The Rundown: Special Edition - 5 Things to Know About the World Series

The World Series begins tonight in Cleveland with the Chicago Cubs taking on the hometown Cleveland Indians. This series is a true battle of teams and cities who have been waiting a long time for a World Series title.

Batter up,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS- We will still have our regularly scheduled "Five Things to Know" tomorrow morning. Twice in one week - try to contain your excitement. 

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Five things to know about the world series

1. This is a best-of-seven series that will start with Game One and Two in Cleveland, the next three in Chicago and the final two in Cleveland, if necessary. The Cubs represent the National League and the Cleveland Indians the American League. (Full schedule here). 
2. The Chicago Cubs haven’t won a World Series since 1908 (108-year drought) and the Cleveland Indians since 1948 (68-year drought).  
3. Many consider the Cubs the best thing since sliced bread, although the last time the Cubs won the World Series sliced bread hadn’t even been invented. There were also only 46 states, the Titanic had not been built and the NFL (National Football League), NBA (National Basketball League) and the NHL (National Hockey League) did not exist.
4. The Chicago Cubs had the best record in baseball this season but the Cleveland Indians have home-field advantage because the American League won the All-Star Game.
5. Budweiser is the official beer of the MLB (Major League Baseball) postgame celebration, no other is beer allowed. Per MLB postgame celebration rules, only two bottles of champagne are permitted per player during locker room celebrations (which no one actually adheres to) and should be used mostly for spraying and not drinking. Blasphemy!

Overtime

• Both teams have their own hellion. One is Charlie Sheen and the other a goat. If you remember the movie Major League, Sheen played the “Wild Thing” who pitched for the Indians. Sheen offered to channel his old character and throw out the first pitch at one of the World Series games. The Indians declined saying "we’ve chosen people who actually played baseball." #winning. The Cubs story involves the curse of a goat. Yes, a smelly goat was the reason behind the curse on the team. To read the infamous billy goat story click here.  

Sideline stat

• The team that hosts Game One has won the World Series 57% of the time.  

Coaches’ corner

• While in Cleveland the two teams will play by American League rules using a designated hitter (that means pitchers don't bat - another player bats in their place). When the games are played in Chicago the teams will play by National League rules where the pitcher will hit. Pitchers dedicate so much time to practicing pitching that they're not known for being great batters. You can read more about the designated hitter here.

The Rundown: Place Your Bets

On Wednesdays we will showcase something interesting about sports. It might be five facts about a sport, player or an insider’s look. With Super Bowl around the corner, today’s feature is about sports betting and how you can arrive at a sportsbook looking like a know it all. Friday we’ll feature a preview of this weekend’s NFL playoffs.

Want sports updates as they happen? Follow us on Twitter!

Like a (pit) boss,

The LNG Team

PS – We’re not your bookie so don’t blame us if you don’t win. We’re simply providing you the knowledge! Usually the sportsbook staff are helpful if you’re looking to place a bet and still a bit confused. 

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Place your bets

What are the odds? The sportsbook will be buzzing this time of year with the NFL playoffs. Here’s a quick break down that you can apply to sports all year round. 

• One way to bet is on the spread. The spread is the number sportsbooks think a team will win/lose by. 
  • For example, Patriots are -3 (favored by three points) vs Broncos this weekend. Favored teams always have a minus in front and the underdogs have plus. This means the Patriots would have to win by three or more points for you to win. Conversely, Broncos can lose by three points and you would still win.
• Another way to bet is to go with the money line bet, meaning you bet on a team to win straight up, without a spread. This is beneficial if you think the underdog will win as the payouts are bigger. (The favorites are more likely to win so payouts are less).
  • For example, on Sunday Broncos are +140 money line bet, meaning they would have to win the game for you to win the bet. If you put $10 on them and they won, you would win $14.
  • Patriots are -160 favorites therefore the odds in a money line bet are not as good. If you put $10 on them, you would only win $6.
• Then there’s the under/over bet which means you are not betting on any specific team but the final score of the game.
  • Let’s say the Cardinals vs Panthers over/under is 48. If you take the over you’re betting that the two teams will score at least 48 points. The under means you bet on them scoring less than 48 total.
• Another option to bet is a parlay, which is making two or more bets on a single ticket. Parlays have higher payouts because the likelihood of winning decreases with more bets put on a parlay card. Each bet must win for you to win your bet.
  • An example according to William Hill mobile betting app, if you put $10 on a four team parlay it would look like this: 
    • Broncos +3 (spread – can lose by three points and you still win)
    • Broncos/Patriots Over 44 (over/under – total score will consist of 44 points or more)
    • Cardinals +3 (spread – Cardinals can lose by three points and you still win)
    • Cardinals/Panthers Over 48 (over/under – total score will consist of 48 points or more)
    • If you win all four bets, your winnings would equal $118.35
• Last but certainly the most fun is a proposition or prop bet. Prop bets are bets on individual things that will happen throughout the game. They are very popular during the Super Bowl. Here are some popular prop bets in Super Bowl:
  • Over/under of the length of the national anthem
  • Who will win the opening coin toss?
  • What color Gatorade dumped on the winning coach?
  • Will there be a safety in the game?
• A few last minute pointers
  • A push means you tie your bet and get the money you bet back. Say you bet over 44 for Patriots/Broncos and they score exactly 44. You will get your money back because they met the over points, but didn’t actually go over.
  • Backdoor means team score a meaningless points at the end of the game to cover a spread (see College Football Championship)
  • A sportsbook makes money by taking a cut of each bet, which typically is 10 cents on spreads and over/unders. Therefore if you wanted to bet $10 on the Broncos at +3 odds (win by three or more) would be -110. Which means you would need to put down $11 to make it even money
  • Lastly, the people who set the points on each game are smart and there’s a reason it's their job as they’re good at making the casino money. Enjoy it but gamble responsibly.

