After an exciting weekend at The PLAYERS Championship, where Sergio Garcia finally got back in the win column with an impressive showing on Sunday afternoon, tour players will be gearing up to show off their skills at the 2008 AT&T Classic held at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Georgia. Last year the 2007 Masters Champion Zach Johnson was able to collect his 3rd tournament victory, all of which have came in the great state of Georgia. We won’t see a Masters winner repeat at this tournament this year, as Trevor Immelman is sitting this week out. With many of the top players taking the week off it makes for a wide-open tournament and your favorite coming into the weekend being the South African Retief Goosen. Last year we saw Johnson take home the trophy with a 4-round total of -15, so we are expecting another good weekend of scoring if the weather cooperates. Here is a look at 3 golfers that we feel have a good shot at taking home the win this week at the AT&T Classic.

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Favorite: Zach Johnson 15-1 at Sportsbook.com

Even though the odds makers have Goosen as the guy to beat, we are going with the guy from Iowa on this one. With a great tradition of playing well in Georgia we like him as our number one guys this weekend. Zach has kind of struggled this year with only one top 10 finish, but we think that a weak field and a trip to his favorite state to play will end in a win for this guy this weekend. Johnson isn’t known for hitting the ball a mile, but instead he uses his precision as he ranks 11th in driving accuracy and 12th in greens in regulation. Where Johnson has struggled this year is once he gets on the green, he is currently 123rd in putting average and will need the putter to heat up this weekend.

Middle of the Pack: Ben Crane 25-1 at Sportsbook.com

Ben Crane is coming off a 6th place finish at the PLAYERS Championship and it was his 2nd top 10 finish of the year, his other came at the FBR Open where he finished tied for 4th. Crane who really came on in 2005 with 6 top 10 finishes including a win and 3 other finishes in the top 3. Since then he has only finished in the top 3 once. We think that he will be riding some confidence this weekend and without he big names putting that added pressure on him, we look for a big week from American. If you were to look at Cranes stats you would think he would have a lot more finishes towards the top of the pack. He is 12th in all-around driving, 53rd in greens in regulation, and 34th in putting average. He is still young and we think in a year or two this guy could be winning 1-2 every year.

Long Shot: Paul Goydos 80-1 at Sportsbook.com

So we might be a little bit taken over from this guys performance last week, but with these kinds of odds why not take a shot on this guy. Yea we know he came out of nowhere, but if can play like he did last week at the Players Championship, where he was a par on the 18th away from taking home his 3rd professional tournament. So even though you thought you never heard of this guy he has won before. Last week he almost did against some of the best in the world, and this week he will have some much easier competition. Last week we picked Sergio Garcia as our long shot and he came away with his first win since 2005.

For all your golf betting needs head to Sportsbook.com as they offer some of the best lines and services around. Make sure and continue to check back each week, as we will have our preview and prediction of each golf tournament throughout the year. Also, feel free to leave any comments you might have on the tournament this week in our comment box.

Here is a list of each golfers odds for AT&T Classic.

Alex Cejka 100 - 1

Ben Crane 25 - 1

Bob May 100 - 1

Brett Quigley 60 - 1

Brian Davis 80 - 1

Brian Gay 50 - 1

Briny Baird 25 - 1

Bubba Watson 50 - 1

Camilo Villegas 25 - 1

Charles Howell III 40 - 1

Charles Warren 80 - 1

Chris Riley 100 - 1

Corey Pavin 100 - 1

DJ Trahan 60 - 1

David Duval 100 - 1

David Toms 25 - 1

Dean Wilson 40 - 1

Greg Norman 100 - 1

Heath Slocum 40 - 1

Hunter Mahan 25 - 1

JJ Henry 50 - 1

Jason Day 60 - 1

Jason Gore 100 - 1

Jesper Parnevik 50 - 1

Joe Ogilvie 100 - 1

John Mallinger 60 - 1

John Rollins 50 - 1

Jonathan Byrd 30 - 1

Justin Bolli 100 - 1

Kenny Perry 25 - 1

Kevin Stadler 80 - 1

Kevin Sutherland 50 - 1

Lucas Glover 40 - 1

Matt Kuchar 60 - 1

Nicholas Thompson 60 - 1

Nick OHern 50 - 1

Parker McLachlin 80 - 1

Paul Goydos 80 - 1

Retief Goosen 12 - 1

Roland Thatcher 100 - 1

Ryuji Imada 30 - 1

Shane Bertsch 60 - 1

Steve Elkington 40 - 1

Steve Flesch 40 - 1

Steve Marino 50 - 1

Stewart Cink 10 - 1

Ted Purdy 100 - 1

Troy Matteson 60 - 1

Zach Johnson 15 - 1

zx Field (Any Other Golfer) 9 - 4

Popularity: 1% [?]

