by T.O. Whenham of Doc’s Sports

It’s amazing how much things can change in the NFL - even when games aren’t being played. Back in February I wrote an article looking at my Super Bowl picks for the upcoming season. Since then we’ve seen the NFL Draft, free agency, more trades than we are used to, some injuries, a couple of holdouts, a few suspensions, and all sorts of other changes. Looking b ...  read more

By Nicholas Tolomeo of Doc’s Sports

A – Al Michaels. In a previous life the NBC commentator must have been a degenerate gambler. Always mindful of the point spread and willing to discuss it on the air, Michaels apparently even follows preseason football point spreads. His reaction along with color commentator Chris Collinsworth was almost as stunning as the shocking ending in the San Francis ...  read more

by Alan Matthews - 8/17/2010

We’ve already given you our look at the 2010 passing yardage leader here at Doc’s, so now let’s take a gander at the guys who catch those balls and try and project the best value bet on the player with some NFL predictions the most receiving yards in the league this season.

And unlike with the quarterbacks, there is one player who is the overwhelming favor ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 8/11/2010

Never have we seen a situation quite like this one. In January QB Jeremiah Masoli led the Oregon Ducks to the Rose Bowl. Neither he nor his team had a good day in Pasadena, but he showed enough last year that he was a logical, strong Heisman Trophy contender heading into his senior season. But then things really went to hell.

First he was suspended for the s ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 8/5/2010

The NBA season is still a long way off, but I obviously can’t help but be intrigued by the same thing everyone else is - the bizarre collection of star power that has gathered in Miami. What makes sports betting so challenging and satisfying is that you are constantly presented with new problems and situations - puzzles really - that you haven’t seen before and hav ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 7/7/2010

The Heisman Trophy futures have been posted, and they give us a lot to think about. Anyone who pays attention to the Heisman process knows that the winner very often isn’t being talked about at all right now. That makes it even more fun to speculate and look at the odds that are available. 5Dimes has odds listed for 26 different players. Here’s a look at 10 of the ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 7/5/2010

Brett Favre just couldn’t handle being out of the news. Maybe it was all the attention everyone is paying to where LeBron James will play next year. Or maybe he was jealous because Phil Jackson, the second most diva-ish retirement fiend behind Favre, has been gaining headlines surrounding his indecision (although he re-signed with the Lakers yesterday). Or perhaps ...  read more

by Alan Matthews - 6/29/2010

Our second team-by-team NFL schedule breakdown focuses on the second-place team from last season, the Indianapolis Colts. And other than death and taxes there seems to be one sure thing in life: Indianapolis winning at least 12 regular-season games, as it has done for a record seven seasons in a row.

In reality, the Colts haven’t lost a regular season game ...  read more

by Alan Matthews - 5/28/2010

Has one player in NBA history ever controlled who his head coach would be more than LeBron James? Sure, Magic Johnson supposedly orchestrated Paul Westhead’s firing in the early 1980s and got him replaced with Pat Riley, but Magic was at least going to be a Laker for a while. The Cleveland Cavaliers don’t even know if James will be on their roster next year. Thus ...  read more

by Nicholas Tolomeo - 5/21/2010

It’s time to make some World Cup group stage predictions with the start of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa just three weeks away. Be sure to check Doc’s Sports homepage each day leading up to the World Cup as we will be previewing many of the games in the tournament (with free betting picks, as well) and we will cover the tournament from every possible angl ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 5/11/2010

A - Ainge, Danny. Boston's GM learned a lesson he should already have known this week - you can't get away with anything in an era when everyone is watching everything you do. On Monday Ainge was having some fun at his team's game against the Cavs, and he threw a towel in the air to distract J.J. Hickson on a free throw attempt. It turned into a much bigger deal t ...  read more

by Robert Ferringo - 4/27/2010

The NFL Draft is in the books and there were, as always, plenty of successes and failures. As always, we won’t be able to accurately assess how each organization managed until about three or four years from now, but based on value, addressing need, and overall talent hauled in I have put together my 2010 NFL Draft grades.

