Category: BetFTW

The White Sox are so locked in that they can even overcome rough starts from Dallas Keuchel

Watch out, baseball: The Southsiders have found their groove.

It wasn’t long ago — about a few weeks, to be precise — that the White Sox looked dead in the water. After losing 10 of 12 games in late April (including three straight series to three separate teams): One of the preseason favorites Sox looked more like preseason pretenders.

Ah, but it’s a long year, Dear Reader. That means there’s always time to correct the course.

Since taking a finale against the Angels at home, the White Sox have been on a tear. They went into Wrigley and dispatched the rebuilding Cubs with relative ease. Then, in an early-season test of mettle — despite the Red Sox’s (-140 favorites on Sunday) fellow struggles — the White Sox marched through Fenway for a resounding sweep.

Now, it’s six straight victories for a squad many picked to be playing deep in October. And, perhaps more importantly, they’ve now finished up only the seventh five-game (or more) unbeaten road trip in franchise history. Whoa.

I’m not going to say it’s unbelievable because teams go through so many ups and downs over a six-month, 162-game campaign. Still, it is striking how quickly the White Sox clicked themselves back into rhythm.

They didn’t tear apart the Cubs or Red Sox. But they didn’t have to. They needed more wins on the board and a mix of clutch playmaking. The sort of clutch playmaking that had many folks thinking of them as a squad more than worthy of being a late October/early November team.

In all honesty, the White Sox have been so good over the past week that they could even win a Dallas Keuchel start! Yes, seriously. No disrespect to Keuchel — who’s had a heck of a career — but he’s definitely seen better days. If Chicago can steal wins from games he starts, that might be the preeminent indicator of smooth sailing.

The White Sox have been so good it’s easy to forget they still won’t have some core pieces for a little while. Lance Lynn and Eloy Jimenez — two integral players for any deep run at a World Series — continue to nurse respective injuries.

But with Luis Robert and Dylan Cease at the forefront, suddenly Chicago resembles the heavyweight everyone thought they’d be.

Oh, and they’re about to get back their third baseman — the solid Yoan Moncada:

I don’t know whether the White Sox will live up to their lofty World Series expectations for sure. But the degree to which their season flipped on a whim is another excellent reminder that an MLB season is a marathon, not a sprint.

Pace yourself, and don’t panic.

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).

[mm-video type=video id=01g2abyj80spg5b679sn playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g2abyj80spg5b679sn/01g2abyj80spg5b679sn-60694a09c8e5adab11a66ce757314fe1.jpg]

[listicle id=1890321]

Jason Kidd throws shade at Chris Paul about ‘being taught’ how to draw fouls

Kidd really wants this series to get spicy.

After the first two games of their second-round series, it looked like the Suns would roll the Mavericks off the floor. Phoenix exposed everything wrong with Dallas, and it seemed a sweep was inevitable.

Two games and a half-week later, and we have a tie series at two games apiece. Go figure.

Sunday saw Dallas (who were +3 underdogs) in cruise control at home. Aside from an early Suns flurry, Luka Doncic and Co. never let up in a convincing 103-94 win. In the post-game, Jason Kidd had some interesting comments when breaking down the Mavs’ approach in the clutch.

The coach took a shot, again, at Chris Paul:

It’s worth noting that this is mostly unprompted aside from on-court play. Paul hasn’t directly addressed anything Kidd has said (other matters not withstanding). Yet, here Kidd is, saying his squad is benefitting from the same sorts of underhanded play that Paul usually enjoys!

Talk about leaving no room for the imagination.

Kidd’s shot at Paul after Game 4 is right in line with his shot at Paul after Game 3: He wished the Taurus (learning new things!) point guard well on his May 6th birthday following another win.

I don’t know what Kidd will say to Paul if the Mavericks eliminate the Suns, but color me intrigued. What’s next: He says Isaiah Thomas was better? The suspense is terrible. I hope it will last.

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).

[mm-video type=video id=01g2cr1wasq669t532y8 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g2cr1wasq669t532y8/01g2cr1wasq669t532y8-5d5fa87b90546d634beb30c31b85e96b.jpg]

[listicle id=1890330]

Ja Morant sank a ridiculous half court shot vs. the Warriors and the NBA world was mystified

Everything looks so easy for Morant.

The Warriors and Grizzlies are combining for some excellent basketball to start their second-round series. In a way, despite playing against each other, they’ve joined forces.

One of the brighter spots has been how Ja Morant has played — he’s probably been the coolest part of the series thus far. Morant was essentially unstoppable with 47 points in a thriller Game 2 win.