The second leg of the Triple Crown is almost here as the Preakness Stakes is set to get underway on Saturday May 17th at Pimlico Raceway in Baltimore, Maryland. All eyes will be on Big Brown, the winner of this year’s Kentucky Derby. A win here and he will likely get a shot at taking home the first Triple Crown in ages at the Belmont Stakes. With a field full of newcomers and a shorter track Big Brown will again be the favorite when the race gets underway. The likelihood that Big Brown is able to win again might be better than you think. There is only one other horse from the Kentucky Derby expected to race at the Preakness Stakes, and with the recent success of Derby racers, Big Brown will be the horse to beat. Here are our predictions for the 133rd running of the Preakness Stakes.

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1. Big Brown 3/10 odds at Bodoglife.com

It’s true we really didn’t think that this horse had it in him to win the Derby, and he went ahead and proved us wrong in convincing fashion. We aren’t going to make the same mistake twice here and we will take the favorite to win the Preakness Stakes. Many thought that the distance was going to be too much for Big Brown to handle, but that didn’t end up being the case. Now he goes to the shortest track out of the 3 Triple Crown races, and we don’t see any different outcome. We expect another dominating performance from this horse. Get ready for a ridiculous amount of attention to be put on this horse if he is able to win the Preakness Stakes, as his chances of winning the Belmont Stakes will be just as good.

2. Hey Byrn 20/1 odds at Bodoglife.com

This horse just might have a chance of surprising the field and taking home the Preakness Stakes. He made his 2008 debut early this year at the Gulfstream Park where he took home the victory by an impressive 14-½ lengths. He then backed up that performance with another allowance win. He then slipped a little as he finished 4th at the Florida Derby, but got back on the right track with a win at the Holy Bull Stakes in April. So as you can see this horse has a history of winning and he has been pretty impressive to say the least so far in 2008. With the spotlight going to be mainly on Big Brown, it will give Hey Byrn a chance of stealing the show and cashing in big at the Preakness Stakes

3. Behindatthebar 12/1 odds at Bodoglife.com

This horse decided to skip out on the Kentucky Derby, and his replacement Denis of Cork came in and finished 3rd. They were afraid that the horse was not ready for another race and decided it would be best if he sat out the derby. It would have been his 3rd race in 5 weeks, and they decided to put their focus on the Preakness Stakes. So this horse is going to come in with some fresh legs, and for a horse that has numerous top finishes including a win at Lexington on April 19th and winning a first-level allowance race at Santa Anita on April 3. So either way you look at it this horse has a great shot at a big performance at the Preakness, and like Hey Bym has a great shot at winning and ending Big Brown’s run at a Triple Crown.

So there you have it our predictions for the Preakness Stakes. While Big Brown will be the expected horse to come in and take over the race, you can see that he will have some tough competition to overcome. For all your Preakness Stakes betting needs be sure to head over to Bodoglife.com as they have the best horse betting setup in the game. As always feel free to leave any comments in our comment box.

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On Saturday May 17th the 2008 running of the Preakness Stakes is set to get underway. We thought it would be a good idea to get a look at the odds for each horse that is set to race. The race will take place at Pimlico racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, and will mark the 133rd running of the race. The Preakness is the second and shortest race of the coveted Triple Crown. The only horse with a shot at the Triple Crown will be Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown. The Preakness Stakes will have a much shorter field than that of the Kentucky Derby, and Big Brown will be the only horse racing in both the derby and the Preakness Stakes. This makes for a very interesting race as many of the horses will have fresh legs, but Big Brown will have the experience that comes along with racing at the Kentucky Derby. So while it will be hard to pick a horse to beat Big Brown, it is just as hard for the odds makers to set up the odds without really seeing the other horses race in a big time race. Lets take a look at some of the horses with the best odds coming into the Preakness Stakes.

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Favorites

As you might expect Big Brown is your favorite coming into the race after a dominating performance at the Kentucky Derby with odds at 3/10, but there are a couple other horses that the odds makers are giving some pretty good odds on winning the race. Behindathebar comes in with the odds at 12/1. Behindatthebar was a late scratch at the Kentucky Derby, and will come in off two impressive victories and some fresh legs at the Preakness Stakes. Rounding up the favorites is Harlem Rocker who is currently sitting at 11/2 odds to win the race. Besides the great name this horse has what it takes to win at the Preakness Stakes. This white horse was the winner of the Withers Stakes and is considered by many as a real threat to Big Brown.

