As the Byrds blood and the Bible preach, for everything there is a season; In the wide world of sports, football is over and baseball season is almost here again.
Spring training is just around the corner and the Boys of Summer will soon be dominating sports headlines.
Like the seasonal changes on the planet, people feel the transformation as it takes place.
“It’s up in the air,” observed Jeff Sherman, a Las Vegas Hilton bookmaker and SuperBook supervisor.
“You’ll know baseball really is here when you can read about it on ESPN.com every day and watch ‘Baseball Tonight.'”
Bookmakers generally advise that this is a good time to buy baseball futures, before the March Madness crowds drop the numbers.
“People don’t really like baseball yet, but they will in a few weeks,” said Tony Nevill, editorial director of New Frontier.
“That’s when you get a high concentration of people.
“They will be here to bet on basketball, but they will look at baseball.
“All teams will have had some starts by then and pitchers will have some innings under their belts.”
World Series futures prices vary from store to store, depending on several things.
That makes shopping and cost comparisons a must.
One factor in pricing is the opinions of baseball specialists at individual houses.
They create their own numbers or work from a “master” list provided by Las Vegas Sports Consultants, adjusting the numbers as they see fit.
Nevill notes that money moves the lines and the area a hotel guest comes from often influences future fluctuations as fans wager their hard-earned dollars on home teams.
“We get a lot of guests from Midwest hotels and they bet on Midwest teams,” Nevill said.
Sure the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, one of those teams is the Chicago Cubs.
The Windy City Northsiders are annual passives almost everywhere as members of the Cubbie Nation emerge from the four corners of the country to dream, gamble and have new hopes.
Some attribute this widespread popularity to SuperStation WGN, which made Cubs games the first to be broadcast nationwide when television was still young; those fans of yesteryear are now seniors, but the ties to the club are as binding as ever.
What makes this season different from most is that there’s actually reason to believe, as Ernie Banks would say, that the Cubs will find heaven in 2007.
“I think (.325 career hitter) Alfonso Soriano will be the spark the club needs,” LVSC boss Ken White said.
“If they can get Kerry Wood in the bullpen, ready to throw a couple of innings every other day, that would be a big help,” Nevill added.
It’s best to buy those Cubs futures quickly, though, because prices are falling faster than Walmart Holiday Barbies the day after Christmas.
Even Nevill was stunned when his computer revealed the naked truth.
“We started the Cubs at 60/1 and now they’re 6/1,” Nevill said.
“Yes, you heard that right”.
White deemed that “too low,” saying he could still find Cubs futures in the 30/1 to 35/1 range throughout the valley.
Some sportsbooks hung long-suffering Chicagoans up to 75/1.
Bruins futures have been cut in half at the Hilton.
“We opened them on 1/30 and now they’re 1/15,” Sherman said.
“That’s typical.”
Philadelphia, which narrowly missed the 2006 postseason, is also drawing future attention from the New Frontier.
The Phillies have slugger Ryan Howard and should bolster their mound corps with the acquisition of former White Sox pitcher Freddie Garcia.
“I know the computer says the money is going into the Cubs, but it looks like every other future bet we’re getting is on Philly,” Nevill said.
“However, we’ve only reduced the Phillies’ odds from 18/1 to 15/1.
“That should tell you I’m not convinced of them.
“They still have to prove themselves to me.”
The New Frontier is in good standing with every American League team, though Nevill is keeping an eye out for any major or focused action in Cleveland.
“We started the Indians at 35/1, went to 40/1 and then went back to 35,” Nevill said.
“I kind of like them and I don’t want to be caught off guard.”
Nevill noted that California clubs are more or less considered local teams and have strong backing.
“The Dodgers, the Angels, the Padres … even the G-Men and the Northern A’s,” Nevill said.
“As it is, it doesn’t take much more to win a division.
“California teams haven’t drawn much yet, but that’s probably because their odds weren’t very high to begin with.”
White and Sherman noted that San Francisco’s futures plummeted when the Giants acquired pitcher Barry Zito from the A’s.
San Francisco opened between 60/1 and 75/1 and is currently in the 25/1 to 35/1 range, though the numbers could rise again if slugger Barry Bonds is charged.
As usual, the New York Yankees are book favorites in everything including the ALDS, ACCS and the World Series.
Mike Colbert, the Plaza’s race and sports book manager, agrees the Bronx Bombers should be rocking this season and even more so if Roger Clemens lands a deal that returns him to the Big Apple.
“They will definitely become the team to beat,” Colbert said.
Colbert noted that the Plaza had taken more than its fair share of future bets on Milwaukee and Colorado at 50/1.
He also echoed Nevill in urging prospective diamond players to hurry to the betting windows.
“After March Madness is over, baseball heats up,” Colbert said.
“Fans looking for baseball deals should definitely do so now.”
