The 2010 NBA Playoffs betting lines are here, and Bankroll Sports has all of the action covered from wall to wall as the 16 teams left standing in the season battle it out for the right to be called champions!

There are three clear cut favorites above all else in this tournament, as one of the three of the Cleveland Cavaliers (+125 at Diamond Sportsbook), the Orlando Magic (+575 at Diamond Sportsbook), and the Los Angeles Lakers (+180 at Diamond Sportsbook) are expected to reign supreme as the champs.

And why not? The Cavaliers had the NBA’s best record this season at 61-21, and their record was largely only that bad because HC Mike Brown treated the L/3 weeks of the regular season as if they were a whole bunch of scrimmages. That’s why F LeBron James didn’t win the NBA’s scoring title as well.

**Click Here For The World’s Greatest Basketball Betting System**

Orlando, who ultimately only finished two games behind the Cavs for the top record in the NBA, will hold home court advantage through the entire playoffs including the Finals against any team not named Cleveland. The Magic were absolutely fantastic over the second half of the season. They finished up the year having won six straight games and went 33-8 in their L/41 NBA betting battles in the regular season. Last season’s Eastern Conference champs proved that they could play with Cleveland this year, splitting four games, but the final one came without the services of the King for the Cavs, who was resting for the playoffs.

The Lakers don’t seem to be as strong as they were a year ago in their quest to repeat as NBA champs. Even though record wise, 57-25 probably isn’t the year that HC Phil Jackson was hoping for, there’s no doubt that this is still a team to be reckoned with and has to be considered the definitive favorite in the West. G Kobe Bryant, F Pau Gasol, and their supporting cast have gained a ton of experience from title runs of the past, and if C Andrew Bynum can really get back on the court following his Achilles injury, the purple and gold are going to be a difficult team to oust.

We find it awfully difficult to back anyone outside of the “Big Three” for the title.

However, if we had to pick underdogs in both the Eastern and Western Conferences, we’ll go with the Milwaukee Bucks (+5000 at Diamond Sportsbook) and the Phoenix Suns (+3000 at Diamond Sportsbook).

The Bucks are a bit of a long shot because of the fact that they lost C Andrew Bogut for the rest of the season. However, HC Scott Skiles is largely accepted as one of the best coaches in the league and must be remembered for the way that he handled the Baby Bulls in postseasons of the past. Skiles knows how to get the most out of a lesser talented set of players, and even without the team’s star, there are still plenty of scoring options that can stick around with Atlanta in Round 1 of the playoffs.

The Suns did everything they had to do down the stretch to assure that they A) don’t have to worry about the Lakers for awhile and B) get to play at home in the first round of the playoffs. Not only that, but they hit the jackpot as well, as they get to play a Portland team that most likely won’t have Brandon Roy (and certainly won’t have a 100% Roy) for this round of the playoffs. If that’s the case, it’s hard to see how the Blazers are going to be able to keep up with the scoring options of the Suns in a seven game set. If by chance Phoenix does survive into Round 2, it feels like a prospective date with Dallas would inevitably be a seven game set. We’ll take our chances.

Odds to win 2010 NBA Championship @ Diamond Sportsbook (as of 4/15/10):
(Get a HUGE 100% Bonus at Diamond When Using This Link)

Atlanta Hawks +1600
Boston Celtics +1300
Charlotte Bobcats +5000
Chicago Bulls +7500
Cleveland Cavaliers +125
Dallas Mavericks +1600
Denver Nuggets +1600
Los Angeles Lakers +180
Miami Heat +5000
Milwaukee Bucks +5000
Oklahoma City Thunder +1900
Orlando Magic +575
Phoenix Suns +2200
Portland Trail Blazers +3600
San Antonio Spurs +1600
Utah Jazz +1600

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are about to begin on Wednesday night, and the NHL betting lines at Sportsbook.com are locked, loaded, and ready to go! Here at Bankroll Sports, we’re tearing apart the Stanley Cup odds and giving you our free NHL predictions for what team will be lifting the Cup in a few weeks.

There really isn’t any other place to start than with the top point scoring team in the league, the Washington Capitals (+400 at Sportsbook.com). The Caps are rightfully the chalks on the board after scoring a whopping 121 points on the year. The Caps averaged a whopping 3.8 goals per game this season and had the most lethal power play in the league at a 25.2 percent conversion rate. Playing at the Verizon Center, Washington went 30-5-6 this year, easily the best record in the NHL. However, someone is going to have to figure out how to beat the Caps there to win the Stanley Cup, which is why they’re a tremendous selection at great odds.