In the meantime they overlooked a ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 3/31/2010

Despite the lack of NBA Draft lottery talent and the biggest-named teams, there are still a whole lot of reasons why this Final Four is at least as interesting as several we have seen before. At or near the top of that list is the set of coaches that are leading their teams into Indianapolis. There's a bit of everything here - from the legends to the future star. ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 3/24/2010

Northern Iowa did more than just pull off a miracle on Saturday night - they also exploded a stunning number of March Madness brackets. The stats are beyond belief - 98 percent of the 4.8 million people who filled in a bracket on ESPN.com had Kansas in the Sweet 16, almost 60 percent had them in the Final Four, and more than 40 percent had them winning it all. The ...  read more

by Nicholas Tolomeo - 2/23/2010

Eastern Conference

This could end up being a banner year for the Eastern Conference. It looks like the requirements to get into the playoffs in the East have just gotten a little stricter. Currently, the top eight teams in the East are all at least .500 ball clubs. That is something that could not have been said the last few years at the end of the regular ...  read more

by Robert Ferringo - 2/18/2010

I've analyzed the last five years of the mid-February mid-major hoops orgy known as Bracket Buster Weekend to see if I could establish any useful betting angles or trends. Instead of working over every single "official" Bracket Buster game I squared my focus on the ones that featuring the mid-major conferences that were routinely wagered upon. That includes the ...  read more

by Robert Ferringo - 2/10/2010

It was another great NFL betting season at Doc’s Sports and I couldn’t leave it without a wrap-up of thoughts on another excellent Super Bowl. So here is a special edition of the Ferringo Report on Super Bowl 44:

- Whenever I talk to people before the Super Bowl they still all say the same thing, “I just hope it’s a good game.” It’s as if the blowouts of ...  read more

by Robert Ferringo - 2/4/2010

Drew Brees Saints quarterback

Apparently, defense isn’t allowed in the NFL anymore.

This January we have seen a dizzying display of offensive artistry as points have been a-plenty through the 10 games that we’ve witnessed. And the two teams that have survived the splurging are – not surprisingly – the two best offensive clubs in the NFL, Indianapolis ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 1/15/2010

I'm a fan of the NBA, but it's not a sport that I follow as closely as others, and I don't handicap it very often. When there are sports that I'm not avidly following I find that I like to have little rules in my mind that I can use to quickly get a sense of how a team is performing - a snapshot of where they are at.

In the NFL, for example, I can get a sens ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 1/8/2010

We are well into college basketball conference play now, so teams have played more than enough games for us to get a sense of what they really are and how we should be dealing with them. Here's a look at 10 teams that have proven themselves trustworthy on totals so far this year - the ones that most consistently stay ‘under’ or go ‘over’. (‘over/under’ record follo ...  read more

by Nicholas Tolomeo - 12/17/2009

Unlike the situation in the NFC, the AFC playoff picture is completely up in the air. Six AFC teams are on the outside looking in right now but each of those teams is well within striking distance. In the NFC, however, only three teams have a chance of crashing the playoff party. Besides the Colts, who not only have a playoff spot locked up, but also the divi ...  read more

by Robert Ferringo - 12/16/2009

Loyalty can be one of a gambler’s worst enemies. That’s why bettors should never – or at least rarely – wager on their favorite teams. They lose objectivity and are sometime blinded by their feelings about their teams.

Well, no time on the sports betting calendar puts loyalty to the test like college bowl season. This time of year I’m certain that colleg ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 11/25/2009

A - Ageless. Brett Favre just keeps getting it done. I fully expected him to be disappointing this year - last season with the Jets all over again. Instead, you don't even have to exaggerate to say that he is probably playing the best football of his career. He was virtually flawless on Sunday, completing 22 of 25 passes and connecting on four touchdowns as his V ...  read more

by Nicholas Tolomeo - 11/19/2009

It used to be in the NFL that if you could run the ball you could dominate your opponent. The teams atop the NFL rushing leaders list were the same team atop the NFL rankings. Things have certainly changed.

The top four rushing teams in the NFL are the New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins. All four teams are exactly 4-5 ...  read more

by Josh Nagel - 11/6/2009

Game: Miami Dolphins (3-4, 3-4 ATS) at New England Patriots (5-2, 4-3 ATS)

Spread: Patriots -11.

