Beating The Book: The Sports Betting Teams & Stories of the Decade

Megapod coming up later this week. This is a look back at the decade, the year's and the best sports betting teams per sport of that decade, not just teams, but individuals and individual sports horses in horse racing will do horse racing, golf, tennis, Premier League, soccer, college hoops, college football, and then the four major North American sports hockey, baseball, the NBA, and the NFL, defined by not the most powerful team of the decade, as a mainstream media show

would do, but by the team that came back from the longest odds, either before the season started, mid season, or maybe even before the postseason, to win its respective sports championship. We'll do it with Blake Mahoney of Sports Odds History dot Com a special Beating the Book podcast, a look back at the best sports teams and stories of the decade. Enjoy It's on numbers game with your

host Jil. Alexander wants to believe in our number two of the Numbers game right here at Visa, the Vegas Stats and Information Network, serious XM Channel two oh four, Visa dot Com, the Visa f Bobos lining game Plus. It's Gill Alexander, it's producing number five. Jeff Parlay in the house. Jeff, your dad is here? You nervous? Are you nervous? No? They my my parents and my girlfriend came in and watched the Marco Lot Show on Friday, So I'm good. Yeah, but you're nervous. Okay, all right,

I'm very excited about this. It's a two days special here on a numbers game, on a very special episode of a numbers game at Visa. UH Sports Betting. We'll call it Teams of the Decade. But there are horses and individuals involved here. Uh, it's a two day thing. Tomorrow we will do NHL, Major League Baseball, Pro football, and pro basketball. Today we'll do all the rest. We'll even through college football in a day about that. So

today we're gonna do horses, golf, Tennis, Premier League. Oh, I know what that was gonna be college basketball, college football. And to help us along, ladies and gentlemen, we couldn't do without him, it's our old friend from Sports Odds History dot Com, Blake Mahoney. Good morning to you, Blake. Morning. How you done. I'm doing very well? All right, Blake, Let's define this. This is not you know, you're not

your average sports show teams of the decade. Right. We're not going to talk about the seventy three win Warriors, as they might. We're gonna talk about the teams that came back from the longest odds, either pre flop or mid season or just before the playoffs or whenever, that ended up winning their sports championship in that year. Is that correct, sir, that's right. Yeah. We're looking at, uh, sort of the the biggest bang for your buck long shots. Okay,

let's start with horses. I think I think everybody knows where this one's gonna go, right. Yeah. So with the Triple Crown races, there really weren't too many long shots. There was actually only one that was one or greater during the decade than that was this year at the Kentucky Derby with Country House, who was one named the winner of the race in the most controversial of fashions, with Maximum Security, who went under the wire first, was

disqualified by Stewards sixty five to one. Uh, only the second time a winner had been disqualified in the derby's forty five year history. First time though that had happened because of a foul claim during the race. I think in the Dancers image was disqualified days after the race because of a drug violation. But this sick st five

to one. When maximum security was taken down to an incident coming around the turn, he veered out slightly squeezed War of Will for those who remember, it caused long Rage Totty to go back very controversial sixty to one, something probably Blake will never see again. I would imagine. Yeah, I mean, considering that it's happened so few times, and then for the long shot to be sort of the one, to be sort of the unofficial runner up and then being declared the winner. Yeah, it's it's going to be

a while before we see that again. And I would like to speak for all sports betting aficionados who don't bet horses when I say here was my reaction at the time, Could someone please explain to me what's going on. I had no clue what, so I was like, can some of these are saying, what the rule is what you horse. People over there, tell me what tell me what the rule is. Blake by the way, could be followed on Twitter at s O history Uh on Twitter

once again Sports Odds History. All right, so maximum security, without question, the horse in terms of betting through the through the prism of bets, the horse of the decade. Let's do a little Let's go golf next, syall we right? So uh, during the decade there are five players that were a hundred one or higher that before the start of the manager that went on to win, and only one of those came since two thousand eleven, so it's it's been kind of mostly chalk, uh, you know, in

the last eight years. So just kind of running down the list. We had two thousand eleven Masters with Charles Schwartzel was one. Let me jump in he he won that by two strokes over Jason Day at Adams Scott two thousand eleven Masters. All right, what's next next? Is the one that's the only one that's happened the last eight years was the two thousand sixteen p g A where Jimmy Walker was one to one, five to one,

Jimmy Walker beating Jason Day again by one stroke. That was that period where Jason Day was runner up at a lot of things. Mm hmm yeah. Uh. Next is another p g A two thousand eleven Keegan Bradley was one fifty to one and that was a playoff, wasn't

it against Jason Duffner. If I'm not mistaken, I believe correct? Yeah, okay, m h Next one was also came in two thousand eleven at the British where Darren Clark was a hunt fifty to one as well three stroke lead over both Phil a three stroke win rather thorough for both Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson in that event. And then the British again in two thousand ten were Louis oost thousand

was two hundred and one. So we are declaring Louis oost Heisen the golfer from through the betting prison, the golfer of the decade? Is that correct? Yeah? We can go with that, you know, I mean, looking back, you know, he's obviously had a little bit um you know, maybe looking back it's not quite as much of a shock considering how well he's done since then. Um, but yeah, at the time, we can go with that. As as

the uh, as the golfer of the of the decade. Yeah, with with individual sports is a little harder because we're just we have to pick a major specifically, so it's a little more polluted. It's not quite like the teams of the decade. But ushis in one ouzhis in won that particular event, the one thirty nine Open Championship back into by seven strokes over Lee Westwood. I didn't remember it being that big of a win, but he destroyed it the field and that. Yeah. Yeah, so now those

are all pre flopping golf. Now, there were many situations mid tournament, and we don't have to look far back. Mark Leishman. My buddy reminds me that in the Open Mark Leshman was one seventy five to one at one point he led on the seventeenth whole Sunday than he made bogey loss in the playoffs. So there's a lot of near misses that occur with with guys you know

mid stream. But those in terms of pre flop, those are your golfers of the decade, with Louis use Tis in a two one the Open Championship emerging as the longest odds champion name of golf's majors. Let's talk tennis again.

Talking to Blake Mahoney here sports odds history, let's do uh, let's do the men's side first, right, So on the men's side, you know, I mean obviously that the decade was dominated by Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, so there really wasn't much opportunity for for other you know, for these long shots to come in. There were They're only five players overall that were greater than ten to one that went on to win. Um. But the largest was Marin Chileich at the two thousand and fourteen US Open, where he

was seventy five and one. Wow, chill who's still playing, still playing somewhat competitively. Uh, who's thirty one years of age now? And first of all, should be mentioned that since Chile one the US Open at those odds seventy five to one pre flop, only Stan Varenka, well, Stan Marinka's one, So there's been twenty majors since then. Excuse me thirty Uh, No, check that there's been twenty twenty

major since then. Varenka's won to Andy Murray's one one, So seventeen have have been won by the Big three since then Djokovic, as you point out, Djokovic, feder and Nadal. But to give you an idea how those three guys have dominated the tour, Chilich is the youngest guy, the youngest man on planet Earth to currently say I have a Grand Slam Men's singles title at the age of

thirty one. He and del Potro. Del Potro's like five days older than him thirty one, which means that Federal and Nadal and Djokovic have wiped out a generation of tennis players. Basically, it's amazing. But Marini, yeah, we're yeah, we're still kind of waiting for the next generation. Yeah, finally take over. That's amazing to me, thirty one years old. So that was the US Open, the last major, seventy five to one pre flop. All right, let's go to

the ladies side. Uh So there are a couple, you know, it's a little bit more common for some long shots to come in. But the two biggest were Marion bart totally uh frenchwoman who was one one uh in two thousand thirteen Wimbledon. And then the biggest was Flavia Panetta was on one I'm sorry, hundred fifty to one to win the two thousand fifteen US Open. I promise you were getting to college basketball, college football, and obviously the pro sports, and people are gonna be like, Okay, this

I understand. But it occurs to me that the two names you just mentioned, there's some people are gonna be like, wait, I don't even know who he's talking about. This is actually this actually happened, right Like, so, Mary Bart totally, she wins Wimbledon in she had she had played like forty seven or she had one. She she had the record for the most wins without ever winning a Grand Am. I think, most tournament wins without ever winning a Grand Slam.

She didn't drop a set in that entire tournament. She like avoided Serena Williams. That year she got all the breaks and she became the first female player, um who participate. Yeah, not the first one, but that she had participated in the most Grand Slam tournaments without every having won one. Her seven such Grand Slam tournament, I'm sorry, not the most wins, but the most Grand Slam tournament participating before ever winning one. And she immediately the next tournament retired

for good. She's like, that's it, got my one, and by the way Flavia, Uh, Flavia Panetta, who who did it again? What did she win again? She won the UH two thousand fifteen US Open, and Serena had won all three majors that year. Serena would an effective won the Grand Slam. Flavia Panetta did the same thing. She won the US Open, and she was like, I'm out, I'm done. That's my career. Because when you wrote those two names down, I was like, I barely remember these people.

