Greg Niemann graduated with a degree in journalism from California State University, Los Angeles, and is an accredited business communicator. He was a communications manager and publications editor with United Parcel Service for over 34 years before he retired in January 1995. Niemann was president of both the Los Angeles and Orange County chapters of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and was named Communicator of the Year by that organization. He has also served on the board of directors of the Outdoor Writers Association of California (OWAC).

He worked for UPS as a teenager in 1957-58, and then served in the U.S. Army in Germany where he earned the Expert Infantryman Badge (EIB) with the highest score in the battalion. He returned to UPS as a Hollywood center delivery driver, and was promoted into management where he edited the company magazine, the Big Idea, in Southern California. Later he coordinated the editing of numerous company publications throughout the West Coast, and often helped organize visits of key UPS executives. He has personally known every UPS CEO from founder Jim Casey to the recent Mike Eskew. 

Since retirement, he has been a newspaper columnist and still contributes regularly to several publications. Presently, Niemann is on staff of the San Clemente Journal, writing the award-winning South of the Border column and a travel column featuring Palm Springs and other desert destinations. Most of his articles are travel- or Baja-related, including a series on the Baja missions along with numerous fishing and off-road racing articles. 

Niemann’s books include Baja Fever, Baja Legends, Palm Springs Legends, Big Brown: The Untold Story of UPS and Las Vegas Legends. The memoirs brought out in Baja Fever created a loyal following of Baja fans. Baja Legends, which focuses on the characters, events, and locations that put Baja California on the map, won an award from the Outdoor Writers Association of California, and is in its third printing. Palm Springs Legends has been one of the top sellers in all Coachella Valley bookstores since its release, and is now also in its third printing. Big Brown is in several languages world-wide, and Las Vegas Legends is being released by Sunbelt Publications in mid-2011. 

A popular speaker, Niemann has presented numerous slide shows and/or book signings at venues including: Barnes & Noble, Borders, Costco, Discover Baja Travel Club; Distant Lands Travel Club, Book Expo America, and the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. He is a member of the Friends of the Palm Springs Library, the Palm Springs Historical Society, the Las Vegas/Clark County Library District Foundation, and the Friends of Classic Las Vegas. He enjoys big game ocean fishing, fresh water fishing, and other outdoor activities, like hiking, bicycling, and rafting. 

Niemann is a fourth generation Californian whose great grandfather at one time published the Pomona Progress and Independent. He and his wife reside in southern California. They travel as much as possible and also have a weekend home in Baja California, Mexico. 

2011 Pro Football Las Vegas Linemaker VI $29.95

By Mike Hillin Author/Handicapper

The Las Vegas Linemaker VI is designed to pick winners in pro football using power ratings and spread range charts. The degree of difficulty is equivalent to junior high math and is simple enough for new or experienced handicappers to use. The book takes about 20 minutes of your time to update weekly.

One of the basic fundamentals of football gambling is to determine if the point spread accurately represents the difference in relative strength of the two teams, or if it is a number to create balanced betting action. The power ratings will determine the relative strength between two teams. A comparison with the point spread will show you which team is getting value.

The spread range chart is used to track how teams are doing against the point spread. The rationale behind it is that odds makers are so closely in tune with how teams are doing against the spread. Odds makers tend to make teams that are doing well more expensive, and teams doing poorly more attractive. Power ratings will point out how much odds makers are compensating.

2011 College Stat Tracker $19.95 By Mike Hillin Author/Handicapper

The College Stat Tracker was created with a yardage per point system. The book has every NCAA division 1 college team with two stat pages each, to record statistical data for every game played. The yards per point system is easy to use and requires simple addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication.

A short exercise was added on page 9 to make sure the reader understands the calculations to achieve a theoretical score. The stat columns include team and opponent rankings, offensive and defensive points for and points against, first downs, rushing yards, passing yards, total yards, and offensive and defensive yards per point.

The second page lets you total those figures so you won’t have to go back and calculate them later in the season. The College Stat Tracker gives you the room other publications don’t.

About the Author:

Mike Hillin has been handicapping college and pro football for over 30 years and uses the material that has been the most successful for him. He has arranged this material in two solid handicapping books so that the reader has the best chance to succeed against the odds makers.