Yea, yea, it's been a while, I know, I know. We're having a nice summer just gearing up for Football season, which is now right around the corner. In the meantime, let's take a quick look at how the races in the divisions around the majors look as of late July. The AL East is looking like a two horse race between New York and Boston, but the Rays are trying to sneak back in.

The Yankees are on a roll and aren't going to slow down. The pitching has found itself and the key to me has been the emergence of Phil Hughes in the bullpen. It's now a 7 inning game when you play the Yankees, much like the late 90s when they won 4 of 5 World Series. Detroit leads the AL Central, but barely. Minnesota and Chicago are right there, and depending on possible deadline trades, Chicago could emerge as the favorite soon. Kenny Williams has always shown a willingness to make a deal to help the team win. We'll see how it plays out, but these three should battle the rest of the season. The Angels, Rangers, and Mariners have all had nice seasons, and this looks like a three team race as well. Texas has the money to spend and the prospects to deal to make an impact down the stretch.

They're really the only American League team in the running for Roy Halladay right now. Stay tuned. Philadelphia is running away with the NL East, and with the Mets injuries I don't see that changing at all. Not much else to say about this division as there really isn't a Wild Card contender amongst the bunch either. On the other hand, a GREAT race in the NL Central as 4 teams are within 3 games. Houston is the hottest right now, but I"m still waiting for the Cubs to get going and pull away. Milwaukee is right there and did make a big move last year to get to the playoffs, so they may be willing to do it again.

Will be a great race to watch into and through September. The Dodgers are destroying the NL West, so there's no race there, but the Giants and Rockies are having great seasons and are battling for the Wild Card lead every night. Can't wait for the pennant races to really heat up right when the Football seasons both begin. The sports world is about to get real interesting, so buckle up and get ready for a wild ride!

Drew

We've been talking on the show how it's a slow time in sports without Hoops or Hockey. Well, I think this is a GREAT time of year to make money because you can focus on Baseball with a little Golf, Tennis, and NASCAR sprinkled in. Betting Baseball is a lot of fun. First and foremost, there are no lines per se, you just have to win the game, sounds pretty simple. Of course, we all know it's not that easy but there are so many factors that go into handicapping a Baseball game, it can be like solving a great crossword puzzle.

How does a team do facing Left Handed pitching? How do they do at night? In a dome?...etc. The list goes on as to all of the factors that decide who you're going to bet that you can literally spend hours trying to "solve the puzzle". NASCAR, as our loyal listeners know, is one of my favorite sports to bet and have fun with. It's only once a week, but the possibilities are endless. I usually like to look at a driver's past history on whatever track is next on the schedule, and look for consistency, ie: top 10 finishes, laps led...etc. Once I do that, I look at the practice speeds, posted multiple places on the web, and see who ran well so far in practice. After that, I look at the odds and usually take someone in the 8/12-1 range. You can also mess around with matchups, and usually find good lines througout.

So next time you're whining and complaining that there's nothing to bet this time a year, take a few moments to study the Baseball games, and get ready for that weekend's NASCAR race. Have fun this summer and make some money!! Drew

Well gang, it's Belmont Stakes week and this is always one of my favorite races of the year because it almost always comes down to strategy. These horses probably will never run 1.5 miles at any other points of their careers and therefore they might have to implore different tactics this time out.

Derby winner and 2-1 favorite Mine That Bird will have to be a little closer this time out as typically one run type closers do not win the Belmont. There are far more closers in this race than there are speed types.

One horse that could be on the lead is Charitable Man. He won the Peter Pan Stakes a few weeks ago and appears to be getting good at the right time. He may be able to get loose on the lead as Da Tara did in '08 en route to a shocking win. Dunkirk, who disappointed in the Derby is the horse that I think will stalk the leader and look to make his move at the top of the stretch. He is the best bred horse in the race, and frankly one of the best bred Colts I've ever seen. Both of his "grandfathers" were classic winners including AP Indy who won the 1992 Belmont.

ChocolateCandy, Mr. Hot Stuff, Summer Bird, and Flying Private all have shown the ability to close and will need to be forwardly placed by their jockeys to be in a good position to contend down the stretch. I'm going to take Dunkirk to win it and use him over Chocolate Candy, Charitable Man, and Mine That Bird. Good Luck!

~Drew

Interleague play begins tonight, and I couldn't possibly be less excited. I'm a Baseball purist, and have always felt that the only time the NL and the AL should play each other is the All Star Game and the World Series.

The people at Major League Baseball promised that it would "add excitement" and create rivalries. I say no way. Find me one person on the planet that is looking forward to this weekend's Arizona/Oakland series.

Just find me one.

As far as betting goes, it makes it that much harder. Games played in National League cities force American League pitchers to hit, a situation in which they are far from comfortable. There's no worse feeling than betting an over, let's say, and seeing a two out, bases loaded situation and your American League pitcher stepping to the plate. I'm tellin ya, it takes the wind right out of your sails.

Bottom line, in my opinion it's not good for Baseball, and should be left to the All Star Game and World Series before we see and American League team take on a National League team.

I've always felt that the Preakness is the most challenging of the Triple Crown Races to handicap, way more difficult than the Kentucky Derby or Belmont. Pimlico has the sharp turns that neither Churchill Downs nor Belmont Park have making it hard for horses with bad trips to recover. Also, I've seen horses on the lead win the Preakness, Horses in mid pack win, and horses come from far back as well. Conversely, the Derby rarely has a front runner go all the way, and the Belmont rarely has a big time closer win, meaning there are certain horses you can eliminate right away when doing your handicapping. That's not the case in the Preakness as every horse has a legit shot once those gates open.

Personally I like a horse that sits fairly close to the lead and gets a good position so not to be distracted by the aforementioned turns. With all of that being said, I like a horse that should be close on Saturday the whole time and can pounce to the lead at the top of the stretch and never look back. That horse is Pioneerof The Nile and jockey Garrett Gomez. Pionnerof the Nile ran beautifully in Kentucky and would have won the race if not for a freak performance from winner Mine That Bird. I really like him coming back in two weeks for Preakness day.

Here's the way I'd play the Preakness this Saturday. Let's just say I have an imaginary $100 bankroll: $40 to win-Pioneerof The Nile $30 to place-Pioneerof The Nile $5 Exacta Box: Pioneerof The Nile Rachel Alexandra Big Drama Play it like that and go to the windows and collect!!!

Good luck everybody, enjoy the Preakness, and Dave and I will talk to you next week!