Month: July 2025

Trends for major league teams
(thru Thursday’s games)

— Arizona (51-58)
Arizona lost five in row, eight of last nine games.
Diamondbacks traded several key players this week.
Under is 6-1-1 in their last eight games.
Arizona is 9-21 in last 30 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Braves (46-62)
Braves are 4-11 in their last 14 games.
Atlanta is 26-26 at home, 20-36 on the road.
Over is 14-3-2 in their last 19  games.

— Reds (57-53)
Cincinnati is 5-3 in its last eight games.
Reds are 43-35 vs righty starters, 14-18 vs lefties.
Under is 13-3-1 in their last 17 games.
Reds scored in first inning in 8 of last 13 home games.

— Cubs (63-45)
Chicago is 4-7 in its last 11 games- they lead the NL Wild Card race.
Cubs are game behind Milwaukee for NL Central lead.
Over is 8-2 in their last ten games.
Cubs are 49-28 vs righty starters, 14-17 vs lefties.

— Rockies (28-80)
Colorado is 6-6 since the All-Star break.
Under is 12-4-1 in Rockies’ last 17 home games.
Rockies are 3-26 vs lefty starters, 25-54 vs righties. 
Colorado is 5-1 in last six games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Dodgers (63-46)
Dodgers are 7-14 in their last 21 games.
LA leads San Diego by 3 games in NL West.
Dodgers are 46-31 vs righty starters, 17-15 vs lefties.
Under is 6-0-1 in their last seven games.

— Marlins (52-55)                                                                       )
Marlins are 29-17 in their last 46 games.
Miami is 24-29 at home, 28-26 on the road.
Under is 21-5 in Marlins’ last 26 home games.
Marlins are 8-2 in last 10 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Brewers (64-44)
Brewers are 15-4 in their last 19 games.
Milwaukee is 36-20 at home, 28-24 on the road.
Over is 7-2 in their last nine home games. 
Milwaukee lead the Cubs by a game in the NL Central.

— Mets (62-47)
Mets are 17-23 in their last 40 games.
Mets are 37-16 at home, 25-31 on the road.
Under is 6-3-2 in their last eleven games.
Mets lead Philly by half-game in NL East.

— Phillies (61-47)
Phillies are 7-11 in their last 18 road games.
Phillies are 49-29 vs righty starters, 12-18 vs lefties.
Over is 7-4-1 in their last 12 games.
Phillies trail Mets by half-game in NL East; they’re #2 Wild Card team.

— Pirates (47-62)
Pirates won eight of their last nine games.
Pittsburgh is 31-25 at home, 16-37 on the road.
Under is 8-2 in their last 10 games.
Pirates are 13-6 in last 19 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— St Louis (55-55)
St Louis is 9-17 in its last 26 games.
Cardinals are 13-5 in home series openers.
St Louis is 32-24 at home, 23-31 on the road.
Under is 8-2-1 in their last eleven games.

— Padres (60-49)
Padres won their last five games, scoring 31 runs.
San Diego made lot of moves before the trade deadline.
Under is 7-3 in their last 10 games.
San Diego leads Cincinnati by 3 games for the last NL Wild Card slot.

— Giants (54-55)
Giants are 2-12 in their last 14 games, 12-23 since acquiring Devers.
Giants are 44-36 vs righty pitchers, 10-19 vs lefties.
Over is 8-3-1 in their last dozen road games.
SF lost last five games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Washington (44-64)
Nationals are 6-6 since the All-Star break. 
Washington is 6-16 in its last 22 home games.
Over is 20-7 in their last 27 games.
Washington is 18-8 last 26 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Notes for the Indianapolis Colts:
Colts went 9-8/8-9 in two seasons under Shane Steichen.
Lou Anumumo is the new defensive coordinator.
OC Jim Bob Cooter was Peyton Manning’s backup QB at Tennessee.

This year, Colts are #14 in $$$ spent on offense (last year, #3)
This year, Colts are #5 in $$$ spent on defense (last year, #17)

Indy was minus-4 in turnovers last year (25-29)

Colts were 8-5 LY in games decided by 8 or fewer points.
Colts were 5-3 LY in games decided by 3 or fewer points.

Over is 12-5 in their last 17 home games.

Colts are 5-2 ATS in last seven games as a home favorite.
Colts are 2-5 ATS in last seven games as a road favorite.

— Famous birthdays, August 1st:
Terry Kiser, 86
Greg Gross, 73
John Spagnola, 68
Kiki Vandeweghe, 67

Greg Bell, 63
Gaston Green, 59
Gregg Jefferies, 58
Stacey Augmon, 57

Edgerrin James, 47
Austin Rivers, 33
Madison Bumgarner, 36
Ezequiel Tovar, 24

— Orioles (50-59)
Baltimore won five of its last six games.
Over is 5-2 in their last seven games.
Orioles are 17-16 vs AL East foes, 33-43 vs everyone else.
Orioles dealt some guys at the trade deadline.

— Red Sox (59-51)
Red Sox won five of their last seven games.
Boston is 14-21 in one-run games.
Under is 6-1 in their last seven home games.
Red Sox are 22-15 in 37 games since trading Devers.

— White Sox (40-69)
Chicago is 8-4 since the All-Star break.
White Sox are 24-32 at home, 16-37 on the road.
Over is 8-4-1 in their last thirteen games.
Chicago is 28-53 vs righty starters, 12-16 vs lefties.

— Cleveland (54-54)
Cleveland is 14-6 in its last 20 games.
Guardians are 2.5 games out of the last Wild Card slot.
Guardians are 41-34 vs righty starters, 13-20 vs lefties.
Over is 8-3 in their last 11 home games.

— Detroit (64-46)
Detroit won its last four games, scoring 34 runs.
Tigers are 18-9 vs its AL Central rivals, lead division by 9 games.
Detroit is 14-4 in home series openers.
Under is 7-2 in their last nine road games.

— Houston (62-47)
Astros are 3-10 in their last 13 home games.
Astros lead Seattle/Texas by 5 games in AL West.
Over is 11-7 in their last 18 road games.
Houston added a new LF-SS-3B at trade deadline.

— Royals (54-55)
Royals are 14-8 in their last 22 games.
Kansas City is 41-47 vs righty starters, 13-8 vs lefties.
Under is 14-6 in Royals’ last 20 home games.
Royals are 2-9 in last eleven home series openers.

— Angels (53-56)
Angels are 8-6 in their last 14 home games.
Halos are four games out of last Wild Card slot.
Angels are 43-45 vs righty starters, 10-11 vs lefties.
Angels are 25-13 in games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Twins (51-57)
Twins traded 10 players off their roster, just this week.
Twins lost five of their last seven games.
Minnesota is 30-24 at home, 21-33 on the road.
Under is 12-6 in their last eighteen games.

— New York (60-49)
New York is 12-8 in its last 20 games.
Over is 5-2-1 in their last eight games.
Right now, New York is the #1 Wild Card in the AL.
New York is 48-37 vs righty starters, 12-12 vs lefties.

— A’s (48-63)
A’s are 15-12 in their last 27 games.
Under is 6-1-1 in their last eight games.
A’s are 12-15 in one-run games, 6-3 in extra innings.
Last 13 series, A’s are 6-1 in games where winning run scored from 7th inning on..

— Seattle (58-52)
Mariners are 5-7 in their last 12 games overall.
Seattle is 13-7 in its last 20 home games.
Under is 8-2 in their last ten games.
Mariners added 3B Suarez to improve their offense.

— Texas (57-53)
Rangers are 9-4 since the All-Star break.
Texas is 11-21 in games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.
Rangers are 34-20 at home, 23-33 on road.
Over is 7-3 in their last nine games.

— Tampa Bay (54-56)
Tampa Bay lost 20 of its last 27 games.
Rays are 31-28 at home, 23-28 on the road.
Tampa Bay is 3.5 games out of the last Wild Card slot.
Rays are 2-8 in last ten games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Toronto (64-46)
Blue Jays lost four of their last five games overall.
Blue Jays won 12 of their last 13 home games.
Over is 8-3-2 in their last thirteen games.
Toronto is 15-7 in last 22 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Tuesday afternoon, Orioles hit four home runs and four sacrifice flies in a win over Toronto; they’re the first team since the 1955 Red Sox with 4+ homers, 4+ sac flies in the same game.

— Baseball’s trade deadline is 6:00 Thursday; we’ll go thru all that tomorrow, but there were two trades Wednesday that made some history. 

Reds acquired 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes from Pittsburgh, for P Taylor Rogers and a minor league SS. 

Mets acquired P Tyler Rogers for two P’s and a minor league shortstop. 

Taylor/Tyler Rogers are brothers; they’re the first pair of brothers to be traded on the same day since 1970, when Hal/Dan Breeden both got dealt.

— Colorado Rockies TV analyst Ryan Spilborghs played seven years in the major leagues, all for Colorado. At the end of his career, when he was in the minor leagues with Cleveland, Spilborghs was dealt to Texas, for cash considerations.

Years later, as Spilborghs explained on TV Wednesday, he was curious how much cash changed hands between the Rangers/Indians— he figured $50,000 or so.

Turns out the Rangers gave Cleveland $1, one freakin’ dollar, to acquire Spilborghs, who hit .295 in AAA for Texas that year, then played his last season of pro ball in Japan in 2013.

— Orioles-Blue Jays played a day/night doubleheader Tuesday; in between games, they made a trade, with P Seranthony Domínguez involved.

Early in Game 2, TV cameras showed Domínguez walking to the Toronto bullpen in his new uniform, while stopping to hug his former Baltimore teammates in their bullpen. He pitched a scoreless inning later in that game, which had to be a little odd.

