Author: Richard Valero

My 10 Takeaways From See Fifty Shades of Grey

| Richard Valero

So I went and saw Fifty Shades of Grey over the weekend. All the hype from the movie was hard to resist taking myself to the theaters and seeing it for myself. I do warn all my readers that I have not read the book, so don’t shoot me for liking or not liking something in the movie that was or wasn’t in the book. But after all that here are my 10 takeaways from seeing Fifty Shades of Grey.

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Synopsis: Literature student Anastasia Steele’s life changes forever when she meets handsome, yet tormented, billionaire Christian Grey.

This review Contain Spoilers

1 – I really feel they missed the boat on the casting of Christian. While I had never read the books I have heard a lot about them and heard a bunch about this “Christian” guy. He is this hot-shot rich guy that just woman go crazy over, well this guy didn’t do that for me.

2 – I was fond of the Dakota Johnson casting though. While she wasn’t overly drop dead gorgeous, she fit the role of innocent girl Anastasia. I looked at her IMDB page and really didn’t know she was in as many movies as it stated but this was her first “big time” role in a movie. I would also like to applaud her for having the “balls” to be naked for like 75% of the film.

3 – Seattle is a beautiful city.

4 – The rest of the cast really didn’t matter. It was all about Christian and Anastasia. This was a key to me in making this movie enjoyable. I didn’t have to buy into the other characters, they were selling me on the vocal point of the story and I enjoyed that.

5 – You can’t help but laugh at certain parts of the movie. Certain things about the movie were funny to me. I had no problem with the contract of confidentially but the sex contract really made me laugh.

6 – The scene where Anastasia dissects Christians contract in this very low lite room, HOW COULD THEY SEE WHAT WAS ON THE PAPER? It was way too dark in that room to see any lighting at all. (Side note: I do love how Anastasia worked up Christian in this scene, just to walk out on him.

7 – Chemistry between Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan was pretty good. You felt it from there first scene and throughout the movie. They worked well together. This is very vital in a movie based on the two main characters.

8 – Placement of the music/the score was fantastic. They used the songs at the perfect time, I loved the change they brought to Beyoncé’s Crazy in Love mix they had in the film. It was a harder version of the song that really fit perfect in the film.

9 – A lot less sex in the movie than I thought which really shocked me. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I thought for sure there would be more than what happened in the movie.

10 – The movie for me was all about building the background story for Christian and Anastasia. It was a decent build and my first thought walking out of the theater was they set this whole thing up to make the 2nd one. I know there are 3 books and that’s the purpose but as a person never have read the books I knew as soon as it ended, another was to follow.

Overall Review

3 out of 5 Stars 

This will never go down as a great movie but it was very enjoyable. While at times I couldn’t help but chuckle at certain things, I couldn’t help but find myself invested in the main characters. It was a well-directed, well shot and the score was fantastic. I bought into the movie and that to me is a big reason I liked it.

Fifty Shades of Grey is Rated-R for strong sexual content including dialogue, some unusual behavior and graphic nudity, and for language.

In theaters now

NFL Pick ‘Em; Bovada Bets for Week 12

| Richard Valero

Over the course of the last two football seasons I have played with some pocket change on Bovada.lv. It’s a website where you can bet on the lines of NFL games to MLB games to The Oscars (seriously). Over time I have had a lot of fun making bets. I usually partake in betting on straight lines, but I’ve also been known to get involved in other kinds, including sweetheart teasers.

What is a sweetheart teaser?

A sweetheart teaser for the most part plays out the same way as a regular teaser, except a sweetheart gives the bettors even more points. You can shift the line by 10 to 13 points in football (that’s nearly two touchdowns). There are a couple of differences. While regular teasers can include up to 10 teams, a sweetheart can include only three or four teams. Also, if any of your selections push on a sweetheart, you lose the entire bet.

Also, check out this link to gain a better understanding of the NFL spread betting.

As you can see, sometimes the gamble can be quite large when betting a teaser. Who doesn’t like a good risk once in a while? From this week forward, I am going to outline some of the bets I love, hate and my sweetheart teaser of the week!

Week 11 Recap:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers +7 (-105): I was a huge fan of this bet and it paid off handsomely. The Bucs jumped out to a 10-0 lead and never looked back, winning 27-7.

Cincinnati Bengals + 7 ½ (-115): The Saints haven’t been good at football all season. The Bengals were coming off some recent struggles but the line was too high for a team that just wasn’t playing well either. The Bengals took it to ’em and cleared another great bet.

