The Ultimate House Pet.......

After a brief hiatus, yours truly is back to doing what I do best: releasing winners. Not since confetti filled the streets during last years Puerto Rican Day parade, has there been such "passion" on display. This March Madness has far exceeded even my lofty expectations (both on and off the court).

After seeing the line- Duke laying 5 against Baylor my head spun. Not only has Baylor been more impressive but they are the type of athletic squad that gives Duke fits. That being said, the line stinks for a reason. Vegas isn't stupid but this line has more to do with Duke being the college basketball equivalent of the Dallas Cowboys. The public loves to bet the Dukies and today will be no different. Today's release is Baylor +5 over Duke and the total- Under 139. These are two excellent defensive teams who should keep each other in check throughout the game.

In an effort to polish up his act, local celebrity and man of the people Marxy has taken a step in the right direction. After a woman threatened to leave his posh apartment due to "years worth of newspapers, cases of wine,etc." lining his view filled abode, Marxy stepped up the clean up effort. Despite the place still looking like a Spring Break hotel room, at least there has been some "change you can believe in". Furthermore, after contemplating his next big move, Marxy opted for a parrot. While any dope can get a dog, Marxy's thinking is a parrot shows the more refined, exotic side and should help him further his cause with the ladies of NYC.

Dominance..........

After an impressive 3-0 performance on Saturday I decided to rest on my laurels and take a break. However, by 8pm Sunday night I felt the itch and took a shot with the Hawks -2 over the Spurs for the first half. With the Hawks trailing by ten with five minutes in the half I chalked this one up as a loss. Upon switching back to the game I saw the score tied at 51-51 with 3.5 seconds left and the Spurs to inbound. Out of nowhere, the Hawks (Williams) steals the pass and drains a shot at the buzzer. The best push in recent memory. As a result I took the Hawks in the second half -1.5 and crushed it with a lucky overtime win.

In an effort to continue my gaming excellence, I am releasing Charleston +12.5 over VCU tonight. In the NBA I am releasing an "opinion play" on the Oklahoma Thunder - 5 over the Spurs. I hate laying this type of wood with a young team against a gritty, veteran Spurs squad. However, after a brutal overtime loss against the Hawks last night, I expect a lackluster performance from San antonio.

Round Two.......

Dog day Saturday? After several upsets during the opening round of the tournament, I do npot expect this trend to continue. With a wide open tournament field, today's games should be closely contested.

Tennessee -8.5 over Ohio. Despite an impressive victory over Georgetown the other night, Ohio has been a subpar team all season. While Tennessee is more than capable of laying an egg, I would expect a spirited effort out of the Volunteers today.

Murray State + 4 over Butler. After getting stung by Murray State on Thursday against Vanderbilt, I will take the points in this game, expecting a nail biter.

Baylor -4.5 over Old Dominion. This pick scares me with roughly 75% of the gaming public on Baylor. However, Baylor is the superior team and should provide a difficult matchup for Old Dominion.

Commodores......

Take Vanderbilt -3 over Murray State. In an effort to find sleeper teams, people have gone overboard. While Murray State has worn the cinderella shoe several times, they will not sneak up on Vanderbilt. Despite tailing off towards season end, Vandy has played some very good ball this year and are an excellent shooting team. In addition, Vandy has been here before and will not shrink on the big stage. The fact that most people are picking the Commodores to bow out early makes me like this pick even more.

I would like to thank every drunken idiot who throw up outside my apartment building last night. Nothing says "Welcome home" like a pile of puke and a bunch of idiots cheering at the top of their lungs for absolutely no reason. Well done guys!

Sorry

Villanova fans but I am kicking off March Madness by picking the Wildcats -17.5 over Robert Morris. For anyone not familiar with the prestigious Robert Morris, this is not a trade school. Questions have been coming in as to whether Robert Morris is a cosmetology or truck driving school. It is neither. Robert Morris upset Quinnipiac in their conference tournament and now have the pleasure of playing Villanova in todays opening round game.

While I usually steer clear of such prohibitive favorites in the first round, I cannot help but jump on an angry Villanova team. Under the leadership of Scottie Reynolds (feels like he's been in college almost as long as Lawrence Moten was at Syracuse), the Cats have scored in droves. Despite hitting a wall against tough competition at the end of the year, Villanova blew out lessor foes all season and should be well rested for this contest. Furthermore, it has been my experience that teams who come out of nowhere to win their conference tournaments, as Robert Morris did, are often just happy to be a part of March Madness. Villanova wins this one going away...lay the points and take the Wildcats.

Congratulations to the Seton Hall basketball program and everyone who played a part in making this year so special. Ordinarily a player who punches their opponent twice in the groin gets singled out as "the bad seed". However, compared to the behavior of another teammate who faces armed robbery and kidnapping charges, I would say the aforementioned player is one of the few bright spots for this program. Unfortunately the great enabler, coach Bobby Gonzalez got fired. According to sources close to the school, Gonzalez got the ax because his teams were not winning. In fact, under Gonzalez Seton Hall has not made the NCAA tournament. Just imagine if Seton Hall was good and in the midst of making a big run. Maybe the armed robbery/kidnapping charges could be put on hold until after the tournament ended.