Perhaps the most overrated team on the board are the defending champs, the Pittsburgh Penguins (+500 at Sportsbook.com). Sure, the Pens had the third most points in the Eastern Conference with 101, but they probably aren’t quite as strong as last season’s Stanley Cup team was. G Marc-Andre Fleury could catch fire like he did at times during last postseason, and Richard Trophy winner C Sidney Crosby can always single-handedly put the team on his shoulders, but a potential draw of Ottawa, Washington, and New Jersey just to get to the Stanley Cup Finals is going to be a very difficult path to take.

In the Western Conference, the top seven teams all finished the year with at least 100 points, so this may be the spot to go with an underdog.

Just based on history alone, the San Jose Sharks (+500 at Sportsbook.com) are simply an awful wager. In spite of the fact that it feels like they’re either the #1 or #2 seed in the Western Conference every single season, they haven’t even advanced to the Western Conference Final since 2004. However, in San Jose, there’s always a belief that this is the year for the Sharks, especially since the line of Patrick Marleau, Dany Heatley, and Joe Thornton, which helped carry the Canadians to the Gold Medal in the Olympics, combined to score 254 points. The good news is that the #8 Colorado Avalanche are by far and away the worst team in this conference that made the second season. The bad news is that the Detroit Red Wings, who have won the Western Conference for two straight seasons, could be on deck.

If you’re looking for a bit of an underdog, consider the #3 seed in the West, the Vancouver Canucks (+1000 at Sportsbook.com). Any team that has G Roberto Luongo between the pipes has a chance of winning against any team in the NHL, and unlike in years past where it was the offense that struggled to produce while Luongo was posting fantastic numbers, this year, the Canucks 272 goals was tops in the Western Conference. The Canucks will open up the ’10 playoffs with a duel against the #6 Los Angeles Kings, who look to be one of the weaker teams in the tournament on this side of the draw.

Stanley Cup Odds @ Sportsbook.com (as of 4/12/10):
(Get a HUGE 100% Bonus at Sportsbook.com When Using This Link)

Boston Bruins +4000
Buffalo Sabres +1500
Chicago Blackhawks +450
Colorado Avalanche +7500
Detroit Red Wings +800
Los Angeles Kings +4000
Montreal Canadians +5000
Nashville Predators +5000
New Jersey Devils +1000
Ottawa Senators +3000
Philadelphia Flyers +5000
Phoenix Coyotes +2000
Pittsburgh Penguins +500
San Jose Sharks +500
Vancouver Canucks +1000
Washington Capitals +400

New Exclusive 100% Signup Bonus (Up to $1,000) From JustBet!
For New JustBet Players: Must Mention Bankroll Sports & Use This Link To Signup!
(Available By Above Links Only – $100 Min / $1,000 Max – 50% Added Bonus For Deposits Over $1,000)

*Baseball Records & Team Rankings are as of 4/11/2010
(Our Next Major League Baseball Power Ratings Update: 4/25/2010)

1. Philadelphia Phillies (4-1) – The Phillies lead all of baseball with 41 runs through five games. After winning two of three on the road in Washington, Philadelphia has won the first two in Houston, over the Astros. Ryan Howard has struck out just one time this season, and has 3 homeruns, 10 runs batted in, and a .542 batting average. Jamie Moyer picked up a win on Saturday night, for a win in his fourth decade in professional baseball. The Phillies, after finishing the series in Houston will start their home season on Monday with visits from Washington and Florida next week.

2. Minnesota Twins (5-1) – The Minnesota Twins are 5-1, winning their first 5 games of the season. The Twins lost to Anaheim in their season opener, then beat them three straight, and now have won the first two from divisional rival Chicago. Jason Kubel hit a two run homerun on Saturday to lead the Twins to a 2-1 win over the White Sox, giving Scott Baker his first win of the season. The Twins have received two homeruns and four runs batted in from Justin Morneau, along with a .381 batting average. The Twins will finish their series in Chicago on Sunday, then come home and open up their new stadium. The Boston Red Sox will play in Minneapolis Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, and the Kansas City Royals will come in over the weekend.

