GAMBLING GUIDE
Jerry Bo's bookie busters 2018 World Cup quarterfinals analysis: Break on through to the other side
Jul 6, 2018, 6:50 am
Eight countries left, all chasing the 18 for 18; I refer to pounds in karats of gold. Well, not all of it is solid, but 75% happens to be.
The current trophy has been around since 1974, replacing the Jules Rimet Trophy, which was kept by Brazil in 1970, after winning the tournament for their 3rd time (1958, 1962, 1970).
Valued at approximately $161,000, will one of the underdogs manage to steal a few games and take home the coveted prize? We use the term "steal," as thats what ultimately happened to the original Jules Rimet Trophy, when it was stolen on December 19th, 1983, in Rio De Janiero. The trophy has yet to be recovered until this day, but it is said to have been melted down and sold.
Enough about the prize, first these teams must handle business, and four teams will break through into the semifinals; the question, which flags will they carry?
Break on through.....
If trends are your type of thing, 17 of the past 20 semi-finalists in this tournament have been group winners. The last team to be runner-up and be crowned Champion was Italy in 1986. Again, these are just numbers.
Women lie, Men lie, but the numbers don't. We have six group winners and two runner-ups; keep these things in mind.
Brazil +300
France +400
England +400
Belgium +500
Croatia +600
Uruguay +1600
Russia +2000
Sweden +2500
When picking some of these futures, make sure you get a better price playing it now rather than doing a moneyline roll over. The possible semifinal match-ups have been released, and at many spots, you can find the projected lines, so use them to your advantage. Dig into the numbers to make sure you're getting the most value per wager.
Friday 7/6
France vs. Uruguay
France +106
Uruguay +367
Draw +214
Over
Under 2 -119
Advance
France -215
Uruguay +185
Belgium vs Brazil
Belgium +275 +.5 -127
Brazil +116
Draw +246
Over 2.5 +102
Under
Advance
Belgium +150
Brazil -165
Saturday 7/7
England vs Sweden
England -103
Sweden +375 +.5 -108
Draw +233
Over
Under 2 -115
Advance
England -230
Sweden +200
Croatia vs Russia
Croatia +124
Russia +302 +.5 -136
Draw +209
Over
Under 2 -117
Advance
Croatia -165
Russia +150
Friday plays
Uruguay/ France Under 2 1U
First-half draw 1U
France Advance 1U
Brazil/Belgium Both teams to score -130 MAX
Over 2 -178 MAX
Over 2.5 +102 MAX
Total corners over 9½ 3U
Philippe Coutinho scores a goal +330 1U
Penalty kick awarded YES +170 1U
Peoples Parlay 1U (4 spots leave 2 open)
France Advance
Brazil/Belgium BTTS
For any questions or comments reach me @JerryBoKnowz on Twitter.
Cal Raleigh approached the All-Star Home Run Derby like a day on the lawn. Dad was on the mound and baby brother was behind the plate.
Only this time, there were tens of thousands looking on at Truist Park and a $1 million prize.
“It goes all the way back to him coming home and me forcing him to throw me a ball and hit it in the backyard or in the house or something probably shouldn’t be doing,” a beaming Cal said, flanked by Todd and Todd Jr. after defeating Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero 18-15 in the final round Monday night.
Todd Raleigh, former coach of Tennessee and Western Carolina, threw the pitches and Cal’s 15-year-old brother, Todd Raleigh Jr., did the catching. A first-time All-Star at age 28, Cal became the first switch-hitter and first catcher to win the title. He’s the second Mariners player to take the title after three-time winner Ken Griffey Jr., who was on the field, snapping photos.
“Anybody that’s ever played baseball as a kid dreams of stuff like this,” Cal’s dad said. “I dreamed of it. He dreamed of it. When you’re a parent, you look at it differently because you want your kids to be happy.”
Leading the major leagues with 38 home runs at the All-Star break, Cal almost didn’t make it past the first round. The Mariners’ breakout slugger nicknamed Big Dumper and the Athletics’ Brent Rooker each hit 17 homers, and Raleigh advanced on a tiebreaker for longest long ball: 470.61 feet to 470.53 — or 0.96 inches. At first, Cal wasn’t aware whether there would be a swing-off.
“An inch off, and I’m not even in the final four, which is amazing,” Cal said. “So I guess I got lucky there. One extra biscuit.”
Raleigh totaled 54 homers. He won his semifinal 19-13 over Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz, whose 513-foot first-round drive over the right-center field seats was the longest of the night.
Cal Raleigh's #HRDerby by the numbers:
Total HR: 54
HR of 425+: 31
Top distance: 471 ft
Avg distance: 430 ft
Total distance: 23,212 ft
Top exit velo: 112 MPH
Avg exit velo: 102 MPH pic.twitter.com/0pV6nGWLsA
— MLB (@MLB) July 15, 2025
Cal’s brother, nicknamed T, kept yelling encouragement to the brother he so admires.
“His swag, the way he plays, the way he hustles,” T said.
Hitting second in the final round, the 22-year-old Caminero closed within three dingers — MLB counted one that a fan outfielder caught with an over-the-wall grab. Using a multicolored bat and down to his last out, Caminero took three pitches and hit a liner to left.
“I didn’t think I was going to hit as many home runs or make it to the finals,” Caminero said through a translator.
Cal was just the second Derby switch-hitter after Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman in 2023. His dad was a righty and wanted both his sons to hit from both sides.
“Did it from the first day, when he was in diapers, literally,” Todd Sr. said. “I would take that big ball and he had a big red bat. I’d throw it slow and he’d hit it. Then I’d say stay there, pick him up, turn him around, switch his hands and do it again. I was a catcher. I played a little bit, and I just knew what a premium it was. I didn’t want either one of my boys to ever say, am I right-handed or left-handed?”
There was a downside.
“I don’t recommend it if you have two kids, they’re both switch hitters, if you want to save your arm, because that’s a lot of throwing,” said dad, who had rotator cuff surgery.
Raleigh hit his first eight homers left-handed, took a timeout, then hit seven right-handed. Going back to lefty, he hit two more in the bonus round and stayed lefty for the rest of the night.
“Was grooving a little bit more lefty so we were like, since we have a chance to win, we might as well stick to the side that’s working a little better,” Cal said.
Caminero beat Minnesota’s Byron Buxton 8-7 in the other semifinal. Atlanta’s Matt Olson, Washington’s James Wood, the New York Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Rooker were eliminated in the first round of the annual power show.
Cruz’s long drive was the hardest-hit at 118 mph.
Wood hit 16 homers, including one that landed on the roof of the Chop House behind the right-field wall. Olson, disappointing his hometown fans, did not go deep on his first nine swings and finished with 15, Chisholm hit just three homers, the fewest since the timer format started in 2015.fter it was all over, the Raleighs headed out. Stephanie, the boys’ mom and Todd Sr.'s wife, is surrounded by baseball.
After it was all over, the Raleighs headed out. Stephanie, the boys’ mom and Todd Sr.'s wife, is surrounded by baseball.
“We kind of leave it in the cage. We’ve got a cage at home, a building,” Todd Sr. said. “Or we leave it in the car on the rides home. There’s probably been a few times where she says, yeah, that’s enough.”