I would imagine listeners wouldn't. All right, let's get to something that people remember in a bit way. So so one fifty to one for Pinetta, one hundred to one for bar Totally, they would be the women's tennis sports betting long shots of their sport. Let's do Premier League, and I think where everybody knows where this is going? Right? Yeah, Nlesster City two fifteen two sixteen, season five thousand one. Uh, you know, kind of changed the the story of the

way the odds are made. They don't make them that large anymore because, uh, you know, it can happen. You know that they were the year before they barely avoid relegation and then they just caught lining in a bottle. And and and won the whole thing the next year. Now think about what you just said. Leicester City won the Premierly get five thousand to one odds the year before again almost relegated. They needed to flurry at the end of the year not to be And we were

just talking about all these other sports golf, tennis. Uh, we're talking about horses and those peaked at like two hundred to one in the odds. We just mentioned Oshisen in the Open Championship with twenty ten. This is five thousand to one. Uh. Cost will Hill UK, I think upwards of three million estimated to cost bookmakers across the

UK over fifteen million. And as you said, yeah, I remember then that they're trying to pay people out before night season was even though we're to negotiate, you know, cheaper prices, so they there they weren't gonna lose so much. Yeah, cash out options available throughout all formulaic. And you're right, William Hill u k S at the time I said, will never post odds higher than one longer than one

thousand and one in anything. Ever. Again, after Leicester City cashed five thousand one and just to give you a comp like what else do UK bookmakers what did they put up at five thousand and one odds? Elvis Presley being found alive? That's what happened with Leicester City at five thousand and one odds. That might be, by the way, Blake, that might actually be the sports betting team period of the decade. Once we're all setting done with this and we pick one, Yeah, our entire lives, I can't see

anything of our top in that. I think it might be right on that count. Uh, let's come back. Let's do college basketball and college football sports betting teams of the decade. We'll do a couple honorable mentions in each sport, and then we'll give the sports betting team of the decade, the one that came back from the longest odds, not necessarily pre flop, but at any point in the season in both college hoops and college UH football. Will do

that next with Blake Mahoney. Sports Betting odds Sports betting Teams of the decade on a numbers game right here at the Sports Betting Network. Welcome back to a numbers game with Kill Alexander. It is a numbers game right here at these sports betting Now, a numbers game or Sports bett Analytics, live actionable sports betting information that it is.

Decem just thought to myself, you know, let's do a little decade review, because well, you know, you don't get this chance but once every ten years, and we've never been able to do it, obviously on this network. I've never even been able to do it on the podcast. So we brought in our buddy from Sports Odds History

Dot Tom Blake. Mahoney, We've gone through horses, golf, tennis, and Premier League so far, the individuals, the horse, the team of the decade in terms of what of those came back from the longest odds either before a season started, before a race started, before a tournament started, to get the prize in what it was a golf major, a tennis major, or in the case of a horse racing, a triple Crown races. Obviously Premier League, the entire Premier

League title. By the way, Lester City one that year with eighty one points, ten point win over Arsenal who was in second place. Just just an aberration five thousand and one. As we discussed, we'll never see that again. Maybe the sports team of the decade. Let's get to the more familiar sports, though, Blake, let's go to this side of the pond. We'll do college basketball first. How about some honorable mentions? Right, So first we'll go with

two Villa Nova. They were to one during the preseason and and they never really dip below ten to one, uh until they until the late eighth round. And that was for those who are like, which Villanova team was that? That was? Uh? That was Chris Jenkins with a three pointer against North Carolina. And I was thinking about this about this, Jeff, I was like, where you know, you remember where you were when you watch all these championship games. And I was like, wow, that's seems ages ago to me.

But that was obviously Chris Jenkins, who went to Gazaga High in DC. As a matter of fact, playing UH in Europe these days. That that Villanova team was really good during the regular season. I would imagine those odds never really moved because no one, no one bet them, because they had years of just anguish in the tournament before they finally broke through and wanted twenty five to one. That went their peak. As Blake was just saying, during

the preseason, what's another honorable mention? Right? So, quickly. The other Villaneova team that won, they were actually twenty seven to one during the during the seasons, a little bit higher, but they were the betting favorite by the time they entered the tournament. So that's why I put the the two thousand sixteen version a little bit higher. Okay, So so Villanova team seven to one, uh, and that was the team that crushed everybody in the tournament, right, they

just destroyed everybody by double digits. They had no scares in that entire tournament. But and you put them second just because why again explain? Oh? Just because? Uh, you know that the two thousand sixteen term team was h you know, they kind of flew under the radar, and and they were fifteen to one entering the tournament. Okay, while you know the two thousand eighteen team was was the betting favorite to win it all during entering the tournament.

Makes sense? Alright, one more honorable mention before we name the team of the decade, right, So two thousand or two thousand ten, two thousand eleven Yukon they were forty two one during the season. Uh. They went twenty six nine during the regular season, and then we're to one entering the tournament as the three seed, and that was

the Kemba Walker Yukon team, which I'm not mistaken. Weren't they like, Jeff, You'll tell me, weren't they like five hundred During the Big East season, they were like nine and nine or something like that, and then they went on this Keimba just went on this unbelievable run in the Big East Tournament and then obviously in the March Madness Big Dance as well, nine and nine Big East regular season, five wins and five days. Remember that was the sixteen team Big East Nominal. They were in the

nine seed in that tournament. Uh. That obviously the Big East Tournament known for when Kemba Walker ended Gary McGee's life on that crossover and at the end of the third game that one versus nine and the Big East Final between Yukon and Louisville, Yukon won despite Kemba getting an early foul trouble. That game really flipped the entire n c A tournament because Yukon got the three seed.

They made they win at all. Louisville, if you remember, lost the Kenneth for eden Morehead State that year in the first round. Yeah, and Yukon the Kemba version of Yukon that year again, because I think I know what's coming with the with the college basketball team of the decade, but the Kemba version Kentucky. That's so they've been in the semis by a point fifty five. Then they'd be Butler by a dozen in the finals. Horrible game, horrible game, horrible?

What is your like? I can't even think of a memory from that game. It would Butler. Butler shot in that game. It was alright, Blake, college basketball team of the decade will be I know what's coming, right, so you already call it two fourteen Yukon was one in the preseason and actually higher uh they were one entering the tournament to win at all. And that was the ship As Napier version, as I like to call it, a Yukon now whenever before March man is every year.

And I don't know if you've been with me, Jeff when I do this, but I do a I do a college basketball March Madness four mila. People who listen to a Numbers game and have listened to the podcast that beating the book before and know that I do this, and you basically what it is I go through. Here are the six criteria that every eventual national champion in college basketball has to their name, and it's like, you know, oh, they ranked twenty and offensive adjusted efficiency in ken baumb

offense top twenty, defensive efficiency. There's all these different stats they put into it, and it has called up. Every champion has had all these characteristics except one. Every exception is this team that Blake's talking about, the Shabazz Napier version of of you not to contrast them with the Kemba Walker Yukon champion. The Shabaz Napier Yukon champs. Remember they were at and were they an eight seeds? They were seven? They beat eight seed Kentucky in the finals,

which was the Julius Randall Kentucky team. But like they were the exception of everything, right, so is the Kevin Ali coached Yukon team. It wasn't even uh um it was it was a different version of Yukon. They you know, they didn't have Sweet sixteen experience. That was one of the criterion for all champions. They weren't um, you know, they weren't They didn't have at least three wins versus teams in the top ten percent of strength of schedule. Excuse me of r P I that was another exception

of that team. Um, they weren't into, as I said, top twenty adjusted offensive or top twenty adjusted defensive efficiency. So that team was clearly the outlier of all outliers, and that team should have lost in the round of sixty four to St. Joseph's Amida Brima had a three point play in the last minute. The regulation of that game made the free throws a fifty two percent free

throw shooter. Yukon won the game and overtime, and then I think it was Villanova, Iowa State, Michigan State, UM, I don't remember who they beat out Florida, number one overall seed Florida, who they destroyed after falling down double digits in the first half. And then that game against Kentuck. Yeah, nine seed versus eight seed in the finals versus still still pretty good, it's still amazing. I mean this doesn't

have still pretty good. But that game against St. Joseph one in overtime, they were they were done, they were down. They were downe five in the last minute of regulation, and the NC State and eighty three the Jim Valvano team that won, and all they two had a near miss. I mean there's a lot of near misses along the way. Blank, you were about to say something. I'm sorry, Oh yeah, Yukon was only saying the two of the they're turning the games. I mean they just and then ended up

winning each game by five or more points. So it was, um, you know, just kinda unlikely path to the championship. Yukon Huskies,

your sports betting college basketball team of the decade. By the way, that is, that doesn't mean they're the team of destiny like Virginia was last year, because I'll still contend that the way uv A won those games last year in the tournament still made them the team of the decade, especially after not not team in the decade, but the team of destiny, especially after how they lost to U NBC UH sixteen ced U NBC the previous year team of destiny, but not sports betting team of

the decade, that would Yukon. Let's do college football to wrap it up today. We'll save all the four professional major sports for tomorrow. Blake, what do you got honorable mentioned in college football? Right? So, Donna, we'll have ourselves. But this year's LSU team closed at five to one to win the national championship. H But obviously a little too early to h put them on the list, but they'd but they'd be in the conversation and people have

them at higher than twenty five to one. I'm sure in many spots maybe I think they Yeah, they opened at fifty to one, but they closed it. Honorable mention. Right, two thousand thirteen, Florida State. They were sixteen, the one to win it all before the start of the season, and they were ranked number eleven in the preseason poll.

