It may not look that way with all the cold still blitzing the Northeastern U.S. but it’s time for the Boys of Summer to return. MLB betting gets going later this week. So it’s time to make our picks for the pennants. We’ll start with the American League.

American League East odds

Boston Red Sox: -160

New York Yankees: +190

Tampa Bay Rays: +800

Toronto Blue Jays: +1600

Baltimore Orioles: +1800

No love for the defending champion Tampa Bay Rays at books like Bodog. I suppose oddsmakers are scared off by the departures of Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena and Matt Garza. Still, I like the Rays to finish ahead of the New York Yankees. The Bronx Bombers will live up to their name with the bats but their rotation is very shaky after C.C. Sabathia and Phil Hughes. Tampa should get a big year out of youngster Jeremy Hellickson; the Garza trade opened up a spot for him.

But the East hast to belong to Boston this season. The Red Sox added two MVP candidates in Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez to an already-potent lineup and have a deep pitching staff. I see 100-plus wins in their near future. The Jays and Orioles don’t look half bad this season on paper, the Jays because of their young talent and the Orioles because of their veteran bats, but life in the AL East is tough.

Free pick: Red Sox -160

American League Central odds

Minnesota Twins: +150

Chicago White Sox: +160

Detroit Tigers: +200

Cleveland Indians: +2000

Kansas City Royals: +2500

Every sports betting blog or fan has a different opinion on which team out of the Twins, White Sox and Tigers take the AL Central this year. Personally, I prefer the White Sox. They have an extremely deep, capable pitching staff and Adam Dunn will help make their lineup potent in a ballpark that favors hitters.

The Twins have health question marks (Justin Morneau especially but also Joe Mauer) and the back end of their rotation leaves a bit to be desired. The Detroit Tigers have the best top-end talent in the division with guys like Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander but lack depth. Kansas City has the majors’ best farm system but isn’t ready for prime time. Cleveland is a joke; its odds should be below K.C.’s.

Free pick: White Sox +160

American League West odds

Texas Rangers: +115

Oakland Athletics: +195

Los Angeles Angels: +225

Seattle Mariners: +1800

With or without Cliff Lee, the Rangers are still the most talented team in the AL West. In Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler and Josh Hamilton, they have at least three guys with superstar ability. Mike Napoli and Adrian Beltre add even more pop to their potent offense. The Rangers’ pitching may be slightly suspect but Derek Holland could fix that problem if he breaks out.

Oakland is the hot sleeper pick thanks to its solid young pitching. But will the A’s score enough? It’s questionable. Some bettors want to give the Angels a mulligan after they flopped in 2010; I don’t. Their core is aging and their best hitter, Kendrys Morales, isn’t fully recovered from his broken leg. Seattle is obviously an afterthought.

Free pick: Rangers +115

Wild Card pick: Tampa Bay Rays

American League Pennant pick: Boston Red Sox

OffshoreInsiders.com Senior Sports Handicapper Matt Rivers has a spread pick winner for Monday is on the Philadelphia 76ers (+10) at Chicago.

Derrick Rose and the Bulls have been virtually, if not literally, the best team in the NBA for a little while now. Chicago is rocking and rolling and playing amazing ball of late. Meanwhile the 76ers just lost an overtime game at home against the lowly Kings yesterday. So how can I back the team that has far less going for them and with them playing on the road? Because Doug Collins has done a great job this season and Philadelphia should be a little steamed after looking as bad as they did yesterday.

Thaddeus Lewis and Lou Williams were horrific in that last game shooting something like a combined 3-for-23. All in all the 6ers played one of their worst games in a long time and I expect them to be more focused here against a Bulls team that has caught a lot of people’s attention. More times than not when guys shoot as bad as that they come back to form in the next game. You’ll also see guys who shoot the lights out one game and then regress mightily in that next game. Call it the Law of averages, call OT whatever, it just happens more times than not.

I cannot possibly say much negative about a red-hot Bulls team that is 53-19 so I’m not. I will say though that Chicago has played back-to-back subpar games against Memphis and Milwaukee and could have lost both of them if not for some Rose heroics in the end.