— Pirates’ P Paul Skenes has started 22 games this season; he hasn’t allowed a run in the first inning, in any of those games.

— Chicago Cubs gave president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer a contract extension this week, that will keep him in Chicago until at least 2030. Cubs haven’t made the playoffs since 2020; they won 83 games each of the last two seasons, but are 63-45 this year and appear headed to the playoffs.

— In the NFL, Seattle Seahawks gave general manager and president of football operations John Schneider a contract extension that will keep him in Seattle thru 2031; he has been Seattle’s GM since 2010.

— Famous birthdays, July 31st:
Leon Durham, 68
Scott Brooks, 60
Dean Cain, 59

Andre Ware, 57
Gus Frerotte, 54
Chris Weinke, 53

Gabe Kapler, 50
Annie Parisse, 49
Tim Couch, 48

— Late Night Trade: Seattle Mariners acquired 34-year old 3B Eugenio Suarez from Arizona; Suarez is hitting .248 this year, with an .896 OPS. Suarez played for Seattle in 2022-23.

A’s 5, Mariners 4
Seattle is tied with Texas for the AL’s last Wild Card slot.
Miguel Andujar homered twice for A’s.
A’s have won six of their last seven games.

— Padres 5, Mets 0
Yu Darvish threw 7 innings, got his first win this year.
San Diego has a 3-game lead for the NL’s last Wild Card slot.
Mets got swept in San Diego for the first time since 2008.

— Blue Jays 9, Orioles 8
Baltimore led 5-3 after the fifth inning.
Nathan Lukes hit a 3-run homer in the 7th inning for Toronto.
Blue Jays lead the AL East by four games.

— Astros 9, Nationals 1
Jose Altuve went 4-for-4, scored 3 runs, had 3 RBI
It was the 41st time in his career that Altuve had 4+ hits in a game.
Astros lead the AL West by five games.

— New York 5, Rays 4 (11)
Tampa Bay led 1-0 after the 7th inning.
Ryan McMahon had a walk-off hit in the 11th inning.
After this game, Rays traded P Zack Littell to Cincinnati.

— Tigers 7, Diamondbacks 2
Arizona is in the ashcan, going 0-5 since they started to clean house.
Chris Paddack allowed 3 hits in 6 IP in his Detroit debut.
Kerry Carpenter homered, had three RBI.

— Pirates 2, Giants 1 (10)
Pittsburgh won eight of its last nine games; the only loss was 1-0.
Mike Burrows allowed three hits in six IP for the Pirates.
Giants went 0-6 on this homestand; they’re 54-55, below .500 for first time this season. 

Trends for ACC football teams…….

Boston College
Bill O’Brien is 30-20 ATS as a college coach.
Since 2017, Eagles are 17-7-1 ATS as a home underdog.
Boston College is 4-10 ATS in its last 14 non-conference games.

Cal (why is Cal in the ATLANTIC Coast Conference?!?!?!)
As a head coach, Wilcox is 32-16 ATS as an underdog.
As a head coach, Wilcox is 15-23-1 ATS as a favorite.
Since 2017, Golden Bears are 13-6 ATS as a home underdog.
Last three years, Cal is 8-4 ATS in non-conference games.

Clemson
Clemson has a senior QB who has already started 28 games.
Last four years, Tigers are 11-14 ATS as a home favorite.
Clemson is 7-2 ATS in last nine games coming off a loss.

Duke
Last three years, Duke was 9-4/8-5/9-4 SU
Last three years, Duke is 15-9 ATS in ACC games.
Blue Devils are 11-3 ATS in last 14 games as an underdog.
Duke is 12-17 ATS in its last 29 games as a favorite. 

Florida State
Seminoles finished under .500 five of last seven years.
FSU is 6-13 ATS in its last 19 games coming off a loss.
As a head coach, Norvell is 16-8 ATS as a road favorite.
As a head coach, Norvell is 5-13-2 ATS as a road underdog.

Georgia Tech
Since 2018, Tech is 7-14-1 ATS as a home favorite.
Since 2015, Tech is 3-10 ATS as a road favorite.
Under Key, Tech is 12-5 ATS as an underdog.
Under Key, Tech is 14-9 ATS in ACC games.

Louisville
Louisville has a veteran offensive line (203 career starts)
Senior QB Moss started 10 games at USC.
Last five years, Louisville is 18-7 ATS as a home favorite.
Last three years, Cardinals are 1-7 ATS as a road favorite.

Miami
Since 2017, Miami is 27-39 ATS in conference games.
In his career, Cristobal is 18-32-2 ATS as a home favorite.
Miami lost its last five bowl games (favored in 3 of 5 games)
Since 2017, Miami is 22-36 ATS in games coming off a loss.

North Carolina
Bill Belichick is the new coach; not sure how much these trends mean.
Tar Heels have a veteran offensive line (155 career starts)
Last three years, Carolina is 6-12 ATS as a home favorite.
Tar Heels lost their last five bowl games, giving up 32.8 ppg.

Famous birthdays, July 30th
Arnold Schwarzenegger, 78
Billy Paultz, 77
Ellis Valentine, 71
Bill Cartwright, 68

Clint Hurdle, 68
Steve Trout, 68
Ricky Horton, 66
Laurence Fishburne, 64

Chris Mullin, 62
Lisa Kudrow, 62
Hilary Swank, 51
Jake McCarthy, 28

NC State
Last five years, Wolfpack is 7-2 ATS as a home underdog.
Last three years, State is 4-10 ATS as a home favorite.
Since 2019, State is 16-27 ATS in games coming off a win.
Wolfpack lost their last four bowls, three of them by 5 or fewer points.

Pittsburgh
In his career, Narduzzi is 18-25-3 ATS as a home favorite.
In his career, Narduzzi is 15-4 ATS as a road favorite.
Panthers are 1-9 ATS last ten games as a road underdog.
Pitt has a veteran offensive line (78 career starts)

SMU
Last two years, Mustangs went 11-3/11-3.
Since 2015, SMU is 28-14 ATS as a home favorite.
Since 2020, Mustangs are 3-8 ATS as a road underdog.
SMU lost its last four bowls (favored in 3 of the 4)

Stanford (why is Stanford in the ATLANTIC Coast Conference?!?!?!)
Stanford fired their coach for bullying last March
Former NFL coach Frank Reich is the interim coach for this year.
Last four years, Cardinal went 3-9 every year (minus-29 in turnovers)
Since 2020, Stanford is 0-6 ATS as a home favorite.

Syracuse
Syracuse was 10-3 last year, their best season since 2018.
Orangemen are 7-2 ATS last nine games as a road favorite.
Last three years, Syracuse is 3-8 ATS as a road underdog.
Last four years, Syracuse is 7-4 ATS as a home favorite.

Virginia
Last three years, Cavaliers are 15-8 ATS as an underdog.
Since 2020, Virginia is 26-15 ATS in ACC games.
Since 2020, Virginia is 14-6 ATS in games coming off a win.
Last four years, Cavaliers are minus-23 in turnovers.

Virginia Tech
Last two years, Tech is 11-5 ATS in ACC games, 3-7 out of conference.
Hokies lost four of last five bowls, giving up 34 ppg.
Tech hired West Virginia’s OL coach; he brought three linemen with him.
Hokies have a senior QB who has started 20 games.

Wake Forest
Wake has a new head coach, who brought in a top 25 transfer class.
Deacons have 86 returning starts on the offensive line.
Since 2017, Wake is 19-14 ATS as a home favorite.
Wake’s QB has already spent time at Auburn, South Carolina. 

— Trade deadline is Thursday; who will buy, who will sell?

AL Wild Card standings:
1- New York
2- Seattle
3- Boston
Rangers- 0.5 games behind
Rays- 2.5 games behind
Guardians- 4 games behind
Angels/Royals- 4.5 games behind
Twins- 5 games behind

NL Wild Card standings:
1- Cubs
2- Phillies
3- Padres

Reds- 2 games behind
Cardinals- 3.5 games behind
Giants- 4 games behind
Arizona/Miami- 7 games behind

All that leaves seven teams who are non-contenders; Arizona has already pretty much thrown up the white Flag. How many other teams will do that before Thursday?

— Apparently MLB commissioner Rob Manfred was in the Phillies clubhouse last week, and he got cursed out by Bryce Harper, when Harper got steamed when he thought Manfred wanted to talk about a potential salary cap in the sport’s near future.

It isn’t looking good for baseball in 2027, when the next collective bargaining deal is expected to start; some owners want a salary cap, the players’ union, with scumweasel agent Scott Boras behind it, vehemently does not want one.

Sounds like we could be having a spring full of Korean baseball at 4am in a couple years.

— Diamondbacks’ 3B Eugenio Suarez is a hot commodity at the trade deadline; hell, I was trying to trade for him in our fantasy league, but he got drilled with a pitch on his right hand Monday and left the game. X-rays were negative; more tests are expected Tuesday.

Tigers 5, Diamondbacks 1- Arizona has scored total of two runs in four games since they traded Josh Naylor to Seattle.

— Twins 5, Red Sox 4
Brooks Lee’s 2-run single was a walk-off winner for the Twins.
There was a 90-minute rain delay during the ninth inning.
Twins traded P Chris Paddack to Detroit earlier in the day.

— Pirates 6, Giants 5
Andrew McCutchen hit a 2-run homer in the 7th inning.
Mitch Keller started for Pittsburgh, lasted only 2 IP, throwing 73 pitches.
Willie Adames was 3-5 with two RBI for the Giants.

— RIP to Hall of Fame 2B Ryne Sandberg, one of the most beloved players in Cubs history, who passed away Monday at age 65.

