Tebow Time

Three days off and I'm big time psyched up for these NFL games. Having not been able to watch much of the regular season this year, or any of the College action which was the highlight of the week the last few years, I made a point of arranging holidays for the Post-season. I'm in no position to offer any tips on these games, but I've backed New Orleans -3.5 and Denver +13.5. I've also taken advantage of Ron Nasty's late night twitter tip of Tom Brady to score a touchdown at 7/1 with Coral. The fact that it was odds on in a place shows the value of the bet.

Was leaning towards the 49ers all week (the Saints have never won a play-off game on the road), but people in the know seem to think this Saints team is better than the Superbowl winning version, so have switched allegiances.

As for the night game I can't wait. Tim Tebow's destruction of the Pittsburgh Steelers got over 60 million viewers, so God knows what kind of ratings he will get against Brady, Belichick and the Patriots. Can the Broncos win? Damn right they can. The Patriots are not the team they were, in fact they haven't been for a while. They are still a powerful force on offence, but Denver have a decent defence, and an upset is not out of the question, and I strongly fancy them to stay within 13.5 points.

As for the darts, what a shambles this tournament has been. The BDO is nothing but an old boys club run by cretins like Fitzmaurice, Adams and Gulliver. Gulliver in particular comes across as pure evil (she was once booked for an exhibition at my local - didn't turn up, and didn't even phone to say she wasn't coming), and (despite my tenner to the contrary) it was great to see Anastasia soundly beat "The Golden Girl".

What happened next of course was a sickening match report published on the BDO website, suggesting the Russians antics were the only reason she won. Much of that report was copied word for word from the mouth of David Croft on commentary who I honestly thought was better than that, but clearly he's been brainwashed too.

Celebrity Big Brother is far more enjoyable than the BDO darts, and has probably got more credibility these days as well. I'm annoyed I didn't take the fancy prices on Michael Madsen on opening night. Madsen is by far the biggest star in the house, and whilst he won't win, he's already favourite which would have made a decent trade if Betfair was working.

The Masters Snooker starts tomorrow, and the advice from this blog, as well as many other opinions I've seen is to get on Mark Selby at 13/2. This will be the first time I've had a bet on the Masters and backed anybody other than Ronnie O'Sullivan. I've always felt the hostile London crowd was worth a couple of frames start, but Ronnie's game just isn't as solid as it was five years ago, and this tournament is wide open.

Selby is a Masters specialist, reaching the final three years running between 2008-2010, winning two of them, including one against Ronnie 10-9 in a pressure cooker atmosphere. The word I'm getting is that he's playing really well again, and the draw looks kind enough, so I'm hopeful of a big run from "The Jester From Leicester".

Just the one horse bet today and that's an each way investment on David Pipe's Decoy at 7/1 best odds guaranteed in the 2.50 at Kempton.