Let’s take a break from the insanity of the NBA offseason and check out this weekend’s UFC 100 odds, shall we?

Brock Lesnar (3-1) vs Frank Mir (12-3): Heavyweight Unification Bout

Lesnar is a -225 favorite this weekend to avenge his only loss of his career, but Mir shouldn’t be counted out when making your sports picks. He showed his experience as Lesnar bullied him around for for the majority of the first round, before Mir caught him in a kneebar. Lesnar has learned so much more since that fight, as he rolled over Randy Couture, who many consider to be one of the legends of the heavyweight division. Mir won’t end this fight early, so he’ll try to drag it out as long as he can. Still, Lesnar is an absolute monster with revenge on his mind, and Mir won’t be so lucky this time.

Georges St. Pierre (18-2) vs Thiago Alves (16-3): Welterweight Championship Bout

According to betting services, GSP is a -300 favorite against Alves, who will be aiming to take the belt away from one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. GSP has improved his striking ability, which goes well with his wicked takedowns. He’s completed 77% of his attempted takedowns this year.  Alves will try to stop this with his fierce array of strikes, which is something that GSP has had problems with in the past. Alves also had some problems making weight in this contest, which could hurt him in the long run as GSP’s conditioning is brilliant. The longer this fight goes, the better chance GSP has, so go with him in your offshore sportsbook.

Well, they did everything but give him a ticker-tape parade, but Rasheed Wallace signed with Boston today, giving the Celtics another piece of the puzzle to try and get their championship back. Had he not signed with the Celtics, it would have been a bigger surprise than if Frank Mir scored an MMA betting upset over Brock Lesnar (which I persoanlly guarantee won’t happen).

Now, the interesting part begins: will ‘Sheed take being a bench player? How does this affect Kendrick Perkins and Glen “Big Baby” Davis, who made a number of clutch shots for the Celtics in these playoffs? I’m betting management figures that Kevin Garnett will be able to talk to Wallace, who was picked one team ahead of Garnett in the 1995 draft. This obviously makes the Celtics one of the top sports picks going into the season, as Wallace brings a big body, great three-point shooting, and championship experience from his win with Detroit in 2004.

Offshore sportsbook odds on ‘Sheed’s technicals next year? They’d be fun to come up with.

It’s been more exciting than the UFC 100 Fight Card during the offseason (okay, not really, but it’s been close). So far we have, including trades:

-Ben Gordon and Charlie Villaneuva to Detroit for around $90 million
-Vince Carter to Orlando
-Richard Jefferson to San Antonio
-Zach Randolph to Memphis
-Carlos Boozer defies the offshore sportsbook odds and stays with Utah

And New York is still trying to get Jason Kidd out of Dallas….The Lakers are planning (tentatively) to keep Lamar Odom and let Trevor Ariza hit the market….Hedo Turkoglu probably won’t be in Orlando next year….Cleveland are now chasing Ron Artest and Ariza….Oh yeah, Minnesota drafted 37 point guards in the draft, and may only end up with one. Sports betting software wouldn’t have even seen that coming, but I mean, it is the Timberwolves.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO………..it’s gonna be fun to make sports picks this year!

If you would have told me last week that Lucas Glover was one of your golf betting picks to win the US Open, I would have laughed right square in your face. But there he was on Monday, holding on down the stretch to win the 109th US Open that was plagued by rain throughout the week.

This is Glover’s second win on the Tour, and he’s known as a solid player, but it took a lot of guts to fend off the likes of Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, who both made late charges but were let down by their putters. David Duval, who handicapping software didn’t even have listed as one of the sports picks to win the Open, finished two shots back. Ricky Barnes, who broke the 36-hole record at the Open, shot a miserable 76 to give the tournament away. The Mickelson story would have been nice and all, and he played way better than I thought he was, but Glover is here to prove that sometimes, it pays to go against your offshore sportsbook.

Yes, there ARE other options when going your US Open 2009 betting odds outside of that Tiger fella. But it’s not who you think it is. These are strictly golf picks for betting management players who like to take risks.

