Thirsty Thursday
The Cubs are hot on the heels of the Fire for worst offense in Chicago, having passed the White Sox in the standings last night in Pittsburgh. Four hits and zero runs were all the support offered to Samardjia, who was excellent and lost again. I need to remember that being nitty with the lines is sometimes a good thing as it saved a losing bet in this case. Francisco Liriano (yep, exactly who you think it is) got the win and is somehow 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA in three starts this season for the Pirates, who as mentioned last night are two games out of first place in the Central.
Only 5 games today in MLB, and Minnesota is the closest thing to a lean today and will most likely be a pass.
I was working on Power Rankings for MLS yesterday and realized when compiling just how much parity exists. Leagues without relegation, and that includes all American sports leagues, really do reward mediocrity. They are an extension of corporate America where turning up is the most important attribute. We have seen this up close with New England the last 7-8 years. Since they can’t be relegated, there is no reason to actively improve the team. And since as Jeff Maurer says, “The MLS playoffs are like Arizona State: You have to screw up really badly to not get in,” regular season games lack urgency as well. Throw in the fact that MLS plays right through international weeks where teams will be without their best players who are away on duty and it’s remarkably clear why EPL interest exponentially exceeds that of MLS.
The MLS lines this week are far too generous to some of these mediocre to poor teams who happen to be hosting teams of the same calibre. New England at home to Toronto is the most egregious but Colorado hosting Chivas at -160 is bad too. I really need to find another book to make any plays however as mine is around 20 points off Pinnacle on nearly everything. La Liga nonsense and any MLS plays to be posted Saturday.