And that's the Jamis Winston Florida State Seminars of twenty who beat Auburn by a few goal in the championship, the BCS Championship, right, Jeff, you remember that that was Winston to Kelvin Benjamin the winning game at the end of the Rose Bowl. Yeah, yeah, it was. It was a crazy five minutes. There were four lead changes in the final five minutes of the game. Yeah, what's it's really that game was unbelievable. At the end um Seminals

win at thirty four to thirty one over Auburn. In uh, Florida State got a field goal on their for it was I want to get the last sequence of that game, um, because in the fourth quarter, Florida States scored a touchdown early to make it a one point game. After Auburn made a field goal. Uh. Kermit Whitfield returned the following kickoff a hundred yards you remember that to give the

Seminals the three point lead. Auburn answers with a touchdown to go up by four with just over a minute remaining, and then on their final drive seven plays Florida State, as we mentioned, with thirteen seconds remaining, forty nine yards completion to shod Green from Jamis and then Jamis to Kelvin Benjamin for the game winner. Seminoles, what was their peak again in the odds that year? Uh? One? Uh? That was the preseason and they kind of felt throughout

the season they didn't go up any higher than that. Okay, two yard touchdown best Kelvin Benjamin, excuse me? With thirteen seconds left? All right? There? One honorable mention? What's the other honorable mention? You got? Two thousand ten Auburn? They were one in the preseason. That was the Cam Newton um. He was the junior transfer and they were. They had a preseason rank of number twenty two. And what I

recall most from that is we just didn't blake. We just didn't get how good Cam Newton would be, right Like, we just didn't know. We heard about Cam Newton, but we had no clue that he would be that dominant.

And that championship game against Oregon, which they won by a field goal, in contrast to Florida State, because Florida State before that championship game, they murdered everybody that year, right, they crushed everybody whereas Auburn had like and yeah, four field goal were like four games of a field goal or less that they won, right, Yeah, including the national championship,

five of their games were won by three points of less. Alright, Florida State ten Auburn, who is the college football betting team of the decade, sir, So I'm giving this one to two thousand fourteen Ohio State. UH. They initially opened

up at ten to one, but senior QB. Braxon Miller, who was Heisman UH contender, he injured his shoulder in training camp, so they had to go with retirt freshman J. T. Barrett, and they moved all the way at forty one before the start of the season, um, before the start of the the playoffs or no during before the start of the season, they were forty two one at their peak. What were they before mid Yeah? Okay, so wait, but you said Auburn was fifty to one, So why do

you give it to Ohio State? Right? So I'm given to tell house stages because even throughout the year or they were, they were never below ten to one, and even entering the the College Football Playoffs they were fifteen to one. They were an underdog even entering the conference championship to Wisconsin. Uh, and they ended up waining that

fifty nine to zero. I think you're right, and I'm just give it to them just because they were They were never really uh considered the favorite, where Auburn, you know, kind of moved up the ranks. I love it. No, you could vote had Ohio State and Ohio State also lost in Week two to Virginia Tech, and they moved They were still forty two one at that point they lost by two touchdowns of vote, and then, of course

the person were not mentioning here is Cardale Jones. Cardale Jones, who had the three games spectacular that remember, led people to say after that, hey, like he could be a top three pick in the Driver. Remember how people were like, oh my god, he could be drafted right at the top of the day. He elected to stay at the leave ended up where the Bills camp in the Chargers camp for a while. But they beat Wisconsin in the Big Ted Championship fifty nine to nothing, and then they

were dogs against Bama. Beat Bama by a touchdown in a game that wasn't really as closed. I mean, they were up by more than that. Zeke just ran all over Alabama in that game. And then they beat Oregon in the finals. That was more comfortable forty two to twenty um. Right, but even then there were still five and a half point under dog in that game. Right, still a dog all the way through the end. I think you're right. That is the college football sports betting

team of the decade. That's great stuff, Blake. I appreciate it. How about we take a break here, we'll come back tomorrow. We'll do the four major professional sports, will do hockey, will do baseball, will do the NBA and the NFL. Tomorrow. We're good. We lost. We lost, Blake, there, I think we lost in a second. We heard his one. Oh right, there is Blake Mahoney from Sports Odds History at s O History. Talk to you tomorrow, Blake. Okay, all right,

sounds good? All right, man? Than so much interesting. We'll come back, will uh put a little more stuff in perspective beyond that with the sports betting teams in the decade, and we'll talk about today's college football games. I guess we're contractually obligated to talk about this drek. Jeff coming up today right here on a Numbers game and Visa these Sports Betting Network. Welcome back to a Numbers game

with Jill Alexander. Still point of College Bowl action left by the way this week the Visa College Bowl Guide now available for just five dollars, five United States dollars. Jeff get stats, trensit analysis for the remaining games, along with best bets from ten VISA experts including PAULI Howard, Michael Lombardi, Mitch Moss, Dave Toolie, Matt Humans Huh not listed here producing number five, Jeff Parlay, what's your record? Jeff? Five and two? Five and two Hilltoppers. Get it done

this afternoon. We'll clench it over five. Yeah, you got the Hilltoppers. I'm in few Tech. I'm at College Football News dot com because apparently they didn't ask me here. Um, so I'm in uh that with a bunch of experts throughout the nation who write college football blogs. I'm thirteen and seven a t s. They assigned the games to us, don't forget. Also in the Visa College Bowl Guide Brent Musburger, Steve McKinnon, they offer an opinion on every side in total.

Find out why it's Visa's most popular betting guide. Details at Visa dot com s last Subscribe, that's Visa dot Com Last subscribe just five dollars. Now with four bowl games today, we'll get to those momentarily. I just wanted to comment before we get off the sports betting teams of the decade there and nice job from Blake Mahoney

going through all those all those sports. But there's other things to talk about clearly that happened sports betting wise this decade, and maybe the single most important day of all of them. Jeff was May fo Um. I was sitting here with producer number three, Jorge Mondacca. May you rest in peace, by the way, Um, Jorge and I were here, and we had this thing every morning because we get on the air at seven am Pacific ten am Eastern, and because we happened to be on air

at that time. That's when the Supreme Court decides to announce decisions on cases that have gotten all the way

up to the highest court of this land. And so there are certain days that they have signed on the calendar, and we knew that the sports betting case was on the docket, or really the case about PASPA UM and so there were several dates during January and February and March and April, and we basically had to prepare for two shows that morning, the show we were going to do on a normal day, and then the show that we would have to do if, in fact, the Supreme

Court decided, Hey, we're ready to announce our decision on this. In May fighteen was that day where the Supreme Court ruled, in a six to three decision which did not really fall on partisan lines by the way, that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act PASPA was unconstitutional. PASPA had been passed in had served as a blanket prohibition on state sponsored sports betting, say for a few states, obviously

Nevada being one of them. Him uh, that we're grandfathered in under the previous previous allowances of that, but that was made and that has changed the way that we do our shows, the way that we talk about things, because obviously now twenty plus states have some form of sports betting going on. There will only be more added. California, for instance, a big one to drop at some point in the future, but a jurisdiction by jurisdiction sports betting

all over the land. And so when we're here, we're talking about things in New Jersey, we're talking about things and Mississippi all over the country. Um, So that was that was obviously maybe the single biggest day when it comes to sports betting this decade. I think Leicester City, which we talked about with the Premier League, I think that would have all the teams in any sport. That's probably the biggest sports betting story of any team, Leicester

City Premier League globally speaking. And there's some other I mean then then the obvious other one here I think in this country, and really the thing we got the most Miley Edge out of at any stretch of time here on visa was obviously Floyd Mayweather and Connor McGregor.

Floyd Mayweather and Connor McGregor. The odds opened for that fight. Uh, Floyd Mayweather was I think it was a minus twenty five hundred favorite um at the super book, I want to say was minus twenty seven hundred here at the south Point, and Connor McGregor was plus eleven hundred coming back. In both cases, that was at the beginning. And it kept crashing and crashing and crashing. And this is over weeks and months even, and the closer the fight got,

we couldn't believe that it kept going down. And I remember having Jimmy McCarroll on the show and saying to him, He's like, what are you waiting for, a kid? What are you getting in? I said, I'm waiting for Mayweather to get to minus five hundred. If he gets to minus five hundred, am in. I remember dipped to minus five fifty there for a second and jumped back up to minus six and I was like, ah, maybe I

got too greedy. Nope, didn't get too greedy. Got to minus five hundred, even gotten to the minus four hundreds here around town and off shore, even south of minus four hundred Pinnacle I believe closed at minus three seventy five on Floyd Mayweather. And it remains to this day. I said Saturday, being very honest, Saturday was the biggest single betting day of my life this past Saturday for

clemps even talking about it. But as far as one single event was the most money I've ever been on one single event, it will always probably remain Floyd Way, Floyd Mayweather and Connor McGregor, and I remember it was one of those things where you were a lot of people in town go to a bank and withdraw money, and the teller would say to you would be like, You're like and you would say that. You'd be like, yeah,

