CNOTES CFL BEST BETS-NEWS-NOTES-WRITEUPS !

[Cnotes53]

Saturday’s 6-pack:
Last six players to hit four home runs in a game:
2025— Nick Kurtz
2025— Eugenio Suarez
2017— JD Martinez
2017— Scooter Gennett
2012— Josh Hamilton
2003— Carlos Delgado

Quote of the Day
“It’s arguably the best game I’ve ever watched from a single player. This kid (Nick Kurtz) continues to have jaw-dropping moments.”
A’s manager Mark Kotsay

Saturday’s quiz
Who holds the Oakland/Sacramento A’s single-season record for most pitching wins in a season?

Friday’s quiz
When the Giants beat Detroit in the 2012 World Series, Hall of Famer Jim Leyland was the Tigers’ manager.

Thursday’s quiz
On June 29, Washington’s James Wood was walked intentionally four times in one game; before that night, Barry Bonds was the last player to get four intentional walks in a game, in 2004.

**********************************************

Saturday’s Den: Wrapping up a very warm Friday night…….​

— A’s 15, Astros 3
Rookie 1B Nick Kurtz had one of the greatest games in baseball history:
He went 6-for-6, and scored six runs.
He hit four home runs, a single and a double.
He drove in eight runs.
He tied the all-time record for total bases in a game (19), a record that Shawn Green set in 2002.

— Angels 3, Mariners 2 (10)
Zach Neto had a walk-off single on his bobblehead night.
Angels’ bullpen allowed only 3 baserunners in four scoreless IP.
Julio Rodriguez had two home runs for Seattle.

— Diamondbacks 1, Pirates 0 (11)
Pittsburgh had one hit the whole game, Pham’s 2nd inning triple.
Eugenio Suarez hit a sac fly in the 11th inning.
Teams combined to go 0-18 with runners in scoring position.

— Rockies 6, Orioles 5
Baltimore hit four solo home runs in the first two innings, led 4-0.
Colorado is 5-2 since the All-Star break.
Orioles are only MLB team without a walk-off win this season.

— Phillies 12, New York 5
New York led 3-2 after the sixth inning.
Kyle Schwarber homered twice, scored three runs, had four RBI.
Schwarber got his 1,000th career hit in this game.
New York’s bullpen gave up 10 runs in 3.1 IP.

— Twins 1, Nationals 0
Rookie Zebby Matthews allowed two hits in his six scoreless IP.
Byron Buxton’s 5th inning sac fly scored the game’s only run.
Washington hasn’t scored in its last 21 innings.

— White Sox 12, Cubs 5
White Sox led this game 9-0 in the fourth inning.
Cubs ace Imanaga gave up 12 hits, seven runs in three IP.
Rookie C Edgar Quero had his first career 4-hit game.

— Cardinals 3, Padres 0
San Diego has lost four games in a row.
Willson Contreras got on base four times, scored twice.
Miles Mikolas tossed 5 shutout IP, despite getting only one whiff in his 73 pitches.

— Famous birthdays, July 26th:
Bob Lilly, 86
Dick Grubar, 78
Mike Rae, 74
Jody Reed, 63
Sandra Bullock, 61
Kate Beckinsale, 52
Delonte West, 42
Ryan O’Hearn, 32
Van Jefferson, 29
Gavin Williams, 26

— Thoughts/prayers go out to Kansas Jayhawks basketball coach Bill Self, who went to the hospital this week and had a procedure with two stents inserted in arteries near his heart. He is expected to make a full recovery.
62-year old Self had a similar procedure two years ago.

— New Jersey Jets QB Justin Fields dislocated a toe on his right foot this week; he isn’t expected to miss much time, should be ready for the season opener against Pittsburgh, his old team.
Tyrod Taylor is the Jets’ backup QB; he’s started 58 NFL games (28-29-1).

— Minnesota Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson a mild hamstring strain and will be held out of practice; he will be re-evaluated next week, but is expected to be ready for the Vikings Week 1 game against the Bears in Chicago.

— Seattle Mariners acquired 1B Josh Naylor from Arizona, the first significant chip to fall before this summer’s trade deadline. Diamondbacks got two prospects in return.
Naylor went 1-for-4 in his Seattle debut; he is hitting .292 this year, with an .804 OPS.

— Colorado Rockies traded 3B Ryan McMahon to Bronx, for two minor leaguers; New York will also take on the $36.5M that is left on McMahon’s contract, thru 2027.
McMahon is hitting. 217 this year, with a .717 OPS.

— Baltimore Orioles traded traded lefty reliever Gregory Soto to the Mets for two minor leaguers; Mets are Soto’s fourth team the last four years- he has a 3.96 ERA in 45 appearances this season, but he gives the Mets a second lefty in the bullpen.

— If the baseball playoffs started today (they don’t):
NL: Mets, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Phillies, Padres
AL: Toronto, Detroit, Houston. Wild Cards: New York, Mariners, Red Sox

 

[Cnotes53]

Saturday, July 26​

Game	Time(ET)	Pick	Units
WPG at TOR	07:00 PM	TOR +5.5 O 52.5	+500 +500

 

[Cnotes53]

JULY'S CFL BEST BETS !!

07/26/2025.................1 - 1 - 0..................50.00%.............- 0.50
07/25/2025.................2 -0 - 0.................100.00%.............+ 10.00
07/24/2025.................1 - 1 - 0.................50.00%.............- 0.50
07/20/2025.................0 - 2 - 0..................00.00%.............- 11.00
07/19/2025.................2 - 0 - 0................100.00%.............+ 10.00
07/18/2025.................1 - 1 - 0.................50.00%..............- 0.50
07/17/2025.................1 - 1- 0..................50.00%..............- 0.50
07/13/2025.................1 - 1 - 0..................50.00%.............- 0.50
07/12/2025.................2 -.2 - 0..................50.00%.............- 1.00
07/06/2025.................0 - 2 - 0..................00.00%.............- 11.00
07/05/2025.................1 - 1 - 0..................50.00%..............- 0.50
07/04/2025.................0 - 2 - 0..................00.00%..............- 11.00
07/03/2025.................2 - 0 - 0.................100.00%.............+ 10.00

TOTALS.....................14 -14 - 1.................50.00%................- 7.00

***********************************

JUNE'S TOTALS.........19 - 13 - 0..................59.37%..............+ 23.50

 

[Cnotes53]

3 keys to victory for BC, Hamilton in Week 8​

VANCOUVER — The Hamilton Tiger-Cats go for a fifth straight win on Sunday night when they head to the west coast for a showdown with the BC Lions.

In Week 7, the Tiger-Cats downed the Ottawa REDBLACKS 30-15.

BC fell to the Saskatchewan Roughriders 33-27.

Here’s three keys to the game for both teams ahead of Sunday’s 7:00 p.m. ET kickoff, which can be watched on TSN in Canada, and on CFL+ in the U.S. and internationally.

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS​

1. RECEIVERS NOT NAMED KENNY LAWLER

Tim White and Kiondré Smith stepped up with a combined 170 yards in last week’s win. If the Ticats can continue to get help from Kenny Lawler’s supporting cast, it will only open the field for the team’s star. They’ll need them, too, as the Lions lead the league in average passing yards allowed and should be an ornery bunch after coughing up an uncharacteristic 375 against the Riders.

2. ARE GREG BELL AND JOHNNY AUGUSTINE THE ANSWER?

Head coach Scott Milanovich’s offence runs through quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, but production still has to come from elsewhere. Squaring off with a strong secondary, running backs Greg Bell, who is listed as the starter, and Canadian backup Johnny Augustine will have their numbers called to ease some of the offensive load. Add in that the Lions are surrendering 122.7 rushing yards per game, and Bell and Augustine very well could be the key to finding the end zone.

3. STOUT SECONDARY

The Ticats are just fine with quarterback Nathan Rourke putting the ball in the air, given they lead the league in pass knockdowns and interceptions. Defensive backs Jamal Peters, Stavros Katsantonis, Destin Talbert and Jonathan Moxey have combined for nine of the team’s 11 picks and are tasked with keeping tabs on the Lions’ talented receivers.

BC LIONS​

1. PRESSURE BO LEVI MITCHELL

Being ornery won’t be enough to right the pass defence against Mitchell, Lawler and company. The Lions front has 11 sacks on the season, but failed to record one against Trevor Harris and the Riders. It’s up to defensive linemen DeWayne Hendrix and Mathieu Betts, who lead the team with three sacks each, to find their way through the offensive line.

