The dog days of summer are here but that doesn't mean that baseball bettors, panting from the daily drudgery of the sport, have to roll over and play dead.
The Greek Sportsbook is offering a variety of post all-star game treats - cleverly disguised as futures and propositions - for those wagering wonks who are eager to a fetch a new betting angle on America's Pastime.
Start with the basics, future book prices on the winner of the World Series, the champion of both the American and National Leagues, and the winners of each of the six divisions.
Even if you were one of those who polished your crystal ball so well that you were able to foresee the Tigers at +1155 (bet $100 to win $11,500) to win the World Series, you might not want to sit on your investment. Sure, Detroit, which averaged more than 96 losses over the past decade is the first team in the Major Leagues to reach 60 victories, but you might want to hedge.
Congratulations also are in order for punters who were brave enough to take +16550 on the Reds last March. But Cincinnati, which must contend with St. Louis in the NL Central, probably is relegated to the post-season play via the wild card, a risky route at best. Gamblers may want to expand their wagering options to the frenetic NL West, where any of the division's five teams - San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Colorado and Arizona - have a chance to advance.
On the other cleat, if you're one of those who thought +3050 was a reasonable World Series price on the Braves, a team that has made the playoffs every year since 1990, you might want to start shopping for another future book option. Of course, that's also probably good advice for bettors who, at +2050, on Mar. 1, latched on to the injury-riddled Cubs.
If World Series, pennant and division titles are a bit too drab for your wagering pallet, on a daily basis, The Greek Sportsbook offers hundreds of spicier betting options to satisfy your appetite:
For example, during a high-profile series between the White Sox and Yankees in New York in mid-July, in addition to standard odds, run line and total wagering, there were more than a dozen ways to bet the middle game of the three-game series:
- Will the total hits, runs and errors in the game be over or under 30?
- Which team will score first?
- Which team will record the most base hits in the first inning?
- Will there be a run scored in the first inning?
- Which team will be leading after the first inning?
- Will the total runs scored in the first 4 1/2 innings be over or under 5?
- Which team will be leading after 4 1/2 innings?
- Which team will hit the first home run in the game?
- Will the first called pitch by a Chicago White Sox pitcher be a ball or a strike?
- Will the first called pitch by a New York Yankees pitcher be a ball or a strike?
- Who will have more total bases in the game, Chicago's Paul Konerko or New York's Jason Giambi?
- Who will have more total bases in the game, Chicago's Jim Thome or New York's Alex Rodriguez?
- Who will have more total bases in the game, Chicago's Jermaine Dye or New York's Jorge Posada?
- Who will have more total bases in the game, Chicago's Joe Crede or New York's Bernie Williams?
Multiply that one game by the 14 other games that were being played that day and gamblers have hundreds of ways to become involved in the wagering action.
Beyond individual games, The Greek Sportsbook is (or soon will be) offering prices on the winners of a half-dozen post-season awards, including American and National League Most Valuable Player, American and National League Cy Young, and American and National Rookie of the Year.
What's more, you can also wager on whether Major League Baseball will decide to retire Roberto Clemente's No. 21. Currently, only Jackie Robinson's No. 42 is off limits for current use.
Those who believe that Clemente's No. 21 will be retired risk $200 to win $100. Doubters lay $100 to win $160.
Given all those wagering options, if these are the dog days of summer, then every bettor should wish he were a Golden Retriever.