Middle of the Pack

There are five horses that come in with odds at 25/1 or 20/1 and are considered as horses that will likely need everything to go right for them to win the Preakness Stakes. Giant Moon, Yankee Bravo, and Kentucky Bear all come in with odds at 25/1, and if we had to pick a horse out of this group to finish in the top 3 we would have to go with Yankee Bravo who was the winner of the California Derby at Golden Gate Fields in January and had solid finishes at the Louisiana Derby where he finished 3rd and the Santa Anita Derby where he finished 4th. Hey Byrn and Macho Again both come in at 20/1 and both can be considered solid sleepers this weekend as Macho Again is coming in with a win at the Derby Trial Stakes at Churchill Downs on April 26th and Hey Byrn has been pretty impressive this year an wins at the Gulfstream Park, Florida Derby, and the Holy Bull Stakes. If we had to pick a horse out of this whole group with a shot to win it all it would be Hey Byrn based on his number of quality starts this year.

Long Shots

The rest of the field is set with odds at 50/1 and picking a horse out of this group to shock the world is not an easy task, as it will take a near perfect run for one of these horses to make some noise at the Preakness Stakes. If we had to pick a horse here to surprise the field it would be Icabad Crane as he has some wins under his belt including his 2008 debut at Aqueduct in an allowance race and a win in his last start at the Federico Tesio Stakes on the same track as they will be racing this coming weekend. So if you are looking for a big time sleeper this is your horse. For a list of all the other horses with odds of 50/1 check the list at the bottom of this page.

Now that you have an in-depth look at the odds for the 2008 running of the Preakness Stakes, head over to Superbook and get your bet in on the upcoming race. Also be sure to check back for our expert predictions on the race. Below is a list of each horse and their odds for winning the 2008 Preakness Stakes.

Behindatthebar 12/1

Big Brown 3/10

Giant Moon 25/1

Harlem Rocker 11/2

Hey Byrn 20/1

Icabad Crane 50/1

Kentucky Bear 25/1

Macho Again 20/1

Racecar Rhapsody 50/1

Riley Tucker 50/1

Stevil 50/1

Tres Borrachos 50/1

Yankee Bravo 25/1

Popularity: 1% [?]

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is heading to Darlington Speedway for the annual Dodge Challenger 500. The race is set to take place on Saturday May 5 in Darlington, South Carolina. This will be the second weekend in a row that drivers will be racing under the lights. Last week at the Richmond International Speedway we saw Clint Bowyer take home the checkered flag for his first win of the season. It’s also good to note that Kyle Busch backed up his win at Talladega with a 2nd place finish last week, but that finish didn’t come without some hard feelings around the NASCAR world. Many people were upset with the run-ins Busch had with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Rusty Wallace. Making for an even more interesting race than we already had. Jeff Gordon will come in, as your defending champion and Gregg Biffle will be trying to win 3 out of the last 4 here at Darlington. Here is our weekly prediction of who we think is going to have a big week.

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#48 Jimmie Johnson 5-1 odds at Sportsbook.com

Jimmie Johnson seemed to hit a minor bump last week at Richmond when he finished at 30th. This was a disappointing week for Johnson who had seemed to be getting on the right track to returning to the form that landed him back-to-back season championships. Johnson isn’t have that bad of year, its just he has set such high standards for himself, that if he doesn’t finish in the top 10 then it’s considered a bad week. There is still a long way to go this season, and though he dropped to 7th in the point standings he is still only 177 points behind the new leader Kyle Busch. The reason we like Johnson this week is that he has pretty much owned this track. He only has one finish outside of the top 10 and 8 inside the top 10. He also knows how to win here as he has collected 2 victories on this track during his career. We believe Johnson gets right back on track and takes home his 2nd win of the season this week at the Dodge Challenger 500.

#11 Denny Hamlin 7-1 odds at Sportsbook.com

Joe Gibbs racing will be looking for another win this week, and we really feel that Hamlin is the guy that will get the job done. Hamlin has been in the point’s race all season long, and has even spent some time on top. After five straight finishes in the top 6, Hamlin took a minor set back with a 24th place finish last week. So you can easily see that we aren’t putting to much emphasis on what happened last week, as both Hamlin and Johnson had poor runs. Hamlin doesn’t have the background that Johnson does at Darlington Speedway, but he has had some pretty good success on this track. In 2006 he finished 10th in his first race on this track, and then in 2007 nearly won the race with a 2nd place finish. Over the last 7 weeks there hasn’t been to many drivers that have brought the consistency that Hamlin has to each and every track. Look for another great showing this week from the FedEx car.

