Cashing In

Your "Bad Beat" for Friday is on:

Reds (minus 115, first 5 innings) at Cleveland.

A consolation prize to any Yankee run-line backers as the Bombers led 2-0 with two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the 9th at Citi Field only to be backdoored thanks to a pair of doubles off of the great Mariano Rivera in the 2-1 Yankee victory.

The beat of the day goes to the Reds who owned the 4-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning. Cleveland had a man on second base with two outs so any Cincinnati first five backers were basically counting their cash. After all this Indian team really can't hit a lick and were showing it through the first 4.2 innings.

But then...

Trevor Crowe doubled plating a run and then on the very next pitch Shin Soo Choo belted his second home run of the game and all of a sudden this thing was tied at 4 and that's how the first 5 would end.

An absolute easy victory turned into a sister kissing tie, Wow!



Your winners for Saturday are on:

3* Magic (plus 3 1/2) at Boston.

2* Mets (plus 150) vs. New York.

A 3* winner on the Astros plus about 160 and a 3* underdog loser on the Angels leads to another winning day on Friday.

I liked the Celtics in the first few games of the series and it worked out well. But I am switching sides here, despite the boys from Boston looking like the better team, because this is it for Orlando. A loss and down 0-3 means it's over. Therefore the Magic are going to lay it all on the line and will prove that they are still the same team that just won 14 straight games, including 8 straight in the playoffs, before the first game of this series.

Doc's boys are confident and flying around and overall right now great. But Dwight Howard is still a beast in the paint and there are other pieces there with Nelson, Carter, Pietrus, Reddick, Lewis and so on.

No matter how good the Big three along with a great Rondo have been looking the Magic are still a great team and one that should win this game. Orlando hasn't just forgotten how to play the game. Yes they played back-to-back clunkers and are in a hole right now but I do believe this team is alright and will grab this game.

Back a champion against a wall and they usually will scratch and claw their way out of it. I do believe that Stan Van Gundy's team is a champion and therefore will respond with a vengeance.



Phil Hughes has been great and is legit. The kid can be dominant but so can Mike Pelfrey who has been phenomenal this season and looks to finally becoming the hurler that Mets' fans hoped.

I expect both pitchers to control this game and do their thing. To get money at home like this though is too good to pass up. The Yankees are a banged up club and have guys in their lineup that are not typical Yankees. The Cervelli's of the world and Russo's of the world and Winn's of the world do not scare me at all. Obviously Arod, Tex and Jeter are awesome but with the pitcher hitting and the plethora of injuries Joe Girardi's team is a little hamstrung today.

Wright, Reyes, Bay and the Mets at home with a quality pitcher plus this money is more than enough to give it a go.