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Tommy had another profitable weekend and has three releases available tonight. Find his Black Diamond selection as well as two more sharp plays on the Guaranted Picks page.
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Tommy started the second half off on a high note with a winner on the St. Louis Cardinals! He has two big releases available on the Guaranteed Picks page today!
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Major League Baseball’s 79th All-Star Game will be played Tuesday night in Yankee Stadium. The dramatic final season of baseball in “The House that Ruth Built” is highlighted by the biggest game of the summer.
This is the fourth time the Midsummer Classic has been played in the Bronx. Most recently, the National League emerged victorious by a 7-6 score in 1977.
The American League has dominated the game in recent years going 10-0-1 since the NL’s 1996 victory in Philadelphia. The only game the AL did not win in the last 11 years was the infamous tie of 2002 in Milwaukee. Ichiro Suzuki’s two-run inside-the-park homer highlighted last season’s 5-4 win for the AL.
The American League lineup features a mix familiar superstars and fresh faces. Ichiro will once again be leading off, while hometown heroes Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez will start on the left side of the infield and bat second and fourth respectively.
The Texas Rangers provide two first time All-Stars to the starting lineup. Josh Hamilton’s brilliant season has arguably been the biggest story in the first half and he is being rewarded by batting third. Fellow Ranger with a troubled past, Milton Bradley, will DH and bat sixth.
It is a rare occasion for Boston Red Sox players to be cheered in the Bronx, but this will be the case Tuesday night. Boston has three players in the starting lineup. Manny Ramirez will bat fifth and play left field, Kevin Youkilis bats seventh and plays first base and Dustin Pedroia will bat ninth and play second base.
Cleveland Indians left-hander Cliff Lee (12-2, 2.31) will be the AL’s starting pitcher. He is equally effective against hitters from both sides of the plate and possesses excellent control. Lee has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of better than 5-to-1 and has yielded just five home runs in over 124 innings pitched. He pitched six shutout innings against the Rays last Friday and will likely be limited to two innings.
The National League lineup is younger and less experienced but explosive nonetheless. Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez (.311 23 HR, 23 SB) and Phillies second baseman Chase Utley (.291 25 HR, 69 RBI) makeup the top of the order and will set the table for the big boys.
Sluggers Lance Berkman, Albert Pujols, Chipper Jones and Matt Holliday provide punch in the heart of the order. The quartet has combined to hit .352 with 72 homers and 225 RBI through the first half of the season.
Newcomers from the NL Central bat in the seven through nine holes. Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun (.286 23 HR 66 RBI) will be followed by Kosuke Fukudome and Geovany Soto of the Chicago Cubs.
Brewers ace Ben Sheets (10-3, 2.85 ERA) will get the start for the National Leaguers. The right-hander has recorded 108 strikeouts and opposing hitters have just a .229 average against him. He is more difficult to hit under the lights and has slightly better numbers on the road. Sheets has never pitched in Yankee Stadium.
The American League may benefit from an outstanding bullpen if the game is close in the late innings. The AL has six men on the roster with at least 20 saves including the Angels’ Francisco Rodriguez, who leads baseball with 34.
The American League opened and remains a substantial favorite. The AL has dominated Interleague play since its inception, won seven of the last 10 World Series Championships and hasn’t lost an All-Star Game in over a decade.
This trend of dominance results in a -145 on the AL. The ‘total’ is listed at 10.
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First of all, my podcast “Vegas Numbers” will be available right here M-F throughout the summer. I will adjust the schedule accordingly once we get to football season. Checkout Sharpbettor.com for a daily log of all my plays.
Those of you, who have followed my work on other websites and podcasts know college basketball is where I have enjoyed the most success and where I feel the biggest advantage over the market. Baseball requires the same ridiculous hours but I take a much more technical approach and focus on grinding out a modest profit. I’m most proud of my fundamental approach to college hoops and start to miss it as we enter the dog days of summer.
I’ve been studying nothing but the bases for the past two months but I’m taking a break to make my annual National Championship prediction for next year’s college basketball season. I don’t advise a play in the future’s market. Playing your money on day-to-day action is a much better investment and I’ve been wrong for the past three seasons so take it for what it’s worth.
I’m not going out on any limbs with this one. I think North Carolina is much better than anyone else in the country. Despite the questionable basketball knowledge of Roy Williams this team is so loaded with talent that they will be the clear cut favorite by most publications when they come out four months from now.
The Heels have four guys who would have been drafted and they are all returning to Chapel Hill. Alex Stepheson is transferring and Quentin Thomas is graduating but the bulk of one of the most skilled and athletic teams in the country will return. UCLA, Kansas, Memphis, Georgetown and Louisville are the only teams that could match the athleticism of last year’s Heels. All of the above mentioned schools lose significant pieces while UNC just gains another year of experience.
UNC is clearly number 1 and I’ll be talking about this monopoly of talent for the next nine months.
Every now and then I’ll take a break and write about college hoops just to find a moment of clarity. Soon, I’ll be back with more on next year’s freshmen, surprise teams and who’s number 2?
Back to the bases,
Tommy D.
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I’m the newest handicapper at DonBest.com and I’m thrilled to be here. I’ve been a sports gambler for all of my adult life and have made it my passion to study this industry. I’m in and out of about a half dozen Las Vegas sportsbooks per day shopping numbers and I’ve learned to appreciate the hard working people who make this industry great.
However, there are some real morons out there claiming to hit 90% of their plays. They yell and scream about how great they are but in actuality they suck badly and are the reason we are not respected in the mainstream.
I believe the sportsbook and the poker room are the only places left in a casino where anybody can make money in the long run. Most people will lose in both of these areas but there are a few talented and focused individuals capable of maintaining an edge.
Poker has enjoyed phenomenal success in the mainstream over the past few years and there’s no reason preventing sports gambling from a similar run. We just need to figure out a way to silence the unethical screaming idiots.
I think we have a great starting point right here. DonBest.com has assembled 18 of the best handicappers in the world and these blogs allow for a closer look into each of our minds. I look forward to working with and competing against all of these brilliant people.
DonBest.com is the industry standard for sports information. It also provides the best line service in the world and has tremendously talented handicappers. Why can’t this be the main stage for sports gambling to become respected in the mainstream?
It’s an academic exercise few people can master. Not a degenerate activity for the scum of the Earth.
Just warming up folks,
Tommy D.