Morant had another incredible moment for Memphis (who entered as +6.5 underdogs) with the two teams taking their matchup to the Bay Area on Saturday night.

At the end of the first half, the Warriors took a breath with a 10-point lead. It was then that Morant took the opening and drained a half-court shot like it was nothing.

We are truly watching a young star wow us in a new way every night.

Whatever happens to the Grizzlies through the rest of this series — who wound up losing Game 3 to the Warriors 142-112 — they’ll never seem out of it. As long as they have Morant striking at every opportunity, you can’t count them out.

And you just know whatever he has up his sleeve, it’s always coming.

Morant’s half-court shot had the NBA world in awe:

Before winning the Kentucky Derby, Rich Strike’s trainer lost two dozen horses in a 2016 barn fire

What an unfathomable tragedy to come back from.

After winning the 148th Kentucky Derby, Rich Strike’s trainer Eric Reed should understandably feel like he’s standing on Cloud Nine. When you make history and floor the entire horse racing and betting sphere in the process, the world is your oyster.

But with great glory comes a degree of adversity and, in this case, a terrible tragedy.

Before Rich Strike kicked it into gear in unprecedented fashion down the stretch on Saturday, Reed once had to salvage the impossible from the ground up. As impressive as his horse’s run was, this is about the horror he endured before capturing horse racing’s most prestigious title:

In late 2016, on his farm in Lexington, a massive barn fire claimed the lives of 24 horses under his care.

More from WKYT News:

“The owner of the training center, Eric Reed says they rescued as many as they could before the flames took over.

‘My other guys were helping and the horses would run back in naturally and we would have to take them back out. The barn started collapsing and we just had to call it off,’ Reed said.

Reed says there were 36 horses inside the barn at the time, but only close to a dozen made it out alive.”

Oh my goodness. I can’t even comprehend the courage that compels you to run back toward danger after escaping to safety. It’s simply unfathomable. I wouldn’t have blamed Reed if he gave up on training then and there for pure trauma’s sake.

A half-decade later, he and Rich Strike are co-owners of the famed rose garland. What a remarkable twist of fate after so much heartache.

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).

[mm-video type=video id=01g2d7g8618qee3qjnak playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g2d7g8618qee3qjnak/01g2d7g8618qee3qjnak-d06ae6def52e469237a8d256744e4041.jpg]

[listicle id=1890079]

Dallas Wings star Isabelle Harrison rocked an iconic Michael Jordan outfit days after signing with his brand

Isabelle Harrison is loving being a Jordan Brand Athlete.

Dallas Wings forward Isabelle Harrison inked a deal this past week to become a Jordan Brand Athlete. And as a part of the official announcement of her signing, Harrison debuted a new colorway of the Air Jordan 1. The shoe is nicknamed the “Starfish.”

But the swag certainly didn’t end there.

Harrison made another one of her fashion statements ahead of the Wings’ season opener on Saturday night against the Atlanta Dream, pulling up to the arena in a custom Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls jersey fashioned into a dress.

Here’s the look:

And here’s the announcement with the debut of the sneaker:

I think we have an idea of her excitement level of being a Jordan Brand Athlete.

[mm-video type=video id=01g2gf30vrn4jgzm4452 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g2gf30vrn4jgzm4452/01g2gf30vrn4jgzm4452-8eac784b2c64eb77f0b7d286c9fcad56.jpg]

[listicle id=1890164]

Rich Strike’s stunner and 4 other horses with the longest odds to win the Kentucky Derby

Wait, they won by HOW many lengths?

With a thundering run, Rich Strike is the 148th winner of the Kentucky Derby. It’s an absolute stunner of an outcome, to be sure. Considering that the horse had 80-1 odds to win coming in — the second-longest in the Derby’s record — we have almost never seen a more unexpected result in the race’s illustrious history.

That got me thinking. As Rich Strike capped off the incredible upset, what other champion thoroughbreds pulled off the seemingly impossible at Churchill Downs?

From an early 20th-century enterprising underdog to a well-timed controversy rewarding a more modern champion, here are four of the other noteworthy longshots to win the Kentucky Derby.

Let’s just say Rich Strike has joined some exclusive, esteemed company.

2022 Kentucky Derby: Here’s how much you would’ve made with a $1 superfecta

That’s a lot of Benjamins…

“The most exciting two minutes in sports” certainly lived up to its name on Saturday, as longshot Rich Strike captured the 148th Kentucky Derby with an incredible push at the end.

Rich Strike entered the Derby with the worst odds in the group at 80-1, but came away victorious in what was one of the biggest upsets in the history of the race. Only Donerail (91.5-1) in 1913 won with lower odds entering the event.