Sandberg hit .285 with 282 home runs, 1,061 RBI and 344 stolen bases in 15 years with Chicago. He made 10 All-Star teams — winning the Home Run Derby in 1990 — and took home nine Gold Gloves.

Sandberg was MVP of the National League in 1984; his OPS was .887 that year.

He later managed the Phillies for a couple years. RIP, sir.

— Famous birthdays, July 29th
Mike Starr, 75
Ken Kravec, 74
Scott Wedman, 73
Ken Burns, 72
Dave LaPoint, 66

Steve Pelluer, 63
Pepper Johnson, 61
Ryan Braun, 45
Dak Prescott, 32
Jack Suwinski, 27

— Cleveland Guardians’ Emmanuel Clase has been put on paid leave as part of a betting investigation, joining Cleveland starter Luis Ortiz on that list.

Apparently the investigation revolves around prop bets, like whether the first pitch of an inning will be a strike or not. Prop betting is for total degenerates; this is bad for the game.

Rockies 8, Guardians 6- To make matters worse for Cleveland, the dreadful Rockies scored four runs in the top of the ninth, after the Guardians had rallied from a 3-0 deficit to take a 5-4 lead after eight innings.

— Padres 7, Mets 6
Elias Diaz had a walk-off single for San Diego; they trailed 5-1 in 5th inning.
Mark Vientos homered, had four RBI for the Mets.
Luis Arraez homered for the Padres.

— Nationals 2, Astros 1
Riley Adams hit a tie-breaking home run in the 7th inning.
Astros have lost 10 of their last 11 home games.
Last three games, Houston was held to 1-1-1 runs.

After the game, Houston P Framber Valdez complained about the Astros’ defensive placement in the outfield. He wasn’t happy where the RF was playing in the 6th inning, when a double scored the Nationals’ first run.

— Mets paid $97M in payroll taxes last year, that’s how high their payroll was.

By way of comparison, the Pirates’ entire payroll last year was $88,542,440.

— Royals P Kris Bubic is out for the year with a left rotator cuff strain.

— Dusty Baker is going to manage Team Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic next winter.

— RIP to former big league pitcher Bill Denehy, who passed away last month at age 79.

Denehy was a big enough prospect that he was on a rookie baseball card with Tom Seaver in 1967; he faced Willie Mays four times, struck him out three times, but Denehy pitched in only 49 big league games, starting nine of them.

Mets actually traded him to the Washington Senators in 1967 for a manager, Gil Hodges, who two years later let the Miracle Mets to the 1969 World Series title.

RIP, sir. 

— If you have HBO, there is a great documentary about Billy Joel on there “And So It Goes”

This is a two-part show, think it is four hours in all; it is like taking a college course on the history of music in this country, especially if you’re from New York, like I am.

One part is more personal, about his upbringing; the second part is about once he became a star, how he met Christie Brinkley and how MTV starting in the 80’s propelled his career.

If you like music, this will be right up your alley.

— Baseball’s trade deadline is this coming Thursday; what teams will be sellers, what teams will be buyers? It is really hard to tell right now. 

There are only three American League teams that are further than 5.5 games out of the last Wild Card spot; there are only four NL teams further than six games out of the last Wild Card spot. 

How many players on those seven non-contenders will be valuable trade chips?

Which teams on the cusp of contending will throw in the towel and sell players?

Should be an interesting week…….

— There was only one baseball game Sunday that started at 4:00; weird scheduling; there was the Sunday night game on ESPN, but only one 4:00 game? 

Why???

— A’s 7, Astros 1
A’s went to Houston and swept the four-game series, holding Houston to seven runs. 

A’s are 9-7 in their last sixteen games.

Houston leads the AL West by four games, over Seattle/Texas.

— Our fantasy baseball league has a 10-day week the game after the All-Star break; A’s rookie Nick Kurtz had quite a game this week:

He went 22 for 37, with 51 total bases.
13 runs scored, 15 RBI
His on-base percentage was .634.
Tremendous performance.

— Pirates 6, Arizona 0
Streaky Pirates have won five of their last six games.
Under is 9-1 in Paul Skenes’ last ten starts.
Arizona scored one run in three games since they started selling players off.

— Reds 2, Rays 1
Tampa Bay got swept in Cincinnati, scoring 2-1-2 runs.
Reds are 16-6 in their last 22 home games.
Rays have lost 10 of their last 13 games.

— Brewers 3, Marlins 2
Marlins led 2-1 after the 7th inning.
Blake Perkins had the game-winning hot for Milwaukee.
Eury Perez allowed only four baserunners, one run in 5 IP for Miami.

— Famous birthdays, July 28th:
Bill Bradley, 82
Sally Struthers, 78
Doug Collins, 74
Clint Longley, 73

Carmelo Martínez, 65
Elizabeth Berkley, 53
Hannah Waddingham, 51
Manu Ginobili, 48

DeMeco Ryans, 41
Darin Ruf, 39
Walker Buehler, 31
Malik Nabers, 22

— Watching the Hall of Famers get introduced on YouTube, it has to be pretty amazing to be one of those guys; for one weekend a year, you’re an immortal.

If you’ve never been to Cooperstown and you really like baseball, put it on your bucket list, it is worth the trip, and it is quite a drive.

— Sunday night, I crossed paths with two younger guys wearing Mariners’ caps; they had just come back to Albany from seeing Ichiro Suzuki getting inducted in Cooperstown- they loved the experience, said it was well worth the cross-country trip.

— Speaking of which, the person who didn’t vote for Ichiro to get into the Hall of Fame should step forward and say why. It is a free country, but it would be nice to know why the person was an idiot in his voting.

— Rangers 8, Braves 1
Texas is 8-1 since the All-Star break; they’re tied with Seattle for the last AL Wild Card spot.
Rangers are 34-20 at home, 22-30 on the road.
Atlanta is 18-34 on the road.

— Tigers 10, Blue Jays 4
Detroit led 3-0 after seven innings, scored 7 more in 8th inning.
Jack Flaherty tossed six scoreless innings to get the win.
Just the second win for Detroit in their last 14 games.

— Kansas City Royals signed P Seth Lugo to a two-year, $46M contract extension; 35-year old Lugo is 23-14, 2.98 in 52 starts for the Royals the last two seasons. 

Early season trends for Week 1 NFL matchups:

— Cowboys @ Eagles
Dallas is 4-2 SU/5-1 ATS in its last six road openers.
Since 2007, Cowboys are 14-4 ATS in road openers.
Over is 5-3-1 in their last nine road openers.

This is first time Philly opened at home since 2019.
Last four years, Eagles are 4-0 SU/3-1 ATS in Week 1.
Eagles are 2-3 SU/1-4 ATS in last five home openers

— Chiefs vs Chargers (@ San Paolo, Brazil)
Last ten years, Chiefs are 8-2 SU/7-3 ATS in Week 1.
Over is 7-1-1 in Kansas City’s last nine Week 1 games.

Last six years, Chargers are 5-1 SU in Week 1.
Last five years, under is 4-1 in their Week 1 games.

— Giants @ Commanders
Since 2011, Giants are 2-11 SU/2-10-1 ATS in Week 1.
Last eight years, under is 7-1 in their Week 1 games.
Since 2009, Giants are 5-9-1 ATS in their road opener.

Last seven years, Washington is 4-3 SU/ATS in Week 1.
Over is 4-2 in their last six Week 1 games.
Last five years, Commanders are 4-1 SU/3-2 ATS in their home opener.

— Cardinals @ Saints
Last six years, Arizona is 3-3 SU/6-0 ATS in its road opener.
Last seven years, under is 5-2 in their road openers.
Last six years, Cardinals are 2-3-1 SU/5-1 ATS in Week 1 games.

Since 2015, Saints are 4-6 SU/2-8 ATS in their home opener.
Over is 7-2 in their last nine home openers.
Last 11 years, New Orleans is 5-6 SU/2-9 ATS in Week 1 games.

— Dolphins @ Colts
Last four years, Dolphins are 4-1 SU/3-1 ATS in Week 1 games.
Last 10 years, Miami is 6-4 SU/7-3 ATS in its road opener.
Under is 19-4 in their last 23 road openers. 

Since 2014, Colts are 0-10-1 SU/2-8-1 ATS in Week 1 games.
Over is 5-2 in their last seven Week 1 games.
Last six years, Colts are 3-3 SU/4-2 ATS in home openers. 

— Raiders @ Patriots
Last six years, Raiders are 4-2 SU/ATS in Week 1 games.
Since 2007, Raiders are 12-5-1 ATS in their road opener.
Under is 6-2 in their last eight road openers.

Last four years, Patriots are 0-4 SU/0-3-1 ATS in home openers.
Last seven years, under is 6-0-1 in their Week 1 games.
Under is 5-1 in their last six road openers.

Steelers @ Jets
Pittsburgh won/covered its last five road openers.
Under is 11-1 in their last dozen road openers.
This is 10th time in 11 years Steelers open on the road.

Last six years, Jets are 1-5 SU/ATS in Week 1 games.
Last two years, Jets won/covered their home opener.
Under is 7-1 in their last eight home openers.

Panthers @ Jaguars
Last six years, Panthers are 1-5 SU/ATS in Week 1 games.
Since 2009, Carolina is 5-11 SU/ATS in road openers.
Under is 8-4 in Carolina’s last 12 home openers.

Last 8 years, Jacksonville is 4-4 SU/5-3 ATS in Week 1.
Since 2012, Jaguars are 3-10 SU/ATS in home openers.
Jaguars’ last four home openers stayed under the total. 

