Continuing our tour of the MLB at the start of the baseball season, here are the AL odds and my comments at the bottom.
7-2 New York Yankees
9-2 Chicago White Sox
10-1 Boston Red Sox
13-1 Los Angeles Angels
13-1 Oakland Athletics
14-1 Cleveland Indians
25-1 Minnesota Twins
30-1 Toronto Blue Jays
40-1 Texas Rangers
60-1 Seattle Mariners
100-1 Baltimore Orioles
100-1 Detroit Tigers
350-1 Tampa Bay Devil Rays
400-1 Kansas City Royals
My take on these odds: Amazing the drop off after the top 6 teams, it is pretty hard for there to be a darkhorse MLB team to challenge for the pennant. The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox always have the best chance to win but their odds are too high to be a good bet. A good bet might be the Cleveland Indians at 14-1 and an even better odds on the Texas Rangers at 40-1. The Chicago White Sox will be good again this year but at 9-2 this is just way too generous.
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Friday, March 31, 2006
NL World Series Odds
In honor of the baseball season beginning this Sunday, lets have a look at the World Series odds courtesy of fieldgoal.com. My comments are at the bottom and the AL odds will shortly follow.
5-1 New York Mets
7-1 St. Louis Cardinals
12-1 Chicago Cubs
20-1 Los Angeles Dodgers
23-1 San Francisco Giants
25-1 Atlanta Braves
30-1 Houston Astros
30-1 Philadelphia Phillies
40-1 San Diego Padres
40-1 Milwaukee Brewers
100-1 Arizona Dimondbacks
100-1 Pittsburgh Pirates
100-1 Washington Nationals
175-1 Cincinnati Reds
250-1 Florida Marlins
300-1 Colorado Rockies
My take on these odds: First of all I have to say that I'm sad that the Colorado Rockies are picked to finish last in the NL. I know they have a tough road to climb out of the cellar but I promise they will make it out of last place. I'm not advising anyone to bet on them but instead I'm just asking for a little love for my Rockies. The St. Louis Carnials are expected to have a good year but are too high at 7-1. The Philadelphia Phillies are a good bet at 30-1 and could have a chance to make a run for it.
5-1 New York Mets
7-1 St. Louis Cardinals
12-1 Chicago Cubs
20-1 Los Angeles Dodgers
23-1 San Francisco Giants
25-1 Atlanta Braves
30-1 Houston Astros
30-1 Philadelphia Phillies
40-1 San Diego Padres
40-1 Milwaukee Brewers
100-1 Arizona Dimondbacks
100-1 Pittsburgh Pirates
100-1 Washington Nationals
175-1 Cincinnati Reds
250-1 Florida Marlins
300-1 Colorado Rockies
My take on these odds: First of all I have to say that I'm sad that the Colorado Rockies are picked to finish last in the NL. I know they have a tough road to climb out of the cellar but I promise they will make it out of last place. I'm not advising anyone to bet on them but instead I'm just asking for a little love for my Rockies. The St. Louis Carnials are expected to have a good year but are too high at 7-1. The Philadelphia Phillies are a good bet at 30-1 and could have a chance to make a run for it.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Amazing Race Moving to Wednesday
CBS has just announced that effective next week, the Amazing Race will be moving from its Tuesday at 10pm eastern slot to a more family friendly 8pm eastern slot on Wednesday instead. This move is a great idea since the Amazing Race was dying at 10pm and nothing competitive is in the 8pm slot anyways. Out of Practice and Courting Alex are going in to indefinite hiatus to make room for the Amazing Race. A CSI: Miami repeat will fill the 10pm slot on Tuesday at least for the first week.
Good thing this does not effect Veronica Mars. I knew CBS was not going to leave the Amazing Race in that horrible slot, I'm just glad that they did not put it in direct competition with VM at 9pm. Good news all around!
Updated 4.1.06
Good thing this does not effect Veronica Mars. I knew CBS was not going to leave the Amazing Race in that horrible slot, I'm just glad that they did not put it in direct competition with VM at 9pm. Good news all around!