I'll have this money back on Monday. Why are you taking out this I'll have it back on Monday, don't worry. And then when the night of the fight actually got here and people who were uh, I was at I was at Teddy Cover's house. Teddy Covers had a viewing party that night. Shout out to Teddy and his son, the great basketball playing Isaiah. But we're at Teddy Cover's house. And when you have that much going on an event,

and it speaks for so many of us. Then when it starts, you start you're like, Okay, this is boxing. What have I done? What have I gotten myself into? And Connor McGregor for the first three rounds kind of wins all three of those rounds, and even though you know Floyd could probably figure this out, you got it. There's a little bit of you was like, what's happening here? And then once Floyd figured you know, once Floyd decided to do his thing, it was over and in a

dominant fashion. But that I mean, if you talk about Lester City Team of the decade passed by that day being the single biggest impactful day. But there will never be anything like Maywether McGregor again, because it was this unbelievable m m A money, the mm A people banking on Connor and all this Irish money in town. It

was an amazing weekend. Jeff, you were leaning and you want to say something, No, I've had nothing to add other than other than that was that that in the Nationals this year probably were the two biggest sesses in a way, A line came to a position that I liked as well well. The Nationals. Here on the numbers game, we said it, I said repeatedly, and I'd never said this about anything else. It was your obligation to bet the Washington Nationals. If you are doing this correctly, check

it on Man Now Down Man thirty twenty nine. Team That Ben Book Podcast, Kill Alexander, Final Day of the year, Final day of the decade, Happy New Year to you. Something special on today's show. In between Megapods Wild Card

Megapod coming up later this week. This is a look back at the decade, the years, and the best sports betting teams per sport of that decade, not just teams, but individuals and individual sports horses in horse racing, will do horse racing, golf, tennis, Premier League, soccer, college hoops, college football, and then the four major North American sports hockey, baseball, the NBA, and the NFL, defined by not the most powerful team of the decade, as a mainstream media show

would do, but by the team that came back from the longest odds, either before the season started, mid season, or maybe even before the postseason, to win its respective sports championship. We'll do it with Blake Mahoney of Sports Odds History dot Com a special Beating the Book podcast a look back at the best sports teams and stories of the decade. Enjoy It's on numbers game with your host,

Jil Alexander. You want fold comunities to believe in our number two of a numbers game right here at Visa Vegas Stats and Information Network, Serious XM Channel two oh four, Visa dot Com, the Visa f BO bos Lin in game plus this Gil Alexander, it's producing number five. Jeff Parlay in the house. Jeff, your dad is here. You nervous? Are you nervous? No? They my my parents and my girlfriend came in and watched the Mark at Lot show on Friday, So I'm good. Yeah, but are you nervous? Okay,

all right, I'm very excited about this. It's a two day special here on a numbers game, on a very special episode of a numbers game at Visa UH Sports Betting. We'll call it Teams of the Decade, but there are horses and individuals involved here. Uh. It's a two day thing. Tomorrow we will do NHL, Major League Baseball, Pro football, and pro basketball. Today we'll do all the rest. We'll even through college football and to day about that. So

today we're gonna do horses, golf, tennis, Premier League. Oh, I know what that was gonna be, college basketball, college football. And to help us along, ladies and gentlemen, we couldn't do without him. It's our old friend from Sports Odds History dot Com, Blake Mahoney. Good morning to you, Blaked morning. How you doing. I'm doing very well? All right, Blake, Let's define this. This is not you know, you're not

your average sports show teams of the decade. Right. We're not going to talk about the seventy three win Warriors, as they might. We're gonna talk about the teams that came back from the longest odds, either pre flop or mid season or just before the playoffs or whatever, that ended up winning their sports championship in that years. That correct sir, that's right. Yeah, we're looking at, uh, sort of the the biggest bang for your buck long shots. Okay,

let's start with horses. I think I think everybody knows where this one's gonna go. Right. Yeah, So with the Triple Crown races, there really weren't too many long shots. There was actually only one that was one or greater during the decade than that was this year at the Kentucky Derby with Country House, who was one named the winner of the race in the most controversial of fashions, with Maximum Security who went under the wire first, was

disqualified by stewards sixty five to one. Uh only the second time a winner had been disqualified in the Derby's forty five year history. First time though that had happened because of a foul claim during the race. I think in Night Dancers, Image was disqualified days after the race

because of a drug violation. But this sixty five to one, when Maximum Security was taken down to an incident coming around the turn, he veered out slightly squeezed war of will for those who remember, it caused long Rage Totty to go back, very controversial sixty five to one, something probably Blake will never see again, I would imagine. Yeah, I mean, considering that it's happened so few times, and then for the long shot to be sort of the one, to be sort of the unofficial runner up and then

be declared the winner. Yeah, it's it's going to be a while before we see that again. And I would like to speak for all sports betting aficionados who don't bet horses when I say here was my reaction at the time. Could someone please explain to me what's going on? I had no clue what's it's like because some of these are the saying what the rulest what you horse? People over there? Tell me what? Tell me what the rulest. Blake, by the way, could be followed on Twitter at s

O history on Twitter once again Sports Odds History. All right, so maximum security, without question, the horse in terms of betting through the through the prism of bets, the horse of the decade. Let's do a little Let's go golf next, youall we Right, So during the decade there are five players that were ADD one or higher that before the start of the manager that went on to win, and only one of those came since two thousand eleven, so it's it's been kind of mostly chalk uh, you know,

in the last eight years. So just kind of running down the list. We had two thousand eleven Masters with Charles Schwartzel was one. Let me jump in he when he won that by two strokes over Jason Day and Adam Scott. Two thousand Evan Masters. All right, what's next next? Is the one that's the only one that's happened the last eight years. Was the two thousand sixteen p g A where Jimmy Walker was one to one, five to one,

Jimmy Walker beating Jason Day again by one stroke. That was that period where Jason Day was runner up at a lot of things. Mm hmm yeah. Uh. Next is another p G A two thousand eleven Keegan Bradley was oneift one and that was a playoff, wasn't it against Jason Duffner. If I'm not mistaken, I believe correct? Yeah, okay,

m hm. Next one was also came in two thousand eleven at the British where Darren Clark was a hunt fifty one as well, three stroke lead over both Phil a three stroke win rather over both Phil Nicholson and Dustin Johnson in that event. And then the British again in two thousand ten were Louis whose thousand was two hundred to one. So we are to clearing Louis Oustis in the golfer from through the betting prison the golfer of the decade, is that? Correct? Yeah, we can go

with that. You know, I mean, looking back, you know, he's obviously had a little bit um you know, maybe looking back, it's not quite as much of a shock considering how well he's done since then. Um, but yeah, at the time, we can go with that as as the uh as the golfer of the of the decade. Yeah, with with individual sports is a little harder because we're just we have to pick a major specifically, so it's a little more polluted. It's not quite like the teams

of the decade. But ushis In one OUs. HAIs In won that particular event, the one thirty nine Open Championship back into by seven strokes over Lee Westwood. I didn't remember it being that big of a win, but he destroyed it the field and that yeah, yeah today, So now those are all pre flopping golf. Now, there were many situations mid tournament and we don't have to look

far back. Mark leash In. My buddy reminds me that in the Open Mark Leashman was one seventy five to one at one point he led on the seventeenth whole Sunday that he made bogey loss in the playoffs. So there's a lot of near misses that occur with with guys you know mid stream, but those in terms of pre flop, those are your golfers of the decade, with Louis use Tis in a two one the Open Championship, uh, emerging as the longest Dodds champion name of golf's majors.

Let's talk tennis again, talking to Blake Mahoney here sports Odds history, let's do uh, let's do the men's side first, right. So on the men's side, you know, I mean obviously that the decade was dominated by Djokovic and Nadal fu so there really wasn't much opportunity for for other you know, for these long shots to come in. There were they're only five players overall that were greater than ten to

one that went on the win. Um. But the largest was Marin Chilich at the of housing fourteen US Open, where he was seventy one. Wow chill who was still playing, still playing somewhat competitively. Uh, who's thirty one years of age now. And first of all should be mentioned that since Chilling one the US Open at those odds seventy five to one pre flop, only Stan Varenka will stand

Marinka's one. So there's been twenty majors since then. Excuse me, thirty Uh, No, check that there's been twenty twenty majors since then, Varenka's won to Andy Murray's one one, So seventeen have have been won by the Big three since then, Djokovic, as you point out, Djokovic, Federan Nadal. But to give you an idea how those three guys have dominated the tour, Chilli is the youngest guy, the youngest man on planet Earth to currently say I have a Grand Slam Men's

singles title at the age of thirty one. He and del Potro. Del Potro's like five days older than him thirty one, which means that Federal and Nadal and Djokovic have wiped out a generation of tennis players. Basically, it's amazing. But Marine Chili, yeah, we're yeah, we're still kind of waiting for the next generation. Yeah, finally take over. That's amazing to me thirty one years old. So that was the US Open, the last major. Let's seventy five to

one pre flap. All right, let's go to the ladies side. Uh So there are a couple, you know, it's a little bit more common for some long shots to come in, but the two biggest were Marion Bart, totally h frenchwoman who was one one, uh in two thousand thirteen Wimbledon, and then the biggest was Flavia Panetta was one fifty one I'm sorry, hundred fifty to one to win the

two thousand and fifteen US Open. I promise you were getting the college basketball, college football, and obviously the pro sports, and people are gonna be like, Okay, this I understand, But it occurs to me that the two names you just mentioned, there's some people are gonna be like, wait, I don't even know who he's talking about. This is actually this actually happened right like, so Mary Bart totally she wins Wimbledon in she had she had played like

forty seven or she had won. She she had the record for the most wins without ever winning a Grand Slam, I think, most tournament wins without ever winning a Grand Slam. She didn't drop a set in that entire tournament. She like avoided Serena Williams. That year she got all the breaks and she became the first female player, um who participate Yeah, not the first one, but she had participated in the most Grand Slam tournaments without every having won one.

