
Let's chase that cash. Photo by Getty Images.
Another edition of midweek Bookie Busters only this one has a different flavor. Served in the form of small conference tournaments and some pivotal college basketball matchups, the slate sets up for a feast.
Let's eat!
New Plays
Coming soon....
3/7 827
BAYER LEVERKUSEN VS EINTRACHT FRANKFURT
over 3 5U MAX BOMB
908
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS @ PHOENIX SUNS 2nd half over 113.5 3U MAX
850
MILWAUKEE BUCKS @ LOS ANGELES LAKERS Over 228 3U MAX
756 CST
EASTERN KENTUCKY @ BELMONT Belmont 2nd half -5.5 2U
748 CST
Lakers ML 3U MAX
650 CST
UTAH JAZZ @ BOSTON CELTICS First Q under 54 2u
648
Davidson -4 3U MAX
529
Belmont -13 2U
527
Belmont -13 2U
450 cST
GARDNER WEBB @ WINTHROP Over 149 3U MAX
449
BOISE STATE @ SAN DIEGO STATE (#5) SD ST -5 Fh 2U
-9 3U MAX
3/6 324 CST
VMI @ SAMFORD FH over 72.5 3U MAX
551
HOUSTON (#21) @ CONNECTICUTHouston -2 3U
226 CST
BOISE STATE @ UNLV Over 143 3U MAX
Previous Plays
MONTREAL IMPACT VS DEPORTIVO SAPRISSA
FH over 1 risk 3U
Game over 3 2U
631 cst
GEORGIA @ SOUTH CAROLINA
2nd half over 83 2U
550 CST
SAMFORD @ WESTERN CAROLINA
FH over 76 3U
game over 161 2U
Central Florida at Connecticut FH under 63 1U
Chattanooga at VMI Over 144 3U MAX
255 HT UPDATE
LYON VS JUVENTUSOver 2 for game 5U MAX BOMB
150 CST
CHAMPS LEAGUE
REAL MADRID VS MANCHESTER CITY
FH over 1 5U MAX
Game over 2.5 5U MAX BOMB
550 CST
TEXAS TECH @ OKLAHOMA
FH under 64 3U
Game under 138 2U
For any questions or comments reach me @Jerryboknowz Twitter.
Be sure to check out my show MoneyLine with Josh Jordan on ESPN 97.5. We're on every Sunday from 10-noon, and we'll talk a lot of fantasy football and NFL gambling. Also, be sure to follow us @Moneyline975 on Twitter.
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Late fireworks flip the script in thrilling All-Star showdown
Jul 16, 2025, 10:57 am
The Houston Astros entered the 2025 MLB Draft with limited capital but a clear objective: find talent that can help sustain their winning ways without needing a full organizational reboot. With just under $7.2 million in bonus pool money and two forfeited picks, lost when they signed slugger Christian Walker, the Astros needed to be smart, aggressive, and a little bold. They were all three.
A swing on star power
With the 21st overall pick, Houston selected Xavier Neyens, a powerful left-handed high school bat from Mt. Vernon, Washington. At 6-foot-4, Neyens is raw but loaded with tools, a slugger with plus power and the kind of bat speed that turns heads.
He’s the Astros’ first high school position player taken in the first round in a decade.
If Neyens develops as expected, he could be the next cornerstone in the post-Altuve/Bregman era. Via: MLB.com:
It’s possible we’ll look back at this first round and realize that the Astros got the best power hitter in the class. At times, Neyens has looked like an elite hitter who’d easily get to that pop, and at times the swing-and-miss tendencies concerned scouts, which is why he didn’t end up closer to the top of the first round. He was announced as a shortstop, but his size (6-foot-4) and his arm will profile best at third base.
Their next big swing came in the third round with Ethan Frey, an outfielder/DH from LSU who was one of the most imposing college hitters in the country.
He blasted 13 home runs in the SEC and helped lead the Tigers to a championship.
Filling the middle
In the fourth round, the Astros grabbed Nick Monistere, an infielder/outfielder out of Southern Miss who won Sun Belt Player of the Year honors.
If Kendall likes the pick, I like the pick. https://t.co/NQKqEHFxtV
— Jeremy Branham (@JeremyBranham) July 14, 2025
He doesn’t jump off the page with tools, but he rakes, hitting .323 with 21 home runs this past season, and plays with a chip on his shoulder.
They followed that up with Nick Potter, a right-handed reliever from Wichita State. He projects as a fast-moving bullpen piece, already showing a mature approach and a “fastball that was regularly clocked in the upper-90s and touched 100 miles per hour.”
From there, Houston doubled down on pitching depth and versatility. They took Gabel Pentecost, a Division II flamethrower, Jase Mitchell, a high school catcher with upside, and a host of college arms, all in hopes of finding the next Spencer Arrighetti or Hunter Brown.
Strategy in motion
Missing multiple picks, Houston leaned into two things: ceiling and speed to the majors. Neyens brings the first, Frey and Monistere the second. And as they’ve shown in recent years, the Astros can develop arms with late-round pedigree into major league contributors.
The Astros didn’t walk away with flashy headlines, they weren’t drafting in the top 10. But they leave the 2025 draft with a clear direction: keep the farm alive with bats that can produce and arms that can fill in the gaps, especially with the club managing injuries and an aging core.
If Neyens becomes the slugger they hope, and if Frey or Monistere climbs fast, this draft could be another example of Houston turning limited resources into lasting impact.
You can see the full draft tracker here.
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