I share oodles of information and debate philosophies with many sharp players on a continuous basis. Such locking of horns is imperative to knowledge progression.  Said argumentations are to handicapping advisers what scholarly journals are to academia.

One of the most heated deliberations among the sharpest of the sharks is how to weigh a pitcher's ERA relative to his WHIP. 

I realize most baseball fans know what an ERA is, but many are not as versed on WHIP.  It's walks+hits/innings pitched.  As much as I savor involving myself in debate with other masters of the trade, inevitably I am the one screaming the remedy is "both".

I tell them it's the equivalent of asking a doctor whether one should diet or exercise.  Sure conquering one or the other is better than neither, but any reputable physician advises they are not mutually exclusive.

A true handicapping scientist knows that careful interpretation of both ERA and WHIP neutralizes the inherent flaws of both while reinforcing the stronghold of each numerator.

Here is a pro-WHIP argument I often hear and articulated on rec.gambling. sports newsgroup by one of the participants:

The ERA can be affected by good fortunate (luck) far more than WHIP.

The walks and hits a pitcher gives up show his skills facing a batter and will rise as he continues to allow hits and walks-as it should.

But the same poor pitching, which allowed the walks and hits onboard, isn't necessarily reflected in his ERA stat.  He may escape lucky. His ERA can be affected either direction by the help he gets from his mates and/or the wind and/or the size of the ballpark.

This is particularly important in the first handful of starts of the early season, where averages can be easily skewed by a few innings.

A pitcher allowing a 400' shot to center for example when a breeze is blowing in or the fielder makes a circus catch over the wall-escapes with no runs scored, saving his ERA.

But in a different park the same 400' shot to center is a homerun, or the wind blows it in the gap for a double to score a couple-and his ERA goes up!

So one fortunate guy gets a low ERA and the less fortunate guy, who allowed the SAME number of hits and walks, maybe even LESS, his ERA goes UP!

Meanwhile, the WHIP stat is not affected unfairly in that way, and as such I feel it more indicative of the pitcher's skill.

I agree with many of the points raised but the dissertation was a bit one-sided review of the pros and cons. 

WHIP can be very imperfect as well. It does not measure a pitcher's ability to pitch out of tough situations or whether or not he gives up a disproportionate number of singles and walks relative to the pitcher who has a propensity to give up the long ball.

Pitchers who can get the ground ball double play when they need it or have the ability to bear down with runners in scoring position will generally do better in the ERA category than WHIP. 

Plus in a discussion with some of the top baseball predictors on the planet, one of the elite of the elite reminded us that the team that scores more runs wins 100 percent of the time.  The team that gets the most walks plus hits often loses. As devil's advocate, I added the team that gets the most runs is not always the team that allowed the fewer earned runs. 

Hence, I must be adamant as an inescapable stipulation that because baseball's definition of "earned run" is not without glitch, especially from a handicapping standpoint, an old hand also must pay heed to unearned runs. After all, there are no such things as an "unearned" hit or walk in the WHIP stat.

However seeing some of the top handicapping geniuses get in heated dispute of the pros and cons of each statistic only reinforced what I believed all along-the few wizards out there never, ever ignore one math unit at the expense of the other.

As a sports handicapper my baseball picks that I give out will be from the knowledge that comes from a steady diet of winners involves exercising both ERA and WHIP.

Contact me for winners: cincykidselections@gmail.com

With the NCAA college basketball tournament winding down, it is a perfect time for baseball to start for gamblers. Baseball betting officially began on Sunday night, and the underdogs have not been kind to gamblers in the first two days.

The first game of the 2008 season was on Sunday night. Actually, the season began in Japan last week, but for anyone not up at six in the morning, their season began Sunday.

Bettors had a prime match up to make money with that first game. The Atlanta Braves were playing against the Washington Nationals, which meant the opportunity was there for bettors to win big early. The only problem was that the Nationals upset the Braves.

On Monday, with many premiere pitchers starting opening day for their teams, there was again the opportunity to win money with the favorites. Once again, the underdogs spoiled those wagers.

The Detroit Tigers are picked by many to win the World Series. They were defeated by the Kansas City Royals, who will consider it a good year if they do not finish last in their division.

In Minnesota, the Twins welcomed back their former all star Torii Hunter. Hunter's new team, the Los Angeles Angels, are also considered among the league's best. Minnesota pulled the upset 3-2.

Washington was back up to their tricks from Sunday night. They beat the defending National League East champs, the Philadelphia Phillies.

Overall, not a good day for gamblers, but the good thing about baseball is that there will be games again on Tuesday for a chance at redemption.

Congressional Hearing Scheduled on Internet Gambling Ban

March 31, 2008

Jeffrey Sandman, spokesperson for the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative, will be available to update media and comment on the hearing, "Proposed UIGEA Regulations: Burden without Benefit?" in the House Committee on Financial Service's Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology.  The hearing will explore the burden on U.S. financial institutions to comply with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA).  Although the law was intended to deter illegal Internet gambling activity, millions of Americans continue to gamble online with off-shore operators.  House Committee on Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) introduced a bill last year to regulate Internet gambling, which would require operators to put in place effective safeguards to combat compulsive and underage gambling and ensure the integrity of financial transactions.

WHO:              Jeffrey Sandman, spokesperson for the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative

WHAT:            Available to discuss outcome of Financial Services hearing on Internet gambling  

WHERE:         2128 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C. or by phone 

WHEN:            Wednesday, April 2, 2008

If you are interested in interviewing Jeffrey Sandman, please contact Michael Waxman at (202) 872-4860, (310) 963-4847 cell or info@safeandsecureig.org. 

For more information on the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative, which promotes the freedom of individuals to gamble online with the proper safeguards to protect consumers and ensure the integrity of financial transactions, please visit www.safeandsecureig.org. 

The Las Vegas Hilton sports book has posted betting lines on over/under season-win totals for major league baseball. Here is the complete list from the Hilton sports book:

2008 MLB REGULAR SEASON WINS

DIAMONDBACKS 87.5

BRAVES 84.5

ORIOLES 64.5

RED SOX 94

CUBS 87

WHITE SOX 80.5

REDS 78

INDIANS 90

ROCKIES 83

TIGERS 93.5

MARLINS 69

ASTROS 75.5

ROYALS 73.5

ANGELS 92

DODGERS 86.5

BREWERS 84.5

TWINS 75.5

METS 93.5

YANKEES 93.5

ATHLETICS 73

PHILLIES 87.5

PIRATES 70.5

PADRES 84.5

GIANTS 73

MARINERS 85.5

CARDINALS 76.5

RAYS 75

RANGERS 77

BLUE JAYS 85.5

NATIONALS 72.5

ALL SIDES -110

TEAMS MUST PLAY 160 REGULAR SEASON GAMES FOR ACTION