Updated 4.1.06
Survivor Panama Episode 7 Spoilers
After an unusual Survivor hiatus we are ready for a new episode tonight and big things are happening in Panama. The two tribes will merge and only one challenge will be held. The immunity challenge is an endurance contest and will feature everyone hanging upside down. The person who hands on the longest will win and this appears to be Terry who wins individual immunity. It is speculated that the person who fails the immunity challenge first will be sent to exile island but there is no information about who that may be. The vote will come down to between Austin and Nick as it could be either one to go after their original tribe alliance is broken up. It appears that Nick gets the last boot before the jury is formed.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Watch Veronica Mars & Season 3
This is your weekly reminder to watch Veronica Mars tonight at 9pm/8pm central on UPN. You don't want to miss the episode where Veronica's ex boyfriend Troy Vandegraff returns. Also, this is the episode where Michael Cera and Ali Shawkat from Arrested Development guest star. But, there is one even more compelling reason to tune in to Veronica Mars tonight, especially if you have never seen it before and that is the fact that season 3's mystery will be subtly introduced in tonight's episode. If you want to stay ahead of the curve for next season, tonight's episode is a must watch!
Also, one more tidbit of information I can share is that Rob Thomas and the writers are considering introducing 3 mysteries next season and will each be wrapped up in 7 episodes or so. The idea is that it will become less intimidating for new viewers to start to watch the show and it will give a earlier payoff for those newbies. The network is also considering making each of those 7ish episode chunks air uninterrupted without repeats, so in essence it would be 3 mini seasons in one. I think the idea is genius because it keep the format fresh and I'm sure Rob will intertwine the mysteries and make it just as engrossing for us Veronica Mars fanatics. Nothing is ever done at face value on Veronica Mars! What are your thoughts about this new idea for season 3?
Also, one more tidbit of information I can share is that Rob Thomas and the writers are considering introducing 3 mysteries next season and will each be wrapped up in 7 episodes or so. The idea is that it will become less intimidating for new viewers to start to watch the show and it will give a earlier payoff for those newbies. The network is also considering making each of those 7ish episode chunks air uninterrupted without repeats, so in essence it would be 3 mini seasons in one. I think the idea is genius because it keep the format fresh and I'm sure Rob will intertwine the mysteries and make it just as engrossing for us Veronica Mars fanatics. Nothing is ever done at face value on Veronica Mars! What are your thoughts about this new idea for season 3?
CSI Episode 18 Spoilers
I will be able to post CSI spoilers much further in advance in the future but it has taken me some time to get caught up. Please let me know if you want future CSI spoilers as detailed as this. Due to the nature of CSI, things are very detailed and it is possible sometime to know how the entire episode will go. I'll do a more condensed version that does not give the mystery conclusion away if more people prefer that.
This episode will air March 30, 2006.
There is a trial going on about a young man, Marlon, accused of murdering a teenage girl named Christy. At the trial Marlon's sister Hannah confesses to the murder. The problem is now that both Marlon and Hannah have confessed and the CSIs are brought in to determine which one of them is lying.
During the course of the investigation we learn that Hannah is a genius with an IQ of over 170. Hannah is very academically gifted and even conducts her own science experiments. Hannah says that she murdered Christy because she was being bullied and Christy always played tricks on her. Christy died because sodium was put in her shower head at school and once water was turned on the shower head exploded. Hannah says that this was her way of getting back at Christy. Hannah says that her brother Marlon was just trying to protect her and that is why he confessed.
Over the course of the investigation, the evidence begins pointing to Hannah. She won an award for the sodium experiment at a science fair and had access to sodium at the school's lab. Hannah also used her computer to print "out of order" flyers from the school's printer to hang on the bathroom door to make sure that nobody would foil her plan.