Head over to Sportsbook.com and get your bets in this weekend on the Dodge Challenger 500. Sportsbook.com is a great place for all your NASCAR betting needs. Remember to check back each and every week, as we will continue to bring you race-by-race breakdowns throughout the season. As always feel free to leave any comments in our comment box.

Here is a list of each driver’s odds to win at the Dodge Challenger 500.

Bobby Labonte 100 - 1

Brian Vickers 100 - 1

Carl Edwards 6 - 1

Casey Mears 60 - 1

Clint Bowyer 20 - 1

Dale Earnhardt Jr 8 - 1

David Gilliland 100 - 1

David Ragan 50 - 1

David Reutimann 100 - 1

Denny Hamlin 7 - 1

Elliott Sadler 100 - 1

Greg Biffle 15 - 1

Jamie McMurray 100 - 1

Jeff Burton 25 - 1

Jeff Gordon 8 - 1

Jimmie Johnson 5 - 1

Juan Pablo Montoya 100 - 1

Kasey Kahne 30 - 1

Kevin Harvick 20 - 1

Kurt Busch 30 - 1

Kyle Busch 7 - 1

Mark Martin 20 - 1

Martin Truex Jr 25 - 1

Matt Kenseth 15 - 1

Michael Waltrip 100 - 1

Paul Menard 100 - 1

Reed Sorenson 100 - 1

Robby Gordon 100 - 1

Ryan Newman 30 - 1

Sam Hornish Jr 100 - 1

Scott Riggs 100 - 1

Tony Stewart 10 - 1

Travis Kvapil 100 - 1

zx Field (Any Other Driver) 50 - 1

Popularity: 2% [?]

The PGA TOUR is getting ready for one of the more exciting tournaments of the season, when the players head to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida for the Players Championship. What makes this tournament so fun to watch is that TPC Sawgrass has some of the more exciting holes in golf, with the most exciting being the par 3 17th hole that is a green surrounded by water. Last week Anthony Kim was able to take home the Wachovia Championship, but will face a much tougher field this week. One big name that he will be up against is defending champion Phil Mickelson who will come in as the odds on favorite to win this week. The tournament will miss out on the usual showing of Tiger Woods, as he continues to recover from knee surgery. But the highest purse out of any golf event will still be in play this weekend, as the $9 million purse tops all other events including the major championships. With the tournament set to start in just a couple of days we figured we would give our predictions on who we think will be in contention come Sunday afternoon.

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Favorite: Phil Mickelson 10/1 at BetUS

Mickelson is the 2nd best player on tour, and with the best sitting at home; it’s his tournament to win this week. Mickelson seemed to let one get away last week when he would play one good round and then one bad round the next day. He ended up finishing 12th, but we think he will put it all together this week for the win. Phil is still sitting on one victory this season that came at the Northern Trust Open back in the middle of February. Mickelson did pretty well at the Masters coming in tied for 5th. Expect this guy in the final group come Sunday.

Middle of the Pack: Padraig Harrington 20/1 at BetUS

While this guy spends a lot his time on the European TOUR, he has had a pretty respectable 2008 season on the PGA TOUR. He has 3 top 5 finishes including a 5th place finish at the Majors. We really like what Harrington brings to the course, as he is currently the 2nd best putter on tour based on average per hole. He also comes with the best birdie average per round, so its no secret that this guy has some serious game. Look for Harrington to have a big finish this week and maybe even give Mickelson a run for his money.

Long Shot: Sergio Garcia 40/1 at BetUS

Garcia hasn’t really put together a very solid 2008 season, but he has played well here at TPC Sawgrass. This guy seems so close to becoming one of the best golfers week in and week out, but just hasn’t been able to control the driver or make enough putts to really get his game going. Last season Garcia had one of his two 2nd place finishes at this tournament, and we have a good feeling that he is going to have some extra confidence coming into the tournament. This guy can win this week there is no question, but he will need to find that stroke that he had back in 2004 and 2005. Either way you look at it Garcia is a great long shot to win this weekend.