2. FIND JUSTIN MCINNIS EARLY

Rourke didn’t complete a pass to receiver Justin McInnis until the fourth quarter versus Saskatchewan and went just 1-for-7 when he looked his way. Getting the ball in his hands earlier will help the pair rekindle their chemistry.

3. AYDEN EBERHARDT’S IMPACT

With how well the Ticats’ secondary is playing, Rourke will be required to spread the field. When he tries to, receiver Ayden Eberhardt should be considered a primary option. Eberhardt is averaging 16.2 yards per reception and has 78 yards after the catch.

NEED TO KNOW:​

• All four of Hamilton’s wins have been against East Division opponents.
• The Ticats and Lions split their 2024 season series 1-1, with a total of 133 points scored.
• Kickoff from Save-on-Food Field at BC Place is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET, and can be watched on TSN in Canada, and on CFL+ in the U.S. and internationally.

 

[Cnotes53]

Sunday’s 6-pack:
— Blue Jays 6, Tigers 1- Game was scoreless after seven innings.
— Detroit has lost 12 of its last 13 games.
— Rangers 6, Braves 5 (10)- Atlanta slips to 18-33 on the road.
— Phillies 9, New York 4- New York is 21-28 in its last 49 games.
— New York put RF Aaron Judge (elbow) on the injured list.
— Red Sox 4, Dodgers 2- LA homered twice in first inning, didn’t score again.

Quote of the Day
“I never had any really elbow issues or anything like that. You never know what you’re kind of getting into, but I’m glad it’s just it is what it is.”
Aaron Judge

Sunday’s quiz
Which NFL team is the only one that has never won a game they trailed in by 21+ points?

Saturday’s quiz
Bob Welch holds the Oakland/Sacramento A’s single-season record for most pitching wins in a season; he won 27 games in 1990.

Friday’s quiz
When the Giants beat Detroit in the 2012 World Series, Hall of Famer Jim Leyland was the Tigers’ manager.

***************************************************​

Sunday’s Den: Trends for Week 1 NFL matchups……​

Early season trends for Week 1 NFL matchups:

— Cowboys @ Eagles
Dallas is 4-2 SU/5-1 ATS in its last six road openers.
Since 2007, Cowboys are 14-4 ATS in road openers.
Over is 5-3-1 in their last nine road openers.
This is first time Philly opened at home since 2019.
Last four years, Eagles are 4-0 SU/3-1 ATS in Week 1.
Eagles are 2-3 SU/1-4 ATS in last five home openers

— Chiefs vs Chargers (@ San Paolo, Brazil)
Last ten years, Chiefs are 8-2 SU/7-3 ATS in Week 1.
Over is 7-1-1 in Kansas City’s last nine Week 1 games.
Last six years, Chargers are 5-1 SU in Week 1.
Last five years, under is 4-1 in their Week 1 games.

— Giants @ Commanders
Since 2011, Giants are 2-11 SU/2-10-1 ATS in Week 1.
Last eight years, under is 7-1 in their Week 1 games.
Since 2009, Giants are 5-9-1 ATS in their road opener.
Last seven years, Washington is 4-3 SU/ATS in Week 1.
Over is 4-2 in their last six Week 1 games.
Last five years, Commanders are 4-1 SU/3-2 ATS in their home opener.

— Cardinals @ Saints
Last six years, Arizona is 3-3 SU/6-0 ATS in its road opener.
Last seven years, under is 5-2 in their road openers.
Last six years, Cardinals are 2-3-1 SU/5-1 ATS in Week 1 games.
Since 2015, Saints are 4-6 SU/2-8 ATS in their home opener.
Over is 7-2 in their last nine home openers.
Last 11 years, New Orleans is 5-6 SU/2-9 ATS in Week 1 games.

— Dolphins @ Colts
Last four years, Dolphins are 4-1 SU/3-1 ATS in Week 1 games.
Last 10 years, Miami is 6-4 SU/7-3 ATS in its road opener.
Under is 19-4 in their last 23 road openers.
Since 2014, Colts are 0-10-1 SU/2-8-1 ATS in Week 1 games.
Over is 5-2 in their last seven Week 1 games.
Last six years, Colts are 3-3 SU/4-2 ATS in home openers.

— Raiders @ Patriots
Last six years, Raiders are 4-2 SU/ATS in Week 1 games.
Since 2007, Raiders are 12-5-1 ATS in their road opener.
Under is 6-2 in their last eight road openers.
Last four years, Patriots are 0-4 SU/0-3-1 ATS in home openers.
Last seven years, under is 6-0-1 in their Week 1 games.
Under is 5-1 in their last six road openers.

Steelers @ Jets
Pittsburgh won/covered its last five road openers.
Under is 11-1 in their last dozen road openers.
This is 10th time in 11 years Steelers open on the road.
Last six years, Jets are 1-5 SU/ATS in Week 1 games.
Last two years, Jets won/covered their home opener.
Under is 7-1 in their last eight home openers.

Panthers @ Jaguars
Last six years, Panthers are 1-5 SU/ATS in Week 1 games.
Since 2009, Carolina is 5-11 SU/ATS in road openers.
Under is 8-4 in Carolina’s last 12 home openers.
Last 8 years, Jacksonville is 4-4 SU/5-3 ATS in Week 1.
Since 2012, Jaguars are 3-10 SU/ATS in home openers.
Jaguars’ last four home openers stayed under the total.

— Famous birthdays, July 27th:
Haven Moses, 79
Bob Klein, 78
Mack Calvin, 78
Brian Kingman, 72
Hugh Green, 65
Alex Rodriguez, 50
Max Scherzer, 41
DeMarre Carroll, 39
Ryan Tannehill, 37
Drew Rasmussen, 30

— Bengals @ Browns
Bengals started 0-1 in five of the last six seasons.
Under is 5-1 in their last six season openers.
Bengals are 1-5 SU/3-3 ATS in last six road openers.
Since 2005, Browns are 2-17-1 SU in Week 1 games.
Last six years, Browns are 3-3 SU/1-5 ATS in home openers.
Over is 5-1 in their last six home openers.

— Buccaneers @ Falcons
Last six years, Bucs are 5-0 SU/4-1 ATS in Week 1 games.
Tampa Bay is 7-3 SU/ATS in its last ten road openers.
Over is 7-3 in Tampa Bay’s last ten home openers.
Last seven years, Falcons are 1-6 SU/2-5 ATS in Week 1 games.
Since 2008, Atlanta is 12-5 SU/13-4 ATS in home openers.
Since 2004, under is 15-6 in their road openers.

— 49ers @ Seahawks
Since 2015, 49ers are 7-4 SU/6-5 ATS in Week 1 games.
49ers are 4-6 ATS in their last ten road openers.
Under is 6-2 in their last eight road openers.
Seahawks started out 1-0 five of the last six years.
Seattle is 3-6 ATS in its last nine home openers.
Under is 10-4 in their last 14 home openers.

— Titans @ Broncos
Last five years, Titans are 1-4 SU/ATS in season openers.
Under is 4-1 in their last five road openers.
Since 2012, Tennessee is 3-10 ATS in home openers.
Last six years, Denver is 1-5 SU/3-3 ATS in Week 1 games.
Broncos’ last six home openers stayed under the total.
Last three years, Denver scored 16-16-6 points in its home opener.

— Texans @ Rams
Last six years, Texans are 1-5 SU/4-2 ATS in their road opener.
Under is 7-3 in its last ten road openers.
Last six years, Houston is 4-2 ATS in its season opener.
Under McVay, Rams are 6-2 SU/ATS in home openers.
Over is 3-1 in their last four home openers.

— Lions @ Packers
Last four years, Detroit is 2-2 SU/4-0 ATS in Week 1 games.
Over is 6-2 in their last eight season openers.
Lions are 6-3 ATS in their last nine road openers.
This is first time since 2018 that Packers are at home in Week 1.
Since 2013, Green Bay is 12-0 SU/9-3 ATS in home openers.
Under is 6-2 in their last eight home openers.

— Ravens @ Bills
Last nine years, Ravens are 7-2 SU/ATS in Week 1.
Since 2008, Baltimore is 11-6 ATS in road openers.
Over is 12-5-1 in Ravens’ last 18 road openers.
Last eight years, Bills are 5-3 SU/4-4 ATS in Week 1.
Last six years, Buffalo os 5-1 SU/3-3 ATS in home openers.
Under is 7-2 in their last ten road openers.

