Sam Panayotovich and the start of the conference tournaments

Oh, could this vintage store be any cuter?

Right.

And the best part?

They accept Discover.

Accept Discover?

In a little place like this?

I don't think so, Jennifer.

Oh yeah, huh.

Discover's accepted where I'd like to shop.

Come on, baby.

Get with the times.

Right.

So we shouldn't get the parachute pants?

These are making a comeback.

I think.

Discover is accepted at 99% of places

that take credit cards nationwide.

Based on the February 2025 Nilsen report.

Have you or a family member been diagnosed

with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer

that can be removed by surgery?

Consider talking to an oncologist

about your treatment options.

Why?

Because knowing your options

before you have surgery

can help your care team develop a treatment plan

that's right for you.

Learn about a potential treatment plan

before and after surgery

at AskBeforeSurgery.com

that's AskBeforeSurgery.com

and talk to an oncologist

before your surgery.

Thank you for calling the Bombas Comfort line.

Bombas make socks, slippers,

tees, and underwear

made with the highest quality materials.

Press one for comfort,

two for style,

three for donation.

You chose style.

Bombas are styles for whatever you enjoy.

You can run in Bombas, lounging Bombas,

dress them up, dress them down,

but always give back in Bombas

because with every item purchased,

another is donated.

Bombas, comfort worth calling for.

Go to Bombas.com such audio

and use code audio for 20% off your first purchase.

That's B-O-M-B-A-S.com and use code audio.

A team that always, they always compete

even with the injuries last year.

I think they went 13 and 4.

I mean, I feel like they were one piece away

and I think that I'm that piece.

And I'll look forward to coming here

and improving that.

That is new San Francisco 49er-wide receiver Mike Evans

who leaves Tampa after a certain Hall of Fame career already

to join the San Francisco 49ers.

A player that plenty of bills fans were curious about.

Whether maybe Brandon Bean could pull that player

into the boat.

The story goes that they were somewhat interested

but instead pivoted to trading a second-round pick

in exchange for a fifth and DJ Moore from the Bears.

Glad to have you with us here on a Friday afternoon mic

as a way today.

I am the bulldog joining us now on the West River hotline

is our good friend Sam Panney out of its Sammy P

from the chicken dinner sports wagering podcast.

Sam, what's going on?

I feel like it's been a few weeks for me.

I was not here last week and I don't know.

Maybe you were away the week before.

I feel like it's been a minute.

How are you?

I feel like I'm here every Friday

but yeah, it's been a couple of weeks for us.

Right.

I agree.

I'm trying to pull the room right now.

I've just got to the bar I'm back in Chicago.

I'm trying to pull the room on what bet they liked tonight

and Kyle is basketball and then we just go the other way.

We are, it is that time of the year, the room.

Oh, could this vintage store be any cuter?

Right.

And the best part, they accept discover.

Accept discover in a little place like this.

I don't think so, Jennifer.

Oh yeah, huh.

Discover's accepted where I like to shop.

Come on, baby.

Get with the times.

Right, so we shouldn't get the parachute pants.

These are making a comeback.

I think.

Discover is accepted at 99% of places

that take credit cards nationwide.

Based on the February 2025 Nilsen report.

Have you or a family member been diagnosed

with early stage non-small cell lung cancer

that can be removed by surgery?

Consider talking to an oncologist

about your treatment options.

Why?

Because knowing your options before you have surgery

can help your care team develop a treatment plan

that's right for you.

Learn about a potential treatment plan

before and after surgery at askbeforesurgery.com.

That's askbeforesurgery.com.

And talk to an oncologist before your surgery.

Studies show that 100% of everybody in the world

wants to curl up indoors and do nothing

because it's so darn cold out there.

That's why many people are turning to bombers

whose pillowy plush slippers and warm arena will socks

have been said to be the most comfortable

in the history of feet.

Bombas products have been found to boost cosiness

by up to 1 million percent.

Okay, enough fake statistics.

But could bomba socks and slippers really be the cure?

Go to bombas.com slash audio and use code audio

for 20% off your first purchase.

That's B-O-M-B-A-S dot com and use code audio.

The room, you guys made the room somewhat notorious

on your previous incarnation.

I'm sure the room has continued to be

the subject of derision on the chicken dinner podcast as well.

And this is a time of the year

where the room really shows up.

Is it not college?

Because what do most people do with college basketball?

You know, I'm sure there are of course fans

who watch it all year long feverishly.

