The cry of "Play ball" will be heard across stadiums this month as Major League Baseball begins another season with a familiar refrain: For the sixth year in a row, those "Damn Yankees" are the team to beat.
When the calendar year changed Jan. 1, oddsmakers at
The Greek Sportsbook listed the Bronx Bombers as 5/2 favorites to win the 2003 World Series. The Yankees, who were bounced out of last year's playoffs by the surprising Angels, have strengthened a team that led the Major Leagues in win percentage last season.
New York's pitching staff, which already boasts a cast that includes starters Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, David Wells and Jeff Weaver, adds Jose Contreras, a Cuban defector who throws a mid-90s fastball that helped him achieve a sparkling 117-50 record with a 2.82 ERA pitching for Cuba's national team the last seven years. Bullpen ace Mariano Rivera closes the door on most opponent rallies.
The Yankees also added some muscle to their offense, outfitting Hideki Matsui, Japan's top slugger, in pin stripes. Matsui, who cracked 50 home runs last season and carries the nickname "Godzilla," joins an already potent lineup that includes all-stars Jason Giambi, Alphonso Soriano, Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada.
At odds of 7/2, the Athletics, who won 103 games last year, appear to be the biggest threat to the Yankees. Paced by a starting rotation that includes Cy Young Award winner Barry Zito, Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder, Oakland led the American League in ERA last year. League MVP Miguel Tejada juices the attack.
If the World Series is won by a team from the National League, it's likely to be the Diamondbacks, who
The Greek Sportsbook listed as the 7/1 third choice to capture the October Classic. Arizona's strength lies with its back-to-back 20-game winners, fireballers Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. The return of a healthy Luis Gonzalez would add pop to the offense.
Defending champion Anaheim joins St. Louis as lively 8/1 contenders for the 2003 World Series banner. Clutch pitching and timely hitting were trademarks for the upstart Angels last year. The Cardinals also enjoyed a strong mix of sound pitching and solid hitting to overcome the death of pitcher Darryl Kyle and advance to post-season play.
One never can talk about post-season play and a possible World Series title without mentioning the Braves. Atlanta, which engineered an 11th consecutive division title last season, will have a somewhat different look now that former Cy Young Award winner Tom Glavine and starting hurlers Kevin Millwood and Damian Moss have changed their zip codes. But with Paul Byrd (from Kansas City), Russ Ortiz (from San Francisco) and Mike Hampton (from Colorado) joining Greg Maddux and John Smoltz, the Braves might have enough arms to merit a look at odds of 10/1.
Bettors looking for a bit more bang for their buck could do worse than take a chance on a pair of 25/1 shots, the Mets and the Phillies. The addition of Glavine, an 18-game winner last year, solidifies New York's starting rotation while Mike Stanton, a pick-up from the Yankees, helps to strengthen the bullpen. Cliff Floyd adds another top bat to the Mets lineup.
The Phillies have aggressively revamped, adding Millwood, slugger Jim Thome (52 HR in '02) and infielder David Bell.
Gamblers eager to find this season's equivalent of last year's Angels - a team with a legitimate shot at odds of 40/1 or better - might want to look to Chicago where the White Sox added high octane 20-game winner Bartolo Colon to a team that appears ready to improve on last year's 81 victories.
Here's a look at World Series future book prices:
