Friday Night

No time for long-winded explanations tonight (a cold beer awaits somewhere). Got suckered into that Arizona play. That 2-out hit by the Cubs pitcher was an unexpected knife to the gut. The picks (all lines from Matchbook):

MLB

Pirates -103, 1.03 units to win 1 unit

A rare favorite. Really good spot for the Pirates here. They get to hit against an overrated lefty with their best pitcher on the mound at home. It's worth the tiny amount of juice.

Red Sox -114, 1.14 units to win 1 unit

Another favorite? We must be coming down with something. Another spot where we might be getting tricked by the line, but to us, it looks like we're getting the better pitcher with the team that hits much better than the other. We'll take on chance on looking square again.

Oakland/Texas Under 9.5 +114, 1 unit to win 1.14 units

We hardly ever play totals, probably because it feels like there's more math involved and math frightens us (like technology frightens Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer). Here, we think we're getting a good number in a spot where the lineups are going to have trouble putting runs up on the board.

NBA

Jazz -5 -104, 0.52 units to win 0.50 units

Lost both NBA picks last night (although the Spurs covered in the end, just not the first half). Should have just played those for half a unit also, but had a brain fart at the last second and went for the full unit. Jazz would have covered both of the first 2 games if the free throw discrepancy hadn't been so ridiculous. In Salt Lake City, we're hoping the Lakers don't get such preferential treatment. Like the Spurs last night, Jazz take the must-win Game 3 tonight.