Author Archives: Gerard Lombardo

About Gerard Lombardo

Born and raised in Boston! Year round Sox, Patriots, B's and C's

Why Canadian Football League is a Great Option for Sports Betting

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When it comes to betting on sports, fans can choose from a vast selection of sporting activities and teams to back. One less-popular sport in terms of wagering is Canadian Football, but this is not to say that it is a market that should not be explored.

Today’s article focuses on Canadian Football and, more precisely, on the Canadian Football League (CFL), discussing why it is a great option for wagering. In the following lines, you can find a brief summary of the CFL, as well as a handy betting guide on the CFL to help you get started.

About the CFL

The CFL was founded in 1958, which makes it the second oldest professional football league in North America. Ever since its foundation, the league has been popular all over Canada, and it is generally regarded as second only to the NHL. It should be mentioned that the CFL consists of 9 teams.

Contrary to common belief, American Football is not the same as Canadian Football. Whereas it is true that both sports share similarities, there are some key differences between them.

The CFL championship is known as the Grey Cup, and as of 2018, it takes place between June and the beginning of November. To be more precise, the season lasts a total of 21 weeks, and each team plays 18 games (one game every three weeks).

The Grey Cup is broadcast not only in Canada, but all over North America – it is broadcast by three major television companies, which makes it an especially attractive wagering option.

Most common betting options

Without a doubt, prior to making your first CFL bet, you should spend time familiarising yourself with the available betting options. In the following section, we have briefed some of the most common types of CFL bets.

  • Point Spread Bet

To many experts, this is the most common type of bet in the CFL. The point spread is offered by bookies when one of the teams is a favourite, and the other is an underdog. Let us imagine that you want to bet on the Montreal Alouettes in the following situation:

Montreal Alouettes vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (+6.5)

In this bet, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are given a point advantage of 6.5 points, which means that the Montreal Alouettes need to win by at least 7 points in order for the bet to win.

  • Moneyline Bet

The moneyline is the simplest bet you can place on the CFL. When you place a moneyline bet, you simply back one team to win the game. As mentioned on this Betsson tutorial teams can win the game even by one point.

  • Parlay Bet

The parlay is a more complex type of bet, where you can bet on multiple outcomes within the same wager. Crucially, all of the outcomes you have selected need to win in order for the parlay to win. Additionally, as there is a smaller chance to make the right guess on parlays, those bets yield amazing payouts.

CFL betting tips

Sporting Pedia UK would like to conclude our article by providing some basic CFL betting tips to help you as you enjoy your new hobby.

  • The weather has an impact

As you probably know, the weather in Canada is strange sometimes – snowstorms have occurred as early as September. What you need to understand is that the weather might have an impact on the performance of both teams. For example, when it winds, players are not as fast as usual, etc.

Naturally, knowing how individual teams perform in certain weather tremendously helps if you are planning to wager. A piece of advice – avoid betting whatsoever if the weather is too unfavourable.

  • Pay attention to injury reports

Another thing to take into account is player injuries. Always keep track of injury reports issued by individual teams, as this will help you place more winning bets. For example, when all members of the team’s defence have undergone even minor injuries, they might perform significantly worse than usual.

Can The Celtics Overcome Regular Season Nightmares?

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The Boston Celtics were hailed as one of the most deserving contenders in the Eastern Conference, but inconsistencies dominated the air in the regular season.

The Celtics have lost four consecutive games in the wake of the All-Star break. Recently, Kyrie Irving, the star guard, gave insight on the team’s problems and conceded that he can’t afford the prospect of the team not playing in the top league until the regular season is over.

“I can’t wait for all this to be over. I keep talking about what we can do to play better in the regular season. We just need to play at the highest level.”, Irving said.

To make a case for the Celtics, he gives the example of the Cleveland Cavaliers team of 2017, which advanced to the NBA Finals, though struggling at times.

Irving explains, “We have lost a few games consecutively before sweeping the entire Eastern Conference. When we’re playing at our highest level, nobody can really beat us in the Eastern Conference.”

Is the losing streak over?

Though Celtics’ won against Wizards following a 4-game losing streak, it dropped one against Rockets.They did, however, score another win against the Sacramento Kings afterward.