— Famous birthdays, July 27th:
Haven Moses, 79
Bob Klein, 78
Mack Calvin, 78
Brian Kingman, 72
Hugh Green, 65

Alex Rodriguez, 50
Max Scherzer, 41
DeMarre Carroll, 39
Ryan Tannehill, 37
Drew Rasmussen, 30

— Bengals @ Browns
Bengals started 0-1 in five of the last six seasons.
Under is 5-1 in their last six season openers.
Bengals are 1-5 SU/3-3 ATS in last six road openers. 

Since 2005, Browns are 2-17-1 SU in Week 1 games.
Last six years, Browns are 3-3 SU/1-5 ATS in home openers.
Over is 5-1 in their last six home openers.

— Buccaneers @ Falcons
Last six years, Bucs are 5-0 SU/4-1 ATS in Week 1 games.
Tampa Bay is 7-3 SU/ATS in its last ten road openers.
Over is 7-3 in Tampa Bay’s last ten home openers.

Last seven years, Falcons are 1-6 SU/2-5 ATS in Week 1 games.
Since 2008, Atlanta is 12-5 SU/13-4 ATS in home openers.
Since 2004, under is 15-6 in their road openers.

— 49ers @ Seahawks
Since 2015, 49ers are 7-4 SU/6-5 ATS in Week 1 games.
49ers are 4-6 ATS in their last ten road openers.
Under is 6-2 in their last eight road openers. 

Seahawks started out 1-0 five of the last six years.
Seattle is 3-6 ATS in its last nine home openers.
Under is 10-4 in their last 14 home openers.

— Titans @ Broncos
Last five years, Titans are 1-4 SU/ATS in season openers.
Under is 4-1 in their last five road openers.
Since 2012, Tennessee is 3-10 ATS in home openers.

Last six years, Denver is 1-5 SU/3-3 ATS in Week 1 games.
Broncos’ last six home openers stayed under the total.
Last three years, Denver scored 16-16-6 points in its home opener.

— Texans @ Rams
Last six years, Texans are 1-5 SU/4-2 ATS in their road opener.
Under is 7-3 in its last ten road openers.
Last six years, Houston is 4-2 ATS in its season opener. 

Under McVay, Rams are 6-2 SU/ATS in home openers.
Rams won six of last eight season openers.
Over is 3-1 in their last four home openers.

— Lions @ Packers
Last four years, Detroit is 2-2 SU/4-0 ATS in Week 1 games.
Over is 6-2 in their last eight season openers.
Lions are 6-3 ATS in their last nine road openers.

This is first time since 2018 that Packers are at home in Week 1.
Since 2013, Green Bay is 12-0 SU/9-3 ATS in home openers.
Under is 6-2 in their last eight home openers.

— Ravens @ Bills
Last nine years, Ravens are 7-2 SU/ATS in Week 1.
Since 2008, Baltimore is 11-6 ATS in road openers.
Over is 12-5-1 in Ravens’ last 18 road openers.

Last eight years, Bills are 5-3 SU/4-4 ATS in Week 1.
Last six years, Buffalo os 5-1 SU/3-3 ATS in home openers.
Under is 7-2 in their last ten road openers.

— Vikings @ Bears
Last nine years, Minnesota is 6-3 SU/ATS in Week 1 games.
Since 2017, Vikings are 1-5-1 SU/1-6 ATS in road openers.
Under is 10-1 in their last eleven home openers.

Last 11 years, Chicago started season 0-1 eight times.
Last five years, Bears are 4-1 SU/3-2 ATS in home openers.
Under is 7-1 in their last eight home openers. 

— A’s 15, Astros 3
Rookie 1B Nick Kurtz had one of the greatest games in baseball history:

He went 6-for-6, and scored six runs.
He hit four home runs, a single and a double.
He drove in eight runs.

He tied the all-time record for total bases in a game (19), a record that Shawn Green set in 2002. 

— Angels 3, Mariners 2 (10)
Zach Neto had a walk-off single on his bobblehead night.
Angels’ bullpen allowed only 3 baserunners in four scoreless IP.
Julio Rodriguez had two home runs for Seattle.

— Diamondbacks 1, Pirates 0 (11)
Pittsburgh had one hit the whole game, Pham’s 2nd inning triple.
Eugenio Suarez hit a sac fly in the 11th inning.
Teams combined to go 0-18 with runners in scoring position.

— Rockies 6, Orioles 5
Baltimore hit four solo home runs in the first two innings, led 4-0.
Colorado is 5-2 since the All-Star break.
Orioles are only MLB team without a walk-off win this season.

— Phillies 12, New York 5
New York led 3-2 after the sixth inning.
Kyle Schwarber homered twice, scored three runs, had four RBI.
Schwarber got his 1,000th career hit in this game.
New York’s bullpen gave up 10 runs in 3.1 IP.

— Twins 1, Nationals 0
Rookie Zebby Matthews allowed two hits in his six scoreless IP.
Byron Buxton’s 5th inning sac fly scored the game’s only run.
Washington hasn’t scored in its last 21 innings.

— White Sox 12, Cubs 5
White Sox led this game 9-0 in the fourth inning.
Cubs ace Imanaga gave up 12 hits, seven runs in three IP.
Rookie C Edgar Quero had his first career 4-hit game.

— Cardinals 3, Padres 0
San Diego has lost four games in a row.
Willson Contreras got on base four times, scored twice.
Miles Mikolas tossed 5 shutout IP, despite getting only one whiff in his 73 pitches.

— Famous birthdays, July 26th:
Bob Lilly, 86
Dick Grubar, 78
Mike Rae, 74
Jody Reed, 63
Sandra Bullock, 61

Kate Beckinsale, 52
Delonte West, 42
Ryan O’Hearn, 32
Van Jefferson, 29
Gavin Williams, 26

— Thoughts/prayers go out to Kansas Jayhawks basketball coach Bill Self, who went to the hospital this week and had a procedure with two stents inserted in arteries near his heart. He is expected to make a full recovery.

62-year old Self had a similar procedure two years ago.

— New Jersey Jets QB Justin Fields dislocated a toe on his right foot this week; he isn’t expected to miss much time, should be ready for the season opener against Pittsburgh, his old team.

Tyrod Taylor is the Jets’ backup QB; he’s started 58 NFL games (28-29-1).

— Minnesota Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson a mild hamstring strain and will be held out of practice; he will be re-evaluated next week, but is expected to be ready for the Vikings Week 1 game against the Bears in Chicago.

— Seattle Mariners acquired 1B Josh Naylor from Arizona, the first significant chip to fall before this summer’s trade deadline. Diamondbacks got two prospects in return.

Naylor went 1-for-4 in his Seattle debut; he is hitting .292 this year, with an .804 OPS.

— Colorado Rockies traded 3B Ryan McMahon to Bronx, for two minor leaguers; New York will also take on the $36.5M that is left on McMahon’s contract, thru 2027. 

McMahon is hitting. 217 this year, with a .717 OPS.

— Baltimore Orioles traded traded lefty reliever Gregory Soto to the Mets for two minor leaguers; Mets are Soto’s fourth team the last four years- he has a 3.96 ERA in 45 appearances this season, but he gives the Mets a second lefty in the bullpen.

— If the baseball playoffs started today (they don’t):
NL: Mets, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Phillies, Padres
AL: Toronto, Detroit, Houston. Wild Cards: New York, Mariners, Red Sox

Some stats for Friday’s baseball games:
National League

— Marlins (48-53) @ Milwaukee (61-41)
Quantrill is 0-1, 4.77 in his last six starts.
Marlins won all five of those no-decisions.
Miami is 5-5 in his road starts.
Under is 11-2 in his last thirteen starts.
Allowed run in first inning: 4-18

Marlins are 6-2 in their last eight games.
Under is 7-3 in their last ten games.

Peralta is 7-0, 3.18 in his last seven starts.
His last six starts went over the total.
Brewers are 10-1 in his home starts.
Allowed run in first inning: 2-21

Milwaukee won 12 of its last 13 games.
Over is 6-3 in their last nine games.

— Diamondbacks (50-53) @ Pittsburgh (42-61)
Nelson is 4-0, 2.52 in his last seven starts.
Arizona is 7-4 in his starts.
Under is 7-4 in his starts.
Allowed run in first inning: 3-11

Arizona is 5-7 in its last 12 games.
They traded 1B Naylor to Seattle last night.
Over is 10-6 in their last sixteen road games.

Burrows is 0-2, 4.91 in his last six starts.
Pirates are 3-6 in his starts.
Over is 4-1 in his last five outings.
Allowed run in first inning: 2-9

Pirates are 10-3 in their last 13 home games.
Under is 13-5 in their last 18 games.

— Padres (55-48) @ St Louis (53-51)
Pivetta is 3-0, 0.57 in his last five starts.
San Diego is 6-3 in his road starts.
Over is 6-3 in his last nine starts.
Allowed run in first inning: 5-20

San Diego is 1-11 in its last 12 road games.
Under is 8-3 in their last 11 road games.

Mikolas is 1-2, 8.69 in his last four starts.
Over is 3-1 in his last four starts.
Cardinals are 5-3 in his home starts.
Allowed run in first inning: 8-19

Cardinals lost seven of their last nine games.
Over is 8-2 in their last ten home games.

— Mets (59-44) @ San Francisco (54-49)
Holmes is 0-1, 6.10 in his last four starts.
Mets are 6-4 in his road starts.
Under is 8-4 in his last 12 starts.
Allowed run in first inning: 3-20

Mets won six of their last nine games.
Under is 5-2-1 in their last eight games.

