Cinco de Mayo

It is Cinco de mayo -- and baseball is in full swing. Baseball is one of the best sports for finding contrarian value. I believe that baseball is one of the better sports for professional bettors and syndicates (some call syndicates the "smart money") for a few reasons:

• MLB is still the "National Past-time."
• Although the NFL is hugely popular, there are many more games in the MLB schedule.
• Baseball also seemingly has more randomness to the sport. For instance, NFL champions often go 14-2 (.875) or 13-3 (.813) -- while the best teams in MLB play about .600 ball.
• The point spread is a great equalizer -- as is the moneyline. However, I believe that many sports fans don't understand the moneyline very well -- and instead, count up their wins and losses (and wonder why their bankroll is decreasing).

If we see more interest on the blog, we'll continue to post more information and more selections. Thank you for reading.

March Madness: Duke

I like to find value in the sports marketplace, but sometimes I think that even the media and fan favorites will take it. I like Duke -- and think (hope) that Butler's Cinderella story comes to an end. Coach K has not brought home a Final Four Championship in a few years -- but I think he does it here.

The sports psychology factors below, include factors such as coaching and experience. This can be key.

Here is analysis from Who Will Win...

http://whowillwinthebiggame.blogspot.com/2010/04/march-madness-final-four.html

Super Bowl - Saints

I like the Saints for several reasons. I think that the Saints are actually better than the Colts. The Colts captured a lot of media -- and public -- attention with their run at a perfect season. Although they a few "meaningless" games at the end of the season, many consider them "perfect."

The Saints have put up some monster numbers and are a truly "live dog."

Public sentiment is clearly on the veteran Colts, but there seems to be value on the Saints. In addition, I found this sports psychology angle to be interesting:

http://www.sportsinsights.com/bookreviews/book_granat_and_chin_2010.aspx