— Vikings @ Bears
Last nine years, Minnesota is 6-3 SU/ATS in Week 1 games.
Since 2017, Vikings are 1-5-1 SU/1-6 ATS in road openers.
Under is 10-1 in their last eleven home openers.
Last 11 years, Chicago started season 0-1 eight times.
Last five years, Bears are 4-1 SU/3-2 ATS in home openers.
Under is 7-1 in their last eight home openers.
Rams won six of last eight season openers.

 

[Cnotes53]

Sunday, July 27​

Game	Time(ET)	Pick	Units
HAM at BC	07:00 PM	HAM +3.0 U 55.5	+500 +500

 

[Cnotes53]

JULY'S CFL BEST BETS !!

07/27/2025.................1 - 1 - 0..................50.00%.............- 0.50
07/26/2025.................1 - 1 - 0..................50.00%.............- 0.50
07/25/2025.................2 -0 - 0.................100.00%.............+ 10.00
07/24/2025.................1 - 1 - 0.................50.00%.............- 0.50
07/20/2025.................0 - 2 - 0..................00.00%.............- 11.00
07/19/2025.................2 - 0 - 0................100.00%.............+ 10.00
07/18/2025.................1 - 1 - 0.................50.00%..............- 0.50
07/17/2025.................1 - 1- 0..................50.00%..............- 0.50
07/13/2025.................1 - 1 - 0..................50.00%.............- 0.50
07/12/2025.................2 -.2 - 0..................50.00%.............- 1.00
07/06/2025.................0 - 2 - 0..................00.00%.............- 11.00
07/05/2025.................1 - 1 - 0..................50.00%..............- 0.50
07/04/2025.................0 - 2 - 0..................00.00%..............- 11.00
07/03/2025.................2 - 0 - 0.................100.00%.............+ 10.00

TOTALS.....................15 -15 - 1.................50.00%................- 7.50

***********************************

JUNE'S TOTALS.........19 - 13 - 0..................59.37%..............+ 23.50

 

[Cnotes53]

Monday’s 6-pack:
College football line moves for Week 1 games:
— Hawaii was +1.5, is now -1.5 vs Stanford
— Baylor was +1.5 vs Auburn; the game is now pick ‘em.
— Temple was -1.5 vs UMass; now they’re -3.
— Tennessee was -12.5 vs Syracuse; now they’re -14.
— Utah was -5 vs UCLA; now they’re -6.5.
— Clemson was -3 vs LSU, now they’re -3.5

Quote of the Day
“Three-thousand [career] hits or 262 hits in one season are achievements recognized by the writers. Except, oh, one of you.”
Ichiro Suzuki, referring to the one person who didn’t vote for him to get into the Hall of Fame

Monday’s quiz
Who is the only ballplayer to hit an inside-the-park home run in an All-Star Game?
(Hint that won’t help; that game was played in San Francisco)

Sunday’s quiz
Carolina Panthers are the only NFL team that has never won a game they trailed in by 21+ points.

Saturday’s quiz
Bob Welch holds the Oakland/Sacramento A’s single-season record for most pitching wins in a season; he won 27 games in 1990.

****************************************

Monday’s Den: Wrapping up a sports Sunday……..​

— If you have HBO, there is a great documentary about Billy Joel on there “And So It Goes”
This is a two-part show, think it is four hours in all; it is like taking a college course on the history of music in this country, especially if you’re from New York, like I am.
One part is more personal, about his upbringing; the second part is about once he became a star, how he met Christie Brinkley and how MTV starting in the 80’s propelled his career.
If you like music, this will be right up your alley.

— Baseball’s trade deadline is this coming Thursday; what teams will be sellers, what teams will be buyers? It is really hard to tell right now.
There are only three American League teams that are further than 5.5 games out of the last Wild Card spot; there are only four NL teams further than six games out of the last Wild Card spot.
How many players on those seven non-contenders will be valuable trade chips?
Which teams on the cusp of contending will throw in the towel and sell players?
Should be an interesting week…….

— There was only one baseball game Sunday that started at 4:00; weird scheduling; there was the Sunday night game on ESPN, but only one 4:00 game?
Why???

— A’s 7, Astros 1
A’s went to Houston and swept the four-game series, holding Houston to seven runs.
A’s are 9-7 in their last sixteen games.
Houston leads the AL West by four games, over Seattle/Texas.

— Our fantasy baseball league has a 10-day week the game after the All-Star break; A’s rookie Nick Kurtz had quite a game this week:
He went 22 for 37, with 51 total bases.
13 runs scored, 15 RBI
His on-base percentage was .634.
Tremendous performance.

— Pirates 6, Arizona 0
Streaky Pirates have won five of their last six games.
Under is 9-1 in Paul Skenes’ last ten starts.
Arizona scored one run in three games since they started selling players off.

— Reds 2, Rays 1
Tampa Bay got swept in Cincinnati, scoring 2-1-2 runs.
Reds are 16-6 in their last 22 home games.
Rays have lost 10 of their last 13 games.

— Brewers 3, Marlins 2
Marlins led 2-1 after the 7th inning.
Blake Perkins had the game-winning hot for Milwaukee.
Eury Perez allowed only four baserunners, one run in 5 IP for Miami.

— Famous birthdays, July 28th:
Bill Bradley, 82
Sally Struthers, 78
Doug Collins, 74
Clint Longley, 73
Carmelo Martínez, 65
Elizabeth Berkley, 53
Hannah Waddingham, 51
Manu Ginobili, 48
DeMeco Ryans, 41
Darin Ruf, 39
Walker Buehler, 31
Malik Nabers, 22

— Watching the Hall of Famers get introduced on YouTube, it has to be pretty amazing to be one of those guys; for one weekend a year, you’re an immortal.
If you’ve never been to Cooperstown and you really like baseball, put it on your bucket list, it is worth the trip, and it is quite a drive.

— Sunday night, I crossed paths with two younger guys wearing Mariners’ caps; they had just come back to Albany from seeing Ichiro Suzuki getting inducted in Cooperstown- they loved the experience, said it was well worth the cross-country trip.

— Speaking of which, the person who didn’t vote for Ichiro to get into the Hall of Fame should step forward and say why. It is a free country, but it would be nice to know why the person was an idiot in his voting.

— Rangers 8, Braves 1
Texas is 8-1 since the All-Star break; they’re tied with Seattle for the last AL Wild Card spot.
Rangers are 34-20 at home, 22-30 on the road.
Atlanta is 18-34 on the road.

— Tigers 10, Blue Jays 4
Detroit led 3-0 after seven innings, scored 7 more in 8th inning.
Jack Flaherty tossed six scoreless innings to get the win.
Just the second win for Detroit in their last 14 games.

— Kansas City Royals signed P Seth Lugo to a two-year, $46M contract extension; 35-year old Lugo is 23-14, 2.98 in 52 starts for the Royals the last two seasons.

 

[Cnotes53]

​ CFL 2025 Recap: Hamilton @ BC - Week 8​ ​ ​ CFL 2025 Recap: Winnipeg @ Toronto - Week 8​ ​ ​ CFL 2025 Recap: Edmonton @ Saskatchewan - Week 8​ ​ ​ CFL 2025 Recap: Montreal @ Calgary - Week 8​ ​ ​ JULY 28, 2025 LANDRY’S 5 TAKEAWAYS FROM WEEK 8​ JULY 28, 2025 3 STATS THAT DEFINED HAMILTON’S WEEK 8 WIN OVER BC​ JULY 28, 2025 TIGER-CATS KEEP WINNING STREAK ALIVE WITH VICTORY OVER LIONS​ JULY 27, 2025 3 STATS THAT DEFINED TORONTO’S WEEK 8 WIN OVER WINNIPEG​ JULY 27, 2025 ARGOS DEFEAT BOMBERS IN 111TH GREY CUP REMATCH​ JULY 26, 2025 3 STATS THAT DEFINED SASKATCHEWAN’S WEEK 8 WIN OVER EDMONTON​ JULY 26, 2025 ROUGHRIDERS’ DEFENCE BRINGS THE HEAT IN WIN OVER ELKS​

 

[Cnotes53]

Tuesday’s 6-pack:
Players who have hit the most grand slams:
25— Alex Rodriguez
23— Lou Gehrig
21— Manny Ramirez
19— Eddie Murray
18— Willie McCovey, Robin Ventura
17— Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, Carlos Lee

Quote of the Day
“it is part of the price of leadership of this great and free nation to the target of clever satirists. You have given the gift of laughter to our people. May we never grow so somber or self-important that we fail to appreciate the humor in our lives.”
President Lyndon Johnson, back in the 1960’s

Tuesday’s quiz
Who holds the Seattle Mariners’ record for most runs scored in a season?