3. St. Louis Cardinals (4-1) – The Cardinals have won four of their first five, all over divisional foes. St. Louis took two of three from Cincinnati, and have taken the first two from Milwaukee. The Cardinals and Brewers will finish their series on Sunday Night Baseball. Albert Pujols started hot hitting two homeruns on opening day, giving Chris Carpenter a win. Adam Wainwright and Brad Penny followed up with solid starts and rookie Jaime Garcia pitched six strong on Saturday. The Cardinals are led by Matt Holliday’s .476 batting average, while Yadier Molina leads with 7 runs batted in. The Cardinals will start their home season next week with the Houston Astros and New York Mets coming into town.

4. San Francisco Giants (4-1) – The Giants took their first loss of the season on Saturday night at the hands of the Atlanta Braves. Edgar Renteria has started the season on fire, with a .524 batting average. Tim Lincecum, after striking out 7 in the opener over Houston will look to lead the Giants to a series win on Sunday afternoon. San Francisco will welcome Pittsburgh to town starting Monday, then head on the road over the weekend for three games in Los Angeles.

5. Detroit Tigers (4-1) – The Detroit Tigers are off to a quick start, winning four of their first five. The Tigers went to Kansas City and won two of their first three, then beat the Indians in the first two games of their series. Magglio Ordonez leads Detroit with a .476 batting average, along with 2 homeruns and 7 runs batted in. The Tigers pitching has only allowed 14 runs in 5 games to start the season. Detroit will host the Kansas City Royals for three games starting Monday, then head to Seattle for a weekend series.

6. New York Yankees (3-2) – The defending World Series champions have lost the first game of both series they have played this season. To start the season, the Boston Red Sox downed them 9-7, but New York came back with 6-4 and 3-1 wins. On Friday, the Tampa Bay Rays edged the Yankees 9-3, but the Yankees came back with a 10-0 win behind C.C. Sabathia’s 1 hitter. Robinson Cano is off to a quick start, hitting .381 with 2 homeruns and 6 runs batted in. New York will take Monday off before playing their home opener on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. On Friday, the Yankees will welcome the Texas Rangers to town.

7. Tampa Bay Rays (3-2) – The Tampa Bay Rays will look to win their second series of the season on Sunday against the New York Yankees. The Rays started the season beating Baltimore twice, and falling in the final game. Evan Longoria is off to a good start for Tampa Bay, hitting .333 with two homeruns and five runs batted in. Tampa Bay will start a road trip on Monday in Baltimore that will see them heading to Boston for a set over the weekend.

8. Oakland Athletics (4-2) – The Oakland Athletics will look to beat the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in a weekend series; on Sunday. After winning the opening series over Seattle, the Athletics are off to a solid start. Oakland has scored 30 runs, allowing 21 in six games played this season. Offensively, the Athletics are led by Daric Barton, and his .421 batting average, and 7 runs batted in. Oakland will head out to Seattle for a three game set starting on Monday, before coming back home Thursday and hosting Baltimore for four over the weekend.

9. Toronto Blue Jays (4-1) – Despite not having Roy Halliday as the opening day pitcher for the first time in a decade, the Toronto Blue Jays have started the season with four out of five wins. The Blue Jays lost their season opener at Texas, then won the next two, and also have defeated the Orioles in the first two in Baltimore. Toronto’s Vernon Wells has started the season with a .412 batting average, along with 4 homeruns and 7 runs batted in. Toronto will start a four game series at home with the White Sox on Monday, and then welcome into town the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim over the weekend.

10. Florida Marlins (3-2) – With Hanley Ramirez in the three spot in the lineup, Florida has won three of their first five games to start 2010. Florida won two of the first three against divisional foe New York, and has split the first two against the Dodgers. The second win over Los Angeles was a come from behind win, where the Marlins scored three runs in the ninth inning. Ramirez is batting .368, with a homerun and 3 runs batted in. The Marlins will start a four game series with the Cincinnati Reds on Monday, before heading on the road to Philadelphia for a weekend series.

Take a Look at Some of These Baseball Related Web Links

11. Atlanta Braves (3-2) – The Braves were able to down the San Francisco Giants on Saturday to move to 3-2 overall. Jason Heyward started his career with a homerun against the Cubs, and now have two, along with seven runs batted in. Derek Lowe has been outstanding winning both of his starts on the season. Atlanta has outscored opponents 30-16 in the early going. Atlanta, after finishing the three game series in San Francisco, will head to San Diego on Monday for a three game set, before coming back home Friday to take on the Colorado Rockies.