(Source for the odds- vegasinsider.com)

Quickie Updates

• MLB (Major League Baseball) Coveted 28-year-old free agent, outfielder Justin Upton, signs a contract with Detroit Tigers - six years, $132 million.
• NBA (National Basketball Association)  Memphis Grizzlies Matt Barnes delivers the classiest quote of the the year.  When referring to his personal situation with New York Knicks head coach Derek Fisher, “Violence is never the answer, but sometimes it is." You may remember Fisher is dating Barnes’ ex-wife. Emily Post would be so proud. The NBA slapped Barnes with a $35,000 fine for condoning violence. 
• NCAA Basketball (College) The great state of Iowa is number one ranked teams’ kryptonite as three number one teams have lost so far in the state. 
• NFL (National Football League) Rookie of the year announced: Future star of Los Angeles, Rams running back Todd Gurley (offense) and Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters (defense).
• Olympic Basketball USA basketball announces the final 30 candidates for this year’s Olympic team. There are 12 spots total for the team playing in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil. Read the list here. 
• Tennis There were major upsets in the first round of the Australian Open which include Rafael Nadal and Venus Williams.

The Rundown: National Championship Game Special Edition

We haven’t had that much fun on a Monday night since Margarita Monday was invented. The battle between the top two teams in college football during last night’s National Championship game did not disappoint.

Grab your coffee and read on for the game highlights.

Alabama for the win,

The LNG Team

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College Football Playoff National Championship Game

 Alabama Crimson Tide 45 vs University of Clemson Tigers 40

• Game notes
  • This game was full of momentum swings and it was an extremely competitive game between two of the NCAA’s best teams. 
  • Heisman Trophy winner, Derrick Henry (Alabama) proved he’s got game by scoring three touchdowns.
  • Special teams made the difference in the game. An onside kick and a kickoff return for a touchdown sealed the win for Alabama. (“Special teams” refers the squad of specialists who are used for punts, kickoffs and other special plays.)
  • Alabama tight end, O.J. Howard scored two touchdowns last night. Prior to this game he had not scored a touchdown since 2013. 
  • Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson had a great game and accounted for 478 of his team’s 550 yards.  
  • It was an emotional night for Alabama quarterback Jake Coker. He has had a college football career that includes losing his starting place to a future Heisman Trophy winner, a school transfer, losing his starting job again and then earning it back. It was a bittersweet win for Coker as his brother, Patrick, is serving in the Air Force in the Middle East and was unable to be at the game but he did watch it on TV. Jake called his brother his hero and an inspiration. 
  • This was Alabama’s fourth title in seven seasons and head coach Nick Saban’s fifth title of his career.
•  Key Play
  • Alabama head coach, Nick Saban, pulled out a trick play in the fourth quarter that swung the momentum in favor of Alabama. Alabama went for an onside kick and recovered it. 

Overtime

• Ciara, girlfriend of Seattle Seahawks’ quarterback, Russell Wilson, sang the National Anthem and looked stunning (and controversial) in white. 

 Sideline Stat

• With 12 seconds left in the game, Clemson scored what some might think was a meaningless touchdown to make it 45-40. It was not meaningless if you bet on the game in Las Vegas. The “spread” had Alabama favored by seven points (meaning they had to win by more than seven points). That last second touchdown caused many to lose their bet. This is known as getting "back doored," when a meaningless score at end of game ruins the spread.

Wynn Sportsbook Director Johnny Avello told ESPN that in Vegas alone, an estimated $10 million swung from one side to the other with the late touchdown by the Tigers.

Coaches’ Corner

• What’s the Heisman? The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award (or The Heisman for short) is awarded every season to the most outstanding player in US college football whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity, according to Heisman.com. This award is not exclusive to one academic year – it is open to all eligible players. The winner is chosen by three categories of voters:

1. Sports journalists
2. Previous Heisman winners.
3. Fans. A partnership with Nissan gives the fans a vote. Votes are tabulated through an ESPN survey and the fan vote constitutes one vote. 

You’ll probably recognize a lot of the previous winners as they star in the funny “Nissan Heisman House” commercials. Are you intrigued and want to learn more or see the full list? Click here to check it out.