Monday’s quiz
Ichiro Suzuki is the only ballplayer to hit an inside-the-park home run in an All-Star Game.

Sunday’s quiz
Carolina Panthers are the only NFL team that has never won a game they trailed in by 21+ points.

**************************************

Tuesday’s Den: Nobody asked me, but…….​

— Trade deadline is Thursday; who will buy, who will sell?
AL Wild Card standings:
1- New York
2- Seattle
3- Boston
Rangers- 0.5 games behind
Rays- 2.5 games behind
Guardians- 4 games behind
Angels/Royals- 4.5 games behind
Twins- 5 games behind

NL Wild Card standings:
1- Cubs
2- Phillies
3- Padres
Reds- 2 games behind
Cardinals- 3.5 games behind
Giants- 4 games behind
Arizona/Miami- 7 games behind
All that leaves seven teams who are non-contenders; Arizona has already pretty much thrown up the white Flag. How many other teams will do that before Thursday?

— Apparently MLB commissioner Rob Manfred was in the Phillies clubhouse last week, and he got cursed out by Bryce Harper, when Harper got steamed when he thought Manfred wanted to talk about a potential salary cap in the sport’s near future.
It isn’t looking good for baseball in 2027, when the next collective bargaining deal is expected to start; some owners want a salary cap, the players’ union, with scumweasel agent Scott Boras behind it, vehemently does not want one.
Sounds like we could be having a spring full of Korean baseball at 4am in a couple years.

— Diamondbacks’ 3B Eugenio Suarez is a hot commodity at the trade deadline; hell, I was trying to trade for him in our fantasy league, but he got drilled with a pitch on his right hand Monday and left the game. X-rays were negative; more tests are expected Tuesday.
Tigers 5, Diamondbacks 1- Arizona has scored total of two runs in four games since they traded Josh Naylor to Seattle.

— Twins 5, Red Sox 4
Brooks Lee’s 2-run single was a walk-off winner for the Twins.
There was a 90-minute rain delay during the ninth inning.
Twins traded P Chris Paddack to Detroit earlier in the day.

— Pirates 6, Giants 5
Andrew McCutchen hit a 2-run homer in the 7th inning.
Mitch Keller started for Pittsburgh, lasted only 2 IP, throwing 73 pitches.
Willie Adames was 3-5 with two RBI for the Giants.

— RIP to Hall of Fame 2B Ryne Sandberg, one of the most beloved players in Cubs history, who passed away Monday at age 65.
Sandberg hit .285 with 282 home runs, 1,061 RBI and 344 stolen bases in 15 years with Chicago. He made 10 All-Star teams — winning the Home Run Derby in 1990 — and took home nine Gold Gloves.
Sandberg was MVP of the National League in 1984; his OPS was .887 that year.
He later managed the Phillies for a couple years. RIP, sir.

— Famous birthdays, July 29th
Mike Starr, 75
Ken Kravec, 74
Scott Wedman, 73
Ken Burns, 72
Dave LaPoint, 66
Steve Pelluer, 63
Pepper Johnson, 61
Ryan Braun, 45
Dak Prescott, 32
Jack Suwinski, 27

— Cleveland Guardians’ Emmanuel Clase has been put on paid leave as part of a betting investigation, joining Cleveland starter Luis Ortiz on that list.
Apparently the investigation revolves around prop bets, like whether the first pitch of an inning will be a strike or not. Prop betting is for total degenerates; this is bad for the game.

Rockies 8, Guardians 6- To make matters worse for Cleveland, the dreadful Rockies scored four runs in the top of the ninth, after the Guardians had rallied from a 3-0 deficit to take a 5-4 lead after eight innings.

— Padres 7, Mets 6
Elias Diaz had a walk-off single for San Diego; they trailed 5-1 in 5th inning.
Mark Vientos homered, had four RBI for the Mets.
Luis Arraez homered for the Padres.

— Nationals 2, Astros 1
Riley Adams hit a tie-breaking home run in the 7th inning.
Astros have lost 10 of their last 11 home games.
Last three games, Houston was held to 1-1-1 runs.
After the game, Houston P Framber Valdez complained about the Astros’ defensive placement in the outfield. He wasn’t happy where the RF was playing in the 6th inning, when a double scored the Nationals’ first run.

— Mets paid $97M in payroll taxes last year, that’s how high their payroll was.
By way of comparison, the Pirates’ entire payroll last year was $88,542,440.

— Royals P Kris Bubic is out for the year with a left rotator cuff strain.

— Dusty Baker is going to manage Team Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic next winter.

— RIP to former big league pitcher Bill Denehy, who passed away last month at age 79.
Denehy was a big enough prospect that he was on a rookie baseball card with Tom Seaver in 1967; he faced Willie Mays four times, struck him out three times, but Denehy pitched in only 49 big league games, starting nine of them.
Mets actually traded him to the Washington Senators in 1967 for a manager, Gil Hodges, who two years later let the Miracle Mets to the 1969 World Series title.

RIP, sir.

 

[Cnotes53]

Wednesday’s 6-pack:
— Orioles 16-3, Blue Jays 4-2- Toronto’s AL East lead is down to 4 games.
— Marlins 5, Cardinals 0- Sandy Alcantara tossed five shutout IP.
— Phillies 6, White Sox 3- Jesus Luzardo threw seven shutout IP.
— Astros 7, Nationals 4- Houston snaps a five-game losing skid.
— A’s 6, Mariners 1- Luis Severino got the win, going five innings.
— Pirates 3, Giants 1- San Francisco has lost 11 of its last 13 games.

Quote of the Day
“It happened when I scored from first to home on that play. They are going to examine me tomorrow, so we’ll see how it goes……..It was hurting even more. I was kind of out there hoping they wouldn’t hit it my way, and of course any time you do that, they always hit it your way.”
Ronald Acuna Jr., who is headed to the injured list with Achilles tightness

Wednesday’s quiz
When Michael Jordan played minor league baseball for the AA Birmingham Barons, which current major league manager was the Barons’ manager that year?

Tuesday’s quiz
Alex Rodriguez holds the Seattle Mariners’ record for most runs scored in a season; he scored 141 runs in 1996.

Monday’s quiz
Ichiro Suzuki is the only ballplayer to hit an inside-the-park home run in an All-Star Game.

*****************************************************

Wednesday’s Den: Trends for ACC football teams…….

Trends for ACC football teams…….

Boston College
Bill O’Brien is 30-20 ATS as a college coach.
Since 2017, Eagles are 17-7-1 ATS as a home underdog.
Boston College is 4-10 ATS in its last 14 non-conference games.

Cal (why is Cal in the ATLANTIC Coast Conference?!?!?!)
As a head coach, Wilcox is 32-16 ATS as an underdog.
As a head coach, Wilcox is 15-23-1 ATS as a favorite.
Since 2017, Golden Bears are 13-6 ATS as a home underdog.
Last three years, Cal is 8-4 ATS in non-conference games.

Clemson
Clemson has a senior QB who has already started 28 games.
Last four years, Tigers are 11-14 ATS as a home favorite.
Clemson is 7-2 ATS in last nine games coming off a loss.

Duke
Last three years, Duke was 9-4/8-5/9-4 SU
Last three years, Duke is 15-9 ATS in ACC games.
Blue Devils are 11-3 ATS in last 14 games as an underdog.
Duke is 12-17 ATS in its last 29 games as a favorite.

Florida State
Seminoles finished under .500 five of last seven years.
FSU is 6-13 ATS in its last 19 games coming off a loss.
As a head coach, Norvell is 16-8 ATS as a road favorite.
As a head coach, Norvell is 5-13-2 ATS as a road underdog.

Georgia Tech
Since 2018, Tech is 7-14-1 ATS as a home favorite.
Since 2015, Tech is 3-10 ATS as a road favorite.
Under Key, Tech is 12-5 ATS as an underdog.
Under Key, Tech is 14-9 ATS in ACC games.

Louisville
Louisville has a veteran offensive line (203 career starts)
Senior QB Moss started 10 games at USC.
Last five years, Louisville is 18-7 ATS as a home favorite.
Last three years, Cardinals are 1-7 ATS as a road favorite.

Miami
Since 2017, Miami is 27-39 ATS in conference games.
In his career, Cristobal is 18-32-2 ATS as a home favorite.
Miami lost its last five bowl games (favored in 3 of 5 games)
Since 2017, Miami is 22-36 ATS in games coming off a loss.

