By Chewy And Lewy
Hello, sports fans! Well another week has passed and all that’s happened is Rogers got a $200m contract, Russell Wilson is going to the Broncos, and the miracle of miracles, I cashed a 6 team parlay ticket on hockey overs. Am I the only one that’s seen nothing but overs this year in hockey? Lewy and I have looked at them but we can’t really explain the phenomenon. We do know a few years back the league cut the size of the goalie pads down and this did lead to the expected outcome of more goals, though we have not seen any such announcement this year. So what’s leading to the scoring? We think of a few factors that aren’t readily quantifiable. One, as players’ safety becomes more of a priority, big hits are becoming less frequent. Think in terms of how the NFL is protecting their QBs. This has allowed smaller, faster QBs like Kyler Murray to flourish. Knowing you aren’t going to get de-cleated by a 280 lb linebacker when you are scrambling for your life lends itself to positive offensive outcomes. Likewise, we are seeing super fast and talented NHL forwards score more as crushing hits in the middle of the ice become less frequent. Second, there has been a real push by defensive players to become more offensive-minded when appropriate. And third, the cross-checking and interference fouls are being called more rapidly than ever before in our estimation, which is allowing offensive players to park themselves in the crease, leading to more scoring. Regardless of whether any of these observations are actual factors, what is undeniable are overs hitting at a very high rate. We are going to keep an eye on this now and during the playoff season to see if there are any real lean we all can take advantage of to get some dubs. Lewy also has a theory on first period plays that we will be watching and he will write about next week Stay tuned.
It’s hard to be jolly when the market is taking a dump, oil is ripping through $100 and a bunch of nuclear powers are engaged in a game of chicken using an entire country as their proverbial single-lane road. However, as always we can take solace in sport. Thankfully March Madness is about to kick-off and the NHL playoffs are right around the corner. Anyone remember the Miracle on Ice? Literally, the best thing that happened during the Carter administration, rejuvenating hope across our great country. Too young for some of you? Well, imagine this in today’s terms. The USA defeating the Russians (excuse me, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) would be the skill equivalent of the 2017 UNC Tar Heels beating the Golden State Warriors (not that the Warriors are bad guys!). It was a pinnacle moment in USA Olympic history, where our amateurs beat a world champion, pro all-star team. It was David versus Goliath, the Rebels versus the Empire, Frankie Munoz versus Lewy. It was for all Americans, the ultimate testament that good will overcome evil. Is it ironic or just f*ucking sad that we find ourselves practically back in the same situation as we were 40 odd years ago? A looming energy crisis, inflation fears, and a growling Russian bear trying to influence a buffer state. Ukraine may prove to be our 1980s Iran. Man, we sure could use a modern-day Miracle on Ice.
So let’s make some wagers and win some money off those feckless bookies! We all know they are the bettors’ Darth Vader. For this Saturday’s slate, we’ve got three picks for you. Take these three money line plays: Nashville, Calgary and New Jersey. You can see our reasoning behind these picks here. We recommend a small parlay bet as well (like half a unit) on all three and never ever forget the Costanza for a quarter unit. Good luck and let’s get some W’s.
Last week’s results: Single game picks 2-1, parlay picks 0-2. Running dollar total assuming $100 bet on single games, $50 on a positive parlay, and $25 on the Costanza = -$20. STL -$145, BOS +$100, NASH +$100, parlay -$50, Costanza -$25
Our overall record can be seen here.