12. Boston Red Sox (2-3) – Boston, led by Dustin Pedroia’s two homeruns and 6 runs batted in, have started the season with two wins in five games. The Red Sox pitching has allowed 23 runs, while the offense has scored 25 runs. Friday’s game, a loss to Kansas City, was spoiled by the bullpen, who allowed the Royals to rally late for a win. The Red Sox will head to Minneapolis to open up Target Stadium on Monday, and play a three game series. On Friday, Boston will come back home and host the Tampa Bay Rays, in an AL East battle

13. Arizona Diamondbacks (3-2) – The Diamondbacks have gotten a solid start from Kelly Johnson, who is hitting .353 with 2 homeruns in the first five games. Chris Young leads the team with 7 runs batted in, as Arizona has won three of their first five games. The Diamondbacks won two out of three in San Diego, and they are looking to win the same amount over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. Arizona will take Monday off, before playing at Los Angeles on Tuesday and then San Diego on Friday.

14. Los Angeles Dodgers (2-3) – The Dodgers had a chance to start 3-2, but fell to 2-3 with their 9^th inning loss on Saturday night. Los Angeles, without closer Jonathan Broxton was unable to close the door with a slew of relievers. After the Dodgers finish the series in Florida, they will head home and start their home season on Tuesday against Arizona. Following that, the Dodgers will host their divisional rivals – San Francisco Giants. 

15. Milwaukee Brewers (2-3) – The Milwaukee Brewers were looking to see Trevor Hoffman’s 594^th career save on Friday night, but young outfielder Nick Stavinoha had other plans, hitting a two run homerun with two outs and two strikes in the top of the 9^th. Milwaukee beat Colorado two out of three in the first series of the year, and will face Chris Carpenter on Sunday night to avoid a three game sweep from defending divisional champions. The Brewers, after finishing the series with St. Louis will head to Chicago, to open up the Cubs home season, for a three game set. Following that series, the Brewers will head to Washington D.C. to take on the Nationals.

**Click Here for the Best Baseball Betting System in the World**

16. Los Angeles Angels (2-4) – The Angels, who are off to a slow start, are hoping for better pitching as the season progresses. Through six games this season, the Angels have allowed 35 runs, including back to back games of 10 runs given up. The Angels are led by Hideki Matsui, who came over from the Yankees, and is hitting .417 with 2 homeruns and 5 runs batted in. The Angels will start their road season on Tuesday, when they head out east to take on the World Series Champion New York Yankees. Over the weekend, the Angels will go north of the border and play the Toronto Blue Jays in a three game series.

17. Chicago Cubs (2-3) – The Chicago Cubs, despite their bullpen problems still have optimism, with their solid starting pitching. After Carlos Zambrano’s terrible opening day start, the Cubs have seen their starters pitch very well against Atlanta and Cincinnati. The Cubs are looking to win their first series of the season Sunday in Cincinnati. Following that game, the Cubs will come home and open up Wrigley Field with a game against Milwaukee. Following the Brewers, the Houston Astros will come to town for a three game, weekend series. The Cubs are led offensively by Derrick Lee’s .313 batting average, and Marlon Byrd’s two homeruns.

18. Colorado Rockies (2-3) – Despite out scoring their opponents 25-20 on the season. The Colorado Rockies are 2-3 in the early going. Colorado started losing two of their first three at Milwaukee, and have split the first two at home with the Padres. Ian Stewart has been the hot bat for Colorado in the lineup. He is hitting .421 with 2 homeruns and 5 runs batted in. The Rockies will take Monday off, before hosting the New York Mets on Tuesday, and then head south to Atlanta, for a weekend series with the Braves.

19. Cincinnati Reds (2-3) – The Reds are seeking a series win Sunday over the Cubs, after falling two of three to St. Louis to open the season. Joey VOtto leads the Reds in batting average, while Drew Stubbs leads in runs batted in; with five. The Reds will play their first road game on Monday, when they start a four game series in Florida. Over the weekend, the Reds will head to Pittsburgh, to take on their divisional rival Pirates.

20. Pittsburgh Pirates (3-2) – The Pirates are off to a 3-2 start, after beating the defending NL West Champion Los Angeles Dodgers two out of three. On Sunday, Pittsburgh is looking to take a series in Arizona. The Pirates were able to rock Diamondbacks ace Dan Haren on Saturday, in a 6-3 win. Garrett Jones, the Pirates slugger, leads the team with 3 homeruns and 6 runs batted in. Pittsburgh also is enjoying a .375 batting average from shortstop Ronnie Cedeno. The Pirates will stay out west and start a three game series on Monday in San Francisco. Over the weekend, Pittsburgh will host the Cincinnati Reds, for a three game series.