Webb is 2-2, 5.47 in his last four starts.
Giants are 6-4 in his home starts.
Under is 6-4 in his last ten starts.
Allowed run in first inning: 5-21

Giants won last two games, after an 0-6 skid.
Over is 4-0-1 in their last five games.

American League
— Blue Jays (61-42) @ Detroit (60-44)
Berrios is 2-1, 7.11 in his last four starts. 

Over is 3-1 in those four starts.
Toronto is 8-2 in his last ten starts.
Allowed run in first inning: 5-21

Blue Jays are 17-4 in their last 21 games.
Over is 4-1-1 in their last five games.

Montero is 4-2, 4.28 in 14 games (8 starts)
Sometimes they use an opener when he pitches.
Detroit is 6-2 in his starts.
Under is 7-1 when he starts.
Allowed run in first inning: 1-8

Detroit lost 10 of its last 11 games.
Tigers’ last five home games went over the total.

— Guardians (51-51) @ Kansas City (50-53)
Williams is 1-0, 2.00 in his last three starts.
Cleveland is 2-6 in his last eight starts.
Over is 6-2 in his last eight starts.
Allowed run in first inning: 6-22

Cleveland won 11 of its last 14 games.
Over is 5-2 in their last seven games.

Wacha is 0-3, 4.85 in his last five starts.
Royals lost seven of his last eight starts.
Under is 6-3 in his last nine outings.
Allowed run in first inning: 1-20

Royals are 8-5 in their last thirteen games.
Under is 12-4 in their last sixteen home games.

— A’s (43-62) @ Houston (60-43)
Springs is 2-1, 4.43 in his last four starts.
Under is 5-2 in his last seven outings.
A’s are 6-5 in his road starts.
Allowed run in first inning: 10-19

A’s are 2-5 since the All-Star break.
Over is 8-3 in their last 11 road games.

Astros haven’t named a starter for this game.

Houston lost six of its last seven home games.
Astros are 8-5 in second game of series, if they lost the opener.

— Mariners (55-48) @ LA Angels (49-54)
Woo 3-1, 2.58 in his last six starts.
Seattle lost four of his last five road outings.
Over is 4-2 in his last six starts.
Allowed run in first inning: 6-19

Seattle is 7-3 in its last ten games, 2-3 in last five.
Over is 14-3 in their last sixteen road games.

Soriano is 0-2, 11.85 in his last three home starts.
Overall, Angels are 9-12 in his starts.
Over is 4-2 in his last six starts.
Allowed run in first inning: 4-21

Angels lost five of their last six games.
Over is 10-3-1 in their last fourteen games.

— Famous birthdays, July 25th:
Illeana Douglas, 64
Doug Drabek, 63
Dean Biasucci, 63
Torey Lovullo, 60

Matt LeBlanc, 58
Jon Barry, 56
Billy Wagner, 54
Tracy Murray, 54

Tee Martin, 47
Kevin Kouzmanoff, 44
Alvin Kamara, 30
Bryce Young, 24

Friday would’ve been Biff Pocoroba’s 72nd birthday.

Interleague
— Rockies (26-76) @ Baltimore (45-57)
Freeland is 1-1, 3.38 in his last three starts,
Colorado is 2-7 in his road starts.
Over is 4-1 in his last five outings.
Allowed run in first inning: 9-18

Colorado is 4-2 since the All-Star break.
Rockies are 12-38 on the road.
Under is 7-1-1 in their last nine games.

Kremer is 1-0, 0.64 in his last two starts.
Orioles are 6-0 when he starts at home.
Under is 8-1 in his last nine starts.
Allowed run in first inning: 5-19

Orioles lost seven of their last nine games.
Under is 6-4 in their last ten games.

— Phillies (58-44) @ New York (56-46)
Walker is 1-1, 5.82 in his last four starts.
Phillies are 5-5 in his starts.
Under is 6-4 in his starts.
Allowed run in first inning: 2-10

Phillies are 5-7 in their last 12 games.
Under is 11-3 in their last 14 road games.

Warren is 1-1, 4.20 in his last three starts.
Over is 3-1 in his last four starts.
New York is 5-4 in his home starts.
Allowed run in first inning: 5-21

New York is 3-5 in its last eight games.
Over is 5-2 in their last seven home games.

— Dodgers (60-43) @ Boston (55-49)
Sheehan is 0-1, 5.25 in three starts.
This is his first road start this season.
Under is 2-1 in his starts.
Allowed run in first inning: 0-3

Dodgers are 4-11 in their last fifteen games.
Under is 8-3 in their last eleven road games.

Bello is 2-1, 2.53 in his last three starts.
Under is 4-2 in his last six outings.
Red Sox are 4-8 in his last 12 starts.
Allowed run in first inning: 6-16

Red Sox won their last seven home games.
Under is 7-3 in their last ten games.

— Rays (53-50) @ Cincinnati (53-50)
Littell is 2-0, 2.43 in his last five starts.
Under is 13-7 in his starts.
Rays are 6-4 in his road outings.
Allowed run in first inning: 6-20

Rays are 2-9 in their last eleven read games.
Under is 8-5 in their last thirteen games.

Martinez is 2-0, 3.48 in his last two starts.
Reds are 6-2 in his last ten starts. 
Over is 7-3 in his last ten starts.
Allowed run in first inning: 6-20

Reds are 7-4 in their last eleven games.
Under is 8-2 in their last ten games.

— Cubs (60-42) @ White Sox (37-66)
Imanaga is 4-1, 1.78 in his last five starts.
Under is 10-3 in his starts.
Cubs are 9-4 in his starts.
Allowed run in first inning: 3-13

Cubs lost three of their last four games.
Under is 8-4 in their last 12 games.

Houser is 3-0, 2.48 in his last five starts,
White Sox are 7-3 in his starts.
Under is 9-1 in his starts.
Allowed run in first inning: 1-10

White Sox are 5-1 since the All-Star break.
Over is 6-3 in their last nine games.

— Braves (44-57) @ Texas (53-50)
Wentz threw four shutout IP (59 PT) in his first ’25 start.
Allowed run in first inning: 0-1

Braves lost five of their last seven games.
Over is 9-2-1 in their last 12 games.

Eovaldi is 3-0, 0.96 in his last three starts.
This is his first start since July 13th.
Under is 12-4 in his starts.
Allowed run in first inning: 3-16

Rangers won six of their last seven games.
Under is 5-2 in their last seven games.

— Nationals (41-61) @ Minnesota (49-53)
Gore is 1-4, 5.63 in his last six starts.
Washington is 5-6 in his road starts.
Over is 4-1 in his last five starts.
Allowed run in first inning: 6-20

Washington is 4-8 since they fired their manager.
Over is 12-3 in their last fifteen road games.

Matthews is 1-2, 6.26 in five starts.
He allowed 2 runs in 4 IP, in his one home start,
Over is 3-1 in his last four starts.
Allowed run in first inning: 1-5

Twins lost five of their last seven games.
Under is 9-3 in their last 12 games. 

— Green Bay Packers are a publicly-owned team, so they divulge their earnings every year; this past year, the Packers and their 539,529 stockholders (lot of stockholders) banked a check from the NFL worth $432.6M, which means since every team got one of those, the league’s total revenue was roughly $13B, that’s BILLION, with a B. 

Which is how they can afford to pay Roger Goodell $30 or $40M a year; he is the captain that keeps the golden yacht afloat.

— Tennessee Titans QB Will Levis is going to have season-ending shoulder surgery; he hopes to be ready for the 2026 season. Levis was 5-16 as a starter for Tennessee his first two years in the NFL, but the Titans drafted Cam Ward in this April’s draft.

Brandon Allen (2-8 as an NFL starter in five years)/Tim Boyle (0-5 in six years) are the Titans’ other QB’s, if they don’t start Ward right away.

— Miami Dolphins’ head coaches, since 2000:
2000-04- Dave Wannstedt 42-31 regular season (1-2 playoffs)
2004- Jim Bates 3-4 as an interim coach
2005-06- Nick Saban 15-17 regular season
2007- Cam Cameron 1-15 regular season

2008-11- Tony Sparano- 29-32 regular season (0-1 playoffs)
2011- Todd Bowles 2-1 as an interim coach
2012-15- Joe Philbin- 24-28 regular season
2015- Dan Campbell 5-7 as an interim coach

2016-18- Adam Gase- 23-25 regular season (0-1 playoffs)
2019-21- Brian Flores 24-25 regular season
2022-present- Mike McDaniel 28-23 regular season (0-2 playoffs)

— Notes for the Houston Texans:
Went 10-7/10-7 in two years under DeMeco Ryans.
Last year, Texans were 7-5 in games decided by 8 or fewer points.

This year, Texans are #18 in $$$ spent on offense (#23 on QBs)
This year, Texans are #9 in $$$ spent on defense.

Last year, Houston was +10 (29-19) in turnovers. 

Last year, Houston was minus-5 (49-54) in sacks.

Last two years, under is 22-12 in Texans games.
Last two years, Texans are 7-11 ATS as a favorite, 9-6 as an underdog.

— Kudos to MLB Network for showing a minor league game live Monday afternoon, a AAA game between farm teams of the Phillies-Orioles. It is fun to watch prospects play, see what they have a they try and make it to the majors.

— Red Sox 9, Phillies 8 (11)
Boston is now 1-7 in extra inning games on the road.
Phillies led 5-0 after the fourth inning.
Bryce Harper hit his 350th career home run.

— Rockies 6, Cardinals 0
Colorado got its first shutout in its last 220 games.
Rookie Tanner Gordon pitched six innings, got his second win..
Ezequiel Tovar homered for the Rockies.

