The Los Angeles Lakers’ are on a roll with a record of 36-11.  The Boston Celtics are doing okay at 29-15 but know they could be even better.  Regardless, this match up always brings out the best in both teams.  Both teams know they will more than likely meet in the playoffs and this increases their desire to make a statement.

Today at 3:30 pm eastern time these two outstanding franchises will clash once again.  The Lakers’ are first in the West while the Celtics are 3rd in the East.  Paul Pierce, the Celtics mighty forward, looks to the match up with great anticipation.  He knows how important it is to establish your position and attitude with competitive teams like the Lakers’.

The Celtics have only won 2 of their last 7 games.  They need this victory to improve their morale.  Although the city of Boston will be buzzing with hope the Celtics have a weak 13-7 record at home.  Regardless this one can be a barn burner.  Kobe Bryant the legend in Los Angeles only needs 47 points in today’s game to surpass Jerry West as the Lakers’ all time scorer.  Bryant has actually had the pleasure of putting together a 47 point game 29 times over his career.

Bryant and the Lakers’ know the Celtics will not go down without a fight.  This game will present a physical battle beneath the boards that will definitely make for a clash to remember.  Great teams tend to play great teams well.  Don’t look for Bryant to get his 30th 47 point game but do look for the Lakers’ to win their 37th of the season.  Until we meet again may your betting be better and remember to always be a good sport.

Roger Federer will face Andy Murray for the Australian Open title Sunday night.  If Roger wins it will be his forth.  Andy Murray is still trying to become the first British player to win a major since Fred Perry did it way back in 1936.   Federer on the other hand has won his share.

Roger has won 15 majors and has participated in no less than 22 grand slam titles.  Although Murray has defeated Federer in 6 of their 10 match ups, Roger has won the last 2.  He will be favored to win this one as well.

The number 2 ranked Rafael Nadal had his right knee give out in his quarter final match against Murray.  He will be out for at least 4 weeks.  His luck continues to run bad.  Now Murray must look for some luck against Federer.

Federer is ranked number 1 in the world because he is at the peek of his game on the court.  Murray is once again feeling the stress of having to take a British player to new heights.  He will need more than luck on Sunday night.  Until we meet again may your betting be better and remember to always be a good sport.

The battle for the Super Bowl XLIV crown in Miami is set.  This war will be fought on land and air as the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts compete for NFL supremacy.

The Indianapolis Colts finished the year at 14-2 and left no doubt that they were the cream of the AFC.  The team probably could have went undefeated but chose to keep their players healthy once they clinched the number one seed.  Indy Quarterback Peyton Manning is the ultimate field general.  He is a master at picking apart NFL defenses.  If Manning has time it will be a long day for the Saints.

The New Orleans Saints stumbled a bit towards the end of the season but still achieved the number one seed in the NFC.  Saints Quarterback Drew Brees is a gunslinger.  He leads a very potent offensive attack that can bury an opponent quickly.  The Saints have never been to a Super Bowl let alone winning one.  This is a major mile stone for the city of New Orleans.   Do not under estimate the spirit of New Orleans.

This Super Bowl should be a shootout, an all out air war between two of the best Quarterbacks in the NFL.  As with any good football game the difference between victory and defeat will be decided int the trenches.  The Quarterback that has the time will be decisive.  The line that opens the holes will succeed in the running game.  No great secret here just plain old fashioned punch in the mouth gridiron action.

This should be a humdinger of a Super Bowl.  The Colts are favored by 5.5 points mostly due to the post season experience that the team and Peyton Manning have achieved.  Both offenses are powerful and both defenses have stepped up to the plate when necessary.  This will be a fun one to bet on.  My pick:  Colts 27-24. Until we meet again, may your betting be better and remember to always be a good sport.

Click here to bet on the NFL Super Bowl XLIV!

There have been a lot of jokes and controversy at the expense of Tiger Woods since the news leaked out of his extramarital affairs.  I felt it was necessary to offer my two cents into the pot and so here it goes.  Tiger Woods is human too.  I know it is hard to believe.  He is one of the best golfers to ever walk onto a golf course and in many ways he has seemed indestructible over the years.  But like other humans he is vulnerable to the temptations of the world.

Please do not misunderstand me.  I do not make excuses for Tiger Woods or the path he chose to partake.  Unfortunately that path is taken by many human beings everyday but it is magnified and dissected when you are in the limelight.  Once again, Tiger Woods earned over 100 million dollars last year and the limelight and fame is the price to pay for invasion of privacy.

Tiger Woods may seem like a god in the golfing circle but he not a God.  He is a human being who is as open to making mistakes as all of us.  What Tiger did was wrong.  He knows it and his wife knows it and Tiger will have to work as hard at his personal life as he has in his golfing career if he wants to save his marriage.  Perhaps he is on the road to doing so as it has been reported that he is in rehap for sex addiction at Pine Grove Behavior Health and Addiction Clinic in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Regardless of how Tiger’s personal life turns out it will never change what he has accomplished in the world of golf.  It is my sincere hope that Tiger will continue to place his emphasis on saving his marriage, be successful and then return to the golf course to extend his legend.  Tiger made some bad choices.  He will have to live with those choices for the rest of his life.  In the end is but a human and must confront his demons just like the rest of us.  You can bet on the fact that he will be back to take his place as the number one golfer in the world.  Take that too the bank.  Until we meet again may your betting be better and remember to always be a good sport.

