By Jason Crowe for Steve Merril Sports

It’s hard to remember a 4th of July without fireworks, hot dogs, a few beers and great baseball. A few of the notable series this weekend include a matchup between the two teams battling for the NL Central lead, Cubs @ Cardinals; AL East rivals, Red Sox @ Yankees; and the surprising Rays (I think taking the preceding Devil out of the ...  read more

Most Americans celebrate Independence Day with an outdoor barbeque or with an assortment of fireworks, however another tradition is quickly gaining popularity and it involves eating an enormous amount of hot dogs in a very short period of time.

The first Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog-Eating Contest was held 92 years ago in 1916 in Coney Island, New York. Rumor has it that four immigrants had ...  read more

Below is a free Over/Under for Monday night. You can also get a late-night MLB Steamroller Blowout on Steve Merril’s Best Bets selections page!

UNDER 8 -115 (Athletics/Angels) (Smith/Garland) - 10:05 pm ET #976

The Angels are ice-cold on offense and have scored 0, 0, and 1 run in their past three games. They are likely to struggle again tonight as my pitcher perfo ...  read more

By Jason Crowe for Steve Merril Sports

The final weekend of Interleague play wraps up this weekend highlighted with an extended Subway Series in New York and the boys from the north side making the short trip to the south in Chicago.

Yankees @ Mets

The first game of an unusual four game series starts Friday afternoon at 2:05 pm ET in what will very possibly ...  read more

By Reed Hogben for Steve Merril Sports

The general betting public usually leans to Favorites, Overs and the Home teams; therefore sportsbooks were probably happy campers after the 2007 CFL season.

Favorites and Underdogs went a perfect 50% at 36-36 ATS. Home Favorites let bettors down at 25-28 ATS, while Away Favorites made a little money at 11-8 ATS. Of those 36 covering ...  read more

Below is a free MLB play for Tuesday night:

OVER 9½ -110 (Mariners/Mets) (Dickey/Perez) – 7:10 pm ET #967

The Mariners should have plenty of success tonight against Oliver Perez as Seattle has been much stronger versus left-handed pitchers this season, averaging 6.9 runs and batting .275 on the road versus LHP, compared to just 3.2 runs and .235 versus RHP.

Per ...  read more

By Jason Crowe for Steve Merril Sports

Everyone has heard the quote Defense Wins Championships, but have you ever utilized this mindset when making your picks? Before you rush to place all your wagers on the Under, let’s take the time to evaluate some trends from last year’s playoffs, as well as those that are developing so far in this year’s playoff series.

Over/Under ...  read more

Most sports bettors believe that selecting the winning team (versus the pointspread) is the most important aspect to successful sports wagering. While this is the most difficult factor, it is only third in the order of importance. The top two components to long term profits are money management and shopping for line value. These are the two factors which professional bettors understand and ...  read more

The hype leading up to Super Bowl XLI was as overblown and drawn out as I have ever seen. There are too many sports networks and too many TV analysts these days.

My favorite statement of the week came from ESPN’s Sean Salisbury who proclaimed:

”If Devin Hester returns a kick for a touchdown, I guarantee you that the Colts will not win.”

For those keeping score at home, Sali ...  read more

A pair of national TV battles for Thursday night on TNT. Many felt the early game between Cleveland and Miami would be a preview of the Eastern Conference finals, but both squads have under performed this season and continue to battle injuries.

The late game pits two contenders in the Western Conference and two of the best teams in the league as the Suns look to rebound from a rare los ...  read more

A pair of inter-conference battles on Thursday night in the NBA. The Mavericks look to extend their red-hot 21-1 SU run when they visit Chicago’s strong home court where the Bulls stand 18-6 SU this season, while the Nets look to continue their 11-2 ATS run when they visit a Clippers squad on a current 3-games winning streak.

Below is a look at both national TV matchups on TNT tonight. ...  read more

There are three games on the NBA card for Tuesday night and each of the three games involves key injuries to starters. Below is a detailed look at all three matchups for this evening.

ORLANDO (-6½, 177) at NEW ORLEANS (NBA-tv)

The Hornets 8-3 SU start to the season was a distant memory after the 4-19 SU slide that followed from November 22nd thru January 8th. That fall co ...  read more

Two full months into the NBA season and injuries continue to play a major role. Below is a look at three games on the Tuesday night card in which key players might be out of the lineup.

