2007 RECORD: 4-1-0 +2.8 Units<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
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Glad to be back in action today. Our off-day yesterday seemed to pay off as only 3 teams won by a margin greater than 3 runs, and two of the winners were favorites with lines over -200. Today brings a plethora of good matchups that I’ve whittled down to one very strong play also offering great value in a +130 line. There is no runner-up today since this game stands out so substantially among the crowd. <o></o>
4/11/2007 <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><?xml:namespace prefix = u1 /><u1:City u2:st="on">San Francisco</st1:City></u1:City> Giants (Noah Lowry) @ <st1:City w:st="on"><u1:City u2:st="on">San Diego</st1:City></u1:City> Padres (Greg Maddux)
PLAY ON: <u1lace u2:st="on"><u1:City u2:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">SAN FRANCISCO</st1lace></st1:City></u1:City></u1lace> GIANTS (MoneyLine, +130) To Win 1 Unit <o></o>
<o></o>
Finally, a chance to voice my theory on Barry Bonds: <o></o>
<o></o>
Barry Bonds, at this point in his career, has rid himself of any honor, respect, and national approval as a result of the national steroid debacle. So, will it ever be possible for Bonds to gain back any moral honor or public respect? The immediate answer is no, but I feel there is a way for him to rectify at least a part of his marred moral character. If Bonds were to reach 754 Homeruns, one shy of Hank Aarons record, and then retire, I think it would make one of the greatest sports stories in history. He would leave the game without breaking the coveted record, but would leave no doubt in anybodies mind that he had the ability to do it. Compare it to the scene in some classic action movies where the hero has his enemy cornered and then has the respect to let him live. If Bonds were to pull this off, I certainly would acknowledge his baseball legacy, and maybe even his moral character when all is said and done. Unfortunately, it’ll never happen.<o></o>
In any case, the Giants have a game to win. Today will be the Giants’ first crack at division rival Greg Maddux. As one of the most notorious active pitchers, Greg Maddux demands the respect of all his opponents, even if his fastball tops out at 83 MPH. As Maddux has continued to age over the past few years, his skill level and ERA have taken a dive. With such low velocity, it would be hard not to. Maddux experienced his first losing season in ’05, and barely cracked the .500 mark in 2006. With a 4-year ERA of just over 4.00, we can confidently assume that Maddux is on his last leg. He has taken refuge in the pitching-friendly confines of PETCO park to close out his career, but has already shown signs of weakness. His outing against <st1:State w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on"><u1:State u2:st="on"><u1lace u2:st="on">Colorado</st1lace></st1:State></u1lace></u1:State> (a terrible road team) last week displayed a lack of control, and flat-out bad pitching. After giving up four runs early, his ERA currently sits at 6.75. While we cannot predict exactly what the remainder of the season holds for Maddux, we do know that his “stuff” rarely surpasses a rating of “average,” even on a good day. If Maddux does not locate to the best of his abililty, he should be hammered by a powerful Giants lineup.<o></o>
Noah Lowry takes the mound for the Giants today. He is a finesse lefty that I have always liked, and pitched extremely well in his first start against the Dodgers, giving up 2 runs in 7 innings. His fastball does top out between 86-88, but his location seems nearly perfect at times. He can paint the corners, and puts a ton of movement on the inside sweeper. His best claim to fame is his off-speed stuff. His curve has a drop almost comparable to Barry Zito, and he locates that extremely well. This guy, when he’s on, is straight up unhittable.<o></o>
The greatest key to our imminent success tonight is the fact that <st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on"><u1:City u2:st="on"><u1lace u2:st="on">San Diego</st1lace></st1:City></u1lace></u1:City> has the worst offense in the Majors. I have them projected to score 4.2 a game, and I think that’s a significant stretch for them at home. This team is straight up incompetent. The only bat that scares me in this lineup is Brian Giles; did I mention Giles hit .263 last season? I don’t see how this lineup is going to produce a playoff-bound team this year, and I expect the Padres to be an even greater offensive embarrassment than the Washington Nationals by the end of the season. I think I’d rather have an entire lineup of Mark Bellhorn’s than the lineup they’re currently using in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on"><u1:City u2:st="on"><u1lace u2:st="on">San Diego</st1lace></st1:City></u1lace></u1:City>.<o></o>
The Giants added some minor pieces to their offensive puzzle in Ryan Klesko and Benjie Molina last season. Despite a disappointing ’06, this lineup is far better than <st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on"><u1:City u2:st="on"><u1lace u2:st="on">San Diego</st1lace></st1:City></u1lace></u1:City>. They have some power bats in Feliz and Bonds combined with some speedsters like Vizquel and Roberts. After a breakout 6-run game last night, the Giants should be clicking on enough cylinders tonight for a blowout win. <o></o>
Lastly, I must address the value we are getting on this play. Since Maddux is such a big name, and Lowry is a virtual unknown, we are getting massive value on this +130 road dog tonight. <st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on"><u1:City u2:st="on"><u1lace u2:st="on">San Francisco</st1lace></st1:City></u1lace></u1:City> has a talent advantage in literally every category besides bullpen, and I am thrilled to get such great odds on this game.<o> </o>