Philadelphia is a good enough team coming off of an embarrassing loss to cover this double-digit number and I’ll therefore take my chances on Iggy, Jrue and the competent enough visitors.

Top expert pick on this game: Matt Rivers with Philadelphia

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Sharp bettors await picks from the top MLB baseball handicappers, but there is plenty of money to be made in basketball as 2010-11 seasons have proven again.

Senior Writer Vegas Matty of OffshoreInsiders.com previews Boston Celtics (51-21) at Indiana Pacers (32-42).

The Boston Celtics (51-21) are making a bad habit of finishing games poorly, which might end up costing them one of the top two seeds in the Eastern Conference playoff race.  Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers (32-42) are simply trying to hold on to the final postseason spot in the East and snap a two-game skid when they host the Celtics (-3) on Monday.

The Pacers are one game ahead of Charlotte in the eighth slot while Milwaukee is two games behind.  They are coming off a 100-88 loss at Detroit on Saturday as leading scorer Danny Granger continued to struggle with his shooting.  Granger scored 14 points against the Pistons but made only 5 of 14 shots from the field and earned just three trips to the free-throw line, converting on two.  He also made 4 of 13 from the floor in a 110-93 home loss to Indiana on Friday, although he did sink 11 of 12 free-throw attempts to finish with 20 points.

Indiana has averaged 90.5 points in its last two losses after scoring 102 or more in winning five of the team’s previous seven.  Boston was one of the two teams that held the Pacers under the century mark during that stretch in a 92-80 home victory on March 16.

The Celtics have dropped three of six since then to fall two games behind Chicago for the best record in the East, blowing leads in each of their past three and losing point guard Rajon Rondo to a finger injury.  They are just a half-game ahead of Miami for the second seed.  Rondo did not score in the last meeting with Indiana but had eight assists in a little under 30 minutes of action.  He was held out of the team’s 85-82 road win at Minnesota on Sunday and saw the Timberwolves rally all the way back from a 25-point deficit to lead by two midway through the fourth quarter.

Boston had lost its previous two games at home in similar fashion but edged Minnesota behind a team-high 23 points from Paul Pierce while Kevin Garnett scored 13 and added a team-high 13 rebounds.  Delonte West filled in for Rondo in the starting lineup and finished with eight points and five assists.

The UNDER has cashed in the last 10 games for the Celtics, who have allowed only one opponent to score more than 90 points over that span.  They have failed to beat the spread in their last three games overall but have covered the past four against the Pacers with the UNDER cashing in three straight.

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Connecticut vs. Kentucky college basketball odds are up for the Final 4 2011. The Wildcats of Kentucky have opened up as a two-point favorite according to OffshoreInsiders.com the top basketball handicappers website.  However, the public quickly bet Connecticut as the chalk.

In the other March Madness Final Four game, Butler is (-2.5) to Virginia Commonwealth.

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The first Final 4 odds are set. Butler is (-3) over Virginia Commonwealth, coached by Shaka Smart, who like Grandmaster Sports Handicapper Joe Duffy, CEO of OffshoreInsiders.com, the top sports betting site in the world, is a graduate of California University of PA. For safe bets we recommend approved sportsbooks

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OffshoreInsiders.com Senior Sports Handicapper Matt Rivers has a free pick winner Sunday is on the Cleveland Cavaliers (+5) To Atlanta.

Reasoning: The Hawks win one game fairly easily over a depleted Nets squad and all of a sudden they are once again worthy of laying half a dozen or so on the road? Really? They even almost couldn’t cover the game in the end in improving to 4-8 in their last 12 games. Sure Larry Drew’s team is much more talented and overall superior to 14-57 Cleveland but things have been really ugly at times for the boys from Hotlanta and I just cannot trust them as much as in the past. Plus they just clinched a playoff berth last night and could be in a bit of a psychological letdown mode tonight.