DETROIT (-3½) at PHILADELPHIA

The Pistons will most likely be without their starting point guard again tonight as Chauncey Billups is doubtful due to an ankle sprain. Billups has missed the ...  read more

There are three NBA games on the board for Thursday night. The Pistons and Hornets are both battling key injuries and will play tonight’s game without their starting point guards, while the Pacers will try to stop the Mavericks 11-game SU winning streak. Finally, the late-night TNT game pits a critical division battle between the Lakers and Kings.

Below is a look at all three NBA matc ...  read more

The heart of the college bowl season is here with 20 bowl games in the next seven days between December 28th through January 3rd. It is important to once again review proper money management as these games provide an excellent investment opportunity.

Most sports bettors believe that selecting the winning team (versus the pointspread) is the most important aspect to successful sports wa ...  read more

It is a busy night in NBA on Wednesday with thirteen games on the board and injuries continue to play a major role. Below is a look at five games this evening in which key players might not be available for their teams.

NEW ORLEANS at ORLANDO (-7½, 177½)

The Hornets 8-3 SU start to the season is a distant memory compared to their 2-10 SU mark since November 22nd. The fall ...  read more

The smaller schools have it right when it comes to determining a national champion in college football as Divisions I-AA, II, and III all use a playoff system. Below is a look at Saturday's Division II championship game on ESPN-2.

Division II Championship – Florence, AL

GRAND VALLEY STATE (-4, 50) vs. NORTHWEST MISSOURI – 12:00 pm ET (espn2)

This i ...  read more

Many sportsbooks do not offer proposition bets, but I felt these two had value and therefore I wanted to release them. I found the props available at Ultimate-Odds.com

(prop bet) CARLOS ARROYO +2½-140 points/assists (vs. Brevin Knight)

Orlando is decimated by injuries and will probably be without Jameer Nelso ...  read more

It is a busy night in NBA on Wednesday with thirteen games on the board and injuries continue to play a major role. Below is a look at nine games this evening in which key players might not be available for their teams.

PHOENIX (-10) at MIAMI (ESPN)

The Heat have learned to win without Shaquille O’Neal and have gone 7-1 ATS during the past eight games, compared to just 1-7 ...  read more

Six weeks into the NBA season and injuries continue to play a major role. Below is a look at all four matchups in the NBA for Tuesday night, along with the injury status of key players in each game.

DENVER (-5½) at ATLANTA

Atlanta forward Joe Johnson missed Sunday’s 117-92 loss at Sacramento and is questionable tonight due to his calf injury. Johnson has been one of the m ...  read more

It is a large card in the NBA on Wednesday night and injuries continue to play a major role. Below is a look at four different games this evening in which key players might be missing.

TORONTO at CLEVELAND (-8½, 197)

The Raptors have won five of their past seven games and stand 8-2 ATS over the past ten, but they might now be without their best player as forward Chris Bosh i ...  read more

There is a six-pack of games on the NBA card for Tuesday night. A month into the NBA season and injuries are starting to play a major role in team’s performances. Below is a look at all six matchups this evening, including three games with key injury concerns.

PORTLAND at DETROIT (-10, 193½)

The Pistons had their 8-0 SU (6-2 ATS) streak snapped on Sunday when they lost 97-8 ...  read more

We get a pair of strong national TV matchups for Thursday night which could very well be previews of upcoming playoff series this spring. Below is a look at each game on TNT this evening.

DETROIT PISTONS (-3, 193½) at MIAMI HEAT (TNT)

This is a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference finals and the Pistons will have revenge on their minds after losing in six games. The Pi ...  read more

The single most important factor which determines the straight-up and pointspread winner in the NFL is turnover margin. The parity and level of competition in the league is at an all-time high and a team can not afford to give away two or three possessions per game and expect to win. In fact, NFL teams that win the turnover battle have covered 80% ATS the past three seasons.

read more

The public has more influence on NFL lines than any other sport and it has always been important to take a contrarian approach when handicapping the NFL, but I have noticed that the 'due theory' hasn't worked as well the past few years as some teams remain overrated, while others remain underrated and the betting public and oddsmakers fail to adjust. Below is a look at some of the worst team ...  read more