Good Luck<o></o>
<o></o>
Chase<o></o>
fficeffice" /><o></o><o
></o>Glad to be back in action today. Our off-day yesterday seemed to pay off as only 3 teams won by a margin greater than 3 runs, and two of the winners were favorites with lines over -200. Today brings a plethora of good matchups that I’ve whittled down to one very strong play also offering great value in a +130 line. There is no runner-up today since this game stands out so substantially among the crowd. <o
></o>4/11/2007 <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
ffice:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><?xml:namespace prefix = u1 /><u1:City u2:st="on">San Francisco</st1:City></u1:City> Giants (Noah Lowry) @ <st1:City w:st="on"><u1:City u2:st="on">San Diego</st1:City></u1:City> Padres (Greg Maddux) PLAY ON: <u1
lace u2:st="on"><u1:City u2:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">SAN FRANCISCO</st1lace></st1:City></u1:City></u1lace> GIANTS (MoneyLine, +130) To Win 1 Unit <o></o><o
></o>Finally, a chance to voice my theory on Barry Bonds: <o
></o><o
></o>Barry Bonds, at this point in his career, has rid himself of any honor, respect, and national approval as a result of the national steroid debacle. So, will it ever be possible for Bonds to gain back any moral honor or public respect? The immediate answer is no, but I feel there is a way for him to rectify at least a part of his marred moral character. If Bonds were to reach 754 Homeruns, one shy of Hank Aarons record, and then retire, I think it would make one of the greatest sports stories in history. He would leave the game without breaking the coveted record, but would leave no doubt in anybodies mind that he had the ability to do it. Compare it to the scene in some classic action movies where the hero has his enemy cornered and then has the respect to let him live. If Bonds were to pull this off, I certainly would acknowledge his baseball legacy, and maybe even his moral character when all is said and done. Unfortunately, it’ll never happen.<o
></o>In any case, the Giants have a game to win. Today will be the Giants’ first crack at division rival Greg Maddux. As one of the most notorious active pitchers, Greg Maddux demands the respect of all his opponents, even if his fastball tops out at 83 MPH. As Maddux has continued to age over the past few years, his skill level and ERA have taken a dive. With such low velocity, it would be hard not to. Maddux experienced his first losing season in ’05, and barely cracked the .500 mark in 2006. With a 4-year ERA of just over 4.00, we can confidently assume that Maddux is on his last leg. He has taken refuge in the pitching-friendly confines of PETCO park to close out his career, but has already shown signs of weakness. His outing against <st1:State w:st="on"><st1
lace w:st="on"><u1:State u2:st="on"><u1lace u2:st="on">Colorado</st1lace></st1:State></u1lace></u1:State> (a terrible road team) last week displayed a lack of control, and flat-out bad pitching. After giving up four runs early, his ERA currently sits at 6.75. While we cannot predict exactly what the remainder of the season holds for Maddux, we do know that his “stuff” rarely surpasses a rating of “average,” even on a good day. If Maddux does not locate to the best of his abililty, he should be hammered by a powerful Giants lineup.<o></o>Noah Lowry takes the mound for the Giants today. He is a finesse lefty that I have always liked, and pitched extremely well in his first start against the Dodgers, giving up 2 runs in 7 innings. His fastball does top out between 86-88, but his location seems nearly perfect at times. He can paint the corners, and puts a ton of movement on the inside sweeper. His best claim to fame is his off-speed stuff. His curve has a drop almost comparable to Barry Zito, and he locates that extremely well. This guy, when he’s on, is straight up unhittable.<o
></o>The greatest key to our imminent success tonight is the fact that <st1:City w:st="on"><st1
lace w:st="on"><u1:City u2:st="on"><u1lace u2:st="on">San Diego</st1lace></st1:City></u1lace></u1:City> has the worst offense in the Majors. I have them projected to score 4.2 a game, and I think that’s a significant stretch for them at home. This team is straight up incompetent. The only bat that scares me in this lineup is Brian Giles; did I mention Giles hit .263 last season? I don’t see how this lineup is going to produce a playoff-bound team this year, and I expect the Padres to be an even greater offensive embarrassment than the Washington Nationals by the end of the season. I think I’d rather have an entire lineup of Mark Bellhorn’s than the lineup they’re currently using in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on"><u1:City u2:st="on"><u1lace u2:st="on">San Diego</st1lace></st1:City></u1lace></u1:City>.<o></o>The Giants added some minor pieces to their offensive puzzle in Ryan Klesko and Benjie Molina last season. Despite a disappointing ’06, this lineup is far better than <st1:City w:st="on"><st1
lace w:st="on"><u1:City u2:st="on"><u1lace u2:st="on">San Diego</st1lace></st1:City></u1lace></u1:City>. They have some power bats in Feliz and Bonds combined with some speedsters like Vizquel and Roberts. After a breakout 6-run game last night, the Giants should be clicking on enough cylinders tonight for a blowout win. <o></o>Lastly, I must address the value we are getting on this play. Since Maddux is such a big name, and Lowry is a virtual unknown, we are getting massive value on this +130 road dog tonight. <st1:City w:st="on"><st1
lace w:st="on"><u1:City u2:st="on"><u1lace u2:st="on">San Francisco</st1lace></st1:City></u1lace></u1:City> has a talent advantage in literally every category besides bullpen, and I am thrilled to get such great odds on this game.<o> </o>Good Luck<o
></o><o
></o>Chase<o
></o>
