Tooting Our Own Vuvuzelas as the USA Wins Group C

We hate to say we told you so when it comes to the United States winning their group in the World Cup for the first time since 1930, but hey, we told you so! We even told you how! And at +400 odds and with a thrilling ride, we're sorry if you still didn't pick them to win it. We did all we could!

With England beating Slovenia, the United States needed a win over Algeria to advance. It wasn't looking so good as the game went into extra time scoreless, but Landon Donovan changed that in the 91st minute and the rest, as they say, is history.

We're having a pretty successful run at the World Cup so far, so stay tuned as we go to the round of 16 with more 2010 World Cup Picks and analysis.

An Unlucky Push as the USA "Ties" Slovenia

By now you've surely seen the United States get robbed in their game against Slovenia yesterday, and while it's a shame that the Americans' third and probably game winning goal was mysteriously disallowed, nobody is talking about the real victims in all of this--the bettors!

We correctly picked an American victory yesterday, as we correctly predicted a tie against England, however their comeback was stopped short by the man in the middle. Fortunately for us, we bet the Americans at -200 rather than taking the more appealing moneyline, thus rendering a draw as a push rather than a loss. Still, this has to go down as the worst beat of the World Cup thus far, especially considering how late in the game the apparent non-goal occurred. Add to that the fact that it was a roller coaster game for betters regardless.

Still, we hope to rebound and once again correctly predict the outcome of the USAs Group C matchup against Algeria on Wednesday.

2010 World Cup: USA vs. Slovenia

This is the squad that gave us our first winner in the 2010 World Cup, and we're banking on the United States to get it done again--this time, with an outright win.

USA -200 over Slovenia

The Americans were able to draw even with England thanks to a lucky strike by Clint Dempsey and some rock solid goalkeeping by Tim Howard. The current group leader, Slovenia, poses some threat tomorrow, but not enough to overtake the Americans (who we predicted to win the group).

This Legoland is Your Land...

We'd be remiss if we didn't throw this up. A great find by the folks over at The Bucky Channel, whose World Cup coverage has been second to one (our own), this Lego video reenacts the goals scored in Saturday's England vs. United States showdown--which we correctly predicted to end in a tie.

The highlights of the video are that 1. it includes the audio feed from the game, which is brilliantly called by the announcers and 2. there are no visible Lego vuvuzelas in the very calm stands.

Enjoy the video, and enjoy our continuing coverage of the 2010 World Cup.

2010 World Cup: South Africa vs. Uruguay

So far, we've correctly predicted the outcome to the biggest game in the 2010 World Cup when the United States and England played to a draw. Not a bad start to betting the Cup. And yes, we are tooting our own vuvuzela horn.

Our next task? Ride the home country. We still don't think South Africa gets out of the group, but we'll hedge our bet against the home nation (who, by the way, has always advanced to the round of 16 in the history of the World Cup) by picking them to beat Uruguay tomorrow.

Uruguay is already predicting a victory for, well, themselves. But no so fast. By the power vested in the vuvuzela, we declare the South Africans winners of tomorrow's showdown. And once again, our win will net us more than we lay.

South Africa PICK (+125) over Uruguay

We could take the moneyline for +200, but the extra +75 is worth sacrificing to save ourselves from the ties that have so far plagued the cup. We like South Africa in this spot for a variety of reasons, not the least of which are home field advantage and Uruguay's incompetence since 1990 (last time they've won a game in the Cup). This is the host nation's best chance to get a win, and we just have a hard time seeing them winless in their group.

Good luck and stay tuned for more betting analysis and picks on the 2010 World Cup!

A Revolutionary Tie... We Told You So!

It might not have been how we drew it up, but it was still a draw as we predicted. The USA and England ended at 1-1, making us 1-0 on the individual games that we've actually picked. At +325 for the tie, we picked a good game to win.

And with that, we will stop gloating. But be sure to follow us throughout this 2010 World Cup for more winners and great betting analysis.

2010 World Cup: Betting on Revolutionary War II, USA vs. England

The second Revolutionary War will take place on Saturday, with the United States of America taking on Mother England to open their Group C schedules in the 2010 World Cup.

Had we been alive in 1976, we certainly would have bet on the results of the first Revolutionary War (and probably would have laid the chalk on Great Britain, like fools!). Fortunately, we get our chance to bet on the England-USA matchup in 2010.

While we won't be betting on every game this World Cup, this high profile matchup is definitely worth the attention and the hype it is receiving.

Obviously, we all know how this went down in the 1950 World Cup, the only time these two squads met previously in a cup. The American's makeshift team knocked off the English, and have been waiting 60 years for the chance to prove it was no fluke. That chance is Saturday, and they will prove their point--kind of.

The best bet in this one, in our view, is a draw. At +325 odds, you can really cash in on this one by pounding the tie figure. If you're feeling adventurous, the Americans at +450 is a fun little bet to make, but as we said in our Group C preview, we see a tie here and a group win by the USA based on point differential.

So why will they tie?

Really, it's simple. The United States has A LOT more to play for in this one. While this is the biggest game in the history of U.S. Soccer, the Brits are yawning at the competition in the group and are already looking forward to their inevitable advancement. Some might argue that it is more important for the United States to beat England than it is to advance out of the group.

The USA will have to be nearly perfect on the pitch to get the win, and will definitely have to match and exceed the physical play of their rivals, to earn the victory. In our view, it's unlikely they'll come away with the win. A tie, however, is a different story. The key to this one is making sure to come out with intensity right off the bat. If the Americans can get an early goal, or even show a significant attack, we like the chances at a 1-1 or even 0-0 draw.