San Diego Chargers – 10 ½:  This is a bet I was avoiding, but the Chargers came through and helped me make it a 3 for 3 week.

Sweetheart Teaser: This played out exactly how I anticipated. The Seahawks at +7, Raiders at +16 ½ and the Patriots at +9. I love betting sweetheart teasers, especially in weeks like this where they cleared completely.

Overall, I was 4-0 in my bets last week and look to carry that success into week 12!

As of this writing there are no lines on the Bengals/Texans, Dolphins/Chargers, Bills/Jets or Broncos/Dolphins.

Week 12 bets I love:

San Francisco 49ers -9 (-115)

Gut call here. Washington is God awful as we saw last week against Tampa. The 49ers defense is much better and they should smoke the ‘Skins in week 12. Always go with your gut!

Seattle Seahawks +7 (+110)

The other side of this line is being bet on heavily, as the -7 for Arizona is at -130 now. It’s understandable, as Seattle clearly isn’t the team it was a season ago. The Cardinals have been fantastic all season long. However, I don’t expect them to go into Seattle and beat the Seahawks with Drew Stanton at the helm. After a tough loss to Kansas City last week, I think Marshawn Lynch and company blow out the birds.

Ravens +3 ½

Yep, I’m picking on the Saints again this week. They are a 3 and a half point favorite against a better Ravens squad. It’s the dome factor, obviously. If the line was right at 3, I would not be as excited to jump on this bet. However, if the Saints do pull off a win, I think it’s by a field goal.

Week 12 bets I’m avoiding:

Indianapolis Colts -14 (-115)

There’s always a chance this game won’t be a blowout. I don’t like the bet. I’m not telling you not to make it, just not one I’m investing in this week.

My sweetheart teaser lock of the week:

teaser

We’ve already talked about the Seattle bet, and getting it at -1 is even sexier.

The Lions face a red-hot Patriots team in New England this weekend. The line is large because it will take place in chilly Foxboro. However, the Lions defense is legit and they can really rush the passer. If they can get to Brady, they have a shot to win. Even if they don’t though, I can’t see them losing by two touchdowns. I love the 13 ½ I’m getting. Sign me up.

The Buccaneers showed up last week and shut down the Redskins, but they have a tougher task in week 12, and that’s the Chicago Bears. The Bucs are also 4-1 against the spread on the road this season. Chicago is going to win this game but I can’t see them just destroying Tampa. With that, they are the third team in my teaser.

Ricky is a co-owner, fantasy sports writer and gambling man at The Sports Script. Follow him on the Twitter machine @rickygangster!

Ricky’s Week 12 5-Pack Fantasy Sleepers

| Richard Valero

Each week, Ricky Valero will unleash his 5-pack of fantasy sleepers for the upcoming week. These players are going to make for great value plays while you construct your weekly DFS lineups.

New to Daily Fantasy? Head over to FanDuel.com and use Promo Code SCRIPT and get 100% match on your first deposit!

Be sure to tune in to The Sports’s Scripts two weekly fantasy football shows as well! The Fantasy Forecatser: Football is live on Tuesday at 10 PM EST and Sunday morning before kickoff at 11:30 AM EST! You can stream live or subscribe here.

For season-long fantasy football chatter, follow Ricky on Twitter @rickygangster!

The Fantasy Forecaster: Week 12 Start/Sit

| Richard Valero

Ricky was joined by fellow TSS writer Doug Moore and they discussed their Must Start/Must Sit for week 12.

Here is the short version of the show just telling who we picked.

You can also subscribe/download on iTunes here. Leave a rating, don’t be shy!

Make sure to follow Ricky (@rickygangster) and Doug (@DMM0822) on Twitter!

The guys will be back next week (November 25th)! Get your questions in on Twitter using the #TSS tag.

Ricky’s Week 11 Fantasy 5-Pack; Sleepers

| Richard Valero

Welcome! I give you 5 guys who I think can give you the best bang for your buck in daily fantasy. I provide one player per position who I think fits the bill that you can use on the cheap to fill your daily rosters (I play on DraftKings and FanDuel, so that’s where my pricing will come from).