Her forty seven such Grand Slam tournament. I'm sorry not the most wins, but the most Grand Slam tournament participating before ever winning one, and she immediately the next tournament retired for good. She's like, that's it, got my one. And by the way, Flavia, uh, Flavia Panetta, who who did it again? What did she win again? She won the UH two thousand fifty in US Open, and Serena had won all three majors that year. Serena would an

effective won the and Slam. Flavia Pinetta did the same thing. She won the US Open, and she was like, I'm out, I'm done. That's my career. Because when you wrote those two names down, I was like, I barely remember these people. I would imagine if listeners wouldn't. All right, let's get to something that people remember in a better way. So so one fifty to one for Pinetta, one hundred to one for Bartoli, they would be the women's tennis sports

betting long shots of their sport. Let's do Premier League, and I think where everybody knows where this is going? Right? Yeah? Nlesster City two sixteen season five thousand one. Uh, you know, kind of changed the the story of the way the odds are made. They don't make them that large anymore because uh, you know it can happen. You know that they were the year before they barely avoid relegation and then they just I'm caught lightning in a bottle and

and and won the whole thing the next year. Now think about what you just said. Leicester City won the Premierly get five thousand to one odds the year before, again almost relegated. They needed to flurry at the end of the year not to be and we were just talking about all these other sports golf, tennis, Uh, we're talking about horses and those peaked at like two hundred to one in the odds. We just mentioned Oshisen in the Open Championship with twenty ten. This is five thousand

to one. Uh. Cost will hill UK I think upwards of three million estimated to cost bookmakers across the UK over fifteen million. And as you said, yeah, I remember then that they're trying to pay people out before night season was even though we're to negotiate you know, cheaper prices,

so they there they weren't gonna lose so much. Yeah, cash out options available throughout all formulaic And you're right, William Hill u k s at the time said, will never post odds higher than one longer than one thousand and one in anything ever Again, after Leicester City cashed five thousand one and just to give you a comp like, what else do UK bookmakers? What did they put up at five US into one odds? Elvis Presley being found alive?

That's what happened with Leicester City at five thousand and one odds. That might be, by the way, Blake, that might actually be the sports betting team period of the decade. Once we're all setting done with this and we have to pick one. Yeah, our entire lives, I can't see anything ever toping that. I think it might be right on that count. Uh, let's come back, Let's do college basketball and college football sports betting teams of the decade.

Will do a couple honorable mentions in each sport, and then we'll give the sports betting team of the decade, the one that came back from the longest odds, not necessarily pre flop, but at any point in the season in both college hoops and college UH football will do that next with Blake Mahoney. Sports Betting odds Sports betting Teams of the decade on a numbers game right here at VIC the Sports Betting Network. Welcome back to a

numbers game with Jill Alexander. It is a numbers game right here at these Sports Betting Nowork Numbers Game or Sports Betting Analytics, Live actionable sports betting information. That it is December, just thought to myself, you know, let's do a little decade review, because well, you know, you don't get this chance but once every ten years, and we've never been able to do it obviously on this network. I've never even been able to do it on the podcast.

So we brought in our buddy from Sports Arts History dot Com, Blake Mahoney. We've gone through horses, golf, tennis, and Premier League so far the individuals, the horse, the team of the decade in terms of what of those came back from the longest odds, either before a season started, before a race started, before a tournament started to get the prize in what it was a golf major, a tennis major, or in the case of a horse racing,

a triple Crown races. Obviously Premier League. The entire Premier League title by the way, Lester City one that year with eighty one points ten point win over Arsenal who was in second place. Just just an aberration five thousand and one. As we discussed, we'll never see that again. Maybe the sports team of the decade. Let's get to the more familiar sports, though, Blake, Let's go to this side of the pond. We'll do college basketball first. How

about some honorable mentions. So first we'll go with two sixteen Villanova. They were the one during the preseason and they never really dip below ten to one UH until they until the late eight round. And that was for those who are like, which Villanova team was that? That was? That was Chris Jenkins with a three pointer against North Carolina.

And I was thinking about this about this, Jeff, I was like, where you know, you remember where you were when you watch all these championship games, And I was like, wow, that's seems ages ago to me. But that was obviously Chris Jenkins, who went to Gazaga High in DC. As a matter of fact, playing UH in Europe these days.

That that Villanova team was really good during the regular season, I would imagine those odds never really moved because no one, no one bet them, because they had years of just anguish in the tournament before they find broke through and wanted five to one. That went their peak. As Blake was just saying during the preseason, what's another honorable mention? Right?

So quickly, the other Villaneova team that won, they were actually twenty seven to one during the during the preseasons, a little bit higher, but they were the betting favorite by the time they entered the tournament. So that's why I put the the two thousand sixteen version a little bit higher. Okay, So so Villanova team seven to one, uh, and that was the team that crushed everybody in the tournament, right, They just destroyed everybody by double digits. They had no

scares in that entire tournament. But and you put them second just because why again explain? Oh, just because, uh, you know that the two thousand sixteen term team was uh you know, they kind of flew under the radar and and they were fifteen to one entering the tournament. Okay, while you know the two thousand eighteen team was was the betting favorite to win it all during entering the tournament.

Makes sense? Alright, one more honorable mention before we name the team of the decade, right, So two thousand or two thousand two thousand eleven Yukon. They were forty two one during the preseason. Uh, they went twenty six and nine during the regular season and then we're five to one entering the tournament as the three seed. And that was the Kemba Walker Yukon team, which I'm not mistaken.

Weren't they like, Jeff, You'll tell me, weren't they like five hundred During the Big East season, they were like nine and nine or something like that, and then they went on this Kimba just went on this unbelievable run in the Big East Tournament and then obviously in the March Madness Big Dance as well. Nine and nine Big East regular season, five wins and five days. Remember that was the sixteen team Big East Nominal. They were in

the nine seed in that tournament. Uh. That obviously the Big East Tournament known for when Kemba Walker ended Gary McGee's life on that crossover and he did at the end of the third game that one versus nine and the Big East Final between Yukon and Louisville. Yukon won despite Kemba getting an early foul trouble. That game really flipped the entire n c A tournament because Yukon got the three seed they made. They win at All Louisville if you remember, lost the Kenneth for eden Morehead State

that year in the first round. Yeah, and Yukon the Kemba version of Yukon that year again, because I think I know what's coming with the with the college basketball team of the decade, but the Kemba version Kentucky. That's whe they've be in the semis by a point fifty five. Then they'd be Butler by a dozen in the finals. Horrible game. Horrible game, horrible game. What is your like? I can't even think of a memory from that game.

It would Butler. Butler shot in that game. It was alright, Blake, college basketball team of the decade will be I know what's coming, right, so you already call it two fourteen. Yukon was one in the preseason and actually higher. Uh they were in entering the tournament to win at all. And that was the Chapez Napier version, as I like to call it, a Yukon now whenever before March Madness every year. And I don't know if you've been with me, Jeff when I do this, but I do a I

do a college basketball March Madness formula. People who listen to a numbers game and have listened to the podcast that beating the book before and know that I do this, and you basically what it is. I go through. Here are the six criteria that every eventual national champion in college basketball has to their name. And it's like, you know, oh, they ranked twenty and offensive adjusted efficiency in kem baumb offense top twenty defensive efficiency. There's all these different stats

they put into it, and it has called up. Every champion has had all these characteristics except one. Every exception. Is this team that Blake's talking about, the Shabazz Napier version of of you not to contrast them with the Kemba Walker Yukon champion. The Shabazz Napier Yukon champs. Remember they were at an were they an eight seeds? They were they were seven, they were seven. They beat eight seed Kentucky in the finals, which was the Julius Randall

Kentucky team. But like they were the exception of everything, right, So it was the Kevin Ali coached Yukon team. It wasn't even um it was it was a different version of Yukon they you know, they didn't have Sweet sixteen experience. That was one of the criterion for all champions. They weren't. Um, you know, they weren't. They didn't have at least three wins versus teams in the top ten percent of strength of schedule excuse me of r p I that was

another exception of that team. Um, they weren't into as I said, top twenty adjusted offensive or top twenty adjusted defensive efficiency. So that team was clearly the outlier of all outliers. And that team should have lost in the round of sixty four to St. Joseph's Amida Brima had

a three point play in the last minute. The regulation of that game made the free throws a fifty two percent free throws shooter, you can won the game and overtime, and then I think it was Villanova, Iowa State, Michigan State, UM, I don't remember who they beat out Florida, number one overall seed Florida, who they destroyed after falling down double digits in the first half. And then that game against Kentucky. Yeah, nine seed versus eight seed in the finals versus still

still pretty good. It's still amazing. I mean, it doesn't have still pretty good. But that game against St. Joseph one in overtime, they were they were done, they were down. They were done five in the last minute of regulation and a NC State and eighty three the Jim Valvano team that won. In all, they two had a near miss. I mean, there's a lot of near misses along the way. Blank, you were about to say something, I'm sorry, Oh yeah, Yukon was only saying the two of the they're turning

the games. I mean they just and then ended up winning each game by five or more points. So it was, um, you know, just kind of geez, unlikely path to the championship. Yukon Huskies, your sports betting college basketball team him of