In the meantime, the CSIs find a bloody fingerprint from Christy's boyfriend Scott in Christy's car. The CSIs think that Hannah is now just covering up for Scott because she had a crush on him. Scott defends himself by saying that the blood was from when he took Christy's virginity and the lab goes to analyze the fingerprint for lubricants and such. Turns out Scott was telling the truth and now they are back to figuring out if it was Hannah or Marlon who killed Christy.
The CSIs think they are on to something when they find sodium in Hannah's bathroom but then discover that she shares it with Marlon. Then the CSIs go to the high school to walk though the crime. Hannah would not have been tall enough to put the sodium in the shower head but Marlon would have. But then they find a chair in the next shower stall over that is mainly used for hanicap use. Hannah could have used the chair to stand on. Then comes the task of moving the body on to the football field. The CSIs determine that Hannah could not have moved the body on her own so Marlon must have had to be the one to carry the body. The CSIs confront Hannah with this information and she says she used the landscaper's cart to move it.
Now we are at the conclusion of the trial and Marlon is found not guilty due to reasonable doubt that Hannah cast on the case. The CSIs ask the D.A. if they are going to go forward with prosecuting Hannah and the D.A. says no because she would get off for the same reasonable doubt. Hannah was smart enough to skew the evidence so that the CSIs could not figure out which one committed the murder and essence they both get off for it.
This episode will air March 30, 2006.
There is a trial going on about a young man, Marlon, accused of murdering a teenage girl named Christy. At the trial Marlon's sister Hannah confesses to the murder. The problem is now that both Marlon and Hannah have confessed and the CSIs are brought in to determine which one of them is lying.
During the course of the investigation we learn that Hannah is a genius with an IQ of over 170. Hannah is very academically gifted and even conducts her own science experiments. Hannah says that she murdered Christy because she was being bullied and Christy always played tricks on her. Christy died because sodium was put in her shower head at school and once water was turned on the shower head exploded. Hannah says that this was her way of getting back at Christy. Hannah says that her brother Marlon was just trying to protect her and that is why he confessed.
Over the course of the investigation, the evidence begins pointing to Hannah. She won an award for the sodium experiment at a science fair and had access to sodium at the school's lab. Hannah also used her computer to print "out of order" flyers from the school's printer to hang on the bathroom door to make sure that nobody would foil her plan.
In the meantime, the CSIs find a bloody fingerprint from Christy's boyfriend Scott in Christy's car. The CSIs think that Hannah is now just covering up for Scott because she had a crush on him. Scott defends himself by saying that the blood was from when he took Christy's virginity and the lab goes to analyze the fingerprint for lubricants and such. Turns out Scott was telling the truth and now they are back to figuring out if it was Hannah or Marlon who killed Christy.
The CSIs think they are on to something when they find sodium in Hannah's bathroom but then discover that she shares it with Marlon. Then the CSIs go to the high school to walk though the crime. Hannah would not have been tall enough to put the sodium in the shower head but Marlon would have. But then they find a chair in the next shower stall over that is mainly used for hanicap use. Hannah could have used the chair to stand on. Then comes the task of moving the body on to the football field. The CSIs determine that Hannah could not have moved the body on her own so Marlon must have had to be the one to carry the body. The CSIs confront Hannah with this information and she says she used the landscaper's cart to move it.
Now we are at the conclusion of the trial and Marlon is found not guilty due to reasonable doubt that Hannah cast on the case. The CSIs ask the D.A. if they are going to go forward with prosecuting Hannah and the D.A. says no because she would get off for the same reasonable doubt. Hannah was smart enough to skew the evidence so that the CSIs could not figure out which one committed the murder and essence they both get off for it.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Denver Declines NFL Opener
Updating my story from yesterday regarding the announcement of NFL week 1 and Thanksgiving games, I have learned that the NFL is not to blame for my disappointment. Ever since the Steelers won the Super Bowl I have been telling anyone and everyone who will listen that I knew for a fact that the NFL would choose the Denver Broncos to play at the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first NFL game of the season on September 7th. When the news came out that the Steelers will be hosting the Miami Dolphins, I was let down and began doubting my instincts. But, today the story came out that Broncos owner Pat Bowlen declined the offer by the NFL to play in the opener. Bowlen said that he would prefer to play at Pittsburgh later on in the year when the focus was not on their recent Super Bowl win. I understand his reasoning and if playing Pittsburgh later in the year gives the Broncos even a slight more chance to win the game, I'm all for it but I can't help but think what might have been!