QB: Andy Dalton vs. New Orleans Saints (DraftKings $5600, FanDuel $7900): Raise your hand if you have been bitten by the Dalton bug on daily fantasy! Yep, thought so. So why in the world would I trust him this week? Well it’s pretty simple, the matchup is tasty and I think Dalton has a chip on his shoulder. While I don’t think he is a very good real quarterback, i think he’ll do just fine this week. The Saints are terrible against the pass and Cincinatti’s speed will be too much for them on the fast-track. The value is nicer on DK, but his price on FanDuel is decent, too.Steven Jackson

RB: Steven Jackson vs. Carolina Panthers (DraftKings: $4400, FanDuel $6700): This is the steal of the week. He is a bargain-buster on DraftKings and bottom of the barrel on FanDuel. His week 11 matchup is super sexy. The Panthers have given up multiple touchdowns to opposing tailbacks in 4 of the last 5 games. Jackson will enter this game coming off a contest in which he had 81 yards on 16 carries (5.1 YPC). He’s also scored in each of last two games. The Falcons offense rolls much better when they get the running game going early. You would be insane not to have Jackson in your lineup this weekend.

WR: Mohamed Sanu vs. New Orleans Saints (DraftKings $6000, FanDuel $7300): Sanu had his worst output of the season last week against the Browns, catching only 2 passes for 20 yards. However, I like Sanu for the same reasons as Dalton. He has 7 or more targets in 7 straight games and has become a real catalyst in this offense, he is bound to explode in the dome and the Saints will likely focus on shutting down AJ Green this week.

TE: Travis Kelce vs. Seattle Seahawks (DraftKings $4000, FanDuel $5900): I’ll be 100% honest, Gronk will be in all my daily lineups this weekend but if you aren’t looking to pay the price, Kelce is your man. He had a tough week last week against the Bills but has a fantastic matchup against a Seahawks team that has been exposed by tight ends all season.

Defense: Cleveland Browns vs. Houston Texans (DraftKings $3300, FanDuel $5200): This matchup makes way too much sense for me. The Browns are coming off an emotional high beating the division rival Bengals and have a really soft matchup this Sunday against Houston. The Texans will be without Arian Foster and are throwing inexperienced quarterback Ryan Mallett into the fire. Love it.

Photo cred: http://goo.gl/ve5QJn

Ricky is a co-owner and fantasy sports writer at The Sports Script. Follow him on the Twitter machine @rickygangster!

 

NFL Pick ‘Em; Bovada Bets for Week 11

| Richard Valero

Over the course of the last two football seasons I have played with some pocket change on Bovada.lv. It’s a website where you can bet on the lines of NFL games to MLB games to The Oscars (seriously). Over time I have had a lot of fun making bets. I usually partake in betting on straight lines, but I’ve also been known to get involved in other kinds, including sweetheart teasers.

What is a sweetheart teaser?

A sweetheart teaser for the most part plays out the same way as a regular teaser, except a sweetheart gives the bettors even more points. You can shift the line by 10 to 13 points in football (that’s nearly two touchdowns). There are a couple of differences. While regular teasers can include up to 10 teams, a sweetheart can include only three or four teams. Also, if any of your selections push on a sweetheart, you lose the entire bet.

Also, check out this link to gain a better understanding of the NFL spread betting.

As you can see, sometimes the gamble can be quite large when betting a teaser. Who doesn’t like a good risk once in a while? From this week forward, I am going to outline some of the bets I love, hate and my sweetheart teaser of the week!

Week 10 Recap:

Saints -6: Seriously the Saints go ahead with less than 2 minutes to go in the 4th and I’m ready to jump for joy as my sweetheart teaser is going to be 2 for 2! And them boom, Colin Kaepernick completes a 50-yard pass to Michael Crabtree, setting up the game-tying field goal. After that, the rest was history. I always bet the Saints at home, ugh.

Ravens -10: I won’t lie, I was a little nervous about this game and wasn’t sure we would get the cover. A late touchdown secured this bet though, making me a happy camper.

Steelers – 6: I talked this up all week everywhere! Trap game. I loved the Jets getting 6 points against a hot Steelers team. The masses have short attention spans. Recency bias, anyone? Sure, Pittsburgh had been on fire over the past couple of weeks, but they have been bad against teams with records below .500. The Jets actually ended up winning outright.

Sweetheart Teaser: The Jets did their part in this and the rest was just a disaster. The Saints blew it and the Panthers got murdered! Very sad day for the teaser.

Overall, I was 2-1 in the matchups but my teaser fell down for the week.

Week 11 is upon us and there are some very interesting matchups. Let’s dive right in; cannonball!

Week 11 bets I love:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers +7 (-105)

Can someone please explain to me how the Washington Redskins are favorites by 7 points against anyone in the National Football League? That makes no sense and I am going to pounce on this game. I really don’t think Tampa is as bad as their record would tell us. This is what I like to call an easy money bet.