the decade. By the way, that is, that doesn't mean they're the team of destiny like Virginia was last year, because I'll still contend that the way uv A won those games last year in the tournament still made them the team of the decade, especially after not not Team the decade, but the team of destiny, especially after how they lost the UNBC UH sixteen ced U NBC the previous year team of destiny, but not sports betting team of the decade. That would Yukon. Let's do college football

to wrap it up today. We'll save all the four professional major sports for tomorrow. Blake, what do you got honorable mentioned in college football? Right, Sonna, we'll have ourselves. But this year's LSU team closed at five to one to win the national championship. But obviously a little too early to put them on the list, but they but they'd be in the conversation and people have them at higher than twenty five to one. I'm sure in many spots maybe I think they Yeah, they opened at one,

but they closed it honorable right. Two thousand thirteen, Florida State. They were sixteen, the one to win it all before the start of the season, and they were ranked number eleven in the preseason poll. And that's the Jamis Winston Florida State Seminals of twenty who beat Auburn by a field goal in the championship, the BCS Championship, right, Jeff, you remember that? Yeah? That was Winston to Kelvin Benjamin the winning game at the end of the Rose Bowl. Yeah, yeah,

it was. It was a crazy five minutes. They were four lead changes in the final five minutes of the game. Yeah, what's It's really that game was unbelievable at the end, UM. Seminals win at thirty four to thirty one over Auburn. Uh. Florida State got a field goal on their for it was I want to get the last sequence of that game, UM, because in the fourth quarter, Florida States scored a touchdown early to make it a one point game. After Auburn

made a field goal. UH. Kermit Whitfield returned the following kickoff a hundred yards you remember that to give the Seminals the three point lead. Auburn answers with a touchdown to go up by four with just over a minute remaining, and then on their final drive seven plays Florida State, as we mentioned, with thirteen seconds remaining, forty nine yards completion to Shod Green from Jamis and then Jamis to Kelvin Benjamin for the game winner. Seminoles, what was their

peak again in the odds that year? Uh? Sixteen one? Uh that was the preseason and they kind of felt throughout the season they didn't go up any higher than that. Okay, two yard touchdown best Kelvin Benjamin, excuse me? With thirteen seconds left? All right? There? One honorable mention. What's the other honorable mention? You got? Two thousand ten Auburn, they were fifty one in the preseason. That was the Cam Newton. Uh. He was the junior transfer and they were They had

a preseason rank of number twenty two. And what I recall most from that is we just didn't blake. We just didn't get how good Cam Newton would be, right Like, we just didn't know. We heard about Cam Newton, but we had no clue that he would be that dominant.

And that championship game against again which they won by a field goal in contrast to Florida State, because Florida State before that championship game, they murdered everybody that year, Right, they crushed everybody, whereas Auburn had like and yeah, four field goals over like four games of a field goal or less that they won, right yeah, including the national championship, five of their games were won by three points or less. Alright,

Florida State ten Auburn. Who is the college football betting team of the decade? Sir, So, I'm giving this one to two thousand fourteen Ohio State. Uh. They initially opened up at ten to one, but uh, senior QB Braxton Miller,

who was Heisman UH contender. He injured his shoulder in training camp, so they had to go with retirt freshman J T. Barrett, And they moved all the way at the one before the start of the season, um, before the start of the the playoffs or no, during the before the start of the season, they were forty two one at their peak. What were they before mid Yeah? Okay, so wait, but you said Auburn was one, So why

do you give it to Ohio State? Right? So I'm given to house stages because even throughout the year they were they were never below ten to one, and even entering the the College Football Playoffs they were fifteen to one. They were an underdog even entering the conference championship to Wisconsin UH, and they ended up wing that fifty nine

to zero. I think you're right, and I'm just give it to them just because they were they were never really UH considered the favorite, where Auburn, you know, kind of moved up the ranks. I love you, no, you could vote had Ohio State and Ohio State also lost in Week two to Virginia Tech, and they moved. They were still forty two one at that point. They lost by two touchdowns of Tech. And then, of course the

person are not mentioning here is Cardale Jones. Cardale Jones, who had the three games spectacular that remember, led people to say after that, hey, man, like he could be a top three pick in the Driver. Remember how people were like, oh my god, he could be drafted. Right at the top of the day, he elected to stay. I believe I ended up where the Bills camp. In the Chargers camp for a while. But they beat Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship fifty nine to nothing, and

then they were dogs against Bama. Beat Bama by a touchdown in a game that wasn't really as closed. I mean, they were up by more than that. Zeke just ran all over Alabama in that game. And then they beat Oregon in the finals. That was more comfortable forty two to twenty um. Right, but even then there were still five and a half point underdog in that game, right, still a dog all the way through the end. I think you're right. That is the college football sports betting

team of the decade. That's great stuff, Blake. I appreciate it. How about we take a break here, We'll come back tomorrow. We'll do the four major professional sports, will do hockey, will do baseball, will do the NBA and the end FL tomorrow. We're good. We lost. We lost, Blake there, I think we lost in a second. We heard his one. Oh right there he is Blake Mahoney from Sports Odds History at s O History. Talk to you tomorrow, Blake. Okay,

all right, sounds good. All right man, thanks so much. Interesting. We'll come back. We'll uh put a little more stuff in perspective beyond that with the sports betting teams of the decade, and we'll talk about today's college football games. I guess we're contractually obligated to talk about this. Drek Jeff coming up today right here on a Numbers Game and Visa these Sports Betting Network. Welcome back to a Numbers Game with Jill Alexander, still point of College Bowl

action left by the way. This week, the Visa College Bowl Guide now available for just five dollars five United States dollars. Jeff gets stats, trensit analysis for the remaining games, along with best bets from ten Visa experts, including Pauli Howard, Michael Lombardi, Mitch Moss, Dave Toolie, Matt Humans huh not listed here producing number five. Jeff Parlay, what's your record? Jeff? Five and two? Five and two Hilltoppers. Get it done this afternoon. We'll clench it over five. Yeah, you got

the Hilltoppers. I'm in few Tech. I'm at College Football News dot com because apparently they didn't ask me here. Um so I'm in uh that with a bunch of experts throughout the nation who write college football blogs. I'm thirteen and seven a t s. They assigned the games to us, don't forget. Also in the Visa College Bowl Guide Brent Musburger, Steve McKinnon, they offer an opinion on every side in total. Find out why it's Visa's most popular betting guide. Details at Visa dot Com slash subscribe.

That's Visa dot com S last subscribe, just five dollars. Now. With four bowl games today, we'll get to those momentarily. I just wanted to comment before we get off the sports betting teams of the decade there, and nice job from Blake Mahoney going through all those all those sports, but there's other things to talk about. Clearly that happened sports betting wise this decade and maybe the single most important day of all of them. Jeff was May foen Um.

I was sitting here with reduce the number three. Jorge Mondaca may be rest in peace, by the way, Um. Jorge and I were here, and we had this thing every morning because we get on the air at seven am Pacific ten am Eastern, and because we happened to be on air at that time. That's when the Supreme Court decides to announce decisions on cases that have gotten all the way up to the highest court of this land.

And so there are certain days that they have signed on the calendar, and we knew that the sports betting case was on the docket, or really the case about paspa Um, and so there were several dates during January and February and March and April, and we basically had to prepare for two shows that morning, the show we were going to do on a normal day and then the show that we would have to do if, in fact, the Supreme Court decided, hey, we're ready to announce our

decision on this. And Mayen was that day where the Supreme Court ruled in a six to three decision which did not really fall on hardest in lines by the way that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act PASMA was unconstitutional. PASPA had been passed in had served as a blanket prohibition on state sponsored sports betting, say for a few states, obviously in Novada being one of them. Uh, that we're grandfathered in under the previous previous allowances of that.

But that was made and that has changed the way that we do our shows, the way that we talk about things because obviously now twenty plus states have some form of sports betting going on. There will only be more added. California, for instance, a big one to drop at some point in the future, but a jurisdiction by jurisdiction sports betting all over the land. And so when we're here, we're talking about things in New Jersey, we're

talking about things and Mississippi all over the country. Um So that was that was obviously maybe the single biggest day when it comes to sports betting this decade. I think Leicester City, which we talked about with the Premier League, I think that would have all the teams in any sport, that's probably the biggest sports betting story of any team.

Leicester City Premier League globally speaking, and there's some other I mean then then the obvious other one here I think in this country, and really the thing we got the most mileage out of at any stretch of time here on Visa was obviously Floyd Mayweather and Connor McGregor.

Floyd Mayweather and Connor McGregor. The odds opened for that fight. Uh, Floyd Mayweather was I think it was a minus twenty hundred favorite um at the super book, I want to say was minus twenty hundred here at the south Point, and Connor McGregor was plus eleven hundred coming back. In both cases, that was at the beginning, and it kept crashing and crashing and crashing. And this is over weeks and months even, and the closer the fight got, we

couldn't believe that it kept going down. And I remember having Jimmy McCarroll on the show and saying to him, He's like, what what are you waiting for? Kid? What are you getting in? I said, I'm waiting for Mayweather to get to minus five hundred. If he gets to minus five hundred, I'm in. I remember get dipped to minus five fifty there for a second and jump back up to minus six and I was like, Ah, maybe

I got too greedy. Nope, didn't get too greedy. Got to minus five hundred, even gotten to the minus four hundreds here around town and off shore, even south of minus four hundred. Pinnacle I believe closed at minus three seventy five on Floyd Mayweather. And it remains to this day. I said Saturday, being very honest, Saturday was the biggest single betting day of my life. This past Saturday. I'm for clemps even talking about it, But as far as one single event was the most money I've ever been

on one single event. It will always probably remain Floyd Wave, Floyd Mayweather and Connor McGregor, and I remember it was one of those things where you were a lot of people in town will go to a bank and withdraw money and the teller would say to you would be like, You're like and you would say that You'd be like, yeah, I'll have this money back on Monday. Why are you taking out this I'll have it back on Monday, don't worry.