21. Texas Rangers (2-3) – Vladimir Guerrero has gotten off to a quick start as the designated hitter for the Texas Rangers. Guerrero is hitting .474 in the first five games of the season. Nelson Cruz has also been hot for Texas, hitting four homeruns and driving in eight runs. As a team the Rangers have scored just 20 runs, so Cruz has accounted for 40% of the runs knocked in. Texas, after finishing their season with Seattle on Sunday will head to Cleveland on Monday, for a three game series. Over the weekend, the Rangers will head to the Bronx to take on the Yankees.

22.  New York Mets (2-3) – Despite out scoring opponents 25-17 through five games, the New York Mets are 2-3. New York will look to win a three game series over Washington on Sunday, after falling 4-3 on Saturday. The Mets Jeff Francoeur leads all offensive players with a .444 batting average, along with 2 homeruns and 6 runs batted in. The Mets will play their first road game on Tuesday, when they play in Colorado, against the Rockies. After visiting Colorado, the Mets will stop by St. Louis for a three game set with the Cardinals.

23. Cleveland Indians (2-3) – Cleveland took two of three from the Chicago White Sox to start the year, but fell in the first two of a three game series in Detroit. The Indians are looking to avoid the sweep on Sunday. Monday, the Indians will head home and play their home opener against the Texas Rangers. The Chicago White Sox will come to town on Friday for a three game weekend. The Indians have scored just 14 runs in 5 games to start the season.

24. Kansas City Royals (2-3) – The Royals, after winning the opening game of a three game series with Boston, are seeking a series win on Sunday. Rick Ankiel has started the season with a .400 batting average, coming over from St. Louis. He also has a homerun and five runs batted in the first five games of the season. Kansas City has scored just 17 runs in five games, while the pitching has allowed 28. The Royals, after Boston leaves town will head to Detroit and Minnesota next week, for series against divisional foes.

25. Seattle Mariners (2-4) – After winning their first game of the season, the Mariners lost four straight games. Seattle was able to bounce back and beat Texas on Saturday to snap the losing streak. The Mariners are led by Franklin Gutierrez’ .435 batting average, while Casey Kotchman has started his Seattle career well, bashing a homerun and driving in six. Seattle has been out scored on the season 26-19 through six games. The Mariners will look to win the three game series with Texas on Sunday, and then open their home season on Monday, against the Oakland Athletics. On Friday, Seattle will welcome Detroit to town for a three game set.

26. Washington Nationals (2-3) – Washington, with very little expectations coming into the 2010 season have gotten off a 2-3 start. After taking on the red hot Phillies, and winning 1, the Nationals have split the first two with the New York Mets. Washington will look to win their first series of the season Sunday against Johan Santana and the Mets. Josh Willingham is batting .421 for the Nationals, while Washington was pleased with Livan Hernandez’s first start, as he threw seven scoreless innings in a win. The Nationals will play the Phillies again, starting Monday, in Philadelphia. Friday the Nationals will host the Milwaukee Brewers for a three game set.

27. Chicago White Sox (1-4) – The White Sox will need to win Sunday to avoid a three game sweep at the hands of divisional rival Minnesota. Chicago won it’s opening day game over Cleveland, but then dropped four straight. The White Sox have struggled to score, scoring just 16 runs in five games. Mark Buehrle threw a 7 inning shut-out in his first appearance of the season, and is set to take the mound Sunday. The White Sox will play their first road series, starting Monday in Toronto. The series is a four game series. Over the weekend, the White Sox will visit Cleveland to take on divisional foe – Indians.

29. San Diego Padres (2-3) – San Diego needed 14 innings to down the Colorado Rockies on Saturday night, but the win gave them their second of the season. The Padres have seen slugger Adrian Gonzalez hit two homeruns in the early going, while Chase Headley is batting .429. Chris Young won his first start of the season, striking out five guys in six innings, allowing no earned runs. The Padres will finish their series with the Rockies on Sunday, and then welcome the Atlanta Braves to town Monday. San Diego will then host the Arizona Diamondbacks for a three game home series starting on Friday.

