Did Nostradamus Predict the Winner of the 2010 World Cup?

We've been getting quite a few inquiries about whether Nostradamus predicted the outcome of tomorrow's 2010 World Cup soccer finale between Spain and Netherlands, so let's put those to rest right now.

In 2006, there were reports that Nostradamus predicted Spain to win the World Cup, based on this vague passage:

"At the end of the sixth month of 2006, the King of Spain will cross the Pyrenees with his army. The legions of Beelzebub await the battle on the central European plains. Destruction and defeat will fall on the evil-doers. The Holy Grail will be returned to Spain by the triumphant King."

Clearly, Nostradamus was throwing crap against the wall and hoping it would stick, referencing a future war he foresaw. Obviously, there was no war, and the idea that the World Cup trophy is the holy grail is a little far-fetched. Of course, there is some accuracy with the month of June as well as the "battles" in central Europe, with Germany being the host country.

Regardless, this was in 2006, remember. So it's all null and void. There's been some confusion now that Spain is in the World Cup finals that they have been predicted to win it. That is simply not the case.

So what did Nostradamus predict? Well, if his proclamations carry any weight in your collective minds, you really ought to enjoy this World Cup final tomorrow. Nostradamus has been famous for predicting the end of the world, again in vague terms, making the 2010 World Cup the last such contest in human history.

On that note, enjoy the game!

2010 World Cup: Championship Game Pick

Here we are. After all of the excitement, the 2010 World Cup is down to a final game. The Netherlands and Spain will play for all the marbles (or at least, the one marble held by one or two people in the trophy design).

We picked Argentina to win it all--oops--but our second pick was Netherlands. And even as we begin to think Spain might have an advantage in some areas, we are sticking with our gut on this one. The Netherlands, undefeated in the tournament, appear to be a team of destiny. And we don't bet against destiny.

So Dutch, Holland, Netherlands, whatever. The orange team is our pick to win the 2010 World Cup. Either way, it's been a great journey, both to watch and to bet. Now let's cap it off by winning some green on the orange.

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 H Betting

And now, it's time to conclude our 2010 World Cup group-by-group betting analysis with Group H. Let's take a look at the odds to win it:

Spain... -400
Chile... +500
Switzerland... +1000
Honduras... +4000

Clearly, the Spaniards are heavy favorites in this group, and, well, why wouldn't they be? Aside from the obvious talents of Spain, look at that group! Who is going to contend with them?

We think, minor upset alert, that Switzerland will give them their biggest test. Chile has the capacity to pull of a couple of upsets, though they certainly won't beat Spain. Which leaves games against Honduras and Switzerland, and we like the Swiss in that spot. Upsets are rare in the World Cup, so you have to pick your spots, so Swiss it is. Hopefully the soccer team can draw upon the professionalism and experience shown in another Olympic sport of theirs in the below clip (you might have to skip a minute to get to the Swiss).

Chile will finish a solid third, and unfortunately Honduras will be the team that doesn't show up in Group H. Our final standings:

1. Spain

2. Switzerland

3. Chile

4. Honduras

That concludes our group analysis of the 2010 World Cup, but we are far from done. Plenty of 2010 World Cup prop bets and even individual matchups will follow throughout the Cup, so keep coming back to Stock Lemon, your home for the 2010 World cup.

World Cup. World Cup. World Cup.

2009 NBA Mock Draft: Picks 3-4

With the easier picks out of the way, it's time to get into the guessing game that is the remainder of the 2009 NBA Draft Lottery. Our 2009 NBA Mock Draft continues with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Sacramento Kings in spots three and four.

3. Thunder: James Harden, SG, Arizona State

It's time for the guards to start flying off the board, and the Thunder won't mind adding another scoring option like Harden. The sophomore averaged over 20 points a game at ASU and has good range and seems to do everything with ease. In addition to bringing more scoring, he can rebound, move the ball, and defend. He'll fit right in with a very youthful, up-and-coming Thunder squad.

4. Kings: Ricky Rubio, PG, Spain

The verdict is still out on Ricky Rubio, as it's anyone's guess how his game will translate in the NBA. Talk of him going to the Kings is heating up, and we have no reason to believe he'll land anywhere else. He showed off his quickness and basketball I.Q. in international play with Spain and can go a long way toward helping to revive the Kings franchise. European players are always harder to predict and Rubio needs to work on his shot, but he could bring a lot to the table for the team with the NBA's worst record last season.

That does it for this edition of our 2009 NBA Lottery Mock Draft. Make sure to check out the first two picks here, or check out all of our picks in the upper right hand column of the site.

USA All the Way to the Bank

For those of you betting on the Olympics (like the judges for most events), there are a few sure bets still on the board. Perhaps none bigger than the team that grabs all of the boards.

LeBron James and the "Redeem Team" steamed-rolled Australia in the quarterfinals, and will next take on Argentina for a spot in the Gold Medal Game.

With just Argentina and the winner of the Lithuania and Spain match-up left to play, the United States should be well on its way to winning it all. Although Argentina took the gold in the 2004 Olympics, we don't foresee them or anyone else stopping Team USA this year.

If any of your bookies are still taking bets on the Red, White, Blue, and Gold, now would be a good time lay some chalk on the favorites.

Gasol Debut Calls For Bonus NBA Prop Bets

With Pau Gasol now wearing purple, we like our odds at winning some green with a few bonus NBA Prop Bets for tonight's game between the Lakers and the Nets.

It'll be the first game as a Laker for the Spaniard, and we expect him and Kobe Bryant to light up the Nets. The Lakers will be jacked up after acquiring Gasol from the Grizzlies, and will likely jump out to an early lead and keep it. We're not betting on the actual game, but we like the Lakers to be the first to 10 points and then to 20 points as well. The odds for the props are -150 and -165, respectively, at Bodog.

And for our readers from the great country of Spain, keep checking back! With Gasol on the Lakers, this team will be hard to stop!

Good luck with the bonus bets!