OC DOOLEY
3* Royals/Mariners Over
2* Astros/Brewers Over
ANTHONY REDD
60 Dime Cincinnati Bengals -2.5
BOB BALFE
Cincinnati Bengals -2.5
Football is back! Before I get to the pick, please note that all preseason plays should be 1/3 of your average wager. There will be a lot of guys who will be pumping gas next week that will see a lot of action in this game.
I think this will be a big year for both the Cowboys and the Bengals. Dallas is stacked on offense and the Bengals are moving in the right direction towards significantly improving their defense. Don't expect to see a lot of starters in tonight's game, however. Both teams should play a full series and then give way to the 2nd and 3rd stringers. The Bengals only have a 3 man QB rotation, which is helpful to allow a backup to get into a flow, that should help settle him down. Dallas, on the other hand, might play all five QB's on their roster.
Two strikes against Dallas in this game is their new field goal kicker, who has yet to prove himself in the league, and their lack of depth in their return game on special teams. At least one of those areas could be the difference in tonight's game. Cincinnati is placing a lot of focus on defense which is more important for teams trying to win preseason games. Dallas has a few injuries on offense and will want to be careful. Look for the Cowboys to play a lot of young guys tonight. It seems to me like the Bengals will be trying a little bit harder to produce a win for whatever that is worth in the preseason. Again, most coaches just want to keep their players healthy, especially when they have five preseason games. Take the Bengals -2.5.
Oakland Athletics -115
The A's got a big win last night and I expect the same tonight with Trevor Cahill on the mound. Cahill is having a great season and, at home, has pitched nearly perfect this year. In his last 24 innings, Cahill has only allowed 3 earned runs. Look for Oakland to win in a low-scoring game. Take the A's.
Jimmy Boyd
3* Hall of Fame Game SMASH - Bengals -2.5
I like the Bengals playing in their home state tonight with a whole bunch of former Cowboys taking this one personally. Dallas has proven that it doesn't take the first two weeks of the preseason seriously. In fact, the Cowboys are just 5-20 ATS in the first two weeks of the preseason since 1993, losing these games by an average score of 13.4 to 19.8. Cincy has taken the preseason much more seriously, going 12-7-1 ATS in the preseason since 2006, including 3-1 in their openers. Plus, favorites are 2-1-1 in the last 4 Hall of Fame Games. Take the Bengals.
Nick "BookieKiller" Parsons
10* NY YANKEES
For a number of different reasons I believe the value in this contest is on the home side:
Josh Beckett heads to the hill for the visitors; Beckett has been sharp since his return from injury and there aren't many negative things you can say about him; however he always has a tough time against Yanks.
He's 0-2 with a 9.93 ERA while giving up nine home runs over 22 2/3's innings over his last four starts vs. New York
Also keep in mind that Boston is 2-9 its last 11 when playing on the road vs. the Yanks; also just 21-22 (-5.3 units) against division opponents.
In the other dugout: AJ Burnett gets the call for the home side; Burnett struggled in his last outing vs. the Jays on Monday night; previous to that he was 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA.
He's had difficulties vs. the Red Sox, however keep in mind that the Yanks are 47-26 (+6.3 units) vs. right-handed starters; 26-17 (+2.2 units) against division opponents.
Bottom line: The Yanks are coming off a 5-2 win yesterday and have won 15 of the last 20 meetings vs. Boston.
I'm expecting Burnett to bounce back here and do just enough to outduel his counterpart; when taking all of the above information into account; 10* "PUNI$HER" on the NEW YORK YANKEES!
Tony George
Bengals -3
Going to play the home state team here with basically more to prove in this game, and that usually is the case and factor for the team that wins this game. Both team lost their playoff games last year but Head Coach Lewis wants to erase the memory of back to back losses to the Jets to end the season in 2009. That being said Cincy is deeper past the first team. Dallas to give offensive players 8-10 plays according to coaches for them, Cincy not much more but enough. The QB rotation is even in terms of talent, right up to the starters. If anything the offensive line for the Bengals is good and deep. I could care less if Cowboy Emmit Smith was inducted, that bears no meaning on the game, I am laying the 3 here on Cincy.
Marc Lawrence
Boston +120
When the Red Sox meet the Yankees in Game Three of this four-game series in New York tonight they will do so knowing Josh Beckett has cashed in seven of 10 career starts in the Bronx. He is also 4-0 with a 2.84 ERA in his last four team starts and 5-1 in his last six road team starts.. With Beckett rounding back into solid KW form with four walks and 18 strikeouts in his last three starts, and Burnett in struggling form and 0-4 in his last four team starts during August, look for the Yankees to drop to 3-9 in Burnett's last 12 team starts here tonight. Back the better arm here this evening. We recommend a 3-unit play on Boston.
Evan Altemus
3 Units Bengals / Cowboys Under 32.5
The biggest key to the NFL preseason is to put yourself in a position to win. So because of that let’s take a look at what will put you in the best position to win a bet in this game. This is the first preseason game and is a week earlier than the first full week of games. Teams haven’t been in camp very long, which means that the defenses are well ahead of the offenses. Even reports from both camps have stated the same thing. Last year’s Hall of the Fame went over the total by one touchdown, but that’s because Tennessee head coach Jeff Fisher was very aggressive with his play calling, including a fake punt in the 1st half. However, both head coaches in this game have historically not cared about the preseason. By caring less about these exhibition games, that means that back-ups get in the game sooner and less aggressive play calling. Some sharp money liked Cincinnati when the line first came out which took Dallas from a favorite to a 2.5/3 point underdog. However, my worry would be that owner Jerry Jones puts more pressure on Wade Phillips because of the game being featured and Emmitt Smith being inducted into the Hall of Fame. I think there is value in Dallas, but their 3rd and 4th string quarterbacks are likely to get extended playing time, which will significantly affect the offenses ability to score. That is because there is a significant drop off from Jon Kitna to the other back-ups. In addition, Cincinnati doesn’t have quality back-ups either with Jordan Palmer likely to get a majority of the snaps. Look for this game to fall under the total.
Ben Burns
9* Bengals / Cowboys Under