An MLB player dabbled in the betting market and lost…
while an NFL star hopes he just raised a different market.
MLB’s Betting Scandal
What Happened: Another betting scandal popped up in professional sports, this time in Major League Baseball. Commissioner Rob Manfred dealt with it swiftly, banning Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano for life and handing out suspensions to four other players.
We have details of what the players were caught doing, and believe us, these clearly were not Full Card Sweep subscribers.
Why It Matters: Marcano earned himself a permanent ban from baseball because he bet on his own team while he was with the Pirates. Worse than that, he was a man without a plan, just throwing dumb money around at dumb bets!
According to MLB, Marcano placed 387 bets on baseball and was combining those into parlays with non-MLB bets. Parlays, aka a sucker’s bet.
Marcano also hit on only 4.3% of his MLB bets. In a word: pathetic! (We’re winning our baseball bets at a 70% clip this season, FYI.)
Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly earned himself a one-year suspension after betting $99.22 to win $28.30, and Jay Groome was suspended for betting activities while a member of the Red Sox organization that amounted to betting $453.74 to lose $433.54.
After seeing all those horrible betting records, all we can say here at FCS is: help us help you.
How We’re Feeling Today
Curious if Christian McCaffrey’s new contract is going to indeed raise the bar for other NFL running backs.
The 49ers just tacked on two years and an additional $38 million to his existing deal, resetting the running back market. At San Francisco’s minicamp, McCaffrey spoke about the position being undervalued and how important it is to him to make sure his fellow RBs are paid what they are worth.
The only problem is that McCaffrey is no ordinary running back, or even above-average. He’s really a one-of-one at the position; a four-time All-Pro and Offensive Player of the Year award winner who functions as a dual-threat that few (if any) other players can emulate.
This offseason, we did see players such as Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs sign deals with big numbers attached. But these contracts are still built mostly on incentives, lacking in guaranteed money relative to the reported total, and built for a quick escape if the team wishes. McCaffrey’s pursuit is noble, we just aren’t sure it’s going to be successful.
The Look Ahead
Joey Estes STRIKEOUTS – It’s the rookie Estes’ turn to face the Mariners lineup and their league-leading 619 whiffs. Seattle’s penchant to swing and miss will always make the opposing pitcher an option, but Estes’ numbers have been solid as well. In four starts this season, the righty has produced strikeout totals of five, four, six, and five. He’s coming off his best start of the year, which has us thinking he’s hitting his groove. Getting over the line of five strikeouts is definitely on the table today.
