/1

Spark Candle   50/1

Tomcito  50/1

Popularity: 22% [?]

The 2008 NBA Draft is set for June 26th, but it’s never to early to start making predictions about who will be selected as the #1 overall pick.  The Chicago Bulls won the first pick in the lottery and they will have a tough choice to make.  The two favorite candidates right now are Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley.  Rose should be a solid NBA guard.  You might remember him tearing it up for Memphis throughout the regular season and the NCAA Tournament.  In 2007, Rose averaged 14.9 points per game, 4.2 assists per game, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals.  While those numbers don’t exactly jump out and say “superstar”, keep in mind he had a lot of teammates who could score, and he’s consistently shown he has NBA talent.  The Bulls already have a decent back-court, but Rose would certainly be an upgrade.  According to reports around the major sports networks, the Bulls aren’t sold on Beasley’s ability to have an immediate impact, so Rose is being touted as the favorite to be selected at the top spot.  It should go without saying, however, that the Bulls have to be considering drafting the services of Kansas State power forward, Michael Beasley.  Beasley was the most prolific scorer in college basketball in 2007.  He averaged 26.2 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 1.6 blocked shots per game.  At 6-10 he has the size to be an immediate impact player on any team.  The Bulls could certainly use a presence in the paint, but we’ll have to wait and see which direction they decide to go.  Beyond these two outstanding players, there isn’t another #1 overall pick in the class, but SportsBook.com has posted the odds for a few of the other players that have entered the NBA draft for 2008.

2008 NBA Draft - Odds to be Selected with the #1 Pick from Sportsbook.com

Brock Lopez - Forward - Stanford:  50-1

Derrick Rose - Guard - Memphis:  10-13

Kevin Love - Center - UCLA:  250-1

Michael Beasley - Forward - Kansas State:  1-1

O.J. Mayo - Guard - USC:  50-1

*Field - Any other player to be selected #1 overall:  50-1

Popularity: 14% [?]

Game one of the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals saw the Boston Celtics get out front early and ride to a seemingly easy victory.  Boston is at home again and is again favored to win.  The Pistons have to be desperate to pick up a win on Thursday night as it will be terribly difficult for them to recover from a 2-0 deficit.  If current trends continue, the Celtics will win Thursday, Detroit will win the next two of the series, and the Celtics will win game seven in Boston.  I think the numbers have to catch up, it just isn’t clear yet who they will catch up to.  Looking at the regular season results, you have to think that the Celtics have what it takes to win on the road, they just haven’t proven they can do it in the playoffs.  The Pistons have a great deal of motivation for the game, but they haven’t done anything to impress me enough to think they can win in Boston.  Thursday might be the night that home teams take a turn for the worse and finally stop the domination of the NBA Playoffs, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

Here are the odds for Thursday Night’s NBA Eastern Conference Playoff - Game 2 as posted at Sportsbook.com :

Detroit Pistons @ Boston Celtics -3.5

Popularity: 12% [?]

Will home teams continue to dominate the NBA Playoffs?  Can the youth of the Lakers out-play the experience of the Spurs?  These are a few of the questions that come to mind before Wednesday night’s Western Conference Finals opening game.  For the sports bettor, the questions don’t stop there, we have the spread to consider as well!

Western Confernce Finals - Game 1 - San Antonio Spurs @ L.A. Lakers
It’s hard to compare the NBA regular season to the playoffs, even when the teams have played each-other a number of times.  It’s even harder when those teams have only played two games against each-other.  It’s harder yet to decipher who the better team is when the regular season series is split 1-1.  The major factor that seems to have played into both victories whether or not the team was playing on their home court.  The Lakers dominated the Spurs by 21 points in early April in Los Angeles, and you could make a strong argument that the Lakers have evolved into an even better team at this point in the season.  I will admit that it is hard to bet against the Spurs in the playoffs in any situation, but I just don’t see the same spark, the same team chemistry that past Spurs teams exuded.  It may be short-sited on my part, but I’m strong on the Lakers at home by seven Wednesday night.

Western Conference Finals - Game 1 Pick:  Los Angeles Lakers -7

Popularity: 11% [?]

Now it’s time to get down to business.  The Pistons and Celtics made it through the rest of the Eastern playoff field, and Tuesday night they meet in Boston to start their mutual quest for the coveted Eastern Conference slot in the NBA Finals.  The Celtics have the hype, the Pistons have the experience.  Will Boston live up to the expectations or do the Pistons have another title run in them?  Tough questions to answer, but we’ll give them a try for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals Tuesday Night.

5/20/2008 - Detroit Pistons @ Boston Celtics
You’ve heard it before, “To be the best, you have to beat the best”, and that’s exactly what the Detroit Pistons are going to have to do to push themselves into the NBA Finals.  Boston is incredibly tough at home.  Combined with the ridiculous winning trend that home teams are having in the playoffs this year, I don’t see how you can rationally take the Pistons in Game 1.  The game will be a good barometer for the rest of the series, particularly because Boston has the edge with 4 home games to Detroit’s 3.  I think Boston has finally turned a corner.  Instead of expecting to win, they have the confidence to win, and a chip on their shoulder to prove they are as good as everyone thinks they are.
Free NBA Playoff Pick:  Boston Celtics -4.5

Popularity: 11% [?]