North Carolina
Bill Belichick is the new coach; not sure how much these trends mean.
Tar Heels have a veteran offensive line (155 career starts)
Last three years, Carolina is 6-12 ATS as a home favorite.
Tar Heels lost their last five bowl games, giving up 32.8 ppg.

Famous birthdays, July 30th
Arnold Schwarzenegger, 78
Billy Paultz, 77
Ellis Valentine, 71
Bill Cartwright, 68
Clint Hurdle, 68
Steve Trout, 68
Ricky Horton, 66
Laurence Fishburne, 64
Chris Mullin, 62
Lisa Kudrow, 62
Hilary Swank, 51
Jake McCarthy, 28

NC State
Last five years, Wolfpack is 7-2 ATS as a home underdog.
Last three years, State is 4-10 ATS as a home favorite.
Since 2019, State is 16-27 ATS in games coming off a win.
Wolfpack lost their last four bowls, three of them by 5 or fewer points.

Pittsburgh
In his career, Narduzzi is 18-25-3 ATS as a home favorite.
In his career, Narduzzi is 15-4 ATS as a road favorite.
Panthers are 1-9 ATS last ten games as a road underdog.
Pitt has a veteran offensive line (78 career starts)

SMU
Last two years, Mustangs went 11-3/11-3.
Since 2015, SMU is 28-14 ATS as a home favorite.
Since 2020, Mustangs are 3-8 ATS as a road underdog.
SMU lost its last four bowls (favored in 3 of the 4)

Stanford (why is Stanford in the ATLANTIC Coast Conference?!?!?!)
Stanford fired their coach for bullying last March
Former NFL coach Frank Reich is the interim coach for this year.
Last four years, Cardinal went 3-9 every year (minus-29 in turnovers)
Since 2020, Stanford is 0-6 ATS as a home favorite.

Syracuse
Syracuse was 10-3 last year, their best season since 2018.
Orangemen are 7-2 ATS last nine games as a road favorite.
Last three years, Syracuse is 3-8 ATS as a road underdog.
Last four years, Syracuse is 7-4 ATS as a home favorite.

Virginia
Last three years, Cavaliers are 15-8 ATS as an underdog.
Since 2020, Virginia is 26-15 ATS in ACC games.
Since 2020, Virginia is 14-6 ATS in games coming off a win.
Last four years, Cavaliers are minus-23 in turnovers.

Virginia Tech
Last two years, Tech is 11-5 ATS in ACC games, 3-7 out of conference.
Hokies lost four of last five bowls, giving up 34 ppg.
Tech hired West Virginia’s OL coach; he brought three linemen with him.
Hokies have a senior QB who has started 20 games.

Wake Forest
Wake has a new head coach, who brought in a top 25 transfer class.
Deacons have 86 returning starts on the offensive line.
Since 2017, Wake is 19-14 ATS as a home favorite.
Wake’s QB has already spent time at Auburn, South Carolina.

 

[Cnotes53]

Quarterback Rankings: Who is the No. 1 pivot heading into Week 9?​

Quarterback Rankings is a bi-weekly series that breaks down the top signal-callers in the CFL. The ranking of starters heading into each week reflects recent performance, statistical indicators, team success, and overall on-field evaluation.

---

There is a new rule I’m going to be following going forward when doing my bi-weekly quarterback rankings.

I will no longer bring up the possibility of near 100 per cent quarterback health among the nine franchises.

I did that last week and since then we have seen a rise in injuries among the starters and a setback with the return date for Chad Kelly.

So instead of any medical speculation, let’s just take the temperature of the current state of starting quarterbacks.

1. (1) BO LEVI MITCHELL | HAMILTON TIGER-CATS​

Not only is Bo Levi Mitchell staying in the top spot, but he is starting to put a little distance between himself and the rest of the league.

Mitchell was solid against the Ottawa REDBLACKS in Hamilton’s Week 7 30-15 victory, but it’s what he did late against the BC Lions in Sunday’s 37-33 win that truly stands out.

I’ll be honest, I thought the Lions were going to win after a short yardage Jeremiah Masoli touchdown gave BC a 10-point lead with around four minutes to go.

Instead, Mitchell went full MOP on the Lions defence, completing 13 of 14 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns. The highlight of this comeback was that gorgeous 44-yard touchdown toss to Brendan O’Leary-Orange. Bonus marks as the Hamilton passer excelled even with the Lions defence focused on shutting down Kenny Lawler.

2. (5) TREVOR HARRIS | SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS​

In the past two weeks we have seen two very different versions of the Roughriders starting quarterback.

Against Edmonton it was ruthlessly efficient Trevor Harris in an 21-18 win. Beyond a well placed, over the shoulder, 34-yard completion to Samuel Emilus with the Riders pinned deep in the third quarter there was nothing overly spectacular about Harris’ night. But the team didn’t need him to be. He just slowly chewed up the Elks defence.

A week prior we saw the gunslinging side as Harris hit on four passes of over 30 yards and finished with nearly 400 yards against the Lions.

3. (4) NATHAN ROURKE | BC LIONS​

I’m still shocked Nathan Rourke and the Lions could not close out Hamilton.

Rourke hit Ayden Eberhardt in stride on a 43-yard pass that led to the Masoli touchdown plunge and a 10-point lead. Rourke has put up good numbers the last two weeks, but the Lions lost both games and many of his statistics in Week 7 against Saskatchewan came with his team down 33-11 late in the third quarter.

4. (8) NICK ARBUCKLE | TORONTO ARGONAUTS​

Time to give some love for the quarterback with a better completion percentage than Bo Levi Mitchell, has thrown for more yards than Vernon Adams Jr., and has one more touchdown pass than Nathan Rourke.

Did Nick Arbuckle falter down the stretch against Montreal in a one-point loss to the Alouettes in Week 7? Yes, yes, he did.

However, he bounced back with an interception-free beauty of a game against the Blue Bombers with his best moment being pump faking Damonte Coxie open for a 33-yard touchdown giving Toronto the early lead and setting the tone for their 31-17 win.

5. (-) CHRIS STREVELER | WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS​

Generally, I stay away from any religious topics in this space, but hey, Football Gods is it asking too much to have a month of health for our quarterbacks?

Thankfully the league is filled with capable backups and Chris Streveler can certainly keep the Bombers ship afloat. His last two appearances came in relief of Zach Collaros, so it is difficult to properly process his performance and overall statistics.

However, way back in Week 2 in his start against the BC Lions, Streveler put in a solid day’s work in the team’s 34-20 win.

6. (-) MCLEOD BETHEL-THOMPSON | MONTREAL ALOUETTES​

I would like to tell McLeod Bethel-Thompson that though I work for TSN, I do not share any of their feelings in regard to criticism they may have of him as a quarterback.

I would like to say that, but unfortunately the internet lives forever. Jokes aside, congratulations on helping the Alouettes to a 23-21 win over the Stampeders and let me say if not for a couple big drops, MBT easily would have finished with over 300 yards last week.

7. (7) DRU BROWN | OTTAWA REDBLACKS​

Dru Brown is so hard to properly rank due to his snakebit start to the 2025 season.

We see all the potential and the flashes of stardom, but every week his production has gone down. Both things can be true. Ottawa was right to hand him the keys, but I have no idea if it will be a smooth ride.

8. (-) CODY FAJARDO | EDMONTON ELKS​

Cody Fajardo was in a tough position going into Week 8 without the benefit of an entire week of first team reps.

No one said life of a starting CFL quarterback was easy. If you strictly looked at the box score you would be impressed with Fajardo’s day. Again, I hate to temper any excitement, but 169 of those yards and both of his touchdowns came in the fourth quarter with the Elks down by 17.

9. (-) P.J. WALKER | CALGARY STAMPEDERS​

Sticking with the theme of a quarterback parachuting into a difficult situation, that is exactly what happened with P.J. Walker after Vernon Adams Jr. left the game on Thursday night late in the third quarter against the Montreal Alouettes. The Stampeders were up 21-14 at that time but would not score again falling 23-21.

Walker was lucky not be picked off by Marc-Antonie Dequoy, who dropped an easy interception, and the game ended with two inaccurate throws.

 

[Cnotes53]

4 storylines to watch in Week 9​

Week 9 is here and with it comes four games with plenty of intrigue.

Thursday night’s matchup features the Stamps, coming off just the second loss of the season, and the REDBLACKS, who return from their Week 8 bye rested and ready to start stringing wins together.

Friday night is a rematch of the rematch of the 111th Grey Cup, with Toronto and Winnipeg meeting for the second straight week.