For all your golf betting needs head to BetUS as they offer some of the best lines and services around. Make sure and continue to check back each week, as we will have our preview and prediction of each golf tournament throughout the year. Also, feel free to leave any comments you might have on the tournament this week in our comment box.

Here is a list of each golfers odds for The Players Championship.

Aaron Baddeley 50 - 1

Adam Scott 12 - 1

Andres Romero 60 - 1

Angel Cabrera 100 - 1

Anthony Kim 40 - 1

Bart Bryant 60 - 1

Boo Weekley 60 - 1

Brandt Snedeker 60 - 1

Camilo Villegas 100 - 1

Charles Howell III 100 - 1

David Toms 80 - 1

Davis Love III 100 - 1

Ernie Els 30 - 1

Fred Couples 80 - 1

Geoff Ogilvy 25 - 1

Henrik Stenson 40 - 1

Hunter Mahan 80 - 1

Ian Poulter 100 - 1

Jason Bohn 100 - 1

Jim Furyk 20 - 1

Justin Leonard 50 - 1

Justin Rose 50 - 1

KJ Choi 30 - 1

Kenny Perry 80 - 1

Lee Westwood 60 - 1

Luke Donald 40 - 1

Mathew Goggin 80 - 1

Mike Weir 80 - 1

Padraig Harrington 20 - 1

Pat Perez 80 - 1

Paul Casey 100 - 1

Phil Mickelson 10 - 1

Retief Goosen 25 - 1

Robert Allenby 50 - 1

Rory Sabbatini 80 - 1

Ryan Moore 100 - 1

Scott Verplank 100 - 1

Sean OHair 60 - 1

Sergio Garcia 40 - 1

Stephen Ames 50 - 1

Steve Flesch 100 - 1

Steve Stricker 50 - 1

Stewart Cink 25 - 1

Stuart Appleby 60 - 1

Trevor Immelman 60 - 1

Vijay Singh 20 - 1

Woody Austin 100 - 1

Zach Johnson 50 - 1

zx Field (Any Other Golfer) 3 - 1

Popularity: 5% [?]

The second round of the NBA Playoffs are officially set, after the Boston Celtics were able to avoid a huge upset in the first round against the Atlanta Hawks. The Celtics are set to do battle against the Cleveland Cavaliers who downed the Washington Wizards in the first round. Everyone expected the Celtics to role past the Hawks, as they came in with the best record in all of the NBA facing the team with the worst record in the playoffs. The Hawks put up a big fight and were able to win all three of their home games, but were awful when they had to play at Boston. The Cavaliers didn’t have an easy first round series either as they took 6 games to take out a good Wizards team. This should be a great series, as you get the trio of stars from Boston taking on LeBron James and the defending Eastern Conference Champs. Here is a look at how each and our prediction on who we think will be moving on to the next round.

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Boston Celtics

The Celtics finished the regular season with an exceptional 66-16 record, and seemed to have Eastern Conference top seed secured early in the season. While the Celtics have the 3 big time players who can put in double figure numbers night in and night out, they really emphasize playing defense. Sometimes it can be hard to win with too many superstars, but the trio works great here because the whole team is full of unselfish players. Besides the trio of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce, this team has really enjoyed the play of point guard Rajon Rondo who has done an excellent job managing the team. The team also has some solid veterans on the bench in P.J. Brown and Sam Cassell, who give the team valuable minutes when the stars are taking a break. Even with the tough first round series, this is still a team that can win it all.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers had a disappointing season finishing at 45-37. While many teams would be happy with this record, the team was really expecting a big year after the run they made last year through the playoffs. It’s no secret that this team is all about LeBron James who is averaging 29.8 ppg, 9.5 rbg, and 7.7 apg in the playoffs. The reason we think that this team didn’t do as well as thought is that James just doesn’t have that other player that can take the slack off James. For instance just look at the difference Paul Gasol has made with the Los Angeles Lakers. What makes this team scary is that LeBron James is so good that on many nights he can carry his team to a victory by himself. If James continues to play well this team can go as far as anyone in the playoffs.

Winner: Boston Celtics

While this became much tougher after the Hawks showed that this team can be beat, we still are going with the Celtics to beat the Cavaliers. We think that the Celtics will be able to slow James down and make the other players on the Cavs try and beat them. This should work well cause there isn’t anyone else on the Cavs who can carry them for a full series. We think the Cavs will win a couple games at home, but the series will likely be done in 6.

If you are looking to put some action on the playoffs, as many people like to do. We strongly recommend heading to BetUS.com and enjoy their excellent service, and respected lines. As always, feel free to leave any comments in our comment box.

