Series betting serious

Bob Cloud

Monday, Oct. 28, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

The 1996 World Series produced a stirring comeback for baseball's most storied team and brought bettors back to the national pastime.

The New York Yankees captured the Series with a 3-2 victory in Game 6 Saturday, winning four consecutive games -- including three straight in Atlanta -- after dropping the first two at home. The battle between two of baseball's most visible teams meant the largest Series handle in recent years, according to Jay Kornegay, race and sports book director at the Imperial Palace.

"Absolutely, it was a tremendous increase from last year," said Kornegay. "There were two excellent teams who are very popular. Any time you have a New York team in the World Series it's going to be big, and you also had the defending champions with Atlanta. I'm very happy with the action. It was a lot bigger than last year's games.

"These are two very popular teams so we would have done well either way."

The Yankees opened as plus 140 underdogs. After a 12-1 Atlanta win in Game 1 at Yankee Stadium, New York rose to a 5-2 selection. After the Braves won Game 2 to take a 2-0 lead back to Georgia, bettors could have gotten the Yanks at 8-1.

Saturday's Series finale was especially big for the books, as action came down heavy on Atlanta. Not only did the Braves start Las Vegan Greg Maddux (who handcuffed the Yanks in Game 2) on the mound, the odds were against the powerful Braves dropping a fourth straight game.

From a fan standpoint, Kornegay said the '96 Series proved to be highly entertaining, adding the Yankees were able to pull off the upset by executing the fundamentals better than the Braves.

"It was a great overall series," he said. "You have to give the Yankees credit. Their pitching did a great job in holding down the Atlanta hitters after that first game, and they did the little things you have to do to win. It was remarkable that they were able to come back like they did after dropping the first two at home."

Bears, Vikings on MNF

The Minnesota Vikings host the Chicago Bears tonight on Monday Night Football. The game kicks off at 6 p.m. on ABC.

The Vikings are 6 1/2-point favorites, with an over/under set at 39 1/2.

Minnesota (5-2) won a Week 3 matchup between the teams 20-14 at Soldier Field in Chicago, one of five losses over the past six games for the Bears (2-5). The Vikings also have taken a downturn, dropping two of their past three, to the lowly Buccaneers and Giants. Both teams are coming off a bye week.

Kornegay said action has been slow, but he expects the handle to pick up closer to game time.

"There's not much interest yet on this one," he said. "For a Monday night game there's been very little movement -- in fact there's been no movement at all. Right now most of the money is on Minnesota."

Kornegay said part of the lethargic reaction to tonight's game is the poor play of the Bears, traditionally a popular team with bettors.

The Imperial Palace is offering several propositions, including whether Robert Smith of Minnesota will score a touchdown (yes, minus 135; no, plus 105), total receptions by Amp Lee of the Vikings (over/under of 3 1/2) and whether or not Chicago quarterback Dave Kreig will throw an interception in the first half (yes, plus 110; no, minus 140).

Odds and ends

* COMMOTION ACTION HEAVY: Sunday's marquee NFL matchup, the "Commotion by the Ocean" between the Dallas Cowboys and the Dolphins in Miami, drew lots of action in area sports books. The Cowboys won the game, 29-10, as 3-point favorites after trailing 10-9 at the half. Imperial Palace race and sports book director Jay Kornegay said the contest drew heavy action on both sides. "The game was bet really even," Kornegay said. "There was a little more money on Miami but not much. The line never really moved."

* BREEDERS' CUP: Cigar's loss in Saturday's Breeders' Cup Classic meant some big coin for lucky bettors. The 6-year-old Cigar, a 4-5 favorite, was beaten by Alphabet Soup and runner-up Louis Quatorze in the Classic, with the winner paying $41.70 and earning $2,080,000. On the other side of the coin, Ricks Natural Star, a 99-1 shot and the strangely sentimental choice in the Breeders' Turf, finished 30 seconds behind winner Pilsudski.