There were a few stunners in last weeks NFL playoff action.  I did not expect the New York Jets to man handle the San Diego Chargers the way they did.  The Chargers led by QB Phillip Rivers had proven to be a very productive offensive team throughout the season.  The Jets defeated the Chargers 17-14 in Sunny California.  Are the Jets for real?  First the Bengals and now the Chargers but next weekend should be a little tougher.

The Indianapolis Colts crushed the Baltimore Ravens 20-3 last weekend in a game where Colts QB Peyton Manning spent the day wondering if the Raven defense was even rushing him.  The Colts move on easily to face the surprising Jets in next weekends AFC Championship.

The Jets are off to Indy for the AFC Championship match up with the Colts.  It has been a heck of a ride for the Jets but I believe the bus will stop in Indy.  The odds makers have the Colts winning by at least 7.5 points.  The Colts should be moving on to the Super Bowl but the Jets will not go down without a fight.

Last weekend the Dallas Cowboys traveled to Minnesota to take on the Vikings.  The anticipation for this game was intense and the disbelief in reference to its conclusion was even greater.  The Vikings demolished the Cowboys in a 34-3 whipping that even made me cringe.  Like most I felt the Vikings would win but I assumed the Cowboys would at least put up a fight.  It was not to be and the Vikings move on to face the Saints in New Orleans in the NFC Championship next weekend.

It was hyped up to be the next Battle of New Orleans but when the Arizona Cardinals faced off against the Saints last weekend it wasn’t even a good skirmish.  The Saints destroyed the Cardinals completely in a 45-14 route.  The Saints were now one step closer to an NFL Championship.  Now they will have to host the Vikings fresh off of a Cowboy whipping party.

Perhaps the true Battle of New Orleans will be next weekend when the Saints host the Minnesota Vikings and their ageless QB Brett Farve.  The Saints are picked to win by 4 here but this could turn into a real shootout.  Both teams have fought hard to get to this game.  Both cities deserve a Super Bowl.  This will be the game to see.  Look for the Vikings and the Colts in Super Bowl 44.  Until we meet again may your betting be better and remember to always be a good sport.

In about a month the 2010 Major League Baseball spring training process will begin.  In a locker room somewhere a rookie player will have fulfilled their life long dream of making it too the big show.  They will dawn their MLB uniform for the first time and a feeling of pride and satisfaction will over come them.  Each rookie will start off with grand expectations of becoming the next superstar to breathe life into the sport.  They will attempt to follow in the footsteps of the baseball legends that preceded them.  Well, hopefully not in all of their footsteps.

I grew up loving the game of baseball just like many a boy in love with his country, apple pie and his favorite hero on the diamond.  When I grew up in the 1960’s and 70’s my hero’s were the likes of Mickey Mantle, Pete Rose and since I was a Pittsburgh Pirate fan, Roberto Clemente.  As I grew older and began to raise a family of my own I jumped on the bandwagon of the new stars on the horizon in the 1990’s.

Major League Baseball had gone through some hard times but a bunch of guys with names like Sosa, Bonds, Canseco, Clemmens, A-Rod and McGwire were changing all that.  I had always regretted not being old enough to watch the home run race between Mantle and Maris but in 1998 I witnessed the battle between Sosa and McGwire.  I could not believe the home runs they were hitting with ease.  I thought I was experiencing something special, something huge and unbelievable.  Little did I know.

Rumors of steroid use in MLB were floating around since the 1980’s.  The performance enhancement drug was invading sports and could be pursued with ease.  Through the years more players than not avoided this drug.  Unfortunately there were those who felt a need to utilize it.  To make matters worse many of those players suspected were the one’s mentioned above.  Carried on the wind in many a baseball stadium were the famous words, “Say it ain’t So Joe, So it ain’t so”, from the 1919 Black Sox scandal involving Shoeless Joe Jackson and his team.

On Monday Mark McGwire finally admitted to using Steriods in 1998 when he broke the Roger Maris single season home run record by hitting 70 over the fence.  The record had stood for almost 4 decades.  McGwire had pleaded his innocence for years but finally relented.  Perhaps because he was just hired as the new hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals.

The debate rages on and will continue to flourish for decades to come.  The question will always be there.  Did these performance enhancing drugs make these players in question better than they would have been?  The players say you either have the gift or not.  That drugs cannot enhance your eye and hand coordination.  The question persists, could a 10 home run a year hitter be turned into a 70 home run a year hitter with steroids?  I think not.

The steroid scandal has forever installed a dark cloud over the accomplishments of these players and any others who profited from it’s use.  Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron’s 755 career home run record.  That too may be forever tarnished.  All of these players involved will find it difficult to find a way into the Hall of Fame.  Many of them would have made it if not for the steroid use.  They breathed air into the beloved game of baseball when it needed it most and then they took it all away.