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With the 2008 NFL draft in the books we figured we would take some time and do a little deeper look into the draft and give you the players who we think got picked way to high for the value they are going to bring to their NFL teams. Its no surprise that in each draft there is players who come through and become the players scouts believed them to be, but there is almost just as many times that scouts are wrong, and a team misses out on a chance to improve their franchise. While we know it takes a few years to really get a good grip on which players turned out to be great picks, we thought we would give our prediction on just which players are going to leave their teams wondering what they were thinking when they pulled the trigger on these guys. Keep in mind that we are basing this off of where a player was picked, say a team gets a offensive tackle with the #9 pick in the draft and he ends up being an okay right tackle, then the team dropped the ball and didn’t get the value they should have. So here they are your busts from the 2008 NFL draft.

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QB Joe Flacco - Baltimore Ravens

Here is exactly what were talking about when we say a player is taken way to early. Flacco has the talent to maybe be a star in the NFL, but we just don’t think that this guy is going to turn into the next Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. He will get his shot at being the starting quarterback, but when its all said and done he will likely play for a few different teams and end up a solid backup in the league.

OT Sam Baker - Atlanta Falcons

This may be a shock to some, but we don’t think Baker was worth the 21st pick in the draft. This was a big need for the Falcon’s and we can see what they were thinking but they were better off trading in to get a big time corner or a solid defensive tackle, then picking up a player maybe a little less off than Baker, but still about the same result on the field.

OT Duane Brown - Houston Texans

We aren’t really quite sure what this team was thinking when they picked this guy in the first round. It was definitely a stretch to pick this guy in the first round. We aren’t saying that he won’t be a starter for 10 years, he just isn’t going to be the guy you want blocking your quarterback’s back side in the NFL. What were really saying is they probably could of got the same type of player in the 2nd round.

TE Dustin Keller - New York Jets

We aren’t sure that this was the draft to spend a first round pick on a tight end. While Keller might end up being an okay player, he is not the next Tony Gonzales, Jeremy Shockey, or Antonio Gates. The Jets needed help here, but this was way to early to pick this guy.

WR Eddie Royal - Denver Broncos

The Broncos took this guy in the 2nd round at pick 42, but when there was still Malcolm Kelly, DeSean Jackson, and Limas Sweed still on the board, this pick doesn’t make much sense. Royal has had a history of staying healthy and he doesn’t have the size that so many teams look for. This team needed a receiver who could help sooner rather than later. Royal won’t be a star in this league its as easy as that. It should also be known that the Cincinnati Bengals made the same bone headed move and passed on the same 3 guys 4 picks later.

So there you have it our 2008 top 5 duds of the NFL Draft. While there is likely a chance that we end up being wrong, we will be the first to admit when we are wrong, but for now we like are chances of being right. As always feel free to leave any comments in the comment box.

Popularity: 3% [?]

The second round is set in the Western Conference as the Utah Jazz were able to close out the Rockets to set up a second round bout with the #1 seeded Los Angels Lakers. The Lakers made quick work of the Denver Nuggets, as they were able to sweep them out of the first round. The Nuggets didn’t really have much of a chance against the much better Lakers team, and will have to do some serious thinking on what to do with their team in the off-season. The Jazz on the other hand had what many thought was going to be a pretty easy first round series against the Houston Rockets, but T-Mac and company had different plans. After losing the first two games at home the Rockets looked out of it, but after winning 2 out of the next 3 they were right back in the mix of things. The Jazz were finally able to get rid of the Rockets with a big win at home in game 6. So that leaves us to look at what should be a great second round battle, between two very good teams. Here is a quick look at each team and then our prediction on who we see moving on to the Western Conference Finals.

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Los Angels Lakers

The Lakers are the #1 seed out of one of the toughest years ever in the Western Conference where a team finished with 48 wins (Warriors) and didn’t make the playoffs. Just for instance the Eastern Conference sent a team that went 37- 45 (Hawks) as its #8 seed. So it’s obvious why everyone is picking this team to win it all. The Lakers finished off a great regular season at 57-25. The Lakers are led by MVP favorite Kobe Bryant who has went off since the addition of Paul Gasol. Kobe is averaging a playoff best 33. 5 ppg, while grabbing 5.2 rebounds and 6.2 assist a game as well. Kobe’s great play has all the attention on his teammate Gasol is bringing in 22.2 ppg, 9.0 rbg, and 5.0 apg. So you can see why no team wants to face these guys.