Paul Casey has won three times this year, twice in Europe and once in America, and he’s risen to No.3 in the world rankings. Those who make sports predictions have been waiting for him to fulfill his vast potential for years. This could be it. (US Open odds – +1900)

Henrik Stenson showed he had the heart to hold off the field by blowing everyone away in The Players Championship, and he’s another golfer that people are like, “why doesn’t he win more?”. Stenson, like all of the players, bombs it off the tee, which will come in handy at Bethpage Black, which is due to play even longer than the 7,426 yards it’s been measured at because of rain. (US Open odds – +3700)

Anthony Kim hasn’t played that well this year, as he could be suffering from a Ryder Cup hangover. But the 23-year-old Kim is as confident as anyone on the planet, and he can get hot in a hurry as his 11-birdie round at The Masters proves. (US Open odds – +5000)

Geoff Ogilvy won the US Open in 2006, as he survived a number of golfers faltering down the stretch at Winged Foot. But he’s won twice this year, and loves to play on really difficult courses. If he gets hot with the putter, watch out. (US Open odds – +1600)

Angel Cabrera outlasted Tiger and the field at Oakmont in 2007, and he got some breaks to beat Kenny Perry at The Masters this year. He does nothing during regular tournaments, yet always seems to be around in the majors. With his high ball flight and insane length off the tee, you could definitely do worse than Cabrera, who quit smoking last year. (US Open odds – +4500)

Yep, ol’ Roy isn’t just a basketball fan. I’m gettin’ in on some US Open betting action, and this weekend’s tournament at Bethpage Black. The obvious favorite is Tiger Woods, and for two good reasons: he won at Bethpage Black in 2002, and he was one of only two golfers at par or better that week (Phil Mickelson is the other one), and two, he’s Tiger MF Woods.

I’m thinking Paul Casey is worth a shot as well, as he’s a long enough hitter that he can handle Bethpage Black, but it’s pretty Tiger’s tournament to lose. Your offshore sportsbook has him at +140, while Mickelson is next, all the way back at +1400, for you betting management players.

Oh yeah, he won last year’s event at Torrey Pines….on one leg….in a playoff. You wanna bet against him?

Phoenix has to be one of the funniest teams in the NBA in terms of comedy, but of course, that doesn’t do much for your NBA Finals odds. First, Shaq tried to steal Lebron’s thunder with:

Then, I stumbled upon this back in April while going through my offshore sportsbook (it’s amazing what pops up when you type “Steve Nash” into Youtube):

I still have no idea what to think about that. But this is probably the best of the bunch. Nash did Letterman a couple of nights ago:

I swear, if comedy was pick-and-roll defense (actually, just all-around defense), the Suns would be the Pistons of the “Bad Boy” era, and their NBA odds would be through the roof.

Oh yeah, tonight’s NBA championship odds pick hasn’t changed. Kobe’s gon’ go OFF.

Well, Orlando didn’t beat the NBA Finals odds of 6.5 points against the Lakers in Game 3, but they certainly made it interesting with a record-setting performance.

The Magic shot a Finals-record 62.5% from the floor, including an insane 75% in the first half, of their 108-104 victory, and as I said, the guard play would be crucial. Rafer Alston, after being shook by Jameer Nelson’s return to the lineup, dropped 20 points of 8-of-12 shooting, while Mickael Pietrus woke up to score 18 off the bench for the Magic. It was obvious from the beginning that the Magic were much more comfortable at home than they were in L.A., as noticed by their shooting and lack of turnovers, and they managed to make a series out of a matchup that many of those who bet on sports thought was over.

The Lakers still should have won this game, but 10 missed foul shots and an uncharacteristic performance by Kobe Bryant down the stretch sealed the Lakers’ fate. Although Bryant had 31, he missed 11 of his last 15 shots, missed five of those free throws, and he had a couple of late turnovers that killed his team. Pau Gasol added 23 for the Lakers, who are still the favorites in your offshore sportsbook to take the series.

Game 4 should be a barnburner, as the Lakers will want to put Game 3 behind them (especially Bryant), and the Magic will hope they can shoot like they did on Tuesday. If they can’t, their NBA Finals odds are in a world of trouble.