Cincinnati Bengals +7 1/2 (-115)

When the Bengals lose, they really lose. In their 3 losses, they’ve been outscored 84-20. Yikes! Still, a 7 and a half point spread is enticing. The orange and black have some fast, talented players, meaning the Saints’ 24th ranked pass defense will be on notice. This spread is too high in favor of the home team.

Week 11 bets I’m Avoiding:

San Diego Chargers -10 1/2

This bet will probably see a lot of action in favor of the Chargers but I think this Raiders team is going to play spoiler down the stretch. Oakland is 3 and 1 against the spread on the road this season. This smells like a trap game to me.

  • 49ers – 4 1/2
  • Giants + 4 1/2

I don’t like either side of this bet. Either team could come out and win. It’s hard to know which 49ers team will show up any given Sunday and the Giants have just had an odd season. Steer clear.

My sweetheart teaser lock of the week:

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So you already know about my love for the Raiders this week, so let me talk about the other 2 bets on this week’s sweetheart teaser.

  • The Seahawks +7 (on the road against the Chiefs): This game really is a toss up. Kansas City could very well come out and beat this Seahawks team, I just don’t think it will be by a touchdown. Seattle just isn’t as good as they were a season go (obviously). Easy teaser here.
  • New England Patriots +9 (on the road against the Colts): The Colts are a very good football team but I think they are a bit overrated on the defensive side of the ball. Give Belichick and the Patriots two weeks to prepare for this Colts team and I will take 9 points wherever the game is. No chance the Pats fail to cover.

That’s a very confident teaser for me this week. So lets roll the dice and make some money, folks.

Ricky is a co-owner, fantasy sports writer and gambling man at The Sports Script. Follow him on the Twitter machine @rickygangster!

NFL Pick ‘Em; Bovada Bets for Week 10

| Richard Valero

Over the course of the last two football seasons I have been playing with some pocket change on Bovada.lv. It’s a website where you can bet on the lines of NFL games to MLB games to The Oscars (seriously). Over time I have had a lot of fun making bets. I usually partake in betting on straight lines, but I’ve also been known to get involved in other kinds, including sweetheart teasers.

What is a sweetheart teaser?

A sweetheart teaser for the most part plays out the same way as a regular teaser, except a sweetheart gives the bettors even more points. You can shift the line by 10 to 13 points in football (that’s nearly two touchdowns). There are a couple of differences. While regular teasers can include up to 10 teams, a sweetheart can include only three or four teams. Also, if any of your selections push on a sweetheart, you lose the entire bet.

Also, check out this link to gain a better understanding of the NFL spread betting.

As you can see, sometimes the gamble can be quite large when betting a teaser. Who doesn’t like a good risk once in a while? From this week forward, I am going to outline some of the bets I love, hate and my sweetheart teaser of the week!

As of this writing there were no lines on the Dolphins/Lions, Giants/Seahawks or Cowboys/Jaguars games on Bovada. I wouldn’t have used any of these in my sweetheart teaser anyway.

Week 10 bets I love:

  • San Francisco 49ers +6 (-110)
  • New Orleans Saints -6 (-110)

These are easily my favorite betsof the week and I will find multiple ways to include them inside a teaser and some other bets. The Saints are good at home, we all know the history. Couple that with the 49ers not being on the same page right now and we have a recipe for success (In order to win a $1 back you have to bet $1.05 but the line is soft enough for me that I wouldn’t hesitate laying some serious money on this game).

  • Tennessee Titans +10
  • Baltimore Ravens -10

10 points can be scary and I rarely bet on lines this high but this one is too sweet not to lock down. The Ravens are 9-3 at home over the past two seasons and are coming off a lopsided loss to the Steelers, this is a team that’s going to want to come out and make a statement and I feel really bad for the Titans this weekend. Tennessee hasn’t done much right this season (Of course bet with caution but I really think that Ravens win this game by 20).

Week 10 bets I hate:

Pittsburgh Steelers -6
New York Jets +6

Ricky are you trying to tell us that you don’t like a team that has a quarterback who’s thrown for 12 touchdowns over the past 2 games and an offense that has scored 40+ points in back to back games? Yep. I hate this bet this week, it’s a total trap game and a trap bet. Keep in mind this is the same Steelers team that struggled on the road against the Jaguars, got demolished in Baltimore and Cleveland and lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

My sweetheart teaser lock of the week:

bet

As you can see I am taking full advantage of the Saints dropping from a -6 to a pick ’em against the 49ers, which means they just need to win the game and we are covered.

