Posts From: May 2016
Cherry Wine Draws Post 1 but Nyquist Remains the Favorite
Cherry Wine may have drawn post 1 in the Preakness Stakes, but Nyquist remains the horse betting favorite for the second leg of the Triple Crown – to be raced this Saturday 21st. The draw for the race was held on May 18th and went thusly:
Federer skipping French Open is good news for Djokovic
Novak Djokovic’s tennis betting odds of finally winning a French Open may have improved thanks – indirectly – to Roger Federer’s withdrawal from Roland Garros. The Swiss would have been seeded third at the French Open; his pulling out of the tournament means that Rafael Nadal will be moved up to the 4th seeding. As a result, the chance of a quarterfinal rematch between Nadal and Djokovic becomes null and void – meaning that the Serb should in theory have no trouble making it past that stage. Nadal is known as the King of Clay and has won the French Open 9 times; or, if you prefer, nine more times than Djokovic.
Canelo Alvarez Officially Vacates WBC Middleweight Title
Fans who bet on boxing will have to wait longer than the vaunted “15 days” to see Saul ‘Canelo Alvarez’-Gennady Golovkin fight. The Mexican redhead has officially vacated the WBC middleweight championship in order to avoid quote-unquote artificial deadlines – methinks it’s something else he’s trying to avoid. The World Boxing Council had decreed a 15-day period for Golden Boy Promotions to finalize a unification bout with GGG. With this new development, the mandatory challenger and interim champ Triple G becomes the new and undisputed title-holder. It appears as if Canelo’s whiteness is not the only trait he shares with paper.
UEFA Europa League: Sevilla makes Liverpool a footnote
Soccer betting experts like to say that history is written by the victors, and Sevilla made history by becoming the first-ever five-time (or as Booker T would put it, Five Time, Five Time, Five Time, Five Time, Five Time!) UEFA Europa League champion, the first team to win the title three times in a row (2006, 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016), and the only squad to win the tournament more than twice without ever losing a final. As a result, Liverpool – though a slight favorite among people who bet on soccer going in – has been reduced to a mere footnote in the annals of European football.
The Preakness Stakes: Attack of the Eight New Shooters
Like any good sequel, the Preakness Stakes – the second leg of the Triple Crown Championship – will feature returning characters. First and foremost, fan and horse betting favorite, our hero, Nyquist. Also, we of course have the Rochefort to Nyquist’s D’Artagnan, Exaggerator. Lani has also been confirmed, while Gun Runner has not been ruled out. But it is the new additions to the cast that our protagonist has to keep an eye out on. At least eight new shooters – horses who did not run in the Kentucky Derby – will attempt to give Nyquist a run for his money – or rather his owner’s money (horses have no use for currency as opposed to people who bet on horses).
Cavaliers Obliterate Raptors in Game 1
Online betting favorites Cavaliers really made quite the statement as they took the Toronto Raptors to school on game 1 of the Easter Conference Finals. The team lead by, the closest thing we’ll get to a real life Monstar, LeBron James demolished Toronto 115 to 84. The result was a lot of sad Canadians, and we’re assuming around 17,000 crying Jordan memes in Drake’s Twitter mentions. This series is going to be an uphill battle for the team from the North.
Oklahoma City Thunder versus GS Warriors Game 2 Tonight
Tonight game 2 of the NBA playoffs Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Golden State Warriors will take place at the Oracle Arena. The Stephen Curry-led team will look to avenge their surprising loss in game 1 and tie the series, while the Thunder will attempt to sustain their wave of momentum that had them stun the favorites and shock the entire world. Unlike what everybody thought a few days ago, this series could actually go either way.
San Jose Sharks Tie Series with St. Louis Blues 1-1
The San Jose Sharks put aside any concerns fans betting on hockey might have had about them not being able to outscore – or just score, for that matter – the St. Louis Blues last night at the Scottrade Center. The Sharks shut out the Blues 4-0 and tied the NHL Western Conference Finals 1-1 in game 2 of the series. San Jose’s lethal power play made a much-welcomed return – though both teams failed to make the most of such plays in the first period. The Sharks' fourth line gave them the advantage early. Tommy Wingels, Dainius Zubrus, and Justin Braun combined on a cycle play to find the former in the slot for his second goal of the postseason and a 1-0 lead. The play was nearly off-sides, but the St. Louis learned from a lost challenge in Game 1 and let the play stand.
Real Madrid hopes to salvage season with Champions League
Real Madrid finished the Spanish league one point behind eventual champions Barcelona. According to the former’s manager Zinedine Zidane, the latter deserved to win the league, while Real can take solace in the fact they have an opportunity to win an 11th UEFA Champions League Cup on May 28th versus Atlético. This is not just sour grapes either; the European Cup is arguably the most prestigious prize in soccer, and thus could be considered even more important than a mere league championship. Not to mention that it gives people who bet on soccer one last major rush for the season.
Bet on UFC Fight Night 88: Almeida versus Garbrandt
It might be a bit difficult to know who to put your money one when the time comes to bet on UFC Fight Night 88 on May 29th – especially if you’ve missed the previous 87 fight nights. The main event between Tomas Almeida and Cody Garbrandt should in theory be a no-brainer; the Brazilian is the UFC betting favorite for a reason – or, to be more accurate, for several reasons, even many reasons. Would I say he has a plethora of reasons to be the favorite? Oh yes, he has a plethora.