29. Baltimore Orioles (1-4) – Fans in Baltimore fear this could be a long season, especially among the American League East. Winners of just one of their first five games, the Orioles will look to avoid a three game sweep at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. Baltimore has seen catcher Matt Wieters start the season with a .409 batting average, but the offense has produced just 17 runs in five games. Baltimore will welcome the Tampa Bay Rays to town on Monday, followed by a four game road trip over the weekend in Oakland.

30. Houston Astros (0-5) – The Houston Astros have been just dreadful in their first five games. After getting swept by San Francisco to start the season, Houston will send Roy Oswalt to the mound to avoid a sweep, and 0-6 start at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies. The Astros have scored just 12 runs, and allowed 35 through five games. Houston is without slugger Lance Berkman, who hopes to return soon. The Astros schedule will get no easier, starting Monday, when they start a three game series in St. Louis, against the Cardinals. On Friday, the Astros will invade Wrigley Field to take on the Cubs.

It was an awkward week of sports betting action, as the start of the baseball betting season continued to cross with red hot sporting events on the ice, hardwood, and links. Here’s what we’re ranting about this week at Bankroll Sports!

Rap Sheet Picture of the Week
New York Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist, who was the losing goalie in Sunday’s elimination game for the final slot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Tiger Woods is really getting under my skin right now, and for various reasons. Not only am I irked that the entire PGA Tour betting event this week at the Masters was covered by Tiger this and Tiger that, but I also hate how everyone said that Woods couldn’t figure out how to put this together after taking six months away from the Tour. He’s still Tiger Freaking Woods. No, Tiger didn’t win it on Sunday, but he sure had his dramatic moments to finish just a few shots behind and with yet another Top 10 finish in a major. That being said, I’m still ticked that everyone spent so much time talking about Tiger that there were two stories that just totally went under the radar. Good thing that Phil Mickelson won the event, or no one would’ve ever remembered the name of the winner. I mean really… why not just give Tiger the Green Jacket, too? After all, he was the center of this whole ordeal these past four days, right? And why no love for 16-year old Matteo Manassero, who made the cut and finished at +4 for the tournament? If this kid can finish +4 at the age of 16 and make the Masters cut, maybe there’s another Tiger Woods on our hands that we’ll be discussing in a few years.

A week into MLB betting action and we already have a little bit of history… and not the good kind either. How’s about allowing a whopping 13 runs in an inning? Nice job, Pittsburgh Pirates. The 13 run outburst featured eight hits, four walks, three homers (one of which was to Edwin Jackson, the pitcher, who spent the last couple seasons in the American League), a triple, and a tad bit of miserable fielding to boot. It took three pitchers to get through the frame for the Bucs, as Darren McCutchen, Hayden Penn, and Jack Taschner were all used and all touched up. If you’re interested, through one week of play, McCutchen has an ERA of 24.30 and Penn has one of 30.86. Stellar ball, guys. Stellar.

Let’s take a stab at the Boston Celtics as well. Just a week after watching the San Antonio Spurs get destroyed by the New Jersey Nets, the C’s pulled off one just as sharp. In the fight for the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference, they were knocked off by the lowly Washington Wizards on their home court 106-96. Even more embarrassing was the fact that they put up 42 points in the 4th quarter and still were beaten and beaten badly. The Wiz outscored Boston 52-31 in a very uninspired first half of ball. Over their L/52 games, the Celtics are only 27-25 after starting 18 games over .500 over the first couple months of the year. That won’t cut it in the playoffs, that’s for sure.

Say hello to the new Tampa Bay Rays.

For the better part of the last 20 years, Ewing Kauffman, the man responsible for bringing the Royals to Kansas City, must’ve been turning over in his grave. He built a proud franchise that won six divisional championships, two AL pennants, and the 1985 World Series, and he did it through youth and solid spending manners. He passed away in 1993.

At that point, the Royals were without an owner and began dumping salaries left and right. In fact, in 1995, the team only spent $18.5M on salaries, which was easily the lowest in baseball. It was only $16.5M, less than contracts that some individual players were signing, by 1999.

Under Manager Tony Pena, the Royals won 83 games in 2003, marking their first winning season since 1994 when things began to fall apart. Since then though, Kansas City has been nothing more than a loveable loser. 2004, 2005, and 2006 were all 100+ loss seasons, and since that point, they haven’t won more than 75 games.

