ALL: Weekend of Wagering Possibilities

For those that like to do a little wagering from time to time, this weekend is probably your best chance, since the schedule to start next week will be extremely light with the 2009 All-Star the showcase. A number entertaining series are on tap, starting

2009-07-10

For those that like to do a little wagering from time to time, this weekend is probably your best chance, since the schedule to start next week will be extremely light with the 2009 All-Star the showcase. A number entertaining series are on tap, starting with a delectable menu of baseball wagering.

In Milwaukee, baseball’s best team, the Dodgers, will try and continue their winning ways against the Brewers. Los Angeles arrived in Brew-Town 24-12 after two or more consecutive road games and will pitch spot starter and utility reliever Jeff Weaver on Saturday. He will face Michael Burns, who allowed seven runs in 4 2/3 innings, starting for disabled Dave Bush. To finish the series, Milwaukee ace Yovani Gallardo (8-6, 2.95) will take on Dodger youngster Clayton Kershaw (6-5, 3.27). The Brewers began the series only 23-20 at Miller Park after several seasons of success at home.

The Yankees always garner lots of attention and they made the cross-country journey to take on the Angels. New York arrived in Anaheim on a major roll, winning 13 of last 15 and had won nine in a row on the road for the first time in 11 years. Andy Pettitte (8-4, 4.53) will try to keep the Bronx Bomber express in gear and is 4-1 with 2.79 ERA on the road. He’ll be matched against the best Angels pitcher this season, Jered Weaver (9-3, 3.15). The Halos and Weaver are 7-2 this season when he pitches at the Big A in what will be a Fox afternoon affair. The final game of the series has what looks like a solid pitching matchup with C.C. Sabathia (8-5, 3.70) taking on John Lackey (3-4, 5.18). The Angels have won seven of last nine at home against the Yankees.

It’s hard to beat the propinquity between the Cardinals and Cubs. St. Louis has seized first place in the NL Central, while the Cubs continue to flounder. These teams will meet three times on Saturday and Sunday. They start with Fox afternoon conflict Saturday, a makeup game at noon local time Sunday, later followed by ESPN Sunday night matchup to close out the unofficial first half of the baseball season. Plenty of foaming beverages will be poured around Wrigley Field with all this excitement and sports bettors will have chance to cash in.

Also in Chicago area is the NASCAR Lifelock.com 400. This will be the 9th annual race at the 1.5 mile tri-oval in Joliet, IL. Many wondered how Tony Stewart would juggle his new role as owner/driver and thus far he’s relished the challenge. Stewart, the points leader, is the odds-on favorite to conquer the Chicagland Speedway for a third time. Stewart is off controversial (at least in Kyle Busch’s eyes) win at Daytona and has 14 top-10 finishes in 18 races, with 10 top-5 finishes, which leads all drivers in both categories.

Kevin Harvick is also a two-time champion at Joliet and is going to need a monster second half. He’s currently 26th in points and would miss The Chase for the first time in four years. This would be great place to turn his year around. Steve Makinen of StatFox.com uncovered these racing nuggets. “… there have been an average of 8.5 caution flags per race here since the first one in 2001, an average of 7.4 cars per race don’t even finish, both very high figures for a 400-mile race. One of the aspects that presents further unfamiliarity is that this will be just the second time that the race will be run on Saturday night rather than Sunday afternoon.” Start your engines!

The Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas will host the historic UCF100. The featured bout has former professional and national collegiate wrestler Brock Lesner and Frank Mir battling for the undisputed heavyweight title. This is your classic size and speed against technique and experience matchup. Lesner is a -240 favorite at Bookmaker.com and a victory sets up another rematch, with each posting a win.

Welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre defends his UFC belt against Thiago Alves. St. Pierre is a well-known strategist inside the octagon. St. Pierre is a -310 money line favorite and must be cautious against Alves’ quick strike attack. This is as good as it gets in the welterweight division and this should be special.

Don’t forget about the ladies, with six WNBA games to choose from. In addition, two unbeaten CFL teams, Saskatchewan and Toronto (-3, 51.5) will do battle Saturday.

Be sure to pick your spots and enjoy your wagering weekend.