The Chicago Cubs are favored to win the World Series. No, seriously
The Chicago Cubs were the third-best team in baseball this season when it comes to wins and losses in the regular season. So no one should be shocked to see the Cubs as the favorite to win the World Series atop the betting lines at sports books and Internet gambling sites now in mid-October.
But, come on, these are the Cubs we’re talking about. We know they’re good. We know they’ve earned it, and then some, and they’re a lot of fun to watch with so many talented young players making huge contributions. It’s just so strange to see the team known as the lovable losers for sooooo long finally in this position.
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As of Wednesday, less than 24 hours after Chicago ousted St. Louis, the best team in baseball in the regular season, from the playoffs and prior to Kansas City and Toronto clinching spots in the American League Championship Series, the Cubs were the top pick, according to Las Vegas.
[Look: Barber shaves stellar portrait of Cubs ace Jake Arrieta in customer’s head]
The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook had the Cubs at 40 to 1 to win it all before the season started. Those odds improved dramatically throughout the season and had improved to 5-2 following the NLDS triumph over the Cardinals. The Cubs were 8-5 favorites at MGM’s book early Wednesday and William Hill bookmakers had the Cubs at 9-4 up from 50-1 a year ago.
Bookmakers figure to lose big if the Cubs pull it off and finally win the World Series for the first time since 1908 because the Cubs attract heavy action year in and year out regardless of how good they’re expected to be.They attract even more when they’re good. It’s fun to put a little dough on a long shot and hope it pays off big, which is something Cubs fans and others have been doing for years figuring this just might be the year it pays off.
This year, it might actually happen.
Chicago will have to get through either the Los Angeles Dodgers or the New York Mets first in the NLCS. We’ll find out which one of those teams will face the Cubs when they meet in Game 5 of their division series Thursday in Los Angeles.
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Kyle Ringo is a contributing writer to Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
