Gab Session – Pirates Go Undefeated
Mets vs. pirates. Sounds like a stellar NLCS, doesn’t it?
After all, those two National League clubs were the first to sweep a regular-season series. The Mets went to St. Louis and knocked out the defending World Series champions in three straight games, while the Pirates went to Enron, er, Minutemaid in Houston, and outscored the Astros by three.
I mean, it’s obvious, right? The Mets won 97 games last year, crushed the Dodgers and came within a few outs of the World Series. The Pirates won 67 games in 2006 (beating the Cubs by one), their 14th consecutive losing season. They lost 18 of their first 23 games last year and made the Colorado Rockies look sexy.
The Mets have David Wright, José Reyes, Carlos Beltrán, Lastings Milledge and a host of other exciting talent. The Pirates have Jason Bay.
The Mets reached the World Series in 2000, completely overhauled their lineup, and seem the safest to be in the 2007 Fall Classic. The Pirates were last in the World Series at the end of the Carter Administration. Hey, I said late on the Carter Administration.
Billy Wagner vs. Solomon Torres.
Tom Glavine vs. Zach Duke.
Moises Alou vs. Xavier Nadi.
Mike Pelfrey vs. Tony Armas Jr.
And who doesn’t think that Jack Wilson could take José Reyes to a foot race? (Hands down, America.)
Yes sir, it’s time. Mets/Pirates. Who knows, maybe they’ll both be undefeated when they meet. 162-0 against 162-0.
Hey, everyone laughed at me when I told them the Celtics would be historically bad this year, right?
Florida was to have been a heavy betting favorite in the college basketball national title game. Did the books bathe in that game?
BoDog Bookmakers, BoDog.com: The Florida spread was the popular choice among the betting public; however, the books remained relatively safe by offering very good value on the Ohio State money line.
The paint is dry on this back-to-back, but I wonder if you have any early ideas on who will be in the Final Four next season?
BDB, BoDog.com: Next year’s Final Four will have a lot to do with what happens next month. If Greg Oden enjoys school as much as he says he says and returns for his sophomore year, it will be impossible to keep Ohio State out of the 2008 Final Four predictions. If Arron Afflalo stays at UCLA, the Bruins can aim for a third straight appearance. in the Final Four. Kansas appears to be in the best position to keep its roster intact after the NBA pillages the college ranks of top talent. I think the team to watch will be USC. OJ Mayo has a volatile personality, but also a sublime talent. If Tim Floyd can get Mayo to freeze with the rest of the Trojans’ talented starters, this team could be the 2008 national champion.
Are you looking forward to the Masters this weekend? Does it make sense to bet on someone other than Tiger?
BDB, BoDog.com: In all honesty, are you willing to bet against Tiger? Looking at the action Bodog.com has received so far. The public believes that this is the tournament that Tiger must lose.
Do you have bets on the season of a baseball team that you particularly like? A team that you think could make it to the World Series, or win it, and whose odds are higher than you think they should be?
BDB, BoDog.com: This year, we could see a repeat of the 1993 World Series. This could be Philadelphia’s year. The Phillies have been close to success the past two seasons, finishing second in the NL East in 2005 and 2006. If they don’t start well, Charlie Manuel could be looking for a job in the middle of the season. In the American League, the Blue Jays didn’t have the same buzz in free agent time that they did last year, though they added free agent slugger Frank Thomas and, more importantly, locked up the phenomenal Vernon Wells. If their pitchers stay healthy, expect the Blue Jays to be in contention for the AL crown come October.