Veronica Mars Ratings Update
Just updating my previous post about the Veronica Mars ratings. For more information please see the "Veronica Mars Ratings Explained" post.
Episode 2.15 had 2.58 million viewers according to Mediaweek. These numbers are lower than the previous week's 2.76 and are going in the wrong direction. However, Lost was a new episode last week and numbers have always been lower against a new Lost. Since Lost will have another new episode this week, we will have a good comparison to see if there is any ratings growth potential.
Episode 2.16 had 2.07 million viewers according to Mediaweek. This is a terrible development but the good news is that the rating stayed basically the same between last week and this week. This means that the same percentage of TVs were tuned in to VM, just less people were watching them. These numbers should go up once VM moves to Tuesday on April 11th becuase it will not have to compete with Lost and American Idol. However, I'm still concerned about the lack of a strong lead in. It is worth noting that Rob Thomas is still very optimistic for a season 3 so only time will tell. Stay tuned to the next chapter in this saga.
Updated 4.1.06
Episode 2.15 had 2.58 million viewers according to Mediaweek. These numbers are lower than the previous week's 2.76 and are going in the wrong direction. However, Lost was a new episode last week and numbers have always been lower against a new Lost. Since Lost will have another new episode this week, we will have a good comparison to see if there is any ratings growth potential.
Episode 2.16 had 2.07 million viewers according to Mediaweek. This is a terrible development but the good news is that the rating stayed basically the same between last week and this week. This means that the same percentage of TVs were tuned in to VM, just less people were watching them. These numbers should go up once VM moves to Tuesday on April 11th becuase it will not have to compete with Lost and American Idol. However, I'm still concerned about the lack of a strong lead in. It is worth noting that Rob Thomas is still very optimistic for a season 3 so only time will tell. Stay tuned to the next chapter in this saga.
Updated 4.1.06
The OC Episode 3.23 Spoilers
This episode should air in May.
It is time for the prom on the OC and the theme is Pirates! Ryan has a date and it appears to be Theresa. Marissa's date is Volchok but he is not too happy that Marissa asked him to be there. They have a little disagreement and once Marissa walks off, Volchok spots a pretty girl and goes to talk to her. Meanwhile, Seth is at the dance with Anna but it looks like he is hatching a plan to get back Summer. Summer gets involved with a Korean pop star celebrity at the dance. Later on Ryan finds out what Volchok is up to with the pretty girl and tries to keep Marissa from noticing. However, Marissa does catch Volchok kissing the girl and confronts him. Ryan is there to help protect Marissa. Taylor is also at the prom with everyone.
Updated 4.8.06
It is time for the prom on the OC and the theme is Pirates! Ryan has a date and it appears to be Theresa. Marissa's date is Volchok but he is not too happy that Marissa asked him to be there. They have a little disagreement and once Marissa walks off, Volchok spots a pretty girl and goes to talk to her. Meanwhile, Seth is at the dance with Anna but it looks like he is hatching a plan to get back Summer. Summer gets involved with a Korean pop star celebrity at the dance. Later on Ryan finds out what Volchok is up to with the pretty girl and tries to keep Marissa from noticing. However, Marissa does catch Volchok kissing the girl and confronts him. Ryan is there to help protect Marissa. Taylor is also at the prom with everyone.