If the end of this story sounds familiar, you’re probably reading some article on the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays as well, who were a god awful franchise before putting all the pieces together for one of the more memorable runs in baseball history that took them all the way to the World Series.

The difference for the Royals this year? They don’t have to contend with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.

We’ll start right there. It’s pretty clear that the Minnesota Twins aren’t the same team that they normally are without closer Joe Nathan for the entire season. The Chicago White Sox feel like they’re one Ozzie Guillen moment in front of the media away from the entire franchise just imploding from the inside, out. The Detroit Tigers only had a prospective win total by the oddsmakers of just 80.5 this year.

What do you want, Cleveland to challenge for the AL Central crown?

Someone has to win this division this year, and if there’s a season in which the Royals can really get it done, this is it.

On Friday night, the newly acquired OF Rick Ankiel (and yes, I said “outfielder,” and not, “excuse for a starting pitcher) went 4/4 and drove in three runs, including the two that won the game in the 8th inning against the mighty Red Sox.

Some may say, “Ok, it’s one game.” And that’s true. Until October, baseball generally isn’t made off of one game or even one series.

But let’s go back to the Rays again. The moment that changed that team’s entire season in 2008 had nothing to do with even a regular season game! Tampa Bay picked a fight with these same Red Sox in a Spring Training game that brought the team together. It came out of the blocks on fire and just never looked back, essentially going wire-to-wire in the AL East.

Things looks gloomy for the Royals on Friday night, as they couldn’t figure out how to hit that tricky knuckleball of Tim Wakefield’s. Normally, the Kansas City team that we all remember would’ve just folded up shop, someone would’ve given up a three-run homer, and the team would’ve lost 6-1 or something of the sorts.

Not on this night. SP Kyle Davies became the fourth straight starter for the Royals to allow three runs or less to start the season. They might be a combined 0-0, but they’ve done their job. Thank C Jason Kendall for that, who has come to Kansas City and brought a veteran presence behind the dish, something that this city hasn’t had in years.

The bullpen threw three spotless frames after allowing 18 hits and six walks, to go with three blown saves in as many games to start this season.

Today, AL Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke is taking the mound against Boston’s Josh Beckett. Not only is it a chance for the Royals to get back above .500, but it’s also a chance to say, “Hey, we beat the Sox in this series.”

Baseball may not just be a game or a series, but the lowly Royals… the team that we’ve just love to beat up on in years’ past… can take a major step in the right direction if it can just reverse that losing mentality.

If that the case, wouldn’t it be just awesome to see the AL East winning Tampa Bay Rays playing the AL Central winning Kansas City Royals in the playoffs?

You can still get Kansas City at +2100 to win the AL Central, +5000 to win the American League, and +13500 to win the World Series at 5Dimes Sportsbook.

The Masters gets started on Thursday morning, and JustBet Sportsbook has a full list of props that are completely dedicated to Tiger Woods that we’re going to analyze this evening.

Prop Bet #1: Will Tiger Woods have an Eagle or Better for the Tournament: On one glance, saying that Tiger has four par fives, or theoretically speaking, 16 chances to get one eagle seems like a sure thing. After all, he’s Tiger Woods, right? However, Tiger only hit 50.4 percent of his greens from 200+ yards out last year, and though that was good enough for 26th on tour, it’s not conducive to making him a winner on this prop. He did have ten eagles for the entire year out of 17 events, which would make you a winner long term on this prop. Here at Augusta, he did eagle the eighth hole last year, but it was his only eagle in a major tournament all season long. Considering the long absence from the game, especially with at least the remote possibility of missing the cut looming though, we’re going to have to bet against Tiger to pull off an eagle at any point during this PGA Tour betting affair.

Selection: No Eagle or Better for Tiger Woods for the Tournament -110 at JustBet Sportsbook. (100% Free Play Bonus by clicking This Link.)

Prop Bet #2: Will Tiger Woods Make the Cut: Though we just spent some time talking about how Tiger may be off of his game and such, let’s also keep in mind that this is still Tiger Woods. All this man ever does is make cuts. Remember that this was once a man that made a whopping 142 straight cuts. That’s right. 142 of them. At the time, it was 29 cuts more than the longest cut streak ever (113 by Byron Nelson from 1941-48), and the longest streak of cuts made from that point by any other golfer at the time was Ernie Els with 20 straight. Woods also had a streak of 39 straight major tournament cuts made before failing to make it to the weekend in the 2006 US Open. However, it’s hard to fault a man who had literally just returned to the golf course following the death of his father. Since then, he has only missed one other major cutline, that coming in the ’09 Open Championship. No matter whether Elin is there to egg him on or not, it seems hard to believe that Woods isn’t going to be within ten shots of the leader(s) following two days of play at one of his favorite golf courses.