And finally, Saturday features a doubleheader that starts in Edmonton with the Tiger-Cats looking to add to their five-game win streak and the Elks hoping their second game with Cody Fajardo as their starting pivot helps get a win. The week finishes in Montreal as two evenly matched teams, the Riders and the Als, meet at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium.

As we start to get closer to the half way point of the year, every game matters and here’s a storyline to watch in each this weekend.

QB UPDATES​

Calgary at Ottawa | Thursday, July 31 | 7:30 p.m. ET | TSN/RDS/CFL+

Heading into this week we were on QB watch for two of the starters in the CFL.

Both Dru Brown and Vernon Adams Jr. did not finish their previous games due to injury. Brown left Week 7’s contest against Hamilton before his team went on a Week 8 bye. Adams Jr. left last week late in the contest against Montreal.

Good news on the Ottawa side, with Brown listed as a full participant in practice this week and has been listed as the starter for the REDBLACKS when his team hosts the Stampeders.

For the Stamps, VA was listed as questionable on the team’s final injury report and officially ruled as out on their depth chart released on Wednesday.

P.J. Walker will lead Calgary against Ottawa as he’s been listed as the starter on the depth chart. The first-year Stamp took over for Adams Jr. in Week 8, completing three of seven passes for 20 yards. How will he do in his first career start? Find out in Week 9’s opener on Thursday night.

REMATCH OF THE REMATCH ​

Toronto at Winnipeg | Friday, August 1 | 8:30 p.m. ET | TSN/CFL+

The second half of a home-and-home series between the Toronto Argonauts and Winnipeg Blue Bombers is a rematch of the 111th Grey Cup rematch.

In last week’s Argonaut win, Nick Arbuckle looked every bit of the Grey Cup MVP, throwing for 316 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. Oh, and don’t forget that sweet pump fake before his touchdown strike to Damonte Coxie. Arbuckle is second in the CFL in passing yards (2,007) and has a 71.4 completion percentage through the first seven games of his season.

Zach Collaros didn’t finish the game in Toronto, not returning to action after half time. The Bombers didn’t practice on Monday and cancelled their practice on Tuesday due to poor air quality. As of this writing, there’s no update on Collaros but we will be keeping an eye on his status the rest of the week ahead of Friday’s matchup.

The game now moves to Princess Auto Stadium where a hungry Bombers squad that has lost their last three contests will want revenge on the Argos that has beaten them in their two most recent meetings.

ACTIVE TIGER-CAT DEFENCE​

Hamilton at Edmonton | Saturday, August 2 | 3:00 p.m. ET | TSN/CTV/CFL+

I wrote about the Hamilton Tiger-Cats ability to take the ball away last week (they’re +6 on the season and have a league-leading 11 interceptions) but looking at the defensive stats, that’s not all they’re doing well.

The Tabbies D, led by first-year defensive coordinator Brent Monson, have been active on the ball in the air and behind the line of scrimmage. They lead the CFL in knockdowns, 30, as the defenders are disrupting plays all over the field. While they have only tallied 10 sacks on the season, the unit sits first in tackles for loss with 16, meaning they are still getting into the backfield and not allowing offences positive yardage.

Edmonton’s offensive line will have a big task this week trying to contain the Ticats’ backfield pressure. They’ve allowed 20 sacks on the season, just one less than Toronto for the most. Cody Fajardo will need to be accurate and patient with his receivers as well, since Hamilton’s defence will be waiting to add to their interceptions total or break the pass up before it is completed.

Will Hamilton win their sixth in a row or will the Elks put a stop to the league’s hottest team’s streak? Find out in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader.

AS CLOSE AS IT CAN BE​

Saskatchewan at Montreal | Saturday, August 2 | 7:00 p.m. ET | TSN/RDS/CBSSN/CFL+

The final game of Week 9 should be a dandy.

Montreal (5-2) and Saskatchewan (6-1) head into their meeting close in a ton of statistical categories, setting up what should be an exciting contest. Both teams come in riding high on confidence, with Saskatchewan winning two-straight and Montreal defeating Calgary last week with a late-game surge.

Calgary is first in points allowed per game, but right behind them is Montreal (22.6) and Saskatchewan (24.0). The Riders boast the best run defence, surrendering just 66.9 yards per game on the ground. The next best team? Montreal, who allows just 75.6.

Hamilton is currently the highest scoring team in the CFL but Saskatchewan and Montreal are right behind with 25.9 and 25.4 offensive points score per game, respectively. Yes, you read that right. Just .5 of a point separate the teams.

Both squads have found a way to get through their opposition’s offensive lines as well, with the Riders sitting atop the CFL with 20 sacks on the season, including eight last week against the Elks, and Montreal right behind with 16. Keep an eye out for both teams trying to get after Trevor Harris and McLeod Bethel-Thompson early and often in this one.

Saskatchewan may give up more yards through the air, a league-high 331.6 per game, but they also run the ball more effectively than the Als, with 106.7 yards per game for the Riders and 95.0 for Montreal.

We know that football games are played on gridirons and not on paper, but the chess match between these two evenly-matched squads is a must-watch on Saturday night.

 

[Cnotes53]

Prediction Time: CFL.ca writers’ Week 9 picks​

TORONTO — As the first third of the season has come and gone, it’s still anyone’s game on the field and on the writer picks graphic.

Pat Steinberg has some new competition at the top of the leader board with Vicki Hall tying him for first. Kristina Costabile is just two games behind and Matt Cauz and Jamie Nye are just one game behind her.

With that being said, there won’t be too much movement in the standings for the pick makers with most of them choosing the same teams in Week 9.

With most of them in agreement, that should signal an upset or two though, right?

CALGARY AT OTTAWA​

Thursday, July 31
7:30 p.m. ET
TSN/RDS/CFL+

The Calgary Stampeders had a bit of a scare with their starting quarterback last week after Vernon Adams Jr. left the game with an injury. Early reports from practice indicate that the team is hopeful Adams Jr. should start on Thursday. That being said, Adams Jr. was a non-participant in practice on Monday. Coming off just their second loss of the season, the Stamps will be looking to get back to their winning ways in the nation’s capital. Dru Brown was taking first team reps at practice on Sunday, the team’s first day of prep following their Week 8 bye. Much like Adams Jr., the news is good for fans of the team and of the league after Brown didn’t finish Week 7’s game against Hamilton. Only Jamie Nye thinks Brown and his REDBLACKS win at home this week.
WRITERS’ PICK: 80% Calgary

TORONTO AT WINNIPEG​

Friday, August 1
8:30 p.m. ET
TSN/CFL+

Much like the 111th Grey Cup, the Toronto Argonauts headed into their contest against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as the underdogs and came out victorious anyways. The second half of the home-and-home will feature Nick Arbuckle once again at pivot for the Argos, with Chad Kelly being placed on the six-game injured list on Sunday. It remains to be seen who starts for the Bombers, however, after Zach Collaros left Saturday’s contest with an injury. Who gets the best of the other in the rematch of the rematch? The writers are thinking the Bombers, with or without Collaros, get the W at Princess Auto Stadium.
WRITERS’ PICK: 100% Winnipeg

HAMILTON AT EDMONTON​

Saturday, August 2
3:00 p.m. ET
TSN/CTV/CFL+

Are the Hamilton Tiger-Cats the hottest team in the CFL right now? You could argue they are at least one of them (more on the Riders in a minute) after winning their fifth straight contest last week against the BC Lions. Shutting down Kenny Lawler was a-okay for the Tabbies, with the rest of their offence picking up the slack, including Kiondré Smith, who hauled in 14 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Edmonton may have lost last week but that didn’t have anything to do with the play of their starting quarterback. Cody Fajardo put up stellar numbers in his first start of the season, throwing for 346 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions after completing 26 of 33 passes. Can the Elks stop the Ticats winning streak this weekend? The pick makers are thinking no and are rolling with the red hot Black and Gold.
WRITERS’ PICK: 100% Hamilton

SASKATCHEWAN AT MONTREAL​

Saturday, August 2
7:00 p.m. ET
TSN/RDS/CBSSN/CFL+

Saskatchewan holds the best record in the CFL right now at 6-1. Their defence, as it was last year, continues to be a strength with the front seven getting eight sacks against Edmonton in Week 8. But how about Trevor Harris? The Riders pivot put up another efficient outing last week, making good on 25 of 33 passes for 268 yards, two touchdowns and no picks. The Als, on the other hand, completed a fourth quarter comeback last week against Calgary, with McLeod Bethel-Thompson picking up his first win as a starter this season. After allowing 14 points in the fourth quarter last week and scoring none in the same frame, the Riders will hope things don’t need to come down to the wire this week against Montreal. The pick selectors are thinking the Riders improve to 7-1.
WRITERS’ PICK: 60% Saskatchewan