Anyone who had the foresight to place a bet on Rich Strike to win has certainly struck rich, but what if you were brilliant (insane?) enough to correctly place a $1 superfecta bet?

To win a superfecta bet, one must correctly predict not just the winner of the Derby, but also the second, third and fourth place finishers. This year, that was Epicenter (4-1), Zandon (6-1) and Simplification (35-1), respectively.

Getting all of those right, which would have been a truly unbelievable feat, would have netted a rightfully unbelievable payout. With just a $1 bet, you would win $321,500.10.

Sheesh.

Given Rich Strike’s unlikely odds to win, it seems fair to assume that there were very few (if any) people who won this superfecta bet. But at the same time, if someone did make that bet, they likely put more than $1 up.

Bottom line: Someone may have had a really good day on Saturday—aside from Rich Strike’s team.

[listicle id=1890079]

[vertical-gallery id=1890064]

Mattress Mack lost $1.5 million on Kentucky Derby as Epicenter takes second

Poor Mattress Mack.

Is it actually a big sporting event if Mattress Mack isn’t betting on it? Lucky for the Kentucky Derby, its status as a big-time event is validated now that the famous sports bettor placed money on the big race.

How much money?

Mattress Mack didn’t bet all of the $4 million he had previously suggested he might, and it’s a good thing he didn’t.

Instead, Mattress Mack ended up placing a $1.5 million bet on Epicenter to win the race. Epicenter actually did well, finishing in second place at the 148th Kentucky Derby. But that’s not how Mattress Mack was going to make money.

It turns out that he should have instead put his money on Rich Strike, who won with the race’s longest odds (80-1) after being entered into the Kentucky Derby Friday, following a late scratch.

Imagine $1.5 million on 80-1 odds. Go ahead and do the math.

Add this to the long list of Mattress Mack lost bets.

[mm-video type=video id=01g2gapgt5n7rvamtthp playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g2gapgt5n7rvamtthp/01g2gapgt5n7rvamtthp-87c17d47e01ed2f51add7cfad1167f64.jpg]

[listicle id=1889369]

Giannis Antetokounmpo broke out the shimmy as the Bucks danced all over the Celtics

Shake your groove thing, Giannis!

Thus far in their official title defense, the Bucks have passed every test.

After warming up with the Bulls, Milwaukee and the humble Giannis Antetokounmpo turned their attention to the upstart Celtics. It’d be dicey, but even without the services of Khris Middleton, Milwaukee seemed ready for the challenge.

Entering Game 3, in the Bucks’ (-2.5 favorites coming in) raucous home digs, the defending champs seemed beyond loose and relaxed. Why, it’s almost as if they wanted to dance after they took what feels like a commanding 2-1 series lead over Jayton Tatum and Co.

Oh, actually, that’s precisely what Antetokounmpo did while the Bucks continued to hum along — He danced for the camera:

I guess that’s how you shake it when you casually drop 42 points, 12 boards, and eight assists in a playoff game. The Greek superstar is a natural on the dance floor, and the court.

Boston made a late run to make it interesting, but it was too little too late in an eventual groovy 103-101 Bucks win.

NBA fans were similarly entranced by Antetokounmpo’s slick moves:

Kentucky Derby 2022: Rich Strike pulls off an epic victory, 80-1 longshot wins 148th Derby

The 148th Kentucky Derby belongs to Rich Strike

Rich Strike has shocked the horse racing world and won the 148th Kentucky Derby, earning the first Derby victory for trainer Eric R. Reed.

Guided by jockey Sonny Leon, Rich Strike held the longest odds in the field at 80-1 after entering the race following a late scratch by Ethereal Road. While Zandon and Epicenter battled stride for stride down the stretch, Rich Strike seemingly burst out of nowhere to take the win at the last moment.

He claimed the Run for the Roses in 2:02.61. The odds-on favorite, Epicenter (4-1), placed second.

Take a look at the epic finish for yourself:

Race Results

  1. Rich Strike ($163.60, $74.20, $29.40)
  2. Epicenter (N/A, $7.40, $5.20)
  3. Zandon (N/A, N/A, $5.60)

(Based on $2 bet)

$2.00 Exacta: $4,101.20

$1.00 Trifecta: $14,870.70

$1.00 Superfecta: $321,500.10

Purse Payouts

  1.  $1.86 million
  2. $600,000
  3. $300,000
  4. $150,000
  5. $90,000

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).

[listicle id=1890079]

[listicle id=1889934]