Issue 21
January 31 - February 6, 2001
Volume 1
page 3
 

Blue Ribbon Hoops Update Arrives;
Two 2001 Baseball Stat Books Too

By Howard Schwartz

The Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook Early Season Update (80 pages, paperbound, $l2.95) has arrived at Gambler's Book Shop-in time to refresh your knowledge level on what teams have been big surprises or disappointments and what games will be on TV now that conference play has begun in earnest.

The book, compiled by some of the most dedicated researchers in the nation in regard to college teams, doesn't list a spread or mention the words sports betting, but it's still helpful as background in relation to what's happened in every major conference since action began in November and where key teams are headed in regard to the NCAA Tournament in March.

If you're a big TV watcher, you'll find the book handy in identifying players by uniform number. In addition, the book looks ahead to the NBA draft later this year and focuses on the 75 top seniors, plus other worthy names that may have been overlooked. For those who really like to project which players will strengthen their teams in coming years, there's a section on top high school athletes, with a thumbnail sketch of each of the top 44.

For football bettors with nothing to wager on after the Super Bowl but for those who want to bet college basketball, this may be a quick source to being up to date at a reasonable price.

Those who can't wait for baseball have two new books to delve through. The first is Stats Inc.'s Player Profiles 2001 (598 pages, paperbound, $19.95). From Abbott of the White Sox to Zito of Oakland, you'll be able to see how a pitcher or batter did for the entire 2000 season and for the last five years in a variety of categories. For pitchers the compilers have listed players he has dominated throughout his career and those batter which have had remarkable success against him as well.

You'll be able to isolate which pitchers do best with three, four or five or more days rest; how they do against lefties or righties and which tend to perform best before or after the All Star Game break for example. Batters are analyzed in a variety of categories like month by month; on grass or on turf; against flyball or groundball pitchers; day vs. night.

How do all teams do against certain types of pitchers; on grass; day vs. night; before the All Star game or after? That too may be helpful to those planning to do their homework before the season begins in April.

Stats Inc.'s Major League Handbook 2001 (396 pages, paperbound, $19.95) gives you a year-by-year look at hundreds of major leaguers, plus a summary of their lifetime stats.

For pitchers for example, you'll be able to see number of innings pitched each year; saves; complete games; earned runs allowed; homers allowed; ERA average and of course, wins and losses.

How many homers a batter hit; how many times has he struck out or walked; has his batting average gone up or down? The Handbook has it.

For those who believe defense is important, the book has 2000 Fielding Statistics by position for the regulars and the subs.

What pitchers hold runners or best and which do runners steal off easiest? This book lists those numbers.

Ballparks get ample attention as well. The distances to the fences and power alleys are there; stadium surfaces are listed; and there's a look at last season or a three-year summary for each ballpark in regard to homers hit; runs scored by home and away teams.

There is a special index in the book rating ballparks for Total Number of Runs per game-if you're a Totals (Over-Under) bettor, this would be helpful material. There's a nice section on which batters perform best lifetime against lefties or righties, including batting average, on base percentage and slugging percentage.

Anyone interested in Manager Tendencies will find help here. Who tinkers with their lineups a lot? Who changes pitchers at a whim?

This book is an excellent resource for Fantasy League players. Sections of the book deal with batter and pitcher projections for the 2001 season. The respected Bill James, who seems to have input into all Stats Inc.'s books does a solid job of explaining why certain players are on their way up or down career-wise and there are statistical projects and predictions for hundreds of established players which might help you choose or avoid certain players in your own fantasy league in late March.

Any book mentioned in this review is available from Gambler's Book Shop, 630 South 11th St., Las Vegas, NV 89101. Call 1-800-522-1777 from 9 to 5 Pacific Time to order. Order also via the website at www.gamblersbook.com, or view the store's 80-page catalog of books, computer software and videos, listing 1,000 books in 30 different areas of gambling. Visit the store when in Las Vegas, located two miles from Downtown, the same distance from where the Strip begins, a black west of Maryland Parkway just off Charleston Boulevard.


No Limit Tournament Series 2001
Turning Stone Hotel & Casino, Verona, NY
February 3 & 17, 2001
$200 buy in and $20 entry fee
Call 800-771-7711

Bumblin' Bucks” Slot Tournament
Atlantis Resort Casino, Reno, NV
February 3-4, 2001

$15,000 in prize money!
Registration: $149
Call 888-551-7007 for more info

Blackjack Tournament
Tropicana Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, NV
February 23-25, 2001
Call 888-826-TROP for more information


Mardi Gras Slot Tournament
Imperial Palace Hotel Casino, Biloxi, MS
February 9-11, 2001
Registration: $250
Call 800-436-3000 ext 3229 for more information

2001 Slot Odyssey Tournament
Flamingo Hilton, Las Vegas, NV
February 11-14, March 4-7, 2001
$100K in prize money!
Registration: $549
Call 800-225-4882 for more information

"Hearts on Fire" Slot Tournament
Excalibur Hotel Casino, Las Vegas, NV
February 20-21, 2001
Call
800-633-7777for more information

Tell us what you think about our newsletter.
Copyright © 2000-2001 Casino City. All rights reserved
Casino City is a trademark of CasinoPromote.com. Please read our Disclaimer of Warranty