 

[Cnotes53]

CFL Injury Reports: Week 9​

CALGARY STAMPEDERS AT OTTAWA REDBLACKS​

Thursday, July 31 | 7:30 p.m. ET | TD Place Stadium

CALGARY STAMPEDERS	Practice Day
Player Name	POSITION	Injury	SUN	MON	TUE	Game Status
Vernon Adams Jr.	QB	Head	Limited	DNP	Limited	Questionable
Damien Alford	WR	Hamstring	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
Kelechi Anyalebechi	LB	Foot	Full	Full	Full	Available
Clark Barnes	WR	Ankle	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
Eno Benjamin	RB	Load Management	Full	Full	Full	Available
Aaron Crawford	LS	Knee	Limited	Limited	Limited	Out
Josiah Coatney	DL	Load Management	Full	Full	Full	Available
Joshua Coker	OL	Ankle	Full	Full	Full	Available
Adrian Greene	DB	Lower Leg	DNP	DNP	Limited	Questionable
Justin Herdman-Reed	LB	Neck	Full	Full	Full	Available
Tomas Jack-Kurdyla	OL	Load Management	Full	Full	Full	Available
Ben Labrosse	DB	Hamstring	Limited	DNP	DNP	Out
Josh Love	QB	Load Management	Full	Full	Full	Available
Jalen Philpot	WR	Hamstring	DNP	Limited	Limited	Questionable
Tyler Richardson	DB	Groin	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
Jackson Sombach	DB	Hamstring	DNP	Limited	Limited	Out

OTTAWA REDBLACKS	Practice Day
Player Name	POSITION	Injury	SUN	MON	TUE	Game Status
Dru Brown	QB	Neck	Full	Full	Full	Available
Bralon Addison	WR	Shoulder	Full	Full	Full	Available
Peter Godber	OL	Hand	Full	Full	Full	Available
Samuel Carson	OL	Foot	Limited	Limited	Limited	Out
Zack Pelehos	OL	Foot	–	Limited	Limited	Questionable
Aidan John	DL	Knee	Full	Full	Full	Available
Muftah Ageli	DL	Shoulder	Full	Full	Full	Available
Blessman Ta’ala	DL	Ankle	Full	Full	Full	Available
Chase McGowan	DL	Groin	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
Cleyon Laing	DL	Knee	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
Lorenzo Mauldin IV	DL	Back	Full	Full	Full	Available
Daniel Okpoko	DL	Ankle	–	Limited	Limited	Questionable
Davion Taylor	LB	Ankle	Limited	Limited	Limited	Out
Frankie Griffin	LB	Knee	Full	Full	Full	Available
Tyron Vrede	LB	Ankle	Limited	Limited	Limited	Out
Gavin Heslop	DB	Quad	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
Charlie Ringland	DB	Hamstring	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
CJ Coldon	DB	Ankle	Full	Full	Full	Available
Peter Adjey	LS	Hamstring	Full	Full	Full	Available

---

TORONTO ARGONAUTS AT WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS​

Friday, August 1 | 8:30 p.m. ET | Princess Auto Stadium

TORONTO ARGONAUTS	Practice Day
Player Name	POSITION	Injury	TUE	WED	Game Status
Jack Cassar	LB	Adductor	DNP	DNP	Out
Celestin Haba	DL	Load Management	Full	Full	Out
Jeremiah Ojo	DL	Hamstring	DNP	Limited	Out
Derek Slywka	DB	Ankle	DNP	Limited	Out

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS	Practice Day
Player Name	POSITION	Injury	WED	Game Status
Peyton Logan	RB	Thigh	DNP	Out
Zach Collaros	QB	Neck	DNP	Out
Mike Benson	LS	Hip	Full	Questionable
Stanley Bryant	OL	Ankle	DNP	Out
Eric Lofton	OL	Knee	Full	Available
Micah Vanterpool	OL	Ankle	DNP	Questionable
Jamal Woods	DL	Knee	Full	Out
Enock Makonzo	LB	Elbow	Full	Questionable
Kody Case	WR	Ankle	DNP	Out
Dillon Mitchell	WR	Not Injury Related	Full	Available
Jonathan Jones	LB	Not Injury Related	Full	Available
Tanner Schmekel	DL	Not Injury Related	Full	Available

---

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS AT EDMONTON ELKS​

Saturday, August 2 | 3:00 p.m. ET | Commonwealth Stadium

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS	Practice Day
Player Name	POSITION	Injury	WED	THUR	Game Status
Daniel Bell	FB	Elbow	DNP
Branden Dozier	DB	Load Management	Full
Harrison Frost	QB	Load Management	Full
Ante Milanovich-Litre	FB	Hamstring	DNP
Jordan Murray	OL	Knee	DNP
Robert Panabaker	DB	Hamstring	DNP
Quavian White	DB	Load Management	Full
Drew Wolitarsky	WR	Hamstring	Full

EDMONTON ELKS	Practice Day
Player Name	POSITION	Injury	TUE	WED	THUR	Game Status
Nick Anderson	LB	Groin	DNP	DNP
Michael Brodrique	LB	Shoulder	DNP	DNP
Zach Mathis	WR	Back	DNP	DNP
Eteva Mauga-Clements	LB	Knee	DNP	Limited
Royce Metchie	DB	Ankle	DNP	DNP
Brock Mogensen	LB	Load Management	Full	Full
Robbie Smith	DL	Elbow	Limited	Limited
DK Bonhomme	DL	Knee	–	DNP

---

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS AT MONTREAL ALOUETTES​

Saturday, August 2 | 7:00 p.m. ET | Percival Molson Memorial Stadium

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS	Practice Day
Player Name	POSITION	Injury	TUE	WED	THUR	Game Status
Mario Alford	WR	Hip	DNP	DNP
Shawn Bane Jr.	WR	Knee	Full	Full
Malik Carney	DL	Ankle	DNP	Limited
Jack Coan	QB	Hand	Full	Full
Payton Collins	OL	Knee	Full	Full
Dhel Duncan-Busby	WR	Shoulder	DNP	Limited
Samuel Emilus	WR	Knee	DNP	DNP
Zack Fry	OL	Head	DNP	Limited
Daniel Johnson	OL	Shoulder	DNP	DNP
Lake Korte-Moore	DL	Knee	DNP	DNP
Aubrey Miller Jr.	LB	Knee	DNP	DNP
Kosi Onyeka	DB	Knee	Full	Full
Aaron Patrick	DL	Load Management	Full	Full
Mitch Picton	WR	Load Management	Full	Full
CJ Reavis	DB	Foot	DNP	Limited

MONTREAL ALOUETTES	Practice Day
Player Name	POSITION	Injury	TUE	WED	THUR	Game Status
Dylan Wynn	DL	Foot	Full	Full
Tyson Philpot	WR	Hamstring	DNP	DNP
Cyrille Hogan-Saindon	OL	Knee	Full	Full
James Letcher Jr.	WR	Hand	DNP	DNP
Joshua Archibald	DL	Adductor	DNP	DNP
Najee Murray	DB	Hamstring	Limited	DNP
KD Davis	DL	Illness	Full	Full
Austin Mack	WR	Ankle	DNP	DNP
Daniel Oladejo	WR	Foot	DNP	DNP
Nate Beauchemin	DB	Arm	DNP	DNP

 

[Cnotes53]

Thursday’s 6-pack:
Most rushing TD’s over the last five years:
68— Derrick Henry
55— Jalen Hurts
54— Josh Jacobs
51— Jonathan Taylor
48— Josh Allen
45— David Montgomery

Quote of the Day
“No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot.”
Mark Twain

Thursday’s quiz
In the history of the New York Mets, who threw the first no-hitter?

Wednesday’s quiz
When Michael Jordan played minor league baseball for the AA Birmingham Barons, Terry Francona was the Barons’ manager that year.

Tuesday’s quiz
Alex Rodriguez holds the Seattle Mariners’ record for most runs scored in a season; he scored 141 runs in 1996.

***********************************

Thursday’s Den: Doing some thinking out loud…….​

— Tuesday afternoon, Orioles hit four home runs and four sacrifice flies in a win over Toronto; they’re the first team since the 1955 Red Sox with 4+ homers, 4+ sac flies in the same game.