But the vast majority of us are like,

oh, there's conference tournaments on during the day

while I'm at work.

Cool.

What's going on?

Oh, I like this team.

Time to wager, right?

And that's probably not the best way to do it.

No, it's not.

But it's okay.

I mean, you never want to be that person

that gets late to the party.

And it could be a betting party.

It could be a music party, a drinking party, whatever.

You want to get there early.

You want to set up shop, right?

But I think there are a lot of people

that sort of deter the market

because they start watching games this week.

And they have all their assumptions made

and they have all their dots connected

because they've watched four days of college basketball

and they have all the answers.

So there's a game tonight.

It's in the ACC Virginia is a top 10 team in the country.

But if you look at the market, Bulldog,

most of the bats, like seven of every 10 bats are on Virginia.

The line opened four and a half.

The line is now three and a half against Miami.

So while all the bats, the physical bats are on Virginia,

the line has moved against Virginia.

So it just tells you market-wise

that there's respected play on Miami.

Now look, I mean, did we bet Miami?

Yes.

I think the game should be closer to a pick them.

But people will watch what Virginia's done.

And most importantly, people will look at the rankings.

And all Virginia's 10th and Miami's on ranked.

And I only got to lay three and a half or four.

So it's a very casual appetite

when we get to conference weekend

because most betters, they sweat and grind

college football and the NFL.

They do it from the end of August through the Super Bowl.

And then when that's done, it's like, oh, now what?

Oh, now I know college basketball.

And it's just it's not that easy to pick it up

just late in the game.

Well, I know we obviously don't get brackets until Sunday.

And then the tournament fires, you know,

wow, whatever, there's the playing games.

But Thursday, Friday, the traditional start of the tournament.

We've got games in Buffalo on Thursday and Saturday here.

Mike and I are doing our show from a casino downtown next Thursday

while the games will be going on.

So that should be a fun time.

What can we do right now with that without having the bracket yet?

Like, can I pick final four teams already?

Can I like, is there anything you like sweet 16 or is that stuff

all weighed until the brackets are out?

No, you can bet this up now.

It's fluid.

Let me raise your like to love.

I love Houston to make the final four.

Houston's my squad this year.

They're so good defensively.

And they've got, you know, a top five pick at point guard.

They've got size, speed, length, all over the court.

They guard the hell out of you.

But all you hear about is Michigan and Duke and Arizona.

And that's fine.

But that also sort of inflates the market on those teams.

So I think Houston at two to one to make the final four

is a really good bet.

And I love this bullet because I'll send,

I'll send a bet to my buddies at two to one, like plus 200.

And they're like, ah, I want more.

And I'm like, well, that's me.

I'm, I'm, I'm this guy.

Right.

But like if you're betting a point spread or a total,

you're laying minus one 10 every bet.

Right.

So you'll lay minus one 10, but oh, two to one is not good enough.

Like I just, I think it's so funny.

Guys get in their heads and all that.

I think Houston to make the final four.

You can find like a plus two or five right now on the Cougars.

All right.

I think they are bound to make the final four.

All right.

I am, I am filing that away.

Uh, I will do what I can do there.

What is going to happen to my enemy of Ohio after they lost

for the first time?

Are they not going to get in?

They should get in the bubble so soft this year.

I, I don't have a hot take for you.

Um, and you didn't prep me on this question.

I think if you go 31 and O, you should make the tournament.

No, I'm going to agree too.

I mean, like, can you imagine a 31 and one team not making

a turn and be like, how dumb does that sound on the service?

Um, no, no, where do you see them?

Look, he's, I think what they're going to do.

I think they might put them in the, uh, the first four games.

They might be one of those 11 seeds, you know, that plays on Tuesday

or Wednesday, and that's fine.

Like, but you should, if a team goes 31 and all, man,

how do you not make a field of 68?

I think that's a good question.

I think that's a good question.

And my answer I think should be, they have to be in.

Uh, so I, I just know that I saw some, you know, like, oh, no,

they may not make it.

So I, I hope you're right.

Uh, we'll see where it all goes.

Sam panty out of its chicken dinner, sports wagering podcast,

host co-host on the west or hotline with me here on WGR.

So the, it was another week where our buddy Greg Waschinski

with ESPN.com, their senior hockey writer, he's been posting,

I don't know if he's doing it monthly or, or buy weekly or what it is,

but sort of forecasting the NHL awards market and still polling.