Sure, the Patriots have looked like their old selves of late, friendly to backers and brutal to opponents against whom they have no reservations about running up the score until coach Bill Belichick is satisfied.

New England has won its past two games b ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 10/28/2009

LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavs.

After a long summer, the NBA gets underway again this week. For those of you who are hardcore fans and bettors of the league these are happy times. I, too, am happy to have it back, but the league doesn't particularly change my life. I'll put it this way - it would kill me to go 10 minutes without knowing what's going on ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 10/21/2009

A - Alabama. The Tide came into Saturday looking like the best team in the country. They still looked the same when the day was done. Their offense wasn't overwhelming against South Carolina - other than running back Mark Ingram - but it rarely is. Their defense was just as potent as always, though, and made for another easy win. The AP voters took note, and did ...  read more

by Matt Severance - 10/13/2009

The number of unbeaten teams in college football, currently at nine, will for sure dwindle by at least one on Thursday when Big East contenders Cincinnati and South Florida face off in Tampa. The Bearcats are currently 3.5-point favorites.

It’s a little hard to figure out what to make of either of these teams yet. Neither one has played a team currently r ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 9/25/2009

The most offensively impressive and dominant team in the NFL so far this year has clearly been the New Orleans Saints. We knew that they were going to be offensively strong, but they have so far been even better than expected, and they have been competent on defense as well. The bandwagon for this team is quickly getting crowded, and that means that the betting pu ...  read more

by Strike Point Sports - 9/9/2009

There’s no second-guessing which premier matchup takes the cake in college football’s second week. Southern Cal travels to Columbus to take on Ohio State at the Horseshoe, so there will be enough coverage of this Top-10 collision.

With that said, we’re going to take a peek at another key tilt, our matchup of the week pitting Notre Dame against Michigan ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 9/2/2009

As we head into the NFL regular season, it's a good time to remind ourselves of the importance of injuries to our NFL handicapping. A key injury can turn a good bet into a bad one if it changes the complexion of the team, or it can make a good bet a great one if the public overcompensates for the injury and moves the betting lines in your favor. Here's a look at te ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 8/26/2009

We're about to enter an inner circle of hell - the last two NFL preseason games. I suppose that there are a couple of good reasons why these last two games exist, but by far the biggest is that it allows NFL owners to charge full price for two more games.

From a football perspective, the importance of these games range from reasonably slim to absolutely none ...  read more

by Matt Severance - 8/13/2009

Every year in college football, a few high-profile teams go well over their projected win total and a few fall well short. This probably isn’t really news to you. With the season about to kick off, however, I’m here to give you a bit of advice on which teams are trending upward or downward. So I will pick one team to focus on as the best value. All odds are cour ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 03/25/2009

Thursday

Connecticut (-7) vs. Purdue - Strong defense tends to thrive in the tournament, and both of these teams have top-rate defenses - in the Top 5 by defensive efficiency. The difference here is going to be the pace of play. UConn plays a far more up-tempo style that capitalizes on their size advantage over virtually everyone they play. Purdue will need ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 03/10/2009

Maryland Terrapins, ACC - Maryland played one of the most exciting and impressive games I saw all season when they beat North Carolina in overtime last month. Greivis Vasquez had a triple-double and was as good as a player can be. If you evaluate this team based on that performance, or when they beat up on Michigan State, then you would assume that this team is a ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 03/11/2009

Big East - We'll start with a tough one. The odds would logically suggest that three teams are favored well above the rest - UConn and Pitt at 7/4, and Louisville at 9/4. Head to head matchups don't help much - Pitt beat UConn twice but lost to Louisville, and the Cardinals lost to UConn. My personal bias would lean towards Louisville, but in this case I think th ...  read more

by Max Powers, Doc's Basketball Handicapper - 03/04/2009

They have struggled to score points in some games and their once-revered defense has vanished and teams are consistently hitting the high 70s in points against UCLA during conference play. With the Bruins recent struggles, once team has jumped them in the standings and that is the Washington Huskies. Although the Huskies are led by a f ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 02/26/2009

