July 31, 2006 (Toronto, Canada)The road show in Ohio has come to a halt and I am back north of the border where former NFL running back Ricky Williams is once again passing the time not playing football. With less than a month to go 'till the start of the College Football season and with the NFL right behind the kids, bettors are rubbing their hands in gleeful anticipation.

Before we get zoned in to the football scene, I would be remiss if I did not give kudos to major league baseball which has become the definition of parity in sports. Every time you think you have a team pegged as a contender or on the verge of being eliminated from the race, the tide turns drastically.

Last week, I suggested to readers that the St. Louis Cardinals were set to soar-off away from their competitors in the NL Central as they were getting healthy and had played excellently on a recent West Coast swing. They were heading to Wrigley Field this past weekend for a four game set with the inept Cubs. Chicago was a heavy dog in this series and, wouldn't you know it, they took a huge bite out of the Cards by sweeping the four game series.

Meanwhile, out west in San Francisco the Giants seemed poised for a long and lengthy battle with their California rival the San Diego Padres. After taking two of three from them and beginning the week in a virtual tie for the lead, Felipe and his men headed east for dates with the Nationals and the lowly Bucs of Pittsburgh who dropped six in a row.

Arizona was in Houston on the weekend and the over was the wager in this series as the bookend games in the three game set saw 15 runs scored Friday and 13 on Saturday by two teams that have a hard time scoring runs. Could someone please tell me how the Milwaukee Brewers can go 4-6 in their past 10 games, yet suddenly find themselves ahead of Roger Clemens' Astros and only 8 ? back of the Cards?

Okay, I will finally put the final nail in the coffin for the Atlanta Braves who have 14 straight post season appearances and will probably watch the playoffs from a couch instead of a bullpen. The injuries are mounting and the lack of depth on the roster is finally getting the best of Bobby Cox. Their home record of 22-28 is atrocious considering the great fans that flock to the stadium and then the Mets embarrassed them this past weekend. Actually, including their loss to the Marlins on Thursday the Braves were outscored 33-14 in the past 4 games!

The Tigers are simply a special team as they headed to Minnesota this past weekend and most handicappers thought the Twins might ambush them. On Friday, they had to face the incredible talent of Francisco Liriano and they hung around long enough to win in the 10th. Considering that the Twins had not lost two games in a row at home since May 14th, bettors were all over the home side. Once again, the Tigers rewarded their faithful with an 8-6 triumph.

Bob Acton

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