I don't think it's voters.

I think it's just, because it's, I think it's a different group that

votes for coach of the year than what, who he's polling.

But anyway, John Cooper, still, according to that information is

the leader for coach of the year.

What are the betting odds telling us about Lindy Ruff and John Cooper?

Cause I think those are the only two options, right?

Well, when we talked last week, Mike and I, we were talking about Lindy Ruff

is the even money favorite to win.

And then we all saw the game last week, right?

I mean, what a game, huh?

I'm sure you guys talked about that for three days.

Yeah, pretty much, yeah, the savoury V-tamp brother for three days.

I'm still trying today.

Yeah, you're still trying to lay off.

I should probably shower again after watching that shoot out.

I don't, I don't understand how, and we, you and I have talked about this

before, Tampa Bay was one of the favorites to win the East.

Like they, they should be good.

Buffalo was supposed to be a, a fringe playoff team.

If that is that.

So I, I don't know.

Like I, I understand, you know, the rankings and the columns and all that,

but the betting odds still have Lindy favored.

And we have, what do we have seven to one on Lindy right now?

Yeah, that's what I believe.

I mean, you're the one who made the bet, but I'm pretty sure it was seven to one.

I lose track.

I mean, there's so many bets.

It's a little time.

Yeah.

Well, like you, Mike and I have, we have a bet on Lindy.

And I, I remember I was, I was standing outside of bar and Boston as I usually

am on Friday.

And I'm like, why are you not talking about Lindy?

It's seven to one.

And so now he's even money.

So, you know, the $10 we bet, wait, wait, to win 70.

Now you got a bet 10 to win 10.

So I think we relatively speaking have a good bet.

I just, the Buffalo Sabers could be one of the best teams in the East.

And I came out of nowhere.

How does that guy not win the award?

I don't know.

There's a, there's a sentiment around NHL circles that John Cooper, the Tampa

coach, they've, they've, they've won and won.

They've been almost, almost a dynasty, a two final, two, two cup wins in a row.

He's a great coach, team Canada's coach.

If you want that to, and he's never won coach the year.

So it kind of became a thing where it's like, oh, it's career achievement time.

You know, let's give it to Cooper this year because the team, you know,

one of the best teams coaches never wins it.

So we'll give it to him.

And I think what I think we might need Sam to cinch it is just simply,

whichever team wins the division and the Sabers have a two point lead in that

department right now.

Tampa still has a couple games in hand.

So that's not ideal.

But I think if, if the Sabers come out on top, I would predict that will win

our bet.

And if he doesn't, I think it could be real touchy.

But also like not to draw direct comparison.

But to me, John Cooper is sort of the Andy Reed of the NHL.

He's got one of the best teams in the league every year.

He's got multiple Hall of Famers.

He's got all stars everywhere.

Yeah.

You know, you could coach Tampa Bay and they make the playoffs, right?

I think what Lindy has done.

And again, I'm, I'm an adopted Buffalo diehard hockey fan here.

I don't, I don't know how Tampa's story is better than Buffalo's story.

Big picture.

Yeah, I agree.

I think we'll, we'll see how that evolves here over the next month.

We got just about a month to go in the regular season.

So we'll see moving on quickly.

I wanted to pick your brain a little bit about major league baseball division

winner futures.

I mean, we're, we're closing in on the beginning of the season.

The world baseball classic is going on.

I was looking at the odds today and found it.

I guess not surprising, but if people haven't looked yet, the Dodgers are like

minus 650 to win the NL West and everybody else is called like plus money.

And maybe Seattle is like minus 105, but everybody else, you know, all the other

divisions, even the favorite is plus money.

The Dodgers are just that good.

That's pretty stunning to me.

They're just so stacked and I think there'll be a lot of people.

But the books are doing there is they're, they're dealing you the Dodgers.

So you don't bet them because people don't want to lay, you know, the average

better doesn't want to lay seven to win one.

That's boring.

They want about one to win 15.

So what they're doing there fundamentally is just sort of, they're trying to guide

you toward a bet on San Diego or Arizona or San Francisco or whatever.

Like they want you to bet those teams because they, they know the Dodgers are going

to win that the two sharp bets that I've heard so far are on the Detroit Tigers

to win the Central and granted their, their favored.

But we've seen some sharp bets on Detroit.

And then there have also been some bets, man, on the Cincinnati Reds to win

the NL Central.

Now the two teams that everybody talks about are the Cubs and the Brewers.

