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Bowden: Phillies in Front for Harper, Deal “Probably” Done This Week

BWanksCB - February 18, 2019

VIA TWITTER

I’m truly sorry I couldn’t be there for you yesterday throughout Jon Heyman’s Harper/Phillies attention-grabbing tweets, the subsequent hedging, and eventual walk-back:

That’s not news, it’s, uh, it’s math, man.

But good news. New day, new speculation.

This time it’s former MLB general manager Jim Bowden checking in on CBS Sports Network with an update on the Harper situation, if you want to call it that:

The key points:

  • Harper is going to get 10 years.
  • The deal is going to beat the annual average value of Giancarlo Stanton’s 13-year/$325 million deal. That’s $25 million per year for you math whizzes.
  • Harper wants to win, it’s a priority, and he thinks the Phillies are close.
  • Bowden is sure that Harper can see himself hitting in the lineup between Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto.
  • He still believes Harper will end up in Philadelphia, but did note that “anything can happen,” just in case anybody out there wasn’t aware of that possibility.
  • Finally, Bowden hears that Harper will probably be signed by the end of the week.

There you go. That’s the latest. Harper and the Phils by no later than Friday. Done deal. Unless it’s not. You know the drill.

One more thing. A new episode of Crossed Up is here. All the latest on Harper, but also a good convo about Jon Heyman. Give it a listen below.

DraftKings Is Offering Insane 100-1 Odds on Oscars Best Picture Winner

BWanksCB - February 18, 2019

Grab your popcorn, get in on the action, and get ready for some drama. DraftKings Sportsbook is giving its new users a fun (and possibly lucrative) new way to enjoy the Academy Awards with DraftKings’ 100-to-1 odds on Best Picture promo.

Here’s how it works: Use this link to sign up and then place a bet on the film that will take home the Oscar for Best Picture. Helpful hint as you indulge your gambling Vice: The Favourite doesn’t always win, but if the wager hits, A Star is Born and DraftKings Sportsbook will pay out a bonus 100-1 odds on it. See what we’re doing here? Anyway, the promo, which is available to new DraftKings users, is limited to a $5 max bet, but a winning wager will pay $500. Users that win will be credited in the days following the Oscars.

Here are the current odds for this year’s Best Picture nominee from DraftKings:

Roma (-335)

Green Book (+450)

The Favourite (+1200)

BlacKkKlansman (+2500)

Black Panther (+2500)

Bohemian Rhapsody (+3000)

A Star is Born (+4000)

Vice (+10000)

This is the first year you’ll be able to bet on the Oscars legally in New Jersey. The Department of Gaming Enforcement has approved odds on 16 categories, obviously with Best Picture being the most popular.

DraftKings and other legal New Jersey sportsbooks have offered similar odds boost promos since betting came online in August, but this is the first time we’ve seen 100-1 odds on anything like this.

There will certainly be some restrictions as you will have to wager the winning amount at least once before being able to withdraw it, but this will undoubtedly be a popular promo and bring more casual bettors into the fold.

It appears that only three movies have a genuine chance at winning, making the offer that much more enticing considering the odds on the lowest of those is currently at only 12-1.

These sort of long odds promos are becoming more popular with New Jersey sportsbooks. For the Super Bowl, FanDuel offered 53-1 odds on the winner and then booked a loss for the game. These are generally seen as marketing costs to bring new players into the fold. That said, DraftKings offering 100-1 odds will provide some genuine value to new bettors, especially on action where there is a very clear-cut favorite. Claim the offer here.

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

*21+. NJ Only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See website for details.

 

Full disclosure: We are an affiliate of legal New Jersey sports betting sites, so we may receive a commission if you use our links.

Oh, It’s Just Joel Embiid Crushing It In Charlotte

BWanksCB - February 17, 2019

VIA TWITTER

Question: Is Joel Embiid ever not the most interesting guy in the room? Forget basketball. He’s always on. Almost always smiling, or having fun, and when he’s not, you know that he’s at least good for a quote:

Everywhere Embiid goes he brings pure energy. He’s like a human power plant.

But the thing I appreciate about him the most is that he’s simply incapable of NOT providing content. Whether he’s on the floor, at the podium during a postgame press conference, or on the mic, sans shirt, absolutely killing it, he’s producing guaranteed content. Every time.

Gritty was an Answer (Question?) on Jeopardy! Tonight

BWanksCB - February 15, 2019

VIA TWITTER

I’m not a huge Jeopardy! guy, probably because I feel intellectually inferior whenever it’s on. I can go entire segments without knowing an answer (or question, I guess?) and then some dumbass in the room gets a few right and I develop an inferiority complex.

I can, however, honestly say I would’ve had this one right on tonight’s episode:

“The World Almanac’s editors picked items for a figurative 2018 time capsule, including this furry orange mascot of the Philly Flyers.”

I love how this Eric guy is absolutely to the moon over nailing it. The self-confidence. The folded hand placement at the belt. The smile. He’s thoroughly pleased with himself.

I know you think you’re better than me, Eric. You knew a hockey mascot. Cool. Way to be conscious during 2018, but I’m not impressed with your quiz show knowledge or your affable demeanor.

Sorry. Like I said, inferiority complex.

Bryce Harper Commenting On Rhys Hoskins’ Instagram Photo Sustains Me

BWanksCB - February 15, 2019

Suhhhhh kiiiiid.

And with that, I’m back in.

I SWORE to myself that I wouldn’t get all worked up over Bryce Harper’s social media follows or likes anymore. Swore to it. I’ve been down that road many times this winter, and it has been a dead end every single time.