I cannot help but wonder what Babe Ruth and all of the great players that followed him would have said about the spectacle.  I take my hat off to the baseball legends who took their chances on raw talent and a lot of beer and hot dogs.  Perhaps every generation has a scandal of some sort.  The game has survived them however and the players who play the game honestly and with pride, perhaps those new rookies in this years spring training camp, will sustain baseball for the next generation of adoring fans.  Until we meet again may your betting be better and remember to always be a good sport.

On a cold Saturday afternoon in Cincinnati the Jets brought the heat and eliminated the Bengals from their fairy tale AFC North accomplishments.  Led by rookie Quarterback Mark Sanchez the Jets defeated the less than energized Bengals 24-14.  Sanchez did not play like a rookie and the Bengals did not look like AFC North Champions.  Next weekend the Jets travel to San Diego to face the number two seed in the AFC.  The Chargers finished the season with an 11 game winning streak and would like nothing better than to extend it right through the playoffs.  The Chargers are favored by 7.5 points and should win this one at home.

In the NFC the Dallas Cowboys put the Philadelphia Eagles out of their misery Saturday night in a decisive 34-14 whipping Texas style.  Tony Romo seems to have finally slid into his role as Quarterback and the Cowboys are looking like the real deal.  However, next weekend they are off to the frozen tundra to face the Minnesota Vikings.  Lucky for Dallas they have a dome there.  The Vikings are only favored by 2.5 which tells you this one should be close.  Although the Vikings should win on paper it will come down to which team ultimately wants it more.

On Sunday the Baltimore Ravens simply embarrassed the Patriots in New England 33-14.  New England did not look like a team that had won 3 Super Bowls in the last decade.  The Ravens did not look like a team that drifted into the playoffs with a 9-7 record.  Baltimore dished out more on both sides of the ball then New England could handle and that was the difference.  Next week the Ravens move on to face the number one seed in the AFC.  The Indianapolis Colts finished the season at 14-2 and could have easily finished 16-0 but decided to rest their starters.  The Colts are favored by 6.5 and if the team is still in tune they should win this one as well.

The shootout in Arizona on Sunday was not at the OK Corral but in Phoenix where the Cardinals outlasted the Green Bay Packers 51-45 in overtime.  Both teams gave it all they had but in the end it seemed the Cardinals were destined for victory.  Even a botched 34 yard field goal by the Cards with seconds left in regulation did not seal their defeat.  The Packers won the toss in OT and elected to receive.  Then Packer QB Aaron Rodgers fumbled the ball and the Cards took it to the promised land.  Although Rodgers was pulled down by the face mask the penalty was over looked and the Packers luck ran out.  Next week the Cardinals move on to New Orleans to face the number one seed in the NFC.  The Saints are favored by 7 points but this one could be a repeat shootout and come down to the very last play.  Until we meet again may your betting be better and remember to always be a good sport.

Central Michigan may be ranked, and they may be favored in the GMAC Bowl on Wednesday, but they won’t have their head coach and they will basically be playing a road game since the GMAC Bowl is in Mobile, Alabama. Head coach Butch Jones bolted for Cincinnati so the Chippewas will have to find a way to win without him on Wednesday they face Troy in the college football betting GMAC Bowl. It didn’t work very well for Cincinnati earlier this bowl season without their head coach Brian Kelly as they were routed by Florida.

Central Michigan is a 2.5 point favorite at SBG Global!

Central Michigan won the Mid-American Conference for the third time in four seasons. The averaged 32.6 points per game with Jones as head coach and they won the MAC title game over Ohio that got them into this game against Troy. When Brian Kelly left for Notre Dame, the Bearcats wanted Jones and he took the job. “We are very thankful for the contributions Butch Jones has made to our football program, our university and our community,” athletic director Dave Heeke said. “Any opportunity that arises for him is a reflection of the high-quality student-athletes and strong tradition that Central Michigan has enjoyed. We are excited to be a Top 25 program preparing for our fourth consecutive bowl game.”

Central Michigan will be led by associate coach Steve Stripling for the bowl game. “I’m very excited about the opportunity to lead this program,” Stripling said, “We want to make this a winning experience and have an enjoyable experience as well. This team has accomplished a lot already this season, and we are looking forward to achieving our goals of being bowl champions and finishing in the Top 25.”

Central Michigan still has quarterback Dan LeFevour for one more game though. He threw for 27 touchdowns this season to lead the Chippewas. His favorite target is Bryan Anderson who has caught at least one pass in an NCAA record 53 consecutive games.

Troy has an offense that is almost as good as Central Michigan’s. They averaged 33.1 points per game this college football betting season and more than 41 in their last six games. They have an excellent quarterback as well in Levi Brown who was second in the nation with 322.3 passing yards per game.

The Trojans are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games overall. The Trojans are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games. The Chippewas are 25-9-2 ATS in their last 36 games as a favorite.

Central Michigan is a 2.5 point favorite at SBG Global. Bet now!