Selection: Tiger Woods to Make the Cut -450 at JustBet Sportsbook. (100% Free Play Bonus by clicking This Link.)

Prop Bet #3: Will Tiger Woods finish in the Top 20: It seems to be a bit chalky, but it’s hard to go against Tiger in relation to the Top 20. Sure, the cutline is a possibility for Tiger, which would immediately make this prop a loser after just two days, but we’re still talking about a man that has only finished outside of the Top 20 once at Augusta since 1997. In four major events last year, Woods finished tied for sixth twice and runner up at the PGA Championship in addition to the aforementioned missed cut at the Open Championship. That missed cut along with his missed cut at the ’06 US Open marked the only two times that he didn’t finish in the Top 20 in a major in the L/5 years. That’s 16 tourneys in the Top 20 and just two outside of it. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out that laying -280 chalk in that situation is a smart thing to do.

Selection: Tiger Woods to Finish in the Top 20 -280 at JustBet Sportsbook. (100% Free Play Bonus by clicking This Link.)

5Dimes Sportsbook has a full list of propositions for each of the Final Four betting affairs for this Saturday’s games. Here at Bankroll Sports, we have all of the action covered with your best picks that can boost your bankrolls!

Prop Bet #1: Gordon Hayward -1 point vs. Raymar Morgan (-120): Let’s just start with the basics on this one. Morgan averages 11.5 points per game against teams that typically play significantly worse defense than Butler. Hayward averages 15.5 points per game and has proven that he can put up big numbers against the likes of Kansas State and Syracuse already. Now, if we dig a bit deeper, we’ll see that Morgan is probably going to be the guy that the Bulldogs try to shut down. Not only are both Hayward and fellow big man Matt Howard stellar post defenders, but Morgan’s history in the tournament so far isn’t exactly stellar. MSU’s second leading scorer has only put up a total of 20 points in two games without G Kalin Lucas in the lineup, mostly because G Durrell Summers has really taken over the scoring load. That being said, we know that Hayward will get his points, especially considering the fact that he scored 49 of them against the Orange and Wildcats combined. This one seems to easy to miss.

Selection: Gordon Hayward -1 point at 5Dimes. (50% Deposit Bonus by clicking This Link.)

Prop Bet #2: Devin Ebanks over/under 20 Points + Rebounds: We like this particular matchup for West Virginia because Ebanks just doesn’t have an equal on the court in terms of athleticism. If the Blue Devils throw Brian Zoubek at him, he’ll just run around him. If it’s Singler, he’ll eat up the glass. The only legitimate matchup chance may be Lance Thomas, who would be undersized. Compare Ebanks a bit to F Ekpe Udoh for Baylor, who went for 18 points and ten boards against these Dookies last Sunday. The West Virginia forward averaged 12.0 points and 8.2 rebounds per game this year against Big East foes, so this is probably a decent indicator of what we can expect against the Blue Devils. However, when push comes to shove, he’s averaged over 37 minutes per game in the L/3 rounds of this tournament, which should set the stage for some extra stats from his season averages. Expect to see Ebanks squeak by this number by a few.

Selection: Devin Ebanks Over 20 Points + Rebounds at 5Dimes. (50% Deposit Bonus by clicking This Link.)

Prop Bet #3: Nolan Smith over/under 16.5 Points : This is a bit of a surprising line to see to say the least. Smith may only be the third best scorer on this team at 17.4 points per game, but he has been the only major of the three Dookies that really hasn’t hit a big scoring drought at any point during recent weeks. G Jon Scheyer had his streak of a half dozen games in which he scored below his average, while F Kyle Singler is coming off of a game in which he failed to hit a single shot from the field. Meanwhile, Smith seems to have the hot hand, scoring 29 points against Baylor. He also has a 20 point effort against Cal to his credit in the dance as well. Look for him to take over against a West Virginia team which really only has a weak spot in its defense on the perimeter. Smith could have a fantastic game.

Selection: Nolan Smith Over 16.5 Points at 5Dimes. (50% Deposit Bonus by clicking This Link.)