Gold Sheet, Lawrence, Feist Magazines
All Packed With Good Pre-Season Facts, Data
By Howard Schwartz

Some of the "heavyweight" sports magazines have now arrived at Gambler's Book Shop, each offering the handicapper preparing for the 2002 football season.

Here's a short run down on each of the magazines:

MORT OLSHAN'S THE GOLD SHEET, now in its 46th season offers, in its 2002 College Football Preview (48 pages, stapled, magazine format, $6.99) a look ahead to most major conference races, including a look at what each team did straight up and against the spread in '01. You can find the results, line, spread and Totals for all games played in 2001; see how many returning starters each team has on offense or defense; have an easy to use college football schedule for all teams from Air Force to Wyoming; see which teams recruited best for 2002 including gaining junior college transfers.

The pros section begins on page 35, where results spreads and Totals for every game plus post-season games are listed; pre-season betting angles are explained; a pre-season pointspread breakdown from 1997 to 2001 will show how each team did, game by game against the spread on the road or at home or when favored by more than three points and who the coach is today and how their teams did; previews on each NFL team with indicators on which teams might put forth a strong exhibition season effort and why.

For those who want the scores and Totals for each NFL exhibition game from the last three years, Olshan and staff provide it, season by season (even listing locations of games when away from the home field, like Mexico City or Sydney, Australia). Some handicappers seem to have a need for staff and roster changes since last season and The Gold Sheet provides it-including those players suspended for drug use. This would helpful when considering a player for a fantasy league team.

A final section has a variety of categories for each college and pro team, including averages for yards per pass and yards per point scored and average Gold Sheet power ratings.

MARC LAWRENCE'S PLAYBOOK FOOTBALL HANDICAPPER'S YEARBOOK (246 pages, $7.95) is a magazine for both college and pro bettors. It contains pre-season schedules with room to keep records; pre-season betting angles, then moves to showing you how team do by the month in the pros; moving to Over-Under performance summaries for one year, three years and five years. Lawrence has a chart showing how teams performed immediately following an open date since 1990; how teams have done off a win or a loss since 1980; Monday night angles; then has two pages devoted to each NFL team, including a schedule and room to keep records.

Along with about two dozen betting angles for each pro team, Lawrence lists 10 years or spreads and Totals for each pro team, season by season.

The college section begins on page 100 with the format similar to the pro section, with schedules, betting angles and a 10-year pointspread history, year by year since 1992. In this college section, Lawrence lists coaches' records and how they do off a loss or in a revenge situation as a favorite or dog; how teams did in their last home or road game; and how teams did when they scored or allowed 14 or 28 points.

Jim Feist has two magazines-the COLLEGE FOOTBALL (256 pages, $6.95) and the PRO FOOTBALL edition ($6.95, 224 pages).

The college issue focuses on 117 teams and contains 10 years of spread histories; schedule for each team; a listing for returning starters; offers predictions for each major conference; lists top team and individual stats in a variety of categories.

The pro version also contains 10 years of spread histories plus Totals histories, year by year; schedules; articles on how for example, the fourth quarter in one game can fire up a team for the following week; betting NFL Totals; and a key feature, game by game box scores from Week 1 to the Super Bowl, with quarter scores, scoring summaries by the quarter and team statistics for each side. Here, for those who believe it was an important statistic, you can see when field goals were kicked (time of field goal) and who scored, for either team in the order it happened.

Any item 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, Mon.-Sat. and use MasterCard, VISA or Discover card (no American Express accepted). Minimum order is $10. You may order via the store's web site at www.gamblersbook.com anytime. The store has an 80-page catalog which may be viewed online or ask for a copy by calling or writing. The free catalog will be mailed the next working day, as will any order. The store is now in its 38th year, located two miles from Downtown Las Vegas and about the same distance from where The Strip begins, a block west of Maryland Parkway and just off Charleston Boulevard at South 11th St.