One of the things that seems to be lost in all of the World Cup betting that has been going on lately is the plight of the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies were a team that everyone was betting on to make the World Series before the 2010 season started. The addition of pitcher Roy Halladay and the presence of Ryan Howard made everyone that takes part in MLB betting anticipate a Philadelphia repeat as NL champions.

Things have not really worked out as expected for Halladay and the Phillies in 2010. While Halladay does hold an impressive 9-6 record and an even more impressive 2.29 ERA this season, the Phillies sit in third place in the NL East, three and a half games behind first place Atlanta. Why is that? Because the rest of the Phillie pitching staff is nowhere near the caliber of Roy Halladay, and with the exception of Jamie Moyer, Halladay is the only pitcher on the staff with a complete game.

The Cincinnati Reds are a surprise this season. Currently the Reds are in first place in the NL Central holding a tentative half-game lead over the second place St. Louis Cardinals. But as good as the Cardinals are this season, the Reds have stay with them in the standings almost all season long.

World Cup finals betting has nothing on the potential for this game. Halladay takes his 9-6 record to the mound against Reds starter Aaron Harang. Harang has a 6-7 record and a 5.09 ERA this season. He won his last game 10-3 against the Cleveland Indians, but he gave up five walks in that game. His control is suspect, and the Phillies are definitely not the Indians.

What has brought the Reds to this point is their hitting. They have the best team batting average in the NL at .274, 90 team home runs and have scored an NL leading 376 runs. The Reds pitching has a team ERA of 4.38 and the Reds bullpen has blown nine out of 31 save opportunities.

The Phillies have average hitting this season, and most of their stats sit in the middle of the NL. Both of these teams have won six of their last 10 games, but the Phillies are only .500 on the road. While that may be important to note in the other games in this series, with Harang on the mound, the Phillies road record may not make a whole lot of difference.

This game is a Cy Young pitcher with five complete games this season versus a pitcher with a control problem and an inconsistent bullpen. There is not much that the Phillies would have to do to win this game except step in the batter’s box. Halladay has proven to be the model of consistency this season, and even with spotty run support he manages to put together elite numbers. With a guy like Halladay on the mound, that knows how to nail a game down, the Reds will have their hands full.

Pick: Philadelphia Phillies 4-3

2010 World Cup betting players have seen injuries take their toll on some teams in the tournament, and injuries pop up in every sport, causing situations to change.  Toronto had high hopes for Chris Carpenter before he was hurt, and St. Louis has reaped the benefits of having the Cy Young winner around.  Carpenter will make his first appearance in Toronto since 2005 on Wednesday when his Cardinals take on the Blue Jays.

Cardinals Blue Jays Betting – Wednesday, June 23, 7:07 PM ET

Carpenter (8-1, 2.83) didn’t have his best stuff in a 6-4 win at home over Oakland, but he still earned his eighth win of the year by allowing four runs on 10 hits over seven innings, striking out five and walking one.  Carpenter is now third in the National League in innings, going at least five strong in each of his 15 starts this season.  The 35-year-old has faced his former team only once, and that was in Toronto during his Cy Young-winning season of 2005, and it was a memorable one.  Carpenter took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and tossed a one-hit complete-game masterpiece, striking out 10 in a 7-0 win.  Like people who write a World Cup blog even know, revenge is a great motivating factor.

Ricky Romero (6-3, 3.08) had some control problems in his last outing, but still came away with a 7-1 win in San Diego as he gave up a run (none earned) on five hits over six innings, striking out five and walking three.  Romero threw 108 pitches in those six innings of work, and that’s about par for the course for the southpaw, who is third in the American League in strikeouts, but eighth in walks.  This is the first start against the Cardinals for the 25-year-old.

MLB betting odds should have the Blue Jays as the favorite at home, and they beat the Cardinals in two of three at Rogers Center back in 2005, but they had nothing for Carpenter, who tossed a gem in the middle of a three-game series.  It’s a similar situation for Carpenter as it’s also the second of a three-game set, and it doesn’t matter how often he comes to Toronto, Carpenter will always want to do well against his former team.  Romero would do well to watch the efficient Carpenter, who doesn’t waste many pitches and will be again one of the favorites for the Cy Young in the National League.  It won’t be a one-hitter like in 2005, but Carpenter will bring his best stuff to Toronto on Wednesday night, and he’ll lead his team to a close win over the young Romero and the Blue Jays in what should be a low-scoring affair.

Online sports betting pick: St. Louis

If you’re going to bet on World Cup odds, there’s another full slate of games on Friday in South Africa that is bound to get your attention.

Germany Serbia Betting – Friday, 7:30 PM ET

The Germans are favored at -175 in this contest, while Serbia comes in at +500, and a draw is rated at +270.  Germany put in the best performance of the opening volley of matches with a 4-0 trouncing of Australia, who went down to 10 men after 56 minutes.  The Serbs were upset 1-0 by Ghana as Aleksander Lukovic committed a handball in the 74^th minute, giving Ghana a penalty.  These two have met 27 times, with the Germans winning 16 times and drawing four, and they looked ruthless in the first match, and the Serbs will have to attack, which could expose them.