Michigan - My beloved Wolverines are in dire straits. With four games remaining they needed two wins to likely made the tournament. That prospect took a serious blow when they turned their brains off and threw away a win in overtime against Iowa. That means that they need to win two of their last three, and it's hard to find those two amongst a home game at Purdu ...  read more

by Max Powers - 02/18/2009

The Missouri Valley Conference had been the media darling on Selection Sunday during the middle part of this decade. The conference would receive multiple tournament bids and was able to shed the label of mid-major for most of the decade. But last year this conference seemingly fell back to mid-major status when it received just one bid to the Big Dance with Drake ...  read more

by Max Powers, Doc's CBB Analyst - 02/11/2009

But once conference play opened up things went south and they dropped their first two games to Illinois and Penn State, both middle-of-the-road teams in the Big Ten. The main reason for this setback was the injury to Robbie Hummel, as he was out with a stress fracture in his lower back. This is an ongoing injury and appears that it will make him ...  read more

by Robert Ferringo - 02/04/2009

I think it's a pretty safe bet that Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes will never have to pay for another drink in Pennsylvania for the rest of his life. And if Las Vegas sportsbook managers are half as grateful as the members of Steelers Nation then Mr. Roethlisberger and Mr. Holmes should be welcome (and well-comped) guests in Sin City for the rest of hi ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 01/29/2009

We have so much time on our hands before the Super Bowl that we can afford the luxury of breaking this game down from a million different angles. It also means, unfortunately, that we have more than enough time to become very sick of talking about some aspects of the game. Yes, I'm talking about you, Anquan Boldin. That aside, the more I look at this game, the mo ...  read more

by Matt Severance - 01/20/2009

It appears the Northwestern Wildcats actually won't be Big Ten doormats for one season (thank you, Indiana). Behind Craig Moore's 22 points, NU beat No. 18 Minnesota, 74-65, on Sunday. That's a significant win for the program in that it was the Wildcats' first victory over a ranked team since Feb. 8, 2006. And they had dropped 27 of 28 Big Ten games (going 1-17 ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 01/05/2009

A - Andy Murray. With the Australian Open just around the corner, the tennis season is slowly and quietly off to a start. It's way too early to know how the year is going to turn out, but early indications are that Andy Murray, the talented but underachieving British star, is ready to unleash a big season. He beat Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on consecutive day ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 12/22/2008

A - Atlanta. I have to be a man and admit that I was wrong about the Falcons. I didn't believe that Michael Turner was going to get the job done, that Matt Ryan was going to adjust easily to the pro game, or that the team stood a chance of making .500, never mind the playoffs. That's an 0-fer for me. With a nice road win over the flailing Bucs on Sunday the Falco ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 12/15/2008

A - Arena Football League. The AFL is taking a year off to get their business in order. The question is whether anyone will care, or even notice. The most telling indication of the state of the league was that the New Orleans VooDoo had decided to fold even though they had been near the top of the league in attendance the last two years and were owned by Tom Bens ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 12/08/2008

A - Auburn. Tommy Tuberville is out as coach of the Tigers, but the circumstances, if the reports are to be believed, are odd. Even though his job was reportedly safe despite a lackluster 5-7 season, Tuberville stepped down this week. The administration says they were shocked, yet they decided to pay him his $5.1 million buyout even though they didn't have to. Ge ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 12/04/2008

What the heck was that? Louisville was the No. 3-ranked team in the country, and a popular early choice to be a No. 1 seed in March. They have four established guards, a near-certain lottery pick in forward in Earl Clark, and last year's High School Player of the Year at center. On Sunday night they played the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, a team best known for b ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 11/24/2008

There's a whole lot going on in the NHL that should be of interest to bettors, so let's not waste time:

Hot, But Soon To Be Not

There is no team in the NHL playing better right now than Vancouver. They have points in nine straight games, and 11 of the last 12. That puts them comfortably on top of the Northwest Division, and third in the conference. Th ...  read more

by T.O. Whenham - 11/18/2008

We're settling into the slow, steady rhythms of the middle of the NHL season when nothing happens too quickly. This is when we start to learn which teams are here to stay, and which ones are just killing time until golf season starts. To an outsider that may all sound a bit dull, but to hockey fans this is heaven. It's also pretty exciting when there are owners l ...  read more