Vanderbilt (57-11) versus Michigan (49-20).
It's a Best-of-3 showdown at the College World Series between baseball teams assigned contrasting forecasts at the start of the season.
The championship series will take place over the next two nights, or three nights if necessary, at TD Ameritrade Park in downtown Omaha.
ESPN will televise.
After winning 30 of their last 33 games, the Vanderbilt Commodores are exactly where most observers expected them to be.
Michigan, on the other hand, qualified for a trip to Omaha from out of the (maize and) blue.
At the start of the season, the Wolverines were dismissed at odds of 200/1 (Caesars) to win the CWS title, installed at 90/1 (CGT) after they competed in the Big Ten tournament and listed at 15/1 (Westgate) when the determined underdogs joined seven other survivors from an original tournament field of 64.
Vanderbilt is a prohibitive favorite (-330) to defeat Michigan in the three-game series.
Tim Corbin's team features a perfect blend of power and pitching with a nation's best 97 home runs and a staff that has surrendered only eight runs over the last 45 postseason innings.
Vandy hails from the tradition-rich Southeastern Conference, the best in college baseball, and one whose conference tournament title is more difficult to win than arriving in Omaha to compete for the College World Series title.
Nine of the conference's 14 teams have earned a trip to Omaha more recently than they have captured the SEC Tournament.
Michigan hails from the Big Ten, a conference where a school's football and basketball success is monetized, and therefore, celebrated.
Baseball is an afterthought and clearly ranks as low-priority at 13 of the 14 Big Ten schools.
Strange but true, Wisconsin does not field a men's baseball team after it discontinued the sport after the 1991 season.
Cold weather obviously is a big challenge for teams in the northern portion of the country with many formal practices forced indoors and many elite players migrating south to play year-round.
Michigan is attempting to become the first Big Ten school to capture college baseball's top prize since Ohio State won the title in 1966.
The best player in Omaha this week will be Vanderbilt outfielder J.J. Bleday.
The 21-year-old junior from Panama City Beach, Florida was the fourth overall pick by the Miami Marlins in the Major League Baseball Draft held earlier this month.
Bleday bats and throws left-handed and wears #51.
Marlins CEO Derek Jeter envisions Bleday to hit in the heart of Miami's order in future seasons with the ability to hit .300 and record 30-plus home runs.
Bleday was named SEC Player of the Year, SEC Tournament MVP and finished as a runner-up to Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman for the Golden Spikes Award as the nation's top player.
The only Vanderbilt player to ever capture the Golden Spikes Award was David Price in 2007, a few years before Bryce Harper from Southern Nevada (2010) and Kris Bryant from the University of San Diego (2013) won the prestigious award.
GO BLUE.....Las Vegas-based sports bettor Dave Blakeman, a valued employee at William Hill, will be rooting for the Michigan Nine this week.
Blakeman secured a price of 90/1 on Michigan to win the title.
He explains, "I only bet $20 on the Wolverines but I watched them compete in the Big Ten tournament and I thought they were a feisty bunch."
Will Blakeman hedge with $1800 on the line?
"Hell no. For $20? Not a chance. It's about ego now. I want to cash my ticket for pride's sake."
Kudos to EOG contributors KANE and DELL DUDE for also recognizing Michigan's ascent to the championship series.
KANE, on the heels of betting the Toronto Raptors at 9/1 to win the NBA title, needs Michigan to upset Vandy at odds of 13/1.
DUDE was late to the party but still has Michigan at odds of 11/2 to win it all.
HANDICAPPING TIP......I no longer watch a lot of games in real time.
Instead, I watch replays of games with knowledge of the final score and more importantly, the box score in front of me.
This change in process allows me to watch a game with a deeper understanding of the action while viewing the contest for the first time.
With football and basketball games, I focus more on the final two minutes of the game, evaluating how teams finish games whether or not the natural outcome is in doubt.
After all, many pointspread outcomes are determined late in the fourth quarter.
MONDAY'S BEST BET.....Play 903 Atlanta Braves (Teheran/Lester) +113 over the Chicago Cubs at CGT.
The Cubs avoided a third straight loss at the hands of the visiting New York Mets yesterday when Javy Baez saved the day with a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Javy Baez's blast, the 100th of his career, turned a 3-2 deficit into an eventual 5-3 win.
The Braves are on a roll and they've been winning with contributions from their entire 25-man roster.
Atlanta's recent won-loss records over the last 10 days, last 20 days and last 30 days: 7-3, 15-5 and 20-10.
Over the same period, the Cubs are 4-6, 10-10 and 13-17.
What's more, the Cubs are only 19-22 this season against teams with winning records.
Atlanta right-hander Julio Teheran is better than his 5-5 record would indicate.
Before his poor effort last start, he posted some impressive numbers against quality competition, including not allowing a home run in eight consecutive starts from early May to mid-June.
Chicago veteran lefty Jon Lester, age 35, has surrendered seven home runs over his last three starts.