Betting Pick: Germany -175

USA Slovenia Betting – Friday, 10:00 AM ET

The Americans are favored at +100 in this World Cup contest, while Slovenia comes in at +200, and a draw is rated at +250.  This is the first time that these two have met, and both were the recipients of goalkeeping errors in their first match, the Americans in their 1-1 draw with England, and Slovenia in their 1-0 victory against Algeria.  The Americans will aim to get a good game out of Landon Donovan, who played out of position against England, and Team USA needs him to break out and pull the strings as he and Clint Dempsey, the goalscorer against the Three Lions, are their most threatening offensive players.  The Slovenians may be rattled by their first-game shock.

Betting Pick: USA +100

England Algeria Betting – Friday, 2:30 PM ET

The English are a -450 favorite if you’re going to bet soccer online, while the Algerians are listed at +1000, and a draw is rated at +500 in another first-time match between Group C opponents.  These two will have to deal with their goalkeeping problems, as Robert Green doesn’t seem to have the faith of manager Fabio Capello, while Fawzi Chaouchi may be the only option for Rabah Saadane.  England also has to replace Ledley King, who didn’t come out after halftime of the match against the United States, although it was announced that Gareth Barry would be available to start against Algeria.  The Three Lions are aiming for a big result as their fans were up in arms after the USA game, and it’s going to be interesting for whoever they start in goal.  But more importantly, they’re going to need Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney to create scoring chances for their team, and this should be a comfortable and much-needed win.

Betting Pick: England -450

NBA Finals betting players are still wagering on the Celtics and Lakers, but it’s not too early for us to take a look back at the most disappointing teams of the season.  Here’s who fell short of their benchmark this year.

Cleveland

Really, any team with LeBron James that doesn’t win a title is going to be considered a bust, but the Cavaliers really stepped in it this year.  Shaquille O’Neal and Antawn Jamison were brought in and the Cavaliers ended up with the best regular-season record, but they had nothing for Boston, who let James do his thing and shut down the rest of the team.  Now, James is a free agent, leading the most heralded class in NBA history, and they fired Mike Brown and are trying to lure Tom Izzo from Michigan State.  This is like placing a World Cup bet on Spain, and having them fall short.

Orlando

The Magic also fell to Boston in the playoffs, and there are a few reasons for their disappointing season: Dwight Howard’s foul troubles in the postseason and the fact that he still doesn’t have a post game despite being mentored by Patrick Ewing, Vince Carter’s play in the Boston series, and more complaining about anything and everything by coach Stan Van Gundy.  The Magic aren’t going to go anywhere until Howard learns to do more than dunk consistently.

Toronto

The Raptors were a mess all season, reeling off long losing and winning streaks right after one another.  Chris Bosh was lost for some of the year, and now it’s very likely that he’ll be leaving Toronto.  One year into a monster contract, Hedo Turkoglu also said he wants to leave after a poor season, and we’re not sure if Jay Triano is a NBA head coach.  If you’re planning on taking Toronto’s NBA betting odds next year, don’t bother.

Denver

This is more about off-court stuff, and it was out of the Nuggets’ hands when coach George Karl had to leave the team for chemotherapy relating to his cancer.  The Nuggets badly missed Karl’s leadership, especially in their first-round playoff loss to Utah, but they were also hurt by injuries to big men Kenyon Martin and Chris “Birdman” Andersen. 

New Orleans

No one expected them to win the Western Conference, but the Hornets were at least a solid pick to make the playoffs, which they failed to.  Most of that was down to an injured Chris Paul, and while Darren Collison definitely turned some heads with his play, he’s no Chris Paul.  David West especially missed Paul, and they also fired Byron Scott, replaced him with Jeff Bower, and now Monty Williams will lead them into next season.  It would be for the best to stay away from New Orleans’ betting odds next year.

Before UFC 116 betting, the NBA will hold their annual draft on June 24 at the mecca of basketball betting, Madison Square Garden, in New York City.  While everyone is talking about the top two picks, Kentucky’s John Wall and Ohio State’s Evan Turner, there is an abundance of quality among the big men, of which there is a lack of in the NBA.  Here are the top five big men available in this draft.

Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech

Favors is the one player that people think will challenge Wall and Turner in the top two picks, while New Jersey would be happy to take him with the third pick. He may be the most intriguing player in the draft as Favors was hampered by awful point-guard play, but he’s an athletic freak who can run the floor as well as any big man in a long time.

DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky

Cousins/Favors may be the next big debate after Wall/Turner, and it was Cousins, not Kentucky teammate Wall, who was the SEC’s Freshman of the Year.  He has amazing footwork and an array of post moves for a young player, and he’s a physical monster, although he could stand to turn some of his bulk into muscle.  The biggest question about Cousins is his maturity, but if he can harness that, he’ll be a solid addition to any team’s NBA championship betting odds.

Greg Monroe, Georgetown

Monroe isn’t a bruiser by any stretch.  Think a young Kevin Garnett, but without the intensity on defense, or in general, really.  But Monroe’s skill set is enough for someone to make him a lottery pick as he’s a phenomenal passer for a 6’11” player, and he’s long enough to be a pain on the defensive end.  The big knock on Monroe is that he doesn’t have a killer instinct, and he really should have dominated more in college, and that may not be good for a team’s online betting odds.