— Baseball’s trade deadline is 6:00 Thursday; we’ll go thru all that tomorrow, but there were two trades Wednesday that made some history.
Reds acquired 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes from Pittsburgh, for P Taylor Rogers and a minor league SS.
Mets acquired P Tyler Rogers for two P’s and a minor league shortstop.
Taylor/Tyler Rogers are brothers; they’re the first pair of brothers to be traded on the same day since 1970, when Hal/Dan Breeden both got dealt.

— Colorado Rockies TV analyst Ryan Spilborghs played seven years in the major leagues, all for Colorado. At the end of his career, when he was in the minor leagues with Cleveland, Spilborghs was dealt to Texas, for cash considerations.
Years later, as Spilborghs explained on TV Wednesday, he was curious how much cash changed hands between the Rangers/Indians— he figured $50,000 or so.
Turns out the Rangers gave Cleveland $1, one freakin’ dollar, to acquire Spilborghs, who hit .295 in AAA for Texas that year, then played his last season of pro ball in Japan in 2013.

— Orioles-Blue Jays played a day/night doubleheader Tuesday; in between games, they made a trade, with P Seranthony Domínguez involved.
Early in Game 2, TV cameras showed Domínguez walking to the Toronto bullpen in his new uniform, while stopping to hug his former Baltimore teammates in their bullpen. He pitched a scoreless inning later in that game, which had to be a little odd.

— Pirates’ P Paul Skenes has started 22 games this season; he hasn’t allowed a run in the first inning, in any of those games.

— Chicago Cubs gave president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer a contract extension this week, that will keep him in Chicago until at least 2030. Cubs haven’t made the playoffs since 2020; they won 83 games each of the last two seasons, but are 63-45 this year and appear headed to the playoffs.

— In the NFL, Seattle Seahawks gave general manager and president of football operations John Schneider a contract extension that will keep him in Seattle thru 2031; he has been Seattle’s GM since 2010.

— Famous birthdays, July 31st:
Leon Durham, 68
Scott Brooks, 60
Dean Cain, 59
Andre Ware, 57
Gus Frerotte, 54
Chris Weinke, 53
Gabe Kapler, 50
Annie Parisse, 49

Tim Couch, 48
— Late Night Trade: Seattle Mariners acquired 34-year old 3B Eugenio Suarez from Arizona; Suarez is hitting .248 this year, with an .896 OPS. Suarez played for Seattle in 2022-23.

A’s 5, Mariners 4
Seattle is tied with Texas for the AL’s last Wild Card slot.
Miguel Andujar homered twice for A’s.
A’s have won six of their last seven games.

— Padres 5, Mets 0
Yu Darvish threw 7 innings, got his first win this year.
San Diego has a 3-game lead for the NL’s last Wild Card slot.
Mets got swept in San Diego for the first time since 2008.

— Blue Jays 9, Orioles 8
Baltimore led 5-3 after the fifth inning.
Nathan Lukes hit a 3-run homer in the 7th inning for Toronto.
Blue Jays lead the AL East by four games.

— Astros 9, Nationals 1
Jose Altuve went 4-for-4, scored 3 runs, had 3 RBI
It was the 41st time in his career that Altuve had 4+ hits in a game.
Astros lead the AL West by five games.

— New York 5, Rays 4 (11)
Tampa Bay led 1-0 after the 7th inning.
Ryan McMahon had a walk-off hit in the 11th inning.
After this game, Rays traded P Zack Littell to Cincinnati.

— Tigers 7, Diamondbacks 2
Arizona is in the ashcan, going 0-5 since they started to clean house.
Chris Paddack allowed 3 hits in 6 IP in his Detroit debut.
Kerry Carpenter homered, had three RBI.

— Pirates 2, Giants 1 (10)
Pittsburgh won eight of its last nine games; the only loss was 1-0.
Mike Burrows allowed three hits in six IP for the Pirates.
Giants went 0-6 on this homestand; they’re 54-55, below .500 for first time this season.

 

[Udog]

CFL
Dunkel

Week 9

DUNKEL INDEX PREDICTION FOR CALGARY AT OTTAWA
Date: Thursday, July 31, 2025
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Dunkel Ratings: Calgary 119.694; Ottawa 105.673
Dunkel Line & Total: Calgary by 14; 58
Vegas Line & Total: Calgary by 4 1/2; 52 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Calgary (-4 1/2); Over

DUNKEL INDEX PREDICTION FOR TORONTO AT WINNIPEG
Date: Friday, August 1, 2025
Time: 8:30 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto 106.219; Winnipeg 115.853
Dunkel Line & Total: Winnipeg by 9 1/2; 55
Vegas Line & Total: Winnipeg by 6 1/2; 51 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Winnipeg (-6 1/2); Over

DUNKEL INDEX PREDICTION FOR HAMILTON AT EDMONTON
Date: August 2, 2025
Time: 3:00 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Hamilton 112.481; Edmonton 110.917
Dunkel Line & Total: Hamilton by 1 1/2; 51
Vegas Line & Total: Hamilton by 4 1/2; 54 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Edmonton (+4 1/2); Under

DUNKEL INDEX PREDICTION FOR SASKATCHEWAN AT MONTREAL
Date: August 2, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Saskatchewan 113.763; Montreal 115.693
Dunkel Line & Total: Montreal by 2; 46
Vegas Line & Total: Saskatchewan by 3; 49 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Montreal (+3); Under





CFL

Week 9

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday, July 31
7:30 PM ET
Calgary VS Ottawa
Calgary is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Calgary's last 6 games.
Calgary is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games.
Calgary is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games against Ottawa.
Ottawa is 3-11 ATS in its last 14 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Ottawa's last 5 games.
Ottawa is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Ottawa's last 12 games against Calgary.

Friday, August 1
8:30 PM ET
Toronto VS Winnipeg
Toronto is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games.
Toronto is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games against Winnipeg.
Toronto is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games against Winnipeg.
Toronto is 6-1-1 ATS in its last 8 games on the road.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Winnipeg's last 9 games.
Winnipeg is 13-5 SU in its last 18 games.
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Winnipeg's last 17 games against Toronto.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Winnipeg's last 5 games at home.

Saturday, August 2
3:00 PM ET
Hamilton VS Edmonton
Hamilton is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Hamilton's last 14 games.
Hamilton is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
Hamilton is 9-4 ATS in its last 13 games against Edmonton.
Edmonton is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games.
Edmonton is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Edmonton's last 6 games against Hamilton.
Edmonton is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home.

7:00 PM ET
Saskatchewan VS Montreal
Saskatchewan is 10-4 ATS in its last 14 games.
Saskatchewan is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games.
Saskatchewan is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games against Montreal.
Saskatchewan is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games against Montreal.
Montreal is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Montreal's last 5 games against Saskatchewan.
Montreal is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Montreal's last 20 games when playing at home against Saskatchewan


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Udog]

Toronto Argonauts @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers

 

[Cnotes53]

Thursday, July 31​

Game	Time(ET)	Pick	Units
CGY at OTT	07:30 PM	OTT -3.5 U 49.5	+500 +500

 

[Cnotes53]

JULY'S CFL BEST BETS !!

07/31/2025.................2 - 0 - 0.................100.00%...........+ 10.00
07/27/2025.................1 - 1 - 0..................50.00%.............- 0.50
07/26/2025.................1 - 1 - 0..................50.00%.............- 0.50
07/25/2025.................2 -0 - 0.................100.00%.............+ 10.00
07/24/2025.................1 - 1 - 0.................50.00%.............- 0.50
07/20/2025.................0 - 2 - 0..................00.00%.............- 11.00
07/19/2025.................2 - 0 - 0................100.00%.............+ 10.00
07/18/2025.................1 - 1 - 0.................50.00%..............- 0.50
07/17/2025.................1 - 1- 0..................50.00%..............- 0.50
07/13/2025.................1 - 1 - 0..................50.00%.............- 0.50
07/12/2025.................2 -.2 - 0..................50.00%.............- 1.00
07/06/2025.................0 - 2 - 0..................00.00%.............- 11.00
07/05/2025.................1 - 1 - 0..................50.00%..............- 0.50
07/04/2025.................0 - 2 - 0..................00.00%..............- 11.00
07/03/2025.................2 - 0 - 0.................100.00%.............+ 10.00

TOTALS.....................17 - 15 - 0.................53.12%................+ 2.50

***********************************

JULY'S TOTALS..........17 - 15 - 0..................53.12%..............+ 2.50
JUNE'S TOTALS.........19 - 13 - 0..................59.37%..............+ 23.50