If you are thinking of doing some baseball betting this year, save your money, don’t bet on the Cubs. Don’t even entertain the idea. In fact, it boggles my mind how they can be the preseason favorite at 3/1 odds to take home the NL pennant.
I don’t care about how they look on paper, and I also don’t care about “curses.” I’m looking at it strictly from the point of view that these are the Cubs.
They’re the Cubs. End of argument.
They’ve had many chances to prove me wrong, but in the end, they’ll always fail.
Why? Right.
Current MLB baseball odds have them at 11/2 to win the World Series, too, which is a joke. Maybe not because they’re right under the Yankees, but because somehow they’ve convinced the gambling world to treat them as contenders, once again.
Makes me sick.
Without spending too much time dissecting their new and improved team, basically because they’re not worth it, I’ll rain on the North Siders’ parade with a few specifics.
First, the rotation is weak. Yes, it is. Zambrano is an unnecessary roller coaster. Harden, at best when healthy is a regular season pitcher, and at worst an IR liability come May or sooner. Lilly is getting up there. Dempster, despite impressive numbers, doesn’t scare anyone, and that becomes even more evident once he leaves the friendly confines.
Plus they’re subtracting Jim Edmonds and adding Milton Bradley to the mix. Yeah, he and Lou will really help stabilize that clubhouse chemistry.
So who’s a safe bet right now? I wouldn’t call them a lock by any means, but give me a few hundred on the Mets to climb out of the NL this year. At 5/1 to make it to the Fall Classic, and 10/1 to take the cake, I’m in.
They were a bigger disappointment last year than the sports betting Cowboys, but I’m looking ahead, and I see Johan Santana, Freddy Garcia (yes, he’s back, I’m calling it) Oliver Perez and others staring back at me. Plus I don’t see Scott Schoenweis anymore, which can only be a good thing for them.
I think this is the year the lineup gels and we get to see the other NY team play their way through some meaningful games come autumn.
Also, save your money to play poker rather than betting on the Phillies. They were a fluke and will prove me right, I don’t care how much confidence they’re bringing into 2009. Nobody arriving makes up for Pat Burrell departing, for one thing. Those 4/1 odds on them winning the NL is a sucker’s bet.