Cole Aldrich, Kansas

Aldrich, along with Cousins, is a legitimate center and his defensive instincts will earn him playing time right away for whatever team takes him.  He also improved his offensive game during his time at Kansas, and he probably could have left after his sophomore year, but decided to come back for a title, which shows a bit of maturity.

Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest

Another player who probably could have left prior to this year, Aminu was a double-double threat for his two years at Wake Forest, but like Favors, was bogged down with bad guard play.  Aminu could stand to extend his range, but he’s a tremendous athlete with a huge upside, moreso than North Carolina’s Ed Davis.  Aminu could end up being an NBA betting darkhorse for Rookie of the Year.

World Cup betting players have seen Brazil beat Italy twice in the final, once at Mexico 1970, and again at USA 1994.  But that’s nothing compared to the history in the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, who are meeting for the 12^th time with everything on the line.

Lakers Celtics Betting

It’s a bit more one-sided than Lakers fans would like to hear as the Celtics have won nine of 11 meetings in the Finals over their rivals from the West Coast, including the first eight meetings and four of those series went to seven games.  The first came in 1959 when the Lakers were in Minneapolis, but they were swept in four straight by a team that included the likes of Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, K.C. Jones and Tommy Heinsohn.  The two met six times during the 1960s, with the Celtics continuing their domination of the Lakers and the rest of league, going onto win eight titles in a row (which is still the longest championship streak in any of the four professional leagues).

After 1969, the Lakers wouldn’t meet the Celtics in the NBA Finals until 1984, which featured the first meeting between Boston’s Larry Bird and Los Angeles’ Magic Johnson in a rivalry that has been said to save the NBA.  The Celtics would win in seven games, but the Lakers would come back the next year to finally beat the Celtics in a six-game Finals matchup.  They would meet again in 1987, and it ended in another six-game victory for the Lakers.  The rivalry would then take a back seat to the Chicago-Detroit and Chicago-New York battles of the 1990s, and it was tough for anyone to win a championship in the Michael Jordan era (indeed, Jordan’s Bulls beat Johnson’s Lakers in the 1990 NBA Finals to start their first three-peat).

The last meeting was in 2008, when the Celtics and their “Big Three” of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen beat the Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in six games.  The series was punctuated with a 131-92 romp for the Celtics in Boston in the series clincher for their 17^th title as a franchise, and their ninth at the expense of the Lakers.

This year’s edition of the rivalry has the Lakers as the NBA betting favorites, and they’re the defending champions after beating Orlando last year, although you can bet your last dollar that they would traded anything for the Celtics to replace the Magic.  Now, they’ll get their chance to avenge their 2008 misery, and pull to within one of the Celtics for the most championships in NBA history.  Whether you’re a betting player or not, this is a matchup you need to tune into.

World Cup betting players would compare Lakers-Celtics to a meeting between Brazil and Italy: a clash of the two with the most championships.  These two have also met 11 times in the NBA Finals, and the Celtics own a massive 9-2 lead over the Lakers, including a six-game victory in 2008.  Can Los Angeles keep the NBA title on the West Coast, and exact revenge for a 39-point loss in the clinching game?

Celtics Lakers Betting – Game 1 is Thursday, 9:00 PM ET in Los Angeles

The Celtics have had to go through the top two teams in the East, Cleveland and Orlando, in six games each after a five-game win over Miami in the first round.  The Celtics that we’ve seen over the playoffs are the closest we’ve seen to the 2008 championship team as they’re playing outstanding defense, and a lot of that has to do with a healthy Kevin Garnett, but the “Big Ticket” looked a step slow in the Orlando series.  The Celtics are very much a perimeter team with Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo, but if Boston is going to overcome being an NBA Final betting underdog, Garnett is going to have to put the pain aside and play like he did in the first two series.

The Lakers have a pair of six-game wins over Oklahoma City and Phoenix, as well as a sweep over Utah, and this is a different team than the one that faced the Celtics in 2008.  Kobe Bryant is, well, Kobe Bryant, but the rest of the cast has the championship experience of last year behind them.  This will be especially so for Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, who looked out of their element two years ago.  The Lakers now also have Ron Artest, which will aid Bryant and Derek Fisher on the perimeter.  Fisher actually played decent defense on Steve Nash in the last series against the Suns after he was abused by Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook and Utah’s Deron Williams.

The Lakers are -180 NBA betting favorites in this series, and the two split a pair of meetings this season with the road team winning by a point on both occasions.  The Lakers are 15-15 in the Finals, while the Celtics are 17-3, and as we mentioned before, nine have come in 11 meetings with the Lakers.  This Los Angeles team is tougher now after what they went through since losing to Boston, and the addition of Artest will be crucial as he looks to make Pierce, who is a Los Angeles native and grew up close to the old Forum in Ingelwood, work for all of his points.  Revenge is a major motivating factor, and we’re banking on the Lakers to come through this time.

Online sports betting pick: Lakers -180