But then he had to go and do this…

A follow or a like is one thing, but a comment? Totally different story. You don’t just drop a “suhhhh kid” on Rhys Hoskins’ absolute FIRE Instagram post in which he looks like a god damn BOSS and then turn around and sign with the Giants or Padres. Doesn’t work that way. That’s not proper social media code in 2019.

Phillies, he wants it. You want it. Give it to him.

NJ Oscars Betting: Here’s How To Bet on The Oscars in New Jersey

BWanksCB - February 14, 2019

The 91st Academy Awards is most certainly a momentous occasion for New Jersey’s legal online sportsbooks. For the first time, companies like FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook are… wait for it… rolling out the red carpet… and offering legal betting odds outside the realm of sports and allowing you to bet on the Oscars. As a Garden State guy myself, I can’t say that I have ever really been into the Oscars, BUT I AM NOW.

I guess you could say that those within the film industry aren’t the only ones with a chance to win big on Hollywood’s biggest night! Am I right?

Whatever. Even the jokes in the opening monologue sometimes fall.

If you’re looking to get in on the Oscars betting action in NJ, FanDuel Sportsbook is offering up odds across 16 different categories on which films will take home the hardware during Hollywood’s biggest night. Betting options go well beyond headliner awards like Best Picture, Best Actor/Actress, and Best Director. DraftKings Sportsbook tells us they will offer similar options in the coming days.

Think the costume design by Mary Zophres in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs was simply resplendent? Take a shot at +1800 odds.

Maybe you thought the makeup and hairstyling done by Jenny Shircore, Marc Pilcher, Jessica Brooks in Mary Queen of Scots was positively radiant. HAMMER IT at  +650.

Haven’t seen any of this year’s nominated films? No sweat. With football season now over, fill the void and get caught up before the Oscars night on Sunday, February 24.

Here’s the full list of current Oscars wagering options:

  • Best Picture
  • Best Actress
  • Best Actor
  • Best Director
  • Best Supporting Actor
  • Best Supporting Actress
  • Best Original Screenplay
  • Best Adapted Screenplay
  • Best Animated Feature
  • Best Cinematography
  • Best Original Song
  • Best Original Score
  • Best Costume Design
  • Best Visual Effects
  • Best Film Editing
  • Best Makeup and Hairstyling

It’s worth noting that FanDuel and DraftKings feature different bookmakers, meaning you may see some different prices once DraftKings releases their odds.

The ability to bet on one-off events like this in NJ shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. New Jersey has said all along it would feature betting on events other than sports, including e-sports. The Oscars, though the outcome will be known by some, is a sanctioned event with an accounting firm holding the results. Expect there to be some limits on these bets, but this is just the start of live-event betting in New Jersey and, eventually, many other places in the US.

We also hear there will be a pretty incredible promo coming from DraftKings.

Operators were at first unsure if they would be able to offer action on the Oscars in New Jersey. We’re told they had to petition the DGE to offer all 16 categories, as for a time it looked like maybe only “Best Picture” would be available. But now the two leading sportsbooks in NJ are offering a full range of action.

You can bet on the Oscars at FanDuel here.

And you can bet on the Oscars at DraftKings here.

 

Full disclosure: We are an affiliate of legal New Jersey sports betting sites, so we may receive a commission if you use our links.

The Phillies’ Best Path Forward Seems Obvious, But Will They Take It?

BWanksCB - February 13, 2019

Photo Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

I want to take a break from the Bryce Harper/Manny Machado rumor mill madness for a moment and offer some thoughts on where I’m at with this process as spring training gets underway. So indulge me.

With sports, with life, really, it’s often easy to get swept away by a moment. It’s easy to make a situation into more than it really is, or assign it more worth and importance than it actually holds. I write this to acknowledge that I’m perhaps knowingly about to commit this very mistake, but I don’t think I am.

After all, Matt Klentak has to know. John Middleton must know, too. Both men must realize that they currently exist only one move away from completing with authority the final touch of an epic offseason that could:

  • pay off with the much-anticipated return of championship-caliber baseball to this city
  • alter their legacies and raise their own profiles as two of the shrewdest and calculated negotiators in the sport

After last season’s September of baseball that looked like the game’s reenactment of Weekend at Bernie’s, the Phillies’ additions of veteran players Jean Segura and Andrew McCutchen made for good first attempts to ensure there will be no sequel. Adding reliever David Robertson was a big boost to the bullpen. The deal to acquire J.T. Realmuto last week signaled, in earnest, that the front office is aggressively looking to end the team’s seven-season playoff drought. Aaron Nola’s arbitration-avoiding four-year contract extension gives the budding ace some stability, but it’s team-friendly nonetheless. Yet another good deal.

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Report: Eagles “Pretty Likely” to Face Vikings on Thanksgiving Night

BWanksCB - February 13, 2019

PHOTO CREDIT: JAMES LANG-USA TODAY SPORTS

Say whatever negative things you want about the NFL, and you can say plenty, but the league does a brilliant job of remaining relevant and staying in the headlines throughout the offseason. The NFL Draft, free agency, and trade talks create constant buzz, as does speculation regarding the upcoming season’s schedule. Speaking of which, Eagles fans might want to wrap up Thanksgiving dinner and get the subsequent toilet time out of the way early this year.

According to Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand via SI’s Sports Media Podcast, the Eagles and Vikings look likely to play in Minnesota on Thanksgiving night. Ourand calls the matchup “pretty likely.”

If it happens, the game would mark the Eagles’ fourth Thanksgiving contest since 2008. The previous three weren’t remotely competitive. The Eagles blasted eventual NFC champ Arizona at home back in 2008 and throttled Dallas at Jerry World in 2014. They were then embarrassed in Detroit the following year, Chip Kelly’s final season, by a 45-14 score. Kelly would only last four more games.

Expect more schedule leaks to emerge between now and mid-April when the league officially unveils its full regular season slate.