Going for Broke
Daily Broke: Yankees (-115) vs. Rays
May 8th, 2012
Yes, the Rays (19-10) have a 3½-game lead on the Yankees (15-13) in the AL East. However, 13 of Tampa’s 19 wins have come at home (the Rays are just 6-7 on the road). Read more »
Daily Broke: Spurs (-8) at Jazz
May 7th, 2012
Over the weekend, we saw the second-seeded Thunder go into Dallas and send the defending NBA champs into summer vacation with a pair of road wins that secured a 4-0 series sweep. Tonight, the top-seeded Spurs will plagiarize that script when they sweep away the Jazz in Salt Lake City. Read more »
Daily Broke: Hawks (+8) at Celtics
May 4th, 2012
In classic Hawks fashion, Atlanta pissed away a great chance to put Boston in a huge hole in this best-of-7 series, dropping Game 2 on Tuesday, 87-80, as a 4 1/2-point home favorite—even though the Celtics were without starters Ray Allen (injury) and Rajon Rondo (suspension). Read more »
Going For Broke
Digging deep through a competitive field for a Kentucky Derby winner
May 3rd, 2012
This year’s Derby, on May 5, features one of the deepest fields in a long time. At least 10 of the 20 horses expected to enter the race could win it. Read more »
Going For Broke
Peering into the crystal basketball for a look at the NBA’s second season
April 26th, 2012
I’m not exactly sure what good-luck charm David Stern keeps in his back pocket (a horseshoe, a rabbit’s foot, one of Marv Albert’s hairpieces), but whatever it is, it’s working. The NBA commissioner won a game of chicken with the players association, saving the 2011-12 campaign at the 11th hour, then watched those same players deliver one of the most compelling regular seasons in recent memory. Read more »
Going For Broke
Fight on: UFC, boxing cards provide hard-hitting opportunities to cash in
April 19th, 2012
Miguel Cotto is quite capable of making this an interesting fight, but I don’t see him handing Floyd Mayweather his first loss. And the oddsmakers agree, as the seven-time world champ is a minus-650 to minus-750 favorite (probably the only person with a bankroll thick enough to get rich betting on Pretty Boy Floyd would be his pal, 50 Cent). That said, this is only the second time that the 35-year-old Mayweather—normally a welterweight (140-147 pounds)—will fight at 154 pounds. Read more »
Going For Broke
Back in action with predictions on the always-unpredictable NBA
April 12th, 2012
With the lockout delaying tipoff until Christmas Day and David Stern’s greedy-and-grueling schedule of 65 games in four months, the road to riches was seemingly smooth: Back veteran squads early, younger squads late and, in the middle, patiently wait for opportunities to fade graybeards such as the Celtics and Spurs when they’re playing their third game in three nights. Read more »
Going For Broke
After a horrendous March Madness, it’s time to go bananas
April 5th, 2012
Thankfully, despite that pitiful NCAA tournament effort, there are still a few pennies left in the bankroll. And it’s left to me to rebuild it, which I’ll do with some futures plays in baseball, with its regular season ramping up, and the NBA, where the regular season is winding down. Read more »
Going For Broke
Trust me this time (no, seriously): Ohio State is a slam dunk to reach final
March 29th, 2012
With one last opportunity to make something out of this March Madness—and with solid line value in one of the Final Four matchups—it’s time to live up to this column’s name: It’s time to go for broke! Read more »
Going For Broke
Moving on to the Sweet 16 after tripping over myself to start the Big Dance
March 22nd, 2012
During last week’s games, as I watched one loser after another roll in from the balcony of the jam-packed LVH Theater, I thought for sure someone who wagered actual cash on my picks would recognize me and do his best John Wilkes Booth impersonation. Fortunately, I made it out alive. Unfortunately, the boss man refused my request to turn this week’s column over to somebody who actually knows what he’s doing. Read more »