Updated 4.8.06
Monday, March 27, 2006
NFL Week 1 & Thanksgiving Games
Today the NFL announced some early parts of the 2006 schedule. They only revealed the partial week 1 schedule and the Thanksgiving Day games but we are one step closer to the return of football nonetheless. Here is what we know so far, times are listed in eastern:
Week 1:
Thursday, September 7:
MIA @ PIT 8:30pm NBC (season opener)
Sunday, September 10:
DAL @ JAX 4:15pm FOX
IND @ NYG 8:15pm NBC
Monday, September 11:
MIN @ WAS 7pm ESPN (doubleheader)
SD @ OAK 10:15pm ESPN
Week 12:
Thursday, November 23: (Thanksgiving)
MIA @ DET 12:30pm CBS
TB @ DAL 4:15pm FOX
DEN @ KC 8pm NFL Network
While I'm thrilled that the Broncos get to play on Thanksgiving for the second straight year, I am completely shocked that the Broncos do not open the season at Pittsburgh. Traditionally it is a playoff opponent that opens at the defending Super Bowl champion. Carson Palmer is hurt for Cincinnati and Pittsburgh does not host Indianapolis in 2006 so the only logical choice would have been to host Denver. I get that Miami is going to be much improved in 2006 but to give the marquee macthup to a team that failed to make the playoffs in 2005 is a slap in the face.
Another poor move is to feature Oakland on opening week AGAIN. Oakland was an embarrassing team in 2005 and got beat by New England in the opener last year. I understand that an AFC West divisional matchup is the point here but with San Diego going with Philip Rivers at QB and Oakland barely making any improvements this could turn out to be a lackluster game. San Diego at Kansas City would have been a much more attractive matchup. Al Davis must have an awful lot of pull on the NFL.
I like the rest of the matchups that were announced. I like it when teams such as Jacksonville are highlighted. And like I said, Denver was given a prime matchup as well so I can't be too bitter about the week 1 shaft. I love the idea that the NFL is going to broadcast a game on either Thursday or Saturday in each of the last 8 weeks of the season on the NFL Network. Now just watch as the entire country goes into fits trying to figure out if they get that channel or not. For the record, I do and I'm extremely happy about it. This just means that more games will be televised and more opportunities to watch football!
The rest of the schedule will be announced in early April. You can bet that I'll be right on top of that announcement and I will share the best macthups and my thoughts with you again. Now if someone will tell me what the big game of the week is supposed to be now that ABC is no longer broadcasting Monday Night Football. I still don't understand if it supposed to be Monday Night on ESPN or Sunday Night on NBC. I guess when the rest of the schedule comes out things will become more clear.
Week 1:
Thursday, September 7:
MIA @ PIT 8:30pm NBC (season opener)
Sunday, September 10:
DAL @ JAX 4:15pm FOX
IND @ NYG 8:15pm NBC
Monday, September 11:
MIN @ WAS 7pm ESPN (doubleheader)
SD @ OAK 10:15pm ESPN
Week 12:
Thursday, November 23: (Thanksgiving)
MIA @ DET 12:30pm CBS
TB @ DAL 4:15pm FOX
DEN @ KC 8pm NFL Network
While I'm thrilled that the Broncos get to play on Thanksgiving for the second straight year, I am completely shocked that the Broncos do not open the season at Pittsburgh. Traditionally it is a playoff opponent that opens at the defending Super Bowl champion. Carson Palmer is hurt for Cincinnati and Pittsburgh does not host Indianapolis in 2006 so the only logical choice would have been to host Denver. I get that Miami is going to be much improved in 2006 but to give the marquee macthup to a team that failed to make the playoffs in 2005 is a slap in the face.
Another poor move is to feature Oakland on opening week AGAIN. Oakland was an embarrassing team in 2005 and got beat by New England in the opener last year. I understand that an AFC West divisional matchup is the point here but with San Diego going with Philip Rivers at QB and Oakland barely making any improvements this could turn out to be a lackluster game. San Diego at Kansas City would have been a much more attractive matchup. Al Davis must have an awful lot of pull on the NFL.