— Famous birthdays, July 24th:
Robert Hays, 78
Michael Richards, 76
Lynda Carter, 74
Steve Grogan, 72

Kevin Butler, 63
Karl Malone, 62
Barry Bonds, 61

Rick Fox, 56
Jennifer Lopez, 56
Rafer Alston, 49
Rose Byrne, 46

Anna Paquin, 43
Kyle Kuzma, 30
Drake London, 24

— Mets 6, Angels 3
Mets won their fourth game in a row.
Francisco Lindor snapped out of a slump, going 2-4 with two RBI.
Mike Trout now has 396 homers, 999 RBI in his career.

— Astros 4, Diamondbacks 3
Christian Walker had the game-winning single in the 9th inning.
First two Astros in 9th inning reached base on bunt singles.
Houston now leads AL West by six games.

— Guardians 3, Orioles 2
Steven Kwan had the game-winning hit in the 8th inning.
Guardians have won 11 of their last 13 games.
Baltimore has lost seven of its last eight games.

— Reds 5, Nationals 0
Nick Lodolo threw a 105-pitch complete game for the Reds.
Cincinnati has now gone 33 series without being swept this season.
Washington is 4-8 since they fired their GM/manager.

— Marlins 3, Padres 2
Jesus Sanchez hit a 2-run homer for the Marlins.
Sandy Alcantara allowed one (unearned) run in 7 IP.
Marlins are 23-12 in their last 35 games.

— Dodgers 4, Twins 3
Freddie Freeman hit a 2-run, walk-off single in 9th inning.
Shohei Ohtani homered for the fifth game in a row.
Game was tied 1-1 after six innings.

— Pirates 6, Tigers 1
Spencer Horwitz hit his first career grand slam.
Bailey Falter allowed only four hits in 7 IP.
Detroit has lost nine of its last ten games.

If the baseball playoffs started today (they do not):
AL: Blue Jays, Tigers, Astros. Wild Cards: New York, Mariners, Red Sox
NL: Mets, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Phillies, Padres

Air Force
Falcons are 14-7-1 ATS last 22 games as a road underdog.
Since 2015, Air Force is 16-26-1 ATS in games coming off a loss.
Air Force won/covered its last five bowl games.

Boise State
Since 2019, Boise State is 41-24-2 ATS in Mountain West games.
Broncos are 13-6 ATS in last 19 games as a home favorite.
Boise State is 9-4-1 ATS in last 14 games as a road underdog.

Colorado State
Last year was Rams’ first winning season since 2017.
Last three years, Colorado State is 4-10 ATS in non-conference games.
Rams are 0-5 SU/ATS in their last five bowl games.

Fresno State
Since 2016, Bulldogs are 8-1-1 ATS as a home underdog.
Since 2017, Fresno is 21-13-1 ATS in non-conference games.
New coach went 60-11 at I-AA North Dakota State, winning two national titles.

Hawaii
Since 2015, Rainbows are 9-21-2 ATS as a home favorite.
Hawaii is 17-28 ATS in its last 45 road games.
Last three years, Rainbows are 14-8-1 ATS in conference games.

Nevada
Last three years, Wolf Pack was 2-21 SU/8-14-1 ATS in conference games.
Nevada is 3-2 SU in last five bowls (underdog in 4 of 5, pick ‘em in the 5th)
Since 2016, Wolf Pack is 17-23-1 ATS in games coming off a win.

Notes on the Green Bay Packers:
Made playoffs five of last six years, went 3-5 in those playoffs.
Last year, Packers were 11-6, 5-5 in games decided by 8 or fewer points. 

Green Bay is 3-7 ATS in its last ten games as a road favorite.
Packers are 6-4 ATS in their last ten games as a home favorite.

Last year, Packers were +12 in turnovers (31-19)
Last year, Packers were +23 in sacks (45-22)

This year, Green Bay is #29 in $$$ spent of offense (#31 on WRs, #21 on OL)
This year, Green Bay is #3 in $$$ spent on defense (#2 on CB’s, #8 on DL)

Famous birthdays, July 23rd:
Ronny Cox, 87
Larry Manetti, 78
Belinda Montgomery, 75
Woody Harrelson, 64

Gary Payton, 57
Elden Campbell, 57
Nomar Garciaparra, 52
Chase Meidroth, 24

UNLV
Last two years, Rebels were 9-5/11-3 SU; from 2015-22, they were 27-63.
In his career, Dan Mullen is 49-34-1 ATS at home.
Last three years, UNLV is 13-2 ATS in non-conference games.

New Mexico
Lobos have had eight consecutive losing seasons.
New Mexico is 9-21-2 ATS in its last 32 conference games.
Lobos haven’t been to a bowl game since 2016.
Last time they went to a bowl outside of New Mexico? 2004.

San Diego State
Last four years, Aztecs are 4-11 ATS as a home favorite.
Since 2015, Aztecs are 16-10-1 ATS as a road favorite.
Since 2015, San Diego State is 26-17-1 ATS as an underdog.

San Jose State
Last two years, San Jose State is 8-4 ATS as a favorite.
Spartans lost their last four bowls; they were favored in all four.
In his career, coach Niumatalolo is 34-20 ATS as a road dog.

Utah State
Last three years, Aggies went 6-7/6-7/4-8 SU.
Since 2016, Utah State is 20-8-1 ATS as a home favorite.
In his career, coach Mendenhall is 57-37-1 ATS in non-conference games.

Wyoming
Cowboys were 3-9 LY, just their second losing season in eight years.
Since 2016, Wyoming is 19-7 ATS as a home underdog.
Since 2016, Cowboys are 29-18-1 ATS in games coming off a loss. 

— Baseball’s trade deadline is 9-10 days away, 6:00 on July 31st; how much activity will there be? Lot of the contending teams need pitching help, but how much pitching help can the teams who are out of contention provide?

Some teams are teetering on the edge of contending/selling; which teams will go for it? Seems like with a few teams (Arizona, St Louis, Kansas City) that could change on a daily basis.

— There are 13 major league managers who have won 2,000+ games; 10 of them are in the Hall of Fame. The other three?

Dusty Baker
Bruce Bochy
Terry Francona…….all three of them will get inducted in Cooperstown, too.

— Chicago White Sox are 35-65 this season, but they’re 9-5 on Fridays. Go figure.

— Reds OF Jake Fraley is playing with a torn labrum in his shoulder, which will need surgery after the season. Fraley is hitting .242 with a .748 OPS this season.

— Houston reliever Bryan Abreu has nine saves in 13 opportunities this season; all four of his blown saves have come against Seattle.

— Charlotte 83, Sacramento 78
Hornets won the NBA Summer League; players actually get championship rings. 

Dennis Rodman’s son scored 11 points in 16:00 off the bench for Charlotte.
Sacramento’s bench shot only 6-20 from the floor.

— Notes for the Detroit Lions:
Last two years, Lions were 27-7 SU in regular season.
Last year, Detroit was 7-2 in games decided by 8 or fewer points.

Lions were +9 (24-15) in turnovers last year.

Since 2022, Detroit is 36-14 against the spread.
Lions are 21-8 ATS in their last 29 games as a favorite. 

Since 2022, over is 17-9 in Detroit home games.

From 1992-2022, Detroit was 0-8 in playoff games; then they won two playoff games in 2023, losing NFC title game 34-31 at San Francisco.

This year, Lions are #5 in NFL in $$$ spent on offense (#13 QB). 

This year, Lions are #26 in $$$ spent on defensive players.

— Famous birthdays, July 22nd:
Sparky Lyle, 81
Danny Glover, 79
Albert Brooks, 78
Willem Dafoe, 70

Dave Stieb, 68
Alvin Robertson, 63
David Spade, 61
Keyshawn Johnson, 53

Steven Jackson, 42
Tanner Scott, 31
Ezekiel Elliott, 30
Garrett Wilson, 25

— White Sox 8, Rays 3
Chicago is 4-0 since All-Star break, scoring 35 runs.
Brooks Baldwin hit a 3-run homer for the White Sox.
Rays are 1.5 games out of the AL’s last Wild Card spot.

— Pirates 3, Tigers 0
Paul Skenes allowed 3 hits in 6 shutout IP.
Detroit has lost seven of its last eight games.
Despite that, Tigers still lead the AL Central by ten games.

— Astros 6, Diamondbacks 3
2B Brice Matthews hit his first two big league homers in his 5th MLB game.
Just third win for Houston in its last ten games.
Eugenio Suarez hit his 36th home run for Arizona.

— Brewers 6, Mariners 0
Milwaukee has now won 11 games in a row.
Game was scoreless after five innings.
Brandon Woodruff allowed two baserunners in six IP.

— Blue Jays 4, New York 1
Toronto won its 11th straight home game.
Overall, Toronto is 17-4 in its last 21 games.
Blue Jays now lead AL East by four games.

— Padres 2, Marlins 1
San Diego’s bullpen got 14 outs, allowed only two baserunners.
Miami out-hit the Padres 9-5, but they were 0-5 with RISP.
Padres hold a 3.5-game lead for the NL’s last Wild Card spot.

— Cardinals 6, Rockies 2
Willson Contreras homered, drove in two runs.
Michael McGreevy allowed two runs in 7 IP to get the win.
Colorado is now 24-76 in its first 100 games. 

Trends for major league teams
(thru Sunday’s games)

— Arizona (50-50)
Arizona won its last three games, scoring 22 runs.
Over is 17-7 in their last 24 home games.
Arizona is 8-19 in last 27 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Braves (43-55)
Braves are 6-14 in its last 20 games.
Atlanta is 10.5 games out of the last Wild Card spot.
Atlanta is 25-24 at home, 18-31 on the road.
Over is 7-2 in their last nine games.