I really think Mark Sanchez and the Eagles win Monday night but the odds of them beating the Panthers by 13 points is not good. The Eagles have two blowouts this year (both came at home) but they were against the Jaguars (who were actually up 17 at the half) and the Giants. I like the Panthers to cover the 13 points with ease.

Lastly, I spoke of the Steelers/Jets game being a trap game for the Steelers and that’s at the -6, but give me 12 points and I love the Jets this weekend.

After playing around with various teasers this is easily my favorite. At +160, you can bet $5 and win $8 and so forth with the more you bet. One thing is for sure though, you will be thanking me Monday Night when the game is over.

Ricky is a co-owner, fantasy sports writer and gambling man at The Sports Script. Follow him on the Twitter machine @rickygangster!

Ricky’s Week 10 Fantasy 5-Pack; Sleepers

| Richard Valero

Welcome! I give you 5 guys who I think can give you the best bang for your buck in daily fantasy. I provide one player per position who I think fits the bill that you can use on the cheap to fill your daily rosters (I play on DraftKings and FanDuel, so that’s where my pricing will come from).

QB: Mark Sanchez vs. Carolina Panthers (DraftKings $5400, FanDuel $6600): Its 2014 and I am talking about Mark Sanchez as a sleeper for daily fantasy gamers, not sure I ever expected this. However, this is seriously a fantastic matchup for he and his Eagles. The Panthers pass defense hasn’t been very good this year and they are even worse on the road, giving up an average of 288 yards and 2 touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks. Sanchez filled in rather well in relief of Foles last week and I expect him to be ready when Monday comes along. He’s a value play, and for this week, I love me some Captain Butt Fumble.

RB: Denard Robinson vs. Dallas Cowboys (DraftKings $5100, FanDuel $6800): Robinson has been on a roll since taking over the starting tailback job for the Jaguars. He has 3 straight 100 total-yard performances to go with 2 touchdowns as well. He faces a Dallas run defense that could be without Rolando McClain and Tyrone Crawford this week. Dallas has also given up 100 or more yards and a score to opposing running backs over the last two weeks. I expect Robinson to do the same.

WR: Kendall Wright vs. Baltimore Ravens (DraftKings $4700, FanDuel $6500): This is probably my favorite matchup of the week. The Ravens have given up the most receptions, the most yards and the 4th most touchdowns to opposing wideouts this year and Wright has been fantastic on the road this season. He is averaging 8 targets, 5 catches and 53 yards in 4 games away from home. I expect the Titans to be playing from behind this whole game as well, which means there should be plenty of garbage time opportunities for Wright.

Rivera has been on his Taylor Gang swag over the last two weeks. He's a TE1 this week
Rivera has been on his Taylor Gang swag over the last two game. He’s a TE1 and super value play in week 10

TE: Mychal Rivera vs. Denver Broncos (Draft Kings $3800, FanDuel $5700): Carr and Rivera really seem to be on the same page over the last 2 weeks as they have connected on 15 balls for 121 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Folks, the Broncos are going to play pissed off in this game and like the Ravens/Titans game, I expect the Raiders to be playing from behind, which just means more looks for Rivera. The price is right. Rivera has to be in your lineup this week.

Defense: New Orleans Saints vs. San Francisco 49ers (DraftKings $2800, FanDuel $4600): When selecting a defense to use in my daily matches, I always scroll down to the bottom to find the best matchups I can in order to save money to use elsewhere. This week, that team is the Saints. They are coming off two straight victories and face a reeling 49ers team that was just upset by the Rams. The New Orleans defense has forced 5 turnovers and has 8 sacks over the last two weeks. No-brainer here dollar value wise.

Good luck gamers!

Photo cred: http://goo.gl/jBRgTz

Ricky is a co-owner and fantasy sports writer at The Sports Script. Follow him on the Twitter machine @rickygangster!

The Fantasy Forecaster: Week 10 Start/Sit

| Richard Valero

Ricky was joined by fellow TSS writer Doug Moore and they discussed their Must Start/Must Sit for week 10.

Here is the short version of the show just telling who we picked.

You can also subscribe/download on iTunes here. Leave a rating, don’t be shy!

Make sure to follow Ricky (@rickygangster) and Doug (@DMM0822) on Twitter!

The guys will be back next week (November 11th)! Get your questions in on Twitter using the #TSS tag.