And then when the night of the fight actually got here and people who were uh me, I was at I was at Teddy Cover's house. Teddy Cover has had a viewing party that night. Shout out to Teddy and his son, the great basketball playing Isaiah. But we're at Teddy Cover's house. And when you have that much going on an event and it speaks for so many of us, then when it starts, you start you're like, Okay, this is boxing. What have I done? What have I gotten

myself into? And Connor McGregor for the first three rounds kind of wins all three of those rounds and even though you know Floyd could probably figure this out, you got it. There's a little bit of you was like, what's happening here? And then once Floyd figured you know, once Floyd decided to do his thing, it was over and in a dominant fashion. But that I mean, if you talk about Lester City Team of the decade passed,

but that day being the single biggest impactful day. But there will never be anything like Maywether McGregor again, because it was this unbelievable m m A money, the mm A people banking on Connor and all this Irish money

in town. It was an amazing weekend. Jeff, you were leaning and you want to say something, No, I've had nothing to add other than other than that was that that in the Nationals this year probably where the two biggest successes in a way, a line came to a position that I liked as well well, the Nationals here on the Numbers game, we said it, I said repeatedly, and I've never said this about anything else, it was your obligation to bet the Washington Nationals if you are

doing this correctly. Again, there's no guarantees. Could I tell you without with a certainty that the Nationals are gonna win? Of course not, it's a sporting event. But if you're doing this betting thing correctly, it was your obligation to bet the Nationals time and time again for all the at all the moments that we outlined here on the show. Um, I'm just trying to think of other things that we

hadn't brought up this decade. Obviously, the Vegas gold Nights, which is closed locally here, right, We'll get to hockey tomorrow, We'll get the baseball tomorrow. I'm not sure if these will be the teams mentioned, but the Vegas Goal Nights didn't get the prize, so they won't be mentioned tomorrow with Blake. But the Golden Knights were famously five hundred to one before their inaugural season to win the Stanley Cup.

And you know, they were really good early and we were kind of like, wow, this is you know, what a great way to start. First of all, it started under a horrible circumstances. It was posted to the Las Vegas shootings, and the Knights as an organization couldn't have handled that better. Uh, with the community of Las Vegas, and they were they were beloved instantly in this town. They got off to a great start in hockey. Um, and then they just can't and we were sort of like, wow,

this is great, but you know, this can't last. And they just kept winning and winning and winning. They got to the playoffs. We're like, oh, it's not that hard to get to the playoffs in hockey, so you know, we'll see how far this goes. And they just kept winning and winning and they got and they got to the Stanley Cup finals. And I remember saying to people here, I'm like, guys, I've been a lifelong Capital sass. I get to the finals against the Caps, I'm sorry, I

can't root for me. They get to the finals against the Caps, they win Game one against the Caps five one for people holding tickets, so people there are three games away from the Stanley Cup and then the Capitals just destroyed them. I think twenty goals if I'm not mistaken, in the next four games against Marc Andre Fleury. Turns out the Caps were the team of destiny who had waited forty four years for their Stanley Cup. But that

could have happened in hockey. That was obviously big. We alluded to u NBC beating Virginia one, UM, but that was UNBC. I mean, Owen sixteen were own one thirty five against number one's before UNBC. The Retrievers for those scoring at home knocked off Virginia, UM, but that was you know, that was like twenty to one before that game. So for one game that was unbelievable. But we're talking one keep you in mind again Leicester City five thousand

to one. It was twenty one for one game. Still amazing. And I remember there was somebody who who had an eight hundred dollar money line bet on UMBC for that game at CG twenty one odds paid out sixt I was in eight hundred dollars. William Hill took a hundred thirty four bets on UNBC before that game, according to ESPN at to one, so a little a little higher than that largest six were for a hundred bucks though,

hundred bucks, but for one game that was huge. One thing about that tournament, to remember, everyone was talking about that was going to be the year that the six team beat the one because Penn was really good out of the IVY and Kansas really just methodically handled them through the game. And the Virginia game was the last game of the first round, basically on that Friday night, and I was I was covering Missouri and Florida State and Nashville and we're watching the game on the television

and tied at halftime. Alright, alright, Virginia put the clamps on, and then it was pretty obvious in the second half of what was going to happen in the u NBC game. It really was. It never really they never really threatened to come back. It was just I remember I was about to go out somewhere just watching it in amazement. But that you can't stress enough that U v a story how they lost the previous year, and then the nature of their victories last year on the way to

their title. Rather Texas Tech was seventy to one when I got them. Near miss took the final game to overtime last year. Near miss In terms of sports betting teams of the decade. Um, who was that kid for U NBC? That was just awesome? Do you remember? His name was Smile? So I forget his first Nay A commuter school between d C and Baltimore actually closer to Baltimore, University of Marylyn, Baltimore County. Um. What else? I guess Tiger winning the Masters has to be mentioned, but it's

like his odds sucked the whole time. If we're going sports moments of the deck, but they may remember everybody wanted to talk about this dude who made that that five thousand dollar bet to win one point one nine million dollars um. I can't remember which shop that was, Will Hill too, but everyone was like lauding him. I was like, that's the worst bet ever. Good for him that he wanted, but good lord, But yeah, not a sports betting moment um. And then, uh, what am I forgetting?

First day ever at Visent Patriots Falcon super Bowl, Patriots trailed twenty eight to three. At twenty eight to nine, I don't know what it was at three, but at twenty eight to nine, it was sixteen to one on the Patriots and people were banging it, pounding it at six one. Not a good day for the books. Patriots ended up covering a pre flop the pre flop line

and overtime. Just what a day that was? Uh? And then I guess, uh a day that I don't like to talk about Cavaliers coming back from a three to one deficit against the Warriors in sixteen where he's had two home games, they're seventy three win season. Uh, Cavaliers were plus eleven fifty to come back from the three to one deficit. Plus eleven fifty went down three to one.

So some other moments that need to be met mentioned from the decade individual game to my dad just mentioned to me, remember last year the first round of the playoffs in the NBA when Golden State was up by thirty in the first half against the Clippers. Oh, my god, And that was I believe, I believe it was fifteen hundred or a hundred and fifty to one out of I gotta double check, we gotta check on that. That was.

That was another one too. That was the thirty point game with a team that was pre flop, I think a thirteen and a half point dog as it was that that's unbelievable that happened, just and it was a game that that ultimately just sort of washes away. But yes, that happened, so we gotta check on what the number is. But anyway, well, tomorrow we'll get Blake back will do his team of the decade in hockey. Uh maybe it's the ones we mentioned. Well, Goldennights didn't win it, so

it couldn't be the one we mentioned. I think I know what the hockey one is Baseball, which will be interesting. NFL and NBA will do that tomorrow with Blake as we continue with the sports betting teams the decade right here exclusively on a numbers game in visa these sports betting now it's Gill Alexander of Parley produced Number five is here as well. Uh So, a lot of audio problems this morning on the show being reported back, and

we are aware of those. But what I want to do as a result of those audio problems and hopefully we can find the audio and put it in podcast form. I can't make any promises, but hopefully we can get that at the beating of the book podcast for our

sports UH betting teams of the decade. So a lot of people ended up missing what was a lot of work going into the sports and the research for the teams that got to the championship or won the championship rather with the longest odds, either before the season started or during the season. So for those folks who missed some of those, Jeff, let me just recap what we did today. Yesterday, I think everybody got horses, golf, tennis.

Maybe we should talk about some of those. I don't know, We'll trying to put those in podcasts, some of those tennis ones. Honestly, I think most people don't even remember, like the late the female tennis players, the women's tennis players who were on that list were probably like not recognizable to some people. Flavia Panetta. No, anybody that doesn't doesn't bring that, doesn't bring a bell for anybody. Um.