— Cubs (59-40)
Chicago is 13-7 in its last 20 games.
Cubs are tied with Milwaukee for NL Central lead.
Under is 7-2 in its last ten nine games.
Cubs are 46-24 vs righty starters, 13-16 vs lefties.

— Reds (52-48)
Cincinnati is 6-2 in its last eight games.
Reds are 38-30 vs righty starters, 14-18 vs lefties.
Under is 9-3 in their last 12 games.
Reds scored in first inning in six of last ten games.

— Rockies (24-75)
Colorado won its first home series of the season this weekend.
Under is 15-8 in Rockies’ last 23 games.
Rockies are 3-23 vs lefty starters, 21-52 vs righties. 
Colorado is 6-3 in last nine games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Dodgers (58-42)
Dodgers lost 10 of their last 12 games.
LA leads San Diego by 3.5 games in NL West.
Dodgers are 42-28 vs righty starters, 16-14 vs lefties.
Under is 13-7 in their last 20 games.

— Marlins (46-52)                                                                       )
Marlins are 23-14 in their last 37 games.
Miami is 22-28 at home, 24-24 on the road.
Under is 17-5 in Marlins’ last 22 home games.
Over is 8-4 in Marlins’ last 12 road games.

— Brewers (59-40)
Brewers won their last ten games, scoring 56 runs.
Milwaukee is 33-17 at home, 26-23 on the road.
Over is 7-1 in their last eight series openers.
Milwaukee is tied with the Cubs for the NL Central lead.

— Mets (56-44)
Mets are 11-20 in their last 31 games.
Mets are 34-16 at home, 22-28 on the road.
Under is 4-1 in their last five games.
Mets are #2 Wild Card team right now, trail Philly by half-game in NL East.

— Phillies (56-43)
Phillies are 4-8 in their last 12 road games.
Phillies are 44-27 vs righty starters, 12-16 vs lefties.
Over is 4-1 in their last five games.
Phillies are 11-5 in home series openers.

— Pirates (39-61)
Pirates are 1-11 in their last 12 games.
Pittsburgh is 26-24 at home, 13-37 on the road.
Under is 11-4 in their last 15 games.
Pirates are 10-5 in last 15 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— St Louis (51-49)
St Louis is 5-11 in its last 16 games.
Cardinals are 11-5 in home series openers.
St Louis is 29-20 at home, 22-29 on the road.
Over is 10-2 in their last dozen games.

— Padres (54-45)
Padres are 10-9 in their last 19 games (starting pitchers have two wins.
San Diego is 3-8 in its last 11 series openers.
Under is 17-10 in their last 27 games.
San Diego leads Giants by 2.5 games for the last NL Wild Card slot.

— Giants (52-48)
Giants are 1-6 in their last seven games, 11-17 since acquiring Devers.
Giants are 42-31 vs righty pitchers, 10-17 vs lefties.
Over is 6-3 in their last nine road games.
SF is 21-10 in games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Washington (39-60)
Nationals are 2-7 since they fired their general manager/manager.
Washington is 4-14 in its last fifteen home games.
Over is 20-4 in their last 24 games.
Washington is 17-8 last 25 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Notes for the Denver Broncos:
Broncos were 10-7 LY, 1-6 in games decided by 8 or fewer points.
Broncos were 9-1 in games decided by 9+ points.

Last year was Denver’s first winning season since 2016.

Denver was 8-0 ATS as a favorite LY, 4-5 as an underdog.

Broncos were +6 (25-19) in turnovers LY,+39 in sacks (63-24).

Broncos are #24 in NFL in $$$ spent on offense, #7 on OL, #28 on QB’s.
Broncos are #15 in NFL in $$$ spent on defense, #25 on CB’s

— Famous birthdays, July 21st:
Al Hrabosky, 76
Jon Lovitz, 68
Barry Redden, 65
Henry Ellard, 64
Mike Bordick, 60

Geoff Jenkins, 51
Justin Bertha, 47
David Carr, 46
CC Sabathia, 45
DeAndre Jordan, 37

Today would’ve been the 74th birthday for the great Robin Williams. 

— Orioles (44-54)
Baltimore lost four of its last five games.
Orioles are 7-3 in their last ten series openers.
Orioles are 14-15 vs AL East foes, 30-39 vs everyone else.
Under is 28-15 in their last 43 games.

— Red Sox (54-47)
Red Sox won 11 of their last 13 games.
Boston is 12-19 in one-run games.
Under is 5-2 in their last seven games.
Red Sox are 17-11 in 28 games since trading Devers.

— White Sox (35-65)
Chicago swept the Pirates this weekend, scoring 27 runs.
White Sox are 21-29 at home, 14-36 on the road.
Under is 16-5 in their last 21 road games.
Chicago is 25-50 vs righty starters, 10-15 vs lefties.

— Cleveland (48-50)
Cleveland is 8-2 in its last 10 games, after an 0-10 skid.
Guardians are 4.5 games out of the last Wild Card slot.
Guardians are 37-31 vs righty starters, 11-19 vs lefties.
Over is 5-1 in their last six games.

— Detroit (60-40)
Detroit lost six of its last seven games.
Tigers are 18-9 vs its AL Central rivals, lead division by 11 games.
Detroit is 13-3 in home series openers.
Under is 5-1 in their last six road games.

— Houston (57-42)
Astros are 2-7 in last nine games, lead AL West by 4 games.
Astros are 33-19 at home, 24-23 on the road.
Over is 10-5 in their last 12 road games.
Three of their four starting infielders are on the IL.

— Royals (48-52)
Royals are 8-5 in their last 13 games.
Kansas City is 37-45 vs righty starters, 11-7 vs lefties.
Under is 11-3 in Royals’ last 14 home games.
Royals are 1-8 in last nine home series openers.

— Angels (49-50)
Angels are 6-4 in their last 10 games.
Halos are 14-5 in last 19 series openers.
Angels are 40-40 vs righty starters, 9-10 vs lefties.
Angels are 24-12 in games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Twins (48-51)
Twins are 2-6 in their last eight road games.
Minnesota is 28-20 at home, 20-31 on the road.
Twins are five games out of the last playoff slot.
Under is 13-5 in their last eighteen games.

— New York (55-44)
New York is 7-3 in its last ten games.
Over is 14-3 in their last 17 games.
Right now, New York is the #1 Wild Card in the AL.
New York is 43-33 vs righty starters, 12-11 vs lefties.

— A’s (42-59)
A’s are 9-8 in their last seventeen games.
Under is 8-4 in their last 12 home games.
A’s are 12-14 in one-run games, 6-3 in extra innings.
Last ten series, A’s are 6-0 in games where winning run scored from 7th inning on..

— Seattle (53-46)
Mariners won five of their last six games.
Seattle is 11-5 in its last sixteen home games.
Over is 18-4 in their last 22 road games.
Under is 13-7 in Mariners’ last 20 home games.

— Tampa Bay (52-48)
Tampa Bay lost 12 of its last 17 games.
Rays are 30-26 at home, 22-22 on the road.
Tampa Bay is 1.5 games out of the last Wild Card slot.
Rays are 2-7 in last nine games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Texas (50-50)
Rangers are 21-15 in their last 36 games.
Texas is 9-21 in games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.
Rangers are 28-20 at home, 22-30 on road.
Under is 4-0 in their last four games.

— Toronto (58-41)
Blue Jays won 14 of their last 17 games.
Blue Jays won their last 10 home games.
Over is 13-7 in their last 20 road games.
Toronto is 13-5 in last 18 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

If the baseball playoffs started today (they do not):
AL: Blue Jays, Tigers, Astros. Wild Cards: New York, Red Sox, Mariners
NL: Phillies, Chi/Mil, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Mil/Chi, Mets, Padres

— Reds 5, Mets 2
Mets retired David Wright’s #5 before this game.
Jake Fraley had three hits, drove in two runs.
In their last 40 games, David Peterson is only starting pitcher for the Mets who has gotten an out after the sixth inning.

— Bronx 12, Braves 9
Atlanta led 7-2 after the fifth inning.
New York scored four runs in the decisive ninth inning.
Anthony Volpe homered twice, drove in four runs.

— Brewers 8, Dodgers 7
Both teams scored four runs in the fourth inning.
Freddy Peralta got his 12th win, but gave up four runs in 5 IP.
Shohei Ohtani hit his 33rd home run of the season.

— Phillies 9, Angels 5
Angels led 4-2 in the sixth inning.
Kyle Schwarber hit a grand slam, his 32nd home run.
In his last six games. Bryce Harper is 12 for 24 with four home runs.

— Famous birthdays, July 20th:
James Harris, 78
Donna Dixon, 68
Mike Lansford, 67
Mike Witt, 65
Reed Diamond, 58

Omar Epps, 52
Ray Allen, 50
Stephen Strasburg, 37
Steven Adams, 32
Keibert Ruiz, 27

— A’s 8, Guardians 2
Luis Severino allowed only five baserunners, two runs in 5 IP.
Nick Kurtz was 3-5 with a home run, three runs scored.
Jacob Wilson, Shea Langeliers also homered for the A’s.

— Cubs 6, Red Sox 0
Chicago hit five solo home runs in this game.
Shota Imanaga threw seven shutout innings; he is 7-3, 2.40 this year.
Red Sox scored one run the last two days, after entering the All-star break on a 10-game winning streak.

— Rays 4, Orioles 3
Baltimore led 2-0 in the 7th inning.
Chandler Simpson had the game-tying hit, scored the winning run.
Scott Fairbanks got his 16th save for Tampa Bay.

— Nationals 4, Padres 2
Nathaniel Lowe homered in the 6th inning for Washington.
Just the second win for the Nationals in their last 11 games.
It was the first time in 35 games that Washington recorded a save.