Utah Jazz

The Jazz are maybe a better team than they get credit for, they aren’t a real loud team in that they just don’t get talked about as much as the other teams in the league. While there style of play has a lot in common with the defending champion Spurs, it’s that this team doesn’t have a good history with being able to win the big games. What this team does have are some really good players. Point guard Deron Williams has been a star so far these playoffs bringing in 20.8 ppg an 8.5 apg. Then the Jazz get great play from their big guys of Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur, who are both averaging a double-double in the playoffs. The Jazz are the best team at home so it’s going to be fun seeing if they can keep that going against the Lakers.

Winner: Los Angeles Lakers

This series will be one of the best to watch out of them all, so don’t miss out and wait to start watching in the conference finals. The Jazz have what it takes to beat these guys, but we just don’t think it is possible to stop Kobe Bryant right now. He made everyone on Dallas who guarded him look silly. With the numbers he is getting backup with Gasol the Jazz won’t have enough to take this the distance. We see the Lakers winning in 6.

If you are looking to put some action on the playoffs, as many people like to do. We strongly recommend heading to Sportsbook.com and enjoy their excellent service, and respected lines. As always, feel free to leave any comments in our comment box.

Popularity: 3% [?]

The 2008 Kentucky Derby runs at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 3rd. We are now to the point where you should be ready to make your 2008 Kentucky Derby picks. If you haven’t made your selections quite yet, then take a look at Larry Cook’s Kentucky Derby picks to help you make successful horse wagers this coming Saturday.People from all over the world will be tuning in to watch the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby. Everyone will have their Kentucky Derby picks ready, and you should too. It adds to the excitement of the race known as “The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports”. There will be 20 horses in all competing to take down the first leg of the prestigious Triple Crown.

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Big Brown if the early favorite with 3/1 odds to win the 2008 Kentucky Derby. But is history means anything in this race, his chances are far from spectacular to win the Derby. Big Brown drew the gate No. 20 for this race, a spot where only 1 horse has ever won and it hasn’t happened since 1929. Colonel John at 4/1 odds to win and Pyro at 6/1 odds to win are the next two highest favorites to win the “Bed of Roses”. These horses will be starting side-by-side in gates No. 9 and 10. The next best odds on a horse to win is 15/1 with Gayego, Monba, Z Fortune and Tale of Ekati.

Now that we have taken a look at a few of the early favorites, it’s now time to make your 2008 Kentucky Derby picks. Making successful derby picks will make this a more enjoyable and memorable race in 2008. Below I give you my Win, Place and Show horses. Now you have to decide if you agree or disagree with my 2008 Kentucky Derby picks. Win, Place and Show bets are the most popular horse racing wagers, but you can also do Exacta and Trifecta betting. Place an Exacta on the my Top 2 horses, and also place a Trifecta on my top 3 horses and watch them come through on race day.

My Win, Place and Show horses are as follows:

Bet Gayego at 15/1 Odds to win the 2008 Kentucky Derby:

Gayego has 3 Wins and 2 Places under his belt in 5 career starts. Gayego made his debut on dirt in his last race at the Arkansas Derby and won with room to spare. It was crucial to see this horse on a dirt track, considering Churchill Downs is the most famous dirt track of them all and host to the 2008 Kentucky Derby. Gayego ran the 1 1/8 mile track at Arkansas’ Oakland Park in 1:49 3/5. This fast run was 2 ticks faster than ‘07 Horse of the Year Curlin, who posted a record 10 ½ length victory there last year. Sharp Bettors and Wiseguys are all over this horse, and for good reason. Gayego started with 25/1 odds, but is now down to 15/1 odds to win the 2008 Kentucky Derby. Get your wagers in now while you are getting the best price on this pony.

Bet Big Brown at 3/1 Odds to Place in the 2008 Kentucky Derby:

There is no doubt that Big Brown is going to finish in the money on Saturday, May 3rd. But a poor draw with the No. 20 post is not what we were hoping for. On paper, this is the best horse in the field. But starting on the outside, there is no way Big Brown will be able to run down Gayego for the win. Big Brown has 3 wins in 3 career starts, but he’ll have to settle for a 2nd place finish behind Gayego in the 2008 Kentucky Derby. No horse has won from the No. 20 post since 1929.

Bet Pyro at 6/1 Odds to Show in the 2008 Kentucky Derby:

Pyro would be closer to a 3/1 favorite to win had this horse not taken his last race off. He ran 10th and beat only two horses in the Blue Grass stakes, his last race in preparation for the derby. This ended a two-race streak in which Pyro posted a pair of come-from-behind wins in stakes at Fair Grounds. Many experts, such as myself, say throw out the 10th place finish at Blue Grass. At least this horse is now getting better odds for us in Louisville and it’s going to pay off.