Last year, it was interesting to watch how resourceful Boston’s roster was when the Celtics advanced just a game short of the NBA Finals even though Irving and Gordon Hayward were not available at all throughout the postseason. Players such as Jayson Tatum, Terry Rozier, and Jaylen Brown showed immense capability and carried on with the offensive that Irving and Hayward are usually supposed to bring to the game.

Boston is currently placed fifth in the Eastern Conference, but it is only three games away from reaching the 3rd standing. If the Celtics manage to go up in the standings, it is more likely that they will get to play easier teams in the initial stages of the playoffs.

Can this team really make a turnaround?

There is some substance to this notion; the refresh button on April 9 can really aid Boston. Regardless, its accomplishments in the regular season would not make a difference to how it is eventually going to be judged.

If Boston is able to turn things in its favor in the postseason, its inconsistencies will be remembered as part of the journey.

However, what is apparent is that the team must get its act together in dealing with adversity if they are serious about staging a comeback from a tough loss or in-game run.

In the postseason, Irving is expected to be particularly motivated and Boston has a reputation of pushing the elite competition. Maybe, Irving’s narrative this week changed due to this. The regular season is surely mentally exhausting and he recognizes the need to get past the ordinariness of the regular season. He seems to be suggesting that the team is going to play perfectly in the playoffs, thanks to his presence.

The good news is the Celtics have stayed at the top of the ESPN’s Basketball index.

There’s plenty of hard work ahead for the team before it recovers from the recent losses. But they must know, the reward will be that much sweeter.

Rice to Sabathia: “Lose some weight”

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When 23-year-old me received orders to the city of Yuma, I had no idea where that was. Honestly, geography isn’t my strong suit.  I assumed it was somewhere in Japan.

“Arizona!” The master sergeant bellowed, sensing my confusion. I sat down, immediately expecting the worst: snakes outside my barracks door, camel spiders in the workplace, and venomous scorpions hiding in my boots.

Next stop — Yuma

Obviously, I was right about everything. And for added nightmare fuel, the aptly named ‘Yuma Scorpions’ were Arizona’s Winter League affiliate, discovered one night at a Buffalo Wild Wing’s by bumping into their hall of fame slugger, Jose Canseco. Between B-dubs and the popular Burgers ‘N Beer hangout, there would at least be a place to watch baseball, eat poorly and drink yourself good-looking. Most Marines can afford to do that, not because of our paychecks, but because of our PT standards.

However, not everyone can go on burger and beer benders.  A good example — one C.C. Sabathia. He who just last night took to the media to vent about the Nunez bunt attempt. Surely, it had nothing to do with forcing the hefty lefty to field his position.

Bosox great offers Sabathia an easy Rx

So, when the former Ace openly criticized Boston’s deadline acquisition for laying one down, Boston’s eight-time All Star, and Red Sox icon, 1978 MVP Jim Rice stepped to the proverbial plate.

“What he has a right to do is fulfill his contract, lose some weight, and go out there and pitch.” A visibly frustrated Rice fired back. Heads across Sox Nation silently nodded in acknowledgment in response to the South Carolina native. Is there finally some tension between the clubs?

Of course, the rivalry needs not be reignited between the stubborn, if not arrogant, dueling fan bases. On a club level is where it’s been lacking. With only three head-to-head games remaining and the teams separated by a mere 4 1/2, heading into September needs to have a stress factor. Passion and grit drive the rivalry on, despite the teams not meeting in the playoffs for 13 years. Remember A-Rod’s string of F-you’s to Varitek, resulting in a mitt to face collision, and Don Zimmer tumbling to the ground by the hands of a Pedro Martinez special delivery? That’s what I miss!

Tension on the field

Currently the East, Central and West division leaders’ closely contested records continue to resemble the early seconds of ‘The Price Is Right’s’ popular Plinko game. Four teams within 3 1/2 games of each other, including the Bronx Bombers, are duking it out for the two Wild Card spots. With Boston and New York with a lot to play for over the final 30 games, expect an elevated level of intensity between today and Sunday. As far as the on-field dramatics that span a full century? For now, the Rice-Sabathia jab will just have to suffice.