— Rangers 4, Tigers 1
Kumar Rocker didn’t allow a hit until the sixth inning.
Rowdy Tellez hit a 3-run homer in his second game with Texas.
Rangers are 50-49, are over .500 for the first time since May 20th.

— Movie of the Day: Moon Over Parador (1988)- An American actor gets an acting gig in South America, then gets hired to stand in for the country’s dictator, when the dictator dies in real life. Can the actor and dictator’s mistress change Parador? 

Richard Dreyfuss is the actor, Sonia Braga is the mistress, Raul Julia plays the dictator’s right hand man. Jonathan Winters has a strange role as a spy of some kind.

This is a funny movie, a weirder version of Dave, when Kevin Kline stands in as the President when he has a stroke.

— Blue Jays 6, Giants 3
Addison Barger went 4-for 4; Toronto has won 9 in a row at home.
Giants led 2-0 in sixth inning, but Blue Jays scored 4 runs in the sixth.
Willie Adames homered twice for San Francisco.

— Marlins 3, Royals 1
Marlins led 1-0 after seven innings.
With score 1-1, Otto Lopez hit a 2-run double in 8th inning.
Since June 13, Marlins are 21-10.

— White Sox 10, Pirates 4
White Sox won first two games in this series, scoring 10 runs in both games.
Lenyn Sosa was 3-for-5, scoring twice, with 3 RBI.
Adrian Houser didn’t pitch well, but Chicago is 7-3 in his starts.

— Diamondbacks 10, Cardinals 1
Eugenio Suarez homered twice, now has 33 homers this season.
Corbin Carroll had two triples, now has 12 triples this season.
Arizona is 49-50, 4.5 games out of the last Wild Card spot.

— Rockies 10, Twins 6
Colorado wins a home series for the first time this season.
Ezequiel Tovar hit a 3-run homer to put the Rockies ahead for good.
Minnesota has lost 12 of its last 15 road games. 

Trends for football teams in the Big Ten (Big 18) Conference:

— Illinois
Since 2017, they’re 9-16-1 ATS as a home favorite.
Since 2015, they’re 26-35 ATS coming off a loss.
In his career, Bielema is 27-17-1 ATS as a road underdog.

— Indiana
Cignetti is 23-8 ATS as a favorite.
Indiana was 11-2 SU last year, +15 in turnovers.
From 2021-23, Indiana was 9-27, minus-22 in turnovers.

— Iowa
Since 2014, Hawkeyes are 21-8-1 ATS as a road favorite.
In his career, Ferentz is 18-13-2 ATS as a home underdog.

— Maryland
Since 2017, Terrapins are 17-7 ATS in non-conference games.
In his career, Locksley is 11-22 ATS as a road underdog.

— Michigan
Michigan was 8-5 SU last year (40-3 SU from 2021-23)
Wolverines are 7-11-2 ATS in last 20 games as a home favorite.
Since 2019, Michigan is 31-20-3 ATS in conference games.

— Michigan State
Last three years, Spartans went 5-7/4-8/5-7 (minus-18 in turnovers)
In his career, Jonathan Smith is 16-9 ATS as a road underdog.

— Minnesota
In his career, Fleck is 25-14-1 ATS as a road underdog.
Gophers won/covered their last five bowl games.

— Nebraska
Ruhle is 34-19-1 ATS as an underdog, 13-7 as a home dog, 11-5 as a road favorite.
Since 2015, Nebraska is 25-37-3 ATS at home.

— Northwestern
Since 2021, Wildcats are 2-8 ATS as a home favorite.
Since 2015, Wildcats are 23-14 ATS as a road underdog.
Northwestern won its last five bowl games (was underdog in 3 of the 5)

— Famous birthdays, July 19th:
George Dzundza, 80
Alvan Adams, 71
Anthony Edwards, 63
LeRoy Butler, 57

Rick Ankiel, 46
Adam Morrison, 41
LaMarcus Aldridge, 40
Yan Gomes, 38

Patrick Corbin, 36
Mauricio Dubon, 31
Jonathan Cannon, 25
Ethan Evans, 24

— Ohio State
Ryan Day is 26-16 ATS as a home favorite.
In their last 131 games, Buckeyes are 2-1 ATS as an underdog.
Former NFL coach Matt Patricia is Ohio State’s new defensive coordinator. 

— Oregon
Last three years, Oregon is 26-15 ATS.
Ducks are 9-3 ATS as a road favorite in conference games.
Oregon is 14-4 ATS as a single digit favorite in conference games.

— Penn State
Last three years, PSU is 34-8 SU (+11/+16/+11 in turnovers)
Since 2021, Penn State is 16-8-1 ATS as a home favorite.
Overall, Nittany Lions are 27-11-1 ATS in last 39 games as a favorite.

— Purdue
Last three years, Purdue was 2-15 ATS at home.
Since 2016, Purdue is 5-16 ATS as a home favorite.
In his career, new coach Odom is 20-13 ATS as a home favorite.
Since 2020, Boilermakers are 14-28 ATS in conference games.

— Rutgers
Since 2021, Scarlet Knights are 12-3 ATS in non-conference games.
In his career, Schiano is 36-22-3 ATS as a road underdog.

— USC
In his career, Riley is 29-19 ATS as a home favorite, 9-21-1 as a road favorite.
Since 2021, Trojans are 14-23 ATS in conference games.

— UCLA
Since 2015, Bruins are 14-27 ATS as a home favorite.
Since 2015, Bruins are 10-20-1 ATS in non-conference games.
UCLA lost three of last four bowl games, giving up 37.8 ppg.

— Washington
Since 2018, Washington is 22-38 ATS in conference games.
Since 2015, Huskies are 8-14 ATS as an underdog.
Since 2017, under is 24-11 in Washington’s away games.

— Wisconsin
Since 2018, Wisconsin is 16-24 ATS as a home favorite.
Since 2015, Badgers are 23-11 ATS as a road favorite. 

Before I start today, the Home Run Derby after the All-Star Game was fun, but there is no way on God’s green earth that this should become a permanent thing in baseball. No chance.

It is good gimmick for exhibition games, that’s it. 

Umpire trends for the baseball season so far:
Home plate umps with lot of runs scored in their games:
over 13-4- Hanahan

over 12-4- Barrett, Barry

over 13-5- Livensparger

over 12-6- Johnson

over 12-7- Fletcher

over 10-5- Bellino

over 10-6- Additon

over 12-8- Wolcott

Home plate umps with not a lot of runs scored in their games:
under 11-1- Ramos

under 14-4- Hudson, Blaser

under 13-4- Libka

under 12-4- Emil Jimenez

under 12-5- Bacchus, Segal, Tichenor

under 13-6- Lentz

under 12-6- Cuzzi

under 11-5- Scheurwater

Home plate umps where home teams have done well:
home 15-4- Clemons

home 13-3- Ceja

home 12-4- Bucknor, Ramos

home 12-5- Blakeney

home 13-6- Diaz

home 12-6- Gibson, Hudson

home 11-5- Barry

Home plate umps where road teams have done well:
road 13-6- DeJesus
 
road 12-6- Blaser

road 8-3- Valentine

road 11-6- Edwin Jimenez

road 13-8- Carapazza, Morales

road 10-6- Dreckman

Movie of the Day: The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)- The lives of two struggling musicians, who are brothers, inevitably change when they team up with a beautiful, up-and-coming singer.

Jeff/Beau Bridges are the brothers, Michelle Pfeiffer is the singer, and she sings all her own songs in the movie. This is a very good movie.

— Notes for the Dallas Cowboys:
Dallas went 7-10 LY, fired Mike McCarthy, after they made the playoffs the three years before that. Brian Schottenheimer is the new head coach. Dallas hasn’t played in the NFC title game since 1995.

This year, Dallas is #1 in NFL in $$$ spent on offensive players (#2 at QB).
Dallas is #13 in NFL in $$$ spent on defensive players

Last year, Cowboys were minus-6 in turnovers (22-28)
Last year, Cowboys were +14 in sacks (52-38)

Dallas was 2-5 LY in games decided by 9+ points, 5-5 in games decided by 8 or fewer points.

Cowboys were favored in only 3 of 17 games last year.

Last two years, Dallas is 6-12 ATS as an underdog.
Last two years, over is 11-6 in their home games.

— Famous birthdays, July 18th:
James Brolin, 85
Joe Torre, 85
Dick Shiner, 83
Wally Walker, 71

Audrey Landers, 69
Mike Greenwell, 62
Jeff Lageman, 58
Anfernee Hardaway, 54

Torii Hunter, 50
Eugenio Suarez, 34
Dinelson Lamet, 33
Kyle Manzardo, 25

— Pittsburgh Steelers signed TJ Watt to a 3-year deal oath $123M, making him the highest paid non-QB in NFL history.

— Washington Commanders signed 36-year old Von Miller  to a one-year deal; he played for the Bills the last three seasons. Washington already had the oldest roster in the NFL, now they’ve gotten a little bit older.

— Damian Lillard signed a 3-year, $42M deal to return to the Portland Trailblazers, where he played the first eleven years of his career. Lillard is rehabbing from a torn Achilles he suffered in the first round of the playoffs, so he’ll be out next season.

— If you hear that an NBA player signs a “two-way contract” with a team, it means he will be paid $578,577 for that season, which is half the minimum salary for an NBA player. He’ll split his time between the G League and the NBA.

— If the Tampa Bay Rays make the playoffs, they can host playoff games at their temporary home, a minor-league stadium with a seating capacity of 10,046 that the Bronx Bombers use for their spring training games.