Dream......

In an effort to out trump Tiger Wood's, Dream is coming out with a big release following a four week hiatus. Without further adieu, Dream is taking the Rangers -150 over the Canadiens. This is a very strange matchup. As Dream points out, the Canadiens own the Rangers in Montreal however the Rangers manage to hold court at MSG. Furthermore, most of the Rangers losses against the Canadiens are on Saturday nights. This is the type of insight that Dream provides.

The following is an important public service announcement. Starting Thursday morning, Propick Sports will be releasing our NCAA Tournament Winners. While many hucksters tout their releases/packages as can't miss winners, Propick refuses to stoop to their level. With a lifetime tourney record in the neighborhood of 67%, Propick doesn't have to engage in self-promotion.

APB Alert..........

Tonight's highly anticipated play in game features two of the most obscure college basketball programs in the country. While common sense suggests playing this game is a major act of stupidity, I embrace stupid as much as the next guy. Furthermore, with March Madness upon us, avoiding even the most trivial games is a sign of weakness. Besides, no one likes a quitter.

With seventy-three percent of the gaming public backing Withrop tonight, it only makes sense to take the other side. In full disclosure, I have not seen either Winthrop or Arkansas-Pine Bluff play, nor could I name a single player, coach, student,etc. at either school. That being said, with the pressure on both schools to make it into the "big dance", expect a low scoring contest and take the 3.5 points with Arkanas-Pine Bluff. APB has all five starters back from last year and has played against top competition this year in the form of Kansas State and Mizzouri. Despite losing both games, APB put up points at will against these guys and should benefit from having scheduled tough opponents.

Tonights play.......Arkansas-Pine Bluff +3.5 over the Golden Eagles of Winthrop.

WVU Line is now down to 2.......

Locked it in.......

Stay Classy West Virginia.......

I issued a stern warning months ago that West Virginia would be a Final Four team if for no other reason than the presence of their style cat head coach. While the Mountaineers have some talent, specifically in their floor leader Da'Sean Butler, the real draw in Morgantown is their head coach. Just when you thought the mock turtleneck look might be getting just a little bit stale, Robert "Huggy Bear" Huggins decided to step his game up a few notches, in the form of a velour WVU tracksuit. Some may consider Huggy's devil be damned attitude as somewhat defiant, however most of us realize its just H Bear's way of saying- I can look cool in anything I choose to wear. Without knowing the man, I would venture to guess that throughout the years, Huggy's flippant attitude has landed him quite a few notches on the old bedpost but I digress.

Tonight's matchup between the sixth ranked Mountaineers and the surging Hoyas provides a neccesary insight into the mind of the professional handicapper. Upon seeing West Virginia -2.5 I initially thought the oddsmakers nailed this one. Within a few minutes of studying the line this morning, I was bombarded with text messages from my devout base of supporters informing me that "vegas has lost its collective marbles". Why? Without question Georgetown has been more impressive in its tournament run. After all, the Hoyas defeated the class of the Big East in Syracuse, before dismantling a gritty Marquette team last night. That said, the hoyas have played an additional game in the tournament and are facing a defensive juggernaut in West Virginia. Despite barely defeating the Bearcats of Cincy and Notre Dame, the Mountaineers have played stout defensively. Furthermore, their style will fustrate a Georgetown team that is clicking offensively.

The contest tonight is less about these two formidable teams than it is about a longstanding gaming discipline: Smart $ vs. Dumb $. The public will be jumping all over Georgetown tonight and on the surface that looks like the right thing to do. Once again, the public will be proved wrong. Just ask all the John Q. Public's who bet Maryland, Syracuse, Villanova, etc. only to shake their heads in disbelief as each one of these teams lost. Georgetown has become the new darling (and rightly so) this is a team that no one wants to face in the Big Dance. However, after watching enough of these games over the years, my head says its Huggytime. Not only will huggy Bear add a Big East Conference Title to his ever growing list of accomplishments, he will do so in Style.....Stay Classy West Virginia! Tonight's Play -West Virginia -2.5 over Georgetown.

Revenue Generator......

Today's Big East winner comes courtesy of the head honcho at GEM Asset Management in Westchester. In addition to exercising considerable trading prowess, Geo (as he is known amongst his inner circle), is an avid sports fan and is no stranger to releasing roundball winners. During his "Reign of terror" as a college student, Geo financed his over the top parties with longshot winners that included: Nova over Georgetown in 1985, Kansas at 50-1 in 1988, Seton Hall at 100-1 in 1989 (hedged in the championship game), and Duke at 20-1 in 1991.

Marquette enters todays contest as losers of their last two against Villanova. However, in their last nine matchups, Marquette is 7-2 against the spread. In both contests this year, Marquette lost extremely close games. While past performance is no future indicator (unless you are implementing Geo's condor strategies), the trend suggests Marquette is the right play here. After losing a series of close games early in the year, the gritty Golden Eagles bounced back and finished the year strong. Contrast that with a Villanova team which faded towards the end of the season and relies on a lot of freshman to make big plays. As Geo likes to say: only fools fight trends.....Take Marquette +5 today.