First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. CT.
It's a Best-of-3 showdown at the College World Series between baseball teams assigned contrasting forecasts at the start of the season.
The championship series will take place over the next two nights, or three nights if necessary, at TD Ameritrade Park in downtown Omaha.
ESPN will televise.
After winning 30 of their last 33 games, the Vanderbilt Commodores are exactly where most observers expected them to be.
Michigan, on the other hand, qualified for a trip to Omaha from out of the (maize and) blue.
At the start of the season, the Wolverines were dismissed at odds of 200/1 (Caesars) to win the CWS title, installed at 90/1 (CGT) after they competed in the Big Ten tournament and listed at 15/1 (Westgate) when the determined underdogs joined seven other survivors from an original tournament field of 64.
Vanderbilt is a prohibitive favorite (-330) to defeat Michigan in the three-game series.
Tim Corbin's team features a perfect blend of power and pitching with a nation's best 97 home runs and a staff that has surrendered only eight runs over the last 45 postseason innings.
Vandy hails from the tradition-rich Southeastern Conference, the best in college baseball, and one whose conference tournament title is more difficult to win than arriving in Omaha to compete for the College World Series title.
Nine of the conference's 14 teams have earned a trip to Omaha more recently than they have captured the SEC Tournament.
Michigan hails from the Big Ten, a conference where a school's football and basketball success is monetized, and therefore, celebrated.
Baseball is an afterthought and clearly ranks as low-priority at 13 of the 14 Big Ten schools.
Strange but true, Wisconsin does not field a men's baseball team after it discontinued the sport after the 1991 season.
Cold weather obviously is a big challenge for teams in the northern portion of the country with many formal practices forced indoors and many elite players migrating south to play year-round.
Michigan is attempting to become the first Big Ten school to capture college baseball's top prize since Ohio State won the title in 1966.
The best player in Omaha this week will be Vanderbilt outfielder J.J. Bleday.
The 21-year-old junior from Panama City Beach, Florida was the fourth overall pick by the Miami Marlins in the Major League Baseball Draft held earlier this month.
Bleday bats and throws left-handed and wears #51.
Marlins CEO Derek Jeter envisions Bleday to hit in the heart of Miami's order in future seasons with the ability to hit .300 and record 30-plus home runs.
Bleday was named SEC Player of the Year, SEC Tournament MVP and finished as a runner-up to Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman for the Golden Spikes Award as the nation's top player.
The only Vanderbilt player to ever capture the Golden Spikes Award was David Price in 2007, a few years before Bryce Harper from Southern Nevada (2010) and Kris Bryant from the University of San Diego (2013) won the prestigious award.
GO BLUE.....Las Vegas-based sports bettor Dave Blakeman, a valued employee at William Hill, will be rooting for the Michigan Nine this week.
Blakeman secured a price of 90/1 on Michigan to win the title.
He explains, "I only bet $20 on the Wolverines but I watched them compete in the Big Ten tournament and I thought they were a feisty bunch."
Will Blakeman hedge with $1800 on the line?
"Hell no. For $20? Not a chance. It's about ego now. I want to cash my ticket for pride's sake."
Kudos to EOG contributors KANE and DELL DUDE for also recognizing Michigan's ascent to the championship series.
KANE, on the heels of betting the Toronto Raptors at 9/1 to win the NBA title, needs Michigan to upset Vandy at odds of 13/1.
DUDE was late to the party but still has Michigan at odds of 11/2 to win it all.
HANDICAPPING TIP......I no longer watch a lot of games in real time.
Instead, I watch replays of games with knowledge of the final score and more importantly, the box score in front of me.
This change in process allows me to watch a game with a deeper understanding of the action while viewing the contest for the first time.
With football and basketball games, I focus more on the final two minutes of the game, evaluating how teams finish games whether or not the natural outcome is in doubt.
After all, many pointspread outcomes are determined late in the fourth quarter.
MONDAY'S BEST BET.....Play 903 Atlanta Braves (Teheran/Lester) +113 over the Chicago Cubs at CGT.
The Cubs avoided a third straight loss at the hands of the visiting New York Mets yesterday when Javy Baez saved the day with a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Javy Baez's blast, the 100th of his career, turned a 3-2 deficit into an eventual 5-3 win.
The Braves are on a roll and they've been winning with contributions from their entire 25-man roster.
Atlanta's recent won-loss records over the last 10 days, last 20 days and last 30 days: 7-3, 15-5 and 20-10.
Over the same period, the Cubs are 4-6, 10-10 and 13-17.
What's more, the Cubs are only 19-22 this season against teams with winning records.
Atlanta right-hander Julio Teheran is better than his 5-5 record would indicate.
Before his poor effort last start, he posted some impressive numbers against quality competition, including not allowing a home run in eight consecutive starts from early May to mid-June.
Chicago veteran lefty Jon Lester, age 35, has surrendered seven home runs over his last three starts.
First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. CT.
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