The Rise of the Underdogs on Satellite TV
When the season is about to begin, sports fans are usually bombarded with predictions from all sides.
The experts' predictions, the network predictions, the franchise predictions, the fan base predictions: all have some sort of crystal ball in which they can see through to the playoffs and beyond.
Or at least they think they can.
For Las Vegas, it's more than a pastime, as the handicapper's existence depends on his ability to call it as it will be.
Then reality sets in.
Major League Baseball is no different when it comes to the prediction craze.
They all seem to be asking one question: will the Yankees or the Red Sox (or maybe the Mets) be crowned king this year? In the last nine years, they've only been right three times and the experts are being proven wrong once again.
Take the Kansas City Royals for example, baseball's version of the bottom feeder.
With a payroll among the lowest in baseball, Kansas City is written off before the season starts.
But don't tell them that.
Checking out one of the Royals games on satellite TV, you will see the rise of a phenomenal young pitcher, Zack Greinke.
Greinke jumped out to a 5-0 record, in the meantime catapulting his team into first place.
The Royals in first? It's only May, but that idea would have sounded crazy a few months ago.
For more surprises, check out the fabled American League East.
Home to the Yankees, the Red Sox and last year's odds-defying AL Champ Tampa Bay Rays, it's an odds maker's dream.
Since the Yankees and Red Sox are favored to win each of the 162 games they play, Vegas knows it's playing with the house's money.
Yet it's the Toronto Blue Jays who have made their move early, leaving all competitors wanting.
Tune in to the HD broadcast of a Jays game and watch the killer instinct of Roy "Doc" Halladay kick in.
Halladay's intense demeanor and unhittable pitches have kept Toronto on the map for years, and it looks like he and Greinke will duke it out to see who's declared the 2009 Cy Young Award winner.
The surprises don't stop there.
The amazingly young and comparatively low-paid Florida Marlins went flying to an 11-1 record, leaving the favorite Mets and Phillies wondering what happened in their division.
After an equally baffling losing streak, the Marlins haven't gone away.
Toss in the Atlanta Braves, who always field a competitive team regardless of payroll, and the National League East has become a true crapshoot.
How do you stay on top of this action? Probably the best way is the MLB Extra Innings package from satellite TV.
Featuring up to 90 games every week in high definition, you'll be able to stay on top of the hot teams all over the country.
With the endless MLB schedule, you'll want to maximize your production at work.
Baseball season, with its four-hour games and endless drama, is no time to take your work home with you.
That is, unless you're a handicapper trying to recover your reputation.
The experts' predictions, the network predictions, the franchise predictions, the fan base predictions: all have some sort of crystal ball in which they can see through to the playoffs and beyond.
Or at least they think they can.
For Las Vegas, it's more than a pastime, as the handicapper's existence depends on his ability to call it as it will be.
Then reality sets in.
Major League Baseball is no different when it comes to the prediction craze.
They all seem to be asking one question: will the Yankees or the Red Sox (or maybe the Mets) be crowned king this year? In the last nine years, they've only been right three times and the experts are being proven wrong once again.
Take the Kansas City Royals for example, baseball's version of the bottom feeder.
With a payroll among the lowest in baseball, Kansas City is written off before the season starts.
But don't tell them that.
Checking out one of the Royals games on satellite TV, you will see the rise of a phenomenal young pitcher, Zack Greinke.
Greinke jumped out to a 5-0 record, in the meantime catapulting his team into first place.
The Royals in first? It's only May, but that idea would have sounded crazy a few months ago.
For more surprises, check out the fabled American League East.
Home to the Yankees, the Red Sox and last year's odds-defying AL Champ Tampa Bay Rays, it's an odds maker's dream.
Since the Yankees and Red Sox are favored to win each of the 162 games they play, Vegas knows it's playing with the house's money.
Yet it's the Toronto Blue Jays who have made their move early, leaving all competitors wanting.
Tune in to the HD broadcast of a Jays game and watch the killer instinct of Roy "Doc" Halladay kick in.
Halladay's intense demeanor and unhittable pitches have kept Toronto on the map for years, and it looks like he and Greinke will duke it out to see who's declared the 2009 Cy Young Award winner.
The surprises don't stop there.
The amazingly young and comparatively low-paid Florida Marlins went flying to an 11-1 record, leaving the favorite Mets and Phillies wondering what happened in their division.
After an equally baffling losing streak, the Marlins haven't gone away.
Toss in the Atlanta Braves, who always field a competitive team regardless of payroll, and the National League East has become a true crapshoot.
How do you stay on top of this action? Probably the best way is the MLB Extra Innings package from satellite TV.
Featuring up to 90 games every week in high definition, you'll be able to stay on top of the hot teams all over the country.
With the endless MLB schedule, you'll want to maximize your production at work.
Baseball season, with its four-hour games and endless drama, is no time to take your work home with you.
That is, unless you're a handicapper trying to recover your reputation.
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