Big East .......

After missing the St. John's release earlier, which was strictly a contrarian play since everyone I knew was on the Huskies -4.5, I am moving on towards the next game. Upon first glance, Seton Hall laying 6 to Providence appears to be a hefty number. After all, Seton Hall has been inconsistent throughout the season. However, this is a lackluster Providence squad that has been non competitive in most of their road games this year. While I would ordinarily stay away from this game, that is not an option. Roll the dice on the Pirates -6 over Providence tonight.

Game number two features the Cincinnati Bear Cats against the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers. Despite playing well at times this year, Cincy is an undisciplined team that is sporadic at best. While they have put together some spirited outings towards the end of the season, they have no right to be laying 8 points to anyone. As for Rutgers, they also leave a lot to be desired, however this is a veteran squad and they should have the support of a strong fan base at the Garden. The play- Take Jersey State +8

100 Dime Play........

As many of my readers know, very rarely do I release a 50 dime play, let alone a 100 dime play. However, after scouring the lines earlier this morning, one game stood out to me like a sore thumb. Dayton -11 over St. Louis. Dayton is a bubble team at best and needs to continue to score impressive victories over lessor opponents. This is where St. Louis comes in. St. Louis has been blown out in many of their recent contests, while Dayton has been crushing teams at home. Although the number is meaty, I advise laying the 11 with Dayton and padding your winnings as we head into the greatest time of the year- March Madness.

Winner Central.......

Fresh off a monster Wednesday night in College hoops. Sticking with themes has been the prevailing wisdom this season. Notre Dame has continued to make a late season push to get an NCAA bid and in the process, become a dominant home team. Across all the major conferences this season (Big East, Big 12, SEC, ACC), the majority of home dogs have covered and in many cases, won their games outright.

Tonight's matchup between Seton Hall at Rutgers features two of the bottom echelon teams in the Big East. While both teams have made strides, they appear to be condemned to the basement of the uber competitive Big East Conference. Although my math model favors Seton Hall on a neutral site, I am taking Rutgers at home tonight plus the 3.5. With a 15-3 home record and impressive victories over the likes of Georgetown, I expect the Scarlet Knights to play with their collective heads on fire. Remember, this should also be senior night at Rutgers and over the course of my distinguished career, I have dominated senior night releases!

Wednesday.....

Notre Dame -1.5 over Uconn tonight. The Irish are 16-3 at home this year while Uconn has struggled mightily on the road (2-6). Although Uconn has been playing much better as of late, they did drop Sunday's contest at home against Louisville and I expect there to be some follow through on the downside. The trend in the Big East so far has been home dogs covering and in many cases winning outright.

The second game tonight features Duke travelling to Maryland at 9pm est. While Duke is the better team, they might be the softest 25-4 team in the history of college basketball. I have not seen enough of Maryland to give this game a "firm release" but I do think Duke is due for a road loss. With that being said, I will "lean" Maryland at home plus the 1.5 and expect them to win the game.

Truly an Honor...........

After an exciting Marquette win yesterday, it was nice to sit back and watch the Gold Medal Game between the USA and Canada. After seeing too many men prancing around in satin get ups the past two weeks, I was waiting for NBC to screw things up and throw a monkey wrench into things, in the form of an impromptu switch during the game. Thankfully the figure skating competition had long ended and viewers were treated to a classic game.

Tonight's action in college hoops is thin. Georgetown, fresh of its embarrassing home loss to Notre Dame, is visiting Huggy Bear U to take on the seventh ranked Mountaineers. Team huggy has been solid at home (12-2), while Georgetown has been bi-polar at best. Despite a winning road record, the Hoyas have lost most meaningful contests, with the exception of last week at Louisville. My one big hang up is the line. With Georgetown +6.5 the book is begging you to take em. While most of the time I avoid such enticing traps, this time I will make an exception and take the 6.5 with the Hoyas. Besides the obvious bounceback I expect from the Hoyas, West Virginia is not a dominant team that can blow out quality opponents. Tonight take Georgetown +6.5 over West Virginia.

In what can only be described as a "true honor", softball great and blog favorite Marxy, has been given the ultimate vote of confidence by his fellow government bail out softballers. In the height of the credit crunch, this famed institution lost touch and recinded sponsorship of the softball team (probably smart considering the public's rage). However, due to a local contracting company and the efforts of Marxy, the bailed out ballers were back in business, albeit with spray painted numbers on the back of their jerseys. Not since Mario Lemiuex put his own fortune on the line to save the Pittsburgh Penguins, has such conviction been demonstrated. Although the team struggled, the "late night team building exercises" are what really stand out. What this group lacked in talent they more than made up for with effort.

In a unanimous decision, Marxy was awarded the number 69. This is the softball equivalent of wearing Babe Ruth's jersey. For whatever reason, the number 69 has replaced 00 as the most honored number in the sport. Marxy is well aware of his responsibilities going forward. In addition to making plays on the field, he must also adhere to such off the field traditions as: aggressive boozing/hogging throughout the season. While losing is tolerated, quitting is not. Go get em Marxy!