So there you have it. The biggest soccer game in the history of the United States, and you can tell your grandkids that you bet on it. If you're not pumped for the big game yet, brush up on your Schoolhouse Rock and get ready to win some cash on Revolutionary War II.

2010 World Cup: The Next Champion Will Be...

It's time for our 2010 World Cup champion pick. Who will it be?

At 4/1 odds, Spain and Brazil are the front runners, but cross them off the list. How about Italy, last year's champion, at 14/1 for the repeat? No thanks. 2006 Runner-up France at 20/1 won't be sniffing the Cup championship this year either.

We could go with a homer pick, the United States at 50/1, but while we picked the Americans to win Group C, we aren't that big of homers. Their Group C rival, England, is sitting on 8/1 odds, but we predict more struggles for the English when it comes to dealing with the expectations. All you can expect is an upset from them in the round of 16.

In our view, it's down to Netherlands (9/1) and Argentina (6/1), and we're going with the Argentines. Injury concerns have us frightened on the Dutch front, though you can expect them to be one of the final four teams remaining.

So there you have it. Your 2010 World Cup champion, according to the new and improved Stock Lemon gurus, will be Argentina.

But hey, there's only one way to find out--playing the games! Kick-off of the 2010 World Cup is tomorrow in South Africa, and you can bet that we will have plenty of coverage throughout!

2010 World Cup: Group C Betting

Our 2010 World Cup group-by-group analysis continues with a little home flavor with the USA's bracket Group C. Before we get into it, let's take a look at the odds:

England... -275
USA... +400
Slovenia... +1000
Algeria... +2500

Clearly, England is the favorite in this group, as they should be. They have the superior team and America should be the biggest, and only, threat to the cross-pond rivals.

That said, the USA WILL be a threat. England has collapsed in the past dealing with high expectations, and the USA fits the underdog label perfectly this year. Expect an over-confident England squad to at least draw even with the Americans, if not lose outright. Both teams should clobber Slovenia and Algeria, which we think will lead to at worst a group win by tiebreaker for the USA.

Rest assured, Brits, we do think England will go on to advance farther than the Americans, but we like the USA, against all +400 odds, to shock the world and win Group C.

Our final Group C standings:

1. USA

2. England

3. Slovenia

4. Algeria

Although there is one thing that can get in the USA's way:

Stay tuned for more!

Help Vote On Our Summer Betting Plan

Last summer, we took some time off from the betting world and posts were few and far between as a result. This summer, we don't want that to happen again.

With our Free MLB Picks system easily our least reliable of the major sports, we tend not to play too many MLB games. Which leaves us no choice--if we want to wager on summer sports, we're going to have to wager on some obscure sports leagues.

In our minds, that leaves three choices. Here's where you come in. In our first ever poll here at Stock Lemon, we need you to vote for which of the following three leagues we should bet on over the summer. We want to narrow it down to just one so that we can focus our full attention on what would be an entirely new league for us, so that we can learn as much as possible about that particular league. So, in no particular order, here are our three options:

MLS

The MLS has already kicked off (get it... soccer!) its 2009 season, so already we are a little behind on the pitch. We follow soccer very loosely, but think we could pick it up with relative ease. The MLS is nowhere near the competition or popularity of England's Premier League, but their season doesn't start until August, and we're already going through betting withdrawls.

WNBA

The WNBA is our next choice due to our familiarity and success betting basketball in the NBA, although the women's game is entirely different. We feel that we could pick it up, but we're not sure we could make it through an entire season of women's hoops. We want this to be a profitable experience, but we also want it to be fun, and we haven't heard too many people raving about the excitement of the WNBA. Like the MLS, the season has begun, but is in its early stages.

CFL

Just as we have experience and success in basketball, the same can be said about football. We love the NFL and would enjoy watching the games regardless of whether or not we were involved financially. Considering how excited we are to begin betting on the inaugural UFL season, it would only makes sense to bet on Canada's version of the game which, give or take ten yards, is pretty much the same. Two weeks of CFL action are in the books, and Week 3 will conclude before the results of our poll are in, but there is still plenty of time for us to dive into the league.

The poll is located in the upper right hand corner of this site, so be sure to help us decide which league to begin placing bets on.

We Still Like AIG

Last week we gave you AIG as our first Free Stock Pick in a while. Since then, it has dipped a little, but with the economic bailout finally coming through from the United States government, AIG should rise again soon.

That said, we still like AIG... and so does Wayne Rooney and Manchester United of the English Premier League. If you're unfamiliar, the England star and the rest of his Manchester teammates are sponsored by AIG, and represent our Free Stock Pick with every goal.

So, just as it is with this site, if you stick with it long enough, you're going to make some money.

Playing a Heavy Pair of Aces

We have two picks for today's MLB post-season action, and the total weight of the starting pitchers for our two winners is well over 600 pounds.

Speaking of pounds, we hope to make some of them for a few of Lemmy's new European friends. Check out the Lemmy's Friends section on the right-side of the page, which includes international punters from England and Italy, among other countries. For the rest of you, we hope to make you some dollars, as always.

On to the Free MLB Picks for today...

CC Sabathia and the Brewers ML -128 over the Phillies

Carlos Zambrano and the Cubs ML -158 over the Dodgers

Yesterday was a rough one for the NL Central, as both of these two teams fell in their respective series openers. We like the Cubs to rebound at home, and CC Sabathia to continue to carry the Brewers.

Hopefully, our winnings today will be as huge as these two starting pitchers.

Good luck!