And then Paul schemes helps the pirate flavor.

But there have been some sharp bets on the Cincinnati Reds to win the National

League Central in Las Vegas.

How do you like the AL East?

I mean, I'd probably.

Because that's Yankees Yankees J's Red Sox are all pretty close, I think, when I looked.

I, I don't love this bet.

I mean, I would sprinkle a little bit on Boston.

I think Boston over 86 and a half is a decent bet.

You're always going to pay the Yankee tax.

And of course, Toronto just went to the World Series.

So everybody likes Toronto.

I think Boston can be a 90 win team that might like, well, I'm not missed the playoffs.

But I think Boston over 86 and a half is a good bet.

I don't have a division bet for you.

I think you fade the Yankee hype and the Blue J hype and bet over the Red Sox win total.

All right.

Sounds good, Sam.

Appreciate it very much.

Love you making time when you're back home in Chicago.

Anything we need to know, like how often is the chicken dinner showing up?

And I just want to make sure we're doing our best to hold up our end of our relationship here.

Sure.

Yeah, we got a Sunday selection Sunday spaces coming up this week.

And we're going to talk about the brackets and the lines once the bracket comes out.

We're going to have a show up on Tuesday.

And we we bet Miami tonight, Bulldog plus four against Virginia, understood.

And you're headed for Vegas for the start of the tournament.

Are you not?

Yeah, when we talk next week, I'll be in Vegas.

Well, that will be fun.

I'm sure Sam.

Thanks for this.

Appreciate it very much and have a good visit in Chicago.

Thanks, buddy.

See if it's everybody.

Sam panty out of it.

Chicken dinner.

You find that on social media sites.

Great Intel into the wagering world from Sam and his partner Joe Strausky.

They've been very generous with their time and helpful to us.

All right.

Hit up a time out here.

Got time for a couple of calls.

If you're out there, 8030550, enjoying this Sabers joy ride.

We'll get into tomorrow's game.

That's right.

We're at previewing the next game stage of fandom here on the show.

Luke Fox from SportsNet in Toronto.

Gonna be our guest.

Talk about the Leafs and the state of things there.

Austin Matthews injury and all of it coming up at the top of the hour.

So please do stay tuned for that as well.

Mike is away today.

I'm the bulldog and you're listening to WGR.

The ticket, Lady Jennifer of Coons.

Well, many thanks.

Good, sir.

Here is my discover card.

They accept a discover at Renaissance fairs.

Yeah, they do here.

Discoverers accepted at the places I love to shop.

Get it with the times.

With the times.

You're playing the loot.

Yeah, and it sounds pretty good, right?

Discoverers accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide.

Based on the February 2025 Nilsen report.

Have you or a family member been diagnosed with early stage non-small cell lung cancer

that can be removed by surgery?

Consider talking to an oncologist about your treatment options.

Why?

Because knowing your options before you have surgery can help your care team develop

a treatment plan that's right for you.

Learn about a potential treatment plan before and after surgery at askbeforesurgery.com.

That's askbeforesurgery.com.

And talk to an oncologist before your surgery.

This episode is brought to you by Progressive.

Most of you aren't just listening right now.

You're driving, cleaning, and even exercising.

But what if you could be saving money by switching to Progressive?

Drivers who saved by switching saved nearly $750 on average.

And auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts.

Multitask right now.

Quote today at Progressive.com.

Progressive casualty insurance company and affiliates.

National average 12 month savings of $744 by new customers surveyed.

Who saved with progressive between June 2022 and May 2023.

Potential savings will vary.

Discounts not available in all states and situations.

Breaking news from Good Ranchers.

Over 85% of grass-fed beef and stores is imported.

Most grocery store meat contains antibiotics, hormones, and harmful seed oils.

Good Ranchers does things differently.

All their meat is born and raised on local American farms.

No antibiotics, no added hormones, no seed oils.

Just one ingredient.

Meat.

Visit GoodRanchers.com and get $25 off your first order with Code Ranch 25.

That's Code Ranch 25 for $25 off your first order.

GoodRanchers.com American Meat Delivered.

Some places take you away.

Some bring you together.

Marathon does both.

Marathon is Florida's family key.

With something for everyone.

You'll find museums and wildlife refuges.

Wide open beaches.

Miles of warm, clear water.

And the historic seven mile bridge.

For more about Marathon, visit FLA Keys.com slash Marathon.