So that was that was certainly interesting. Um. But as far as what was done today and what actually for folks who missed that, by the way, the tennis players, I just want to get these uh straight yesterday, because yesterday it was horses, it was golf, it was tennis, it was Premier League, was college hoops, and it was college football. The women's tennis players that made the list Marian bar totally hundred to one to win Wimbledon Slam, third Slam of of that year. Of course, Flavia Panetta

one on to win the U s Open. So those are the most obscure names on on all any sport. But as far us today, if you missed it, we started with hockey. The honorable mentions with the Penguins who were I get eighteen, fifteen and four at one point during that year, slow start, that's what they were. On New Year's Day, they were plus six fifty entering the playoffs um, but the preseason they were thirteen to one,

so they were an honorable mention. We have these on the screen to Visa dot Com, the Visa appwelve Kings, who were sixteen and one during the preseason, but had the highest pre playoff odds of any Stanley Cup champ this decade at twenty two to one. And again that was a team that was in tenth place in the Western Conference with one month remaining in the year. And then finally, Jonathan Quick's goaltending and great defense on that team was complimented by all of a sudden the offensive

surge they've been looking for all year. But the NHL team of the decade, no surprise there was this past year's St. Louis Blues closing the preseason at thirty to one, mid season odds as high as two hift one on January tenth, and of course we had Scott Barry on the show. We talked about all these guys who had these outrageous Blues tickets from right around there the name

Deer their low point of that season. So a surprise on the hockey pick, How did you feel about the baseball pick, Jeff, because the honorable mentions were all three Giants teamteen. We went through all the reasons for those Royals, this past year's Washington Nationals in But the baseball sports betting team of the decade the twenty eleven St. Louis Cardinals, And we talked about Game six. By the way, the Cardinals, as we point out here a Visa dot Com, the

Visa app. On August twenty, they were ten and a half games behind Atlanta for the wild card. September one, they were two d one to win the World Series. Such a That's a great call by Blake Mahoney at Sports Odds History dot com. Great call. You were at that game six, Parlay, I was wow, and I contend and maybe we're on like all the great sporting events of this decade. Would you agree that that is one of the ones that people seem to never mention? Well,

it was for that was the World Series. Are kind of two to just get lost in the shuffle. I don't know why that ended up being a case, because was an unbelievable seven game series that featured a pool holes three homer game that featured that great Game six. That game six, we were talking about it during one of the breaks before. It was so sloppy. Early in the game, Freeze dropped the pop up that scored a run for Texas. There was there were there were multiple

terrible defensive plays throughout early in that game. And and I'll and I'll stick with this. And my dad was at the game two, and he and I will always be uh always be a hand and hand in this one.

The biggest mistake of that game was Ron was made by Ron Washington and it cost him a championship, leaving Nelson cruise in the game in right field instead of putting Andy Chavez in for defense in the ninth inning of Game six, it cost the Texas Rangers a World Series because Andy Chavez makes that play on the freeze triple probably out of a hundred times. Cruz was never a good outfielder. He got to the ball, an alligator are armed it and and it cost him a World

Series in the end. And also that game, that Game six, the Hamilton's hit the homer in the top of the tenth inning and the Cardinals had to come back and get two in the bottom of the tenth. Also the unbelievable the Cardinals, and we went through what happened there in the ninth, tenth, and eleven. But the Cardinals set two records in that game six win, first team to come back twice from deficits in both the ninth and tenth innings, and the first team to score in the eighth, ninth, tenth,

and eleven. And that of course was the ship. Remember the shot over Nelson Cruze. You think Nelson Cruz missplayed that ball in right field? He got there, he alligator armed it, alligator armed it. Amazing. That was the two out, two strike ninth inning triple from David Freeze, who of course then ended up winning it two innings later in the eleven. It's just an amazing one. Then we talked about the NBA Honorable Mentions in the NBA and I

think this was a good list too. I think he's right about this honorable mention in the NBA Golden State Warriors. That was the first of the Warriors championships. This day, Gade, Andrea Goodalla your Finals MVP. Steph Curry your m v P. For the season. They were seven sixty seven and fifteen that year, had lost the Clippers in round won the previous season. I can't tell you enough again how the Bay Area lost their minds when they had traded Monte

Ellis before that for Andrew Boga. Bogat was a part of that championship team. So they were one of the honorable mentions to one that preseason. I remember Dr Bob was all over them that year as well. One Toronto Raptors this past year, plus eighteen fifty in the preseason and again that as much as we remember the win over the Warriors in the finals of Warriors just a

mash unit at that point. It was really that game seven win over Philly and that ball that h Kauai shot that seemed to shift in mid air and bounce off the rim four times with the game seven win. Uh. And then but the NBA team of the decade, And I think he's right about this, Dallas Mavericks, Like we forget First of all, we forget that that was even this decade, right, but we forget as we as we close it out, we forget that Dallas, we need to one.

In the preseason, they were fifty seven and twenty five. Despite that they were a third seed in the West. They flew under the radar throughout the season twelve eighteen and one most of the seasons, as Blake points out, but eighteen and one entering the playoffs and that finals against the Miami Heat. It was the first year of Lebron and people really there's a lot of Lebron hate back then after the decision and the way that that

was handled. Um. But the MAVs, as I mentioned, they were down, they were down fourteen with seven minutes plus left in that game. Uh, they roared back. That was a team with Dirk obviously, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, J J.

Barrera that was just an unbelievable team. You'd agree with that selection, Jeff, I would absolutely It has to be because that mav team, of all the good mav teams through the first decade of this millennium, that this was the one that won the title was kind of backwards because, of course the sixties seven win team that was probably the best, one of the best regular season teams I've a seen that got stunned by the We Believe Warriors. That was the one where we all thought, oh, Dallas

missed the window. And then they come back. They were three, they were three, they were They beat Oklahoma City I believe in the Western Conference Finals that year before. Okay, so it was really okay. See and you mentioned it before. That was a double digit game with six minutes to go in Game two against Miami, with Miami about to go to up to nothing, and the series would have been over if they don't blow Game two and the comeback and then I remember, well, I remember about Game six.

It was apparent it was over when Yon Mehemi made three straight shots to begin in the fourth quarter. And as soon as that happens, we're like, well, it's time to pack it up for Miami. By the way, Heat Up fifteen. I aired Heat Up fifteen with seven fourteen left in that game in store back. Game two ended up winning the series in six games. Uh. They were down two games to one and then won three straight to a Dallas one at Miami by ten to close it.

Joe Jason jet Terry don't want to forget about him. He was to that. By the way, For those who are listening on Serious X, mean you're like, didn't you guys talk about this earlier? Um, we are rehashing it because there's a whole network of our audience that didn't hear it, and we wanted to actually clarify some of these because we we had to rush through it the first time around, but a lot of our audience didn't get to here, and we want to put this in

podcast for him as well. Finally, the NFL, let's just talk about that real quick here. Jeff uhlve Ravens honorable mention. That was the Ravens team that were crushing Colin Kaepernick and the the Niners in that Super Bowl and they were doing so to the tune of six, and then that delay came right Conspiracy theorists love that game. It was like, everybody, turn off the lights. We don't like the betting outcome, this conspiracy theorist talking. I had Baltimore

that day. UM. I loved Colin Kaepernick's team in the NFC playoffs, but loved Baltimore that day. They got it done. That's an honorable mentioned team. Ray Lewis, by the way, at that point, remember in twelve he was in a original raven and he had played on the first Ravens Super Bowl team and he was retiring at the end of that game, and that's how he went out. Great for him. Uh. The other honorable mentioned the twenty seventeen Eagles, which are very recent in our minds. They were forty

two one at their height UH in the preseason. Obviously beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl behind Nick Foles. Remember Carson Wentz tore his a c L in Week fourteen against the Rams. Had a thirteen and three record, They had the number one seed. Um, but they were fifteen and one fifteen to one to win it all entering the playoffs fifteen to one. The Eagles got it done. But the NFL team of the decade, the twenty eleven New York Giants, so not the team that beat the Patriots,

team that was trying to be undefeated. That was way back in twent two thousand seven. The Patriots were eighteen to know when the Giants beat them. But in twenty eleven, the Giants were twenty two and one twenty two to one in the preseason, got as high as sixty six to one when they were six and five mid season one, and they dropped a fifty and one when they were

six and six and heading in a week thirteen. I know that's counterintuitive, but it was sixties six to one at their peak, and after they lost, they were actually fifty to one. They beat the Cowboys week seventeen and win. The NFC's entered the playoffs at twenty two to one as a four seed beat the Packers. That wasn't the Tom Coughlin red face game. That was back in two thousand and seven, I believe too. But they beat the Packers at Lambeau Division Round by seventeen as eight point dogs.

Then they beat the Niners in San Francisco has two point dogs, and then again they were down seventeen to fifteen with less than four minutes left. They're pinned back that passed from Eli Manning to Mario Manningham. You should go back and look at it. That was just it was everything on a first and ten, but it just lodged in between the quarter and the safety. An amazing pass and that's what led the final game winning drive. Seventeen. Giants winned that by betting numbers the NFL Sports Betting

Team of the decade. You like that show, Jeff, Absolutely the the I will say the the only bad team to win a championship this decade was then New York Giants. That was the only bad team to win, like the two thousand six Cardinals, which might be the worst team in the history. Professionals to win a champion always called them that. Two thousand six Cardinals to me were horrible.

And of course, if it happens in baseball, Yeah, it can happen in baseball because you get hot at the right time, and it's hard to do it in football because just usually the gap between the elite teams and are not so good teams in the postseason, it's just so big. But look that the Giants had green Bay's number those two postseason runs. That was the fifteen and one green Bay team. They beat in two and that game was not close. That was a destruction that the

Giants put on Green Bay at Landboat that day. And they they're the only team to really have Belichick and Brady's number through this old run, which it's amazing that it was Tom Coffin who was a really good football coach and Eli Manning, who might be the biggest lightning rod of a Hall of same discussion. There isn't well it's the NFC east right. Philadelphia did as well. Um, but Leicester City the global sports team of the decade

five thousand and one. Leicester City team that UH just really flirted with relegation the previous year and UH caught fire five thousand and one, causing William Hill u K did never to say we'll never put up anything above one thousand and one or longer odds than one thousand and one. After that experience, cash out options all available. They won the Premier League with eighty one points that year. Leicester City the sports betting global team of the decade.

We'll come back, We'll wrap it up. We don't offer repeat segments here, but UH, for the audience that didn't get to hear that one, we wanted to wrap it up and put it in podcast for if anybody who did