Sunday, May 18th & Monday, May 19th
NBA fans get some bonus action from this year’s playoffs as both the Cavs/Celtics and Spurs/Hornets series will go to the seventh and final game of the conference semi-final round.  It will be interesting in both games, as well as the remaining NBA playoff games, to see if the trend of home teams dominating their opponents will continue.  The count is now at 13-2, an unprecedented winning percentage for home playoff teams.  It’s become something of a self-fulfilling prophecy at this point.  There’s so much talk about it, plus the numbers to back it up, so teams naturally start believing that they cannot lose at home.  Obviously, teams do have some advantage playing on their home court, but this year they’ve taken it to a completely new level.  If the trend continues, it looks like Boston and New Orleans will advance, but I’m not sold on either one.  The Celtics are starting to remind me a little bit of the New England Patriots last year.  They were so dominant in the regular season, but couldn’t get the job done in the only game that really mattered for their season.  This isn’t the NBA Finals, but it is a very important step for Boston if they want to win the NBA Championship and be considered one of the best teams in the history of the sport.  I also don’t think you can sleep on the Spurs.  Ever.  Chris Paul and the Hornets are having an amazing season.  CP is probably the MVP of the playoffs so far, but his team needs to get past a San Antonio team that knows exactly where they are and what they have to do to win.  Knowing and executing are two very different things, but the Spurs are just so experienced in the playoffs it would be stupid to write them off.  Pick:  For my money, I’d stick with the home teams to win outright.  Against the spread, I’d lean on Cleveland +8 and New Orleans -4.

Odds for the Up-Coming NBA Playoff Games Provided by BodogLife.com

5/18/2008
Cleveland Cavs +8 @
Boston Celtics -8

5/19/2008
San Antonio Spurs +4 @
New Orleans Hornets -4

Popularity: 11% [?]

The Preakness Stakes hits the ground running this Saturday.  The Stakes doesn’t carry quite as much clout as the Kentucky Derby (nothing in the world of horse racing does), but everyone’s eyes will still be on Pimlico this weekend.  Let’s face it, everyone wants a Triple Crown winner.  It’s been a long time.  Nearly 29 years.  In 1979 Affirmed ran away with the crown, and there have been some close calls over the years, but no Triple Crown winners since.  I have to say that 2008’s field looks pretty good for Big Brown.  He’s a heavy, heavy favorite on Saturday.  I’m sure that everyone in the horse racing community wants him to win, and thinks he will win, and they are probably right.  He’s by far the best horse of the group.  Big Brown’s #1 fan this weekend has to be Belmont Park (home of the Belmont Stakes).  Imagine the increased buzz if Big Brown has a chance for the Triple Crown.  Then again, imagine the lack of interest if he finishes 2nd at the Preakness.  For what it’s worth, I’ve always been a fan of getting to see history.  I’m not old enough to remember Affirmed, and I, for one, would like to see a Triple Crown winner in my lifetime.  Go Big Brown, go!  For those of you looking at who to bet on this Saturday, I’ve provided the most recent odds posted at Sportsbook.com.  It’s not always fun to bet on the favorite, so have some character and pick a long-shot, it just might pay off!

Here’s a look at  Sportsbook.com’s odds for Saturday’s Preakness Stakes:

Behindatthebar 7 - 1

Yankee Bravo 20 - 1

Good Luck!

Popularity: 11% [?]

It’s known as “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports”.  From the center of the horse racing universe, Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday, May 3rd, comes the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby.  The field has been set, so naturally the odds have already been posted for who will win the big race this year.  There are two clear-cut favorite horses in this year’s group with Big Brown and Colonel John both coming in with 4 to 1 odds to win the derby.  After the big two, Pyro is next in line with odds makers giving him a 7 to 1 chance to finish first.  What’s interesting about the race is that, after the top 3, the odds increase drastically.  This is sure to change as money starts to flow in on each horse and rider, but early on it looks like the experts are predicting one of those three to come out on top.  It’s always hard to find a balance between a horse that actually has a chance to win an event with this many top-class animals and a horse that is worth betting on because you’ll get a bigger payout if he or she wins.  In any event, here are the latest odds on who will win the Kentucky Derby as of today, as posted at BodogLife:

Odds to Win the 2008 Kentucky Derby

The Favorites
Colonel John                4/1
Big Brown                    4/1
Pyro                              7/1

The Contenders
Z Fortune                   12/1
Denis of Cork             14/1
Eight Belles                14/1
Visionarie                   16/1

The Middle of the Pack
Adriano                      20/1
Monba                        20/1
Court Vision              20/1
Smooth Air                20/1
Big Truck                   25/1
Tale of Ekati              25/1
Bob Black Jack          25/1
Recapturetheglory   25/1
Gayego                       25/1

The Long Shots
Cool Coal Man           50/1
Anak Nakal                50/1
Z Humor                    50/1
Cowboy Cal                50/1

Bet on the Kentucky Derby and a whole lot more at BodogLife.com!

Popularity: 13% [?]