Joe Johnson has not stepped up and been the leader this team needs. Yes he is a very good ballplayer to go along with Al Horford, Josh Smith and Jamal Crawford but things have not been right of late for the Hawks for a little while now. They have been blown out a ton and fairly emotionless at times. Yesterday they beat an injured New Jersey team that has been pretty awful of late without their leader in Deron Williams running the show.

Cleveland is the worst team in the NBA, save maybe Minnesota and there really aren’t all that many complimentary things that I can say for them. But they did at least win their last game and JJ Hickson has been really good of late leading the way. Also Baron Davis and Ramon Sessions are still capable pros as well who can wreak a little havoc.

The bottom line is that the Cavs may not be good but the Hawks are not exactly a locked and loaded team themselves and when you add in how the visitors are playing on the never easy back-to-back after clinching a postseason berth last night I’ll take my chances with this home dog.

Top expert pick on this game: Cleveland Cavs

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Final 4 odds will be set at OffshoreInsiders.com once spread betting picks between Kentucky vs. North Carolina and VCU vs. Kansas are complete. Who covers those Elite 8 games Sunday? The top sports handicappers have the answers.

Here is the breakdown of who is hot and who has the big bets for Sunday. We start with Matt Rivers, who was the winningest handicapper ever—nobody came close—on a large network of sites.

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Sunday it’s Kentucky vs. North Carolina and Virginia Commonwealth vs. Kansas.

The top sports handicappers website OffshoreInsiders.com previews the Elite 8 Sunday games from the standpoint of the bettor.

Kentucky vs. North Carolina

College basketball odds: Kentucky (-1) 146

Spread betting trends (all records are against the spread): Kentucky is 6-1 non-conference games, 7-2 NCAA Tournament games as a favorite, but 2-7 off against the spread and 1-8 to the ACC.

North Carolina is 12-3 to SEC, 11-3 NCAA Tournament games, but 4-11 as an underdog of 0.5-6.5, 4-14 Sundays, 1-5 neutral site games as an underdog, 7-0 in series.

Over/under trends: North Carolina has gone under 16-5 as underdog, under 17-8 off spread win.

Virginia Commonwealth vs. Kansas

NCAA Basketball Odds: Kansas (-11) 146

Spread betting trends (all records are against the spread): VCU 8-0 NCAA Tournament games as an underdog, 5-0 non-conference, 6-1 as an underdog of 7.0-12.5.

Over/under trends: VCU over 10-2 off straight up win. Kansas under 13-3 NCAA Tournament games, under 6-2 favorites.

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OffshoreInsiders.com Senior Sports Handicapper Matt Rivers Saturday is on Butler (+4) to Florida.

Reasoning: It’s as if people do not buy into Brad Stevens and Butler and continually beat their head against the wall fading the Bulldogs and come up short game after game after game. Yes Florida is the more talented and deeper team but every Butler opponent seems to have that advantage and it just doesn’t matter. Stevens is a phenomenal coach and his guys play grind it out defense and frustrate every team they play, no matter who and no matter where. It’s not a ton of points in this spot, I admit that, but these guys just continue to win games no matter the number or the situation or whatever.

Gordon Hayward is gone and that took a toll earlier in the season as the Bulldogs lost a bunch of games they shouldn’t have. But right now things have been extremely rosy and after just upsetting a pretty darn solid Wisconsin team after semi shocking top seed Pitt I will take my chances on Butler to continue this two run of success.

Matt Howard is a beast down low and Shelvin Mack is a high quality point guard. Throw in Vanzant and Norad and a few others and until the ‘Dogs come up short they are a total must play.

Billy Donovan is no slouch and his Gators are extremely deep and a team that has many quality pieces with Parsons, Walker, Boynton, Macklin and on and on. When these teams get off of the bus Florida looks like the better team for sure but that is always the case with Butler and hasn’t meant a hill of beans to this point.

The world will once again probably be on Florida and I will be more than happy in taking a Butler team that just continues to get the job done no matter the situation.

Top expert pick on this game: Matt Rivers Butler

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