My Exacta Wager:

There a few different ways to bet the Exacta. My recommendation is to throw in a 3-Horse Exacta Box. At the horse betting counter you will say, “Give me a $2 Exacta Box on the 9, 19 and 20 at Churchill Downs”. This means you have Pyro, Gayego and Big Brown to finish 1st and 2nd in any order. When two of this three horses finish 1st and 2nd respectively, you will be cashing in a big payday at the 2008 Kentucky Derby. This wager will cost you exactly $12 on a $2 bet.

My Trifecta Wager:

Trifecta wagering means that you have to pick three horses to finish in 1st, 2nd and 3rd in that exact order. Most horse bettors do a Trifecta “Box” which gives you three horses that can come in 1st, 2nd and 3rd in any order. This is precisely what I’m going to recommend you do on race day in the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby. At the horse betting counter you will say, “Give me a $2 Trifecta Box on 9, 19 and 20 at Churchill Downs”. This means that Gayego, Big Brown and Pyro have to finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in any order and you will be collecting a monster payday. This wager will cost you exactly $12 on a $2 bet.

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The Eastern Conference playoffs have their first second round matchup in the books. The #2 seeded Detroit Pistons are set to square off with the #3 seeded Orlando Magic. The Pistons got more than they probably expected in their first round series with the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers made a series of it right off the bat with an upset win in the first game of the series at Detroit, but in the end the Pistons were able to prevail and win the series 4-2. The Orlando Magic had a little easier time in the first round, as they were able to get by the Toronto Raptors in just 5 games to win the series 4-1. This should be a pretty solid 2nd round matchup as you have the youth of the Magic facing the veteran squad of the Pistons. The series is set to get underway on Saturday May 3rd in Detroit and both teams will look to make their mark and move onto the Eastern Conference Finals. Lets take a look at each team, and give you our prediction on who will be moving on and who will be looking to next year.

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Detroit Pistons

The Pistons were able to finish 2nd in the Eastern Conference with a very respectable 59-23 record, and though the East is viewed as a very weak conference, we really think that this team has what it takes to make another trip to the NBA Finals. The Pistons are a team that thrives on great defense and unselfish play to beat opposing teams. The Pistons have the same 4 starters that he had when they won the title in 2004 and when they reached the finals in 2006. PG Chauncey “Big Shot” Billups, SG Richard Hamilton, SF Tayshaun Prince, and SG Richard Hamilton lead the team. The thing that makes this team so dangerous is that you can’t just stop one player; cause if you do the other 3 will get the job done. The one down side to this team is that they are starting to get up there in age, and probably only have a few more years to really compete for a NBA Title

Orlando Magic

The Magic had a very respectable year, as they finished 52-30 and took home the Southeast Division title. Everyone knew that this was a good team coming into the season, but I don’t think many of us seen them being the 3rd best team in the East, especially after the Cavaliers made a big run through last year’s playoffs. To put it in perspective just how good a season this was for this organization, it’s the first time they have finished above .500 since the 2001-02 season when they finished 44-38, and it’s the first time they have won at least 50 games since the 1995-96 season. The main reason for the team’s success is the amazing play of center Dwight Howard. Who comes into the 2nd round averaging 22.6 ppg , 18.2 rpg, and 3.8 blocks a game. Howard hasn’t done it all alone as he gets some good supporting play from his teammates. Rashard Lewis comes in averaging 19 ppg, and Hedo Turkoglu is chipping 17.8 ppg in the playoffs. PG Jameer Nelson has really stepped it up in the playoffs, after averaging nearly 11 points during the regular season; he has been putting in over 17 in the playoffs. This team really only has one big star in Howard, and will have to play its best ball of the year to get by Detroit.

Winner: Detroit Pistons

This was a tough call here, and we really think that if these two teams meet up a year or two down the road that it will be the Magic walking away victorious. Experience plays such a big role in the playoffs, and this Magic team just hasn’t had too much playoff experience over the last decade or so. We do expect a good series and while Orlando will win a couple games, we see Detroit taking the series in 6 games.

If you are looking to put some action on the playoffs, as many people like to do. We strongly recommend heading to Sportsbook.com and enjoy their excellent service, and respected lines. As always, feel free to leave any comments in our comment box.

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