Casino Connection Nevada

Baseball bargains

by Staff

Got a hunch? Bet a bunch. Major-league baseball began so early this year, in Japan March 25 that March Madness has yet to abate when its stats count. Yet the long season gives patrons time to evaluate good post-season values.

The Yankees, for instance, are perennially overbet. A decade after their last World Series championship, they remain no worse than a 5-1 pick to win everything. The Indians, 10-1, Angels, 12-1 and Phillies, 25-1, all made the post-season last year and would not need to improve much. Defending champion Boston, at 4-1, was the early favorite to repeat. Detroit, at 7-1, received substantial play.

As for winning the pennant, Philadelphia and Colorado were solid value picks at 9-1. The odds show how East Coast hype allows solid teams to be overlooked.

 Individually, Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Howard were favored to win the home-run championship. Both surfaced around 4-1. Disgruntled Cecil Fielder (7-1) and oft-injured Albert Pujols (12-1) represented reasonable reaches. Matt Holiday, at 20-1, and Jason Bay, at a whopping 200-1, would return handsome payouts if their power broke numbers broke out in their hitter-friendly parks.

The odds represented early lines at the Las Vegas Hilton sports book.