I like the rest of the matchups that were announced. I like it when teams such as Jacksonville are highlighted. And like I said, Denver was given a prime matchup as well so I can't be too bitter about the week 1 shaft. I love the idea that the NFL is going to broadcast a game on either Thursday or Saturday in each of the last 8 weeks of the season on the NFL Network. Now just watch as the entire country goes into fits trying to figure out if they get that channel or not. For the record, I do and I'm extremely happy about it. This just means that more games will be televised and more opportunities to watch football!
The rest of the schedule will be announced in early April. You can bet that I'll be right on top of that announcement and I will share the best macthups and my thoughts with you again. Now if someone will tell me what the big game of the week is supposed to be now that ABC is no longer broadcasting Monday Night Football. I still don't understand if it supposed to be Monday Night on ESPN or Sunday Night on NBC. I guess when the rest of the schedule comes out things will become more clear.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Odds
Continuing on with my thoughts about sports and odds, next stop is NASCAR. This sport is growing exponentially in popularity and if you watch a race all the way through you can't help but like it. Here are the current odds to win the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup courtesy of fieldgoal.com.
4-1 Jimmy Johnson
5-1 Jeff Gordon
6-1 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
6-1 Tony Stewart
7-1 Matt Kenseth
8-1 Greg Biffle
8-1 Casey Mears
10-1 Kasey Khane
10-1 Mark Martin
12-1 Carl Edwards
15-1 Kyle Busch
15-1 Jamie McMurray
20-1 Ryan Newman
25-1 Jeff Burton
25-1 Kurt Busch
25-1 Dale Jarrett
40-1 Elliot Sadler
45-1 The Field (any other driver)
50-1 Brian Vickers
65-1 Kevin Harvick
75-1 Denny Hamlin
75-1 Martin Truex Jr.
300-1 Joe Nemechek
300-1 Jeremy Mayfield
300-1 Scott Riggs
300-1 Ken Schrader
My take on these odds: Clearly the best bets are Jimmy Johnson and Tony Stewart but both have high odds as well. Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are awesome drivers but are favored a little too much after missing the chase (top 10 drivers with 10 races to go) last year. Casey Mears is another driver that has higher odds than his history should allow. I was shocked to see that Kyle Busch was favored so much more than his older more experienced past champion brother Kurt Busch. If I was going to lay money on anyone it would be Kurt Busch. At 25-1 these are fantastic odds and after his win today they won't be this low much longer. I also found it funny that some drivers were favored so much less than the field because it is pretty much impossible for someone from the field to come in and steal the Nextel cup crown.
4-1 Jimmy Johnson
5-1 Jeff Gordon
6-1 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
6-1 Tony Stewart
7-1 Matt Kenseth
8-1 Greg Biffle
8-1 Casey Mears
10-1 Kasey Khane
10-1 Mark Martin
12-1 Carl Edwards
15-1 Kyle Busch
15-1 Jamie McMurray
20-1 Ryan Newman
25-1 Jeff Burton
25-1 Kurt Busch
25-1 Dale Jarrett
40-1 Elliot Sadler
45-1 The Field (any other driver)
50-1 Brian Vickers
65-1 Kevin Harvick
75-1 Denny Hamlin
75-1 Martin Truex Jr.
300-1 Joe Nemechek
300-1 Jeremy Mayfield
300-1 Scott Riggs
300-1 Ken Schrader
My take on these odds: Clearly the best bets are Jimmy Johnson and Tony Stewart but both have high odds as well. Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are awesome drivers but are favored a little too much after missing the chase (top 10 drivers with 10 races to go) last year. Casey Mears is another driver that has higher odds than his history should allow. I was shocked to see that Kyle Busch was favored so much more than his older more experienced past champion brother Kurt Busch. If I was going to lay money on anyone it would be Kurt Busch. At 25-1 these are fantastic odds and after his win today they won't be this low much longer. I also found it funny that some drivers were favored so much less than the field because it is pretty much impossible for someone from the field to come in and steal the Nextel cup crown.
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